To celebrate the release of Adam's Venture: Solomon's Secret I will be giving out a copy of the first episode, The Search for the Lost Garden. To win all you have to do is write a 500+ word essay describing how you think gaming can, or has, improved the world. The subject matter can be broad in scope, not just covering how the story or gameplay influences individuals, but also covering how the technology, laws, corporate environment, and anything else you can think of influences society as a whole. Feel free to include picture or video links to enhance your points.

To enter, email me the essay along with your mailing address to pfrye@icepowered.com . I'll announce the winner in about 2-4 weeks time (aka as soon as I have decent number of entries). I'll also publish the best essays over a period of time.

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"A disturbing poll by the respected Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life reveals that U.S. atheists and agnostics, as well as Jews and Mormons, know more about religion than do most of the strong majority of Americans who are Protestants and Catholics."

Personally, I did not find this surprising at all. Most of the Christians I know are comprised of two extremes: they either hold vague, ill-formed beliefs or they're very knowledgeable about the Bible and religion in general. The former's ideas about religion are rarely on target and most have never bothered to read religious texts.

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The latest political football is whether or not to continue the Bush era tax cats for those making $250k or more. The difference is that federal taxes would go from 35 percent to 39 percent. The argument is that people making such a large amount can afford to give more. Well, I wish it were that simple.

Now some would say that $250,000 is almost reasonable for a personal income. For example, if you live in New York City a typical family would be making something in that range. But someone making $1 million is making a ton no matter where you live, right? Well, that depends...

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I found myself standing outside a Watford multiplex in the midst of spiritual turmoil. It was Hallowe’en 1999, and as a long-term horror movie fan I was itching to buy my ticket for The Blair Witch Project. But I had a problem.

A few years before, I’d become a Christian, and since being ‘born-again’ I’d assumed that horror was one passion I would need to give up. After all, with its supposed glorification of darkness, death and the Devil, horror appears to be the very antithesis of the Christian hope. So, instead, I went to see Bowfinger, a forgettable Eddie Murphy comedy. 

Over a decade later and I’m still a Christ ian. In fact, I’m now an ordained Baptist Minister. I tick the Reverend box on government forms, I preach sermons and carry out weddings and funerals. And yet, something else has changed too: I watch horror movies again. This isn’t some sort of act of defiance against my conscience, but rather a reapp raisal of the genre. It’s a realisation that perhaps the sacred and the scary are not so incompatible after all.

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Space Coast, Florida is home to NASA, the shuttle program, and many of its engineers and scientists. Many of whom received a pink slip this past month. Besides the local economic impact, which will be devestating, I wanted to know what the future of NASA will hold.

"James Hansen, the head of one of President Barack Obama’s NASA labs, came to Canada last week to tell us not to allow a French company called Total to proceed with its Canadian oilsands project.

[ ... ]

NASA used to be about exploring space — that’s what the S stands for. But NASA’s new boss, Charles Bolden, recently told Al Jazeera TV that Obama has given him new marching orders: Inspire children to learn math, expand international relationships. “Perhaps foremost. he wanted me to find a way to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with dominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science, math and engineering.” "

This question was asked of various scientists:  Will the new NASA be more or less likely to front increasingly far flung theories in cosmology?  Once the astronauts and engineers are replaced by - who, exactly? in importance, ... what?

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Books have greatly influenced western culture over thousands of years, most notably starting with the Bible. I was reading a discussion among scientists and I thought I'd list what books they considered to be prominent.

Every educated America has read at least two of those books and likes at least one. In no particular order:

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