It’s no longer just a philosophical question. If the neurological research explained in this article is correct then the philosophical boundaries of what is regarded as free will in an individual’s mind are being pushed back. Genetics and neurological research themselves increasingly attribute certain human behaviour and goals as ingrained and divorced from truly independent [...]
Maybe it’s just a case of stopped-clock syndrome, but from time to time, something will come along to challenge my belief in the inefficacy of state intervention in the economy. Take this story, for example:
The Chinese government is now demanding that future handsets, regardless of brand, be able to recharge via a standard USB port. [...]
At least that’s what this column thinks the Time Magazine award means.
Sorry Laurence. I just couldn’t resist. Although it does betray my own attitude towards the kitsch of the award.
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Heads up from Straw’
It’s interesting to see the Business Day’s political cartoonist do a subtle about turn on Ahmadinejad. That’s after one of his previous cartoons condoned the same Ahmadinejad’s nuclear policy, displaying him and Jong-Il Kim of North Korea supposedly fighting for a fair deal as they tried to break into the seemingly elitist nuclear nations club.
But [...]
This story is a good example of how South African politics can sometimes seem incomprehensible without the sort of leaks and insider-ish cliff notes that the MSM, for all its faults, manages to obtain far more frequently than blogs:
The national ANC Youth League on Thursday said it had ordered its Eastern Cape provincial leadership to [...]
The Time Magazine Man of the Year contest, that is. I’m so awesome.
This guy must be crying.
I apologise for my rather long absence. Any mileage from the excuse of being distracted impending exams obviously ran out long ago and work obviously can’t have prevented me from posting 24/7. Admittedly lack of inspiration has recently played a part in my dearth of activity.
However I have found out about the joys – or [...]
Games firm Nintendo has said it will replace all broken straps for its Wii console, following customer complaints… The announcement follows reports about the wrist straps breaking during use, leading to the controller slipping out of hands, smashing TVs and windows.” – BBC News
You gotta love faulty product design with hilarious unintended consequences. (For other [...]
Political-philosophy types, especially libertarians, often don’t get the conservative emphasis on tradition. Why spend so much time worrying the way things have always been done? Why not just, you know, think about stuff?
Well, without attempting a comprehensive argument in favour of tradition, here’s a passing example from one of my hobbies: debating. University debating is [...]
The scariest thing about crime in South Africa may not be the actual number of crimes – although that’s pretty scary in itself – but the nature of the crime that takes place. Criminals people who steal things or even kill witnesses, while evil, are at least comprehensible in the sense that they gain something [...]
Perhaps I’m giving away my urban upbringing, but I really don’t get the whole practice of hunting. I’ve met people who are really into it; people whose homes look like some kind of weird taxidermy workshop because of all the dead things hanging from walls, and it strikes me as somewhat… creepy. What kind of [...]
Being a holocaust-denier has its advantages. You may be a know-nothing hack with no academic credentials and no research experience to speak of, but if you deny the holocaust sufficiently loudly in a public space for a long enough time, sooner or later you’ll be a “maverick researcher” with your own cadre of devoted followers, [...]
A handy primer on the topic, courtesy of Slate. Here’s the important bit:
Polonium-210 is not a common household substance. It is made by bombarding bismuth in a nuclear reactor with neutrons from uranium-235, the fuel for atom bombs. It rapidly decays, with a half-life of 138 days, which means that it cannot be stockpiled for [...]
Darren on SumbandilaSat Launches
mandla on Punish the SANDF Strikers
Morne on Time to Consider Property?
bfly on Housekeeping and Blog-Pimping
RvdW on Some Michael-Related Perspective
[L]ocal viewpoints on local/international affairs. That they aren't brain-dead like most local self-confessed 'intellectuals' is a bonus.
- Fifteen Minutes
[I'm] glad to report the arrival of a new blog written by a couple of 'conservative-libertarian' South Africans. Commentary is both well written and prolific and very much worth a visit.
- Southern Cross
[A] great new South African blog. Commentary.co.za brings us libertarian views on South Africa...
- Way South
Probably the busiest (in terms of number of postings) blog is Commentary... They write on everything from politics, sport, time travel and more.
- Fodder
Commentary.co.za is a fantastically well-written site with an indepth insight into South African politics. If you want the lowdown on what's happening in the corridors of power, this is the place to read it. These guys know their stuff.
- Cherryflava
Pompous, geeky and holier-than-thou.
- Gabbahead
