Tuesday, June 07, 2011

Random Thoughts 6/7/11

  • My brain has filed both Adam Carolla and Norm MacDonald in the same place, under "tall, 47 year-old, dark-haired, dry-witted comedian who's kinda funny".  I keep getting the two of them confused unless I consciously think which is which.
  • Texting on your iPhone is about to be replaced by free texting on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.  Check out this new feature of the next iOS here.
  • The next version of the iPhone/iPad operating system will bring a lot of advantages, several of them geared toward folks who use the device as their only computer.  Personally, I can't wait to get my grandmother set up like this.  Currently she's performing "without a net," per se, as she doesn't have a computer to back up her iPad.  Under the new operating system, her iPad data will all be backed up seamlessly, behind the scenes, without a second computer.  Perfect!  Better safe than sorry!
  • For all you bad parents out there, your iPad will now teach your child to read by reading to them children's books to them, with actual narration and highlighted words.  Thank you, robo-mommy!
  • The circumcision ban on the table in San Francisco is antisemitism that the Nazis would be proud of.  Not sure about that?  Check out this obscenely-racist, anti-Jew comic book!  Secular socialism seems to go hand-in-hand with antisemitism (remember that Nazi was an acronym for "national socialists").  You'd think after WW2 that this kind of thing would be impossible… especially in America. 
  • Our guest worship leader for this weekend had to cancel due to the death of a close friend.  Our prayers are with him and his friend's family.
  • I'm reading more on Rob Bell and his new, liberal take on Hell (or the lack thereof).  In fact, I'm going to teach a class on it at camp in July.  Let me know, if you're a Bell-fan who's been keeping up on the latest developments in his doctrine.
  • Here's a great article about my college archaeology professor re-digging up his artifacts after the Joplin tornado.  We love you, brother Fields!

1 comment:

Jonathan said...

Secular socialism seems to go hand-in-hand with antisemitism (remember that Nazi was an acronym for "national socialists").

The Nazis were neither secular nor socialist. They were explicitly religionist and their politics were fascist, not socialist. Notably, when Nazis came to power they threw atheists and socialist into concentration camps along with the Jews.

The circumcision ban on the table in San Francisco is antisemitism that the Nazis would be proud of.

First, most circumcisions are non-religious. Second, not all sects of Judaism require circumcision. Third, it's not antisemitic because any Jewish male who wanted to would still be able to get circumcised. What you wouldn't be allowed to do is practice your religion on others. You right to religious freedom is absolute. But it ends at the tip of your... nose.