Top 5 games

This is a trip down memory lane and makes me want to install an emulator. You can have any game on the platform of your choice, with updated graphics, but the game play must remain the same.

1. Elite

   Possibly my most fondly remembered game, I would have it as a console game now with updated graphics. I played this space based fighter / trading game for days and days, then weeks and months. It's open ended game-play allowed your imagination to turn it into a role-playing game inside your head. I, like so many others, think it should be resurrected as a modern game.

2. Ultimate Doom

   I would have this as a console game too, with updated graphics. The arcade style action made this game ultimately re playable, it's one of the few games I can still clearly remember the route through quite a lot of the levels. It also had some amazing game-play moments, I still remember the ground shaking and seeing my first Cyberdemon - awesome. It also had fantastic level design and a co-op mode.

3. World of Warcraft

   There's not much to be said about wow - it's like the heroin of addictive games, nothing else will suck down the hours quite like it. With a decent group of friends, there are few gaming experiences to match it. It is probably unrivalled in delivering memorable gaming moments, from your first epic, to seeing the Fel Reavers for the first time. I only stopped playing when world pvp become almost impossible to find.

4. Unreal Tournament 2004

   My favourite online shooter of all time, I even spent hours practising against the bots. Bombing run was one of the best game types I have played - shame no-one else agreed and it was removed from future versions.

5. Super Smash T.V.

   I wouldn't change a thing about this game, not the controls, the graphics, the console and certainly not the cheesy one liners "I'd buy that for a dollar". Way too many happy memories of both single player and 2 player mode.

Honourable Mentions

There are lots of amazing games I missed out - notably the plot driven games, which I feel lack the longevity for this type of scenario - Half Life (I didn't get into the multiplayer), System Shock 2, Assassin's Creed II, Dead Space 2. I also didn't have room for Quake 2 or Diablo - really looking forward to Diablo 3.

Top 5 T.V. Shows

This is a tough one as there are so many good series that were cut short with only 1 or 2 seasons (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles). Conversely, there are many average shows which aired relentlessly. Quality or quantity... hmmmmm.

1. Archer

   Only in it's second series, but definitely the best thing on T.V. atm by some considerable distance. Adult viewing, not for the faint hearted, but it really does make me laugh. There are some things that only an animated series can get away with.

2. Sons of Anarchy

   Another amazing series from FX. This details the ups and downs of a motor bike club. The premise didn't grip me at all at first, but I was badgered into watching it and was gripped from episode one. Fantastic story and great characters.

3. Married with Children

   An oldie, but a goodie. What can I say, Al Bundie makes me laugh and he is personally responsible for my love of New York Cheesecake.

4. American Dad

   I have too many fond memories of Stan and Rodger to miss this one out. When a series has added new accents and phrases to your way of speaking, you know it's had an effect - "Dimmer switches!". I have championed American Dad over Family Guy and seen a few people come round to my way of thinking.

5. House

   As with all the series mentioned here, I can watch re-runs of house all day. I take the criticism that the episodes are formulaic - no-one knows whats wrong with the patient; things get worse till House decides to do something totally unorthodox; everyone disagrees, but House is right and saves the day. I don't watch the series to see what happens to the patients though, I watch it for the characters and the sub plots.

Honorable Mentions

Breaking Bad is an outstanding series, but it is very much story driven, so it's replay ability is low for this list - highly recommended though. Firefly was terminated during the first season, but was awesome. Fringe is a very easy watch too.

Top 5 babes in heaven

Because it's heaven you get five babes frozen in time at their prime. Choose well, as you have to spend eternity with them!

1. Park Min Young

   A korean dancer who is fated to be the next Mrs Ant, as well as being an amazing dancer, her t.v. interviews seem to show her as impossibly sweet as well. If I was to watch one video for the rest of my days, it would be the one linked in the above.

2. Michelle Pfeiffer

   She is just the awesome, no meal in heaven would be complete without her draped over a piano singing to me ala The Fabulous Baker Boys. She is probably my only enduring crush...

3. Audrey Hepburn

   A true icon and IMHO one of the most beautiful women of all time. I haven't read much about her life, but I would be absolutely gutted to read that she wasn't a nice person. In the theatre of my mind, she is as sweet as she is lovely.

4. Charisma Carpenter

   As well as being stunning, her character in Buffy the Vampire Slayer rocked the show. It seems in real life she's into rock climbing and fitness, it doesn't get much better than that!

5. Elisha Cuthbert

   Unlike many of the other top 5's I was hard pressed to fill this one. I remember Elisha making my toes curl when I watched 24, but I've not seen much of her since.

In the honorable mentions list I would add Elle Macpherson and probably Kelly Brook, but really, I'd be happy with my top 4. I would worry that I may neglect number 5 and that would be rude...

Top 5's

I quite like making lists of things I like and trying to get the perfect 5. Rather than just being my favourite 5, the 5 things have to complement each other so that they create the perfect grouping. Here's my current thoughts on things, written down so I can look back and see how my thoughts have changed.

Top 5 authors to take take to heaven

If I was allowed to take the complete works of 5 authors to heaven and read only these books for the rest of eternity. So the authors have to be varied in pace, style and subject matter. They also have to have a fairly large collection of works to keep me going. This last point in some ways caused me the most grief - I've had to leave behind some of my favourite books because the author was lazy :)

1. Ernest Hemingway

   I really love the way Hemingway writes, so I would be happy re-reading his works and even studying them to some extent. As he wrote some of my favourite books (especially The Old Man and the Sea) he was pretty much a shoe in for first place.

2. Philip K. Dick

   Another shoe in, my favourite sci fi author and a prolific writer. His books are interesting, thought provoking and worthy of re-reads. His writing style sometimes requires effort on the readers part, though always well rewarded.

3. David Gemmel

   My first "easy read" author, Gemmel was a childhood favourite and I still find many of his characters as engaging today as I did back then. His work is intelligent heroic fantasy and since his sad passing I have struggled to find a replacement author for the genre.

4. Cormac McCarthy

   I just couldn't go to heaven without a copy of The Road, I rate it as my favourite novel mainly due to the prose. He paints a picture of such draining darkness that you see the characters in black and white. His other works are also excellent, but The Road is transcendant.

5. Robert Anton Wilson

   One of the truly great minds of our time and a personal hero. He wrote both fiction and non-fiction on a truly inspiring variety of topics. Whilst some of his work was so heavily based in the ethos and culture of the 70's it seems a bit dated stylistically, the ideas are as relevant today as ever.

Honorable mentions

There are so many honourable mentions it's just as hard trimming these down. First off, I am sad I have no Eastern authors in my list, both Bulgakov and Turgenev were definitely in the running. Vonnegut was replaced by McCarthy. I will miss Heinlein's Starship Troopers and Job II, but along with William Gibson and Neal Stephenson he was pushed out by Philip K. Dick. Herman Hesse and A. E. Housman would have added to the collection with their style and subject matter. I also really like Jeff Lindsay, author of the Dexter novels of the popular TV series. Still, if making the list was easy, it would be no fun.

What would yours be?

Popular Science

I am quite a big fan of popular science and have been watching prof Brian Cox's Horizon series with interest. I think it's an awesome show and I like the way information is presented to the viewer. However, I have been wondering for a while about scientific "leaps of faith". I don't see anyway around them and as part of my own view on the universe, I am quite happy to make them, simply because I understand that is what I am doing. My concern is that recently I have seen people accepting things as fact because "science says it is so".

"Can you get the project finished by Friday, yes or no?". Despite being the question being couched to provoke a boolean response, the question may well have more than 2 correct answers. The most correct is likely to be "Well, it depends". Despite being the most correct it is likely to be one of the least satisfactory possible answers to the asker. People don't like uncertainty and this often clouds the answers we give or alters the way we talk.

Leaps of faith

If I am making a point the validity of my argument will rest on some key ideas. If my argument rests on the value of x in the following: x - 2 = 7 and I state that x is 5, almost everyone will be in a position to know if I am correct or not immediately. However, if I state that for the inequality 3x - 7 > 5x + 11, x < -9, well, I'm guessing that the number of people who would go to the effort of solving the problem decreases significantly. If I then argue that E = mc², well I think you see where I am going.

Of course, the validity of my claim can also be tested in practical application. For example, if I am talking about the pressure of a gas increasing with temperature and quote pV = NkT (the ideal gas law) you can rely on the fact that this is principle through which steam engines work. Thus gaining a degree of confidence in my point without resorting to first principles.

There are circumstances where the evidence isn't completely in yet and statements are made based on a consensus of opinion using the data that is currently available. One statement like this would be "the universe is 13.7 billion years old and will go on for ever...". The current evidence does seem to point in that direction, however, it's not the only possibility. It is possible that at some point in the future a new source of dark matter will be discovered, giving the universe sufficient mass to be closed. It doesn't seem likely, but it's far from impossible.

Reasons for post

I worry about the blind belief in "science" without the necessary tools for reasonable scepticism. Being wrong about the ultimate fate of the universe is one thing, but being wrong about the right type of medicine for you is entirely another. Whilst I applaud the current wave of scepticism over religion and homoeopathy, it unfortunately seems to go hand in hand with a blind acceptance of "scientific" western medicine. Pharmaceuticals are not produced by people working in the pursuit of pure knowledge, they are created by large corporations built to produce profit.

The current scientific thoughts on a subject are not dogma. Science is not a religion with absolute truths being handed down from on high. The scientific method is merely the best way we know of to solve problems and find answers. It is based on trying to find fault with the current theories of the day. It requires you to be sceptical of everything, not just those ideas which are not currently in fashion.

More Books...

Shardik

It is as the sleeve blurbs says "an epic allegory" and a "human saga". However, I have to say that it is a little heavy on the epic and a touch light on allegory for my taste. Perhaps I came at this book from the wrong angle, but I read Stephen King's "gun slinger" series in which Shardik has a small cameo and thought "you know, I really should read that". The book is well written and I really liked and agreed with the points about humanity it was making, but I spent way too long thinking, "yea, I get it" only to find that we were going to stick with the same theme for the next 100 pages just to ram the point right home. For me, the book could have been an awesome 300 pager and still had room to make more use of the fact that it has a massive kick-ass bear as the title character :).

Slaughterhouse 5

I read this book and instantly became a Vonnegut fan, writing these notes has reminded me I still have a few novels lined up to be read. A very personal book, which also, at times, trips the bizarre-o-meter, it really is a proper classic. Sometimes you enjoy a book because the story is interesting and the writing isn't bad enough to jolt you out of the world your imagination has created. Other times you get to read a book where the story has been crafted, by a real author, and you are transported into someone else's world with its own set of rules and laws. To describe the story itself in any way that had real meaning, I'd probably have to re-print the book, but it's kind of about the Dresden fire-bombing from an antiwar point of view.

Faust

Yea, one of those "I really should read it" things that I decided to cross off my list. It's an epic poem about Faust's deal with the devil, their beguilement of the lovely Margaret and Faust's desire to repent of his treatment of her.

I felt the reward to reading this was more in the destination than the journey. It was hard work at the time, but I am really glad I read it and can now enjoy certain passages on re-reading. I also feel a bit smarter when Stephen Fry quotes it on QI :)

The Wind-up Bird Chronicles

This is one of those books you read with no pre-knowledge of the plot. I am loathe to describe the plot as I really am not going to make much sense without describing a fair bit of detail. I liked the style of writing quite a lot here and I think this originally lead me to expect more from the story than I eventually feel I got. This is actually a minor criticism as there are some outstanding set pieces and a few memorable moments. It's well written and gripping to the end - I think I just expected spectacular as opposed to good.

The Grand Design

A very readable popular science book, fascinating content and well presented. I read it in two plane journeys, simply because it's absorbing and maths light. In someways I was prepped for a little bit of the science by reading "The Omega Point" a much older work (also popular science) so some of the concepts were familiar. I immediately fell for the idea of M Theory because it complements the theory of psychological reality I have been thinking about for a fair while. The very basic idea being that there are a collection of overlapping mathematical theories that define the universe rather than one unified theory to rule them all.

A Farewell to Arms

I like Hemingway, a lot, but the start of the book confused me a little, the constant overuse of "and" to link descriptive sections made me wonder what to make of the narrator. Eventually I think it just made me trust his naivety, it's something I remember about the book though. I felt connected to all the characters, not always immediately, but eventually and strongly. There is a section of the book where you know for a long time that something bad is in the post, this gave me a tremendous sense of foreboding. The arrival of said "bad post" was delayed by the plot making me became more and more emotionally involved as I tried to guess which way the story would go. Highly recommended from a personal point of view, but I can imagine people with whom the emotional attachment to the characters doesn't take disliking the seemingly unnecessary elongation of the plot.

The Master and Margarita

I really like the Russian authors and so when this book was recommended to me, I moved it to the top of my list. It contains a retelling of the tale of Pontius Pilate with a nice twist on the Faust legend (It's synchronous that I read Faust then this in succession without knowing the plot of this book). A well written and evocative novel which left me thinking about the story for quite a while afterwards. I found the novel held my interest from the start, but the ending is worth getting to even if you don't.

Training - current state of play

I've been running quite a lot recently. One long run per week along a track that takes me an hour and a half to run. I've no idea the actual distance and I will admit to finding excuses not to measure it, in case it's not as long as I hope. I also do a shorter run at about 5k - the idea being that I really need to work on my pace. I can manage all of this fine so long as I don't try and train my legs, which is difficult as I've been enjoying some dead lifting recently.

I am also managing to get between 1 and 2 yoga sessions a week. I really feel they've worked well on my legendary lack of flexibility. I am now merely in the "very poor for his age range section" as opposed to my previous "freakishly inflexible and to be mocked on sight", which is nice.

On the weights front things are going quite well, I've dropped my body weight down to 103kg, but have worked my bench back up to 5 sets of 5 at 120kg. As a consequence of my weight loss, my pull-ups are pretty sweet at the moment with my first set at 15 and tapering off after that.

Ollie Williams explains black holes

• And now over to Ollie Williams to find out why black holes are black, Ollie?
• Light can't escape!
• So light can enter a black hole, but not return?
• Yes!
• Isn't that a clear violation of the second law of thermodynamics, Ollie?
• No!
• Why, Ollie?
• Has entropy!
• How, Ollie?
• Hawking radiation!
• Thanks Ollie