So... the world hasn't ended... or I've not been raptured...

I merely offer this blog as a viewpoint and my own reflections as a Christian with regards to the false prophesy of the world ending on 21st May 2011.

It’s now just about three days past the day in which Harold Camping got his second prediction about the world coming to an end and the righteous being raptured wrong, previously, it was September 1994.

The majority of Christendom quite rightly identified this to be another false prophecy and simply responded with the words of Matthew 24 verse 36 where Jesus tells us “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

The simple truth is only Father God knows when Jesus will return, and whilst many feel we are indeed living in the end times, its unwise to make any predictions. Rather, the challenge to us is to live our lives in pursuit of Holiness and in obedience of God, aiming to become more like Jesus with every passing minute through the power of the Holy Spirit, being ready for his return whenever it may be… something which most of (if not all) struggle with, but that’s ok, because when we acknowledge this, we grow more in God (2 Corinthians 12:9), but at the end of the day, we simply do not know when but we know by faith that Jesus will return.

Now, I would certainly admit that I’m a bit of a computer geek, and as 6pm came and went on Saturday evening I found myself glued to Twitter reading people’s tweets in response to the prophesied worldwide earthquake and rapture not occurring. The majority of these tweets were sarcastic and generally harmless banter, but I was drawn by a couple of points made.

Firstly, the response by some of the Atheist community was particularly hostile towards all of Christianity, giving all Christians various labels such as gullible, brainwashed or sanctimonious bigots. For me this is nothing new, when out as a Street Pastor, I’ve often come across general stereotyping of Christians, but I couldn’t help but stand up to these comments in defence by arguing that one cannot make a fair judgement on the majority due to the actions of the minority. Perhaps this was a bit of a mistake, I soon found myself bombarded with Atheist dogma on Twitter, but I’m still glad I made the point.

It then occurred to me that as Christians we should never be afraid to stand up to what is blatantly incorrect, unjust or in defence of the church, or of a brother or sister. Peter also tells us “but in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). Also, when faced with others in society passing these judgements over us, it can be difficult to heed what Jesus says in Matthew 5:43-44 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” By lifting these people to God we are showing compassion and love rather than passing our own judgement over them.

The second point I took note of was the sheer scale of the deception of this prophecy. So many Christians around the world were deceived, in some cases, many gave large sums of money (including life savings and by selling of all they had) to Family Radio others spent large sums of money on making billboards of their own. In one case in the US, a mother murdered her 6 year old son in fear of what she felt was the coming rapture. When hearing about this, my heart sank. I felt so sorry for these individuals who thought they were serving God. I do wonder now the confusion they must feel and whether some of them have walked away from God entirely…

Either way, I feel that the Holy Spirit has really led me to really pray for these individuals, and indeed, Harold Camping. Prayer that their eyes will be opened, that they will encounter God, a God who has not abandoned them, a merciful God who has his arms wide open for them to run into, a God who is ready to pour out blessing and heal broken hearts and restore faith.

I really do wish to echo the numerous calls for Christians everywhere to pray for these people, and especially Harold Camping instead of resorting to mocking and insulting them.

Also pray for the numerous non-believers and those who consider the failure of this prophecy to be a victory for Atheism. We know that God already has the victory, but it proves the truth in the words of Jesus: “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father”. Praise and Glory be to God.

Exam-Eve...

So, finally, the time of the Exams has just about arrived… yet as I write this blog (which is again, a considerable time since I last wrote on this blog!) I don’t really feel any nerves or anxiety about these exams. Why? I’ve spent a lot of this afternoon asking this question…

Ok, so I have spent considerable time praying and seeking God, but also have been regularly meeting up with a group of other students to revise the material even though we’ve only had like around 4 weeks to revise an enormous amount of material due to the UEA kindly giving us like 4 – 5 exams in a single week, right at the start of the examination period.

So, I accepted from an early stage that the amount of material they expect us to revise in such a short period is simply impossible… but I do know that I’ve simply made quite a conscious decision to “go in and do my best” regardless… I do think there is only so much revision one can do in a single day and it’s a total waste of time giving yourself a headache over it… so I guess in some ways I feel I’m about as ready as I’ll be for the next two days… (I do feel sorry for colleagues have an economics exam on Thursday too…), although I do have a programming exam on the 3^rd of June… but with the best part of 4 weeks to revise a single module, I’m not particularly worried.

So, bag is packed, have booked a room at the University for two nights, all in a bed to reduce stress (the drive in is not exactly pleasant!) I just pray that what I do in the exams will be enough for a good result… although I’m a little anxious about Introduction to Organisational Behaviour…

However, it has been one heck of a journey and meeting up with other students in a revision group was a joyful and very helpful use of time... I just hope they too do well in the exams... (you know who you are!!!)

A Six Month Roller Coaster Ride

Wow... is all I can say really...

Six months on and have just completed all of this Academic year's coursework. Whilst this serves as a huge relief, I now find myself reflecting on what I would describe as being a Six Month Roller Coaster ride. I can't seem to fathom just how quick time has moved either... feels like 5 minutes ago I was attending University for the very first time.

As I reflect though, I do feel proud of what I have managed to achieve during this time, I'm overall pleased with coursework marks (achieving even 1:1 in a couple of assignments). However, this has not been pain free... 

Learning to program in Java has been especially tough and has generally not helped my beer and Haribo consumption... not to mention it has led to many late night coding sessions (sometimes lasting until the early hours!). Whilst I feel good to have overcome what was a big hurdle, I still do not see how I would every apply Java in my life or career... it simply just doesn't interest me... but it’s not as dry as Intro to Financial and Management Accounting... oh my word... if there is one module I cannot wait to see the back of, this would be it... it’s so tempting and easy to stereotype Accountants now that’s for sure! I'm considering burning the text book to celebrate once the exam is done.

The essay writing side of things however has not been too bad, I suppose in my previous roles as an IT Training professional, I was very used to writing large amounts of text as well as user guides, articles etc... In some ways, I feel this skill has been transferable with the main challenge being to write academically... rather than in the style of a practitioner.

It may also only be six months on, but I know also for a fact that I have met some fantastic people and I believe to have also established the foundation for some lifelong friendships :)

Well, just the exam period left now... so just to use the time to read up on things... hopefully also meet up with colleagues to revise as a group too... following the exams, I get to marry to woman of my dreams :).

Will feel different going back to University for the 2nd year as a married man... 

However, I am thankful to Claire, she has been a pillar of support through this first year and I know she will continue to be so. Also, I firmly believe that without God... I would have struggled far more... so I thank God for always being there, especially when things got so tough and stress become overpowering... thank you Jesus for answering my many prayers and for the answers to the prayers I know I will pray in the coming months, I pray that my achievements glorify your name!

Ethical to block hacking?

So, today I read this article posted on the BBC website about companies such as Sony not allowing owners of PS3 or other devices "modify" or "hack" them.

As I read, I began thinking again about the ethics of such moves, particularly by Sony.

Right to Modify

The article uses a good example of when you buy a car and pay outright for it, then you have every right to modify it if you wish... of course, many of us accept the fact that this usually voids warranties and in the case of cars, has insurance implications, which is another area. The point is, the car is your property... the legal ownership has moved from the manufacturer to you, therefore, legally speaking, you can modify it if you see it fit to do so.

So, what is the difference with Games consoles or other electronic devices (except, in most cases they cost significantly less than a car!)?

Games Consoles vs. PCs / Macs

Take Sony as an example with the Playstation 3... now, owners of a PS3 can range from those who class themselves not as enthusiasts and those who do... typically, for an enthusiast use of the device would be more than just playing games or watching movies. This is where the so called "Hacks" come in... Generally speaking, hacking would specifically link to altering the software of the device in question... in the PS3's case, the Operating System.

Legally speaking, this is where the issue hits mainly because when you purchase something such as a Playstation 3 or indeed even a DVD copy of Microsoft Windows 7, whilst you legally "own" the physical object such as the console or the disc, the intangible elements of it, namely, the software, you actually "license" from the manufacturer, meaning you have the right to use it, but you do not own it outright... this is the focus of the majority of the controversy.

So are manufacturers right to be making moves to try and block hacking?; or are they just being overly anal?

Personally, I do not think there is one definite answer to this, whilst legally speaking, the manufacturers have every right to do something, equally speaking, it can be argued that enthusiasts hacking these devices are causing no real damage on the whole... in fact, interestingly enough, Microsoft have actually opened the Kinect up to to this in order to expand its functionality, quite a shrewd move and one that "Sony has aspirations for with its move controller".

In fact this has opened the devices to a far wider scale, in which some academics have found some extremely serious uses for.

So, back to the question... is it ethical for manufacturers to block such things? In truth, I personally do not see a definite answer either way... one one hand, people pay a lot of money for these devices, on the other hand, the legal agreements stipulate the license of such software... However, one thing is for sure, users should never be forced to keep with an operating system they do wish to use... if enthusiasts are developing entirely new systems, then in my view, the manufacturers have absolutely no say what so every, unless the said system breaches copyrights, patents etc.... and interestingly, the UK as far as I'm aware does not recognise software patents...

However, I do feel strongly that manufacturers need to be explicitly clearer about this, at the moment, they seem to hide all of this amongst lengthy, legalised small print which many people find mundane and dam near impossible to read... so on that basis, I do think manufacturers should take measures to make buyers aware by providing simple, unambiguous text and have it available for someone to read prior to purchasing.

Just a few of my thoughts...

Irrational Decisions

I'm sure we've all got our own opinions of what makes something rational or irrational... sometimes, many have the same or similar thoughts...

Well lets take a recent situation that has sparked controversy at the University of East Anglia, more specifically, the impending decision taken by the School of Computing Sciences to ban laptop use within lectures.

...but why is this irrational?... I hear you say.

Firstly, I will state that I am a laptop user and I feel that being able to use a small laptop to take notes (primarily using Microsoft OneNote 2010) has enabled me to firstly keep pace with the lecture as well as create a set of highly organised, cohesive and logical notes, which are clearly legible and have the added benefit of appeasing the green brigade... i.e. I'm not printing a ton of paper which ultimately gets screwed up.

The ban was the result of a meeting of the Staff-Student Liaison Committee (SSLC) where one of the reps raised a complaint from several students that those with laptops are causing distractions through procrastinating on video games etc... whilst most agree this is a valid point, surely a wider consultation should been held prior to even raising the point to get a general consensus on how the majority feel?, neither I, nor the majority or students were actually consulted. Instead, the answer was a ban... quite autocratic right?

Well, rumours began to circulate, and before long the arguments started, arguments which seemed to cause a chasm to open between both students and lecturers alike... I personally felt this decision was doing an injustice to those innocent of what was being complained about, and as such failed to take into any consideration that there would be a minority of innocent students affected... and so, in protest, this Facebook group was created...

Now apparently, according communication from reps and indeed, the Union of UEA Students, the decision had not yet actually been made/was official... meaning that laptop use could go on... well... additional controversy was stirred when some lecturers decided to enforce this decision... resulting in some truly shocking things... such as disabled people being asked to make themselves known quite publicly within a lecture to have special permission to use laptops... (yes, this is illegal...), of course, upsetting those with disabilities... and incurring the wrath of the Dean of Students... quite frankly, whether illegal or not, many feel its an utter disgrace and totally unacceptable for a lecturer to conduct themselves in this manner...

Otherwise, in general, it has also brought students into conflict with lecturers... generally through standing up and refusing to close laptops when no ban is apparently in place, or in general defiance and protest, action also threatened by members of both the ndergraduate and postgraduate communities.

Of course, I oppose the ban (just incase you do not realise this yet...) but certainly myself and others, who use laptops for note taking etc. feel that playing games and such on a laptop during a lecture is an unacceptable thing to do...

Now surely a far more adult and responsible thing to do is to simply challenge the offending student over their conduct, and it it bothers people so much, why not move to a different seat? On the flip side... surely, a wider consensus had to have been taken in the first place before such an issue was raised with the SSLC? Does this alone not qualify the decision as irrational?

Another argument presented is that as students, we are paying large amounts of money to be at University, surely it should be down to the students, NOT academic staff as to what method they choose to take notes in lectures? Equally, those not using laptops do indeed have the same right... in some ways, the whole argument on fees negates itself, because everyone is effectively in the same boat... i.e. I have a right to use my laptop to take notes, and not be disturbed by others but Joe Bloggs has just as much right to take handwritten notes and not be disturbed by others...

Being realistic though, the above argument has a point in mentioning disturbances... Laptop users are on the whole a minority... the majority of procrastination and disturbance comes from students either talking, making unnecessary noise or playing with mobile phones... but it seems the SSLC forgot to mention this let alone take any note of it?!

Speaking with some lecturers both within and outside of Computing Sciences, there does seem to be confusion as to why ban laptops, but nothing else... and agreement that this decision is irrational simply because it was limited only to Laptops... when they all feel mobile phones in particular are a far bigger problem...

However, on the plus side, there will be an open SSLC meeting on 23rd February to allow students the opportunity to have their say (hurrah!!!!)... hopefully, the whole issue can be put to bed and forgotten...let's think... it is probably a safe assumption that the majority of students would be indifferent to the ban anyway with a minority supporting it.... certainly, it would appear that there is significant opposition to it from all over the University... quite scary that and issue that has stark consequences for an overall minority has prooven so divisive...

At least though, the majority wish to see a rational outcome and pot, lets hope relationships can be restored/maintained... but If you ask me... I find the whole thing has caused embarrassment to the School of Computing Sciences... despite the fact that some lecturers are chilled out... perhaps, my closing question should be... where is the logic in removing computers from computing lectures?