Category: Life
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As a sort of foreigner, what do you think of this election campaign?
I’m not sure how to frame a response to this one… I’ve lived in the UK for all but a few months of my voting-eligible life, and this is not the first general election I’ve been present for. I remember watching the Swing-o-meter and wrapping my head around marginal constituencies, door-to-door canvassing, and the implied…
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The Enlightenment was centuries ago. Why do you think people still cling to outmoded ways of explaining the world, such as religion?
I don’t see history as linearly-progressive. I believe we learn much from our past, and value history. Our story is an accumulation of our thoughts, our lives and our predecessors’ ways of living: and it contains many, many truths. We don’t always learn from the past, and often forget what used to be known. There…
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What thing or things can a religious person do that an atheist cannot?
I don’t know, sounds like a clinical trial might be in order? I’m uncomfortable with the idea of religion, and that discomfort is growing into something akin to distrust. I sort of see “religion” as a way to organise faith and belief into a structure. Traditionally, this structure has been a default in many cultures—because…
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How badly do you want an iPad?
The iPad is something I’m more curious about than lustful for. I want to see how it works, how it feels to use and what difference it’ll make to the way I do things. I’ll be interested to see how it does at conferences, for example. Whether the format of a tablet is a useful…
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Emotions, intuition, consciousness. Which is the better guide?
Guide to what? Emotion is for interactions with people and yourself. I feel a certain way, and I have to question why and to what extent. I feel a reaction to or perceive the emotions of another, and I modify my behaviour. Intuition, I don’t understand completely. I see it almost as an inclination, a…
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church 2.0: a sound
I have been struck, at various times over the years, that the Church isn’t all it’s cut out to be. I mean this almost literally. I’m thinking of the “church” as a pattern—like a tailor uses—of how to live, just now. It’s not that it can’t be altered, embellished, customised, and stretched—these are right and…
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Innovative Design: Working Dog Company Training Dummies
When Lucas joined our household, I knew he’d make a great working dog. His dad was a steady, dependable sort who is a champion at working dog shows and used for picking up at pheasant shoots – and Lucas took immediately to retrieving. Not only do I like the idea of having him with me in the…
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Puplog: “plog?”
People tend to make the mistake of giving the puppy attention for making noise in the crate. When you do this, you confirm the puppy’s instinct that being alone is death (it would be, in the wild), and that calling for help will bring someone. -VeterinaryPartner.com I realise that a single post a few weeks…
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Rhythm
1, 2, 3…4. That little bit, between each number—count it: 1, 2, 3, 4; The essence of the fourth dimension, the way our bodies, lives, minds and souls are moving through spacetime; When it’s even, when it’s expressive in and of itself; Circadian, pulmonary, seasonal, tidal; Everything moves, and has rhythm. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmBhUqJ5qZc&w=320&h=265] I’ve always found…
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It’s America’s Question Time
This morning, after switching on the kettle, I set my laptop on the kitchen surface and shuffled through the BBC iPlayer’s “Factual” category—looking for something interesting to keep me company as I made my porridge and coffee. I stumbled across Question Time, and noticed that this special edition was being broadcast from the United States—something…