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Over the past few years, I've often linked to the TED web site, because they often have interesting talks from interesting people. The TED people have just run into a spot of bother with their video hosting supplier, which means that they have had to change over to a new host service. And while they have tried to minimise the impact, the string and sealing wax that characterises the worldwide web in general has snapped beyond repair as far as I'm concerned. All of the video embedded links that I have made in past blog entries are ...
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Edge has posted its big question for 2009: "What game-changing scientific ideas and developments do you expect to live to see?" and has asked a wide variety of scientists, academics and philosophers for their answers.
I don't expect to live to see it, but I think the biggest game-changing development would be cheap energy from workable nuclear fusion. It would utterly change the whole energy landscape. ... Flag post
Here are the photos that I am most pleased with of all those that I took in 2008. I know that they’re not very good from a professional’s point of view, but I like them… View Full Album ... Flag post
Chris Clarke, over at Creek Running North writes about a fairly depressing example of boys and their toys - in this case 4x4 owners churning up nature just because they can. I see the same sort of thing in the woods near here with dirt bike riders turning the paths into muddy ruts. Sigh. ... Flag post
Here's a terrific article on self-awareness by V. S. Ramachandran. I might quibble with his opening sentence (the riddle of consciousness is very far from being "one of the last remaining problems in science"), and Dr. Vaughan Bell wonders about a couple of passages in Ramachandran's essay. Nonetheless, it's a wonderful insight into the mirror maze that lies at the heart of that most difficult question: "Who am I?" ... Flag post
Jean Kazez has an interesting post up at the Talking Philosophy blog, where she writes about two books covering the subject of what it is to be human. The more interesting of the two seems to be Mark Rowlands' The Philosopher and the Wolf.
Because of the fact that we share the house with our dog, Kai, my choice of books for Martin this Christmas had a bit of a theme going about dogs and their owners. So I had chosen books such as Walking With Zeke, Dog Years and Paws and Reflect. From Kazez's ... Flag post
I see that Scotland is preparing to host Europe's first 'dark sky park'. It’s near to where my brother lives, so that I’m pleased that he will be able to enjoy it. Around here, even though we are in what passes for the Dutch countryside, we still have a lot of light pollution. I would guess that for most nights we are still only class 4 on the Bortle Scale. ... Flag post
…to fit a false argument. Oh dear, I seem to be very negative today, what with pointing out Madeleine Bunting’s tripe, and now I feel impelled to do the same for Andrew Brown. Well, it’s not as if he doesn’t have a track record. He’s written a piece on the “New Atheists” (oh, noes, not that meme again…). As soon as I read this bit, I thought, “Er hello, you’re either stupid or disingenuous…”: The ideas I claim are distinctive of the new atheists have been collected from Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, Jerry Coyne, ... Flag post
While I’m mentioning Darwin, I might as well draw your attention to another piece by ‘Our Maddy of the Sorrows’. This time Madeleine Bunting is urging us not to let the great man be hijacked by “New Atheists” – whatever they might be. I rather suspect that they are just the same as plain old atheists, i.e. people who lack beliefs in gods. No matter, after writing some accurate stuff in her article about Darwin’s achievements (to give her due credit), Maddy can’t resist launching off into some very silly riffs indeed. The fear is that the anniversary will ... Flag post
We’re just under a year away from the 150th anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species”. As part of the celebrations, New Scientist has brought together a collection of the top ten of its in-depth articles that deal with evolution.
I’ve had a small pocket version of “The Origin of Species” for a number of years now, but this Christmas, I decided to treat myself to an altogether weightier tome: “On the Origin of Species: The Illustrated Edition”. This contains the same text that Charles Darwin penned, but it is supplemented ... Flag post
Tim Minchin has a way with words. Brilliant stuff.
(hat tip to PZ Myers) ... Flag post
Following on from the John Bird/John Fortune explanation of the Credit Crunch, here's an excellent explanation of Subprimes.
(hat tip to Andy for the link) ... Flag post
One of the things I like about Christmas is that there’s usually a veritable feast of films on the telly. Sometimes you can pluck out a plum, but it has to be said that many are simply turkeys. Last night, the BBC gave us Terry Gilliam’s The Brothers Grimm. A definite plum as far as I was concerned. I’d not seen it before so I’m pleased to have rectified the omission. I have to say that I wasn’t instantly won over to the very American double act of Heath Ledger and Matt Damon as the eponymous Brothers, but as ... Flag post
That seems to be the gist of the Pope’s Christmas message. On the one hand, I can understand that he is what he is, an old fool who has little understanding of what it is to be human, because his rational mind has been undone by his upbringing. But on the other hand, he is, for better or worse, the spiritual leader of millions, and his idiocy will be the cause of yet more needless angst. By coincidence, one of the Christmas cards we received this season was from a family in which the mother was a former ... Flag post
John Bird and John Fortune with the best explanation of the Credit Crunch I've yet heard.
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No comment - other than the fact that it speaks volumes about the owner. ...
