dangerdan

Haha sorry guys I think I missed the focus of this thread I've never really seen Oprah I thought it was more about feminism

Depends what you mean by feminism really. If the basis of the argument is that women should have equal rights then its an absolutely sound argument to make, if on the other hand you're arguing women should have more rights then I think the argument becomes slightly flawed. Positive discrimination is still discrimination remember!

Firstly, I said that I was addicted to my computer but that I could give it up if I had to - but the reason would need to be pretty compelling! My laptop provides two primary function functions to me: work and recreation. I find my laptop an invaluable tool in conducting and furthering my degree studies (I am now fully expectant of the "we didnt have computers in my day" retort and I have considered it and all I can say is fair play!) the point is I don't think I could go without my laptop for work. I also use it extensively for leisure (I easily spend 10 hours a day on my laptop) from the moment I wake up in bed (now) to watching/listening to something in bed (later) I'll pretty much be on my laptop all day. As to the question as to whether I could give it up I genuinely believe I could (despite chronic boredom) if I had a good enough reason to. As it stands I think my laptop greatly enriches my life and the fact I spend a bit too much time on it isn't a major concern to me.

I completely agree Quatrux, I don't think that nuclear is or can be the answer until we master nuclear fusion (which has the potential to be significantly more effective than fission, which is currently by far the most effective form of energy - but the down sides are also obvious) and solar energy has to be a fundamental source of energy for us. After all, it is the suns energy that has created the majority of energy that has created life on earth thus far, solar radiation is a key determinant of the global climate which just goes to show just how powerful solar can be.

You can download @ 224.56 KB/secI know for a fact that I can download up to 4x faster than this (i.e 1 MB/sec) and that nobody else is using my internet at the moment (they're all asleep still!) though 250KB/sec ish is still more than fast enough, though we're going to see huge improvements in internet speeds over the coming decades, rising as high as 250MB/sec up to 1GB/sec and beyond..

Yeah, a friend recommended uTorrent to me about two years ago and I've literally never looked back! I seriously can't recommend it enough myself I think it is by far the best torrent client.

Alternative energy use is growing year on year and eventually (sooner rather than later in my opinion) we are going to need to drop this "alternative" tag and admit that they are our energy source and not simply an "alternative" which can have bad connotations (alternative medicine). Solar power, wind power and tidal power are the most obvious examples. But there is also Geothermal energy, created by piping water underground into a spring and piping it back up as steam, which powers a turbine. Also reverse electro dialysis (REDD) energy is being pioneered by the Netherlands - it harnesses the energy from places where freshwater meets saltwater and osmosis takes places. The future of energy is localised and environmentally friendly energy sources. For how much longer will Europe be held to ransom over its gas supply by Russia, and by the Middle East for its oil, it simply won't go on for much longer.

Definitely sounds like something that would improve the quality of these forums, though whether it would simply be an un-used novelty would remain to be seen. Sure, if it was introduced I'd try it out and whether I continued to use it would probably depend on how good it was!

8ennett I think you've hit the nail on the head there. It's all about a personal religious philosophy that should be tailored to each individuals beliefs and cultural expectations. And semontana you are very right about the overlap of the three major Abrahamic religions (Christianity, Judaism and Islam) and it is the common ground between them - the good messages of peace and harmony - that I really connect with. What I can not connect with is the seeming rhetoric employed about how we should live our lives, it comes back to my previous point about individualism.On the other hand semontana there was once a time when everyone in the world thought the world was the centre of the universe, that it was flat, that there was nothing smaller than an atom....etc my point being popular opinion is just that - opinion. Even science only ever claims to be our best understanding thus far, and so saying that 5billion believe something doesn't add any weight of truth, only social acceptability.

Apparently cheese is the best way to induce dreams (though some say it induces nightmares) but other than that I'm not really sure how to force yourself to dream. You dream every night, its whether you remember in the morning or not that you are presumably trying to change. Well I know from experience that smoking marijuana before you go to sleep makes you less likely to remember your dreams, and cheese is the only thing I've heard that makes it more likely.

I genuinely don't think that any kind of crime should warrant the death penalty how matter how heinous (though mandla's idea about castration is appealing). I think that rehabilitation is the only answer, we have to rehabilitate people back into a regular way of society. I hate to say it, but rap is probably not even the worst crime in our society, other crimes such as paedophilia and murder tend to draw much angrier responses from people. Also there seems to be an assumption that all rapists (like paedophiles, 'dangerous gays') are men which simply is not true. This subject is one which create huge emotional anguish, I understand that, but people need to put their emotions to one side -rape victim or not - and understand that we live in a society that adheres to the rule of law. For example, what if an innocent man is sentenced to death? Is not then the judge or jury who sentenced him equally guilty of murder, or at least manslaughter. The death penalty is always the wrong option because it is irreversible, especially when jurys are able to convict on the basis of reasonable evidence. Some of you may take this as a support of rape but it is far from it. People, criminals and victims alike, need to realise that we live in a society that has laws and in which the death penalty has no place. We shouldn't even be looking to prison as the answer because it is doesn't work. First time offenders enter as petty thieves and leave hardened criminals - the kind of criminals who commit the more serious offences we are discussing here. Obviously, for repeat offenders and under certain circumstances, prison is the right answer but locking up millions of people simply isn't the answer and nor is killing them.

http://www.video2mp3.net/ is by far and away the easiest way of doing it. Copy and paste a URL and it gives you a direct download link in seconds. Amazing site can't recommend it enough for doing this kind of thing.

An exploit of a quantum mechanics trick known as quantum tunnelling has allowed smart phone developers to develop pressure sensitive touch screens and keys. Potential uses could include pressing down harder to scroll faster and the enabling of 3D interfaces. Theres a BBC article about it here http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8504373.stm if anyone could explain this concept of quantum tunnelling outside of this application it would be appreciated.

Technology is clearly a double edged sword. On the one hand it can clearly empowers people to learn, communicate and work in completely new ways but this social revolution caused by technology clearly has its problems. A recent study I saw showed that there was a link between excessive internet use and depression (though I seem to buck this trend) and this is simply one element of the effect that technology can have as a means of alienation. Despite the positive social aspects of the internet, it can also lead to people living out their entire social life over the internet, avoiding face to face contact altogether, which is worrying. Technology (and I have focused particularly on the internet here) can lead to a ghettoisation effect whereby like minded people only ever come into contact with one another, a prime example being terrorists, who operate on certain networks and only operate on those networks. In this sense technology can be very alienating, but of course the positives probably outweigh the alienation as technology has enriched all our lives in recent decades.

There is a dilemma at play here. On the one hand, Iran keeps taunting the West with its pursuit of weapons-grade uranium, on the other hand, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have left many in the West not wanting to send troops abroad again, and this will put political pressure on the leaders not to go to war. I don't think it is fair to lay the blame for any impending war entirely with Iran, both Israel and America have been major antagonists in the escalating tension. If there is going to be, I would imagine (hope?) there will be a great number of protests in the West against going to war with Iran.Then there is the need for 'legality', a question that is particularly poignant in the UK at the moment given the Chilcot Enquiry and the question of the legality of the military intervention in Iraq. If the West is to somehow attempt to engineer a regime change in Iran it will need a cause, an incident, otherwise a UN resolution. And at that point I very much get the feeling that history is starting to repeat itself...