Peter Wainwright

I'm an applied mathematician by training. For some years now I have been working on biomedical applications of electromagnetics (or, bioelectromagnetics). My professional interests therefore cover electromagnetic field theory, biological heat transfer, and finite element analysis.

In my spare time I do a certain amount of “recreatitional programming”. I'm a strong advocate of free software and of GNU/Linux. I've installed various flavours of this OS (Red Hat, Fedora, SUSE and Ubuntu) on servers, desktops and laptops. I'm presently the maintainer for the GNU debugger, ddd

I live in one of the flatter parts of England. However, in common with my namesake Alfred (no relation) I feel a strong affinity with the beautiful uplands of the north and west, particularly Wales and the Lake District. “mind-chains do not clank where one's next neighbour is the sky” (Hardy, Wessex Heights). In case you've never visited this country, or never made it beyond the M25, I've put a few photos on this page. Occasionally, the sun even shines...

I'm an atheist; When I see the beauty and intricacy of the world, I see something which is complete and perfect in itself. To those who would raise the old “argument from design” I would say, is this not enough?


...Another writer again agreed with all my generalities, but said that as an inveterate skeptic I have closed my mind to the truth. Most notably I have ignored the evidence for an Earth that is six thousand years old. Well, I haven't ignored it; I considered the purported evidence and *then* rejected it. There is a difference, and this is a difference, we might say, between prejudice and postjudice. Prejudice is making a judgment before you have looked at the facts. Postjudice is making a judgment afterwards. Prejudice is terrible, in the sense that you commit injustices and you make serious mistakes. Postjudice is not terrible. You can't be perfect of course; you may make mistakes also. But it is permissible to make a judgment after you have examined the evidence. In some circles it is even encouraged.
- Carl Sagan, The Burden of Skepticism, Skeptical Enquirer, Vol. 12, pg. 46