Is the Unexamined Friend Not Worth Friending?

About six months ago, I reached the point where the people whom Facebook thought I might know were ones I didn’t. This bothered me then, and still does now.
According to Facebook, I have 369 “friends.” Yes, yes, I know most of these people, but I only really know a handful of them. My overall list [...]

Man School

We’ve had both an electrician and a carpenter working in our home this week; early next week comes the plumber. Both have been very professional; both have known exactly what they’re doing. All we’ve done is try to stay out of their way, which has been as much of a challenge as anything.
Let me make [...]

Five Things of Late

1. I can’t remember where I read it, but I’ve been thinking a lot about the idea that, with the proliferation of so many news/infotainment sites, headlines tend to be more and more alarmist in nature so as to capture (and re-capture) readership. No wonder the world feels like it’s falling apart at such a [...]

Coming to St. Louis

Here are two interesting events coming to town this week and in March:
A Conversation on Denominational Renewal
Tuesday-Thursday, February 26-28, 2008
Memorial Presbyterian Church
“What are our hopes for the church? In one sense, this is a deeply intimate question because it evokes the possibility of both disappointment and delight. And in another sense it is a [...]

Michigan, Smichigan

Yes, I know the Republicans just had their third winner in three primaries and I should probably have thoughts, but I’m a little politicked out. These links seem more interesting:

Here’s 100 Things We Didn’t Know Last Year according to the BBC
I had no clue as to the campaign to Free Vermont as reported in Good [...]

Overheard

One student defending to another why she had “such a stupid song” on her music player:
“It’s an iPod,
not a wePod!”
Ah, the community of technology.

Yes, I Can Hear You Now

Studying here at Kaldi’s in Kirkwood, I find myself sitting next to funny man Eugene Levy (or at least a guy who sure looks and sounds exactly like him). How do I know he sounds like him? Because he’s been talking loudly on his cell phone for the past half hour and driving me crazy.
Rude [...]

Email Not Good for Procrastinators

From the article, “Procrastination: Ten Things to Know,” newly reviewed in Psychology Today:
“Procrastinators actively look for distractions, particularly ones that don’t take a lot of commitment on their part. Checking e-mail is almost perfect for this purpose. They distract themselves as a way of regulating their emotions such as fear of failure.”
I’ll go out on [...]

Appleism

Windows guilt? Steve Jobs as messiah? David Kuo on Beliefnet writes about Appleism – “the religion that is Apple” – and if he’s serious, blows things just a little out of proportion:
“Apple isn’t a cult anymore, it has become a full blown religion with scores of millions of followers. The frenzy around the iPhone brings [...]

iWish

This would be about the only thing that might convince me to carry a cell phone again. Watch the 20-minute guided tour and prepare to be amazed. Whoa.
I don’t want actual phone service – just an iPhone to hold. Anybody planning to get one of these when it comes out on Friday? Can I come [...]

Like a Gun Turned on the World

In case you missed it, PowerPoint just turned twenty years old. Despite (or perhaps because of) its commercial success, I’ve never been a fan. In a nutshell, here’s why:
“Perhaps the most scathing criticism comes from the Yale graphics guru Edward Tufte, who says the software ‘elevates format over content, betraying an attitude of commercialism that [...]

Saving Daylight

I’ll come right out and say it: I’m a fan of Daylight Saving Time. Part of my affinity is simply change (which I usually like); part is that it just makes sense for a lot of reasons, not the least of which that it buys me a little extra time in the morning as my [...]

Links for the Weekend

If all goes well, you probably won’t hear much from me until early next week. Now that my two-week Pastoral Theology intensive ended this morning, I’ve got a couple papers to write, the larger of which is a ten-pager on “whatever aspect of your understanding, personality or character you consider might be most problematic for [...]

Podcasts, Take 2

Over the weekend (which was an interesting one as three of our four girls had high fevers and pink eye), I spent some time figuring out podcasts. After bumbling through the mechanics, I listened to several 7-20 minute podcasts on a range of topics, including three on string theory, one on Piltdown man, one on [...]

Podcasts

Can any of you blogosphere friends leave a comment (with brief descriptions and links) as to your favorite podcasts? Topic does not matter. I’d like to step into this brave new (for me) world without wasting half a day trying to figure out what’s worth listening to. Many thanks.

Bellying Up to the Genius Bar

When we first moved to St. Louis, we were excited about all the city had to offer (see St. Louis links on the sidebar). But, when we found out we were only 12 minutes away from an Apple Store, we were downright giddy (and you’ve not seen giddy until you’ve seen me giddy).
Last night, Megan’s [...]

The Joys of Book Writing

Spent the morning at Kaldi’s Coffeehouse outlining/writing on a new book project, and I have to confess how good it all felt to be working on something longer than a one-page reflection for class or a blog entry for the Internet. The best news is that I think some of what I came up with [...]