Category: Uncategorized

Useful Free Computer Programs

Here are a few handy computer programs I regularly use:

  • Chrome with AdBlock – Web surfing (without advertisements)
  • Calibre with DeDRM – eBook manager (with DRM remover)
  • Balabolka with Ivona* – eBook reader (with text to speech)
  • Flux – auto dim your screen at night (better for you)
  • Gizmo Drive – mount CD/DVD images (iso files) 
  • iTunes – Music, Podcasts, internet radio
  • VLC Media Player – play audio / video files

And some for software development / system admin:

(* Ivona and Beyond Compare are not free)

Why I am not a Christian

I talk about this on my blog here and here. Interestingly, many of my friends have also left the church, as has my wife, for her own reasons. I even recently talked to a long time pastor who told me he no longer attends church since, in his words, “it does not feed me.” This is not to say I do not believe in a “higher being”, but I certainly do not believe the tenets of the Christian faith (or any other faith for that matter.) For the curious, my current view of “God” is analogous to the relationship between cells and our bodies. Each cell is a distinct tiny living organism. While each individual cell is of little consequence on its own, when combined together to form your body (trillions of them), the whole (your body) is infinitely greater than the sum of its parts (the cells). Under this analogy, each of us is a cell, and “God” is the body.

Why I have no kids

Having children is a personal choice. While my wife and I both like kids, early in our relationship we decided (for a number of reasons) not to have our own children. We enjoy spending time with our nieces, nephews, & god children. For most, the preceding will suffice. Others may want to know what our reasons are. For those few curious folks, here are some of them (in no particular order):

  • With the current global population at around 7.3 billion and a projected peak of about 11 billion in 2100, there is no lack of humans on the earth. While our species is in no imminent danger of dying out many other species, with whom we share the planet, are (and in fact many already have.) A large contributor to these extinctions is the number and ecological impact of us.
  • There is a risk (increasing as we both get older) of having a child with a severe mental, physical, or emotional handicap. Some of the disorders in our combined families include bi-polar, migraines, Asperger’s, suicidal tendencies, addictive personality (substance abuse), etc. I would not want to subjugate a child to any of the the above disorders.
  • As a frequent migraine sufferer, having loud children around the house would compound my suffering.
  • A child may die early in life (as happened to my sister) and cause us terrible grief.
  • With the extra time and money we gain from not having children, we are able to volunteer and give much more generously to the charities that are important to us.

Some may accuse us of being selfish while others may say we are shirking our duty or avoiding parts of life. We chose to look at things somewhat differently. It is precisely because we care that we have made this difficult choice. I hope the above has helped you understand our decision.

Shared Death Experiences

A phenomenon that appears to be closely related to the NDE is the Shared Death Experience (SDE) as coined by Raymond Moody. In these experiences, bystanders who are close to a dying person experience many of the same aspects of the NDE along with the dying person, including leaving their bodies, meeting beings of light, and seeing the life review of the dying person. These bystanders are themselves healthy and not dying yet seem to share these experiences. This seems to disprove the common theory that NDE-type experiences are caused by the dying brain. Raymond Moody’s book ”Glimpses of Eternity” discusses his research on this topic.

Scientific references

Here are some reasonable external references I have been able to find:

Changes following a near death experience

This is the list of changes that have been observed in people that have had a near death experience. This comes from Kenneth Ring's book "Lessons from the Light" which is availble at the Vancouver library and well worth the read…

  • Appreciation for Life – not taking life for granted
  • Self-Acceptance – increased feeling of self worth
  • Concern for Others – strong desire to help others
  • Reverence for Life – concern for all life on the planet and environmentalism
  • Anti-Materialism – less concerned with material gain
  • Anti-Competitiveness – less driven to achieve and more to help
  • Spirituality – embrace a universal and  inclusive spiritual belief system, less dogmatic
  • Quest for Knowledge – desire to learn more about how the universe works
  • Sense of Purpose – increased belief that their life is meaningful
  • No Fear of Death – loss of fear of death
  • Life after Death – belief in life after death, often including reincarnation
  • Belief in God – strong belief in a higher power, the Light being of Love

Apathy is not the answer

Apathy never solved anything. Together we are very powerful!

 

Our democracy is not perfect (far from it) but we risk losing what little we have with our apathy. Instead of complaining and doing nothing, let’s co-ordinate our voices like what is happening in Egypt. Let’s not wait till Harper turns into a Mubarak.

 

Some may say “Mubarak or Obama or Harper whats difference? Politicians are all the same thugs.”

 

I say “Only if the electorate let them be.” We can do more than just vote: we can protest, we can write letters, we can join a party, we can even run for office. This all was earned through much bloodshed. The powerful cannot stand against a united electorate.

 

I think Canada is a country worth saving. More importantly, I think this planet is worth saving.  People in power make bad choices when the masses are distracted or lazy or apathetic or uninformed.

 

“Shit!” you say, “You mean I gotta constantly earn my democracy?”

 

“Yes!” I say, “Suck it up and give ‘er!”

Sharing Goodness!

Sharing: Good for your wallet. Good for the planet. Good for meeting new people. All around good!

 

Cars

  • Zipcar http://www.zipcar.com
  • Cooperative Auto Network http://www.cooperativeauto.net
  • Ride Share http://www.erideshare.com

Homes

  • Couch Surfing http://www.couchsurfing.org
  • Home Exchange http://www.homeexchange.com
  • AirBnB  http://www.airbnb.com

Jobs

  • Job swapping http://www.swap.ca/out_eng/index.aspx
  • Work sharing http://www.30hours.org/eng/

The Pit

Day 1: I Walk down a road, fall into pit, it’s dark and frightening, I scream, I yell, I cry, I kick, I scratch, I claw, I climb and eventually find my way out… I look back at the hole and damn it. and continue on…

Day 2: I Walk down the same road, fall into the same pit, it’s dark and frightening but familiar, I scream, I yell, I cry, I kick, I scratch, I claw, I climb BUT not as long as the first time and find my way out… I look back at the hole and damn it…, but not quite as energetic… and continue on…

Day 3: I Walk down the same road, notice the hole, try to avoid it, BUT fall into the same pit anyway, it’s dark and annoying but familiar, I scream, I yell, I cry, but mostly out of frustration, I kick, I scratch, I claw out of righteousness, I climb BUT am becoming familiar with the foot and hand holds, and though there is effort, I climb out with great focus and find my way out… I look back at the hole and damn MYSELF…, and continue on…

Day 4: I Walk down the same road, notice the hole, try to walk completely around it, BUT can’t take my eyes off it and fall into the same pit anyway, it’s dark, but my eyes adjust very quickly, I mumble under my breath mostly out of self annoyance and the stupidity of the world, I climb AND am QUITE familiar with the foot and hand holds, and with only minimal effort, I climb fairly quickly and find my way out… I look back at the hole and shrug my shoulders…, and continue on…

Day 5: I Walk down the same road, notice the hole, walk completely around it, BUT turn around and peer down it fascinated and fall into the pit anyway, it’s dark, but this is not an issue, my eyes don’t even need to adjust to start my ascent, I pontificate loudly to myself and any passer by, how you can’t avoid these pits, it’s just the way it is, I quickly climb out, with little effort and find my way out… I glance back at the hole and raise one eyebrow…, and continue on…

Day 6: I Walk down the same road, aim right for the hole, JUMP into it, it’s dark and comfortable, I muse at the dirt and rock and things in the pit that have fallen in and take my time, I leisurely start to leave, I have nothing to say, I just climb out, with expert speed and KNOW my way out… I continue on without looking back…, and continue on…

Day 7: I CHOOSE A DIFFERENT ROAD!