Is The World Growing More Dangerous?

We hear claims about the state of the world all of the time. We hear statements about ever increasing violence, and those claims are usually backed up with whatever recent tragedy or terrorist act is being reported on in the media. But are those claims true? Is the world more or less violent than in other times in our history? Are events such as 9/11, 7/7, and the more recent case of Anders Behring Breivik who murdered 77 people in Norway, "proof" that world is more dangerous than ever?

The events in Norway and even the 9/11 terrorists attacks are anecdotal evidence. Anecdotes are not real evidence and should never be used to make a case about the state of the world. If we apply a bit of critical thinking to such claims we can see where they fall short. Citing single, isolated, events - events that are so shocking because they are so rare - prevents us from seeing the actual historical trends. And those historical trends are telling us something completely different.

Steven Pinker, the famed Harvard scientist, recently released an excellent book entitled The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined (Viking, 2011), in which he has laid out a mass of evidence that shows violence has been decreasing for centuries. Pinker, who is renowned for making amazing insights into human nature, gives us a wealth of information by mixing psychology and history. Far from bombarding us with anecdotes the book is full of data, which can fly in the face of what we hear on the nightly news or from the talking-heads that analyze the news for us.

Examining the 20th century with its two world wars and the genocides and all of the other conflicts, Mr. Pinker shows us that about 0.7% of all people that lived during that century died from war. In the year 2005 less than 0.8% of all Americans died from domestic violence and the Iraq and Afghanistan wars combined. Compare the murder rates in Middle-Ages era London with now, 110 per 100,000 people in the 14th century to the less than 1 per 100,000 of today. 14th century Londoners were more than 100 times more likely to die from murder than they are today!

It is always important to examine blanket claims about the state of the world with a healthy sense of skepticism. If a claim is backed up with anecdotes then you can usually be confident that it rests on bad logic. There are experts that study the world around us for a living and with zeal and passion. Many of them are scientists with years of academic training, and their claims must withstand scrutiny from their peers - peers who are often the harshest critics. Those experts are qualified to tell us about the world and give us the evidence to review on our own. We should also remember that our attitudes can be influenced by the media. Certainly the news outlets can be looked at as a contributing factor if we feel the world is going down hill but yet the facts say differently.

Robert K Ethridge is a guest blogger for several websites. He enjoys writing about skeptical and critical thinking, science and pseudoscience, and many other diverse topics. This month Rob begins a new blog series at SentientCouchPotato.com

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The Growing Popularity of Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is not a brand new concept. However, it has recently emerged into the realm of public awareness. What exactly is cloud computing? It is the use of external networks to store and process data. The move to the cloud means that files and data are no longer stored on the end user's computer. Some may find this concept frightening, but many others are embracing the change. If you are someone who works frequently on the Internet or spends a good portion of your computer time online, chances are you have experienced some form of cloud computing.

Document storage is one aspect of cloud computing that is gaining popularity among computer users. Traditionally, users have stored documents directly on their computer hard drive or external storage device. However, many people have found that the cloud is perfect for composing and storing documents. Services such as Google Docs have created an amazing word processing experience that works directly in the browser. Documents are auto-saved on a remote server and are easily shared among multiple people without the hassle of sending file attachments through email. This service has taken the challenge out of sharing work-related projects that require document collaboration.

Online backup services are another example of cloud computing becoming more common. Services like Mozy and Carbonite run real-time backups of a user's entire computer system and store it on a remote server. These services remove the need for purchasing external storage devices that may not be reliable. Sometimes, external hard drives do fail, resulting in the loss of data that is expensive to retrieve. External storage devices don't always backup automatically and may require a user to do this manually. What happens when someone forgets to backup their data on a regular basis? The risk of losing important files like work projects or treasured family photos due to hardware failure makes online backup services very appealing.

The introduction of netbooks into the technology market has begun pushing casual computer users to adapt to cloud computing. Netbooks are mini laptop computers that are designed to simply surf the Internet, check email and perform basic tasks on the computer. The Chromebook is a perfect example of cloud computing in action. It runs Google ChromeOS operating system using the Chrome browser to perform tasks. The Chromebook runs on the assumption that the user is connected to the Internet. Instead of installing traditional software, the user performs tasks with web applications that run inside the browser. Some analysts suggest that this is only the beginning of cloud based operating systems and the use of software as a service as opposed to traditional computing.

Cloud computing is quickly moving into the entertainment market as well. Subscription based services like Netflix and Hulu that stream movies and television shows online have provided users with a cheaper alternative to expensive cable services. There's no need to purchase DVDs or expensive players either, as everything is accessible directly on-demand through a computer. In the world of gaming, services such as OnLive have provided a gaming environment in which an individual does not need a high-end computer to play the latest games simply because the game is run in a remote environment.

Cloud computing is taking over faster than many may realize. More and more people are turning to it each and every day. As technology progresses, cloud computing will become a more efficient and accepted means of computing. It has created a revolution in information sharing that will become instrumental in technology growth for many years to come.

For more information about cloud computing development, visit Magenic Technologies who have been providing innovative custom software development to meet unique business challenges for some of the most recognized companies and organizations in the nation.

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The Growing Menace of Corruption

Corruption is as old as mankind itself. It has been in existence like a stealthy shadow in every nook and corner of the world. But never has it been so rampant and open as it is at present. Corruption today has become institutionalized and is more organized in the corporate world and the corridors of power.

It is an acknowledged fact that corruption is today rearing its head all over the world, without discriminating between developed nations and third-world nations. Let us limit our discussion to the prevalent corruption in India.

Corruption has been integrated into the fabric and morale of the Indian bureaucracy, politics and the corporate world. While it existed since Independence, never has it been so rampant, as huge in terms of the amount involved and as remorseless as it is now. In the good olden days, people used to get shocked and raised their eyebrows at the corruption levels involving relatively smaller amounts of money. But the 2G scam and Raja changed all that. The alleged corruption figure of Rs.176000/ crores was beyond the comprehension of most of the Indian public and they were dizzied by the mind-boggling sum.

Corruption has been taking various forms, be it commission, kickbacks, brokerage or any other. Whatever on calls it, it is still corruption. One read in the newspapers that there has been a raid in the Income Tax Offices by the Central Bureau of Investigation and a Senior IT assistant commissioner has been arrested for possessing unaccounted sum of money to the tune of Rs.5 million. Such news refuses to stun the ordinary citizen. Not anymore. Not after the post-Raja era any way!

The classic case is the Anna Hazare-led anti-corruption struggle. Emerging into India's public domain out of nowhere, Anna aroused the hapless public and the still more hapless news media, both print and visual, into taking up a cause which according to many, is only about creation of a statue rather than addressing the corruption issue.

India is a country, which has no dearth of statutes. We have a law against smoking in public, spitting in public, addressing gatherings in public, holding up traffic and organizing strikes and shut downs. But we violate these statutes almost on a daily, hourly basis. No one is least bothered.

The real issue is not about new laws but implementing existing laws in right earnest. But who is listening?

Really corruption is growing, growing like a menace, growing like terminal cancer, into India's body politic.

It is really a meaningless exercise to list all the areas of corruption that exists in India today. Judiciary, Executive, Legislature, bureaucracy, no segment of the society has been spared.

Benjamin Disraeli, the former British Prime Minister, said famously that every nation deserves the government it gets. How true! We Indians are ready to bribe and be bribed. How then can be the elected Government from our own midst be any different?

Unless we rediscover our lost values and shake off our lethargy and apathy, there is no hope of eradicating corruption.

Let us say corruption is here to stay, if not grow!

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