I'd stake my life that Stephen Hawking is wrong about heaven

Like Stephen Hawking, I have been living with motor neurone disease (MND). Like him, I'm one of the lucky few not to have died within months of diagnosis. I'm nine years younger than him and have had the symptoms of the disease for only 10 years, compared with his 49.wholesale Android Tablets However for those 10 years I've "lived with the prospect of an early death" also. Unlike Professor Hawking I am not a superstar scientist. I'm simply a small-time writer, who used to be a teacher and a vicar.

 'Professor Hawking surely knows better than that some notion in your head, whatever that notion might be, makes the frustrations and pains of a terminal illness somehow more bearable.' Photograph: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images It seems to me that, while some things Stephen Hawking says in the interview as it's reported are unarguably true, some are also admitted hypothesis, and some are merely tendentious. One of the features of MND both for him as for me is that it affects your ability to speak and hence pares down what you say to the bare bones. (That's not of course the case when you have time to type a script.) Hence sometimes you are frustrated by your inability to nuance your ideas. And so it may be that his very categorical answers are the nub of his opinion, but not the full expression.wholesale ebook reader

For example, there's something of "nothing-buttery" about his comments about death: "I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark." It's unarguably true that there's no heaven for broken down computers, as I have found to my cost when I poured fruit juice over my laptop. The brain may be nothing but a most remarkable computer, yet there's something generically different from a computer in a brain which, when it starts to malfunction as happens in MND, can begin to love Wagner's music and "enjoy life more". That, I would say, is irrational, but not uncommon. Human beings, it would appear, are something more than machines. Maybe science will one day describe what the difference is.wholesale car recorder

Hawking tells us that "the universe is governed by science". I think I understand what he means. It is certainly discoverable by science. Scientific theories that don't fit with the evidence of the universe fail. In simple terms science is governed by the universe, not the other way round. What's interesting is that this is in effect what Hawking says talking about the beauty of science. It's "beautiful when it makes simple explanations of phenomena or connections between different observations", citing the double helix and fundamental equations in physics as examples.smart car accessories

I find myself admiring and agreeing with much of what Professor Hawking says, but I find his ethical deduction and his quasi-religious observation sadly lacking. "So here we are. What should we do?" he is asked. The question sounds similar to ones posed to great religious teachers of the past. His answer is disappointing: "We should seek the greatest value of our action." It's certainly thought-provoking (what exactly does that mean for this or that action?) and it is a principle that is reinforced by the experience of life-threatening illness. One could say: "Don't waste your life." Yet as a rule for life, it lacks both the impact and the practicality of the great Judeo-Christian answer to that question: "Love God above yourself, and love your neighbour as yourself." Even those who are unwilling to subscribe to the first part can understand the second part and usually admit its validity.

Finally, Stephen Hawking's headlined observation about death, that an after-life "is a fairy-story for people afraid of the dark" is both sad and misinformed. Openness to the theoretical possibility of there being 11 dimensions and fundamental particles "as yet undiscovered" shows an intellectual humility strangely at odds with writing off the possibility of other dimensions of existence.wholesale mini netbook

For someone "facing the prospect of an early death", with probably an unpleasant prelude, the idea of extinction holds no more fear than sleep. It really is insulting to accuse me of believing there might be life after death because I'm afraid of the dark. On the contrary, sad though I shall be to leave behind those I love, I suspect the end of life, whatever happens, will be a relief. And, like Pascal making his wager, if it is dark, I really won't mind, because, of course, there won't be a me to mind.wholesale electronics accessories
Strangely enough, my theory that there is a form of life after we die is not some sort of wishful thinking. It's based on evidence. If the brain is a computer, then, when I was studying where Stephen Hawking now teaches, I came on a mass of data of which the most convincing, the neatest, explanation was that death is not the end of life. It wasn't the most comfortable nor most obvious of conclusions, but the forensic case was forceful and beautiful, providing "simple explanations of phenomena or connections between different observations". The best exposition I found was by the then director of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies in London, Professor Sir Norman Anderson, in The Evidence for the Resurrection (later republished as part of Jesus Christ: The Witness of History). My disturbing conclusion was that, if it happened once, as seemed beyond reasonable doubt, then I needed to revise my whole world view. What you see is not all you get.

One may wish to dismiss Jesus Christ, or Julius Caesar, as fairy stories, even as bunk, but, until one has examined the evidence in Anderson's forensic manner, that's a premature judgment. I suspect many do that. As for the idea that belief in an afterlife is a consolation, it is not just about heaven. Most faiths in fact have a notion of judgment, which is hardly comfortable for anyone, although it does focus the motivation not to waste one's life. Moreover in our situation Professor Hawking surely knows better than that some notion in your head, whatever that notion might be, makes the frustrations and pains of a terminal illness somehow more bearable. That's the nonsense of those who have not been there. I can't prove it of course, but on good grounds I'd stake my life on it, that beyond death will be another great adventure; but first I have to get finish this one.

Microsoft zeroes in on Facebook 'likes' in its Bing results

Microsoft is incorporating several new Facebook social cues into its Bing search results, taking advantage of its ongoing partnership with the social-networking giant to find additional ways to compete with Google.wholesale Android Tablets
Since late last year, Bing search results have highlighted the stories and other online content that a person's Facebook connections "liked" from across the Web, when it seemed relevant to the query.

In the days ahead, Microsoft,wholesale tablet pc online an investor in the Palo Alto company, will begin highlighting those social signals more frequently and prominently. It will also add more liked categories from Facebook friends, including specific online sites.

In addition, wholesale ebook reader Microsoft says it will tap into the "collective IQ" of the Web, by indicating articles and topics that many Facebook members are liking, regardless of whether those people are connected to the Bing user.

Finally, the company is introducing something it calls "conversational search," allowing users to easily ask their friends about online decisions they're trying to make. wholesale netbook shop

For instance, if a person types a travel query, such as "Paris," Bing will show Facebook friends who live there. By clicking on the adjacent link, users can ask those people about things like hotels or transportation.wholesale baby monitor

Likewise, within Bing's shopping results, people can click on items they might be interested in, such as various cameras, and then click on a button that transports them to a Facebook messaging page. Once there, a Bing user can ask photographer friends for recommendations in a note that automatically includes the items in question. wholesale car recorder

Lodsys Claims Patent To 'Upgrade' Button, Sues App Store Developers

Patent licensing firm Lodsys has sent a warning to several independent iOS developers for allegedly violating its patent related to in-app purchases.wholesale baby monitor


Lodsys claims that it owns the patent to the upgrade button, a button that lets people upgrade from a free or lite version to a full, paid version. This practice is widespread and developers are surprised that anyone has claimed patent rights to it.wholesale Android Tablets

Lodsys has asked these developers to purchase a license from the company for using its patent within 21 days and has threatened legal action if they don’t.wholesale digital picture frame


Apple’s iOS developer agreement, forbids registered developers from entering into a binding agreement with another company without Apple's permission.wholesale car recorder

Apple is expected to fight the claims since not doing so will severely compromise its entire App Store ecosystem.wholesale ebook reader

Patent expert Florian Mueller told The Guardian that he expects more lawsuits targeting developers in the future.wholesale electronics shop online

“I'm really afraid we're now going to see more patent lawsuits against application developers. Hopefully this won't ever affect little guys who can't afford to defend themselves, but if there's a major company behind an app, or if an app is commercially very successful, it can happen and it has now apparently started to happen,” Mueller said.

Many observers are calling Lodsys a patent troll, a company that makes frivolous patent claims in hopes of making small out-of-court-settlements. The immense cost of defending patent violation suits makes settlements attractive to many companies.

Apple store may be moving in Bellevue Square

Apple wholesale electronics suppliers may be moving its Bellevue Square store to a larger space at the mall after Microsoft opened a retail store there to much fanfare last year.wholesale car recorder

A report from ifoAppleStore.com says the store will move from its first floor location near Nordstrom to a second floor space between Yankee Candle and Papyrus. The space is upstairs and kitty corner from the Microsoft store location on the first floor.wholesale Android Tablets

Apple made a similar move in the Scottsdale mall when Microsoft opened one of its first retail stores in Arizona there.wholesale baby monitor

I stopped by Bellevue Square on Friday afternoon and there are no signs indicating Apple will be moving, but the two retail spaces between Yankee Candle and Papyrus are vacant.wholesale ebook reader

Bellevue Square management and Apple did not return calls seeking comment.wholesale digital picture frame

Windows Phone 7 'Mango' SDK Likely Arriving May 24

"Mango," Microsoft's next big Windows Phone 7 update, will be coming this fall, but Microsoft likely will roll out Mango tools for developers later this month, the company announced today.wholesale Android Tablets

The early rollout of Mango tools will allow developers to start building applications for this new mobile OS version, according to a Microsoft blog, translated from Spanish. Likely the new software development kit (SDK) for Mango will be announced at a press event scheduled for May 24, as noted by veteran Microsoft reporter Mary-Jo Foley. The Mango SDK also will be described by Brandon Watson, head of the developer ecosystem for Windows Phone 7, during a keynote talk at Microsoft Tech-Days United Kingdom, scheduled for May 25 in London, according to this blog post. wholesale ebook reader

Microsoft is saying that there will be "more than 1,500 new developer tools" in Mango. The improvements to come include enhanced multitasking, improved memory efficiency and a SQL CE database, according to the Spanish language blog. The database can be used to "query the data within applications" and can be used with motion sensor and camera functions, according to that blog.

In March, Microsoft released the Windows Azure Toolkit for Windows Phone 7 at its open source CodePlex site. This toolkit is designed to help developers tap Internet cloud-based services when building their applications. It includes Visual Studio 2010 templates and class libraries.wholesale car recorder

Microsoft has earlier explained that the Mango update will add Internet Explorer 9, access to Windows Live SkyDrive cloud-based storage and integration with Twitter. The IE 9 on Windows Phone 7 will be capable of tapping into the hardware acceleration capabilities in the device, which might be used for some HTML 5-based graphics capabilities.Wholesale car accessories

Some new features expected in Mango, which also is being referred to as "Windows Phone 7.5," were attributed to a podcast in which Watson was interviewed, which can be accessed here. A Liveside.net report claimed that the new features include "Bing Vision, Bing Audio, Turn-by-turn Bing Maps navigation," along with "SMS Dictation." Watson denied saying that in a Twitter post, and it appears from listening to the podcast that he is correct. However, the hosts of the podcast do discuss these features. They speculated that Bing Audio may let users search for music by using their phone to listen to a song. Bing Vision might be a search service using the phone's camera and optical character reading technology, the hosts claimed. wholesale baby monitor

Liveside.net also points to a Windows Live Messenger feature to come in the Mango release. That information was attributed to a Chinese developer, rather than through Microsoft.

Some Windows Phone 7 users are still waiting for Microsoft's first "NoDo" update. Customers have had problems getting it. In addition, Microsoft had an initial update before NoDo that was designed to help users get Windows Phone updates. That update too had trouble getting to many Windows Phone 7 users. Microsoft has explained the some of the delays and problems getting updates out to customers as due to the need to work with both hardware partners and service providers, which have different update release schedules. wholesale netbook store

Microsoft additionally had Windows Phone Marketplace issues earlier this month that prevented customer downloads of applications. However, Microsoft says that problem has since been resolved.

HP Offering 3G Mobile Broadband Service for Laptops

HP is offering the DataPass mobile broadband service with its new 3G-enabled Elitebook business laptops, which were also announced on Monday. The service provides access to 3G data networks in the U.S., and does not require a user to sign a monthly or yearly contract with a wireless carrier.wholesale Android Tablets

The DataPass service can be purchased easily in blocks through the laptop, and users don't need to pay any activation fee, said Mike Hockey, an HP spokesman. With plans starting at US$5, the service is good for quick access to the Internet for different durations at places like airports or hotels, where Internet access could otherwise be expensive.wholesale ebook reader

Users can buy a US$5 data plan for 75MB of data over 5 hours, $10 for 150MB of data over 3 days, $20 for 450MB of data over 14 days, or $30 for 1GB of data over 30 days.

The service is available in the U.S. only and worldwide availability is being explored, Hockey said. The service is 3G-only, and access to 4G networks is not yet offered through the service.wholesale car recorder

The service is available only with HP laptops, which could include optional hardware such as a modem to access 3G networks. Software on the laptop shows availability of a DataPass network at the user's location.

The company does not intend to become a telecom service provider, and the service is being provided as a convenience to customers, Hockey said. Users can continue using mobile broadband services from other network providers such as Verizon, AT&T or T-Mobile, he added.wholesale electronics accessories

The service will be available with new Elitebook business laptops announced by HP on Monday. The laptops provide longer battery life than older models and are equipped with Intel's latest Sandy Bridge processors.

The Elitebook 5330m is less than 1 inch (25.4 millimeters) thick and weighs less than four pounds (1.81 kilograms). It includes a 13.3-inch screen and will be available with Intel's latest Core i5 and i3 processors. With a four-cell battery and solid-state drive storage, the laptop can provide up to 6.5 hours of battery life, according to the company. The laptop is priced starting at $799 and will become available worldwide this month.wholesale digital picture frame

HP also announced the Elitebook 2560p ultraportable and 2760p convertible tablets. The laptops come with Intel's latest Core i5 and i7 processors.

The 2560p weighs 3.68 pounds and comes with a 12.5-inch screen, which is the same size as the display on Lenovo's latest ThinkPad X220 tablet that is available since April. The Elitebook 2560p is priced starting at $1,099.

The 2760p is a convertible laptop with a 12.1-inch convertible screen that flips around for users to take notes using a pen input. With a six-cell battery and a hard drive, the laptop provides 8.5 hours of battery life. The laptop will become available worldwide this month starting at $1,499.wholesale baby monitor

Condé Nast to begin in-app iPad subscriptions next week, source says

The New York Post reports wholesale spy camerca that Condé Nast will start offering an in-app subscription option for select publications as early as next week. According to the report, The New Yorker will be the first publication to make the transition.

By the end of May, wholesale Android Tablets Condé Nast will add the subscription feature to the seven other iPad editions of its magazines, which include Wired, Golf Digest, Glamour, Vanity Fair, Self, Allure and GQ. Annual subscriptions will cost $19.99, according to the report.

In addition, the single-issue price for the iPad version of the New Yorker, GQ, Glamour and Wired will see a price reduction to $1.99 from previous prices ranging from $3.99-$4.99.wholesale car recorder

Condé's alleged adoption of Apple's in-app subscriptions runs against the grain of an earlier report from Ad Age that claimed the publisher was "tapping the brakes" on the iPad editions of its print magazines. Several of the company's major titles have yet to make their way onto the iPad, though the company reportedly plans to launch many of them in coming months.wholesale ebook reader

Last year, the magazine publisher rushed to release an iPad app for Wired magazine. The app got off to a great start, selling 100,000 copies in the first month, but sales began to drop off late last year.wholesale baby monitor

The news comes closely on the heels of reports that Hearst will initiate in-app iPad subscription services. Hearst announced on Wednesday that three of its magazines: Esquire, Popular Mechanics and O, The Oprah Magazine, will feature in-app subscriptions starting in July.wholesale car aceessories

Time Inc., the largest magazine publisher in the U.S., has yet to reach a deal for in-app subscriptions, though it did begin offering free iPad editions to print subscribers of several of its flagship publications earlier this week.

Though Apple unveiled the new in-app subscription feature in February, publishers expressed concern over Apple's 30 percent cut and provisions that made the practice of forwarding subscriber data to publishers opt-in rather than default.

Publishers have slowly begun climbing on board. Last month, Bloomberg said it was "pleased with Apple's terms" and began offering a $2.99 monthly subscription to its BusinessWeek app.

Apple iOS 5 Could Deliver Over-the-Air Updates to iPhones

Apple could deliver future updates to iOS 5 devices over the air, according to a new blog report.wholesale Android Tablets

According to Apple-centric blog 9to5Mac, which cites “multiple sources,” the next version of Apple’s mobile operating system will feature over-the-air iOS updates. Both Verizon and AT&T are reportedly “in talks” over how this would work, since both carry the iPhone in the United States.

The blog also points out that Apple will need to shrink the size of the software updates, currently topping 600MB, in order to bring the carriers onboard. “We believe that Apple will make the updates much smaller by using incremental patches rather than full OS downloads.” The over-the-air systems might also need cloud backups in case of a failed update.

Reports suggest that Apple could delay the next iPhone until later in 2011 or beyond. On May 4, the blog MacRumors cited an unnamed reader who “received word from an AT&T care representative” that Apple’s next smartphone won’t be released in the next few months.wholesale ebook reader

“Apple has informed us that they do not plan to release the iPhone in the June to July timeframe,” the blog quotes the AT&T agent as telling its source, “though there will be a newer version in the future. Unfortunately, we have not been given a release time for a new phone.”wholesale car recorder

The blog treats that information with some skepticism. However, the rumor does dovetail neatly with earlier reports that Apple intends to push both the iPhone 5 until later, which would represent a radical adjustment from the company’s usual habit of releasing the latest version of the smartphone every summer.

Current rumors suggest the iPhone 5 will feature higher-resolution cameras, Apple’s A5 proprietary processor, hardware upgraded to enable 3G FaceTime video conferencing, and NFC (near-field communication) technology that would allow the smartphone to act as an electronic wallet. In theory, such additions—married to the iOS 5—would allow Apple to more effectively combat the growing legions of increasingly technologically advanced Android devices.wholesale electronics

Apple will most likely provide a glimpse of iOS 5 at June’s Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, even if it ultimately delays the operating system’s release until later in 2011. In the meantime, Apple is still updating iOS 4, including a new tweak designed to fix the location-tracking “bug” that recently caused the company so much controversy. wholesale car accessories

“This update contains changes to the iOS crowd-sourced location database cache,” reads an explanation posted on Apple’s iTunes service along with the update to iOS 4.3.3. The changes include a reduction in the size of the cache, total deletion of the cache whenever Location Services are turned off, and stopping the cache from backing up to iTunes. The update applies to iOS 4 devices on both the AT&T and Verizon networks.  wholesale mini netbook

Sony says Anonymous DDoS attacks distracted it

HACKED GAMING VENDOR Sony has made the excuse that Anonymous distracted it as it struggles to explain the attack that compromised around 100 million of its customers' data.wholesale Android Tablets

Having reacted slowly to the outage at first, Sony now barely lets a day go by without teasing out a bit more information about what it knows, what it doesn't know, what hasn't happened and what might happen, and what it is trying to do about it.wholesale ebook reader

The firm's latest revelation is that it has found evidence of an Anonymous attack on its servers.

In a letter of response to the US House of Representatives that was sent in lieu of a personal appearance, Kazuo Hirai, chairman of the board of directors at Sony Computer Entertainment America said that the firm was the victim of a very professional and very carefully planned criminal cyber attack.

He added that Sony had discovered a file on its systems which bore the name Anonymous, as well as snippets of text including "We are legion", a phrase commonly associated with the group.wholesale car recorder

The letter added that the attack was timely, it said 'perhaps by design', because its security teams were dealing with the denial of service attacks launched in support of Geohot, and suggested that the earlier attacks were something of a smokescreen.wholesale baby monitor shop online

Although it attacked Sony in support of George Hotz as he faced a Sony lawsuit, Anonymous has denied involvement in the data theft, but since it is a loose collection of individuals with a common ideology it is reasonable to suggest that the hacking attack might have involved someone, or a group of people, associated with it.wholesale spy camerca

Anonymous has denied involvement in the data theft, however, and always has. Responding to Hirai's statement Anonymous, or at least some part of it, released its own comment. "If a legitimate and honest investigation into credit card theft is conducted," it said, "Anonymous will not be found liable."

Sony has promised to keep its online gaming systems offline until it has completely fixed its security. It might be some time. wholesale digital picture frame

Briefly: DOJ probe on AT&T, T-Mobile acquisition; Foxconn in Brazil; Apple Maps job

The U.S. Department of Justice will launch an in-depth investigation into AT&T's proposed acquisition of T-Mobile USA, a new report claims. Meanwhile, more evidence has surfaced that Foxconn will soon begin producing Apple's iPhones and iPads in Brazil. Also, a new job posting from Apple indicates the company is explicitly looking for someone to revamp the Maps app for iOS.

DOJ investigation wholesale Android Tablets

Reuters reports that the Justice Department has deepened its probe of an AT&T and T-Mobile acquisition, according to a source familiar with the $39 billion deal.

A spokeswoman for the DOJ declined to comment, though she did note that the agency's investigation is "ongoing." wholesale ebook reader

Though the DOJ has been known to approve mergers within 30 days in a process called "early termination," the size of the AT&T/T-Mobile acquisition makes a lengthier so-called "second request" more likely. The investigation is expected to last for months, and approval could be up to a year in coming.

AT&T and Deutsche Telekom announced in March that they had reached an agreement for AT&T to purchase T-Mobile USA. Within days, government officials had called for DOJ and FCC investigations to review the deal.

One FCC official told The Wall Street Journal that AT&T faced a "steep climb to say the least" on the way to receiving the FCC chairman's approval to proceed with the acquisition. Rival wireless carrier Sprint has spoken out in formal opposition of the deal and is actively contesting the merger with state regulators.

If the acquisition is approved, it would give Apple access to nearly 80 percent of the U.S. wireless contract customer market. Apple partnered with AT&T to launch the iPhone and the two companies maintained an exclusive partnership in the U.S. until Verizon began selling the iPhone in February.

Foxconn in Brazil

Luciano Almeida, the president of the Invest São Paulo state agency promoting investment and competitiveness in the region, confirmed Tuesday that Apple representatives had visited Brazil in February in preparation for the first stage of iPad, iPhone and eventually notebook production in partnership with manufacturer Foxconn, Brazil's Teletime reports (via Google Translate).

According to Almeida, the Foxconn unit in Brazil plans to produce as many as six million iPads by the time it reaches full capacity in three to four years. A new plant built by Foxconn could generate four to five thousand new jobs in the next few years. The government has already begun preparing training courses for the factory jobs.wholesale netbook online shop

Five or six cities are reportedly competing for the privilege of hosting Foxconn's new facilities, and Almeida dismissed Rio de Janeiro as a candidate. According to the report, Foxconn has also looked into investing in liquid crystal display factories and "the unification of Brazilian plants in a single installation" but has yet to receive approval for those projects from the company's international board.

In April, another Brazilian government official suggested that Foxconn would begin producing iPads by the end of November. Foxconn has reportedly sent a list of demands to the Brazilian government, including a request for financial support from the Brazilian National Development Bank, government help in finding minority investors and export priority shipping at São Paulo (and other unnamed) airports.

iOS Maps Application Developer

A new Apple job listing suggests that the company is looking to eliminate its reliance on Google for map images and technology, as reported by MacNN.

"Come work for the team that revolutionized the mobile technology industry as it continues to define what computing looks like in a post-PC era," the listing reads. The candidate is expected to have "real-world experience developing sophisticated user interfaces" and excellent communication skills in order to collaborate closely with" Apple's peerless human interface team to add new and innovative features." wholesale baby monitor

Though Apple, for several years now, has had openings for developers interested in working on its Maps application, the most recent job listing demonstrates a more explicit effort on Apple's part to enhance the Maps app. As such, major changes could be in store for the iOS 5 version of the application, the report noted.

Apple began using its own location databases last year in iOS 3.2, while continuing to rely on Google's maps and Street View feature.

In recent years, Apple has acquired several key mapping companies, namely Placebase and Poly9, prompting further speculation that the iPhone maker will launch a more advanced Maps app.wholesale spy camerca

Last week, Apple said that it is collecting anonymous traffic data to create an "improved traffic service" for iPhone users. The revelation came as a result of confusion as to whether Apple's iPhones track users' locations. Apple has stated that it does not, though it does store a "crowd-sourced database" of nearby Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers. wholesale car recorder