Certainly the physical forms are distinct entities, but consciousness is a product of divisible, finite stored information and divisible neuronic systems for responding to stimuli. A sufficiently advanced computer that is capable of storing this information, and perfectly simulating both the stimuli and the responses…

Rupert Grint, obviously.

I've heard Conservatives refer to 'the party of William Pitt'* unironically, so I guess it extends at least as far as the 18th century.

So if all it takes is a Senate majority to remove filibusters from the rule-book, why do they still exist for appointments? Is it a quid pro quo thing or just respect for tradition?

In my understanding of the episode, Brooker clearly takes the view that a perfect copy of your consciousness is just as much 'you' as the original version. You seem to be taking the (as far as I can tell, unjustified) hard-line view that because that consciousness's form and information is stored in a computer that…

"Your plan to destroy the universe, or whatever, offends me both as an Ancient One and as a woman, Dormmmammaumu! Get a load of these!"

Out of interest, how do you think a screenwriter should go about highlighting femaleness ?

He's a man of contradictions, while at the same time being a man of no contradictions. (Is codictions a word?)

Huh, I'd never heard that one before. Given the inflation in value of, say, the dollar over a much shorter time frame, its actually quite impressive that pi has only grown by 0.14… in several thousand years.

Fair enough. I will tentatively accept the concept of pie until more definitive research can be done on the matter.

Sorry, I think I got a bit confused here. Your original post where you say "I'm going to be charitable and assume that the comic is going for the LOLZ… " and mention "cultural insensitivity" made me think that you would have viewed a similar comic making actual criticism of Christian beliefs through humour as being…

There's a huge difference between targeted mockery of someone's beliefs for no other reason than to rile or belittle them and general public mockery of an idea that you find ridiculous. Just because you respect a certain concept doesn't require others to do so. It seems to me that to demand sensitivity towards every…

A nice mirroring of the time when an unposted letter from the Queen, calling Lennon a 'jakey twat', was found in the sleeve of one of her Sex Pistols records.

Yes, it's very neat the way that everyone who acts immorally can be easily filed away under the term 'sociopath' or the like. The world is so much simpler when you think about it in terms of categories. More fun, too.

I'm pretty sure AT&T also own those giant, rickety cow-tank things for attacking Hoth.

Just for the record: It doesn't make much sense to call the UK a founding member of the EU, as the then European Communities were founded by France, West Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium, Italy and The Netherlands. It's also untrue that the UK was exempt from free movement of labour. (it was exempt from passportless…

Nah, you're thinking of Slightly- ITV.

I've always found Quite- ITV to be a tad watered down compared to Very- ITV, though.

It's meant to be a pretty faithful adaption I think.

Finished Slaughterhouse 5. Powerful and sort of grimly amusing, I think Vonnegut made the right decision in keeping it short. Keeps hitting that whimsy into tragedy button until it sort of deadens you. So it goes.
I also read The Duel by Joseph Conrad, which was not what I was expecting after Heart of Darkness. A…