Pithy quotes from our current reading which give us pause to reflect

Faith & Science Conversation
403

Whether it’s science fiction, public education, or the broader culture, I do wonder what it will look like when atheism is so easily disproven.

After 20 years of debating atheists, it’s not so easy, but then again it’s as easy as understanding an infinite number of things cannot exist.

I’m not so sure why it’s so easy for me to picture any numerical quantity as being necessarily finite, whereas others say an infinite quantity is possible. Maybe it just hasn’t been given that much thought. Kind of like the unobservable nature of an uncaused cause.

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404

Then you waste your wonder on questions which will never be answered. The truth will never become a simple minded and stupid thing which shines only on your tribe and no other. Atheism isn’t anything that can be proven but neither can it be disproven and the same goes for theism. The other will always be among our neighbors. The two sides in all this is not defined by what we believe (but can’t prove); it is defined by those who challenge unthinking belief in what accords with the loudest voices in their own tribe vs those who challenge their own beliefs and work to forge relations of trust across the divide. With the opposing sides described in that way, which side would Jesus endorse?

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405

I’m still not sure what you’re talking about, @heymike3, as a matter of context. I don’t believe I was talking about atheism or proofs of God. Maybe you had intended to reply to MarkD or someone else?

406

What you said about hoping for change, brought to my mind this wonder I’ve often had about what the world will look like when that happens.

To think, that it’s been that simple all along.

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407

This looks worthwhile… Smith and Collins on stage together and being introduced by the president of BioLogos:

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408

OUP Very Short Introductions….yeah. Right there with ya. I’m not sure if they are all available as e-books, but I think so. It might be a good time to learn to use the Kindle screen reader function, if you prefer to listen. It also saves a lot of shelf space and boxes, if you move. That series is over 700 volumes now!!!

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409

The audiobooks are superbly read. Try them on scribd or hoopla. By the way, this will probably be the year I get a Kobo reader for the library apps.

I’m listening to “The History of Physics: A Very Short Introduction” on Scribd and thought you might like it.

Check it out: The History of Physics by J.L. Heilbron - Audiobook | Scribd

410

What have been your favorites? Some physics whiz introduced me to them a couple years ago. And then I found the audiobook versions. Where else can you get a 4-5 hour crash course from a leading expert on the American Indians, African History, Islam, Judaism, Nothing…

411

Yes, thanks for that. I had a copy in my youth, and it may still be in a box of books from the moldy old house (which is why we tore it down twenty-five years ago after building another – twenty feet is the right distance to move, and over several months ; - )

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412

He wouldn’t describe them that way, so the question is more than moot (or do I mean less than?). He would likely quote an applicable Psalm or a verse from Proverbs, or something from Ecclesiastes – there are several that would be appropriate, or he might tell a parable – there are several recorded that are also appropriate.

413

My earlier mild lament applies, but I may try to get to it.

414

Smith begins at the 1.07.00 mark. I’m watching it now and not disappointed at all.

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415

Thanks for the timestamp!

416

So I decided to start and watch at least the intro before skipping to Smith (if I do not wind up watching the whole thing), and Deb mentions wanting to thank the artist(s) for their work she saw in Chicago at the Art Institute. It reminded me of the Monet exhibit that I saw there in 1995 (noted here), but also of my allusion to the Artist above in response to @MarkD’s mistaken criticism.

417

I missed that comment and listened to a little of Collins. Told my wife if we ever meet with her friend who is a rising star in the government medical sector, I was going to bring up Collins’ name.

Smith had a good quote which I wrote down, “We are at that liminal space of the incredible capacities and possibilities of what science and technology affords, and yet bringing us to the frontier of questions it can’t answer.”

He also made a clumsy reference to Calvinism at the end of the Q&A. That was the only critical thing I could find. What was your takeaway?

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418

I have to do it piecemeal, so I haven’t gotten a takeaway box yet. ; - ) (And I likely won’t finish tonight.)

419

Bummer. Destroy the moldy books. They will bring destruction any paper they come in contact with. And you can spread the microbes yourself, if you handle the books uncarefully.

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420

I’ve not read nearly as many as I wish I had time, brain and eye-power to do. Contemporary Art was outstanding. I was grateful, though for a background in much of the theory that comes up and an Mrs. in econ, both of which were very helpful. Very Short Introduction does not mean beginner level. Let’s see, Children’s Literature and Augustine I’ve read or mostly. I have a few others in print, but the format is so murderously small, I should probably just give them away.

From these that I HAVE (partially) read, the thought of me attempting any of the titles on hard sciences is laughable. Maybe biology-related topics I could do, but since these are not beginner level introductions, but rather introductions to academic study, these would be beyond me. I have a couple kids’ books on physics I should start with. And perhaps end with. Additionally, to really grasp the texts, would requre the entire refresher and extension of a good math education that ended in 1987. It just seems unrealistic as a parent without a staff.

I have Kobo Aura One (discontinued) that’s about 5 years old. It took me a long time to figure out what I wanted to get, but I really needed something that would allow seriously large print that you can’t find in paper. I chose this one particularly because of the relatively large screen size (7 11/16" with my desk ruler) and epub format. I have a subscription to Bookshare that provides many common file formats that print-impaired readers need, including epub. It doesn’t deal with .mobi.
When I bought the reader, I didn’t realize what great features the built in Overdrive and Pocket would be. I use Pocket all the time and have it sync across my desktop, ipad, phone and Kobo.

The single thing I dislike the most about my Kobo is how sluggish the OS is (or maybe has become). It boots slowly, and moving between books is slow going. My Kindle is much peppier. As a church librarian, I worked with the library’s Kindles often, and they maintained their vim and vigor over the years. I think Amazon has just done a better job with the software side of things.
The second thing I dislike is how fritzy the underlining capability has become. It’s unreliable.

I recently got a Kindle mostly for the screen reader feature. I use Voice Dream on my ipad and Dolphin easy reader on my phone. I’m used to using a computerized voice (always makes me feel like I’m listening to NOAA Weather Radio with my dad) and can speed it up a bit, when careful listening is not necessary.
That being said, having developed my brain’s information gathering abilities in a visual/print mode, developing the listening skills for serious information gathering has been more than challenging. I think I need to develop these skills much like I developed print literacy skills, because there are distinct and challenging differences.

Lastly, for now at least, last summer I downloaded Calibre software for converting ebooks for my daughter from her Bookshare account to .mobi to use on her Kindle we got her for camp. An ipad is way too dear to send off into the woods with a bunch of kids. I’ve been playing around a bit with Calibre lately, and it’s going to be an important tool with 3 different ereader brands in our house. The GUI is not pretty, but the software does some really nice things and gives you as much control over the conversion process and editing as you want. Or you can simply use it as your ebook library management software.

Read on.

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421

I really appreciate getting this detailed feedback. I’ve been thinking about getting an e reader for a while now but worry it will be difficult for my arthritic hands to manage, especially in bed. Like you I appreciate large typ when it is available. So much more comfortable. So light weigh with variable type size and I’m hoping it will be possible select/copy quotes for posting here. From all the ones you’re familiar with is there one you’d recommend above the others?

422

That’s going on my list. It’s a subject I’m not familiar with and I think it’ll be fascinating.

Thank you as well for the detailed report on your experience with e-readers.

The audiobook versions for VSI on the sciences have been helpful to me in gaining a flight level view of the subject. I find that if I’m physically occupied and listening I absorb bits and pieces of valuable information. Most of what’s said escapes me though, but there is still an intuitive grasp of the field. The books on Judaism and Islam were good in that way. At the very least, there is a better appreciation for the complexity, history, and nuance of the subject if it should come up in everyday conversation.

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