faith

Reflections on “An Existential Crisis in Neuroscience” [Guitchounts]

On 02/15/2020, in biology, Daniel S. Christian, faith, hearts -- matters of the heart, learning, learning theories, parents/guardians, psychology, relationships, by Daniel Christian

An Existential Crisis in Neuroscience — from by Grigori Guitchounts
We’re mapping the brain in amazing detail—but our brain can’t understand the picture.

Excerpt:

Neuroscientists have made considerable progress toward understanding brain architecture and aspects of brain function. We can identify brain regions that respond to the environment, activate our senses, generate movements and emotions. But we don’t know how different parts of the brain interact with and depend on each other. We don’t understand how their interactions contribute to behavior, perception, or memory. Technology has made it easy for us to gather behemoth datasets, but I’m not sure understanding the brain has kept pace with the size of the datasets.

From DSC:
The word “mystery” comes to my mind when I read parts of this thought-provoking article — as does the phrase “Glory to God!“.

As I’ve watched my mom slowly leave us due to Alzheimer’s (as did my grandma on her side) and as I’ve watched my good friend prepare to leave us due to cancer, I’m also reminded to be grateful for the people in my life when they’re still there. Plus, I’m reminded to be thankful for good health when I have it. It may be cliche, but it’s true. And I’ll end this posting with another one:

“One doesn’t know the worth of water until the well’s run dry.”

Unchecked ignorance leads to fear –> unchecked fear leads to hatred –> unchecked hatred leads to destruction. Education & talking with people are key solutions.

On 02/03/2020, in dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, ethics, faith, morals/values, political science, psychology, relationships, society, United States, youth, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
My brother-in-law sent me the link to the video below. It’s a very solid interview about racism and what some solutions are to it. It offers some important lessons for us.

A heads up here: There’s some adult language in this piece — from the interviewer not the interviewee (i.e., you know…several of those swear words that I’ve been trying since second grade to get rid of in my vocabulary! Sorry to report that I’ve not enjoyed too much success in that area. Thanks for your patience LORD…the work/process continues).

While I have several pages worth of notes (because that’s just how I best process information and stay focused), I will just comment on a couple things:

* A 10 year old boy has rocks thrown at him by adults and kids and rightfully asks, “Why are they doing this to me when they don’t even *know* me?!” That burning question lead to a decades-long search for Mr. Daryl Davis as he sought the answer to that excellent question.

* Years later Daryl surmised this phenomenon was/is at play: Unchecked ignorance –> leads to fear –> unchecked fear leads to hatred –> unchecked hatred leads to destruction. One of the best ways to stop this is via education and exposure to the truth — which we can get by being with and talking to/with each other. How true.

One of the best things my parents ever did was to move us from a predominantly white neighborhood and school setting to a far more diverse setting. Prior to the move, we used to hear (and likely believed was true) that “There are all kinds of guns and knives at this junior high school and at this high school. Violence abounds there.” After moving and getting exposure to the people and learning environments at those schools, we realized that that fear was a lie…a lie born out of ignorance. The truth/reality was different from the lie/ignorance.

* Mr. Daryl Davis is an instrument of peace. He is:

Highly articulate
A multi-talented gentleman
A deep thinker
…and an eloquent communicator.

I thanked my brother-in-law for the link to the interview.

Also see:

Healing Racial Trauma: The Road to Resilience— from christianbook.com by Sheila Wise Rowe

Product Description
As a child, Sheila Wise Rowe was bused across town to a majority white school, where she experienced the racist lie that one group is superior to all others. This lie continues to be perpetuated today by the action or inaction of the government, media, viral videos, churches, and within families of origin. In contrast, Scripture declares that we are all fearfully and wonderfully made.

Rowe, a professional counselor, exposes the symptoms of racial trauma to lead readers to a place of freedom from the past and new life for the future. In each chapter, she includes an interview with a person of color to explore how we experience and resolve racial trauma. With Rowe as a reliable guide who has both been on the journey and shown others the way forward, you will find a safe pathway to resilience.

T14 Law School Removes Racist Benefactor’s Name From Building — from abovethelaw.com by Staci Zaretsky
Prestigious law schools are starting to question the legacies of their donors.

Why you should care about what’s happening with law schools and the legal realm in general!

On 01/23/2020, in 21st century, Access to Justice (A2J), Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, career development, change, collaboration, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, emerging technologies, entrepreneurship, ethics, faith, future, game-changing environment, global / globalization, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, law schools, legal technologies, legislatures / government / legal, morals/values, online learning, pace of change, platforms, policy, political science, professional development, society, technologies for your home, technology (general), the downsides of how people use tech, trends, Uncategorized, United States, universities, vendors, vision/possibilities, youth, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
As some of you may know, I’m now working for the WMU-Thomas M. Cooley Law School. My faith gets involved here, but I believe that the LORD wanted me to get involved with:

Using technology to increase access to justice (#A2J)
Contributing to leveraging the science of learning for the long-term benefit of our students, faculty, and staff
Raising awareness regarding the potential pros and cons of today’s emerging technologies
Increase the understanding that the legal realm has a looooong way to go to try to get (even somewhat) caught up with the impacts that such emerging technologies can/might have on us.
Contributing and collaborating with others to help develop a positive future, not a negative one.

Along these lines…in regards to what’s been happening with law schools over the last few years, I wanted to share a couple of things:

1) An article from The Chronicle of Higher Education by Benjamin Barton:

2) A response from our President and Dean, James McGrath:

From DSC:
I also wanted to personally say that I arrived at WMU-Cooley Law School in 2018, and have been learning a lot there (which I love about my job!). Cooley employees are very warm, welcoming, experienced, knowledgeable, and professional. Everyone there is mission-driven. My boss, Chris Church, is multi-talented and excellent. Cooley has a great administrative/management team as well.

There have been many exciting, new things happening there. But that said, it will take time before we see the results of these changes. Perseverance and innovation will be key ingredients to crafting a modern legal education — especially in an industry that is just now beginning to offer online-based courses at the Juris Doctor (J.D.) level (i.e., 20 years behind when this began occurring within undergraduate higher education).

My point in posting this is to say that we should ALL care about what’s happening within the legal realm! We are all impacted by it, whether we realize it or not. We are all in this together and no one is an island — not as individuals, and not as organizations.

We need:

Far more diversity within the legal field
More technical expertise within the legal realm — not only with lawyers, but with legislators, senators, representatives, judges, others
Greater use of teams of specialists within the legal field
To offer more courses regarding emerging technologies — and not only for the legal practices themselves but also for society at large.
To be far more vigilant in crafting a positive world to be handed down to our kids and grandkids — a dream, not a nightmare. Just because we can, doesn’t mean we should.

Still not convinced that you should care? Here are some things on the CURRENT landscapes:

You go to drop something off at your neighbor’s house. They have a camera that gets activated. What facial recognition database are you now on? Did you give your consent to that? No, you didn’t.
Because you posted your photo on Facebook, YouTube, Venmo and/or on millions of other websites, your face could be in ClearView AI’s database. Did you give your consent to that occurring? No, you didn’t.
You’re at the airport and facial recognition is used instead of a passport. Whose database was that from and what gets shared? Did you give your consent to that occurring? Probably not, and it’s not easy to opt-out either.
Numerous types of drones, delivery bots, and more are already coming onto the scene. What will the sidewalks, streets, and skies look like — and sound like — in your neighborhood in the near future? Is that how you want it? Did you give your consent to that happening? No, you didn’t.
…and on and on it goes.

Addendum — speaking of islands!

Palantir CEO: Silicon Valley can’t be on ‘Palo Alto island’ — Big Tech must play by the rules — from cnbc.com by Jessica Bursztynsky

Excerpt:

Palantir Technologies co-founder and CEO Alex Karp said Thursday the core problem in Silicon Valley is the attitude among tech executives that they want to be separate from United States regulation.

“You cannot create an island called Palo Alto Island,” said Karp, who suggested tech leaders would rather govern themselves. “What Silicon Valley really wants is the canton of Palo Alto. We have the United States of America, not the ‘United States of Canton,’ one of which is Palo Alto. That must change.”

“Consumer tech companies, not Apple, but the other ones, have basically decided we’re living on an island and the island is so far removed from what’s called the United States in every way, culturally, linguistically and in normative ways,” Karp added.

Psalm 90:12

On 01/04/2020, in Daniel S. Christian, faith, global / globalization, relationships, religion, society, by Daniel Christian

Psalm 90:12 New International Version (NIV) — from biblegateway.com

12 Teach us to number our days,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

From DSC:
Upon reading this scripture again…I couldn’t help but recall the scene from Dicken’s A Christmas Carol where Ebenezer Scrooge approaches his own gravestone and sees his own name engraved upon it. It is one of the last catalysts for his amazing transformation.

How might we change if each of us were to picture our own name on a gravestone on this very day? Would we do anything differently?

Merry Christmas!

On 12/24/2019, in Daniel S. Christian, faith, global / globalization, hearts -- matters of the heart, relationships, religion, society, youth, by Daniel Christian

Merry Christmas!

From DSC:
To those who celebrate it, Merry Christmas to you and to yours!

Merry Christmas!

On 12/20/2019, in Daniel S. Christian, faith, global / globalization, hearts -- matters of the heart, relationships, religion, society, youth, by Daniel Christian

Merry Christmas all!

From DSC:
Before people start heading out of Dodge, I wanted to wish those of you who celebrate it, a very Merry Christmas! May you and yours enjoy some moments of deep peace this holiday season. And may you share some meaningful, wonderful time with those you love.

I’m grateful to our heavenly Father for His numerous gifts — especially for the gift of His Son, our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ!

Luke 1:30-33

On 12/15/2019, in faith, global / globalization, history, relationships, society, by Daniel Christian

Luke 1:30-33 New International Version (NIV) — from biblegateway.com

³⁰But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. ³¹You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. ³²He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

Psalm 29:1-2 (NIV) — via a picture I took on my way to work the other day

On 10/23/2019, in art, creativity, Daniel S. Christian, design, faith, global / globalization, hearts -- matters of the heart, relationships, society, by Daniel Christian

Psalm 29 verses 1-2 -- via a picture I took on my way to work the other day

In U.S., decline of Christianity continues at rapid pace [pewforum.org]

On 10/18/2019, in 21st century, faith, relationships, society, trends, United States, by Daniel Christian

In U.S., decline of Christianity continues at rapid pace — from pewforum.org
An update on America’s changing religious landscape

From DSC:
Looking around…how’s that going for us? How is the United States doing internally? How is our nation doing externally? In my own life, when I’ve gotten away from the LORD, things have not gone very well. When family members have grown apart from the LORD, things declined in their lives as they did in my own life. I look around and I see that kind of phenomenon happening corporately as well.

Psalm 33:12 New International Version (NIV)

12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord…

…and conversely…???

Addendums on 10/18/19:

Half of millennials and 75% of Gen Zers have left their job for mental health reasons — from cnbc.com
.
Preparing for Gen Z — from cccu.org

A great illustration of Genesis 1:21! Glory to God!

On 10/03/2019, in faith, global / globalization, hearts -- matters of the heart, religion, by Daniel Christian

Genesis 1:21 New International Version (NIV)

21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Breathtaking video of a Humpback Whale breaching.
? Credit : https://t.co/i8lddhe5yW IG#Whales pic.twitter.com/rnPFETX7pY

— #LuxuryTravel (@ZaibatsuPlanet) October 1, 2019

A reflection on Mark 2:1-12

On 08/24/2019, in Daniel S. Christian, faith, global / globalization, relationships, religion, society, by Daniel Christian

Mark 2:1-12 (NIV) — from biblegateway.com

2 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. ²They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. ³Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. ⁴Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. ⁵When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

⁶Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, ⁷“Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

⁸Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? ⁹Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? ¹⁰But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, ¹¹“I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” ¹²He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

From DSC:
“…what they were thinking in their hearts…” Wow….that wording hasn’t caught my attention the way it just did this morning. It doesn’t refer to thinking as I/we tend to view it — i.e., with our minds — but rather, thinking in our hearts. Hmmm….

Philippians 2:5-11

On 08/21/2019, in faith, global / globalization, hearts -- matters of the heart, relationships, religion, society, by Daniel Christian

Philippians 2:5-11 New International Version (NIV) — from biblegateway.com

⁵In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

⁶Who, being in very nature^[a] God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
⁷rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature^[b] of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
⁸And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!

⁹Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.

Mark 1:1-4

On 08/16/2019, in faith, global / globalization, hearts -- matters of the heart, relationships, religion, society, youth, by Daniel Christian

Mark 1:1-4 New International Version (NIV)

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

1 The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah,^[a] the Son of God,^[b]²as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way”^[c]—
³“a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’”^[d]

⁴And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

Israeli tech co. uses virtual & augmented reality tech to help Christians engage with the Bible

On 08/08/2019, in 21st century, A/V -- audio/visual, active learning, attention, Augmented Reality (AR), digital learning, digital storytelling, e-books, e-publishing related items (EPUB and more), education, education technology, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, ethics, faith, hearts -- matters of the heart, history, homeschooling/homeschoolers, human-computer interaction (HCI), learning, learning preferences, multimedia, platforms, publishing, religion, story, storytelling, student-related, technologies for your home, tools, user experience (UX), vendors, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, XR - extended reality, youth, by Daniel Christian

Israeli tech co. uses virtual & augmented reality tech to help Christians engage with the Bible — with thanks to Heidi McDow for the resource
Compedia Partners with U.S. Clients to Utilize Company’s Biblical Knowledge and Technological Expertise

TEL AVIV, Israel, Aug. 7, 2019 – Compedia, an Israel-based business-to-business tech company, is using virtual reality technology to service Christian clients with products that help users engage with the Bible in a meaningful way.
…
Compedia partnered with The Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., which attracted more than 1 million visitors during its first year of operation, to help bring the museum’s exhibits to life. With the help of Compedia’s innovation, visitors to the museum can immerse themselves in 34 different biblical sites through augmented reality tours, allowing them to soar across the Sea of Galilee, climb the stairs of the Temple Mount, explore the Holy Sepulchre and so much more. In addition to creating on-site attractions for The Museum of the Bible, Compedia also created a Bible curriculum for high-school students that includes interactive maps, 3-D guides, quizzes, trivia and more.
…
“Many people are dubious of augmented and virtual reality, but we see how they can be used for God’s glory,” said Illutowich. “When clients recognize how attentive users are to the Bible message when it’s presented through augmented and virtual reality, they see the power of it, too.”

In addition to their passion for furthering Bible education, Compedia is committed to developing products that help educators engage students of all types. The company is currently in partnership with a number of educational institutions and schools around the U.S. to utilize its interactive technology both in the classroom and in the online learning space. Other client collaborations include Siemens, Sony and Intel, to name a few.

About Compedia
Compedia uses cutting-edge technology to help students succeed by making education more fun, engaging, and meaningful. With over 30 years of experience in developing advanced learning solutions for millions of people in 50 countries and 35 languages, Compedia offers expertise in visual computing, augmented reality, virtual reality and advanced systems, as well as instructional design and UX.

Psalm 150

On 07/10/2019, in faith, global / globalization, hearts -- matters of the heart, relationships, religion, society, by Daniel Christian

Image from https://es.pngtree.com/freepng/color-cartoon-musical-note-stave_2521336.html

Image source

Psalm 150 — from biblegateway.com

¹Praise the Lord.

Praise God in his sanctuary;
    praise him in his mighty heavens.
²Praise him for his acts of power;
    praise him for his surpassing greatness.
³Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
    praise him with the harp and lyre,
⁴praise him with timbrel and dancing,
    praise him with the strings and pipe,
⁵praise him with the clash of cymbals,
    praise him with resounding cymbals.

⁶Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.

Learning Ecosystems

Reflections on “An Existential Crisis in Neuroscience” [Guitchounts]

Unchecked ignorance leads to fear –> unchecked fear leads to hatred –> unchecked hatred leads to destruction. Education & talking with people are key solutions.

Psalm 90:12

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Luke 1:30-33

Psalm 29:1-2 (NIV) — via a picture I took on my way to work the other day

In U.S., decline of Christianity continues at rapid pace [pewforum.org]

A great illustration of Genesis 1:21! Glory to God!

A reflection on Mark 2:1-12

Philippians 2:5-11

Mark 1:1-4

Psalm 150

Image source

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