Comments for A View From The West

Comment on 2012 by James

James — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:07:29 +0000

Comment on Swear by Iain

Iain — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 01:08:08 +0000

Alec,

nothing to do with this post, but just to tip you off to this story, if you haven’t seen it already, of the writer of the story which inspired Red Barchetta meeting Neil Peart – http://www.bmwbmw.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=8693

I’ve just seen it today, but I see it’s quite old.

Iain

Comment on Excuses & Unconvincing Arguments by dandi1144

dandi1144 — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 13:23:36 +0000

Unfortunately, August does not rely very heavily on logical argument. I’ve called him on that (“15 Excuses”)and have yet to receive any kind of a succinct and cogent response. It’s disturbing when an atheits, who prides himself on logic and reasoned discourse, makes errors that an Intro to Logic student would receive a failing grade for.

Comment on 2012 by Pat

Pat — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 10:10:24 +0000

It’s a fun movie – real no brainer action movie

Myself and the boy certainly enjoyed it.

Comment on 1,000 Words Too by Iain

Iain — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:55:15 +0000

Thanks Alex,
that’s pretty much what I’d say too, though I think we’re at a younger stage than you. We’ve entered a phase where we’re discovering that the younger ears are paying a lot more attention to the radio that’s on in the background than we are, and we’re starting to get some interesting questions, especially in relation to speech radio. It makes you a lot more aware of what’s on ‘in the background’ and what’s being taken in, and the unpleasant stories on the news bulletins in particular (balancing the honesty and openness with age-appropriateness can be tricky sometimes).
Best wishes,
Iain

Comment on 1,000 Words Too by Alex Matheson

Alex Matheson — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:00:22 +0000

Hi Iain,

Thanks for commenting. It is actually a tricky issue as you obviously can’t keep a child in a vacuum. In our secular house we go for honesty and openness as the best policy.

I find that the best you can do is explain why different people believe different things (be it politically, religiously, etc.) and be honest when asked to say what you think and believe without being too judgemental (very tricky). Also, I try and get my kids to ask questions and to think critically about what people say, why they say it and if what they say makes sense. It’s important that they know it’s okay not to take what someone says at face value especially when a sensible explanation is not forthcoming.

Of course whatever approach you adopt your own beliefs and views will rub off on your kids to an extent. So what you’re doing is giving them the ability to question your beliefs and values so they can assess them for themselves. You then have to be ready for the possibility that your kids may reject your views (your label?) however firmly held.

As you say, “more questions than explanations” the deeper you get into it.

Thanks again,
Alex

Comment on 1,000 Words Too by Iain

Iain — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:29:24 +0000

Hi Alex,

I think the difficulty with the poster is the tricky business of what you do with the child until they reach the age – whatever age that is – when they are old enough to choose for themselves (about any number of things, not simply religion – politics would be a less emotive but similar area, for example). You can’t bring them up in a vacuum in which the way you choose to live (in the widest sense) and your view and interpretation of the world are hidden from your child.

The cartoon puzzled me – the previous one on the site made a much better point, I thought – as I can’t imagine anyone of any persuasion imagining an education system is possible which doesn’t involve critical thinking skills. I was sufficiently puzzled that I googled and discovered Critical Thinking Skills, which explained a bit but left me sceptical – I’m always a bit wary of people taking common sense, codifying it, claiming their way as The Way, and selling it back to us, whether as self-help psychology or professional best practice.

I didn’t want to get into it too much, even though making brief points always ends up leaving us with more questions than explanations. I was going to post on my own blog something different I’d read relating to the poster – and will doubtless get around to it several months from now – but saw your posts and didn’t want you to think I was retorting to your posts on the sly!

Best wishes,
Iain

Comment on Excuses & Unconvincing Arguments by August Berkshire

August Berkshire — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:38:38 +0000

Thanks for the plug.

Comment on Sansa Fuze by BonkEnc « The Free Software Files

BonkEnc « The Free Software Files — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:26:10 +0000

[...] I’ve been using it for quite a while now and it’s reliable and very easy to use. It will convert between a range of audio file formats including MP3, MP4, OGG, FLAC and AAC. And conversion is the main use that I put it to, converting high bit rate audio files that I’ve bought to a lower bit rate (and smaller size) for playback on my Sansa Fuze. [...]

Comment on The Big Bang Theory by kcd75

kcd75 — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 01:50:28 +0000

I agree! I love this show. It is hilarious!

K.C.D
http://thewritingsofkcd.wordpress.com/