Relaxation: Eight Different Kinds of Tired

It would appear that the HSC is finally over. This won't come as any surprise to most of the people who'll read this, since, unless they've gotten very drunk since I last saw them, they'll already know.

Rather, this is a notice that I'll be posting here more often. Which is ironic, given that my original purpose in starting this blog was to give myself a space in which to write, frequently, as an aid in preparing of English. That didn't happen, and so be it - I've gone to all the trouble of buying a domain name, so I may as well get something more out of it than a tidy email address.

Apparently Kryten Crichton died today. A small shame, I enjoyed much of his work - Andromeda Strain, Jurassic Park, Congo, Timeline - good reads, and quite well researched factually. Can't say the same of his later work, although I did enjoy 2002's "Prey", for all its scientific inaccuracies.

Warning: Controversial content follows. It contains political and ideological commentary in a humorous style. Supporters of John McClane McCain, devout Christians, small children and members of the family Brassicaceae would probably enjoy their day more if they left off at this point, although it would amount to a spectacular irony if you did. If you fit into one of the above categories, but understand irony, you probably want to read on.

Scientific alarmism is alive and well, but it was sad to see it being perpetuated by somebody who should have known better. Casting doubt on the veracity of established science based on selective use of evidence and ignoring the scientific method is nothing more nor less than manipulation. I'm all for the process of science and its role in continually questioning the status quo, however, casting doubt on that process of science does nobody any favours. Well, except for proponents of the Intelligent Design Theory Hypothesis, who would really like science discredited in favour of something more easily subverted. Perhaps rote dictation (er...NSFW) from the clergy.

Unfortunately, said rote dictation seems to be fairly effective. I used to have a fantastic history teacher, who, whether he read it or coined it, used to talk of disliteracy - that is, those who are literate but choose not to read. Australia has an excellent rate of literacy, fast approaching 100%, but has one of the most disliterate cultures in the world. Failure to develop critical thinking skills, unfortunately, isn't such a Darwinian trap as it once was, and so we're startlingly willing to believe Ugg when he tells us that the mountain lion around the corner will be an easy kill on account of it only possessing three legs. Unfortunately, it would seem that a significant portion of the world population no longer have the ability to assess whether Ugg is a reliable reporter.

I can only suggest that you go forth, and read the works of those who don't ask you to believe what they say, only to consider it. Read Dawkins. Actually, read lots of Dawkins. Read Randi. I'm sure there's other things I should suggest, but it's extremely late, and my brain has ground to a halt. Any further suggestions on effective scepticism are welcomed!