Miracles on the Sabbath (Sometimes what’s missing is just as interesting as what’s there.)

Televangelist Benny Hinn 'slaying in the spirit'.

Jesus was reportedly accused of working miracles on the Sabbath (eg Mark 3:1-6, Luke 13:10-17).

It occurred to me only recently that if someone truly healed someone, on the Sabbath or any other day, wouldn't the natural response be utter astonishment? "He what?"

A couple thoughts:

1. The Pharisees may not have actually seen Jesus do anything, or believed that he did; they heard others talk about it and simply added it to their list of what they didn't like about him.

2. Perhaps miracles (or the reports of miracles) were common enough that Jesus' miracles were believable unseen.

3. Or perhaps the Pharisees treated it much like we treat Benny Hinn - ie, they considered it unpreventable nonsense that deludes people desperate for meaning.

Sometimes what’s missing is just as interesting as what’s there.

With the few minutes I have in the evening, I’m trying to squeeze in The Jesus Discovery: The Resurrection Tomb that Reveals the Birth of Christianity, by James D Tabor and Simcha Jacobovici; I’m reading it for its archaeological insight into first century funerary practices in Jerusalem.

More on that tomorrow.

[2014-03-24]

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What a mess (MS Office on iPads).

What CIOs need to know about Office 365 and Office for iPad >

Google Docs, anyone?

Or OpenOffice >

Or LIbreOffice >  

Free looks even better when paying for it is painful.

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Where am I in the Great Linux Distro Hunt?

Right now, Xubuntu 12.04 KDE desktop.

Right now, Lubuntu 13.10.

I’ve tried about a dozen distros and come full circle to Lubuntu. I really like Xubuntu and Racy Puppy, but Lubuntu is the only environment so far that manages my ancient NVIDIA card.

(My old hardware is giving me a run for my money. Well, actually, a run for my patience, since it’s all free and my goal is to try to make a 10-year-old x86 box with 3 Gb of DDR1 run like Win7 with 6. But that’s what’s fun about it. Dee Dee uses the Win7 box to watch Frozen videos on Youtube.)

[2014-04-02]

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Dee Dee in ballet class and & a few pictures, including a real cutie of Kayla (Mimi).

Mimi looking tylish in Mom's hat

Dee Dee in ballet class on March 27, 2014 and & a few pictures, including a real cutie of Mimi.

Dee Dee 2014-03-27 Ada Ballet “I'm So Glad I'm Me”

Dee Dee 2014-03-27 Ada Ballet Valentines Dance

Dee Dee in her new Hello Kitty clear lens UV protection sun glasses 01

Dee Dee in her new Hello Kitty clear lens UV protection sun glasses 02

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Why porn is like frying bacon.

The recently introduced Oscar Mayer “Wake Up & Smell the Bacon” mobile app is a good example of how computers finally went mainstream and why those who understand the nuts and bolts matter a bit less today than they did a few years ago.

Wake Up To the Smell of Free Bacon Everyday

"This could, quite possibly, be the greatest way to wake up, EVER! Oscar Mayer has created a device that attaches to your iPhone and when paired with the app, you will wake to the smell of frying bacon." Source >

When technology is finally adopted by those who don't need to understand how it works, it becomes no less (or more) indispensable than a toothbrush, microwave, or light bulb.

The adoption of technology goes through stages (I'm sure this has been documented to death somewhere, this is just Clarence thinking out loud)....

1. Introduction

2. Geek adoption

3. Geekdom, wherein geeks run companies and drive development because of their special knowledge (think Gates and Jobs).

4. Mainstream adoption (angry fowl in catapults, frying bacon, porn)

5. Geeks become marginalized and explore new niche technologies.

6. Rinse, repeat once every generation.

[2014-03-07]

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Please don’t misunderstand. I have a passion for computing, but I’m nearly helpless when it comes to cars. I can put gas in it and change the oil filter and that’s about it. Dad did most of his own maintenance; most guys his age do and have been since they were kids.

Cars are more dependable now and most drivers don’t ever lift the hood or know what goes on underneath.

Some folks feel that way about computers, too.

And sometimes I eat bacon.

[2014-03-24]

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It’s at times like this I wonder if this is all there is.

I recently heard a Greg Allen report on NPR in which Warren Buffett was saying he'd load up on foreclosed houses if he could solve the logistics of selling them.

Without even a hint at human suffering, the story went on to observe that a lot of folks who were forced out by foreclosure are now renting and will be buying again soon.

It’s at times like this I’m tempted to believe Carl Sagan was right when he said (and Neil deGrasse Tyson repeated), “The cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be."

We eat our own.

[2014-03-10]

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When I’m utterly overwhelmed by injustice, ignorance, intolerance, or folks that just plain want to make sure I understand my relative importance, I remind myself that tomorrow I will feel a bit better, and the day after that better still.

It’s at times like this that I think it’s too bad I can’t tell myself “they’re wrong,” and feel better immediately.

[2014-03-17]

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