One of my new favourite TV shows is BBC4’s It’s Only A Theory, where experts chat about their (often surprising) theories. Presenters Andy Hamilton and Reginald D Hunter, along with a weekly guest, review the theory with a good mix of comedy and honest discussion. It’s a bit like Dave Gorman’s Genius, but with genuine theories, and a bit less silliness. Watching it last night got me thinking about a theory I’d take to the panel (if I were an expert in something – which I’m not)…

The Brain is Not a Computer

I actually think the brain is a computer, if you define “computer” quite broadly as an information processing machine. And if you define “information”, “processing” and “machine” quite broadly too. What I’m actually saying it that the metaphor of the brain being like a desktop computer isn’t a very good one. (more…)

Mos blogs and forums offer a multitude of options for identifying myself when posting online, I can use my profile from Google, Twitter, Wordpress, Facebook and more. Helping to link various interjections together under the online umbrella that is me.

Sometimes, however, I choose to post anonymously. There’s various reasons for this, I’m not the flame warring type, but there are occasions where I want to make a brief point and move on, I’m not always interested in a follow-up conversation.

But in selectively identifying myself, how am I skewing my online identy? If someone  (presumably mentally degraded) were to hunt down and read all my public data, would they get a fair representation of me? Would I want them to?

So here’s my question to you…

To what degree do you control your online identity, and does it reflect who you are?