Monday 27 January 2014
New mini-PC build
Just a quick note to announce the completion of my second pc building project - a general use Intel-based mini-pc as a fast resource for browsing, video etc. and a bit of light gaming. It's a back up to my main gaming PC which I discussed before. This PC is more portable and uses less power, though. The build went pretty well with no major hiccups. Here are the specifications of the new build. It's all compatible so I've done the hard work!
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Processor: Intel core i3 4130 dual-core 3.4GHz
Motherboard: MSI H81M-E33 V2
Hard drive: Seagate Barracuda 500GB
Memory: 8GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600 MHz
Graphics: MSI Radeon HD 7770 1GB GDDR5
Power supply: Corsair CXM 500W modular PSU
Case: Zalman T3 micro-ATX tower case
Operating System: Windows 8.1 OEM 64 bit
Wireless USB adapter: TP-Link TL-WN725N 150Mbps Wireless-N Nano USB Adapter
---
Approx. cost: £420
Teraflops peak compute rating: Approx. 1.3 TFLOPS
(About the same as the XBOX ONE!)
Here's the full wish list for the components:http://www.amazon.co.uk/registry/wishlist/264U98G8WMR6L/ref=cm_wl_rlist_go_o_C-2
The build was supposed to use an SSD hard drive, but AGAIN that took too long to arrive (cheers Amazon). So when it foes finally come I'll either migrate data over to it (a process known as imaging) or keep it as a backup for a future build. It's deliberately got no optical drive (aside from installing windows in the first place, you don't really need one most of the time). I borrowed another SATA DVD drive for that. I'm getting an external DVD drive for flexibility though.
The build runs very fast, browses great with Google Chrome and plays Diablo 3 and Torchlight 2 very well on high settings. I'll certainly be posting some positive reviews on Amazon for these components!I'm really enjoying all these PC building exercises!
Saturday 18 January 2014
Building a PC!
My new projects - PC building
Hey, it turns out that building your own PC from scratch, from basic components, is actually really easy, and a lot of fun!
I have recently built a computer for myself using the component parts. I am actually quite proud of this achievement although it was not too difficult once you get the general idea of where everything goes. The next job is going to build my Dad a new PC along the same lines.
I thought I'd ramble on a bit here about what inspired me to do this, and a few things to look out for. If I can do it, how hard can it be, right? Nothing too advanced or complicated though yet. No major modifications, Just the basic components are what I've been dealing with so far. To build a PC (this can be anything from a basic office PC to a low-to-mid-range gaming machine) you will need:
A motherboard (Mobo or board)
A processor (CPU or Chip)
Memory (RAM)
A Hard Disk Drive (HDD)
A power supply (PSU)
A disk drive (Optical drive) (eg. DVD-writer or Blu-Ray) - (optional)
A graphics card (GPU) - (optional unless you have no onboard processor or motherboard graphics)
A case of some description to safely hold your rig.
An operating system (eg. Windows, Linux).
And that's it!
Here is my new rig, (I can say for sure that all these parts work together OK). Building your own PC from component parts can save you a lot of money. I spent much less than you would have to, if ordering a similar pre-made specification online (which is what I'd previously done up to now - but hey ho, the economic crisis and all that!)
---
Board - Asus M5A78L-M/USB3 micro-ATX, socket AM3+
CPU - AMD FX-6300 6-core, socket AM3+, 3.5 GHz
RAM - 8GB Corsair XMS DDR3 1600 MHz (4 x 2GB)
HDD - 1TB Samsung 3.5", 7200 RPM
Optical drive - Generic DVD 24X multi-recorder
GPU - Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 2GB Dual-X GHz edition
Case - Thermaltake V3 black
OS - Windows 8.1 OEM system builder version
---
And now to where I got the idea for all this from... I happened across the following 3 videos on YouTube which really got me interested. For the first build, I pretty much just followed the rules laid out here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QBTpkPtDUI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgwU-pPDzqA&list=TLqJT9NPfgWNvAy14aNONs1EIS_VeZ-Rim
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v40cbYZ0E5M
It's a pretty informative guide and really useful to a beginner who doesn't really know what they're doing, like me!
Some general guidelines for building a PC
Choose your Processor
What will be your main usage: Decide what you want the PC to do. General multimedia? Light gaming? Video editing? More intensive gaming?
As a very basic rule, for tight budgets where graphics performance is not too much of an issue and you only need to stream video or play basic games, you may be best off with an APU. For more intensive applications you will want better single-threaded performance of a dedicated processor and a dedicated GPU.
Choose compatible components and get the best deals
The AMD A-series APUs use socket FM2 or FM2+ and the AMD FX series CPUs use socket AM3+. Intel core-iX series processors use socket 1155 or 1150 depending on the release version. You need to get a motherboard which features the same socket as your processor. The other main point of note when choosing a motherboard is the "chipset" which basically describes the features and capabilities of the motherboard.
Better chipsets have faster data transfer rates, support for better processors, onboard graphics and better rear connection options, more RAM slots, support for faster RAM, easier to use BIOS, USB3 etc. It is usually advisable to avoid the lowest possible chipset of any socket type. Do a Google search for the different chipsets available for your chosen socket. It is worth spending a little extra on the board as it is the heart of your system. For example for the AMD A-series APUs, the A75 chipset is better than the basic A55 chipset.
Once the socket and chipset are decided, shop around online for the best buy. Stick to a brand name for quality, like Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, Asrock etc. Once you've selected the model, it's important to check the manufacturer's website for the model details. Check the compatibility/support page for your board model. It will confirm the exact product codes of the compatible CPUs, RAM modules and graphics cards. This can be really useful as it is easy to mismatch components by ignoring this - they may still work but default to lower performing speeds. For example if your board doesn't support your 1866MHz RAM it may default to 1600MHz, meaning you wasted money on the extra speed (in some case this may be correctable in the BIOS).
From here you can choose and find the best prices for the RAM and graphics card you want. This is the basis of your system. Pick a case you like which fits the motherboard size (ATX is bigger than micro-ATX which is bigger than the dinky mini-ITX). You may want to get a bigger size than needed (eg. ATX midi-tower with a micro-ATX board) as this gives you more room in the case to operate, which makes things easier for a newbie!
Check the manufacturer's website for the power usage of your graphics card, and purchase a power supply based on that value. Although the figures are a bit exaggerated as to what the card will normally use, you DON'T want any instant shutdowns due to power problems do it's always a good idea to overestimate the wattage by 50W at least, or at least get a good brand of PSU like Corsair, OCZ, etc. Also strongly consider the "80 plus" line of efficiency rated PSUs. For example if your graphics card states "minimum power requirement 500W" I would get PSU of 550W+, unless I got Corsair or OCZ where just 500W would be ample. The possible exception is for some Radeon cards that have 500W requirements but only need 400W or 450W in real life.
Preparation dowloads
When I installed my first system, the motherboard driver disk was incompatible with the operating system so could not be used. I needed to download all the software from the Asus website. Mainly, drivers for USB, HD audio and the chipset. It would have been helpful to have all these ready beforehand in case you get problems with the driver installation from disk. I also advise you download the latest graphics drivers from the AMD or NVidia website beforehand and not use the CD bundled with your new card. I'm not sure about updating BIOS, it may not be worth the hassle unless you are having problems with the board.
Installation points
I like to put together the board, processor and RAM first. It's quite simple, the video I embedded above shows how to do it. Next, prepare the case and the motherboard backing plate. Make sure the standoffs are in position before sliding the board into place and securing firmly in all available screw holes. It is then just a matter of connecting up the peripherals; hard drive, optical drive and graphics card, then the power and data cables. The cabling can be a pain and is one of the more annoying parts - trying to avoid all those cables touching the circuitry! The fiddliest bit though has to be connecting the front panel cables (things like the power switch, HDD LED indicator etc. - these pins are tiny and very awkward.
When all is complete run a final connection check then see if the green LED lights up when the PSU is turned on. If all seems OK, connect up a mouse, keyboard and TV/ monitor and cross those fingers ! Press the power switch and mash the delete button to enter BIOS. Check all is OK (processor and RAM correctly identified, and hard/disk drives appearing listed under SATA connections.) Insert the Windows disk and select the optical disk drive as the boot drive.
Windows should then kick in and install. You're nearly there!
Finally, it is just a matter of removing the Windows disk and installing any other drivers you may need from disk or USB drive. Ensure that the motherboard and graphics drivers are installed and check Windows Device Manager for unrecognised devices. Connect to the Internet early on (using a USB wireless adaptor or ethernet cable) so Windows can download any required updates or system drivers it needs.
Happy Computing!
Usage type: General office use and multimedia, occasional light gaming
Chipset A75 Socket FM2 micro-ATX motherboard, AMD A8-6600K APU, 4GB RAM, 1TB HDD, Windows 7, 400+W power supply, value Midi-ATX case, optional AMD dual graphics with AMD Radeon 6570 1GB graphics card
Usage type: Faster performance, Multimedia, online streaming and low-end gaming rig
Chipset A78 Socket AM3+ micro-ATX motherboard, AMD FX-6300 CPU, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD, Windows 8.1, 550+W power supply, gaming Midi-ATX case, AMD Radeon HD 7700+ series graphics card eg. Radeon HD 7870 2GB.
Things I'm aware of but haven't tried yet:
* Full size ATX motherboards with multi-GPUs
* Applications of thermal pastes and Liquid cooling solutions
* Overclocking of any type
* Configuring RAID drives or anything like that
Just to put it out there, I enjoy writing this blog even if no-one reads it! I am The One Reader!
TOR
Hey, it turns out that building your own PC from scratch, from basic components, is actually really easy, and a lot of fun!
I have recently built a computer for myself using the component parts. I am actually quite proud of this achievement although it was not too difficult once you get the general idea of where everything goes. The next job is going to build my Dad a new PC along the same lines.
I thought I'd ramble on a bit here about what inspired me to do this, and a few things to look out for. If I can do it, how hard can it be, right? Nothing too advanced or complicated though yet. No major modifications, Just the basic components are what I've been dealing with so far. To build a PC (this can be anything from a basic office PC to a low-to-mid-range gaming machine) you will need:
A motherboard (Mobo or board)
A processor (CPU or Chip)
Memory (RAM)
A Hard Disk Drive (HDD)
A power supply (PSU)
A disk drive (Optical drive) (eg. DVD-writer or Blu-Ray) - (optional)
A graphics card (GPU) - (optional unless you have no onboard processor or motherboard graphics)
A case of some description to safely hold your rig.
An operating system (eg. Windows, Linux).
And that's it!
Here is my new rig, (I can say for sure that all these parts work together OK). Building your own PC from component parts can save you a lot of money. I spent much less than you would have to, if ordering a similar pre-made specification online (which is what I'd previously done up to now - but hey ho, the economic crisis and all that!)
---
Board - Asus M5A78L-M/USB3 micro-ATX, socket AM3+
CPU - AMD FX-6300 6-core, socket AM3+, 3.5 GHz
RAM - 8GB Corsair XMS DDR3 1600 MHz (4 x 2GB)
HDD - 1TB Samsung 3.5", 7200 RPM
Optical drive - Generic DVD 24X multi-recorder
GPU - Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 2GB Dual-X GHz edition
Case - Thermaltake V3 black
OS - Windows 8.1 OEM system builder version
---
And now to where I got the idea for all this from... I happened across the following 3 videos on YouTube which really got me interested. For the first build, I pretty much just followed the rules laid out here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QBTpkPtDUI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgwU-pPDzqA&list=TLqJT9NPfgWNvAy14aNONs1EIS_VeZ-Rim
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v40cbYZ0E5M
It's a pretty informative guide and really useful to a beginner who doesn't really know what they're doing, like me!
Some general guidelines for building a PC
Choose your Processor
What will be your main usage: Decide what you want the PC to do. General multimedia? Light gaming? Video editing? More intensive gaming?
As a very basic rule, for tight budgets where graphics performance is not too much of an issue and you only need to stream video or play basic games, you may be best off with an APU. For more intensive applications you will want better single-threaded performance of a dedicated processor and a dedicated GPU.
Choose compatible components and get the best deals
The AMD A-series APUs use socket FM2 or FM2+ and the AMD FX series CPUs use socket AM3+. Intel core-iX series processors use socket 1155 or 1150 depending on the release version. You need to get a motherboard which features the same socket as your processor. The other main point of note when choosing a motherboard is the "chipset" which basically describes the features and capabilities of the motherboard.
Better chipsets have faster data transfer rates, support for better processors, onboard graphics and better rear connection options, more RAM slots, support for faster RAM, easier to use BIOS, USB3 etc. It is usually advisable to avoid the lowest possible chipset of any socket type. Do a Google search for the different chipsets available for your chosen socket. It is worth spending a little extra on the board as it is the heart of your system. For example for the AMD A-series APUs, the A75 chipset is better than the basic A55 chipset.
Once the socket and chipset are decided, shop around online for the best buy. Stick to a brand name for quality, like Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, Asrock etc. Once you've selected the model, it's important to check the manufacturer's website for the model details. Check the compatibility/support page for your board model. It will confirm the exact product codes of the compatible CPUs, RAM modules and graphics cards. This can be really useful as it is easy to mismatch components by ignoring this - they may still work but default to lower performing speeds. For example if your board doesn't support your 1866MHz RAM it may default to 1600MHz, meaning you wasted money on the extra speed (in some case this may be correctable in the BIOS).
From here you can choose and find the best prices for the RAM and graphics card you want. This is the basis of your system. Pick a case you like which fits the motherboard size (ATX is bigger than micro-ATX which is bigger than the dinky mini-ITX). You may want to get a bigger size than needed (eg. ATX midi-tower with a micro-ATX board) as this gives you more room in the case to operate, which makes things easier for a newbie!
Check the manufacturer's website for the power usage of your graphics card, and purchase a power supply based on that value. Although the figures are a bit exaggerated as to what the card will normally use, you DON'T want any instant shutdowns due to power problems do it's always a good idea to overestimate the wattage by 50W at least, or at least get a good brand of PSU like Corsair, OCZ, etc. Also strongly consider the "80 plus" line of efficiency rated PSUs. For example if your graphics card states "minimum power requirement 500W" I would get PSU of 550W+, unless I got Corsair or OCZ where just 500W would be ample. The possible exception is for some Radeon cards that have 500W requirements but only need 400W or 450W in real life.
Preparation dowloads
When I installed my first system, the motherboard driver disk was incompatible with the operating system so could not be used. I needed to download all the software from the Asus website. Mainly, drivers for USB, HD audio and the chipset. It would have been helpful to have all these ready beforehand in case you get problems with the driver installation from disk. I also advise you download the latest graphics drivers from the AMD or NVidia website beforehand and not use the CD bundled with your new card. I'm not sure about updating BIOS, it may not be worth the hassle unless you are having problems with the board.
Installation points
I like to put together the board, processor and RAM first. It's quite simple, the video I embedded above shows how to do it. Next, prepare the case and the motherboard backing plate. Make sure the standoffs are in position before sliding the board into place and securing firmly in all available screw holes. It is then just a matter of connecting up the peripherals; hard drive, optical drive and graphics card, then the power and data cables. The cabling can be a pain and is one of the more annoying parts - trying to avoid all those cables touching the circuitry! The fiddliest bit though has to be connecting the front panel cables (things like the power switch, HDD LED indicator etc. - these pins are tiny and very awkward.
When all is complete run a final connection check then see if the green LED lights up when the PSU is turned on. If all seems OK, connect up a mouse, keyboard and TV/ monitor and cross those fingers ! Press the power switch and mash the delete button to enter BIOS. Check all is OK (processor and RAM correctly identified, and hard/disk drives appearing listed under SATA connections.) Insert the Windows disk and select the optical disk drive as the boot drive.
Windows should then kick in and install. You're nearly there!
Finally, it is just a matter of removing the Windows disk and installing any other drivers you may need from disk or USB drive. Ensure that the motherboard and graphics drivers are installed and check Windows Device Manager for unrecognised devices. Connect to the Internet early on (using a USB wireless adaptor or ethernet cable) so Windows can download any required updates or system drivers it needs.
Happy Computing!
Usage type: General office use and multimedia, occasional light gaming
Chipset A75 Socket FM2 micro-ATX motherboard, AMD A8-6600K APU, 4GB RAM, 1TB HDD, Windows 7, 400+W power supply, value Midi-ATX case, optional AMD dual graphics with AMD Radeon 6570 1GB graphics card
Usage type: Faster performance, Multimedia, online streaming and low-end gaming rig
Chipset A78 Socket AM3+ micro-ATX motherboard, AMD FX-6300 CPU, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD, Windows 8.1, 550+W power supply, gaming Midi-ATX case, AMD Radeon HD 7700+ series graphics card eg. Radeon HD 7870 2GB.
Things I'm aware of but haven't tried yet:
* Full size ATX motherboards with multi-GPUs
* Applications of thermal pastes and Liquid cooling solutions
* Overclocking of any type
* Configuring RAID drives or anything like that
Just to put it out there, I enjoy writing this blog even if no-one reads it! I am The One Reader!
TOR
Monday 6 January 2014
What we need is more trust, not more faith
For all who think I'm too politically correct, here we go.
Let's look a bit closer at the story surrounding the recent conviction of two Muslim men for the murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby on 22 May last year.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Lee_Rigby
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25450555
Michael Adelbolajo and Michael Adebowale, whom I refer to here as the "Michael A duo" are, in my humble opinion, guilty of nothing more than reading the Koran, believing it word for word, and doing precisely what it says to do. The fact that that is so horrifying, is telling.
I find it strange that Muslims so easily criticise the Michael A. duo, as they are only following what the Koran tells them to do. Labelling them as Radicals or Extremists only shows just how much indoctrination goes on in the Muslim faith. I don't think reading a book, as it is presented, and carrying out its instructions with the help of teachers who were not pariahs, but with many connections to other officials in the faith, counts as being "radical" or extremist". It is those who cherry-pick what they want to follow and what they want to ignore, who are deviating from the default path.
To suggest that the non-radical position is one which takes interpretation, self-examination and theologising to reach - whilst the radical position just comes from reading the book "as is", is absurd. Interpretation should be what one would do to reach a radical position, not a moderate one. This is how the infrastructure of religious instruction, institution and theologians justify their own existence - their interpretation is needed to reach a moderate position. What they do not tell you is that it is their own intransigence, internal division and blind obedience to tradition over pragmatism, that is holding back Islam.
The fact that a book can be interpreted by some as the code of the "religion of peace" and by another as an instruction manual for how to dismember all of Allah's foes, tells me one thing: the book could do with a translation in the margins. Not only to clarify what is meant by each verse, but what is literal and what is allegory, and most importantly what actual interpretation to take. Only this never happens, because NOT ENOUGH MUSLIMS CAN AGREE ON WHAT THE CORRECT INTERPRETATION IS. What's more, even if they could agree, I doubt the will to actually publish a new version would be strong enough to do it. However, this is not just a Muslim problem - Christianity is saddled by the same devotion to tradition around the Bible.
And yet the media are, as always, pandering to religion. It's only because of extremism and radicalism that this sort of thing happens, according to those who are politically correct about religion. They seem to ignore the fact that there is a Holy book flying around that not only suggests or condones such acts, but actually requires them. The Muslim Council of Britain said, I shit you not, that the attack "has no basis in Islam".
Ahem. Let me quote for you, Koran 2: 190-193: "Slay them wherever you find them. Drive them out from the places from which they drove you. Idolatry is worse than carnage. If they attack you, put them to the sword. Thus shall the unbelievers be rewarded..."
And, "Fighting is obligatory for you" Koran 2: 216
Also..."Those that deny our revelation, we will burn in fire. No sooner will their skins be consumed than we shall give them other skins, so that they may truly taste the scourge. God is mighty and wise" Koran 4: 55-56
To mention but a few. Unless the above passages are redacted (yeah, right), the Council's statements ring false.
Using such warmongering language, it's pretty easy to work the whole Iraq and Afghanistan invasions into a "justified" narrative of revenge where retribution is needed. (I'm not saying that Western governments don't need to answer for the death and destruction they've caused in the Middle East. Bush, Blair etc. behaved incredibly irresponsibly, to be sure).
And then we get stuff like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egjo70WM4Oc
At a peace conference no less!
The verdict given by the Judge in this case, is in my view, a clear message that the British judiciary views what the Koran says as abhorrent. It says that it is not possible to live freely in Britain and literally believe what the Koran espouses. Whilst they should be praised for finally coming to this realisation, the judiciary have in one sense opened a philosophical can of worms that should give every devout Muslim pause.
The Michael A duo had faith that were doing Allah's will. Think on that. I say again, all they have done is what the Koran says. They believe they have done a good thing - a GOOD thing- and will be rewarded for it in heaven. Religion is the most devious of ways to get people to commit the most atrocious acts. It has been shown as the most effective way to circumvent someone's natural boundaries of compassion and do the unspeakable. It is unfalsifiable - as it never needs to be demonstrated, and can't be demonstrated to be false - and so, its faithful followers will never know if they are wrong. The only real way to live with that is of course, is to never be wrong, and yet the existence of more than one monotheistic religion means that at least all but one religion is wrong.
And yet the answer is NOT Christianity, or right-wing cries for deportations or segregation. Such parochialism is divisive and does nothing to solve the main problem.
We just don't need faith. Faith is irrational, it is belief without evidence, or worse, belief in spite of much evidence to the contrary. Instead, we should put trust in humanity. Humanity has a proven track record of getting through crises, a much better record than any God. Gods come and go - or at least they did when they weren't inherently unfalsifiable -as the huge list of dead gods including the likes of Thor and Ra bears testament to. Humanity on the other had has come back from the brink of utter destruction before. The eruption of the Lake Toba super-volcano in Sumatra about 70.000 years ago, is thought to be the largest volcanic eruption in 25 million years, and may have almost wiped out the entire population of homo-sapiens around at the time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Toba
In conclusion, I would like to suggest that all religions need to be exposed to secularism, to help moderate themselves. It's been at the forefront of turning Christianity from "the Inquisition" to "Tea with the Vicar". Let's trust ourselves to work together and find a way out of this intellectual black hole that we've been sucked into.
Let's look a bit closer at the story surrounding the recent conviction of two Muslim men for the murder of Fusilier Lee Rigby on 22 May last year.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Lee_Rigby
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25450555
Michael Adelbolajo and Michael Adebowale, whom I refer to here as the "Michael A duo" are, in my humble opinion, guilty of nothing more than reading the Koran, believing it word for word, and doing precisely what it says to do. The fact that that is so horrifying, is telling.
I find it strange that Muslims so easily criticise the Michael A. duo, as they are only following what the Koran tells them to do. Labelling them as Radicals or Extremists only shows just how much indoctrination goes on in the Muslim faith. I don't think reading a book, as it is presented, and carrying out its instructions with the help of teachers who were not pariahs, but with many connections to other officials in the faith, counts as being "radical" or extremist". It is those who cherry-pick what they want to follow and what they want to ignore, who are deviating from the default path.
To suggest that the non-radical position is one which takes interpretation, self-examination and theologising to reach - whilst the radical position just comes from reading the book "as is", is absurd. Interpretation should be what one would do to reach a radical position, not a moderate one. This is how the infrastructure of religious instruction, institution and theologians justify their own existence - their interpretation is needed to reach a moderate position. What they do not tell you is that it is their own intransigence, internal division and blind obedience to tradition over pragmatism, that is holding back Islam.
The fact that a book can be interpreted by some as the code of the "religion of peace" and by another as an instruction manual for how to dismember all of Allah's foes, tells me one thing: the book could do with a translation in the margins. Not only to clarify what is meant by each verse, but what is literal and what is allegory, and most importantly what actual interpretation to take. Only this never happens, because NOT ENOUGH MUSLIMS CAN AGREE ON WHAT THE CORRECT INTERPRETATION IS. What's more, even if they could agree, I doubt the will to actually publish a new version would be strong enough to do it. However, this is not just a Muslim problem - Christianity is saddled by the same devotion to tradition around the Bible.
And yet the media are, as always, pandering to religion. It's only because of extremism and radicalism that this sort of thing happens, according to those who are politically correct about religion. They seem to ignore the fact that there is a Holy book flying around that not only suggests or condones such acts, but actually requires them. The Muslim Council of Britain said, I shit you not, that the attack "has no basis in Islam".
Ahem. Let me quote for you, Koran 2: 190-193: "Slay them wherever you find them. Drive them out from the places from which they drove you. Idolatry is worse than carnage. If they attack you, put them to the sword. Thus shall the unbelievers be rewarded..."
And, "Fighting is obligatory for you" Koran 2: 216
Also..."Those that deny our revelation, we will burn in fire. No sooner will their skins be consumed than we shall give them other skins, so that they may truly taste the scourge. God is mighty and wise" Koran 4: 55-56
To mention but a few. Unless the above passages are redacted (yeah, right), the Council's statements ring false.
Using such warmongering language, it's pretty easy to work the whole Iraq and Afghanistan invasions into a "justified" narrative of revenge where retribution is needed. (I'm not saying that Western governments don't need to answer for the death and destruction they've caused in the Middle East. Bush, Blair etc. behaved incredibly irresponsibly, to be sure).
And then we get stuff like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egjo70WM4Oc
At a peace conference no less!
The verdict given by the Judge in this case, is in my view, a clear message that the British judiciary views what the Koran says as abhorrent. It says that it is not possible to live freely in Britain and literally believe what the Koran espouses. Whilst they should be praised for finally coming to this realisation, the judiciary have in one sense opened a philosophical can of worms that should give every devout Muslim pause.
The Michael A duo had faith that were doing Allah's will. Think on that. I say again, all they have done is what the Koran says. They believe they have done a good thing - a GOOD thing- and will be rewarded for it in heaven. Religion is the most devious of ways to get people to commit the most atrocious acts. It has been shown as the most effective way to circumvent someone's natural boundaries of compassion and do the unspeakable. It is unfalsifiable - as it never needs to be demonstrated, and can't be demonstrated to be false - and so, its faithful followers will never know if they are wrong. The only real way to live with that is of course, is to never be wrong, and yet the existence of more than one monotheistic religion means that at least all but one religion is wrong.
And yet the answer is NOT Christianity, or right-wing cries for deportations or segregation. Such parochialism is divisive and does nothing to solve the main problem.
We just don't need faith. Faith is irrational, it is belief without evidence, or worse, belief in spite of much evidence to the contrary. Instead, we should put trust in humanity. Humanity has a proven track record of getting through crises, a much better record than any God. Gods come and go - or at least they did when they weren't inherently unfalsifiable -as the huge list of dead gods including the likes of Thor and Ra bears testament to. Humanity on the other had has come back from the brink of utter destruction before. The eruption of the Lake Toba super-volcano in Sumatra about 70.000 years ago, is thought to be the largest volcanic eruption in 25 million years, and may have almost wiped out the entire population of homo-sapiens around at the time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Toba
In conclusion, I would like to suggest that all religions need to be exposed to secularism, to help moderate themselves. It's been at the forefront of turning Christianity from "the Inquisition" to "Tea with the Vicar". Let's trust ourselves to work together and find a way out of this intellectual black hole that we've been sucked into.
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