Finished a book

Just finished a book.

I have been using Daily Lit, and I just finished my first book through them. It was surprisingly easy. The book was "Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz" by L. Frank Baum. It wasn't the story that you would remember, it is a different one of his books.

The Big "G"

The Big "G" has been replaced!

I don't know if anyone else has noticed this, but the little favicon for Google has been replaced with a different G.

Here is the old "G"

Here is the new "g"

What does this change mean?

I have no idea.

more reading

I am trying out a site called Daily Lit.

Basically you request installments of a book to be sent to your e-mail inbox on a regular basis. You can set the frequency of the installments, and if you get through one quickly and have some extra time, simply request the next portion.

They have several free books. And if you know me at all, then you know the free part really drew me in. They have newer books with a price tag, but I haven't tried that aspect yet. You can even gift a book to someone, so I gifted my wife Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen. Hope she wants a full inbox.

[HT: (a new blog I am reading and enjoying) @edu]

Forced (but good) Reading

I am required to read several books in the process of my ACSI Certification. I am already certified by the state, but I am also pursuing this certification for the school where I am currently teaching. The process requires a "course" on Philosophy of Education. You have to read some books, and write a paper.

The first book that I am tackling is called Love Your God With All Your Mind, by J. P. Moreland. The subtitle is "The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul". I wasn't really looking forward to reading this book, but it has grabbed my attention already. I don't have any author quotes to post yet, but I do have an interesting quote which the author uses at the beginning of one of the chapters. I find it interesting because it is a quote from a Gallup Poll on the topic of Religion:

"We are having a revival of feelings but not of the knowledge of God. The church today is more guided by feelings than by convictions. We value enthusiasm more than informed commitment."

The interestingness of this quote is heightened by the source of the quote... at least for me. The real question is whether or not I agree. I do. I believe that there are way too many who are more led by their feelings on topics that by their convictions. And the few convictions that they do have are rooted in the most recent book that they read or what their pastor was recently speaking on... and those convictions are not set in stone. There are very few who dig for truth, and even fewer who dig in the right places.

Anyway, I am sure I will have more thoughts on this as I continue to read.

Air Force One

We were driving home from a day out with the family, when we pass by the backside of the airport and start noticing several police cars. I thought that was a little odd but didn't think much more about it. There was a large plane in front of the fed-ex building, but I didn't think much about that either. Then my wife remembers that the President was giving the commencement address at one of the local Universities (Furman, I think).

So, I wheeled back around and snapped this shot:



Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that is Air Force One. Not really that big of a deal, but I thought it was really cool.