“I love the LORD because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!”
On 08/24/2012,
in Daniel S. Christian, faith, hearts -- matters of the heart, relationships,
by Daniel Christian
1 I love the Lord, for he heard my voice;
he heard my cry for mercy.
2 Because he turned his ear to me,
I will call on him as long as I live.
18 When I said, “My foot is slipping, ”
your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.
19 When anxiety was great within me,
your consolation brought me joy.
On 08/24/2012,
in art, drama/theater, faith, geography / geology, hearts -- matters of the heart, history, K-12 related, languages and translation, pedagogy, real-world assignments, relationships, religion, science, teaching & learning, technology (general),
by Daniel Christian
Excerpt:
The site presents teaching examples—for both elementary and secondary classrooms—from a range of subjects: art, cooking, dance, technology, drama, English, environment, geography, history, technology, math, foreign/second language, music, physical education, health, Bible class and science. (There are also categories titled “teacher,” “tests” and “topics.”)
Each example leads off with a question: “What if a grammar lesson challenged selfishness?” “What if success in math depended upon forgiveness?” “What if history could inspire students to love their city?” The site also provides tabs labeled “The Approach,” “Training,” “Big Picture,” and “Information,” where teachers can learn how to apply what they’ve learned in their classrooms.
“The website helps teachers ask key questions and make strategic decisions, not only about what to teach but about how to teach,” said Matt Walhout, Calvin’s dean for research and scholarship. “It relates specific topics like language, history, and math to the overarching Christian principles of faith, hope, and love.”
Also see:
On 08/20/2012,
in business, corporate / business world, ethics, hearts -- matters of the heart, policy, political science, society, United States,
by Daniel Christian
Key findings from Executive Excess 2012: The CEO Hands in Uncle Sam’s Pocket — from the Institute for Policy Studies by Sarah Anderson, Chuck Collins, Scott Klinger, Sam Pizzigati
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Key findings:
- Of last year’s 100 highest-paid U.S. corporate chief executives, 26 took home more in CEO pay than their companies paid in federal income taxes, up from the 25 we noted in last year’s analysis. Seven firms made the list in both 2011 and 2010.
- The CEOs of these 26 firms received $20.4 million in average total compensation last year. That’s a 23 percent increase over the average for last year’s list of 2010’s tax dodging executives
- The four most direct tax subsidies for excessive executive pay cost taxpayers an estimated $14.4 billion per year—$46 for every American man, woman, and child. That amount could also cover the annual cost of hiring 211,732 elementary-school teachers or creating 241,593 clean-energy jobs.
From DSC:
Considering our corporations are sitting on $1.X trillion, where is our nation’s heart? Priorities? Care for fellow mankind? It seems the “every man for himself” philosophy and manner of living is alive and well here in America. My alma mater would be proud — it’s their philosophy exactly.
On 08/16/2012,
in 21st century, business side of he, change, changing business models, corporate / business world, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, disruption, hearts -- matters of the heart, publishing, technology (general),
by Daniel Christian
Key quote/lesson from “How Barnes & Noble destroyed itself” — from fool.com by John Maxfield
An unnecessary tragedy
What makes B&N’s story tragic from a shareholder’s and book-lover’s perspective is that it wasn’t inevitable. The company would be in an entirely different position if its leadership hadn’t pooh-poohed online retail in the late 1990s, when the now-dominant Amazon was in its infancy. Consider this from its 1998 annual report: “Although it is clear the World Wide Web, with its profound possibilities, will become a major component of the future of bookselling and publishing, we believe retail bookstores will remain the foundation of our industry . . . shopping and browsing in a bookstore is an irreplaceable experience, and it is woven securely into the fabric of our American culture [emphasis added].”
From DSC:
I love going to B&N; sipping some coffee and reading a book. So don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy the physical experience of going to a bookstore. But the lesson for higher ed — as well as for the corporate world — is that technology cannot be pooh-poohed and shoved aside. Those who do so will be very sorry that they chose that route. There can be danger in pursuing the status quo.
How about your organization…is there solid representation of technology on your board/executive suite/leadership team?
My last thought here relates to my posting What happens in our hearts has very practical, relevant implications in our daily lives
In 2009, the company paid its chairman of the board, Len Riggio, nearly $600 million for B&N College, an amalgamation of campus-based bookstores that controlled the rights to the parent company’s trade name and was then owned by Riggio and his wife.
At the time, it looked like a classic covetous overreach by an executive to extract capital without selling shares. When all that’s left of B&N is a Harvard case study, however, my guess is that this blatant display of avarice and disregard for minority shareholders will be characterized more ominously as the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.
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Also relevant here:
- ReadWriteWeb DeathWatch: Barnes & Noble — from readwriteweb.com by Cormac Foster
On 08/07/2012,
in future, global / globalization, Google, hearts -- matters of the heart, political science, robotics, society, visualizing information,
by Daniel Christian
13-foot 12,000-pound mechanized robot suit now for sale in Japan — from venturebeat.com by John Koetsier
Also see:
and:
From DSC:
These items cause me to reflect yet again on the state of our hearts...as it doesn’t take much to think of the next steps in terms of using such robots as instruments of war. Do you think I’m stretching a bit too far here? How about after considering the following interactive visualization that Google just created?
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Addendums:
- [On 8/28/12] How about after reading This week in bots: The robots we build to kill for us — from fastcompany.com by Kit Eaton?
- [On 10/4/12] Homeland Security wants drones for public safety, doesn’t want to tell public about them — from spectrum.ieee.org by Evan Ackerman
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Psalm 32:8 (NLT)
The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.”
Psalm 112 (NIV) — from biblegateway.com
Praise the Lord.
Blessed are those who fear the Lord,
who find great delight in his commands.
So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
On 07/16/2012,
in 21st century, career development, engineering, ethics, Europe, hearts -- matters of the heart, morals/values, robotics,
by Daniel Christian
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From DSC:
Note the job descriptions further on down the page at shapetheworld.fr! These are the types of jobs that may likely be in demand in the near future. Are we ready?
See also:
From DSC:
The above video reminds me why I posted this one.
On 07/13/2012,
in faith, global / globalization, hearts -- matters of the heart, relationships,
by Daniel Christian
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
On 07/12/2012,
in business, economics, ethics, faith, hearts -- matters of the heart, morals/values, relationships, society, United States,
by Daniel Christian
Below are but a few examples that focus on money — is it any wonder that Jesus talked so much about this very subject!?!
(Second only to talking about the kingdom of heaven.)
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Addendum on 7/23/12:
- Wealthy hiding $21 trillion in tax havens, report says — from cbcnews
‘Debtor countries’ are actually wealthy when hidden money is accounted for
Excerpt:
The “super-rich elite” are hiding more than $21 trillion US in tax havens around the world, an amount roughly equal to the combined GDP of the United States and Japan, according to a new report.
Jeremiah 32:17 — from Bible Gateway’s Verse of the Day
““Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.”
On 07/03/2012,
in 21st century, analytics, corporate / business world, Daniel S. Christian, data related items, e-books, e-publishing related items (EPUB and more), e-readers, ethics, hearts -- matters of the heart, morals/values, policy, reading, social media, strategy, technology (general), the downsides of how people use tech,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
Readers of this blog will know that I am pro-technology — at least in most areas. However, as our hearts can sometimes become hardened and our feet can sometimes find themselves on slippery ethical ground, we really need hearts, minds, and consciences that prompt us to care about other people — and to do the right thing as a result of that perspective.
Example articles that brought this to my mind recently include:
7 sinister technologies from Orwell’s 1984 that are still a threat — from dvice.com by Hal Rappaport
Excerpt (emphasis DSC):
Technology is a wonderful thing, but in the words of Spider-Man’s Uncle Ben, “With great power, comes great responsibility.” If we are not careful, the technology we know and love could be used against us, even subtly. In the year 1984, Apple thought IBM was the bringer of “Big Brother.” In reality, the technology of today better resembles George Orwell’s dystopian vision than a 1980s era PC.
Every day we are in the process of becoming a more connected society. With social networks, cloud computing and even more specific, less-thought-about tech such as Internet-connected home surveillance systems, we may find ourselves in a delicate balance of trust and paranoia.
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While we are grateful that we don’t live in a world as bleak as Orwell’s Oceana, it’s clear that the technology now exists to make his world possible if we let it. Keeping our paranoia in check, we should all be mindful of our technology and how it’s used. Security is a good thing and so is saving money, but consider how much of each your personal freedom is worth.
Wiping away your Siri “fingerprint” — from technologyreview.com by David Talbot
Your voice can be a biometric identifier, like your fingerprint. Does Apple really have to store it on its own servers?
Online merchants wrestle with the ‘creepy’ factor in web personalization — from readwriteweb.com by Dave Copeland
Excerpt:
“What I’ve discovered through building and running very targeted online ad campaigns using this data is that users respond favorably to ads that are more targeted, but only if the ads don’t make it clear that I’m targeting sensitive information about them,” he said. “What’s most interesting, and what I’m learning, are which attributes are considered too creepy, and which ones are acceptable.”
“Google Now” knows more about you than your family does – are you OK with that? — from readwriteweb.com by Mark Hachman
Excerpt (emphasis DSC):
Google Now aggregates the information Google already collects about you on a daily basis: accessing your email, your calendar, your contacts, your text messages, your location, your shopping habits, your payment history, as well as your choices in music, movies and books. It can even scan your photos and automatically identify them based on their subject, not just the file name (in the Google I/O demo, Google Now correctly found a picture of the Great Pyramid). About the only aspect of your online life that Google hasn’t apparently assimilated yet is your opinions expressed on Google+. But that’s undoubtedly coming.
Social network privacy settings compared — from techhive.com by Nick Mediati
Excerpt (emphasis DSC):
It should go without saying that protecting your privacy online is kind of a big deal. While people are generally good at not giving out their personal information to just any website that asks for it, those same people can be found filling their Facebook accounts with everything from their birthday to where they live and work. Putting this sensitive information onto a social network not only leaves your data exposed to third-parties (advertisers and so forth), but also to anyone who happens across your profile.
Facebook, Google+, and Twitter all have settings that let you tweak what others can see on your profile—but navigating them can be a bit of a mess. Not all social networks give you complete control over your privacy online, so here’s a quick overview of what Facebook, Google+, and Twitter allow you to do.
U.S. companies lost at least $13 billion to espionage last year — from ieee.org by Robert Charette
Google Glass & Now: Utopia or Dystopia? — from extremetech.com by Sebastian Anthony
Excerpt (emphasis DSC):
If you didn’t watch the Google I/O keynote presented by Vic Gundotra, Hugo Barra, and Sergey Brin, let me quickly bring you up to speed. Google Now is an Android app that uses your location, behavior history, and search history to display “just the right information at just the right time.” For example, if you regularly search for a certain sports team, Now will show you a card with the latest scores for that team. When Now predicts or detects that you’re leaving home in the morning, it will display a card with any relevant traffic information. If you have a lunch meeting in your Google Calendar, Now will show you the route you need to take to get there — and when you need to leave to get there on time. If you search Google for an airline flight, Now will show a card with the flight details (and any delays).
Big e-reader is watching you — from PaidContent.org by Laura Hazard Owen
Why privacy is big business for trial lawyers — from technologyreview.com by Antonio Regalado
Tech companies that make privacy mistakes can expect a lawsuit.
Legal discovery: The billboard is imaginary, but the trend is real.
Trial lawyers are ramping up lawsuits over online privacy breaches.
Flickr Creative Commons | AdamL212 and istock/stocknroll
Addendums
On 7/6/12:
- Your e-book is reading you — WSJ.com by Alexandra Alter
Digital-book publishers and retailers now know more about their readers than ever before. How that’s changing the experience of reading.
On 7/16/12:
- NIF sets record with 500 TW laser shot, lab-based nuclear fusion not far behind – — from engadget.com by Sarah Silbert
Excerpt:
NIF’s latest test shot, fired July 5th, set a new record with 192 lasers producing more than 500 trillion watts of peak power and 1.85 MJ of ultraviolet laser light. Mind you, that’s more than a thousand times more energy than the United States uses at any given moment, not to mention a hundred times more power than other lasers can fire consistently.
. - Not your typical recruiting /”now hiring” piece!
Shape the World – Aldebaran Robotics is recruiting
On 7/23/12:
- It’s Terrifying and Sickening that Microsoft Can Now Listen In on All My Skype Calls — from forbes.com by Eric Jackson
. - Facebook, Google Less Trusted Than Your Grocery Store [STUDY] by Emily Price