http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Mon, 20 Sep 2004 22:45:46 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/ Phillip WinnSunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding. Administration0@blogcritics.org Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/09/20/224546.php geekgirl2I just saw Susan Greenfield - a.k.a. Baroness Professor Susan Greenfield - on a television chat show. She is a pioneering scientist, entrepreneur, communicator of science, policy adviser, and an extremely interesting presenter of complex ideas. She seems to be intelligent, vivacious and wears makeup and nice clothes. All of this must really annoy many of her peers amongst the male scientists in the UK (especially the grumpy older ones).Her most recent book is Tomorrow's People, (UK Amazon) and in it she warns that the coming integration of IT and biotechnology will have such a profound effect on the way we think and live that "we are standing on the brink of a mind makeover more cataclysmic that anything in our history."This is an area that will confront each of us in the near future. The technology to integrate bio-technology into human beings already exists and is near to commercialisation. We are already microchipping our pets, how long until someone says we should do it for children? It will seem like a good idea at the time. But it really is the thin end of the wedge. Prof. Greenfield is right, we do need to give serious consideration to how we want to use this technology. Otherwise it will change our lives profoundly in ways we may not like. musings & ephemera Books20065@blogcritics.org Mon, 20 Sep 2004 22:45:46 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/07/24/022144.php geekgirl2Sub-titled The Breakthrough Program that Allows you to See & Heal the 6 Types of ADD (a.k.a. Attention Deficit Disorder)This book is a good introduction ADD for both the newly diagnosed and for old hands. Dr Amen has developed a 6 type classification to separate the various manifestations of ADD which is explained in the book. He also provides a fairly balanced overview of treatments including medication, diet, exercise, food supplements, coaching and behavioural interventions.Strategies for different lifestyles and stages are also provided. You cannot miss his not so subtle adverts for his clinic and services, but still it is a good overview of the syndrome. It is a good starting point for educating the nearest & dearest of those diagnosed with ADD too.One of the best features in the book is a section on the impact of ADD on relationships (families, school, work) and discussion of self-esteem issues. ISBN: 0425183270 Books17782@blogcritics.org Sat, 24 Jul 2004 02:21:44 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/07/23/234052.php geekgirl2Musings & Ephemera re the Left Behind Series and Martial ChristianityThe Left Behind series by Tim La Haye & Jerry Jenkins is a phenomenon that has just recently been noticed by some in the mainstream press. It is a 12 book series commencing with Left Behind and culminating with Glorious Appearing: The End of Days. But the series has been about since the mid-1990s and has spread throughout the evangelical and biblically based church communities largely by word of mouth over the years, selling somewhere in the order of 60 million copies. Since Christian communities get very little press coverage (since they are not really 'sexy') no one in the mainstream press seems to have noticed this until now. The story commences with an event called the 'rapture' where Christians disappear from the earth. Those that remain 'left behind' are followed in the series of books. Some of the remanent convert to Christianity and fight the forces of evil. The story culminates with the return of Christ, judgement of the world, and creation of a new world. What is so interesting about this whole thing is the reactions of the mainstream press to it in recent times. For example, Nicholas Kristof railed against the scenario outlined in the final book of the series in his New York Times column - he condemned what he perceived as a move from viewing Jesus as a gentle figure to a "martial messiah presiding over a sea of blood". Kristof's view is echoed in mainstream newspapers around the planet. But the main thing this indicates is how few people have actually read the Bible. Anyone who has read the book of Revelation (the last chapter in the Bible for the un-initiated) knows that this is exactly how the story ends. Jesus returns as the avenging Messiah & "the dead were judged ... according to their works ... And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." (Rev. 20: 12-15) After this the good guys (& gals, not that they are mentioned) gets to go to the new heaven & the new earth (Rev 21:1) with the Lamb (a.k.a. Jesus). In the book of Revelation this all occurs after the 'rapture' (which is somewhat undefined in the actual text, so people have thought up all sorts of scenarios for it), and those left behind go through various trials & many are killed. So La Haye & Jenkins have put the story into a modern vernacular and really just made the last book of the Bible more accessible to many people in the modern world. The world view expressed in these books has been around for a long time in evangelical and biblically based churches. You can find books outlining exactly this type of interpretation of the bible any time over the past 150 years. All that has happened here is the modern printing industry has made the stories accessible to more people. And the people who are reading these books are most likely already au fait with the concepts expressed in them. The American churches especially have been sympathetic to this view of the Messiah for generations. What is surprising is how this has been largely un-noticed until now. It is especially surprising given how influential these apocalyptic visions have been in the political life of the United States to date. For all who are interested a web search on the phrases: pre-tribulation, post-tribulation or dispensationalist gives an interesting insight into the Christian factions around this whole area of apocalyptic interpretation. Books17775@blogcritics.org Fri, 23 Jul 2004 23:40:52 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/07/16/205108.php geekgirl2This is the book for those among us who are tired of self help, self obsession and paying lots of money for some pretty silly ideas in those self help books. It is short but pithy, and the author Erica McWilliams entertains as she demolishes her target. As the back cover enjoins "read this book and you won't need any more self help literature, motivational seminars, or professional development workshops. You'll save your money and your sanity at the same time." Books17532@blogcritics.org Fri, 16 Jul 2004 20:51:08 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/07/02/212208.php geekgirl2Alain de Botton says "If every parent were forced to read it before raising a child, it would do greater good for the happiness & prosperity of this country than any number of government initiatives." This is perhaps an over statement of the value of Oliver James' book, subtitled 'How to survive family life'. However, this book does provide an insight into some of the ways your family of origin can set up patterns that are repeated (almost unconsciously) throughout life. One thing is certain, James' arguments for early parental influence over our future is very strong. Perhaps even Freud was right (to some extent) about the importance of toilet training? If nothing else it is an argument for self analysis & self awareness so as build on the strengths resulting from one's early life and to avoid the weaknesses.ISBN 074756177This book is an entertaining read that also discusses important issues for our society, for both parents engaged in child-rearing and for adults engaged in self reflection. One criticism is that the book does not go into the physiological damage resulting from the early experiences that is looking more likely as the cause of much violent and anti-social behaviour. Books17064@blogcritics.org Fri, 2 Jul 2004 21:22:08 EDT