Bits and Tidbits, New Year's 2013 edition

A few of the better articles I've read recently…
"Father of the Year" by Tom Junod. Here's a great profile of John Lassiter, the founder and ongoing head of Pixar.
"I grew up with guns, then I was held hostage by one" by Haley B. Elkins. There's a complexity to the idea of gun ownership that a lot of the politics seems to miss.
"What Duck Commander is really selling" by Rob Sumrall. Interesting piece here on the folks who most of the world loves to laugh at (and with) on "Duck Dynasty."
"My father's 'eviscerated' work — son of Hobbit scribe J.R.R. Tolkien finally speaks out" by Raphaëlle Rérolle. This fascinating interview (of sorts) says a lot about what the Tolkien family thinks of the movies…
"Hey extraverts: enough is enough!" by Alan Jacobs. One of the great essayists of our time does it again, this time exposing the ego-centrism of the extravert!
"Open Mike: Texas wants to secede" by Mike Johnston. An interesting rumination on what might be involved in an actual state secession.
"Suffering Fools Gladly" by David Brooks. Great insight here into a needed change in the way we think of others whom we deem "fools".
"Les Misérables, Reviewed" by Dana Stevens. Not everyone loves this musical; Stevens describes my own thoughts about the music of this show, and her review resonates with my own concerns about what I will probably think of the movie.

Bits & Tidbits, end of summer 2012

Some of the better links I have to offer… I haven't been reading as much of this sort of content, so my apologies if the list disappoints!

• What is an "Ideal Church Member"? Great summary here of what every leader should be able to expect of the members of their congregation (and what every member should expect of themselves).
• Why 6-Year-Old Girls Want to Be Sexy. Wow— fascinating (and scary) piece. Parents of girls should read this.
• What are Seminaries for? This was a good contribution to a thread of discussion that took place on the Reformation 21 blog between different writers. I think Sean's perspective largely lines up with mine, though I found the rebuttal remarks interesting and informative (as well as Sean's final word).
• The Greatest Game Nobody Ever Saw. What a cool article, reflecting on the intensity and quality of a basketball scrimmage between some of the best players ever to shoot hoops.
• The Calling of Christian Writers. This piece by Richard Doster gets right to the heart of a curiosity/concern I've had for a while: where are the literary writers in the church? (This piece was reprinted from byFaith magazine.)
• Why do people still not know if Obama is a Christian? Quite insightful analysis from a somewhat-objective voice; read this — you'll probably be surprised, whatever your take.

Bits & Tidbits, Midsummer 2012 edition

Here's a look at some of the better/more interesting/funnier/more profound articles and blog posts I've read in the last little while…

• Criticizing Poorly and Poorly Criticized. Strong and pastoral advice here from Zack Eswine, and a great check on how we consider each other (especially those we disagree with).
  
• Christian Bookstores and Their Chokehold on the Industry. This is a real problem that needs to be addressed— but first it must be identified and acknowledged more widely, and this blog post does a great job. I don't agree with Rachel Held Evans across the board, but she gets it right here.
  
• Microsoft's Downfall: Inside the Executive E-mails and Cannibalistic Culture That Felled a Tech Giant. Wow— who knew (outside of Microsoft, that is) that their culture was this cut-throat? This article explains a lot.
  
• For All Doug Wilson's Theological Acumen. Keen and humble insight into the ongoing spat between Doug Wilson, Rachel Held Evans, and a few others regarding, basically, egalitarianism and its defensibility in the Church. Thanks for a sane voice in this, Matt.
  
• The Secret Genius of Car Talk. Perhaps you've heard that this long-running NPR radio show is stopping production of new episodes this fall. Here's an interesting look at what makes this unlikely success such a winner.
  
• Who Draws the Line? So vital that Christians regain a better understanding of this; thanks to Sean for his clear, concise explanation of the important place and nature of the local church.
  
• The 11 Most Unintentionally Hilarious Religious Paintings. These are really a wince-inducing combination of strange and funny. Definitely worth a look, and a laugh, but not much else.

What Am I Listening to?

I've grown quite weary of the radio news these days; way too much analysis of politics and the presidential race, among other things, has driven me away at least for now.

So I've been adding to my regular round-up of podcasts. Here's a bit of a round-up of the podcasts I listen to regularly. (Note: most links are to the iTunes Store.)

Sermons

• Downtown Presbyterian Church, Greenville, SC. This congregation is pastored by my friend Brian Habig, and he is almost always the preacher. (He's on sabbatical now, however, until sometime in the summer.)
  
• Dr. Sinclair Ferguson, Senior Pastor, First Presbyterian Church, Columbia, SC. One of my favorite preachers, from a church in my hometown.
  
• City Church, San Francisco, CA. Another friend, Fred Harrell, is the Senior Pastor (and frequent preacher) at City Church.
  
• Trinity Presbyterian Church, Charlottesville, VA. Once again, the Senior Pastor is a good friend of mine (Greg Thompson).
  
• Redeemer Church, Memphis, TN. Jeffrey Lancaster and Jeremy Jones were fellow pastors in the presbytery I used to serve in, and guys I always wished for more time with.
  

You may notice a pattern here: I usually only listen to pastors that I know, and/or that are connected to a church that I also have a connection to. This isn't by mistake: an interesting argument can be made about whether you should listen recordings of the Word preached by pastors you don't know, from churches you've never attended, and to whom you have no accountability whatsoever. (But perhaps that's for another post…)

Other Christian/Religion Podcasts

• On Being (from American Public Media). I don't listen to every episode of this one, but I "cherry-pick" from those interviewees that I'm really interested in. Also: I prefer the unedited interviews (which they regularly publish) to the produced ones.
  
• Christ the Center (from Reformed Forum). I don't listen to all, or even most, of these either; again, I pick and choose. These guys tend to ramble, and if you don't have a connection to Westminster Seminary (Philadelphia) then you may not get some of the "inside" references.
  
• Help and Hope (from the Christian Counseling Education Foundation). Great, short Q&A formatted advice on counseling, spiritual growth, and issues that commonly face Christians.
  

Others

• The Splendid Table (from American Public Media). I've loved this one for a long time— great ideas and information about food, drink, and enjoying the satisfaction of our appetites.
  
• Freakonomics Radio (from American Public Media). Yes, those guys— and always interesting stuff. The topics are virtually limitless, though always from a "social economics" point of view.
  
• Wait, Wait… Don't Tell Me! (from National Public Radio). A weekly roundup of the news… sort of… with a lot of humor interposed.
  
• This American Life (from Chicago Public Media). One of the best interview-format shows around, with lots of interesting topics.
  
• Mike and Tom Eat Snacks (from Nerdist Technologies). Very funny; two actors that I like a lot (they both were in a show called Ed— what's not to like?) and the show is literally centered around these two guys eating a snack, then talking about it. Warning: they DO use some explicit language at times, and they occasionally employ sarcasm and irony about topics that some might find offensive.
  
• A Way with Words (from WayWord Radio). This is one of my new favorites; a fun show about words, grammar, word puzzles, and other literary, lexical, and linguistic conundra.
  
• 99% Invisible (from Roman Mars and KALW in San Francisco). Another new favorite: insightful short takes on design, especially architecture and industrial design.
  

Off the list…

• Living Christ Today— mainly, because they began to repeat content so often. Also, I understand that they have plans to phase it out. And finally, I find it difficult to keep up with a daily (or even every weekday) podcast, and I would lose track of the series too frequently.
  
• Mac OS Ken— since I'm not so immersed in tech culture (and work) on a regular basis, I found this one less helpful for me than when I used to do some Mac consulting. Also, again, the every-weekday thing.
  
• White Horse Inn— I've always been cautious about recommending this one, because the tone is often too condescending and polemical for my tastes (and I want to avoid exposing others to that, because of the risk of their picking it up!). Also, I found the current series a bit tedious and more condescending than usual.
  

There you go— my current podcast lineup. On any given week, even I can't run out of stuff to listen to!

Bits & Tidbits, April 2012— revenge of the son of tidbits...

It's been a while since I've done a round-up of links for articles I've read recently; I think I will bring this back, though, since I so often see articles that I want to pass along.

In more recent months, I started a "Tumblr" page (edeubanks.tumblr.com) that serves as a sort of archive for all of the articles that I find, as well as other things (Facebook status posts, pics that I find on the web, etc.— in a strange example of circularity, there's also a link to every post on this blog, since they are automatically posted to my Facebook and Twitter pages)— and you can see a "feed" from this page in the sidebar of my blog, if you scroll down far enough: it's labeled, fittingly, "Bits & Tidbits".

Once a month, I'll look back over these and pick out several that I think are especially worth looking at. Here's a selection for April.

• The Accidental Sex Offender by Abigail Pesta (from Marie Claire). This piece highlights a problem with our current system of "justice" that I've mentioned before— we don't really treat some members of our society justly. I'd love to see something productive done about this.
  
• Redefining the Parish Model by Melissa Kelley (from ByFaith magazine). I'm so encouraged by the model presented here, not simply because of what it looks like on paper, but also because I've seen this model applied with great and fruitful results.
  
• Will Gattaca Come True? by Mara Hvistendahl (from Slate). This is great consideration of the growing abilities of genetic science to discern all manner of things about our unborn children, and how it will present parents, insurance companies, and society in general with ethical questions that, frankly, I am fearful about what the answers will be.
  
• Youth Ministry's Tendency Toward Legalism by Cameron Cole (from The Gospel Coalition). Most of us who have worked in youth ministry are aware of this tendency; here's helpful insight into WHY it exists.
  
• The Downside of Cohabiting Before Marriage by Meg Jay (from The New York Times Sunday Review). You may have seen this one already, as it has made its way around Facebook fairly well (that's how I first saw it). Don't miss the surprising source of this thoughtful opinion piece that confirms what many of us already know and believe.
  
• Which Vocations Should Be Off Limits to Christians? by Gene Edward Veith (from The Gospel Coalition). Helpful parameters for considering vocation and its consistency with our faith and worldview, from one of the more dominant voices on worldview of our era.
  
• Weight Stereotyping: The Secret Way People Are Judging You Based On Your Body by Shaun Dreisbach (from Glamour). Wow— here is a presentation of a statistical study that demonstrates how this problem is worse than you think.
  

Bits and Tidbits, September 2011

• 21 Images You Won't Believe Aren't Photoshopped (part 8). Pretty incredible collection of photos here. (HT: Dorothy)
• A Christian Response to Terrorism by Brenda Kay Zylstra. Really great thoughts here on how we ought to think clearly and biblically about the threat of terrorists.
• Not a Good Week for Harper Collins. A fairly incredible post about how Harper Collins, the publisher, ripped off the cover art of a self-published author; the blogger also goes into the implications by way of copyright law, which is fascinating (to me at least).
• 22 Fascinating and Bizarre College Classes Offered This Semester. Exactly what it says; naturally, it's always good to see one from my alma mater on there.

Bits and Tidbits, August 2011

• Tattly Temporary Tattoos. Do your kids (or you!) like to wear temporary tats? Here's a site where you can design your own! (Or choose from a collection of other user-designed ones, many of them quite clever.)
• 10 Cool Star Wars-Themed T-Shirts. Another clever user-created collection, this one extending the apparently-eternal Star Wars franchise. Some of these are quite funny.
• 50 Completely Useless Signs. Needs no explanation. Many are hilarious.
• Beware Romantic Pornography. Here's a great piece from the Gospel Coalition, discussing some of the difficulties of "romantic comedies" and how movies often skew our expectations of relationships.
• The 24 Types of Libertarian. Political cartoons always catch my eye. Are there more types than these? Maybe so— I can imagine some hybrids of these. Perhaps these are the 24 base types.

Generosity and temperance

Here's a great story of a generous kid whose fanaticism is well-tempered:

Bits and Tidbits, July 2011

• Why Is U2 So Popular? A hilarious look at the U2 mega-band phenomenon. So, maybe none of this is true-- or maybe ALL of it is.
• Post-Artifact Books and Publishing. Here's a great article about the nature of how the changes in publishing are changing writing itself. (HT: Jeremy)
• Pencil vs. Camera by Ben Heine. Cool idea for photos combined with drawings; some of them realistic, others more fanciful.
• Special-Needs Boy Removed from Church. This is a sad and shocking article. Pastors and leaders, read this as the instruction in grace and love that it must be for us.
• 25 Everyday Things You Never Knew Had Names. Actually, I knew a few of these. Still, a good list.

Bits and Tidbits, June 2011

• 10 Coolest Hidden Doors and Secret Passageways. These are so cool, I wish it was the "100 best." I'm seriously designing options for these in our house, in my head.
• The Garden's Secret Is Discovered. Really neat piece about an almost-forgotten building in St. Louis's botanical gardens, that is soon to be re-opened to the public. I wonder how many places there are like this in the world? Probably dozens, if not hundreds.
• The Glorious Ruins of the Erie Canal. How interesting would this excursion have been? Like the previous tidbit, this is another artifact of a bygone era that is worth re-discovering. Is there no use for the canal now?
• The Perils of a Heavy Bottled-Water Habit. A brief piece, mostly reporting statistics-- but hidden within them are some hard facts about bottled water that may make you re-think that flimsy plastic bottle the next time you're on the go.
• Onion-Like Headlines in Real Life. These are really something; hilarious, because they really do sound like something from The Onion (a satire news website).
• Plurality of Americans Believe Capitalism at Odds with Christian Values. Fascinating survey results here. Not that surveys establish truth, but when the predominate views of others-- including our fellow believers-- are that, basically, one of these things is not like the other, we should be ready to reconsider our views.

Grand Rapids rocks American Pie

So, apparently Newsweek listed Grand Rapids, Michigan, on one of those lists that cities don't like to land on-- 10 most declining cities, or 10 worst places to live, or 10 cities that smell funny, or whatever.

In response, the mayor of Grand Rapids and the people of the city set out to rehabilitate the city's reputation. How? They did a city-wide lip-syncing video (called a "lip-dub"), using Don McLean's "American Pie" (a live version, no less) as the music. It set a world record for the largest lip-dub, and Roger Ebert called it the "greatest music video ever made."

I'm not sure I would quite agree with Ebert's effusive assessment, but it's well-done, meticulously coordinated, and a lot of fun. It certainly makes you think well of Grand Rapids, I think.

Have a look:

Grad school? Maybe too close to home...

Here's an unvarnished look at why many, I suppose, opt for grad school (HT: Paul):

Bits and Tidbits, May 2011

• Six Things You Won't Be Ordering from SkyMall. While I agree with the author's selections, I'm a little surprised he was compelled to limit it to six. Maybe he landed before he got further through the catalog...
• Could Conjoined Twins Share a Mind? This piece was fascinating; at first I found the thought of these conjoined twins sad, but in reading I learned that I need not feel that way.
• "Open Placebos" and the Ethics of Prescribing Fake Medicine. Interesting piece combining ethics with some surprising revelations about how effective placebos are, even when disclosed.
• Who Will Fill the Spiritual Void Left by Oprah? It's not so much the conclusions of this article that I like, as the premise. Marcie's curiosity led her to watch the last episode (she wasn't a regular watcher) and she reported that it was essentially a sermon.
• For the Love of Wisdom, Philosophy Majors Grow in Number at UC Berkeley. As a former philosophy undergraduate, I love this. Philosophy is such a foundational major for life, so I'm glad to see a rise in numbers.
• The Creepiest Corporate Mascots. Okay, I agree here; why isn't there some sort of marketing litmus-test for this sort of creepiness?

Bits and Tidbits, April 2011

A bunch of "Cs" for April...

Creatively Funny: 10 disturbingly violent biblical stories depicted with Legos. Maybe this is what my son Jack will do when he grows up...
Challenging: Tax Breaks vs. Budget Cuts. This page/infographic offers a provocative comparison of some of the proposed budget cuts in the coming year, alongside some of the tax breaks included in the extension of the "Bush tax cuts".
Capitulation: Disney: No More Fairy Tale Movies! So, will the next wave of Disney movies feature apathetic, childish leading men and spoiled, self-absorbed leading women?
Chesterton Responds: Chesterton on Fairy Tales (or Fantasy). Okay, so not a direct response to the Disney thing, but pretty close actually.
Commas, Please: The Worst Magazine Cover of All Time. This is a candidate for vol. 2 of Eats, Shoots and Leaves. Privately, I'm hoping this was just a photoshopping prank.
Copyright Satire: News of the Times: Library System Terrorizes Publishing Industry. Funny comic that mocks the fear-speak of the publishing industry. (HT: Gordon)

The latest from "Lutheran Satire"

Here's the latest from the Lutheran Satire guy-- this time, taking on the "myth" of the resurrection.

Facebook folks: go to the blog to see the video.

Very clever

HT to Jon for pointing me to this:

(Facebook folks, check it out on the blog.)

Bits and Tidbits, March 2011

Surreal: AlexaMeade's Photostream. Real people, placed in settings then painted to look like paintings.
Bargains: Best and Worst Dollar Store Buys from Kiplinger.com. A good survey of what is really a good buy from your local dollar store.
Beautiful: The Book Surgeon. Who says there won't continue to be a use for printed books after eBooks take over? (HT: Neil)
Insightful: What I don't look for in a church. This great blog post addresses just how (un)important the priority of a polished and exciting children's ministry really is.
Broken: "The Brand" by David Grann. This New Yorker article is an incredible look at the gang culture in prisons, and exposes just how broken people really are. It also makes me thankful for ministries like Prison Fellowship. Warning: caustic language.

Bonus Tidbits for March!

Funny: "It's Time to Play 'Sheen, Beck, or Qaddafi'" from New York magazine. Yes, it's a game, just as it sounds. Yes, it's funny.
NOT Funny: "World's Youngest Granny Is Just 23" by Brian Flynn. No, it's not a typo.

The ongoing advance of eBooks

I have a strong interest in books, eBooks, writing, and publishing (which I mention just in case it isn't self-evident!). Not only as a reader and bibliophile, but also as a writer and publisher, I continue to find books to be some of the most compelling media and certainly some of the best ways to communicate ideas broadly.

As I pointed out in a recent post, eBooks are here to stay. What may surprise you is that eBooks have a 40-year history! Here's a useful and interesting infographic describing that history (Facebook readers, visit the blog to see the graphic):

via ebookfriend.ly

Do you read eBooks? What platform(s) do you prefer to read them with?

Tom Hanks on children

Tom Hanks is hilarious, and obviously very talented. In this video, he manages to poke fun at himself and the "show business" world, while also exposing how ridiculous some parents act about their kids. Worth a watch (HT: Jonathan):

St. Patrick's Day videos

More videos, this time in honor of St. Patrick's Day.

Let's start with some Muppets doing "Danny Boy":

Those "Leprechaun Brothers" remind me of this leprechaun in Alabama:


Which reminds me of this scene from Wayne's World:


That brings us to the (pretty awful) string of Leprechaun movies-- NOT one of Jennifer Aniston's career highlights:


And we'll finish up with John Mayer -- oddly enough, also not one of Jennifer Aniston's career highlights-- singing "St. Patrick's Day":



Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone!

(Facebook folks, watch these videos on my blog: pastorblog.hickorywithepc.org.)