Mayans, Dead Sea Scrolls, and Google

So it's Saturday, Dec. 22nd. The World is still here (assuming the world didn't actually end, and then was replaced with a replica by the white mice but that's another story.) There is something about apocalyptic prophecies that fascinate the Western consciousness.  The most recent of course are Harold Camping's end of the world on May 21, 2012 (later amended to October 21st, 2012), and now the Mayan Calendar end on December 21st, 2012.  I would have thought after May 21st online interest would wane but December 21st generated an even...

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Transliteracy: Technical term for "Its all blurry?"

Some people really get into theory. Their eyes light up as they ruminate on the theory of something something something. I'm a little thick and I find theoretical thinking difficult. But it is good for me. Right? Just no more reading Foucault (though maybe a little more Derrida for Louis-Charles.) I have the privilege of lecturing at the School of Information Management @ Dalhousie.  I teach a course called Managing Information Literacy Instruction.  We explore how to equip people to engage with information: to know when they need it,...

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Gaga and Beiber out-tweeted by Religious Leaders

So God beats glitter!  I've blogged about my ambivalence about twitter but maybe I should take it more seriously.  The New York Times has published a story this summer about the popularity of twitter among evangelical leaders. It seems though Lady Gaga has many more followers (29 million and counting) "religious leaders show much higher levels of engagement."  It is simple math; they may have fewer followers but their tweets get much more mileage with responses and retweets.  In a head-to-head response/retweet comparison between evangelical Joyce Meyer and Lady Gaga for instance; Meyers followers engaged with her tweets 27x more often.  The Times survey was admittedly...

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Only Milk from Christian Cows?

The Internet is world transforming/The Internet is soul destroying/The Internet is simply a tool. Yes unarguably, yes possibly, yes qualified. However you conceptualize the Internet, it has changed our culture in a myriad of ways both good and bad. I don't buy that it is a neutral tool. It is an idea imbued with values that need to be critically examined. Having said that, I live connected to the online, hopefully reflectively. Not everybody is comfortable with the possibilities. ChurchMag recently posted an ad for a new Evangelical Christian tablet called Edifi. Essentially this is an android tablet preloaded with a variety of Christian book and music apps, Christian radio app, Bible app...

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Salesmen, Tribes, and an Overdue Crisis

Some days it is hard to keep doing what I am doing.  Librarianship is a difficult go right now; it can be a time of great opportunity for visionaries.  Alternatively many a library in this country will die, and librarians wearing sensible shoes will dutifully carry the caskets.  I checked my email this evening to find an ad for a textbook salesman.  It was tempting.  Do a Google search for the phrase "leaving librarianship" and you'll see I'm not the only one who has those days. http://www.amazon.ca I have been reading...

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Tweet the Good Word. #Amen

I'll admit I haven't really caught on to Twitter.  I have an account and I follow a number of others, much in the same way I follow blogs.  I do like the as-it-happens bulletins from the local news. My hashtag would be #unconvinced. Tweeting live events has become quite fashionable; most conferences I have attended in the past two years have encouraged tweeting.  Religious tweeting is certainly popular from the Pope, the Dalai Lama, or even TD Jakes.  Now the debate about sermon tweeting continues: Thou shall/shalt not...

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The Theology of Information Seeking II

Question: "Do online information sources undermine traditional religious authorities?" I had the opportunity to present one facet of my doctrinal research in poster form at the most recent APLA conference in beautiful Wolfville, Nova Scotia.  Not my usual kind of venue, but a fun conference.  The Internet is having a negative impact on congregational life and faith building some clergy tell me.  Google et al. bring a cornucopia of ideas and beliefs into our daily lives, that previous generations may never have wrestled with. ...

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Canadiana Dave Rides Again!

Canadiana Dave II: The Apps of the iPad has arrived! "Why yes, I use my iPad for data collection." I've had a few people ask me about my use of technology for research.  Frankly I have lots to learn yet, but I thought I'd share what I have discovered to date.  This is part 2 of 3.  Next Time: Canadiana Dave, The Books of Wonder.  WARNING: This video contains excessive corny-ness, but also helpful info. ...

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The Theology of Information Seeking I

I'm off to the Atlantic Provinces Library Association conference this week and will be presenting a poster on the Theology of Information Seeking. You can check out the APLA schedule (and my abstract below). More about the presentation to come.....

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Telling Titanic's Story

This few weeks ago was the commemoration of the sinking of the Titanic.  Halifax held its own commemoration and my family attended the Titanic Evening of the Bells narrated by Gordon Pinsent.  We had to park about ten minutes away, as every street was filled with cars.  Grand Parade grounds were filled with curious spectators.  Key to the event was the various re-tellings of the disaster through spoken word, music, and animation: stories of the experiences of survivors, rescuers and those left behind we shared.  A strong emphasis of the stories were the experiences of compassion and heroism in the midst of such an overwhelming disaster.  Five years later Halifax...

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