Kill Your TV - save your soul

What happened to VR? This makes my interaction with the internet look really boring...

So Neo... I mean, Keanu... I mean, Johnny saves the world from the oppressive destruction of humanity created by capitalism married with technology... Wait, that is Neo? no... He's fighting robots... no that's Keanu... No, Keanu is a robot... (check him out in Much Ado About Nothing or Brahm Stoker's Dracula... or don't.)

At any cost, the advancement of technology has often pushed man to question his connection to humanity, civility, to spirituality. There is a general sense of loss of that which is human, right, or righteous. And they aren't wrong.

Hero or Little-man Syndrome?

If you know much about the American Revolution then you have definitely
 heard the words of Thomas Paine. "These are the times that try men's souls." or "What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value." You may not know that Paine was not only a voice for the American Revolution but also the French Revolution and also a voice to condemn the Catholic Church and religion in general. It seems Paine had a knack to be on the side of whomever was picking a fight... does that make him a hero of just a guy with little-man syndrome?

Who is John Gault?

Atlas Shrugged is a classic engaging and LONG treatise on the virtue of selfishness. While that may sound like an opposite to most people's moral view of how life is supposed to be the happy reader will find it a valuable reiteration of the economic principles of life spawned by Adam Smith. (I've heard it said that there is no humbler name than John Smith - but Adam Smith has to come somewhere near that, right? I mean, Right?)

Reflections

So, This is for you two, Professor Gideon Burton and Professor Daniel Zappala.

Am I learning what I was meant to be learning? Well, that's a tough question for me. Harder perhaps than a recommend interview (just a second Prez, I need to look into the black hole and see if there's at least a night light in there before I answer this one...).

Fire and Algorithms: The Power of God?

Thou shalt - Thou shalt not. The scriptures are replete with God's Algorithms for our lives. Yet the Algorithm is largely unwritten (kinda like Open Source software that has only been sketched out). What? I'll explain.

Eyes bigger than my stomach

So I like food - Who doesn't? (actually... I can think of a few...) But that's not really what this is about.

I have a big appetite for accomplishment and/or achievement. I want everything and I want to do it all on my own. But what I know that I really need is groups that can help me get there. I find this a difficult element. Is it my pride (I'm moving next week and I still can't get my self to call and ask for help - hey, EQ Pres.)? Is it that no-one wants to give up their time for someone who has little to give back (so, when I'm at the top I'll try to get your name right)? Or is it that I just am bad at finding the right people?

Basically, I need your help.

I'm learning how to CONNECT with others!

This weekends Lab assignment asked us to learn a new "thing" on the computer and to teach it to each other and then blog about what we learned. We lost one of our group members in the fierce competition of the blogging jungle and therefore my learned concept is based in digital connection or specifically in Cloud Computing. I was directed to the land of YouTube where I discovered that Cloud computing has nothing to do with the weather forecast. (Ignore the links to Justin Bieber videos - I really don't know how they got there... He's just so small and talented!) I also Found this thorough blog on the subject What Cloud Computing Really Means. Most people have at least heard of Google Docs.... but there are many other simple-to-use programs out there...

Luther and the Reformation

We often talk about the difficulty in progressing the reformation. The opposition new ideas faced and the opposition those with the new ideas faced. But we seldom talk about how difficult it was (for those making the reformation happen) to decide to actually DO IT. Luther, a film made in 2003 starring Joseph Fiennes, chronicles the life of Martin Luther and does an excellent job my father-in-law thinks it was too "theatrical") of displaying the internal struggle Luther went through in bringing about his act of schism and reformation. The internal struggle is where the real fight is located. Are we willing to fight that battle ourselves?