Israel and Palestine - Turning a blind eye

When it comes to the whole Israel-Palestine thing, I have no objection to people arguing with supporters of Israel. I have no objection to people arguing with supporters of Palestine. But I don't get it when they rant at people who realise that there are 2 sides; that there is blame to be placed on both parties. I take issue with that people who are oblivious to the wrongs of the side they choose to support.

Bill Nye Tho

A Guide to Subatomic Particles

This article will provide a complete and comprehensive guide to elementary subatomic particles. Elementary in this context means simple: elementary particles are not made up of smaller particles.

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The Top 5 Songs By The Killers

The Killers are an American rock band that was formed in 2001 in Las Vegas, Nevada. This is a list of their top 5 songs.

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What is an Atomic Clock and How Does it Work?

Atomic clocks, sometimes called nuclear clocks, are the world's most accurate timepieces. But what exactly is an atomic clock? And how does it work?

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Muse - The 2nd Law

I've just finished listening to The 2nd Law (it's streaming from The Guardian's website) and I must say: I like it. I actually think it's a better album than The Resistance. It's beautiful, rocky, funky, bass-y slap-y, emotional, heartfelt, awe inspiring - truly truly awesome.

Its particular gems are Madness, Supremacy, Panic Station, and Big Freeze. To be honest though, the only song I actually don't like is Unsustainable. But I suspect that one might grow on me given time. There are already some parts that I really like.

I'm not sure if this is their best album so far; it's got fierce competition from "Origin of Symmetry" and "Black Holes and Revelations". But it's definitely a wonderful album. It's so diverse, yet it works so well as a whole. Muse really knocked it out of the park with this one.

France set to ban the words 'mother' and 'father' from official documents

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/9563543/France-set-to-ban-the-words-mother-and-father-from-official-documents.html

This is a surprisingly progressive move for France. I guess I'm quite pleased, but I think they're doing it in the wrong order. It makes more sense to me for them to legalise gay marriage and then sort out the wording of their family law.

As a side note, part of the article reads as follows:

The head of the French Catholic Church Cardinal Philippe Barbarin warned followers last week that gay marriage could lead to legalised incest and polygamy in society. 

He told the Christian's RFC radio station: "Gay marriage would herald a complete breakdown in society. 

"This could have innumerable consequences. Afterward they will want to create couples with three or four members. And after that, perhaps one day the taboo of incest will fall."

Here's the thing though: that's not even the scariest bit. Have a read and see for yourself.

Recipe - Tuscan Bean Soup

This hearty Tuscan bean soup can be prepared in less than half an hour. It's full of fibre, protein, and vitamin B12, making it a great family meal. The kids won't even know there's cabbage in it!

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Recipe - Fettucine All 'Alfredo

This simple pasta dish serves 4 and is ready in less than 15 minutes. It's a great option for a quick, tasty meal with family or friends.

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The Top 3 Blogging Platforms

This hub explores three of the most popular blogging platforms available. It compares them in terms of ease of use, search engine optimisation, and customisation. If you're thinking about starting a blog, this will give you an idea of which platform is the right one for you.

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Recipe - Baked Apples

Everybody knows that baked apples are delicious. So, why don't I tell you how to make them? You can really use any variety of apple for this recipe; just experiment and see what you like.

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Recipe - Warm Pancakes with Caramelised Pears

How to make Warm Pancakes with Caramelised Pears. Ready in 10 minutes, this quick and easy recipe is great for dessert, or for a particularly luxurious breakfast.

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How to Turn an Image Black and White Except for One Area

It's an effect we've all seen: a black and white photo with one part in full colour. It's a lovely effect, and this tutorial will show you how to do it for yourself using Adobe Photoshop.

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Is Google Music Coming To Britain?

Is Google Music ever going to be available in the UK? If so, when?

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Should I Buy a Laptop or a Desktop PC?

Nowadays, most people looking to buy a new computer are opting to buy laptops rather than traditional desktop PC's. But why? Here, we'll examine some of the advantages laptops have over desktop PC's, as well as some of their disadvantages.

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Free Computer Programs All Students Need

Every computer needs software to run, and software is expensive. But many important tasks can be performed be free programs. Here is a small selection of free programs especially for students.

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Spiced Apple Crumble

This rich, flavoursome apple crumble is a family favourite. This is a great dish to make during the chilly autumn and winter months. It's best served hot with custard or cream.

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Photographs from The Holy Land

These are a handful of photos taken on my travels. All photos were taken and edited by me and may not be reproduced without my permission.

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The Top 10 Snow Patrol Songs

Snow Patrol are an Irish/Scottish alternative rock band formed in 1994. The group comprises Gary Lightbody (vocals, guitar), Jonny Quinn (drums), Nathan Connolly (guitar, backing vocals), Paul Wilson (bass guitar, backing vocals), and Tom Simpson (keyboards).

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The Second Coming of Microsoft

An interesting piece on the how Microsoft is finally starting to step up its game against Google and Apple with a renewed push into hardware.

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Just a Flower

This is just a picture of a flower growing in my garden. I'm not even sure what it's called. But decided I liked it, so I decided to grab a picture. See what you make of it.

Great Apps and Extensions for Google Chrome

One of the best things about the Chrome web browser is the Chrome Web Store. This online store offers a plethora of apps and extensions which help improve productivity, ease-of-use, and the power of your browser.

But with so many add-ons available, it can be difficult to find the best ones. This article will suggest a small selection of apps and extensions that every Google Chrome user needs to try.

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Grammar 101: How to Use an Apostrophe

Everyone seems to use apostrophes incorrectly these days, but after reading this you will know when and when not to use an apostrophe and have a means of checking your writing to make sure you have used apostrophes correctly.
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Black Holes and Revelations

A black hole is a region of spacetime centred on a point mass called a singularity. A black hole is extremely massive and thus has an immense gravitational pull, which is in fact strong enough to prevent light escaping from it.

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Foster the People - Pumped Up Kicks (Cris Cab Cover)

I like to bring to your attention this brilliant cover of Foster The People's song "Pumped Up Kicks". The cover is by Cris Cab and I must say: it is brilliant. And I say this as a huge fan of the original song.

How to Suck at Your Religion

This is a brilliant cartoon from The Oatmeal called "How To Suck at Your Religion". In a handful of drawings, this cartoon manages to summarise everything that always seems to go wrong with religion. It's also damn funny.

Rodents of the Sea

Harvey: "What are you doing, killing seals?"

Louis: "Would that I were. Rodents of the sea..."

I Wrote It A While Ago

The previous post was something I wrote a few months ago. I think I put it on Tumblr at the time, but Hubpages is much better suited to it. Actually, I suppose I could have put it on this blog too, but I prefer the way things look on Hubpages, apart from anything else. And hey, I left you a link didn't I?

The Law and Social Media

I worry about how the law can be enforced in the age of Facebook and Twitter. It’s so easy for people to break the law and so difficult to catch them. It’s a little difficult to explain, but if we have a think about the Ched Evans thing, we might be getting somewhere. Certainly, that’s what started this line of thought.

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Madness

"Madness" is the new single from Muse's new album "The 2nd Law" (out on October 1st). This is definitely not the Muse we're used to. It's a lot slower than most Muse songs, for a start.

According to NME, Madness was influenced by Queen's "I Want to Break Free", and this is actually quite clear when you listen to it. Madness offers up a little display of Muse's electronic leanings that will apparently feature heavily on The 2nd Law.

Smooth and synthy, Madness is a pleasure to listen to. In fact, despite its lack of "Museness", I think Madness is a lot better than the band's Olympic anthem "Survival".

The Smell of Banks

Vetinari: "The smell of banks is alway pleasing, don't you think? A mixture of polish and wealth." 

Moist: "And ursary." 

Vetinari: "That would be cruelty to bears. I suspect you mean usury."

Curried Lentil and Apple Soup

This thick and hearty soup is a family favourite and sure to become a staple in your repertoire of soup starters. Curried lentil and apple soup is perfect for those cold nights throughout autumn and winter.

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How To Download Torrents - uTorrent for Beginners

You've probably heard of uTorrent. It’s one of the most popular torrent clients available. It has a clean simple interface that’s easy to use. But for the beginner, the world of torrent download can be daunting. This article will guide you through downloading your first torrent with uTorrent.

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Sunrise from Masada

A photo I took some time last year.

The Best Songs by Muse

Although this wasn't easy, here is the list I made of my top 10 favorite Muse songs.

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How To Make $1000 Per Month Writing Online At Hubpages

Anyone can earn upwards of $1000 a month on Hubpages.

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Discover feed share at Flipora.com for added traffic

If you know something about InfoAxe, the website that helped you to find the sites you had previously visited, then Flipora might not be new to you. But then, after re-branding of InfoAxe to Flipora, many have not realized the added strength that the new service has in discovering and sharing web content. This article will provide a review of Flipora.com and how you can post and share feeds on this site to increase traffic to your site.

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The 10 Best Themes for Google Chrome

Google Chrome is one of the most customisable web browsers around. One of the great things about it is the ability to customise the browser's theme. There are thousands to choose from in the Chrome Web Store, but I've narrowed the list down to 10 of the best ones.

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Top 5 Alternative Web Browsers

We've all heard of Internet Explorer. And most of us have heard of Firefox, Safari, Chrome, and Opera. But those 5 aren't the only web browsers out there. There are plenty of alternatives to the "Big 5" web browsers, and with so many options out there, I thought it would be helpful to compile a short list of good - but less well known - web browsers. 

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Bridport by Night

The "prequel", as it were, to Dorset by Night. This is truly beautiful. The video looks very professional. It's this kind of photography that inspires people.

Using Soluto to Speed Up Your Computer

Soluto is a free program which can be used to speed up your PC's boot time, speed up web browsing, check your battery health, control browser add-ons and extensions, and more.

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This post links to a hub. Read more about hubs and Hubpages here.

Sign up for Hubpages today.

The Amazing Spiderman - Don't Dress Like a Car Thief, Man

I'd like to share with you one of my favourite scenes from the new Spiderman movie. It's a little different than the version at the cinema, probably due to living in a different country. It doesn't matter though, because this is still very brilliant and very funny. I really like what Andrew Garfield brings to the role, and I hope he'll return for the sequel.

Top 5 Modern Web Browsers

The modern web requires a modern web browser. This hub reviews the top 5 web browsers to help you pick the the browser that will best suit your needs.

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Dorset by Night

 

I wanted to share this beautiful, inspiring video. Incredible footage of the night sky in Dorset. View it on YouTube here.

Hubpages

I’m going to tell you about this writing site called Hubpages. This is a great way for anyone who knows something useful or interesting to make a bit of money online.

What is Hubpages?

Before I start getting into detail, I should explain the basics. Hubpages is a website that basically allows you to publish an article on the site. A hub (their word for article) can be about almost topic you want to write about. You could create a hub explaining how to wire a plug, or how to make carrot cake. You can pretty much write about whatever you want.

You don’t have to be a brilliant writer, though it does help. (It is a writing site after all). That said, some people who are awful writers do quite well. All you need is the ability to say a little bit about something people might want to read.

Can I make money with Hubpages?

Yes, and there are a number of different ways to do it. Possibly the simplest way is to use Google Adsense. After you finish your first hub you can install your Adsense ID and you will begin displaying Google Ads on your hubs. If visitors click on your Google ads, you get 60% of the revenue.

And before you ask, yes: Hubpages is okay with you doing this. Indeed, they encourage you to use AdSense, as well as to sign up for its own ad program, which pays on an impression basis through PayPal.

How to get started

If you are interested in trying out Hubpages for yourself this is how to go about it:

1. Sign up at Hubpages.
2. Create your first hub. This can be a little unnerving the first time you do it. Hubpages forces you to build your hub from “capsules”. Don’t be intimidated, just read the advice they give you and you’ll be fine. Incidentally, I recommend writing your hubs in Word or a similar program. It’s considerably easier.
3. Sign up for a Google AdSense account. For instructions on how to sign up, read this.
4. Add your AdSense Publisher ID to Hubpages. Log in to Hubpages and click on “My Account”, and then “Earnings”. Follow the on-screen instructions from there.
5. Finished. Once your ID is installed, you will make money whenever someone clicks on an ad. Warning: never click on your own ads. Google will definitely catch you and you’ll be banned from the AdSense program. And once you have been banned, it’s very difficult to get approval for a new account.

Success

Keyword research

Most people would say that this is the most important part, and that title of your hub must be based on solid keyword research. If you’re happy to put in the effort, try Google’s Keyword Research tool – throw in some keywords based on your hub’s content and check out the results. Now, I’m lazy, so I don’t really bother with keyword research and yet I still get traffic. So you still have a chance of picking up some visitors on Hubpages, even if you don’t do any research. But the more you plan your keywords, the better you’ll do.

I suggest you try using longer titles. Don’t title your hub “Doors” but something like “How to Build a Door out of Oak”. If in doubt, look at your hub. Imagine you were looking for an article like it on the web. What would you type into Google? Answer that, and you have a title that’ll probably work.

Content

More is more. Try to write about 500 words per hub. And add some pictures. For a start, on Hubpages, a little picture is displayed beside links to hubs. This is the first picture that has been used in that Hub. If you don’t have a picture, links to your hub won’t look so good and probably won’t be clicked. Also, Hubpages ranks hubs higher if they have pictures in them (or other widgets like polls, news etc.)

Links

More page views = more money from ads. Try linking to your hubs from your blog to get some traffic to them. Most traffic will initially come from within Hubpages, so getting some external links is a good idea. Plus, it’ll help improve your Hubs’ Google search rankings. Submitting them to social bookmarking sites such as StumbleUpon is also a great way to get more page views. Organising your Hubs into “Groups” is also advisable. To do this just go to “My Account” -> “Hubs” -> “Groups”.

For some quick tips on starting to earn money from Hubpages, read this article. If you have any questions or feedback, please comment.

There you go. That should be everything you need to know to get started on Hubpages. If you like the sound of it and want to try it for yourself, sign up here.

The Naked Gun 2 and a Half

Quentin Hapsburg: "Any final requests, Lieutenant?"

Lt. Frank Drebin: "Er, yes... Can I have the gun?"

How to Create a Clean and Simple Desktop in Windows 7

If you use your computer a lot, you may find that a cluttered desktop can really start to annoy you. It’s even worse if you have a beautiful background that you can’t see thanks to loads of toolbars and folders. Luckily for us clean-freaks, Windows 7 allows you to make a clean, elegant, and simple desktop, free of all that annoying clutter synonymous with Windows computers.

Cleaning up your desktop is a simple, 2-step process. Read this article, then go to your desktop. I promise, you can have the simplest possible desktop in 2 minutes.

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How to Find Blogs to Follow on Blogger

Unlike Tumblr or WordPress you can’t simply do a search for blogs or blog posts under the category of, say, photography. And the thing is, that’s exactly what you want to do. You want to be able to search for blogs or blog posts related to particular topics so you can read and follow them.

So, since Google won’t let us search Blogger for blogs and posts on differnet topics, how do you find blogs to follow on blogger?

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How to Sign Up for and Use Google AdSense

Before I get into any detail, I’ll quickly explain what Google AdSense is, for those of you who aren’t entirely sure. AdSense is a program from Google which allows you to display ads on your blog or website. Every time someone clicks on one of those adverts, some money is paid to Google by the advertiser. But if the ad is displayed on your site or blog, you’ll be paid a percentage of that money. This makes Google's AdSense program a great way to start making money online.

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The Walking Dead Season 3 - Trailer

The trailer for AMC's "The Walking Dead" Season 3. It actually looks great. I'm especially happy that it looks like this season will focus much more on the dangers posed by other survivors, who are probably a bigger threat than walkers in the long run.

The first episode airs in October. I can't wait.

Best Reviewer - Make Money Listing Things You Like

http://www.squidoo.com/best_reviewer

I'm going to tell you about a site called BestReviewer.com
This is a pretty cool site to try out if you feel like making a little money online.

The basic idea behind the site is to build lists called "tops". These are just lists of things you believe are good. For example: the 5 best phones; the top 7 Twitter accounts; or your top 10 favourite songs. In essence, you list your favourite things. How easy is that?

Okay, I mentioned making money. This is remarkably simple; what you have to do is sign up for a Google Adsense account (which is free), and once you're account is approved, you'll be able to display ads beside your "tops". You can also display Adsense adverts on your blog or website.

To learn more how to set up and use Google AdSense, read this.

And you should; every time someone clicks on one of your adverts, you get a bit of money. What's nice about Best Reviewer is that you get 100% of the money from clicks, whereas most sites pay you roughly half and Google gets the other 50%. Create more tops, and you'll get more traffic. And more traffic means more money to be made from ads. It's not even that difficult; if you care enough to make a list, you can be sure there are people on the web looking for it.

If you want to try it, click here to sign up to Best Reviewer and start making some extra money from listing the things you like.

The Cure for Writer's Block - 750words.com

There’s really nothing worse than writer’s block. Well, there are worse things, but there’s probably nothing quite so frustrating. Unfortunately, the only way to “cure” writer’s block is – funnily enough – to write. But how on Earth do you write when you don’t have anything to write about? It’s a pickle, no doubt about it.

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SEO - Blogger Vs. WordPress

Which is best for SEO and How Does Self-Hosting Fit Into the Equation?

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5 Handy Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows

There are plenty of little tasks you do regularly on the computer and the each take a little time. And when you add them all up, they take up a lot of time indeed. Not to mention the fact that fiddling around with a mouse can be pretty frustrating when you're doing the same thing over and over. To make things easier and quicker, try using these useful keyboard shortcuts.

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Comic Sans and Kardashians

For those of you who use Google Chrome, I have a couple of very clever extensions you might want to download. 

The first is called Comic Sans Surfing. It turns all text on the web into - you guessed it - Comic Sans. This would be quite fun to try out, don't you think? Even better, install it on your friend's computer while they're in the other room, rather being boring and just fraping them.

The second extension is one you might actually want to use all the time. It's called Kardashian Blocker. This one also does pretty much what it says on the tin; it blocks websites which are “known for hiring the Kardashians to sell or market products. It will also block media websites including TMZ and E! for spreading Kardashian friendly propaganda under the disguise of news.” How about having that on your internet, eh?

How to Legally Download YouTube Videos

There are a number of programs and services out there that allow you to download YouTube videos. Not all of them are legal, most of them are complicated and slow. Thankfully, there is a better way.

Steps:

1. If you’re not already using it, download and install the Google Chrome web browser.
2. Visit the Chrome Web Store.
3. Search for: YouTube Downloader: MP3 / HD Video.
4. Click "Add to Chrome."
5. Go to YouTube and watch any video. You’ll notice a download button has been added below the video. Clicking this will allow you to download the the video with various levels of quality and in different formats. The number of options depends on the video; if it only streams in 240p quality, you won’t be able to download it in 360p quality or higher.

N.B. This extension previously allowed users to download the video’s sound as an mp3 file, though Google has now put a stop to this. However, the creator of the extension set up a petition here– which has garnered over 900,000 signatures at the time of writing– and is now meeting Google to discuss the matter.

Google, Let Us Find Blogs. Please.

I'm just going to put it out there that Google really needs to add feature to find posts and blogs hosted on Blogger. Right now, the only ways to search for blogs on specific topics are as follows:

1. To use Tumblr or WordPress to search for specific tags along with Blogger or Google. And then follow the links to blogs. And then copy the URL's to the Reading List. 
2. To search for them using Google itself. As with the previous method, this is a little complicated and clumsy. Say you wanted to find blogs about photography. This is what you'd type: photography site:blogspot.com

And these would be the results:

I should make one thing clear: that's pathetic. Google, you need to do 2 things. The first is to give us a search box that we can use to find posts/blogs from labels and keyword searches. The second, is to stick a follow/unfollow button at the top of every blog (just like Tumblogs) so we can stop messing around with copying and pasting URL's.

Tumblr and WordPress make it easy to search for posts or blogs on any subject you like. The fact that Blogger doesn't is a major failing. I hope this isn't an oversight on Google's part and that they are, in fact, creating a solution. But until one arrives, this great blogging service still has one enormous flaw.

Cutting

The sad thing is, a bunch of people apparently agree with this.

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