Geoff Coupe's Blog

Reflections on life at “De Witte Wand”…

Year: 2008

  • Bear-Baiting and Bedlam on TV

    Today’s Observer carries a powerful piece by Carole Cadwalladr, who looks at the stomach-turning phenomenon that is the Jeremy Kyle Show on TV. As a court judge said last year:
    ‘It seems to me that the purpose of this show is to effect a morbid and depressing display of dysfunctional people whose lives are in turmoil. It is for no more and no less than titillating members of the public who have nothing better to do with their mornings than sit and watch this show which is a human form of bear baiting which goes under the guise of entertainment.
    It is telling that the practice of letting the public visit the Bethlem Royal Hospital (Bedlam) was apparently ended in 1770 because it "tended to disturb the tranquillity of the patients" by "making sport and diversion of the miserable inhabitants". That practice seems to live on in TV shows today and I can’t feel that society has been enriched or educated as a result. 

  • Lost Horizons

    The BBC is running a series of programmes in celebration of the fact that the Large Hadron Collider gets switched on next week. Last night was Lost Horizons, the punning and poignant title of a programme fronted by Professor Jim Al-Khalili that looked at the theories of the origins of the universe.

    Punning, because the device used by Al-Khalili was to use extracts from the BBC’s science archives, in particular from the BBC series Horizon, to illustrate the theories. Poignant, because as I’ve remarked before, in recent years, the quality of most of the Horizon programmes has gone down the toilet, and to see these extracts from old Horizon programmes was to be sadly reminded of what has been lost.

    Lost Horizons itself was good, partly because it eschewed the gimmicks of today’s Horizon programmes, and because Jim Al-Khalili knows what he’s talking about and presents it clearly and well.

  • Frozen Air

    I was perusing the internet today, as is my wont, when suddenly, I heard an almighty thump. I was sure that it was the sound of a bird flying into a window, but after having examined the windows in the front of the house, and at the side, I concluded that it might have been something else.
     
    However, when Martin returned, he asked me to get rid of the dead pigeon at the back of the house. Mystery solved. It had flown into the french windows at the back of the farmhouse. I’m sorry that it could not distinguish between air and glass. Let this be its memorial.
     
    20080904-1614-13 
     
    20080904-1622-52 
     
    20080904-1614-31 

  • ReWalk

    Here’s an intriguing replacement for a wheelchair – an exoskeleton for the legs. I’m sure that this commercial airbrushes out some of the fiddly bits (getting in and out of the car, for instance), and I wonder what the battery life is like; but nevertheless it’s probably the beginning of something that we’ll see more of. In a few year’s time, I’m sure that the sticks will be dispensed with, and the exoskeletons will take on additional balancing function.
     
     
     
    (hat tip to Science Punk)

  • Sinking Beneath The Waves

    Yesterday, I mentioned the Delta Commission had reported their findings and recommendations on what the Netherlands should do in response to rising sea levels. Of course, the Netherlands is not the only country at risk, there are those in immediate danger, as well as those where the potential calamity is greater that we in the Netherlands could experience. An example of the latter is Bangladesh, where over the next 50 years, 17% of the landmass will disappear under water, leading to a displacement of 30 million people. Here’s a sobering article, by Tahmima Anam, in today’s Guardian about the situation there.

  • Heartless

    Well, this music video is certainly different… First of all, there’s the irritating existentialism of soured love, but then – oh, but then – we take off into Little Shop of Horrors territory. Watch it through to the end…
     
     

  • Flowers For Algernon

    Flowers for Algernon is the title of a short story (and a later novel) by Daniel Keyes. It takes the form of a diary kept by a 37-year-old man, Charlie, who has a low IQ. He becomes a subject in a medical experiment that is aimed at increasing intelligence. The experiment apparently succeeds, and the diary entries change as his intelligence increases and he becomes more aware of himself and society. Unfortunately, the effect of increased intelligence is only temporary, and Charlie (and the diary’s language) regresses once more to his former state. It is, I think, implied, but not made explicit, that the experiment has also caused his death.
     
    It is a tremendously moving story that affected me deeply when I first read it over forty years ago.
     
    Now I see that the diary entries have been transcribed into a blog. Because blogs customarily display the most recent entries first, this has had the interesting effect of now telling the story in reverse order – a sort of Memento effect. I’m curious to see whether this will work. I just wish that whoever was behind putting up the blog had bothered to spell Daniel Keyes’ name correctly…
     
    (hat tip to Cognitive Edge for the link)

  • Be Afraid…

    … be very afraid. This travesty is running for Vice-President of the US? Even though I’m an atheist, this is enough to make me pray fervently: God help us all.
     
    Addendum: PZ Myers points to the same video of Sarah Palin and makes the (to me) truly horrifying point that many Americans are likely to see nothing amiss. Given this, and the age and health of McCain, the odds maybe are not so far away from this woman being the US President in a few years. Stop the world, I want to get off.

  • The Delta Commission

    In 1953, severe storms in the North Sea led to widespread flooding in the west of the Netherlands. As a result, the Dutch government of the time set up a commission – the Delta Commission – to investigate and report on preventative measures that the country could take to prevent a repeat of the damage. Major civil engineering work resulted – the Delta Works.
     
    While the main work was completed in 1997, because of climate change and the rising sea level, up to 30% of the current dikes are considered still not to be high enough. Accordingly, a new Delta Commission was set up in 2007, and today they have presented their report to the Dutch Cabinet. The presentation, by the chairman, Professor dr. Cees Veerman, was televised, and I’ve just been watching it. The results are sobering: by 2050, the sea-level is expected to rise by 40 cm. By 2100, the rise is expected to be between 65 to 130 cm, and by 2200, a rise of between 2 to 4 metres is forecast. The risk of extensive flooding in the Netherlands, if nothing is done, is unacceptable. As Veerman said, the situation is not acute, but it is urgent. The commission has made a number of recommendations. We shall see whether they are carried out, but Prime Minister Balkende, in his response to the report, was very positive and I expect that the report recommendations will be implemented. The potential economic damage to the Netherlands if nothing is done would be disastrous.
     
     

  • The Pill-Popping Society

    Ben Goldacre has an excellent piece on his blog on how society is becoming medicalised. We are encouraged to reach for a pill at the earliest opportunity. Worth reading.

  • The Guinea Worm

    You can add the guinea worm to the list of species that, as far as I am concerned, tip the scales of evidence in favour of the proposition that God is either a) a sadist, b) indifferent or c) non-existent.

  • If I Give Her The Wool…

    …would she make me one too? That’s the punchline to a hoary old joke that begins: "my mother made me a homosexual…".
     
    I couldn’t help but remember it when I read Johann Hari’s piece: "What makes some of us gay?" Actually, Johann’s piece is an excellent summary of where we are in the nature vs. nuture debate. Definitely worth reading.

  • A Letter to Nature

    The esteemed science journal Nature recently had an editorial on the work of the John Templeton Foundation. The editorial has brought a response, in the form of a letter to the journal, from Matthew Cobb and Jerry Coyne. I found myself nodding in agreement with the content, particularly the conclusion:
    You suggest that science may bring about "advances in theological thinking". In reality, the only contribution that science can make to the ideas of religion is atheism.
    The editorial itself can be found here. The comment thread on the Pharyngula entry about the letter is a good illustration of how pointless it can be to feed trolls. Or, to put it another way, why you shouldn’t wrestle in the mud with a pig. You simply get dirty, while the pig enjoys it. 

  • The Unblinking Eye

    I really enjoy Future Perfect – the blog of Jan Chipchase, a researcher at Nokia. He travels the world noticing, and photographing, examples of how cultures use technology, often in intriguing ways; or how norms in one society signal something very different in another. Do drop by, I don’t think you will be bored.

  • The Role of Evidence

    I’ve just watched the first Headcast of John Cleese, which I mentioned in the previous blog entry. He makes some good points – and he also begs the question a number of times.
     
    For example, he, rightly, notes our natural tendency to ignore evidence. But he also assumes that there is good evidence to begin with. He quotes approvingly from Irreducible Mind (written by people he knows) in the argument to demonstrate that not all aspects of mind are generated by brain activity. The authors state that there is evidence that psi-phenomena and PK do exist, and that’s therefore good enough for him. He implies that not accepting this ‘evidence’ is equivalent to the academics who refused to look through Galileo’s telescope to see the evidence of craters on the moon, because they knew that the moon did not have craters. Well, I don’t think it’s equivalent at all. I’m perfectly prepared to look at the ‘evidence’ – and so far, the ‘evidence’ has turned out to be anecdote for the existence of psi and P.K.
     
    Another example quoted by Cleese shows more clearly what I mean. He quotes the recollection of Stanislav Grof of a conversation with Carl Sagan. Grof is recounting the story of a Near Death Experience documented in the book of surgeon Dr. Michael Sabom: Light and Death – a documentation of nearly 50 NDEs. Sagan apparently rejected the story, brusquely claiming that Sabom was merely hyping up the events in the operating theatre for the benefit of book sales. Cleese invites us to shake our heads sorrowfully at this refusal to accept the evidence.
     
    Well, let’s look a bit closer at the evidence, shall we, John?
     
    I think it’s reasonable to assume that the event described by Grof to Sagan was the case of Pam Reynolds, since it forms an integral part of Sabom’s book. If so, then the ‘evidence’ certainly does not point unequivocally to the interpretation that Sabom, and those who believe that the mind exists at least partially separate from brain activity, would like to put on it. The data in the case can be read both ways. It’s also interesting to look at the context of Sabom’s book (which I freely admit I have not read). I note this review on Amazon of the book:
    This book is written from the perspective of a conservitive [sic] Christian with extensive knowledge and access to NDEs. Scripture is used to interpret NDEs. When NDEs agree with the Bible, they become prof [sic] that the scriptures are inerrant and when NDEs don’t, it is because evil has tainted the experience. Purely from a Christian point of view.. Not recommended for those looking for a more universal or balanced perspective. 
    The sound of an author grinding an axe seems to come through to me – a reaction not too dissimilar from that of Sagan’s, I feel.
     
    To sum up, I try not to discount evidence, but I do ask that evidence comes with a measurable quality – and I will have no compunction or guilt in rejecting that which has dubious quality. As I’ve said before, I do try to keep an open mind, but not so open that my brain will fall out.

  • The Wit and Wisdom of John Cleese

    Thanks to a reference over at Atheist Media, I’ve now discovered that John Cleese has a Podcast site. There’s a collection of short skits or presentations that he’s done. I’m still going through them, but I was rather taken with podcast #33: The Brain Explained, in which Cleese channels Stanley Unwin – someone who will be unknown to most of Cleese’s fans. Cleese also dons the scientist’s white coat in podcast #32: The God Gene – which pokes fun at those who oversimplify the naturalistic view of the universe.
     
    He’s also started a new venture: the Headcast, in which he delivers short chats to camera. These are downloadable videos at the absurdly low price of $1 each. Great value for money. Mind you, in the first chat he talks approvingly about Richard Tarnas, whose 1991 book – The Passion of the Western Mind – sounds quite interesting. But my heart sank when I read the précis of his second tome: Cosmos and Psyche. I quote: [it] "challenges basic assumptions of the modern world view, postulating the existence of a consistent correspondence between planetary movements (specifically the astrological aspects) and archetypal patterns of human experience, also called astrology."
     
    Oh dear, that doesn’t sound good. Another philosopher who’s wandered into woo, perhaps? 

  • Photosynth

    I mentioned a couple of days ago that Microsoft has released Photosynth. The site seems to be a bit overwhelmed by the demand, as my first experiments in creating Synths failed on the uploading stage. However, they seem to be there now. Here’s an example. 
     
    Note: if you want to explore it, the Photosynth applet will first have to be downloaded and installed into your browser.

    Addendum: And of course Microsoft has now scrapped the Photosynth product and technology, so none of these links work anymore. It’s dead, Jim.

  • That Old Sinking Feeling

    I think Justin, over at Chicken Yoghurt, sums up the queasiness I felt when watching Britain’s eight-minute segment in the Olympic closing ceremony yesterday. Dear lord, it was pretty dire. A wonderful harbinger of the joy to come in 2012 – assuming I survive that long.

  • The Long Journey

    Two presentations on the history of humanity as a species. First, Spencer Wells talking about the Genographic Project, which looks at our shared DNA over millenia. It’s fascinating, and he presents the information well.
     
    Second, here’s the history of human migration out of Africa presented interactively on the web site of the Bradshaw Foundation. Also very good, and draws upon the work of Stephen Oppenheimer.

  • A Field Guide to Software Engineers

    This field guide is so true – in the course of my time in the computer business, I’ve met examples of all of these species. I have occasionally been known to wake up in a cold sweat thinking about some of them.