Yet more research into biological evolution confirms Darwin’s theory that evolution is not a random act, that over multiple generations traits that are advantageous to the species get carried on, a process called “deterministic inheritance.” Good to see some research given the limelight in the face of so much stupidity going on today.
One of the net’s best sites for technical analysis on topics they cover, ArsTechnica, has chimed in on the hijinx in Florida’s schools over evolution (as mentioned here previously), specifically their lack of evolution from creatures incapable of abstract thought ;-) The Ars author mentions, as I did, the apparent lack of education in those making the decisions as they don’t seem to comprehend the concept of a “theory” and instead consider the several-thousand-year-old guesses from the christian bible to be more scientifically accurate than what has been thoroughly researched over the past few hundred years. Then again, the bible’s stories may have been based on hundred’s of years of research, but as the Library of Alexandria was destroyed/disappeared we’ll most likely never know.
Twelve counties in Florida, covering probably hundreds of schools, have decreed that they will no longer allow the theory of evolution to be taught in their schools. Idiots. Yet another example of why our children will never step foot in a public school here, or probably any other outside of college level. So just because a few people are too stupid to recognize patterns in biological taxonomy, hundreds of thousands of children will be denied access to current theories. Sheer idiocy.
One fault that could be levied at the computer industry is that they’ve lost a lot of the out-of-the-box creativity experience from the early days, back in the 80’s when every computer you bought came out of the box with a programming language that anyone (with a manual or two) could start writing their own Hello World apps. Back then most people didn’t learn to program at college, they learned from their $200 home computers. There is a new option for people seeking this experience again called Hackety Hack, a new programming kit based on the existing Ruby language bundled in a really easy-to-use package. Although aimed at children it is also well suited to anyone who wants to try their hand at something a little bit different, and is well worth giving a try.