On or off: the arguments over circumcision

While heading into work this morning, my partner had the radio tuned to 101.1FM and the presentors were talking about the topic for the "Can of Worms" episode this evening - "is it ok to circumcise your son?"

As part of the session, they had Guy Cox, Ph.D. on the show to talk about the health benefits of the procedure. The spiel he gave was interesting, not because of the information, but because he used nothing but the fallacious method of presenting the exceptions as the rule arguments as support.

Further, his arguments stem from an obvious case of bias confirmation as many of the citations he provided were from research that has shown to be flawed or otherwise since been disproven.

As far as I am concerned, , whether performed on a male or female, circumcision is mutilation. Period.

I never understood the religious view on it. If people are made in God's own image, then was the foreskin a mistake? If it is made in the image of god, then wouldn't cutting it off be succinct to sacrilage? 

However, I'm not religious, so I believe it is an evolutionary adaptation. Evolution created the foreskin for a reason. A reason that exists in most mammals and one that is not yet a sign of vestigal use. Some have used the appendix as a analogy for this argument, but unlike the appendix, the foreskin has not shrunk to a shadow of its former glory, nor does it lie there dormant. Thus claiming it is useless is also fallacious.

I wish people would get better informed of the realities of circumcision rather than allow old religious arguments, a desire to not be wrong about past decisions or the allure of business dollars to affect their judgements. Get informed about what the foreskin is there for (http://skinfore.blogspot.com.au/?zx=a2b3a2a56c0dfe45) and how it affects those that have circumcisions done (http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/moral-landscapes/201109/myths-about-circu... before feeling free to wax lyrical and spread further disinformation and opinions.

If nothing else, you may be better informed and you can at least be hoinest with yourself about your decisions rather than seeking to support them with false proofs and rhetoric.

[Reposted from xntrek]

I'm guilty of it ...

Sometimes people say or do things without thinking.

This can be due to a hundred different things … and for a hundred different reasons. It may come from a negative space … or from a positive space … but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t done without thinking.

I do it the most with my Mrs … but with a lot of friends in general, I find. 

I jump in with kind words.

I offer a different view, pampering, protection, assistance … “solutions”

I forget that people need to work that out themselves and that they did not ask for any of that …

I need to remember to just listen and acknowledge them.

Only offering anything else after they ask**.

It’s harder to do than say.

Even if you just want everyone to truly happy … maybe we need to let them find the sunshine by walking out of their own fire swamps.

 

--

* I wrote this on another blog about a week ago, but wanted to put it elsewhere for posterity and to remind myself

**As someone mentioned, "I would feel I wasn’t being there for them if I didn’t and yet most likely it is the wrong thing".

 

[Reposted from xntrek]

iPads, Droid Tablets and Cloud services

So, I've had the iPad for a few months now ... and all the previous annoyances have not gone away. Though, the killer app (Goodreader) is still the primary reason I haven't handed it to Ingrid and moved onto a Droid tablet.

A friend of mine did get the Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet I was considering. Using it, I did have envy. It feels solid. It has a wacom tablet screen and stylus that has pinpoint accurate drawing and writing recognition that is beyond expalnation to someone who has not had the pleasure of using the cintiq. It also has your "standard" finger and gesture abilities but with the added benefits of smarts like palm recognition. I can't rave on about it enough! Add Android 4 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and it really is something worth considering. 

In looking at both the iPad and Android platforms again it was time to reconsider applications and services. This led us to the http://alternativeto.net/ site to search for cross platform versions and services.

I also started thinking about the cloud based services I use and just wanted to put them down for posterity.

• Google App Services : why I use these is a no brainer really - with integrated Gmail, Google Talk, Calendar, Google Docs (now Drive) and other Collaboration apps all available at a touch.
• Cloud Storage : 
  • SugarSync : I was a huge fan of Dropbox, but SugarSync has stolen my heart. It offers more initial space (5G vs 2G) and has w configurable syncing, sharing and search options. This means that I can specify which files or folders are synced From and to my phone automatically, while still being able to access those files I choose to sync with other computers.
  • Dropbox : I still use dropbox, but admittedly it is primarily for applications and camera related requirements
  • Box.com : While it is possible to use box in the same way as sugarsync, it requires ugrading to the premium version, and i simply cannot justify the monthly cost. That said, having been lucky to gain a 50GB account, I tend to use it as a content distribution system, and in that function, it shines above the others. 
• Evernote : the next best solution for keeping all your ‘business’ in one place is Evernote. It is a simple app with the help of which you can record quick video clips, take pictures and make text notes taking advantage of the handset’s camera. It looks like a digital memory box and you can access it on the web or via a desktop client as well. I have also started keeping an eye on Clearly - an evernote extension to the Chrome browser on desktop platforms -- it could potentially replace "read later" applications if it goes cross-platform.
• The Chrome browser : A few years ago, I was using the Chrome to Phone and  Phone to Chrome apps between my windows desktop and my Android phone. Today, simply installing Chrome on all of my devices allows me to synchronise bookmarks, form data, tabs and even push pages to a specific mobile device. It has all but become a cloud based browser.
• XMARKS : Until recently, there just weren't any other simple way of syncing bookmarks across browsers and desktops. Xmarks makes it pretty damned easy across platforms. However, even after paying for a premium service, the mobile offerings have been lacking and with the advent of chrome's bookmarks synchronisation ... if a new update doesn't offer something new soon, it will be another relic.
• LastPass : The "last password you need to remember" password managment system that integrates across devices, browsers and is cloud accessible.
• CloudOn : I only recently discovered this - a cloud based MS Word, Excel and Powerpoint service that is not a "compatible" but an actual MS Office environment. It can also access google docs and a variety of cloud based storage.
• Pocket : Previously known simply as "read it later", it is very similar to instapaper or readability, but has the added afdvantage of being cross platform and free.

So, that's my list for now ... what else is out there that you'd recommend? Why do you like it/use it/recommend it?

[Reposted from xntrek]

They say there is always 3 sides to a story ...

That of one side, that of the other side … and then there is the truth.

I look at it a lot like looking at a maths problem.

We can gather the values of p(A) and the values of p(B) and we can then try to determine the probability of truth or p(T).

Now, sometimes you add 2 and 2 and get 5 … if you look closely, it may be because one or both were very large values of 2 … so, perhaps the p(T) is correct …

but it’s impossible for 2 and 2 to equal three because regardless of the smallness of the values of 2, it just cannot be computed that way.

So, while it may be true that we may never know the truth, with a little logic, we can spot the lies.

Never stop trying to spot the lies as you aim towards the truth.

[Reposted from xntrek]

Facing Mortality and the thoughts of the lessons it offers.

As some of you may know, my wife's sister passed away suddenly last month. We weren't terribly close - and perhaps therein is one of the great tragedies of it all, that at 44 years young, she left this plane of existence and in her place the vacuum of her existence highlighted the myriad of small things that left her estranged with her parents and distant from us and yet, in preparing to cremate her, we learned more about her and her life of the last 15 years in a few short days than in the actual 15 years of passed time.
My thanatophobia kicked in well and true - yet i managed to (mostly) hold it together for Ingrid and be there for her. However the whole event, along with my fears, depression and over analytical mind has brought out a few thoughts about how we live.
One of the many rules of life posts and posters I see are attributed to the Dalai Lama, and reading through them, some struck a chord.

The Dalai Lama is said to have stated that we should follow the Three Rs:

• Respect for self
• Respect for others and
• Responsibility for all your actions

However, I'd like to re-order these around because I don't believe you can respect yourself until you take responsibility for all of your actions and you cannot respect others until you can respect yourself.

Another item attributed to him is Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
I'd take that far further and state we should not let a little dispute injure any relationship. I think it is far easier to hold onto a perceived slight than to remember the true generosities.
Following that logic is another gem from the Dalai Lama - In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
It follows the same logic as the previous item. It is far too easy to forget all of the good that has passed. No one is ever so happy with someone that they thank them and then continue to raise all of the good things they did in the past and profusely rain gratitude on them for past deeds. So why do we do it when angry? It is just another way to add small kindling together in an effort to create a bonfire to light up your argument where a simple candle would have sufficed.
Looking at our (lack of) relationship with my sister-in-law and her husband, I realised a few things that are important

• If you don't make time, there will never be timeLife is always busy. Always. If we don't want to wake up one day and say "we should have spent more time together" then you need to just plan to spend it. We now have a standing Wednesday night dinner with the Brother-in-Law, another set for Tuesday or Thursday with the parents, a Sunday night call to the in-laws ... sure it takes two to make an effort, but I guess we need to offer the branch first.
• Love is not without risk nor painThere seems to be some kind of fallacy that love is an all powerful, magical force and that it somehow will make things better. I think that in fact, what makes it magical is that we will make an effort to make things better because we love someone, regardless of percieved insults, injuries or pain they cause. 
• A compromise is something where both parties lose a little to gain a lot.If you are asking someone to give something up and you aren't losing something in the deal as well, then it's not a compromise, but blackmail. It really is as simple as that. If something is not important to you, then say so, don't use it as a beating stick.
• Deal with your own demons Your past is your past Don't blame others for the demons you see.It is easy to see demons in the actions of others. However, we forget that our past and our demons are just that -- with an eye of objectivity, the reality is that the other person isn't even aware of what your demons are and why they were triggered.
• Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.As per a few items already listed, if your first response is going to be angry, venomous or in any other way not calm and collected - perhaps silence is the best response until we've worked out what caused the reaction and whether we need to take another step or say anything at all. I recall the three rules of speaking at this point:
  
  •  
    • Does this need to be said?
    • Does this need to be said by me?
    • Does this need to be said, by me, now?  

I'm sure there are many others - but that's just a few of the things that have been rolling around the cavern that is my head ...
Until next time, remember to live a good, honourable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to live it a second time.
[Reposted from xntrek]