If you are really interested in this topic than probably the best place to review the current thinking is: http://www.simulation-argument... .

Personally I don't find it useful to spend much time thinking about it. The idea we are in a simulation is pretty much the same as "everything is a dream." Even if it's true it's untestable with no clear implications for how we relate to the world or make decisions. As William James said, "A difference which makes no difference is no difference at all."

I thought this was a very interesting claim. If it were true, that would seriously challenge many of the sources I trust on this issue. However, the article you link to does NOT say that global ice mass has remained constant, just that the mass in Antarctic has stayed the same. Meanwhile, several other articles on the exact same NASA website address the question of total global ice mass and state things like "the decreases in Arctic sea ice far exceed the increases in Antarctic sea ice. (http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/nasa-study-shows-global-sea-ice-diminishing-despite-antarctic-gains).

When I had to learn it I used "Windows 10: The Missing Manual" by David Pogue and published by O'Reilly (who I work for). I also noticed that several other sites listed it as a top book: http://www.techradar.com/us/ne...

I have to point out that O'Reilly (which I work for) has already made most of our tech books available for free. Students can sign up for online access using our "Safari for Schools" program at https://www.safaribooksonline.... ,