Northern

A, not too important, minor glitch! I can't seem to sign out CCleaner since the last time I signed in with my username. I can sign out, when I leave he website, but when I return my username is there showing altho' I have not signed in. Any suggestions?

I have a better idea now! It seems I can use either browser or search engine to search the web. Is there any advantage in using one rather than the other?

I didn't say I was "unable to find any explanations on the web". I said I had some difficulty fully understanding the explanations I found! For example mta says a "search- engine lets me find things on the web" but a browser can do the same thing if, for example, one types a name, place name, or subject into the browser Google Chrome. That can be puzzling for the amateur but I have a better understanding of the difference now!

What exactly is the difference between a Browser and a Search Engine? I have looked at explanations on the Net, but I am still having some difficulty grasping the answer!

I thought it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to give an estimate, but I just wanted that confirmed or otherwise. Given the fact the website is not available, at present, what kind of extra information would a layperson be expected to possess?

I am a member of a general science forum (scienceforum.com). The website has been successfully attacked by a hacker(s) in the sense it is not possible, for anyone, to gain access. How long does it normally take to solve this problem? I suppose it can vary, and depends on the expertise of those trying to sort things out, the time they have available, and the ability of the hacker. .

I live in a rural area with a slow broadband speed. I thought this was the factor determining the time it took a PC to power, or boot, up.

Thanks for the replies! I wanted to avoid having to turn the machine off as it takes 2.5 minutes from the time I switch it on until I can access the net. I may switch it off, but will probably put the PC into sleep mode if I leave it unattended.

Can anyone else give an answer?

I simply want to avoid having to turn my PC off when I leave it, and wondered if this was necessary, as I read somewhere the machine is more open to attack, or vulnerable to hackers, if left on while unattended. So is it fine to leave it switched on, better to go into sleep mode, or necessary to switch off?

It takes around 2.5 minutes, for me, to be able to access the net after I turn my computer on. So I tend to leave it switched on even if I am not using it. Does this make a PC more vulnerable to attacks from hackers who may want to gain information or possibly introduce some kind of virus on another machine such as mine?

I have Windows 8.1 and simply want confirmation we have until 1 year from now for a free download.

I thought you might be too young to remember, but I remember being annoyed, with Barry Humphries, because I preferred Sir Les to Dame Edna. Barry definitely had the lecherous Les down as the supporting act.

Are you, by any chance, a relation of Sir Les Patterson the stylish Australian cultural attache?

You are currently the world's number one economic power, but that position may not last much longer, and is certainly not going to be helped by an education system which seems unable to convince significant numbers of its consumers, compared to other developed states, to reject creationism. As for science, of course it is changing as the knowledge base grows exponentially and new discoveries are made. However the way science advances (the scientific method) will basically stay the same. I am still keen to look out for that extra second despite the arguments with several of my fellow intellectuals on this forum!

I have heard about the "theory" of phlogiston. I don't know enough about the history of science to know when the scientific method became the prevailing way of work for the scientific community. I do know the first "scientists" were the alchemists, and one can hardly compare their style of work with modern science which has changed and developed since these early days. I also know it was scientific work which disproved the idea of phlogiston and it is absurd to suggest the flaws which existed, at that time, are still major problems for modern science. It is almost like blaming the engineering industry because cars and trains only came into use a relatively short time ago. I have no idea what you mean by "theoretical constructs". There are only theories, which are backed up by a considerable amount of experimental/observational evidence, and hypotheses which are basically ideas needing much more evidence to be accepted. In science the term "theory" does not have the same meaning as in everyday speech. Last, one of the greatest scientific theories is Einstein's theory of General Relativity, backed up by masses of evidence, but nowhere does science state it is the "truth". Despite having passed every test it still has to be refined as it cannot fully explain events at the sub atomic level. Work will go on to try to mesh Relativity with Quantum Physics. These are the deepest, most profound questions, and can only ever be answered using the methods of modern science.

I live in the UK and I have almost always been an admirer of the USA! I do notice,however, significant numbers, of your countrymen, go even further and don't "trust" the theory of evolution either. And, of course, there are the "conspiracy theorists" who appear to be more common in the States than elsewhere. Mind you, that judgement is pretty much speculation and not very "scientific!"

I am surprised you put inverted commas, or quotation marks, around science! I trust scientists far more than I do those who make judgements, and then draw conclusions, often based on zero observations and consequently little evidence. I would have thought those who work in science generally update, and modify their theories, as new factual discoveries are made rather than twist facts to suit prevailing theories/hypotheses.

Apparently time has long been studied in the fields of science, religion and philosophy. None of the attempts have come close to giving a proper definition, or explanation, of the concept. Maybe I can pretend to be an amateur philosopher by saying I think time does exist and is not simply a product of the human mind/imagination. I do believe science will explain time at some point in time!