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Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

The Arts: (and computing) Scientific American considers the question of whether artificial intelligence can create true art. (Aside: The article doesn't say much about the fundamental question: "can you define true art?")

Christianity: He Lives points out some difficulties in taking all scripture literally.


Health: NPR (and other outlets) report on new guidelines on exercise, from the government.

History: (and humor) Listverse tells us about 10 common traditions, and that they are not really long-standing (most less than a century).

Humor: (sort of) NPR reports that a train, with  no crew (or passengers) on board, went for a 57-mile ride, at a good speed, until it was wrecked by remote control.


Politics: Sojourners reports on a survey. Their summary: "White evangelicals are proving to be far more white than evangelical."

(and science) Gizmodo reports on a CNN meteorologist's response to President Trump's tweet about the causes of the fires in California. National Public Radio also writes about the causes. President Trump is correct that part of the problem is (and has been for a long time) management. Some previous fires should have been allowed to burn, so that less fuel was available, or underbrush should have been cleared out. But climate change is an even larger cause of the increase in frequency and strength of the fires.

Science: Gizmodo reports on genetic studies of ancient humans in the Americas, and on how such studies indicate that humans migrated through the New World.

Gizmodo also reports on tool-making in cockatoos.

NPR reports that the kilogram, worldwide, will no longer be defined by a metal object in France.


The graphic used in these posts is from NASA, hence, I believe, it is public domain.
too
Thanks for looking!

Sunspots 525

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else: 

 

The Arts: A Speculative Faith blogger tells us why Tomorrowland (currently showing in theaters - but probably not much longer) is important.


Christianity: Relevant wants to know why Christians are so judgmental.
 
On sort of the same subject, a blogger considers the reaction of many Christians to the former Bruce Jenner.
 
Computing: If you save or print web pages, but don't want to save or print ads, lists of blog posts, and the like, try printfriendly. Feed it a URL, and it strips out the chaff, and leaves the good stuff, or at least it comes close. I tried it on a blog post, and it eliminated everything I didn't want. It also eliminated the tags, but I could easily paste those in.


Macintosh computers are vulnerable to being controlled by hackers.
 
Health: Elissa Ely had a problem with her knee.
 
Science: The National Association of Evangelicals has released a booklet, When God and Science Meet: Surprising Discoveries of Agreement. Here's one place to obtain the item. I haven't read it yet, but plan to, and, perhaps, I'll blog about it.


Image source (public domain)

I'm thankful for sports/athletics/exercise

I’m thankful for sports/athletics/exercise. Paul said that bodily exercise did people some good, and the Bible uses athletic contests as symbolic of the Christian life. Besides that, most people in Bible times walked wherever they went, so they took exercise for granted. Sports for young people can, and do, make them physically fit, give them purpose, teach them discipline and teamwork, introduce them to new friends, and allow them to achieve. In my experience as a college teacher, women athletes were usually among the best students, probably because they had to prioritize and organize their lives more than non-athletes. Sports participation for older people can keep us from dying, as well as give purpose and discipline. I need to exercise regularly, body and brain, and I’m thankful for my wife’s insistence on our walking sessions. There are excesses, to be sure, such as dedicating one’s Facebook page, or front lawn, to some team, so that that is your identity, rather than you being known as a follower of Christ or a loving family member; bad behavior in the stands, or by athletes; idolizing and/or overpaying coaches and players; fans spending too much on tickets, food, travel and paraphernalia; exploiting or abusing athletes; using sports as a vehicle to advertise unwholesome things; universities being identified by their teams, not their scholars; putting priority on games over worship; and too much emphasis on winning come to mind as some of the excesses. It’s too bad that there are excesses, and we should try to eliminate them. If Jesus were alive today, perhaps He would tailgate, but I imagine He would be concerned about the problems of the fans and the participants, rather than caring who won, or how.

Thanks for reading. Now get up and exercise.