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Category Archives: thinking

Goodbye Google

5 CommentsJune 10, 2010

I never imagined this day would come. It seemed like Google would be my conduit to the internet forever. Why not? Who could beat it? I never guessed that I would leave Google not for another, superior search engine, but simply because Google had turned fickle and annoying.

Also posted in culture, programming, technology

Roll Along, Roll Along

3 CommentsApril 17, 2010

Coffee doesn’t taste as good to me as it used to. Once upon a time my morning cappuccino would have me turning up my face and closing my eyes in a prayer of thanksgiving. Now I wait for a rapture that never comes. I stare into the froth of a caramel macchiato wondering where all [...]

Posted in thinking

The Curse of Too Much Blessing

4 CommentsNovember 21, 2009

The most striking thing about the modern world is that our ability to live as we want has far outstripped our ability to live well or wisely. Ours is the most advanced society in history—where technology is concerned. But in our art, architecture, philosophy, public discourse—or even ordinary concerns like romance or happiness—we are infants [...]

Also posted in books, culture, politics, technology, writing

Practice Contempt for Shoji

9 CommentsJune 10, 2009

I teach a course at the Southern Methodist University’s Guildhall program on Software Development for Games. In the syllabus I have a section entitled Cryptic Advice. One of the bits of cryptic advice offered there is this: “Practice contempt for shoji.” My students usually get around to asking me what this means by the middle [...]

Also posted in games, productivity, programming

The Idea Economy

2 CommentsMay 28, 2009

Could anyone really think that the world was created by four-foot tall scientists from another planet who appeared to a French journalist and revealed to him the secrets of free sex and salvation? You bet they could: 80,000 of them, proponents of the Raelian Movement. Could anyone still believe in Leprechauns? How about a leprechaun [...]

Also posted in faith

Glahn’s Law

3 CommentsDecember 18, 2008

A couple of years ago I took a course in journalism from Kindred Spirit editor Sandi Glahn. On the first day of class she established, to the shock and horror of the students, a rule I’ll refer to as Glahn’s Law. It’s simple. Glahn’s Law: No Be Verbs In all our writing for class we [...]

Also posted in writing

Can a President Be Too Decisive?

3 CommentsNovember 2, 2008

I just watched the Saddleback Forum in which Rick Warren asked Barack Obama and John McCain about their beliefs and policies. Both candidates reminded me again how blessed America is in this election to have two such excellent candidates. Over the twenty years that I’ve followed politics, our elections have consistently featured a pair of [...]

Also posted in politics, technology