Matharu's Rants and Raves » Dawkins

The Magic of Reality – a quick review of the iPad version of Richard Dawkin’s book

Kulvinder Matharu — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 20:37:15 +0000

I had originally posted my quick review of the iPad ebook/app version of Richard Dawkins book “The Magic of reality” in the iTunes store a few days ago (late October) but, for whatever reason, the review has not shown up there. I have therefore taken the opportunity to post that review here albeit with this preface. The review is not so much a critique of the message of the book (which I found brilliant) but more to do with the mechanics of the implementation of this ebook version.

The ebook/app was released on 23 September 2011, and is at version 1.

This is a fantastic book/app. I thoroughly recommend this for its primary audience, children, but also for the young adult in their mid-teen to late teen years. It is clearly written and has interactive media that engages a young person’s mind.

However, there are a few elements with regards to the implementation of this version (the first edition to hit the iPad) that could be improved upon, and I have listed these issues below in the hopes that the publisher takes action to improve the book/app in future editions.

There is no dictionary or thesaurus look-up. Implementation of this feature would allow a young person to more easily explore new words.

There is no bookmarking feature and I can’t seem to go directly to specific chapters. I sometimes like to bookmark certain pages or go direct to certain chapters so that I can read them again later. It is extremely tedious to scroll through the book’s contents to find something specific that you want to read again.

There are no page numbers. On the iPad, page numbers should be easy to implement. I do like to make reference to chapters and page numbers.

I found at least on section of text referring to a diagram “below” when the diagram was elsewhere. I assume that this is just an error (it probably is correct in the printed version).

The interactive diagram illustrating the sun size and how it fits into the galaxy appears five pages before the text that refers to it. The two should be closer.

The diagram with the two prisms, a slit, and red light at the second prism seems incorrect. I think the slit needs to be turned through 90 degrees.

There was a section on the spectrograph which mentions a website; what website?

The text uses a mixture of metric an imperial measurements for distances e.g. miles, kilometres, etc. It needs to stick to metric (although I can see that metric measurements might be an issue with readers from the USA).

The interactive diagram for continental drift is great but, probably due to the projection used, the size of continents changes significantly when moving between equatorial and polar regions. For example, look at the sizes of Greenland and India; they change considerably! This can cause puzzlement to the young reader. I would suggest using a globe projection (such as used by Google Earth) to minimise these size distortions.

The diagram of the cross-section of Earth says “tre-acle”. This needs to be corrected.

Article by Kulvinder Singh Matharu – 2011

“Why Evolution Is True” by Jerry Coyne at the AAI 2009

Kulvinder Matharu — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 20:17:02 +0000

I do have Jerry Coyne’s book “Why Evolution Is True” and it’s a fantastic book. I’ve also read “The Greatest Show on Earth” by Richard Dawkins and this is a natural partner to Coyne’s book with a fair amount of overlap but both complementary to each other. Here’s a talk by Coyne with an introduction from Dawkins:

Article by Kulvinder Singh Matharu – 2011

Dawkins, the Protestant atheist

Kulvinder Matharu — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 18:11:43 +0000

This is just hilarious! Thomas Jackson’s article is one of the most idiotic things I’ve seen in a mainstream newspaper. He does seem to have a Dawkins obsession too and is, perhaps, a bit too deep in his delusions and conceit. Anyway, the article was a good laugh!

Richard Dawkins, the Protestant atheist
http://richarddawkins.net/articles/589448-richard-dawkins-the-protestant-atheist

Article by Kulvinder Singh Matharu – 2011

Richard Dawkins’ Speech at Protest the Pope March

Kulvinder Matharu — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 17:07:13 +0000

Here’s the full speech that Dawkins had originally planned to deliver:

http://richarddawkins.net/articles/521113-ratzinger-is-an-enemy-of-humanity

Article by Kulvinder Singh Matharu – 2010

There, there, dear Popesy, have a cookie!

Kulvinder Matharu — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 17:46:01 +0000

Is that Pharyngula being nasty to you again? There, there. Have a cookie.

Here’s a man basing his morality, his way of live, on that hilariously hideous book called the Bible. The more I look at that book, the more I find it incredible that anyone can take it seriously (the Koran is just as bad). It’s just plain bonkers in many places with a monster ruining people’s lives.

The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.

Richard Dawkins, “The God Delusion”

The Pope and his friends do not have any moral high-ground and no rights to be immune from criticism. So I and others will call it as we see it. And if that means being “nasty” then so be it. Religion deserves no special privileges.

I’ve added some links here that some may find amusing:

Article by Kulvinder Singh Matharu – 2010

Revulsion at burka

Kulvinder Matharu — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 18:48:49 +0000

Richard Dawkins is quoted by The Daily Mail

“I do feel visceral revulsion at the burka because for me it is a symbol of the oppression of women.”

The Daily Mail also reported

His comments prompted fury among Muslim groups who accused him of being ‘ignorant’ and ‘Islamophobic’.

I’m not sure who these “Muslim groups” are and who they represent, but if their comments are true then it is clear that they are the ones being ignorant. Dawkins is an atheist and he has explained many times the flaws of religion and the flaws in reasoning that allow one to become religious or “believe” in a god. For these groups to say that Dawkins is “Islamophobic” is hilarious; Dawkins is irreligious!

But Dawkins is right. The tradition that allows, encourages and indoctrinates the wearing of such clothes is an oppressive regime particularly against women; you don’t see men wearing burhas for example. Oppressive. Violent. Repulsive. It goes against against freethinking and all that is morally good.

I will note that there are vast sections of Islamic society that don’t practice such barbarity; I call on you to stand up and be counted in helping to stamp out this evil.

Those out there that practice these and other oppressions deserve my revulsion too; I don’t care if you call yourself a Jew, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, atheist, whatever. Evil is what evil does.

“With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion.”

Steven Weinberg, quoted in The New York Times, April 20, 1999

Article by Kulvinder Singh Matharu – 2010

Would you Adam and Eve it!

Kulvinder Matharu — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 17:06:32 +0000

Why Evolution Is True does a deconstruction of a flawed BioLogos article. Having read the rather desperate arguments in the BioLogos article I thought “Why did BioLogos even bother?”. Then I realised, BioLogos is nothing more than a religious forum, heavily slanted towards Judeo-Christianity, where people interpret scientific evidence with a God slant, where people cast doubt on scientific evidence that doesn’t suite their beliefs, where people believe in a God who interacts with us. I think Richard Dawkins blew these people right out of the water in his book “The God Delusion”. Knowing what BioLogos is provides insight into the question posed by Why Evolution Matters:

“isn’t BioLogos embarrassed to have this kind of stuff on its website, which purports to accept the findings of science?”

No, they’re not embarrassed; they’re a religious group, not a scientific group. That’s why they don’t matter.

Article by Kulvinder Singh Matharu – 2010

Idiot educators?

Idiot educators?

Kulvinder Matharu — Sat, 15 May 2010 11:54:16 +0000

A Panda’s Thumb article “Why science literacy is in trouble” discusses how a Canadian Assistant Professor of Science Education (Katarin MacLeod, Assistant Professor in Science Education at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, NS) deliberately(?) misleads by, for example, stating that evolution is only a “theory” for which there is not much evidence otherwise it would be called a “law”. There is much strong scientific evidence for evolution and, in fact, such evidence has become increasing stronger with enhancements made to the original discussions put forward by Charles Darwin. Katarin MacLeod would perhaps apply her silly argument to the “Theory of Relativity” and argue that there isn’t much evidence for Relativity. Only those who are uncomfortable with evolution, such as creationists, make an effort to discredit evolution.

The Panda’s Thumb article “Why science literacy is in trouble” actually links to a Woo Fighters article “There Must Be an Idiom”. This article has a very good YouTube video of an interview with Genie Scott which I’ve included here…it explains what “theory” really means (go to 03:47 minutes):

It’s clear…Katarin MacLeod is dead wrong.

Feynman, science, and chess

Kulvinder Matharu — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 07:56:33 +0000

With news that Bill Gates has bought the rights from the BBC for some 1964 lectures given by Richard Feynman, in the discussions over at RichardDawkins.net a video clip was posted of Feynman explaining science through an analogy of observing a game of chess.

Nature of Science – Feynman’s analogy of science and chess

I remember this interview well, and I’m pretty sure that it was from the 1980s from the once great BBC "Horizon" science programmes.

Article by Kulvinder Singh Matharu – 2009

Ankara Shows Its Hand

Kulvinder Matharu — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 20:18:16 +0000

Spotted this over at http://richarddawkins.net/article,3770,n,n with the full article at http://www.slate.com/id/2216518/

The article(s) and comments certainly raise some important questions. Many years ago I was in support of Turkey becoming a full member of the EU. But Turkey has not made any significant progress in terms of basic human rights such as freedom of speech. In fact, Turkey would seem to have regressed in many of these important areas.

If Turkey became a full member of the EU today, would that help to improve the situation in Turkey? No I don’t think so. I believe Turkey will extract whatever it can to improve their economy but refuse to allow progress in freedom of speech and other human rights. And Turkey have already demonstrated that they will interfere and meddle in the affairs of other countries and attempt to curtail human rights in those countries.

It’s clear that Turkey’s government is itself easily influenced by internal factors. There is a weakness in that constitution and they have a lot of reforms to undertake to fully adopt and guarantee human rights. So I’m all up for refusing Turkey entry into the EU for the time being.

Article by Kulvinder Singh Matharu – 2009

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