On Fridays I share articles/resources about broad cultural, societal and theological issues. Be sure to see the explanation and disclaimers at the bottom. I welcome your suggestions. If you read something fascinating please pass it my way.
This is volume 469, which is apparently the largest known n for which n!-1 is prime.
Things Glen Found Interesting
- ChatGPT Goes to Church (Arlie Coles, Plough): “Accidentally generated heresy is a technical failure; a pastor refusing to speak from the heart and preferring to generate the most probable word sequences for a sermon to the congregation in his care is a moral failure.… There is no world where deferring preaching and pastoral care to a text generator does not end with deterioration – first of formation, then of the clergy, and finally of the people in their care.”
- The author is a research scientist who focuses on deep learning.
- Scientists use food dye found in Doritos to make see-through mice (Carolyn Y. Johnson, Washington Post): “In a series of experiments that could have been plucked from the pages of science fiction, researchers at Stanford University massaged a solution containing tartrazine, the chemical found in the food dye known as ‘yellow No. 5,’ onto the stomachs, scalps and hind legs of mice. About five minutes later, the opaque skin of the mice transformed temporarily into a living window, revealing branching blood vessels, muscle fibers and contractions of the gut, they reported Thursday in the journal Science.”
- One of the study’s leaders, Dr. Guosong Hong, was part of Chi Alpha at Stanford. See the actual journal article for more details and some wild images.
- America Must Free Itself from the Tyranny of the Penny (Caity Weaver, New York Times): “Most pennies produced by the U.S. Mint are given out as change but never spent; this creates an incessant demand for new pennies to replace them, so that cash transactions that necessitate pennies (i.e., any concluding with a sum whose final digit is 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 or 9) can be settled. Because these replacement pennies will themselves not be spent, they will need to be replaced with new pennies that will also not be spent, and so will have to be replaced with new pennies that will not be spent, which will have to be replaced by new pennies (that will not be spent, and so will have to be replaced). In other words, we keep minting pennies because no one uses the pennies we mint.”
- D.E.I. Is Not Working on College Campuses. We Need a New Approach. (Paul Brest and Emily Levine, New York Times): “Rather than correcting stereotypes, diversity training too often reinforces them and breeds resentment, impeding students’ social development. An excessive focus on identity can be just as harmful as the pretense that identity doesn’t matter. Overall, these programs may undermine the very groups they seek to aid by instilling a victim mind-set and by pitting students against one another.”
- The two authors are Stanford affiliates. Paul Brest is a former dean of Stanford Law School, and Emily Levine is associate professor of education and history at Stanford.
- Why I changed my mind about volunteering (Rachel M. Cohen, Vox): “Philanthropy certainly has some great victories in funding ‘root’ solutions, but Buchanan urges against the mentality that only permanently eradicating a problem is worth doing. ‘You shouldn’t assume that a focus on roots is necessarily superior,’ he writes. ‘Trimming branches is also important.’ In a way, it can feel safe to distrust the value of individual action. Being wary of philanthropy and charitable groups that promise to better the world resonates with the skepticism I’ve been trained to have, professionally and culturally. It also allows me to avoid making sacrifices; there’s no real vulnerability or bets required.”
- I didn’t know that Tolkien had explained Tom Bombadil (Alan Jacobs, a Baylor prof).
Less Serious Things Which Also Interested/Amused Glen
- 8‑Day-Old Jewish Baby Excited For Cool Party They’re Throwing For Him And Hey Why Are All The Women Leaving And Who Is This Guy In The Robes (Babylon Bee)
- Cooking A Pizza On The Jobsite (YouTube): sixty seconds
- Genie Wishes (Swords Comic)
- A Conference for Ladies (Pearls Before Swine)
Why Do You Send This Email?
In the time of King David, the tribe of Issachar produced shrewd warriors “who understood the times and knew what Israel should do” (1 Chron 12:32). In a similar way, we need to become wise people whose faith interacts with the world. I pray this email gives you greater insight, so that you may continue the tradition of Issachar.
Disclaimer
Chi Alpha is not a partisan organization. To paraphrase another minister: we are not about the donkey’s agenda and we are not about the elephant’s agenda — we are about the Lamb’s agenda. Having said that, I read widely (in part because I believe we should aspire to pass the ideological Turing test and in part because I do not believe I can fairly say “I agree” or “I disagree” until I can say “I understand”) and may at times share articles that have a strong partisan bias simply because I find the article stimulating. The upshot: you should not assume I agree with everything an author says in an article I mention, much less things the author has said in other articles (although if I strongly disagree with something in the article I’ll usually mention it). And to the extent you can discern my opinions, please understand that they are my own and not necessarily those of Chi Alpha or any other organization I may be perceived to represent. Also, remember that I’m not reporting news — I’m giving you a selection of things I found interesting. There’s a lot happening in the world that’s not making an appearance here because I haven’t found stimulating articles written about it. If this was forwarded to you and you want to receive future emails, sign up here. You can also view the archives.