Tagged by Jo (over at JoBloggs: book meme) here’s my perspective on the current book meme:

1. One book that changed your life.

Brian Kernighan and Rob Pike, The UNIX Programming Environment.

2. One book you’ve read more than once

Tracy Kidder, The Soul of a New Machine.

3. One book you’d want on a desert island

Mary Doria Russell, The Sparrow.

4. One book that made you laugh

Neil Gaiman, Anansi Boys.

5. One book that made you cry

Douglas Coupland, Microserfs.

6. One book you wish had been written

Theology and cooking: Recipes for a whole community.

7. One book you wish had never been written

Tim LaHeye and Jerry Jenkins, Left Behind.

8. One book you’re currently reading

Janet Browne, Charles Darwin: Voyaging.

9. One book you’ve been meaning to read

Steve Ross, Marked.

10. Tag five people

They’ll know when it happens.

Meme originates at Ben’s Faith and Theology blog.

P.S. Congratulations to Jo for submitting her PhD thesis. All the best for the examination.

The NZ Bioethics Council (Toi te Taiao) has just launched an awareness programme about the use of human embryos in research. Discussion material is available for download and by post, as well as online discussion at their web site. This awareness campaign is timed to coincide with the Advisory Committee on Assisted Reproductive Technology (ACART) advising the Minister of Health about embryo research. (You can find their discussion papers and make a submission direct to ACART throught their website.)

Bioethics Council links:

• Human Embryos in Research [Bioethics Council]
• Online discussion forum (15 August to 30 September 2006)
• The Cultural, Ethical and Spiritual Aspects of Using Human Embryos for Research [Bioethics Council] – Discussion brochure in English and Maori (HTML and PDF versions).
• Human Embryos for Research – it’s time to talk [Bioethics Council]
• Martin Wilkinson, Acting Chair of the Bioethics Council, interviewed on human embryos for research (Windows Media Audio – 11 minutes) by Kathryn Ryan, Tuesday 25 July 2006, Nine to Noon, National Radio. (Probably only available for the next few weeks)

Human embryos for research dialogue events:

• A radio programme discussing the issue of human embryos for research, on Sunday Morning with Chris Laidlaw, National Radio, Sunday 6 August. (Online audio available through Radio NZ).
• Seminar on human embryos for research in Wellington on 25 September hosted by the Bioethics Council and ACART.

Related links:

• Science & Theology News – The biotechnology culture clash
• New Zealand Herald – UK scientists given go ahead to clone human embryos – 28 Jul 2006 – World News
• New Zealand Herald – Public views sought on human-embryo research – Monday 24, July 2006 10:06.00 AM

Last month Metanexus held their annual science and religion conference on the theme of “Continuity and Change“. Abstracts and full papers from the conference are available online from the web site. One paper I look forward to reading is
More than Human: Religion, Bioethics, and the Transhuman Prospect by Ronald Cole-Turner.

If I look sideways at that paper, I get an oblique reference when Cole-Turner says, “To date, there has been almost no attempt by religious leaders or scholars to respond to NBIC*, the notable exception being the August 2005 issue of The Journal of Evolution and Technology (see http://www.jetpress.org/contents.htm“. It’s always nice to be a “notable exception”.

* NBIC = nanotechnology, information technology, and cognitive science.

At some point soon I’ll also trip over to Kinder Library to peruse this volume of Zygon that has some thesis-related material in it. See Blackwell Synergy: Zygon, Vol 41, Issue 2 (June 2006). Normally I’d get the online version but there’s a 12 month embargo on digital copy through the university’s licensing agreement.

Papercutz, more well known for their comic book versions of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, have release a biographical graphic novel of Pope John Paul II. See John Paul II – in comics!.

A different slant from the Homopater comic (and the very bizarre Battle Pope comic).

Speaking of Faith (from American Public Media) has a very interesting podcast (and additional web content) on Charles Darwin and his relationship to religion. I listened to half of it this morning and it was intriguing. The relationship is far more complicated and nuanced that the oft-proclaimed Darwin vs. God conflict. See SOF: Evolution and Wonder – Understanding Charles Darwin [Speaking of Faith® from American Public Media]

From the Scopes Trial to school board controversies in our day, Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution are portrayed as a refutal of the very idea of God. With Darwin biographer James Moore, we’ll learn about the world in which Darwin formulated his ideas and how he took religion seriously.

According To Me: The Rules has a bit of a rant about the importance of paying attention to the rules and background that belong to this history of comic book characters.

Good stuff.

This looks interesting. An open-source IDE for creating Web 2.0 type applications. When I have time I’ll download the Mac version and have a look. See Aptana. From the web site blurb:

Aptana is a robust, JavaScript-focused IDE for building dynamic web applications. Highlights include the following features:

• Code Assist on JavaScript, HTML, and CSS languages, including your own JavaScript functions
• Outliner that gives a snapshot view of your JavaScript, HTML, and CSS code structure
• Error and warning notification for your code
• Support for Aptana UI customization and extensions
• Cross-platform support
• Free and open source. (Source available soon)

I’m now not sure what’s left to make iPod-compatible. Can’t see the appeal personally, but I guess there must be a market somewhere. See iCarta iPod Toilet Roll.

Related link: http://www.shinyshiny.tv/2006/03/inshower_mp3pla.html

Science & Theology News – The Daily Dose: Science blessed by Pope points to Vatican’s ongoing openness to engagement with science. There’s a link there to the original Boston Globe news article, plus adding some comments on it.

Union Theological Seminary has been podcasting a variety of interesting lectures. Via Tensegrities: Union Seminary podcasts.