Articles from June 2008

I just finished playing Mass Effect, a Bioware science fiction role-playing game for Xbox 360 (what I played) and now PC. When I bought my Xbox back at Christmas, I knew that Mass Effect was on my short list of Games I Wanted. It had received high praise and excellent reviews; the commercials made it look like the sort of game I would enjoy--I like science fiction, and I like combat as long as…

...but if I did, I'd make it as entertaining as possible.

I do not believe that any human being is justified in taking the life of another human being. The death penalty does not make sense if you're an atheist, and it doesn't make sense if you're a theist. If you are an atheist, then you probably don't believe in an afterlife. In that case, you are depriving the murderer of existence without inflicting any…

Pretentious title, no? This is actually just something that occurred to me while having a bath (baths are great that way).

I don't know which particular set of neurons collided to produce this aspect of my personality, but I've never been one to concern myself with body image--mine or anyone else's. Physically I'm rather lucky in that I lead a sedentary lifestyle but have a high metabolism and a slim build. So I'm very tall…

I've been saying it for years: Cookie monster's new platform of cookies as a "sometimes food" is a travesty. Finally it gets some mainstream media coverage from Stephen Colbert!

If there were one thing I would change about myself, it is the fact that I lack the ability to inhabit the moment. I am constantly and consistently thinking only of the future--not necessarily the distant future, more usually the immediate, next-couple-of-hours-or-days future. And I find that this drains me more than is necessary.

Summer is supposed to be time off from school to relax, but present-day economics throws a wrench in that model. Students…

You often hear someone invoke the phrase, "As a __," in which he or she then goes on to name some sort of position or title that gives him or her the ability to voice an opinion on the subject at hand. "As a world leader...," "As a scientist...," "As a schoolteacher...," "As an evil overlord...." Here's something on which we should all have an opinion.

As a person, I value access to information.…

Lately I've been listening to CBC Radio's new show Spark.

Some of you may recall that I'm not always fond of the CBC, but they've got something good going with Spark. It's the sort of show that would appeal to demographics that might otherwise view the CBC as stodgy and uninteresting. Spark's host, Nora Young, discusses the latest technology and technological phenomena with guests. Specifically, the show focuses on how technology integrates into and…

Not every day can be awesome--if it were, our standards would inevitably just rise to redefine the level of "awesome" required to indeed be awesome. It reminds me of that scene Gattaca, in which the corporate head honcho discusses how they can "measure" human potential. The innocent hero asks, "And what if they exceed their potential?" And head honcho replies, in the coldest and most calculating tone, "No one exceeds their potential. If…

Those of you not reading this through a feed (that is, if anyone actually subscribes to my feed...) will notice things looking a little ... different.

This is the long-awaited, long promised redesign! The previous design has been in use since before my site moved to A Small Orange in October 2005. It was time for a change, time for a fresh look, time to update the site to better reflect me. That was a…