Human Experiences

Hi all,

Well, thank God (lol) for that, I've now finished my A-Level exams. It is quite an amazing feeling. By far the hardest two exams were the ones I had today; COMP3 and FP2. Meh, what's done is done, and the results won't change, so there's no point in worrying!

Well, okay, so perhaps I can worry a little bit, you know, seeing as these are the exams that'll determine whether or not I get into Bristol or Sheffield University. I'm obviously hoping for Bristol, but won't be completely buggered if I end up at Sheffield by getting AAB (B most likely from Computing). I guess I'd be lying if I said that I'm not hoping for Bristol largely on the basis that I'd get the opportunity to study in America for a year. I guess I'm a guy who likes travelling a lot, and experiencing new things (within reason and sensibility).

I've never been outside of Europe, let alone been to America, but it's an amazing prospect for me. I guess I have drained all the joy I can (and can find) in London. It's a stubborn place, full of stubborn people, and more importantly, practically everything visible in London is man-made. I'd like to see a bit of greenery more often, you know what I mean? Quite often I stare up into the clouds or at sunsets, gazing at the wonderful complexity of the natural world. Might sound silly to you, but I'd sit there for hours on end staring into landscapes of trees, rolling hills, deserts, mountains, you name it. To me, it really does signify a lot about being human; the ability to observe the world around us; how it works, or our ability to at least try to understand. It makes me feel complete, especially when accompanied by some acoustic or euphoric music. I feel more alive. Our dependency as humans on 'The Big City' is the direct result of capitalism. Not that it's necessarily a bad thing, but sometimes I feel like people are missing the true meaning of what they're here on this earth to achieve: happiness, and as much of it as possible. In Tokyo, lots of people get so depressed living in the big, busy city that they actually PAY to have people to socialise with. Let alone go outside and experience the outdoors, these people are being deprived of human contact, and have to resort to the very thing imprisoning them in the first place; money. That's a terrible thing indeed.

I know you're probably thinking 'okay, so you like the outdoors, but you're choosing to go to America, the capital of capitalism'. Well yes, it may be the capital of capitalism, but only a few cities in the USA are anywhere near as big as London, and a great majority of the cities are easily navigable, and located near to amazing and (more specifically) different natural wonders. Plus, it's about the experience of the different sorts of people as well. I have a few family members who have been in practically half of all the states in America, and they've told me that each one has its own character, and the people there welcome you with open arms, especially once they know you're British. I guess it's good to know what it feels like to be a foreigner. Although in my current area, I may as well be a foreigner. Haha.

So yeah, hopefully in the third year of my Masters course at Bristol, I'll be heading off to California for a year. It'd be cool to get into Berkeley. One can only hope (and try).

Question everything, accept nothing without evidence. Until next time.

The Decision of Your Life

Hi all,

Did any of you manage to watch the BBC documentary presented by Terry Pratchett? If you didn't, you really should. In the programme he tracks the lives of a few people struck by terminal and life-devouring illnesses, eventually leading to decisions about whether or not to consciously end their own lives.

I'm sure you've heard something about euthanasia, and perhaps voiced your opinions on the ethical matters behind it. It's a tricky decision for any person, regardless of situation. I think those who are genuinely miserable with their lives deserve the right to end it if they wish. However, nobody should be offered the opportunity; the decision must be made solely by the person in question. There are only a few countries where euthanasia is legal (in case you didn't know it is currently illegal in the UK), Thailand, Luxembourg and of course, Switzerland are some of the few countries that allow people to legally commit suicide, or assisted suicide, depending on how you see it.

If you're a person living in the UK and wanting to end your life, and you can afford to pay the £10,000 fee for the procedure, you'll of course have to travel to one of the countries where euthanasia is legal. Most people choose to go to Switzerland, thanks to a well-known company called Dignitas. The country has almost become synonymous with human euthanasia. I guess you have to be a fairly liberal country to allow such things - 'fairly liberal' is a massive understatement.

Obviously, most people in this country disagree with euthanasia being legalised in this country, on grounds of things such as religion or ethics. In my opinion, I think euthanasia should be legalised. I really don't see the harm in legalising it whatsoever. It's not like there'll be a mass suicide, or people would feel pressured to end their own lives - look at Thailand or even Switzerland, Switzerland being among one of the happiest countries on the planet. I really don't see why people shouldn't be allowed to end their own lives if they wish - nobody else should have a say, they're not living the life of that person, they can't possibly understand the pure unhappiness that made them make their decision to end their life. You may say 'well, you'd be very selfish, because you'd leave behind a whole family of people who will be devastated'. Selfish? Really? Who are you to say 'stop moaning about your bleakness of life, your inability to walk anymore because of motor neurone disease, and carry on with your life, you selfish bugger' You want the person to carry on living their life in agony? If so, then you are a sadistic bastard. It'll save the family agony, too, from seeing their loved one suffer their affliction long term, to the point where the person can no longer say whether they want to end their life.

If I ever got such a terrible disease like Alzeimer's or Dementia, I really do think I'd consider euthanasia. I wouldn't want to be a burden to my family, because I'd hate myself for it. The only trouble is, you'd have to make the conscious decision to end your life before your mind is no longer able to make the decision. Death is sad for everyone except the person dying. Of course, if the person was religious, they could be absolutely terrified of dying. Or, they could be disconcertingly happy, almost to the point of celebration. But lets not go into religion for now.

Here's the link for the documentary:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0120dxp/Terry_Pratchett_Choosing_to_Die/

Tell me what you think..

Until next time

The Right Education

Hi all,

I'm afraid my ranting about religious things hasn't halted just yet. I could put this down to the fact that I've been reading more of The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, or down to my own personal opinions on the matter. Today I shall address one major subject which affects the majority of the readers of this blog; 'faith' schools, and my reasons for abolishing them.

Call me a hypocrite when I say this, but I really do think that faith schools should be completely and utterly abolished. Why can't all schools open their gates to every child? Why do schools still insist on picking and choosing children, based on something which they cannot actually help; their religion. What, you're saying that it's fair that a child should be denied an education in a place where there is a better quality of teaching, JUST because their parents have particular religious beliefs? Yes, I specifically said parents instead of the child, because how is the child meant to have made the conscious decision to be inclined to a particular religion? If you think the child can still make this decision for themselves, consider yourself indoctrinated of religion, my friend. But have no fear! It may still not be too late for your rationality.

I was brought up in a faith school, both for my primary and secondary school years. Neither school in my opinion has shoved religion down my throat so to speak, however I do vividly remember the ritualistic processes of prayer and hymn reciting. Luckily, my brain never registered such words as "My Lord, my Saviour" or "Lord, I am not worthy to receive You" or "Our Father, who art in Heaven" as anything more than mere words that everyone else was reciting, rather than take their literal meaning. I've been Baptised and received Holy Communion, but these rituals were nothing more than that to me; a necessary few actions which helped me to get into the best secondary school in my local area. Don't get me wrong, I am thankful for my parents to get me into the schools I went to, for they have made me who I am today; a rational thinker with a limitless amount of learning awaiting me. However, this does not mean that what I have been fortunate to have is in any way fair to people of other faiths. I only started thinking about it in Year 11. It's amazing how long I was lulled by the favourable and friendly face of Catholicism/Christianity. The thing is, St. Bon's just so happens to have teachers that are good at teaching and have a reputation for it. Age and reputation go hand in hand in making an educational institution successful; take a look at Oxford, the western world's oldest university.

You cannot possibly say that Catholics are more intelligent or capable of success than Muslims or Hindus or Jews. I think there'd be a good chance that if there was a Jewish school founded before St. Bon's in the same area, the Jewish school would be as successful if not more so than St. Bon's in terms of the numbers of students it teaches that go on to lead lives that they desire.

Faith schools cause segregation, which leads to discrimination and degradation. More so, it is a Petri dish for religious indoctrination; encouraging students to believe in things before they can put their own rational thoughts and judgement before them. "Believe in God, mate, you won't get those A*'s otherwise!" Needless to say, St. Bon's didn't go by this slogan, but the constant prayers before lessons, going to Mass at the end of each half-term or term, along with the centralised teaching of Catholicism in GCSE R.E. meant that we were surrounded by this idea of a presence of a higher being, who would send you to hell for eternity when you die, if you forget to say your prayers or forget to go to Mass and don't apologise to him by going to a ritual performed by a priest who acts as God's ears (even though God can hear you anyway, because he is omnipresent and omniscient). Yes, this greater being will shun you and make you burn in hellfire for eternity if you don't obey his rules ...but don't forget, he still loves you.

Sorry mate, but according to your rules and even those of Muhammad, I should be beheaded or stoned to death or punished severely in some way for blaspheming. -oh I'm sorry, those rules are completely subject to people's own interpretations of what the 'holy books' say. Everyone's a winner then? No, much more likely the loser, including you. Yes, you, reader.

Why should people of any other faith or non-faith and within the London Borough of Newham not be permitted initial entry to St. Bon's? I understand that the school is over-subscribed, but that does not mean that you have to pick-and-choose who goes in by religion. That's exactly like picking and choosing according to skin colour. The child cannot help their labelled religion. They should not be judged based on their parents, for starters.

Mr. Cameron and other Members of Parliament, if you cannot totally abolish faith schools, at least stop new ones from emerging. For the greater good.

Until next time.

Revision Tekkers

Hi all,

So my first exam is less than a week away, and to be totally honest I haven't done a large amount of revision at all. Feeling guilty I guess, but regardless, my actions make me who I am, and so far, I think I've done alright for myself.

Revision is one of those things that many people take to a different meaning. To some people, revision is simply reading through their textbook. To another person, revision is simply writing down things that they remember without actually looking at their notes or textbook. To another, revision is simply the confidence in thinking that you'll do alright in the exam. For me, revision is taking notes on things I'm not quite sure about, and (because I do Maths) sitting myself down under exam conditions and doing test papers after test papers.

I think doing test papers is the best form of revision, because it puts you in the right mindset for the exam, so in effect you know what to expect when it comes to the actual thing. Then again, for a lot of subjects there aren't many test papers freely available, either because of the exam board being bastards or the specification for the course changing recently.

I know quite a lot of people prefer to revise in the library; it's quieter (depending on where you go), more relaxing, and also provides opportunity to socialise with friends. Because I feel comfortable in my own home, I prefer to revise at home. It's where my mind feels like it can focus, because it's not being stimulated by new and exciting sights all the time, or distractions like attractive girls walking by (doesn't happen often in Newham though, haha). Some people say they can't revise at home because there's too many distractions like Facebook. Well, simply turn your computer off then! It's not that hard. Although I don't think I've been addicted to anything so much that it becomes a habit. Apart from biting my fingers. Really need to stop that. It's not like I can just cut off my fingers and solve that problem easily, lol.

Obviously, some people have annoying brothers or sisters, and possibly parents who put too much pressure on them, or have some kinds of disagreements with them. Sometimes I guess the library is the only place people can go to for focusing on work.

On that note, I need to get revising tomorrow. -After I collect my passport and visa from the Ugandan Embassy. No lie.

Until next time.

Programmers Wanted

Hi all,

I've said it before, and I'll keep saying it; this country needs more computer scientists. More programmers at least. It really does baffle me as to why the government has chosen not to invest its support and finance into the UK computing industry. The computer games industry were hit particularly hard, where tax relief was missed and growth was not encouraged at all. I'm a supporter of our games industry here in the UK. Both for the benefit it brings to our economy and the respect our country gets for, well, providing entertainment and talent. Video games are like novels or films (apparently the video games industry is earning more than the film and music industries combined), so they are an expression of creativity. Of course, to extract that creativity into a working and professional looking video game, you need programmers.

Back in the 80's and early 90's, schools were teaching programming to children through the medium of the computers of those ages - the BBC Micro being a pivotal model in the teaching of programming. Back then, many kids could apply what they had learnt at school into their ZX Spectrums and Ataris back at home. The only way you could play games on such consoles was to program them. Some of the earlier models only had volatile memory, so every time you switched on the device you had to re-program the lines of code to play it (more often than not, they were fairly simple games). This, coupled with the rush of magazines that supplied program code for fancy programs you could try out, allowed a generation of children to see through the code and start creating their own, or even manipulating existing code. It's exciting to know that you have such a wide range of processing potential using nothing but a keyboard. It's like giving an artist a colour palette and a blank canvas. With the exception of the fact that the artist can undo his paint strokes.

I used to have an ambition for becoming a video games designer. It's always an option, I guess. I'd rather do something a bit more contributive to the world as a whole, though. Something more meaningful. I consider myself creative to an extent, but I'm much more a person of academics. I have turned my attention to research, and want to teach myself as well as the world.

So yeah, basically, there needs to be more computer scientists in the world. For goodness' sake, technology = computers, and computers = programmers. Unless we want to slow down our advance in technology, more people should be taught in the art of programming. I think it should be taught as a core subject, alongside Maths and English. It's not like we're not going to be using computers is the near and distant future, that's certain. Unless you know, there's an apocalypse. But that's down to the religious people to argue over (for eternity)

Until next time.

Conflicting Comments

Hi all,

I think I should just create a new blog based on my views on religion, because I seem to be discussing religion more so than Computer Science.

I love YouTube. More specifically, the video comments. It brings out the worst and best in people. No face-to-face confrontation, just you and the computer screen, typing away your thoughts. It's interesting to see what people are actually thinking, because in reality, they wouldn't dare say what they have typed, to a person's face. Of course, the majority of comments are just trollers, and lets face it, everyone likes to have a laugh. When the video topic is more serious, such as those on politics or religion, people tend to be a bit more serious in their comments, often accompanied by long-winded arguments lasting for weeks with a person of conflicting opinions.

I was going through various videos related to religion, when I noticed the comment

"How the fuck you do believe in such bullshit that there is no God? Are you fucking stupid? Islam is the truth, hard to believe but thats cos your ignorant" 
(They obviously need to go and read up on swearing in the Qur'an, because apparently Allah doesn't like swearing or insulting. Then again, he may be interpreting it in a different way *gasp* oh but he can't do that because otherwise he wouldn't be following the exact words of Allah, or wait no he will because its - blah blah blah ad infinitum)


Well there's an interesting comment if I ever saw one. If you want the full debate, head on over to the comments section on this site: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8NRX5osjhg

Sorry mate, but it's kinda hard to accept Islam as the truth when there's no proof. If you're calling me ignorant, then in that case you're implying that you're ignorant to other religions, let alone the fact that there is no God. So just because I don't believe in Islam, that means that I'm stupid? So you're calling the billions of other people in the world stupid? Sure, go ahead, make yourself an enemy of the world. At least I'm learning about all kinds of religion, rather than accept one and take that as fact. Strength in your belief does not include the fact that many others share your beliefs. Believe in yourself (literally) and don't follow others, for the sake of your sanity. Understand who you are and where you come from, don't just give in and accept some rubbish that comes streaming out of a book that happens to be ancient. Just because something is old doesn't mean it is wise. But hey, that's my opinion.

Until next time.

The Complicated Mind

Hi all,

Either I'm a terribly slow reader, or the books I choose to read have small font. I guess it also has something to do with the types of books I read too. I haven't read fiction books in a while now; I tend to read books related to ethics, psychology or something to do with Computer Science. I was reading my book 'On Intelligence' earlier today. I'm only about a quarter of the way through it, but it brings up some really interesting concepts of how our brains work.

I've thought that the 'mind' was in fact created BY the brain, but it seems that in neuroscience, they are one and the same thing. The mind is in fact the brain itself. I guess it depends on your own perception of what the 'mind' actually is. It's actually astonishing to think that the mind is constructed purely of a series of densely packed cells as part of a watery, almost jelly like structure. Everything you perceive, everything you're thinking, doing and unconsciously doing right now is the pure product of that series of cells inside your skull. They relay information to and from each other at lightning fast speed, through different parts of your brain, and transform particles of light into electrical signals that travel through your brain to give you visual images of the world. They transform the particles of chemicals that travel into your nose into a smell; something you can perceive and sense. All of what you know about the world is stored behind the eyes which you are using to read this blog. In a sense, the world is in your head. YOUR world is, anyway.

With all the complicated calculations that must go on inside our brains, you'd imagine that different parts of the brain would be constructed differently to perform different tasks. In other words, there's only one place where hearing can be processed, where grammar is processed, emotions etc. The theory has yet to be proven, but it's a strong one, in my eyes, and is goes like this: There is only one way in which the cells in your brain are organised, so that means that your brain processes vision in the same way it processes sound and everything else. The only thing that determines what a particular part of the brain processes is what that part is connected to - parts that are already processing certain things, or 'highways' connecting your eyes to your brain (your eyes are, effectively, a part of your brain). Now this is made quite astonishing, and incredibly exciting for neuroscientists and those involved in artificial intelligence. This means that there is one way a brain processes information; one algorithm that needs to be found, possibly unlocking the secrets to our minds. This is one of the many reasons why I want to get involved in this sort of research at university. This is essentially discovering ourselves; what makes us human; what 'reality' really is, or at least our perception of it.

They've already proven that a brain can be rewired to perform different tasks in different areas than normal - in ferrets at least. Whether or not the theory that the brain is just a series of repeated cell patterns is still to be proven. Nevertheless, our understanding of the human brain has come a long way since we first started poking around in one. We're far from finishing, and as I mentioned before I think we'll sooner find the origin of the universe than find out exactly how our brains work.

Until next time.