text:
The New Media Frontier
- John Mark Reynolds and Roger Overton Editors, Authors
- 2008 23 Oct
EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is an excerpt fromThe New Media Frontier: Blogging, Vlogging, and Podcasting by John Mark Reynolds and Roger Overton, eds. (Crossway).
The New Media: First Thoughts
John Mark Reynolds
What Is the New Media Revolution? Is it Just Hype?
The world of communication is changing quickly. Nobody disputes that. When I started graduate school in the late eighties, I was still using a Commodore 64 with 32K of usable memory. While my students point out that this simply means I am old, it also demonstrates that just twenty-five years ago education was very different from what it is today.
Not much e-mail existed back in the late eighties. By the early nineties e-mail had produced the friendship that would lead to my founding the Torrey Honors Institute at Biola University.
Not much information was easily available online. I taught an early introduction to philosophy on Q-Link, which used the massive installed base of Commodore computers to form an early network. A good class might include as many as ten or eleven students. This network (but sadly not the class!) evolved into America Online (AOL). Online philosophy is now extensive, and the dialogue is vast.
Not much Greek text was available in my field of ancient philosophy outside of expensive books. Now I use Perseus to research text every week for free.
Of course, the changes due to new media are not limited to philosophy, a field hardly at the cutting edge of technology. Some of these changes are not earth-shattering but still make life more pleasant. My computer just informed me of the weather forecast for tomorrow through a pop-up window, and the days of waiting in agony for Packer scores is over.
There are two reactions to this kind of change. The first is to dismiss it as unimportant, and the second is to proclaim that it is the beginning of a new age. The dismissive attitude always sounds wiser, while the optimist sounds as if he is trying to sell something.
The problem for the new media pessimist is that he is probably complaining about the new media from his Internet-based journal or on a television show that will be aired on the Net within minutes of his appearance. If he is giving a lecture on the unimportance of the new media revolution, clips from his talk can (and often will) be posted while he is speaking.
Information is so easy to get that anyone under forty is frustrated when it takes more than a few minutes to discover even a relatively obscure fact. When my wife claimed Gwyneth Paltrow was less than forty years of age, I could confirm the claim after the movie using my cell phone and the Internet. That is trivial, but it was not so trivial when I could easily compare local banks' home appraisals while talking to them on the phone.
This change in the availability of information and the ease of communication is real. In fact, it is so pervasive and has so quickly replaced the world that came before it that it is easy to forget how massive a change it is. The information and communication revolution is changing everything, from how one lives daily life to how one writes an airport novel.
Don't believe me? Watch reruns of detective shows from before the eighties (pre-cellular phones), and notice how many plot points would be ruined if the detective or victim had access to a cell phone.
Imagine a world where a few reporters can kill a story that does not fit their definition of news and where it is relatively easy for "stars" and personalities to massage their image.
Now recall that Dan Rather could report a story in 2004 about President Bush, but citizens of the new media, many with expertise that CBS did not have, were able to expose the documents that were the basis of the Rather report as almost certain forgeries.
Get used to citizens with video cameras so cheap and small that opposition candidates can afford to shadow their opponents with devices to catch them in a career-ending gaffe like the infamous "macaca" incident that helped end George Allen's political career.
Hugh Hewitt, professor, lawyer, and talk radio star, wrote a book in 2006 whose title sums up the case for the optimists: Blog: Understanding the Information Reformation That's Changing Your World.
Hewitt focused on the web log (or blog for short), a kind of online journal that anyone can set up for free. He was right to do so since the rise of the blog meant that any person could set up his own opinion journal with theoretic access to millions. Of course, most blogs are not worth reading, but many provide up-to-the-second eyewitness testimony about the conduct of war, Christian apologetics, and informed pastoral reflections. In the 2008 presidential elections, both parties, but especially the Democrats, found themselves forced to deal with the power of the "net roots."
Of course, the new media are not limited to printed text. Ask the music industry, which is still trying to come to terms with the digital revolution. In the Torrey class of 2008, few if any students had purchased any music anyplace other than from their computers.
My students spend more time on YouTube than with the dying "major" networks. Consumers can easily become producers in this environment. One of my former students, Josh Sikora, creates high-demand content for YouTube from his modest apartment that can compete online with George Lucas.
The revolution is here, and it is real, but what does it mean? What will the implications be for Christendom and for the church? Philosophers like to ask big questions. We also like to make sense of changes and suggest what these changes mean. At this stage of the development of new media, all thinking must be a sort of playful philosophizing because the change is so new and so little hard research has been done. But it is my belief that while technology changes, the essence of men does not. The past can be of some help in speculating about what the future may hold, and even speculation might help start the discussion that this topic needs within Christendom.
What Do We Mean by New Media?
You can know something without defining it. I know that my old vinyl Amy Grant album is not part of the new media revolution but that my Badly Drawn Boy download for my iPod is. My new Madden 2008 Wii game is new media, but the Sorry board game we just played is not.
Definitions can help us think about a thing with more precision. "The new media revolution" is a catchphrase, perhaps a dated one, but it is the best available. It covers a wide range of activities from my ten-year-old playing Runescape to my sixteen-year-old listening to Fred Sanders's lecture on the Trinity online.
Let me propose a definition of new media that will capture video games, downloaded music, and TiVo.
New media: any material presented to a person in a digital format that can be cheaply and easily accessed, distributed, stored in a variety of ways, manipulated, and consumed by an average person.
New media are digital.
New media are cheap.
New media are easy to access.
New media are almost too easily distributed and are easy to store.
New media can be transformed by the "consumer." In fact, the new media allow any consumer to quickly become a producer.
It will someday be possible for consumers to easily manipulate their favorite "shows." Imagine the ability (if you dare) to create new episodes of long-dead TVLand staples such as Green Acres or Star Trek. There will be no reason for a virtual William Shatner to ever stop "playing" Captain Kirk as fans manipulate his image and voice to produce new episodes of Star Trek featuring his character.
These are trivial (and even somewhat frightening!) examples, but the same power will allow the creation of new drama, music, and art forms that cannot even be imagined today. Most of it will be of poor quality (of course, most of the old media was of poor quality too), but nearly universal opportunity to produce will lead to greater chances for greatness.
This much we know. The old media produced My Mother the Car and gave a variety show to Sonny and Cher. Broader access seems unlikely to do much worse in entertainment.
For the serious-minded the new media revolution is a paradise. Cut from the need to produce a mass audience, it is now possible to "publish" as much as one wants on Shakespeare or even Sheldon Vanauken. My piano-playing fifteen-year-old daughter downloads reams of sheet music every week that would have been unavailable to her before the new media revolution. The sounds coming from her analog piano are made richer by the digital revolution.
The ability to "transform" new media content has come with a radical lowering of costs in producing high-quality materials compared to the past.
When I went to high school, the school sent home dittos made on ancient mimeograph machines. These dittos were painstakingly produced by secretaries creating stencils on manual or primitive electric typewriters. The stencils were placed on drums of ink that whirled out copies that were often smudged and hard to read. But since the stencils were hard to make and the job was a daily one, a certain amount of errors were tolerated. This is no longer the case. The reports from my children's school are stunningly professional compared to the old dittos.
New media are radically democratic, at least for now.
The Long Tension between Live and Preserved Performances
The new media are very important to Western culture because they promise to correct an imbalance between "live" and "preserved" performance. Early in human history almost all performance was live. A performance is live if you experience it while it is being produced, and in ancient times that was the way most people experienced music, storytelling, and education. If you wanted to hear music, you needed a musician. If you wanted to hear a good lecture on a topic, then you needed an expert present to give it.
The "old media" revolution changed this situation. With the rise of writing, painting, and other means of storing "performance" for later consumption, people were able (in some manner) to experience performances without being at the original performance. You did not need a rhapsode to recite the Iliad once Homer's work was written down in order to hear the poem. If you could read, then Homer could travel with you everywhere, as one copy of The Iliad did with Alexander the Great.
I love theater, and I love film. One art form is live, and the second is (mostly) preserved. Of course, theater might use some "preserved performance" (if it uses pre-recorded sound effects), and film has a live audience interacting with what is happening on the screen. Still, it is safe to say that theater is mostly live and film is mostly preserved performance.
But the example of theater and film also demonstrates the obvious truth that for some time in the West live performance has been declining relative to preserved performance. The situation from ancient times is reversed. Most of us hear almost all our music in a preserved form while hearing very little live. Many of us get most of our information from books and programs that preserve the information distribution of others.
There are advantages to both live and preserved performances. If this is so, then a loss of either would be harmful to society. It is my contention that the new media will correct the favoring of the preserved performance at the expense of the live. Old media was about preservation. The new media favor something very much like incarnation.
It is easy to forget that there are disadvantages to preserved performance. Even old technology, like this very book, has downsides for a culture or an individual. A seminal attack on preserved performance was written by the philosopher Plato who worried that philosophy in books lost something when compared to philosophy learned live in the marketplace with a teacher such as his own beloved Socrates. Plato said:
"Take a man who thinks that a written discourse on any subject can only be a great amusement, that no discourse worth serious attention has ever been written in verse or prose, and that those that are recited in public without questioning and explanation, in the matter of the poets, are given only in order to produce conviction. He believes that at their very best these can only serve as reminders to those who already know.
And he also thinks that only what is said for the sake of understanding and learning, what is truly written in the soul concerning what is just, noble, and good can be clear, perfect, and worth serious attention: Such discourses he may have discovered already within himself and then its sons and brothers who may have grown naturally in other souls insofar as these are worthy; to the rest he turns his back. Such a man, Phaedrus, would be just what you and I both would pray to become." 4
Plato's Problem with Preserved Performance
What is Plato arguing in this passage? It is very odd that a literary genius writing one of the greatest books, Phaedrus, would attack books in his book.
There is a silly opinion about Plato among artists, poets, and communicators that he didn't like art, poetry, and communication.5 Plato worried about preserved discourse but went ahead creating it. He warned about the abuse of texts while creating them. One way he guarded against the dangers of static discourse was to write in the dialogue format. By building his conversations around conversations, Plato intentionally invited the reader to challenge his opinions. He tried to invite the reader into an active conversation with himself by paradoxes and puzzles.
Something more subtle than a rejection of preserved text is at play in Phaedrus. Plato is attacking written communication to argue that something is being lost when you preserve a performance.
First, preserved performance is static. It cannot change to suit the needs of the audience.
As a member of the audience, my interaction with a theater performance can change the play. A "hot audience" makes a play better, and a "cold audience" can do the reverse. Different responses draw attention to different aspects of the play often unseen by cast and crew.
Any actor knows this is the case. I once performed in a play held during a blizzard. Almost nobody showed up, and all the energy was drained from the cast or at least from me. It was the hardest performance of my life since getting three people to laugh is basically impossible, and when they do, solitary laughter in a great space is hard to tell from mockery.
Community is formed between actor and audience in live theater, music, or any other artistic performance. The audience is part of the event.
On the other hand, if I go to a film, whatever my response, the film just keeps rolling. I might be able to impact the viewing pleasure of fellow audience members but not the performers. Recently my wife and I had the misfortune of seeing a film in a theater full of junior high students. They ruined our evening, but they did not change the film. The actors and the production were not impacted by them. This is an important difference between the community formed between actor and audience in theater and the more distant relationship between film actor and filmgoer.
The community of audience and performers in a live performance is something that should not be missed, but our culture is making it ever easier to miss it. Music, for example, is now rarely experienced live, and this cheats us out of a deep musical experience that cannot be duplicated with even a perfect sound system.
When I married my classically trained musician wife, I thought the invention of the compact disc utterly exciting. With proper investment in a sound system, we could experience a performance of any composer—say, Bach—better than that heard in all but the finest concert halls. In my ignorance, musical paradise would dawn: the disc would never wear out, and we could purchase a "perfect" performance and repeat it whenever we wanted. Someday computers would execute the score perfectly, obviating the need for human musicians entirely.
It did not take long for my wife to demonstrate my folly. There is no such thing as a perfect performance of Bach. A score is not like a set of program instructions to be executed by the mechanical musician but a guide to be interpreted by the artist. One does not have to fall into postmodernism to say that authorial intent is not all there is inside a performance.
Most importantly, any canned music misses the interaction of the audience and performers. The response of the audience is not a distraction from hearing the music but is part of the concert. While a rude audience may ruin a concert by coughing or a ringing cell phone, a lively and well-informed audience helps create a unique experience for everyone in attendance.
Plato could point to a more serious problem: the fixity of the music is unfair to the musician. The musician cannot change the tone or color of the music to make it appropriate to her audience. The musician might wish to make her music fit my mood, but she cannot if it is recorded. Her interpretation of a piece might be cheerful when my mood is morose, but the musician cannot minister to my needs because she is caught in one musical mood eternally.
Even more potentially deadly to society is the fact that once fixed it is difficult for the author or artist to monitor the distribution of a performance (including books). This problem must be separated from any issues of government censorship. Whatever the means used to prevent it, most people understand that it is bad news when some people can access certain information.
A preserved performance is passive and waiting to be misused. The author can do little to prevent such a misuse.
Live discourse can be modified for the audience. An adult can change the topic when he sees a child walking into the room. A teacher can leave out key material in a lecture if she suspects that it might be misused by a student in the class. Meanwhile, the manual sits waiting for the terrorist to find information on weapons of mass destruction, and inappropriate entertainment waits for children to find it. There is no way for a book to monitor who picks it up.
A preserved text or performance simply cannot defend itself from misinterpretation or from vandalism. A lunatic attacked Michelangelo's stunning statue, David, in 1991 and chipped off part of a toe on the left foot. Michelangelo preserved his beautiful vision in a statue and placed it in public. With the glorious good came the opportunity for a great crime against art to be perpetrated by a madman.
Public displays of beauty allow for public profanation. The simple lunatic can become a blasphemer against art and beauty. Even worse is the simpleton who misunderstands the message of the preserved art, so powerful that it commands his attention. In this way, the beauty of the Bible can motivate horrific behavior when the simple-minded misunderstand its message. The powerful work of the artist goes out so that those who have ears to hear can blaspheme the message ignorantly and inappropriately.
Books Can Be Good: The Benefits of Preserved Discourse
I am writing a book chapter about the dangers of writing a book chapter. Obviously I think the risk is worthwhile. The vast benefits of preserved discourse to society far outweigh the liabilities. This is why, despite the problems, nobody is going to quit painting, writing poetry, publishing scientific articles, or sculpting.
The very permanence of preserved discourse allows an argument or community to build knowledge over time. Science would be impossible without preserved speech. Each generation can build on the discoveries of the last. This is also true in theology and art. Old heresies need not be fought in every generation if one attends to the old, preserved arguments. Beauty from one generation can grace the lives of succeeding generations.
Preservation allows original arguments to be extended. There is no need to begin each conversation at the very beginning, though one can if it is helpful. Preservation allows the teacher or student to begin where he or she wishes to begin.
The ability to preserve ideas and art allows a community to create amazing works that are greater (potentially) than the sum of their parts. A film is not just one preserved act of creation but the accumulated contributions of many people. Any Hollywood movie must accumulate small preserved actions in order to create the greater whole. A newspaper is another example of preserved work composed of many smaller parts. The whole paper can be greater than the sum of its parts.
In fact, in the light of these terrific benefits, it is easy to forget the limitations of reserved media. Preserved discourse tempts humankind to avoid community and become isolated from other living humans. The pasty pale academic with no social skills is an obvious example of this problem. Many of my students shun concerts and live in a world defined by the space between their iPod ear buds.
The Printing Press Tipped the Scale: The Implications of the Triumph of Preserved Media
For most of Western history, there was a place for both preserved and live encounters with ideas. Most music was heard live, and a lecture was a cheaper way to mass distribute ideas than costly hand-copied books. Isolation necessitated cultural ignorance.
Gutenberg changed all of that. The ability to produce books cheaply tipped the scale in favor of preserved media. Each technological advance, up to the creation of the personal computer, seemed to exacerbate this imbalance.
While the "new" technology allowed for cheaper end products (books and eventually records), producing and especially distributing them were still fairly expensive. Production and distribution came to be concentrated in the hands of a relatively small number of people. Access to certain ideas was much easier (a good thing), but the decision of which ideas or works of art would be preserved or distributed was in the hands of a few.
When books were hand-copied, anybody could produce a book if they had the time. There were fewer books, but there was bias toward copying only the best works. The slow distribution of books allowed for regional cultures to survive and even thrive. Folk ideas could survive in such a society. A local monastery with one copy of a regional book was not flooded by "imported" books.
When books were reproduced on expensive printing presses, there was a tendency toward uniformity. People could own more books, but they tended to be the same books as everyone else in their language group. Ancient libraries would often contain eccentric tomes (even the sole copies of an entire work), but the modern educated person's collection soon became much like his neighbor's.
There was a slow rise in power of the national over the local. This had many positive benefits, as anyone who has ever grown up in an inbred community knows, but something was lost as well. The regional or local can often serve as a breeding ground for new ideas. It can also serve as a conservative redoubt against a national madness such as fascism. Only a Germany where strong regional and local ties had been severely compromised could fall prey to a lunatic idea such as National Socialism.
In Christendom the authority of the university or seminary became dominant over the experiences of the local teacher or parish priest. The Grimm brothers gathered folk tales and preserved them for the future, but the very publication of their work tended to standardize the tales. In the age of Disney, there is no use asking what the children's tales of West Virginia are because they are the same as those of Los Angeles or New York City.
Slowly there developed an aristocracy of information and performance that began to stamp out competition. The local community theater could not compete with Hollywood. Even national filmmaking could not compete with the massive power of talent concentrated in Los Angeles making expensive films. The local paper could not easily compete with the national news service. Small regional colleges struggled to compete with giant state universities.
Homogeneity in speech and acceptable opinions resulted. Even regional accents could not survive the advent of television and movies, which tended to standardize speech patterns. Powerful media figures could marginalize or promote figures. Billy Graham could be puffed by William Hearst, developing an international ministry partially at the expense of regional ministries.
The dominance of preserved discourse eventually led to mass "orthodoxies." It was hard for small movements to compete with the power of those who had means to dominate a region with their preferred preserved discourse. Since power tended to be concentrated at national levels, bizarre and dangerous ideologies (such as Stalinism) could thrive by monopolizing the means of distribution of preserved discourse. A region could be neighbors with utterly different ideologies with little fear of "contamination" from the other ideas.
Even in Western nations that valued liberty and multiple opinions, expense in the production and distribution of preserved dialogue limited discourse. Options were criminally few in Stalin's Russia but, while crucially better, were still not broad by new media standards in Franklin Roosevelt's America. Fortunately, both World War II and the Cold War marked the triumph of more liberal societies over the possibility of an entire Western World held in thrall to one cruel ideology, whether fascism or communism.
Where there was a consensus about knowledge, stunning good and little harm was done by this situation. In engineering and the sciences, the vast wealth of the twentieth century was unlocked through the standardization and regularization of scientific methods and language.
It was also easy to develop a canon of "greats" in the arts and literature that did much to raise the tone of society. Shakespeare, the Book of Common Prayer, and the King James Bible could be read universally in the English-speaking world. This helped create a common cultural and linguistic framework that unified people groups in the Anglo-sphere.
There was remarkable growth in those areas best served by "preserved discourse" (science, "high" arts), but at a cost to those areas that need some "live" discourse such as the humanities. Folk art finds it difficult to flourish when it is forced into immediate competition with the establishment.
Christians Need Live and Preserved Performance
Christians do not choose between live and preserved discourse. One is not good and the other bad. Folk religions might denigrate the religion of books, but Christians do not. Some modern hedonists might want to cocoon away from the culture, but no Christians can and be true to the Faith.
Christians are inherently part of a community of believers, the gathering of his visible body on earth. This living body of Christ cannot be preserved in stone or writing but must be experienced in his church. If some Christians are called to a hermitage, they are the exception to emphasize the rule. As Hebrews 10:24–25 commands: "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."
The importance of living experience does not mean that Christians are hostile to preserved discourse. After all, Christians are also people of the Book, the Creeds, and centuries of literature, art, and music. Christians live together in a community informed by the preserved goodness, truth, and beauty of the past or other communities.
Because of this balance, Christian orthodoxy cannot survive without both the life of the Spirit and the Word. An overemphasis on texts and dogmas made possible by the rise of "old media" allowed the easy spread of "orthodox" teachings (at first a seeming advantage) but also made difficult any authentic community life within those teachings.
By and large, those parts of the church based on personal experience began to suffer while "preserved" things prospered.
Even the so-called individualism of the modern church is not. Tales of conversion are published and religious experiences compared. This tempts churches and individuals to aspire to a standardized "personal" relationship with Jesus Christ. The advent of mass-marketed Christian books and other preserved media limited diversity.
Christian commitments to both "live" and "preserved" culture made it hard for the church to thrive in a culture that came to be overwhelmingly centered in "preserved" discourse. People spent far more time in front of their televisions or other forms of preserved discourse than in interacting with other humans. They did not just forsake the assembling of the brethren but nearly every other assembly.
Implications as Live, or Almost Live, Discourse Is Revived
New media will rectify this old imbalance. They will empower live, or almost live, discourse. Why? New media put a premium on the reaction and creation of content and not just consumption. Due to the ease of production, they allow and even encourage conversations and not just presentations. This might seem counterintuitive since much of the media appear on screens, like much of the old media, but the ease of creating one's own content allows for immediate reaction to anything printed on the Internet.
As a result, new media encourage "conversations," whether on blogs or Facebook pages. If I like your web page, game, or blog, then I can recommend it quickly on my web page or blog. If I disagree with what you say, write, or produce, then I can review it quickly. After attending a local play, I am able to write a review that night that will be read by hundreds the following week. Someone who disagrees with my criticism of the play could respond just as easily. The comment sections of many blogs allow this to be done right on the original site.
These virtual conversations can lead to real conversations. People have bodies, and their physicality is an important part of who they are. As a result, the best and truest conversations will always be face-to-face. This book (an old media presentation on new media!) is the result of a group of new media writers (bloggers) who started meeting at a Godblog Convention for the past three years. These "live" meetings were invaluable, and we decided to preserve some of our conversations.
The reason for not merely preserving our thoughts in the new media (our blogs, podcasts, videos) points to the difference between old and new media. New media are vast and tend to be ephemeral. It is easy to create content, but the very ease weakens the demand for high quality, at least at this stage of the development of new media.
Books are, for the moment, more "serious" ventures. More time is spent on them since (unlike most new media) consumers will pay for the contents. As a result, there was still a role for "old media" in discussing the impact and future of "new media."
This book has probably already stimulated questions and disagreements in the minds of the reader. He may have underlined or written passionate marginalia disagreeing or agreeing with some points we are making. This marks a limitation to old media. If this book were online, the marginalia could be read by everyone who reads the main content. The reader could immediately ask the authors questions.
Unlike old media which were passive and required great effort to start a conversation, new media are preserved discourse that invite further conversation. In this way they are "preserved" discourse more like a Platonic dialogue than an Aristotelian thesis. Plato wrote in dialogues to provoke further dialogue. Aristotle wrote in arguments to transmit what he thought was knowledge to students. Since every web browser contains the ability to blog about any item viewed on the Web, Internet-based digital media in particular carry a Platonic invitation to challenge on every screen.
It is so easy to respond to the new media, to create, to modify, and to transform, that passivity is discouraged.
A good example is the web log or blog. Blogging is permanent but only to a point. The best blogs are sometimes worth keeping, but only if one kept the best of all the other blogs to which they respond. A blog is a living book.
New technology soon will allow for living film, art, and music. If a viewer does not like the ending of a new media "movie," he will be able to change it and post his new edit as a competitor. This discourse was impossible in the old theater system.
Particularly in the humanities and the arts, the new media will revolutionize those disciplines. They will be able to escape their science envy, the endless production of useless journal articles, in order to create human things.
Other areas that have flourished through the old media will not be harmed by the changes. They will continue to utilize the more hierarchical structures of old media appropriate to them. This includes fields such as the hard sciences and formal theology. These disciplines will be improved by new media by being exposed to lay criticism that can prevent "group think" from developing.
We can anticipate a decrease in respect for arguments based solely on positions of cultural authority but a simultaneous premium on trustworthy information sources. A professor can be criticized by a learned amateur and cannot escape that scrutiny by hiding behind his credentials in the new media world. People are going to be able to evaluate arguments by direct comparison. On the other hand, if the professor knows her stuff, she will soon be able to demonstrate it and has nothing to fear from comparison. Once she becomes a trusted information source, she will be a powerful player in the new media revolution.
Individuals will be their own brand instead of merely living off the reputations of the institutions that may pay their salaries.
The New Media Represent a Neo-Platonic Revolution
What will be the result of this revolution on education? We can anticipate educators shifting even more quickly from providing information (now easily available to anyone who wants it) to facilitating human development.
The kind of education that Plato encourages in his dialogues will flourish in this environment. Asking good questions will be paramount in the age of ever more sophisticated search engines. Learning to flourish as a human being will still require a teacher meeting with students. Humans have skin on and so will always learn how to be good humans best from other humans "live."
While there will always be an elite (at the very least based on intelligence), the new media do present opportunities for the rest of us to share some of their power. At least for the immediate future, many more people have access to means of global communication than ever before in history. As long as liberty prevails, a chance for more entrepreneurial activity in information distribution will exist.
The changing technology will also create new elites. This is true because some old institutions (such as universities) will not adapt quickly enough to the new way of doing things. Any institution that depends on a monopoly of information is doomed.
The new media will give power to people who lead with their whole souls within a community context. There will be no way to assert authority that is not historic or earned by excellence. The leader will have to be a servant of the servants of God. Churches and other institutions with power will not be able to bury or hide problems.
These are changing times, and it is sometimes fearful to live in such times. Fortunately, the church and Christendom survived many changes in the past. We have plenty of role models for courageously dealing with massive culture shifts.
The great Florentine poet Dante lived in times of even greater cultural change. Italy, the Empire, and the church were changing rapidly due to new ideas. Dante is a worthy guide to adapting the ancient message of the gospel to new times without trivializing it. He was part of a communication shift greater than that from old media to new as Dante wrote in Italian instead of the traditional Latin of the educated class. His use of vulgar language was never vulgar but united the vulgar and the aristocrat in admiration for his Comedy.
Dante demonstrated the power of Christendom to integrate ideas. His masterwork explored science, theology, philosophy, and poetry and was great art. He put it all together for his readers, bewildered by changing times.
Christianity retains the ability to unite the disparate elements of human culture. In a world where information overload may threaten to drown coherence in a sea of detail, the continued ability to integrate all parts of life into a worthy vessel will attract many to Christendom.
The good news is that for any group, propaganda will be harder to foist off on readers or viewers. Most people will have easy access to information from all points of view. Ideologies that depend on narrow outlooks and protection from dissent will wither. There will be an opportunity for open systems that can integrate without tyrannizing over the human mind.
Traditional Christianity is well suited for such a climate.
In the new media future it will be far harder to box off religion (or irreligion!) from the rest of life. Critics will be impossible to ignore, and any topic will be fair game. This can only strengthen the church. Basic understanding of apologetics will no longer be for a few but necessary for all Christians. If a group is willing to be modest about its claims and can defend the claims it makes, this will be a great environment for it.
More fringe groups like the Mormons will be able to survive only if they adopt defensible doctrinal positions. While new media make it possible for ideologically plausible groups to survive, even as tiny minorities, they make it harder for ideologically sketchy groups to flourish. Small religious groups will be able to publish but not to hide from scorching criticism.
The new technology also will revive the lure of the small town so loved by Burke and Tolkien.6 The new media will allow small communities to be as in touch with the "great cultural conversation" as big cities. They will be able to compete more easily with those great centers as the cost of the creation and distribution of ideas continues to plummet.
Because traditional Christians must by nature embrace living and orthodox faith, they are uniquely placed to benefit from both live and preserved performances.
What Should Be Done?
It might seem obvious, but the religion of the Incarnation cannot stop at blogging. God is not our "Facebook" friend. He is a person, and he has chosen in his sovereignty to reach out to humankind. For all the benefits of new media, we are not yet in paradise. With great good will come great evil. Old institutions will be shaken, and much that has been taken for granted for hundreds of years will change. How should the Christian react?
"Be not afraid!" John Paul the Great would say.
Too much Christian discussion about the new media concentrates on what is wrong with them. It is true that new media have allowed bad ideas to find an audience and easier access to terrible things. Such a concentration on evil runs the risk of missing what the Holy Spirit is doing in new media. Charles Williams warns that fixating on the Devil's work often leads to acting like devils. Liberty is truth's best friend, while attempting to protect the truth out of fear often does more harm than good.
Christians should err on the side of liberty and embrace dialogue. Closed communities, such as Christian universities with strong statements of faith, allow for a home base where ideas can be safely generated, but Christians must move outside of those groups to broader communities. The new media provide an excellent opportunity to do so. I have been able to watch the reaction to my apologetic arguments on hostile web sites and tune them to make them more effective. I have had errors corrected and have learned from loving my ideological enemies enough to listen to them.
Christendom needs preserved discourse within a living community.
For the Christian, our motive must always be based in love. Love can be hinted at in books and art but can only be experienced between living beings. The best of Christian new media, like the best of old media, will move men to their own quest for God, powered by a love that drives us beyond words to a Word so true, beautiful, and good that it can only be lived and not spoken.
High phantasy lost power and here broke off
Yet, as a wheel moves smoothly, free from jars,
My will and my desire were turned by love,
The love that moves the sun and the other stars. - Paradise, XXXIII, 42.


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http://mmajunkie.com Takedown artists Nik Lentz (20-3-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) and Waylon Lowe (10-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) are the latest additions to UFC Fight Night 24.
The lightweights meet on the event's preliminary card, according to sources close to the event who today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that bout agreements are in place. MMADiehards.com first reported the matchup.
UFC Fight Night 24 takes place March 26 at KeyArena in Seattle and airs live on Spike TV.
A light-heavyweight tilt between Tito Ortiz and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira headlines the 12-deep card.
Lentz most recently took on Tyson Griffin this past November at UFC 123 and earned an upset split-decision win over the lightweight standout. It was Lentz's fourth victory inside the octagon.
Still, the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy product has received stern criticism for a perceived "lay-and-pray" approach to fighting. Prior to the Griffin victory, Lentz met Andre Winner at UFC 118 and took the British fighter down at will in a one-sided (and less-than-explosive) affair. The fight aired live on Spike TV as part of a free "UFC Prelims" special for the Aug. 28 event and drew a series-low 1.1 million viewers.
Lowe, meanwhile, earned a second consecutive win this past month with a decision over Brazilian Willamy Freire in his most recent appearance at "UFC Fight Night 23: UFC Fights for the Troops 2." Much like Lentz, he dominated the fight on the mat, and despite running low on gas in later rounds, he managed to minimize Freire's striking.
Prior to the January fight, Lowe earned a split-decision win over Steve Lopez at UFC 119, which reversed a body-shot KO he suffered against Melvin Guillard in his octagon debut this past May at UFC 114.
The latest UFC Fight Night 24 card now includes:
- Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Tito Ortiz
- Dan Hardy vs. Anthony Johnson
- Duane "Bang" Ludwig vs. Amir Sadollah
- Leonard Garcia vs. Nam Phan
PRELIMINARY CARD (un-aired)
- Alex Caceres vs. Mackens Semerzier
- Jon Madsen vs. Mike Russow
- John Hathaway vs. Kris McCray
- Michael McDonald vs. Nick Pace
- Sean McCorkle vs. Christian Morecraft
- Mario Miranda vs. Aaron Simpson
- Dennis Hallman vs. T.J. Waldburger
- Nik Lentz vs. Waylon Lowe*
* – Not officially announced
For more on UFC Fight Night 24, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.
(Pictured: Nik Lentz)

subset: commoncrawl


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This sponsored post includes companies who have paid to have their job listings advertised on our job board
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Patriots cuts finalized: Hoyer, Branch, Koppen released
The New England Patriots have completed their roster reductions in order to get to the NFL-mandated 53-man roster limit, releasing backup quarterback Brian Hoyer and veteran wide receiver Deion Branch in the process.
The team also placed newly acquired RB Jeff Demps on injured reserve, shelving the Olympic silver medalist at least for the time being.
Hoyer had been considered Tom Brady's primary backup and key trade bait before today's news.
Branch was the MVP of Super Bowl XXXIX for the Patriots, before making an out route to the Seattle Seahawks in a trade for a 2007 first round draft pick. He returned to the Patriots in 2010 as part of a trade that sent the Seahawks a fourth rounder. He caught 51 passes last season for 702 yards and five touchdowns, and was widely considered to have held onto a roster spot after the team released receivers Jabar Gaffney and Donte' Stallworth, both of whom the team had signed in the offseason.
"Truly thankful for all the support from everybody," Branch tweeted. "I love you guys."
Also released were center Dan Koppen, DB Derrick Martin, LB Aaron Lavarias, OL Darrion Weems, WR Jesse Holley, DB Malcolm Williams, DL Marcus Harrison, WR Kerry Taylor, FB Eric Kettani, OL Derek Dennis, LB Jeff Tarpinian, OL Jeremiah Warren, WR Jeremy Ebert, OL Dustin Waldron, TE Tyler Urban, LB Niko Koutouvides, OL Matt Kopa, TE Alex Silvestro and safeties Sergio Brown and James Ihedigbo.
"Thank you to the organization and fans of New England it's been fun," Dennis wrote via Twitter.
Koppen, a veteran of nine NFL seasons, missed all but one game last season after suffering an ankle injury against the Miami Dolphins in Week 1. He re-signed in the offseason to a 2-year deal worth $6 million with the intention to battle with Dan Connolly to be the team's starting center. He struggled throughout training camp as the Patriots cycled through a number of interior lineman to use in his place.
Ihedigbo, who was re-signed by the Patriots just before training camp began in late July and is a native of Massachusetts. He started at safety for the team in the Super Bowl. In 12 starts last season and 16 games played, Ihedigbo tallied 69 tackles as one of the team's healthy contributors in a banged up secondary.
Brown, a third-year pro out of Notre Dame, started three games for the Patriots last season.
- 1:12 p.m. -- Brian Hoyer has been released.
- 1:12 p.m. -- The Patriots released safety James Ihedigbo.
- 1:14 p.m. -- Dan Koppen has been released.
- 1:28 p.m. -- Deion Branch has been released.
- 1:58 p.m. -- Derrick Martin has been released
- 2:14 p.m. -- Aaron Lavarias released.
- 4:44 p.m. -- Sergio Brown released.
- 5:58 p.m. -- Matt Kopa released.
- 6:14 p.m. -- Eric Kettani released, according to NFL.com.
- 6:35 p.m. -- Darrion Weems and Alex Silvestro have been released.
- 6:50 p.m. -- Derek Dennis tweeted that he was done with the Patriots. "Thank you to the organization and fans of New England it's been fun!!"
- 7:20 p.m. -- Jeff Tarpinian has been released, according to a report.
- 7:32 p.m. -- Jeremiah Warren has been released, according to a report.
- 7:43 p.m. -- Jeremy Ebert has been released, according to a report.
- 9:16 p.m. -- Tyler Urban has been released.
- 9:24 p.m. -- The Patriots announced the full list of 22 players cut from its roster while placing RB Jeff Demps on injured reserve.
For more details and the latest on the Patriots, check the Extra Points blog.
The main contributors to The Buzz are:
- Steve Silva, Boston.com senior sports producer
- Gary Dzen, Boston.com senior sports producer
- Zuri Berry, Boston.com sports producer


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Van Cleef & Arpels had been making sumptuous bejeweled watches since the 1920s, but it was not until 1935 that the Maison created the model which would define the marriage between beauty and functionality: the Cadenas® watch. The cadenas, or "lock" in French, is a strong symbol of union and alliance between two families or two individuals. Legend has it that the Duke or Duchess of Windsor originally suggested this concept for the watch. Since then, it has been a permanent feature in our timepiece collections.
Cadenas™ watch purchased by the Duke of Windsor retail card, 1937, Van Cleef & Arpels' Archives
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In the early 20th century, it was considered inelegant for a woman to look at the time in public or to even wear a watch. The Cadenas watch was invented to remedy this situation. In all appearances an exquisite bracelet, the Cadenas™ watch contained a dial which only its wearer could see.
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text:
With the drone era upon us—drones flying through US airspace, no less—securing these pilotless aircraft is of the utmost importance because of the threat an errant vehicle could pose to civilians. But in answering a dare from the Department of Homeland Security, a team of researchers from the University of Texas proved that a government drone could be hijacked with a GPS spoofing device made for less than $1000.
According to Fox News, the researchers were able to hijack the drone and set it on a path of destruction (without actually destroying anything, mind you), buy analyzing the GPS signal the drone was locked in on, then sending a stronger signal for it to pick up on.
Initially, his signal matches that of the GPS system so the drone thinks nothing is amiss. That's when he attacks — sending his own commands to the onboard computer, putting the drone at his beck and call.
Obviously, it's not like anyone can do this. But the thought that a group of people with the proper collection of brains and resources could launch missiles from a drone (or turn a drone itself into a weapon) is a scary thought. [Fox News via Reuters]
Image via AP


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Disney expo to tease Marvel, 'Star Wars' projects
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Will the Force be with Disney fans this weekend?
The Walt Disney Co. is cracking open the vault, rolling out the red carpet and pulling back the curtain for more than 45,000 expected fans at this weekend's D23 Expo, a three-day celebration of all things Disney.
The extravaganza across the street from Disneyland at the Anaheim Convention Center will include special musical performances, presentations and previews of upcoming projects.
However, a possible peak at what's to come from the "Star Wars" galaxy could steal the show. Disney bought George Lucas' Lucasfilm empire last year for $4.06 billion and plans to unleash a new "Star Wars" trilogy and two spin-off films beginning in 2015 with "Star Wars: Episode VII," which is being directed by J.J. Abrams and written by Michael Arndt.
Among the live-action films expected to be teased during a Saturday presentation are "Thor: The Dark World," "Captain America: Winter Solider," "Saving Mr. Banks" and "Tomorrowland." There might also be glimpses at "Maleficent," which stars Angelina Jolie as the "Sleeping Beauty" baddie, and new intergalactic and superheroic exploits from Marvel.
On the animation front, the studio will showcase Walt Disney Animation Studios' computer-generated adventure "Frozen" and Pixar's prehistoric comedy "The Good Dinosaur" during a Friday presentation, as well as the "Finding Nemo" sequel "Finding Dory," the manga-style Marvel adaptation "Big Hero 6" and the new Mickey Mouse short film "Get a Horse!"
Patterned after San Diego's wildly successful Comic-Con, the biannual D23 Expo, which Disney launched in 2009, isn't just about movies. On the show floor, attendees can snap up exclusive merchandise, trade collectible pins and meet stars from Disney Channel properties like "Teen Beach Movie" and "Sofia the First." There will also be presentations about Disney history, theme park attractions and video games.
"I can't wait to see the look on the crowd's face when we show them what we've got to show them," said "Disney Infinity" executive producer John Vignocchi, who will be presenting the upcoming Disney game that combines a virtual world with figurines of popular Disney characters. "Their reaction will make all the hard work worth it."
The event could also offer an update on "Avatar" land at Disney's Animal Kingdom theme park in Orlando, Fla. The company announced in 2011 that it had struck a deal with filmmaker James Cameron to build attractions based on the top grossing film of all time, which is set on the lush alien world of Pandora. He's currently working on three sequels to "Avatar."
Online: http://d23.com/d23-expo.
Follow AP Entertainment Writer Derrik J. Lang on Twitter at @derrikjlang.


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Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to speak to Bill C-50 on behalf of the official opposition and more particularly, on behalf of the official opposition critic for veterans affairs, the member for Souris—Moose Mountain.
After what the minister said, I am overwhelmed on behalf of the widows across Canada who will not be receiving the same life benefits as other widows. There is an overwhelming sense of betrayal. The widows who will be without benefits have the same grief that the widows of Corporal Beerenfenger and Sargeant Short feel today. There is no difference, but because of a decision, which can be changed, those women will be left out in the cold.
There was opposition to Bill C-50, even though by all accounts it appeared that the bill was going to further the cause of all veterans and widows.
Cliff Chadderton, chairman of the National Council of Veterans Associations, had concerns and wrote to the media. He talked about being scheduled for laser surgery on one eye and being unavailable for comment. Nevertheless, he stated that he was surprised to see comments in the National Post by the Minister of Veterans Affairs.
Mr. Chadderton had written to the minister on at least three occasions about the matter and never received a reply and now he knows why. He said that he would be bringing up the matter at the annual meeting of the NCVA but there was no indication that the government would be doing anything. At the last meeting they had specifically asked that the top brackets of widows be covered even though the funds were scarce. He said that other veterans organizations made comments to the effect that they would like to see all types of widows covered.
As far as Mr. Chadderton and his researchers are concerned, they stand by the comments in the letter to the minister of October 23, 2003 and the release of that date. He feels that it is up to the minister to give him specific replies. He certainly was not satisfied to hear the minister say that he was disappointed that Mr. Chadderton should ask for his resignation, bearing in mind that the minister has given no indication that anything will be done despite a promise from the Prime Minister.
We were hoping to be able to speak of a victory today. Our critic for veterans affairs would have been so pleased to share the happiness with the thousands of military widows who have been patiently waiting for the changes that are part of this legislation. Year after year the member for Souris—Moose Mountain has pursued the goal of equality. That is what it is about, equality. It is about equality for military widows.
This year my caucus colleague set November 11 as the special target date for achieving this goal. The Speaker knows there is a great likelihood that the House will rise on November 7, prior to November 11. This causes great concern for all of us in the House that any changes will be made to ensure that the benefits go to all of the widows.
I have to wonder whether the command from the prime minister in waiting that no more funds be allocated is a stall until he rises to the throne. Could it be that his new caucus is trying to create the illusion that he will be the great saviour of these widows, or is it just simply that they are waiting for more widows to pass away and never be able to receive the benefits that are rightly theirs?
We on this side of the House feel that these widows and dependants of deceased veterans have waited long enough for equality of treatment.
For these individuals, Remembrance Day will take on a new meaning. They will not have a grateful nation recognizing their sacrifice and that of their families in the service of their country.
The official opposition will continue to press for the changes outlined in respect of benefits for veterans and the children of deceased veterans.
Actions to be taken or that have been taken since the minister's May 12 announcement include the extension of health programs for veterans on a disability pension. This will provide veteran independence program recipients the health care benefits to overseas service veterans at home when they are waiting for a priority access bed in a long term care facility. However it provides nothing for the widows whose husbands passed away prior to May 12.
The legislation would provide long term care and health care benefits to allied veterans with 10 years post-war residence in Canada but it provides nothing for the widows whose spouses died prior to May of this year.
The bill would extend, from one year to a lifetime, the period of VIP benefits that cover the costs of housekeeping and ground maintenance, and would be given to widows after the death of their spouses or partners who were veterans and receiving such benefits. However it provides nothing for the other widows whose spouses died prior to May.
It is with hesitation, particularly because of who the bill was intended to help, but it is with a sense of urgency that I would like to be acting on these matters. The aging population of our veterans, their widows and dependants means that they will not benefit from the changes being announced in Bill C-50. Remembrance Day this year will be a yearly reminder that not only have they lost a loved one but their government was not prepared to act in a timely fashion. They will remember that the government turned its back on them this November 11.
I know our critic, the member for Souris—Moose Mountain, received over 1,000 letters from widows, including letters from constituents in my riding, who wanted to be able to thank the minister for going forward with those benefits. Why has the federal government not had a change of heart in all these years?
After years of lobbying for the changes outlined in Bill C-50, what gave the final push on this? I have no hesitation whatsoever saying that it was the hard work of the official opposition critic for Veterans Affairs, who brought this issue to the forefront in the first place.
I have never been one to believe in coincidences. Canadians cannot help but wonder about the timing. It just happens that passage of the bill would coincide with the deaths of Sergeant Short and Corporal Beerenfenger in an Iltis jeep in Afghanistan. If some good could have come from this tragic loss of life, it would have been to honour veterans' widows and make the announcement today that all widows will receive the lifetime benefits. Corporal Beerenfenger and Sergeant Short would have been heroes a hundred times over, more than they already are.
If the minister had announced that all widows would receive these benefits, perhaps I would have tempered my cynicism and that of many Canadians who have come to expect a government that can never be counted on to do the right thing unless someone else, either the media or the official opposition, pushes it in the right direction.
When the government does act it is by some half measure, as we have heard today, that is more designed to silence its critics than to actually solve a problem. This brings me to the issue of the thousands of widows who are excluded from the VIP benefits.
As recently as yesterday, the chairman of the National Council of Veterans Associations called for the resignation of the Minister of Veterans Affairs for not responding to their specific concern about the shortcomings in the legislation. Today I too must call for the minister's resignation. This is betrayal of the worst kind.
It is our desire that the issues raised by the National Council of Veterans Associations in Canada, in a letter to the minister dated October 23, 2003, will be dealt with in a timely fashion and that in the future there will be no confusion on behalf of the 23,000, more or less, widows whose spouses died prior to the May date. I hope these points will be clarified in writing, not this wishy-washy doublespeak that we are getting here in the House today.
As the member for Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke, it is my pleasure to represent the women and men in the Canadian Forces who are based at CFB Petawawa.
Many individuals who experience the lifestyle in the upper Ottawa valley, choose to retire here. As a consequence, a significant number of retired military personnel now call Renfrew county home. Many military widows and their dependants in my riding follow this issue of equality of treatment with individual interest. Today I dearly would have liked to have shared in the joy that should have been forthcoming. Sons, daughters, brothers and sisters all write and phone in on behalf of the widows.
I know the opposition is united across the benches on this side of the House and will continue to force the issue on behalf of the widows until we all share in the joy and stand up and congratulate whoever the minister is at that time.


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Apple panic: Down 6%, falls below $400April 17, 2013: 4:32 PM ET
Move over Bitcoins and gold, Apple (AAPL) is the latest investment to succumb to panic selling.
Shares of Apple plunged as much as 6% Wednesday afternoon and hit a new 52-week low of $398.11 in the process. Shares recovered a bit as the day wore on and closed just under the $403 mark. But Apple's stock is now down almost 25% this year and is more than 40% below the all-time high it hit just last September.
Apple has been a hated stock all year, but why did it completely fall apart on Wednesday? The catalyst appears to be a weak sales outlook from chip company Cirrus Logic after the closing bell Tuesday. Cirrus is a key supplier to Apple. Its audio chips are used in the latest iterations of the iPhone and iPad mini. Shares of Cirrus (CRUS) plunged nearly 14% on the news.
So is the bear run in Apple finally nearing an end stage? Apple's earnings don't come out until April 23. So we may not know the answer until then. But traders on StockTwits had plenty to say about the iPhlop.
$AAPL it's like they already reported and missed, announced no cash plans and have no new products. The prophecy has become reality.
It seems safe to say that investors now have extremely low expectations for Apple when it reports results. Wall Street's consensus earnings estimate for Apple three months ago was for a profit of $11.86 a share. The current estimate is now $10.13. That's a nearly 15% drop.
As for that $137 billion in cash ... a number that could very well exceed $150 billion once Apple reports next week ... maybe CEO Tim Cook will throw a bone to angry shareholders and boost Apple's dividend. But as Fortune's Apple blogger Phillip Elmer-DeWitt points out, the dividend yield has already been rising sharply. Of course, it's for the wrong reasons. Investors don't like to see a higher yield just because the denominator in the equation (the stock price) is going down.
One trader joked that Apple would be better off as a boring company as opposed to a leader in the dynamic, but volatile, world of consumer tech.
If only $AAPL would spin off their steel and coal mining business and start selling beverages without growing....
Ha! Not so sure about the steel and coal. But Coca-Cola (KO) has definitely been a much better stock than Apple lately even though its fundamentals are hardly exciting.
Other investors noted that Apple may finally have tougher competition in the smartphone business. Two formerly left for dead hardware companies have made a bit of a comeback lately.
$AAPL: $NOK & $BBRY are still green...take your pick...$NOK ER tomorrow!
$AAPL get out now and buy BBRY...that's what all the Big Boys are doing.
Nokia (NOK) has won praise from some for its new line of Lumia phones that run on Microsoft's (MSFT) mobile operating system. But let's be honest here. Nokia is no Apple. Analysts are still predicting a big drop in sales and a quarterly loss. As for BlackBerry? There have been conflicting reports about how well the company's new Z10 smartphone has been selling. The jury is still out on BlackBerry (BBRY).
But Apple does have two legitimately formidable opponents: Samsung and Google (GOOG). The Galaxy S4, which runs on Google' s Android operating system, seems to be the cool kid phone of the moment.
Still, there were a few (but not many) Apple fans sticking with the stock.
$AAPL this might be your lows bulls.
Wow, just wow. Really can't fathom WTF is going on with $AAPL that is causing this stock to be valued so low. Nothing legitimate anyway.
It is astonishing. Apple now trades for just 9 times earnings estimates. And here's the really crazy thing. Microsoft and Intel (INTC) have pulled back lately because investors are worried that people are no longer buying as many HP (HPQ) and Dell (DELL) computers. The future is in tablets. So how does Apple not benefit from that?
But it's hard to fight momentum. And one trader brought up another downtrodden stock .. which also has an Apple connection.
Ouch. To be fair to Apple, it's not losing money and needing to raise cash like J.C. Penney (JCP). But now that the whole CEO thing didn't work out, maybe Ron Johnson can come back and save Apple? Or not.


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I have been the Finds Liaison Officer for Northamptonshire since October 2008, and trying to give an account of what it is like to be an FLO, and the challenges, joys and bizarre incidents I have encountered over the last (almost) 4years in a one day diary post is impossible.
I am hosted in Northants County Council by the Archive and Heritage Service. This team includes the HER (Historic Environment Record) and the Record Office, who are generally archivists, and so although I am part of a team which curates and maintains the Historic resources of the county, I am very much alone in what I do. I handle, research and record archaeological artefacts discovered by members of the public. Being the only FLO in what is a relatively small county in the Midlands (when compared to my colleagues in Kent, Essex and the North) has its challenges and rewards like any other job.
Despite meaning to engineer my diary so that I had something interesting to report on for today, my diary is actually relatively quiet compared to other days where I do Finds Surgeries in museums and Council Offices across the county. Finds Surgeries allow members of the public to meet me and bring me artefacts they have discovered, and want me to identify and record for them. 90% of these surgeries are used by metal detectorists, who deliberately search fields with the intention of discovering archaeological artefacts. The majority of whom do their own research and have a good understanding of what they have found, bringing them to me for the purposes of recording them for archaeological knowledge and research, rather than for ID alone. But of that remaining 10% I am often delighted by the range of artefacts discovered accidentally by people digging their garden, or walking across the countryside, and who are genuinely amazed by what they have found. A case in point is PAS database record NARC-894AF2, found by a young lady when digging a rockery in her back garden and whose father very sheepishly brought it in to me at a Finds Surgery in Daventry, hoping he wasn't embarrassing himself by bringing me a rock! In fact what he had brought me was a genuine Acheulian hand axe, dating to the Lower paeleolithic era and adding to our scant knowledge of Palaeolithic Northants. Yes, that was in 2009, so maybe I am cheating by mentioning it here – but it gives you the perfect case in point – you never know what is coming through the door in this job!
In an age when few museums have archaeological curators on staff to advise people on their finds, the FLO in most counties tend to be the first port of call for people with questions about archaeological artefacts and treasure. These questions range from wondering about a date and meaning of Willow pattern pottery in their back garden, to showing me flints found in the garden, driveway or field wondering if they are worked and of importance (very rarely the case, but it isn't impossible and I'd always rather people double checked than didn't try at all!), to large collections of metal detected artefacts from people who have detected for a long period of time and want to record them with the PAS. In between those categories are the metal detectorists who visit me every month to record their previous months finds, and we have a regular turn over of artefacts.
This type of collection is one which I am working my way through now. It has a range of pottery, Roman coins, medieval pennies and some post-medieval finds which I will not record but will offer the finder an ID for them by writing on the bag ("Georian fob" and the like). Each object is in a bag with the findspot location written on it, which is ideal. This collection is a accurate representation of the general finds from most fields. People get very excited over Treasure cases, and the discovery of a treasure case is sometimes the only press metal detecting and PAS gets. The reality is much less headline grabbing, but much more archaeologically significant.
After I have battled my way through that small collection, I have these large boxes of pottery to wade through from a field walker in Geddington which will probably, for the sake of time and my sanity, end up as a bulk report for the HER rather than an individual record for each sherd on the PAS database.
After that, I have approximately 25 emails to reply to, mostly from people wanting to know where to meet me so I can see their objects, or wanting to know how I am getting on with their objects and when can they have them back (I try for a 2 month turn around, but the more finds that come in, the harder this self-imposed deadline gets).
Then will be preparation for Monday's Finds Research Group (FRG) meeting. I was asked to be on the FRG committee as a representative of the Post-Medieval period by the late, great Geoff Egan,who is still sorely missed. Post-Med to modern finds are often disregarded by archaeologists, and by my work with the FRG and Post-Med Arch I am trying to increase the realisation among the archaeological community that they are a valuable resource which will be lost to future generations if we don't stop disregarding them now. I hope I can do Geoff proud on this! 🙂
It would be remiss of me to mention what I do in a day without mentioning the time I spend on Twitter, which in some jobs would be labelled as time wasting! But as an archaeologist – in addition to finding out all about what Stephen Fry and John Prescott are up to on a daily basis during my coffee breaks – I have found it a massively valuable resource in finding out about research projects and exhibitions which I would have no idea about otherwise. Social media is here to stay and should be used as a resource by everyone to communicate events and ideas. And judging by the really interesting post already up there from #dayofarch, many people are coming around to that.


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This is a beta plugin that might one day be part of the WordPress core. Please don't use this on production websites unless you're happy with the stability as some things may still be experimental.
Using technology at night time can have a negative effect on your eyesight. Dark Mode will darken the colours of your admin dashboard making it easier for you to work at night.
For information on the progress of this plugin, please refer to the Trac ticket or you can get involved on the GitHub repository.
How to use?
After activating the plugin, you need to go to the profile edit page from admin backend.
You can see a Darkmode titled checkbox field.
You need to check the field and save the settings.
There are many hooks and filters available within the Dark Mode plugin which allow you to extend it's capabilities with small amounts of code. Please see the GitHub wiki pages for more information.
To learn how you can make your own plugins compatible with Dark Mode, please read the compatibility guide located on the GitHub Repository.
If you would like to contribute to the development of this plugin, please read contributing.md
Whilst Dark Mode has been translated into a few different languages already, we need your help! If you have just five minutes to spare, please consider translating Dark Mode into your language today.
Automatic Dark Mode
Automatic Dark Mode was removed from the plugin in version 2.0 but don't worry, it's still available on GitHub for those that want it back.
Privacy Policy
Dark Mode uses Appsero SDK to collect some telemetry data upon user's confirmation. This helps us to troubleshoot problems faster & make product improvements.
Appsero SDK does not gather any data by default. The SDK only starts gathering basic telemetry data when a user allows it via the admin notice. We collect the data to ensure a great user experience for all our users.
Integrating Appsero SDK DOES NOT IMMEDIATELY start gathering data, without confirmation from users in any case.
Learn more about how Appsero collects and uses this data.
- Upload the plugin package to the plugins directory.
- Login to the dashboard and activate the plugin.
- Go to your profile and enable Dark Mode.
What does this plugin do?
By default, WordPress has a very bright colour scheme which means working at night time can be difficult. Dark Mode allows you to change the overall design to a much darker and subtle design making it more visually pleasing when working late.
Does this support multi sites?
Yes, the network administration areas have been styled accordingly to ensure a smooth, darker interface across your WordPress experience.
Can I set it to come on automatically?
Having Dark Mode come on automatically between certain times was a feature in this plugin that has since been removed as of version 2.0. Don't worry though, there is a helper plugin available which brings this functionality back.
Why was the automatic feature removed?
A lot more work was needed to ensure that it is stable, and it didn't fit in with the original plan of the Dark Mode feature. It is still available as an additional plugin if you'd like it back though.
Can I contribute to this plugin?
Yes, you can please open an issue or submit a pull request. All suggestions, feedback and code contributions are most welcome!
Contributors & Developers
"Dark Mode" is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.Contributors
"Dark Mode" has been translated into 27 locales. Thank you to the translators for their contributions.
Translate "Dark Mode" into your language.
Interested in development?
Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.
Latest Changes
Refer to the GitHub commit logs for more information regarding the latest changes.
Version History
- New: Add RankMath plugin support
- New: Add Gutenberg Editor Color Scheme
- New: Add Appsero Integration
- Styling: Fixed style issue with media uploads and site health dashboard.
- Bugfix: Allow plugin to be installed in any directory, instead of forcing
- Misc: PHPCS coding style updates.
- Misc: Removed unused CSS files.
- Misc: Documentation updates.
3.2 – March 15, 2019
- Updated author and GitHub links.
- Removed PLUGIN_VERSION constant. The plugin version is now derived dynamically so you don't have to update manually.


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World Without Nuclear Weapons
Last Updated on
It's certainly the dream of this site, and five years ago President Obama stated in a speech that it was his aim too. So with the backing of the most powerful man on the planet, how much closer are we to achieving that goal? Well the respected Stockholm International Peace Research Institute – SIPRI have recently released some findings to help us view what progress has been made.
What they found does not surprise us. Most of the nuclear armed states still spend huge amounts of money on weapons, mainly modernising their existing arsenals. There seems little inclination to reduce never mind get rid of nuclear or other mass destruction level weapons.
There has been a steady decline in the number of nuclear enabled warheads over the last decade or so. The report states that nine countries still possess over 16000 of these weapons, a fall of about 5%, but the rate of reduction is slowing markedly. There is certainly little evidence to suggest that at any level complete disarmament is a policy or strategic goal of any of the military units who hold such weaponry.
There is also little surprise in who holds the majority of these weapons, over 90% of the world's nuclear weapons are held by the USA and Russia. It should be said that that the fall in global nuclear weapons however small was largely due to the treaties agreed to these two superpowers.
There are five officially recognised nuclear weapon states who are – USA, China, France, Russia and the United Kingdom. All the other nations who possess these weapons like North Korea exist outside the global non-proliferation treaty. There is great criticism for these countries for not doing more to focus on disarmament. This was a central goal of the agreement which all other member nations signed whilst agreeing not to pursue arming themselves with nuclear based weapons. Simply put there has been very little evidence of this happening.
The report focused on the USA and Russia who instead of investing heavily in reducing their nuclear weapons have spent much more on modernizing existing systems. Including upgrading delivery systems,warheads and the production facilities required to produce such weapons. The same seems to be happening in other countries, although numbers might be falling slightly – existing weapons are being upgraded and developed constantly.
There have been many reports about the policies in these countries which seem to do little to reduce overall numbers of nuclear weapons. There was previously very high levels of political pressure being applied in many of these countries towards disarmament – the UK media used to focus heavily on this in earlier times – now if you watch British TV abroad using the internet, you'll be unlikely to see many mentions at all.
Joe Simpson writes on many blogs, websites and traditional periodicals.
Read his latest review on how to buy proxy servers online.


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All right, all the votes have been tallied, and we have our final eight.
The first round goes a lot faster under Daulerio's stewardship than it did under mine; seems like we went into April last year. Anyway, we're ready to start knocking these puppies out. Two old faves battling it out this happy Friday.
First, a look at the bracket to this point. (Thanks, Happy Pants Jim Cooke.)
Voting will remain open through next week ... so let's go. It's No. 2 seed Roger Clemens vs. No. 7 seed Isiah Thomas. A look at the nominees' 2008 resumes:
No. 2 Roger Clemens
Held a press conference, kind of.
Feuded with Andy Pettitte, kind of.
Told Congress about bleeding through his pants.
Gaped as old flames reared their heads, ugly and otherwise.
Got boners.
Sold a car to Bret Michaels.
No. 7 Isiah Thomas
Won 2007 SHOTY.
Presided over the greatest possession in NBA history.
Got fired, somehow.
Earned $18 million for staying away from his team.
Entered Deadspin Hall of Fame.
Tried to kill himself with sleeping pills.
Blamed it on his daughter.
That's the ticket, folks. Vote as if the world will end tomorrow via a hailstorm of rodents.


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Management Team
Srinivasa Nimmagadda (Nimms)
CEO - Founder
Nimms founded Vensai with one goal, to deliver Quality, Value and Change to every client, every time. Leveraging his extensive technical background and never-ending desire to exceed client expectations on every project, he has built a multi-million dollar organization spread across three continents.
Abdul Qadeer
Abdul Qadeer is an MBA from Osmania University with over 18 years of sales and operations experience in the IT Industry. He developed rich experience in geographies such as the United States, Europe, the Indian Sub-continent and the Middle East during his tenure with organizations such as iSpace, Crestcom and GSS Infotech. He is responsible for the establishment and optimization of day-to-day operations in the company, additionally he oversees the global delivery, marketing sales and finance functions of the Organization.
Gopichand Lingamaneni (Gopi)
Gopichand Lingamaneni is Vensai's Chief Financial Officer with responsibility for the company's Corporate Accounting, MIS, finance operations, internal controls and compliance. Gopi has extensive experience spanning 15 years in financial and commercial management. He also reviews the financial performance, budgets, cash flows and ensures that the working capital and long term fund requirements are met. Gopi manages the entire gamut of financial, commercial and accounting activities including designing, implementation and maintenance of internal controls. He also ensures tax, legal and statutory compliance are followed as per the each country's norms.
JR Hood
SVP, Global Services
Mr. Hood has spent over 15 years in outsourcing and consulting, focusing specifically on offshore outsourcing. He has held sales and leadership roles in companies such as HCL Technologies, Zensar and GSS Infotech. Mr. Hood brings a wealth of industry knowledge to Vensai, having built and managed global sales forces across multiple continents and countries.
Kalpit Singhal
VP,Service Delivery
Kalpit has over 13 years of experience in managing and delivering IT projects & Services across the globe. Primarily he has worked on Microsoft Technologies throughout his career ranging from times of VB/ASP all the way to SharePoint & Business Intelligence. Prior to joining Vensai, Kalpit was heading an IT start-up out of NCR in the capacity of a Delivery Manager. In Past, he has worked with organizations like Microsoft & Keane. Kalpit has completed his B.E from Barkatullah University Bhopal.


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I formerly worked as a special education teacher. I saw a lot of children who were diagnosed with ADD, ADHD, ODD, Aspergers, etc. Many of these children flourished under the one-on-one, personalized instruction we gave them.
I am curious... have any of you ever had a child in public school who was labeled with any type of learning or behavioral disability, only to have those "disabilites" disappear once you took them out of public school and gave them instruction at home?
Don't get me wrong, I know some children DO have very real disabilities. I saw this on a daily basis. But on the other hand, I also saw many of these same children do a complete 180 once their learning environments changed.
disabilities, public school and homeschool
Discuss unschooling, eclectic, the unit study approach, or any other "unusual" homeschooling method.
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- elliemaejune
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I did not, but I have many friends who did. In particular, I knew a mother in the Fairfield area whose 10yo dd was severely developmentally delayed; she'd been in special ed since she was 2yo. The mother had been told that her dd would never read, never learn to tell time, never learn...anything. So she started hsing, and by the end of the year her dd was *reading* and telling time and so much more. The third year she enrolled her dd in CLASS--*not* special ed material but "regular" materials. The mother told me she alternated between being ecstatic and angry--ecstatic because of how much her dd was learning, angry because the poor child had been in *special ed* for 8 years and all those professionals had not been able to teach that child to read.
Married to Mr. Ellie for over 30 years
Mother to 2 dds and 2 dsil
Grandmother to 1 sweet boy
Caretaker of 2 budgies
Mother to 2 dds and 2 dsil
Grandmother to 1 sweet boy
Caretaker of 2 budgies
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As a special educator and a former HS mom, I believe that I can answer that. Some kids are never going to read unless someone can sit with them 1-on-1 and work with them every day. The chances that we will ever have that kind of resources in a public school are very small. We do manage to divide them up into small groups, but sometimes that's not small enough, b/c special ed kids are all so different in their needs. Let's say we have a group of 3--one may have autism, one may have dyslexia with AD/HD, and one may have moderate developmental disabilities. Then the teachers are kept extremely busy writing IEPs and keeping up with that paperwork, and meetings and etc, and there's not a lot of time left for your child. At the end of a day, we all feel terrible about what we haven't been able to accomplish, b/c we know that the kids aren't getting enough of what they need and there's not a thing we can do about it. If I had a special needs child right now, I'd be HS for sure. After all, no one knows your child like you do.
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream.
Mark Twain
Mark Twain
My child was labeled ADHD in public school and kept that label for 2 years until we tried a virtual public school. Once it was one on one, me and him, he did great. They always said that he couldn't sit still and stuff, but you know that's pretty common with kindergartners haha. Anyways, now we are 3 years after the first diagnonsis and I cant get the kid to put down books to get active. Not that Im complaining too much, really.
Our oldest had several learning disabilities due to epilepsy. In the middle of 3rd grade we took her out of PS. Despite all the school's special ed classes and tutoring (yes, one on one tutoring) she still could not read at that point. After three days... yep, after just three DAYS of homeschooling she was reading. Like elliemaejune's friend, I was both elated and angry at the same time.
David Kocur
UberSmart Software
UberSmart Software
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text:
|Pathologically Eclectic Rubbish Lister
Re: (Humor) A New Name for Perl 6by gmpassos (Priest)
|on Mar 12, 2003 at 18:19 UTC ( #242456=note: print w/replies, xml )
|Need Help??
How about Perl6?! Before Perl5, we had Perl4. Who really know Perl, know that from 4 to 5 we have a "new" language. We are just following what was done before.
Note that Perl6 will be done after test a lot of ideas and theories that was used in the last 10 years! Today we know what the best choices to do.
Other thing, since Perl6 will run over Parrot, and to do that we need to convert our Perl6 code to Parrot assembly. Why not make a converter from Perl5 to Parrot assembly too?
And we are free to make an hybrid of Perl5 and Perl6 too! Perl5X (X from ex, ex from hexagon).
Graciliano M. P.
In Section Meditations


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Having read somewhere that the formidable Karl Lagerfeld had imported a 265 ton iceberg from Sweden (his inspiration being the ICEHOTEL in Lapland) for his fall 2010 /winter 2011 collection for Chanel , I stifled a yawn and thought "showmanship extraordinaire." If the late Alexander MQueen could get away with robotic paint sprayers,fake blood and "frightnight" to get the audience gasping,why not an iceberg. Seeing the collection emerging in the fashion magazines and in the boutiques...I had to YouTube the show to see for myself what on earth lead Chanel ,my wallet weakness, down the road to Sasquatch Fashion. What I saw frightened me.Not only seeing gorgeous hemlines dragged in water but the "Guinea Pig " colours of the "faux fur"on the 3 models in the opening of the show. Did they show it off with flair...sure. But gorgeous models looking laughable in giant Guinea Pig attire, complete with boots and hood...Yikes.
It is nice to know that Mr.Lagerfeld has relaunched the desire to get to the bottom of the whole BigFoot myth..is he really out there? Well you can either stomp around the forests of the great unknown in search for him in your faux fur trousers and boots or start a designer Sasquatch frenzy complete with the "double C's" for authenticity.Having said that, peel back the scary and you will find some traditionally gorgeous pieces,the very essence of Chanel with twists of whimsy.
Now,back to the iceberg... if only Mr Lagerfeld could have airlifted the rest of it and flown it over that blasted unpronounceable Icelandic volcano , he would have sparred us all the ensuing mayhem and thousands of pounds in travel costs.
On the plus side,at least the floors of the Grand Palais catwalk were buffed to a shine...all that water and the "swiffer" faux fur action from the boots...
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Thursday, 12 August 2010
CHANEL-LING BIGFOOT:Fall 2010/Winter 2011 Collection
Posted by Reem Adeeb