Compendium of Links #44: Tech edition

I’m following the whole Edward Snowden saga as best as I can, and it’s highly intriguing. The government’s behaviors also remind me somewhat of an old Sinclair Lewis novel, It Can’t Happen Here, which tells a dystopian story of the U.S. falling ever so gently into fascist rule. I feel like I need to re-read it.

But anyway. Before my browser gets too full again, here is your weekly serving of interesting stuff, featuring one of my favorite subjects: Technology!

On Christians naively expecting the best web offerings from ministries they donate a pittance to (if anything at all): (via Challies)

In their mind, every Christian ministry is expected to have every possible resource (study tools, videos, books, audio, articles, apps, etc.) available on every possible platform. And they want it now! Not only do they want it now, that want quality, and they want it for free. A thank you is seldom heard when this is actually achieved, after all, it was online and therefore easy, inexpensive, and quick, right?

This is not evidence of Christians growing in grace, but growing under a delusion. As a Christian geek, an ‘insider’ if you will, I’d like to sound a corrective.

21 jokes only nerds will understand. “The programmer’s wife tells him: ‘Run to the store and pick up a loaf of bread. If they have eggs, get a dozen.’ The programmer comes home with 12 loaves of bread.”

Oh, technology is changing everything, you say? Specify, specify, specify. For me, the technology of a reel-lawnmower has changed the way I think about lawn care.

What the Internet looked like as a baby!

Scientific American has a lengthy piece on the quantifiable differences in comprehension and experience of reading on paper vs. on a screen. (I recommend reading it!) Its conclusion? “When it comes to intensively reading long pieces of plain text, paper and ink may still have the advantage. But text is not the only way to read.”

A U.S. agency baffled by technology decided to destroy computers to get rid of… viruses. And as my brother stated: These are the people in charge?!?

And for your random funny video of the day… Shoot Christians Say.

This video really blessed me. It’s so relevant.