Month: July 2019

Science v Religion

It really shouldn’t be a fight between science and religion, but clearly some don’t believe science and would rather believe in the power of prayer.

This article highlights that the US has a core of people thinking that way, and that the numbers seem to be increasing.

https://slate.com/technology/2019/07/marianne-williamson-anti-science-stances-investigated-presidential-race.html

Now, we probably need to take a step back. Religion is a descriptive name for the beliefs humans have had, in many instances, since we were cavemen. (Very simplistic view, but I don’t want this to be a long article).

Science on the other hand is the learning we have gained, and proved, from investigating and understanding everything around, as well as in, us.This takes in everything from the micro to the macro and extends to the universe. We’re still learning but over the many thousands of years we have advanced so far. We used to worship the sun because it rose and set magically, now we know that we rotate around it and the rising and setting of the sun is “just science”.

Science has improved our lives immeasurably. We live longer, can expect to survive cancers that would have killed previous generations and we’re working to survive all cancers. We know much more about the universe, but as with every item we learn, we find new areas that need further exploration.

What I am saying is that we may want and spiritually need to rely on religion as an emotional or psychological crutch, but we should be very wary of treating everything written in any holy text as absolute.

Get your inoculations, make sure your children do, follow the space missions and support us getting off the earth so we can survive even longer as a species.

We need to trust science more than religion. Doing otherwise will kill off our species in the long run.

A brilliant – and free – solution to ransomware

It’s great to see innovative thinking in any situation, but especially where individuals who may lack technical knowledge are faced with a criminal issue.

Like ransomware.

You may click on an unexpected email, never a good thing, but we all make errors at times. Hey presto, your mail, photos, files, perhaps even your whole PC are locked – their contents encrypted unless you pay a ransom.

So this site is a great idea:

https://www.nomoreransom.org/

It’s easy to use and follow the steps. It’s linked to police organisations.

It’s the ideal solution.

It can’t do every type of ransomware, but it does a lot – and probably the most common.

Be safe.

Facebook fined $5billion

This is big. Not just the fine. Not just that that are being fined for the future.

It’s that they have to change their culture.

It’s something I’ve blogged about a lot previously. I’m really pleased the FTC have made this decision.

Facebook fined $5B by FTC over Cambridge Analytica scandal charges
http://appleinsider.com/articles/19/07/24/facebook-fined-5b-by-ftc-over-cambridge-analytica-scandal-charges

Facebook, good or bad?

The BBC Horizon programme focused on various aspects of Facebook.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0006w19

There’s some great stuff and I admire the ideals espoused in the programme.

However, there’s a big “but” in what they do and offer. They’ve determined what to show based on trained algorithms which learn from what people do on their accounts.

I found that what they showed was based on flawed information. I often research items on behalf of others, something many of us do. That “teaches” their algorithms that we like such items, even if we personally dislike the topic or item.

Their algorithms are good at spotting fake accounts or activity, which is great. This needs sharing to other social platforms, make it a service.

There is still a concern in my mind about data privacy as well. I’ll remain off the main platform until the privacy concerns and quality of recommendations are sufficiently accurate.

The end of the programme highlights the need for the company to better manage and decrease the negative uses and access to its amazing data.

That’s essential.

Apollo 11

50 years ago, on 16 July 1969, Apollo 11 launched towards the moon.

I’ve been listening to Kevin Fong’s podcast “13 minutes to the moon” and I’ve been fascinated by it.

This evening Channel 4 has started its coverage with amazing colour footage of the launch.

I truly can’t believe that it was 50 years ago, I was at my grandparents, watching them land on the moon.

Aged 6 it’s one of my enduring memories and maybe why I got into a technical job. Computers were key to the success of the mission.

We take them for granted now, but boy are they vital to so much, from landing on the moon to guiding you to work.

Thanks to Kennedy, NASA and many many more, they successfully landed – and returned.

I look forward to the world getting back into space. It’s the only way we’ll handle how we’re outgrowing the Earth.

I hope I can be there in my lifetime.

Brexit – No-deal is an issue

Why? Well, this expert suggest that it would be:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-48901055

And saying that the civil servant who until he resigned was head of the Brexit department is not an expert, would be like saying the Chancellor of the Exchequer shouldn’t dictate tax policies.

People continue to support Brexit, and even no-deal, and I am certain many have not read into, learned about or otherwise developed a finer understanding of the financial and political consequences of no-deal.

I’d suggest you read the Wikipedia page about Brexit and listen to the Brexitcast podcast episodes to better understand just how much of a big deal this action is.

Don’t let us blindly not just shoot ourselves in the foot with Brexit, but maim ourselves irredeemably with a no-deal.

Could you do without social media for 48 hours?

Like anything, I think if you, like me, believe strongly in personal privacy, you’ll consider this idea of staying off social media for 48 hours from the 4th to the 5th of July 2019. (If you’re in the states that’s 7/4/19-7/5/19).

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-48825410

Why is this important?

We do not own our own data if posted to social media. Why? It’s our data… But it helps the social media organisations, most especially Facebook, know who we are, what we like, what we do and – most importantly – what that might translate to for advertising placement.

I know many understand that they are the commodity, but is your data being used for good or…?

I’m all for a 48 hour self-imposed ban, even if now that only means Instagram or Twitter as I deactivated Facebook because I no longer trust the platform. (Equally those who matter the most to me have my details and often communicate to me that way, rather than the Facebook route).