Articles written by Dave Simmons

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About me - Dave Simmons

35, born in Doncaster, England, haven't died yet. Very tall, to the point where I annoy people if I'm anywhere near the front at a rock concert. Recently moved to the US to be with my wife, and my other love of my life, my cats.

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Hobbies & Games > Hobbies & Games (Other) Are board games or video games more entertaining?: 2 of 32
This really is a rather vague comparison, like apples and oranges, or perhaps like asking 'Which is more entertaining, television or radio?'.Both have their strong sides, and both really rather depend on which specific game you're looking at. Comparing an MMORPG like World of Warcraft to Snakes and Ladders wouldn't really be ... More..
Computers & Technology > Internet Trends The best free Internet game sites: 1 of 15
There's quite a few websites about nowadays with half a dozen games on, and not much else. There's also quite a few with hidden costs, where you need to pay to access some features. Some are fairly reasonable, like www.pogo.com, which charges a nominal annual fee for full access to all its games, and has dozens of games which... More..
Arts & Humanities > Fantasy & Science Fiction Harry Potter: To trust Snape or not?: 1 of 13
It's very easy to consider Snape an untrustworthy character; Rowling spends an awful lot of time through the series setting him up as a very unlikeable character. He's unpleasant to the hero, play favourites, is unpleasant to look at, and has, to say the least, a very chequered past. Indeed, in most of the books, if villainy ... More..
Arts & Humanities > Fantasy & Science Fiction The most famous science fiction characters: 2 of 19
I'll be trying very hard to veer away from Space Opera in this article, as opposed to actual science fiction; Star Wars, as an example, is no doubt extremely famous, but to me, it fails to really challenge perception in the way good science fiction should. You could easily replace the setting with, say, medieval Japan, and ke... More..
Entertainment > Movie Analysis Movie analysis: How is the Lord of the Rings an allegory?: 1 of 9
There's a pretty simple answer to this, but it doesn't make for a very long article: How is the Lord of the Rings an allegory?It isn't.Let's start again here, by looking at what an allegory is. According to Merriam Webster, an allegory is "the expression by means of symbolic fictional figures and actions of truths or generali... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Christian Beliefs & Culture Do you believe in miracles?: 1 of 8
I don't believe in miracles, but I'd better be clear on what I consider a miracle. According to Mirriam-Webster, a miracle is defined as "an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs". And there's the problem right there, the D-word.For something to be a bona-fide miracle, it would have to be divine... More..
Arts & Humanities > Fantasy & Science Fiction Suggested readings in science fiction: 3 of 21
I could recommend science fiction books until the cows come home, so for reasons of brevity, I'm going to quickly suggest ten novels no-one should go through life without reading at least once. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury - A glimpse of a possible future where the very act of owning a book has been made illegal. Gripping,... More..
Creative Writing > Short Stories Short stories: Science fiction: 43 of 291
Just my Luck(Originally a runner up in SFX magazine's Pulp Idol competition)Norman Wakefield was not having a good day. But then, as far as Norman was concerned, very few days were good days. The world was rarely well disposed towards him, which was odd, because he wasn't the sort of person who would go out of his way to make... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Christianity (Other) Was there a worldwide flood?: 1 of 6
This is one of those subjects that always dismays me. Not so much because they believe in the Flood, but that they believe in the flood so thoroughly, despite all the evidence to show that this is not the case.Before I start, the only other article on here talks about the geological evidence that there was a flood. At worst, ... More..
Entertainment > TV Show Reviews Television reviews: Doctor Who: 3 of 17
There was a bit of a brouhaha last year when the Guinness Book of Records announced that the longest running science fiction TV series had been awarded to Stargate: SG-1. The record was 203 episodes, beating the previous holder (the X-files) by just one episode.That is, until fans from around the world pointed out that there ... More..