Anyway, if you’re interested in finding out more about theology at the University of Auckland (whether for a programme like the BTheol or Graduate Diploma, or as part of something like a BA or BSc conjoint programme), and want to come and talk to some staff and current students it’s all happening this Saturday on campus. (See the link above for details).

I’m looking forward to the end of next week when, in theory, some of the minutiae of the first term has disappeared.

• bbfc - the official website of the bbfc. - which I’ve found useful for more detailed descriptions of films when deciding which of my children will watch something.
• Humanity lost in digital classrooms - Eureka Street - a more pessimistic view on IT in the classroom.
• Libraries step into the age of iPod - Stuff.co.nz
• Stuff’s guide to web comics - Stuff.co.nz
• BBC - Radio 4 - Woman’s Hour -Women Turning to Spirituality - an interesting (though a few years old) audio programme.
• First Hour: Modern Christian Orthodoxy :: Sunday Nights - interesting because I’ve be thinking and reading about the relationship between orthodoxy and orthopraxy.
• Uncle Sam Wants Your Brain | Wired Science from Wired.com - article on the recent US report in neurotechnologies in military applications.

It’s be interesting to see it we ever end up with minimum noise requirements for cars to go with the current maximum noise restrictions.

Also, if I had one of these systems I’d want my car to sound like a Tie Fighter

More about it at Bruno Faidutti - Citadels.

Just filing the link here because it might be useful at some point for the “Spirituality and Well-being” course I’m co-teaching next semester.

Hat tip to: Select Bibliography of Children’s Books about the Disability Experience « Nano, Bio, Info, Cogno, Synthetic bio, NBICS

All in all, a good (though different) kind of day.

And anyone who thinks watching your kids playing football is relaxing needs their head checked. I’m still recovering from the highs and lows of yesterday’s performances.

I’m thinking it’s time to look at the next few weekends and see what can be culled from the events calendar. These things are all good (like all the people we saw today at the wedding who we haven’t seen for ages) but every Monday we’re a little more tired going to work.

The first, The Suburban Christian: Planned obsolescence and perceived obsolescence, links through to The Story of Stuff with Annie Leonard and ponders Christian responses to consumerism.

The second, The Suburban Christian: On role playing and creating culture, notes the recent death of Gary Gygax (co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons) and the need to be creators of engaging culture rather than just critics of culture. I can identify with Hsu’s point the Gygax created an attractive immersive and social environment. Certainly, when I was at high school in the early 80s D&D (and to a lesser extent Rune Quest) were all the rage amongst my classmates.

Personally, I enjoyed Traveller (a science fiction role playing game) because it came with rules for starship and solar system generation, a developing historical context (detailed in the supporting journal), and series of board games that fitted into this history (e.g. Dark Nebula).

Related links: Wired - Dungeon Master: The Life and Legacy of Gary Gygax and Dylan Horrock’s Gary Gygax R.I.P. - Vox (with link to Horrock’s 95bfm interview about D&D).

Is it unique to the Waikato to have people with drenching packs of sunblock walking through the crowd squirting out free sunblock to anyone who wants it?

Highlight of the day for the kids was playing on the field at lunch time. See photos below.

So far I’ve been to a large number of meetings (School of Theology and University), met faculty (incl. a nice lunch at the Catholic Institute of Theology (next door)), helped lots of students with course selections and enrollments, organized my courses for this semester (including a new online course we’re offering this year), come to grips with the university IT systems, familiarized myself with the uni’s online learning management system (CECIL), continued my predecessor’s work on a new online course on spirituality for second semester, attended various training sessions, attended various orientation events (including a nice commencement chapel service), organized a powhiri for new students next week, attended a powhiri for myself (and another one next week), run the undergraduate section of the School of Theology orientation day on Friday, and put in a proposal for the AAR consultation “Transhumanism and Religion”.

I’m very tired but I think I’ve won more than I’ve lost, and I’m really looking forward to teaching starting next week now all this preparation work has been done. My fellow faculty and staff have been brilliant at helping me get established.

Next time though I’ll hopefully start a new position with a little more time before the start of the academic year, and with a more graceful transition into the job.