Tunes on the side
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
I added an MP3 player to the sidebar, mainly because I wanted to see how hard or easy it could be. Pretty easy it turns out. I've turned off the autoplay so as to not offend visitors. If you want to hear some of what I'm listening to from time to time, give it whirl. It looks like this (and this one also works). Just press play:
Repenting of religious illiteracy
Monday, May 21, 2007
Religion & Ethics Newsweekly (PBS) included a great segment this week on the sorry state of religious literacy among Americans, featuring Stephen Prothero, the chair of the religion department at Boston University. Prothero advocates adding classes in the Bible and world religions to required public school curriculums. There's also a video segment on the subject via the linked R&EN page.
I agree. I’ve always appreciated the high school elective I took on world religions. It exposed me to a basic understanding of the major world religions (okay, I forgot 70 percent of it) which has served me well into my college education and adulthood. This is something I never would have learned in a church youth group.My brother-in-law actually teaches such a class at a local high school (Go Raiders). And while it is challenging subject matter (and rife with social and political landmines), I applaud his and other teachers' efforts to build wider understanding and trust across faiths in a country where so much misunderstanding and mistrust pervades. It is a noble cause.
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Al Gore’s high electricity bills…
Monday, May 21, 2007
…could have something to do with his Mac rig (pictured). Exhibit A is Al’s three 30-inch displays running in extended desktop mode. For those unfamiliar with the tech underlying this, it requires an additional video card running in the already high end Mac Pro tower computer to provide a total of three DVI ports, plus the three $1,799 30-inch Apple HD Cinema Displays, each with their own power supplies.Sure, it’s a dream rig. But what is it that Al does with all that screen real-estate (90 inches). And how many carbon tradeoffs does he need to neutralize all that energy consumption? Undoubtedly it must have made creating “An Inconvenient Truth” a little more convenient. He’d better not let Tipper catch him playing World of Warcraft on that thing—it is a tax-deductible business expense, after all.
Farewell to Paris
Friday, May 18, 2007
At the risk of losing all credibility, I must confess something. I was a big fan of WB-then-CW show, The Gilmore Girls. I say was, because, as you may know, the series wrapped this last Tuesday. No more speed of light wit, lovably strange Stars Hollow characters or clueless estranged lovers. Luke finally figured it out. Sigh.Joy Press of Salon.com has a great retrospective on the show and what went awry in its most recent seasons. And While I mostly agree that the show changed when Rory went to college, I also think this was when Paris Geller, Rory Gilmore's best friend twice removed, kicked it up a notch. Nobody did ADD, insane genius and charming OCD like Paris. Who could forget her stint as editor of the Yale Daily News as she devolved from tyrannical Ivy League newspaper boss to shell-shocked, shanty dweller heating up a can of pork and beans on a hot plate. She will be missed. We'll be looking for Liza Weil in future films and TV shows. A spin off would be too much to ask--but I would watch it. Here's Paris at her best:
Of course, I now get an hour of my life back each week for more important things--like lawn care and vacuuming.
Beyond your own personal Jesus
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Thoughts on thesis, part 5Posts in a series of commentaries on my thesis project for the Master of Arts in Communication.
My brain has been pretty focused on my Thesis topic as I’m neck deep in research and writing for my prospectus assignment, so please read this post with that in mind.
Scott McKnight has contributed a superb article for Out of Ur called Getting the Gospel Right. He posits that many of the church’s problems stem from a core spiritual problem of how we define the Gospel. McKnight notes the operational definition he found prevalent among youth raised in Christian homes: “Jesus came to die for my sins so I could go to heaven.” In short, it’s all about me. The Gospel is about a personal transaction in a divine economy that revolves around individuals.
In my opinion, such individualistic notions of the Gospel seem to parallel the rise of the consumer culture. The church, perhaps unaware of the influences of commodification, has often been complicit in advancing this rather capitalistic interpretation (how many times in your life have you heard the Gospel defined that way?). McKnight nails it in his understanding of the state of affairs that has resulted: Church attenders are less committed to their local body, churches remain largely segregated by race, interpersonal relationships among Christians mirror those in the culture at large, and most people do not see their interpersonal relationships as part of their spirituality.“How we live reveals the gospel we responded to and the gospel we believe” (McKnight).
Related to my thesis research, McKnight’s observations are consistent with those of communication theorists related to the effect of incessant consumer advertising on society. James D. Halloran described this in his 1963 book, Control or Consent?:
“To consume becomes the main principle of life and there is a tendency for emotions and feelings to become more involved with things (goods) than with people. There is little room for altruism, idealism or unselfishness, and it seems highly probable that this concentration on consumption of material goods will produce attitudes unfavorable to responsibility for others and their needs, a mode of thinking that will habitually suppress large areas of our real relationships (including our dependence on others and a sense of community), and an inward turning on the self, away from matters of dispute and social concern, away from responsibility” (as cited in Howard & Tinkham, 1971).
A closer reading of Halloran would lead one to predict that a transactional, individualized, materialistic Gospel would result in direct negative effects on the fulfillment of the relational and social responsibilities most important to the Christian mission. This mission, in simple form, is defined by Jesus in his response to the Pharisees’ question about the greatest commandment in The Gospel of Matthew (22:37-40, TNIV): “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” It’s obvious that Jesus is calling for an outward orientation—outward toward God and toward others—rather than the myopic inward orientation that both Halloran and McKnight observe.
More on this thread in the future. Check out McKnight’s entire article, and be sure to partake of his uber popular blog, Jesus Creed.
What ice cap?
Friday, May 04, 2007
Well, for anyone still convinced that global warming is a sham, you now have a definitive deadline to look forward to. The arctic ocean, the one at the top of the world, could be free or nearly free of summer ice by 2020. According to the linked article, a new analysis of satellite imagery pegs this much earlier than the computer models had predicted, and holds some ominous consequences for planet Earth. SPF 60 anyone? I, for one, am very excited that Santa’s super secret north pole village will be exposed for all to see.
In the meantime, Steve Jobs has issued another open letter—this time outlining Apple’s plans to become a greener computer company. No doubt in response to environmental criticism leveled at them in recent years (visions of 100 million-plus toxic iPods in our landfills someday), his letter discusses Apple’s current green practices, as well as indicates their green goals going forward. Perhaps now Greenpeace will lift their boycott on granny smiths.Getting scrappy
Friday, May 04, 2007
Wes Thomsen, former bassist for Pegtop and documentary filmmaker, has a wonderful film on the street (I know this post is really late, as this movie came out last year). “Scrapped” is Thomsen’s personal foray into the female-dominated world of scrapbooking. If you have a loved one (like I do) that does the scrapbook thing, and you’re a man, then this film should be required viewing. It’s funny, but very respectful of the hobby at the same time. Check out the trailer:
Also notable, a new Mac-based digital scrapbook package just launched this week: iScrapbook 1.0. It totally integrates with Apple’s iApps, and seems to have many nice features and art. If you’ve ever wanted to generate layouts without having to soil your hands with double stick tape, colored pens and cut lettering, this software is for you! I may give Dawnshelle a run for her money with this thing. Seems easier than doing layouts in Quark and Photoshop.Free your mind
Friday, May 04, 2007
Guy Kawasaki recently posted about Professor Carol Dweck and fixed and growth mindsets—concepts from her recent book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.I’m not usually interested in personal growth and pop psychology, but this caught my attention. The linked diagram is the most interesting personal growth chart I’ve seen in a long time.
It also is an extremely interesting statement on how people may be more predisposed to determinism or free will in their worldview (and theology) based on their overall mindset (see the bottom portion of the chart).