I was looking up some things on the Waikato University web site today and saw this. A brief news article on the front page on the downloadable Greenstone digital library software developed there being used by various organizations around the world for things like aid and development work.

For a list of various projects and organizations using it go to the New Zealand Digital Library Project as well as Ian Witten’s paper “Examples of Practical Digital Libraries: Collections Built Internationally Using Greenstone.”

Greenstone can be downloaded from: www.greenstone.org

See also:

• My post from a year ago Greenflame: Digital libraries and society.
• The paper Greenstone: Open-Source Digital Library Software.
• DL Consulting – NZ company providing commercial Greenstone-based services.
• IDG : Library software gets world recognition.
• Interesting articles from the National Digital Forum.

PBS in the US start a series in the religion and ethics section exploring the relationship between faith and family by surveying five different families. See Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly . SPECIAL SERIES . Faith and Family in America, Part One: Beliefs and Behavior . October 28, 2005 | PBS.

The term “family” is an interesting one. I sometimes ask people if they can define what the biblical view of (a) “family” is, or at least to see if they can defend (incl. biblically) their idea of family. Good to get them engaging with the range of ways family is used in the biblical text and what it means also to be, in the Johannine sense, “to become children of God” (Jn 1).

Definition of “family” also determines, I believe, your social ethics. If it’s wide enough to embrace the inclusion of “widows and orphans”, extended family members, others who are dependent upon you (employees?), and your neighbours into your family then that’s quite a different thing to a definition that sees it as hospitable only to its most immediate members. (Walsh and Bouma-Prediger’s article “With and Without Boundaries: Christian Homemaking Amidst Postmodern Homelessness” (PDF) springs to mind as an approach to overcoming exclusivity through hospitality).

Mary Hess has some thoughts on Bono’s recent interview in Rolling Stone (Tensegrities: Bono on the influence of God in U2′s music) as well as links through to the podcast of the interview.

Nice online resource for testing your own Bible knowledge and also for grabbing a few questions for your students. I always like looking at exams I don’t have to sit myself. See Presbyterian Bible Content Exam – Learning Tool.

Via AKMA’s Random Thoughts : Should I Mention This?

A couple of short term exhibits put on by the Museum of New Zealand – Te Papa Tongarewa (Wellington, NZ)

• The Genetic Revolution. (3 September 2005 – 23 January 2006, Wellington)
• The Biotechnology Roadshow. (13 October 2005 – 01 April 2006, various locations in NZ)

Anyone know if they are worth going to?

Hmm. Good questions raised by both on a similar topic. I wonder what the NZ statistics are?

Rebel Without A Pew: Today’s worry and nakedreligion » Blog Archive » Why Young Pastors Leave the Ministry.

A new computer game teaches the strategies of non-violent resistance/conflict. Intriguing. From the web site “A Force More Powerful : The Game of Nonviolent Strategy“,

Can a computer game teach players how to defeat real-world adversaries – dictators, military occupiers, and corrupt rulers – by bypassing laser rays and AK47s and choosing instead a non-military strategy and nonviolent weapons?

See Wired News: Sir, the Gamers Are Revolting! for an article on it.

In a similar vein newsgaming.com has a couple of flash-based games.

I’ve been skimming Tensegrities (Mary Hess’ blog) tonight. A while back Tim said I could borrow her recent book “Engaging Technology in Theological Education: All That We Cant Leave Behind” off him but I’d forgotten about it until I saw a link to her blog the other day.

Her posting on her “Proactive Ministry in a Media Culture” course with respect to Powerpoint and design looks like serious fun, along with the range of links off that page. There’s also a link (via her institution home page) through to her “Religious Education and the Challenge of Media Culture” project.

As well she links to the www.theory.org.uk web site (Social theory for fans of popular culture. Popular culture for fans of social theory) which continues the recent trend of trading cards and Lego representations of significant figures in a field.

For other trading card and Lego equivalents see:

• The Disseminary’s The Theology Game, theology cards and The Polycarp Project (Lego and cards).
• The Brick Testament

Great article on one man’s quest to hear music again through his cochlear implant. I’d definitely agree that going beyond mere utility into extra research to improve the overall quality of life is worth it. I can’t imagine a world without music myself. See Wired 13.11: My Bionic Quest for Boléro.

Via Ernesto’s blog some comments on Anne Rice’s (vampire author etc.) switch in genres. See Ernesto Burden | Anne Rice, Catholic Writer. More at Rice’s official web site.

I think I’ll add it to my reserve list at the local library and have a look when it hits the shelves.