The iPad has become the Tablet standard, and Apple managed to come out with an improved version before any of its competitors had even managed to come close to matching the first iteration. As the news breaks that Amazon is going to be offering an eBook reader that they hope can compete with the iPad, one is bound to ask what the features of such a device might be. The Kindle and other eBook readers are awkward, clunky, and less... Read more
I really and truly think I might know what “the oldest question in the universe” mentioned on this season of Doctor Who is. And the answer really has been hidden in plain sight. But before proceeding, presumably I should quote the Doctor and say… The question has been in our view (“hidden in plain sight”) ever since they announced the title of the season finale, which is going to be “The Wedding of River Song.” Ever since the Doctor first... Read more
Today’s episode of Doctor Who, “Closing Time,” brought together everything that we love about the show: the Doctor swinging back and forth between cocky overconfidence and severe self doubt, robot dogs, Cybermen turning up in unexpectedly ordinary places, mysteries about the Doctor’s past and future, and an abundance of humor as the Doctor says and does things in his own entertaingly bumbling yet super-effective way. There was nothing in that last sentence that really gives anything away that wasn’t already... Read more
Ricky Carvel, on his blog Confessions of a Doubting Thomas, noted a set of characteristics that tend to be associated with heroes, and asked whether the very large correspondence, as he sees it, indicates something about the historicity of Jesus. First, here’s the list, which is originally based on the book The Hero: A Study in Tradition, Myth, and Drama by Lord Raglan: He is born of a virgin mother. His father is a King. The father has a unique... Read more
How will Doctor Who fans react if the Doctor’s real name turns out to be… …what River Song always calls him? In other words… “Sweetie” Read more
Many thanks to Ben Blackwell for tracking down the missing Durham University reception! I was looking through the program books for SBL and then AAR with a sense of dismay that our Durham crowd might not have a set place to gather. But although it isn’t listed in the printed program books, the University of Durham Department of Theology and Religion is listed in the online program book as holding a reception. Here are the details: M20-436 Department of Theology... Read more
This post should be of interest to those who are not Doctor Who fans, but I thought I would use Doctor Who as an example. Many public libraries, including that in Indianapolis, have been acquiring increasing numbers of ebooks and audiobooks that can be downloaded directly from their web site. I recently checked out a Kindle book, and from the library’s site, I was redirected to Amazon.com, where I simply clicked a button and the book I checked out was... Read more
As Jim West, Hemant Mehta and Claude Mariottini have noted, the Southern Baptist Convention is considering changing its name. The Southern Baptists, for those who may not be familiar with them, formed when Baptists in the Southern part of the United States (hence the name) broke away from the Baptist union of which they were a part because they rejected the increasingly anti-slavery stance that that group was taking. So this leaves room for a lot of cheap but fun... Read more
Nikki Stafford offered anniversary wishes on her blog, reminding us that it is 7 years since the first episode of LOST aired. How time flies. Nikki will be the keynote speaker at the upcoming LOST mini-conference in New Orleans in October. The program can be viewed online. Read more
I received my SBL program book in the mail yesterday, and looked to see what sessions looked interesting and begin figuring out which I might like to attend. Among the most striking are the lunchtime meetings in applied linguistics: S20-202 Applied Linguistics for Biblical Languages 11/20/2011 11:45 AM to 12:45 PM Room: Howard – Intercontinental Theme: Greek Lunch Members interested in Greek pedagogy are invited to meet with each other in a friendly setting over a BYOL lunch (bring your own... Read more
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