{"id":7216,"date":"2023-06-09T21:06:20","date_gmt":"2023-06-10T04:06:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/?p=7216"},"modified":"2023-06-09T21:06:20","modified_gmt":"2023-06-10T04:06:20","slug":"things-glen-found-interesting-volume-406","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2023\/06\/09\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-406","title":{"rendered":"Things Glen Found Interesting, Volume 406"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-4396\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=300%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=768%2C768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=1024%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?resize=1200%2C1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?w=2048&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/issachar-update-logo-wordswag.png?w=1680&amp;ssl=1 1680w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 85vw, 300px\"><\/a>     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&nbsp;way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is volume 406, which is also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.poeticous.com\/john-boyle-oreilly\/406\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.poeticous.com\/john-boyle-oreilly\/406\">the name of a poem by John Boyle O\u2019Reilly.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Things Glen Found Interesting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"simple-list wp-block-list\">\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thefp.com\/p\/immigrants-keep-christianity-alive-in-america\" target=\"_blank\">A Church Grows in Brooklyn<\/a> (Sheluyang Peng, The Free Press): \u201c\u2026Christianity is thriving if you know where to look. People say immigrants do the jobs that native-born Americans don\u2019t want to do. Going to church is one of them. Over two-thirds of today\u2019s immigrants to the United States are Christians, and prominent religious scholars forecast that immigrants will single-handedly reverse Christianity\u2019s decline in America.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/spsp.org\/news\/character-and-context-blog\/higginbotham-black-men-college-sports\" target=\"_blank\">Please Don\u2019t Ask If I Played a Sport in College<\/a> (Gerald Higginbotham, SPSP): \u201c\u2026these opening questions were from an actual conversation I had while traveling after graduating from Stanford University in 2014. After a stranger struck up a conversation, I shared that I had just graduated with a major in psychology. On cue, the stranger asked their first follow-up question, the one that I was typically used to: \u2018What sport <em>did<\/em> you play?\u2019 Some may see this question as a compliment, but it is not\u2014it is an assumption rooted in a longstanding stereotype about Black people.\u201d&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Gerald, now a professor at UVA, is an alumnus of our ministry.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.firstthings.com\/web-exclusives\/2023\/06\/blasphemy-then-and-now\" target=\"_blank\">Blasphemy Then and Now<\/a> (Carl Trueman, First Things): \u201cOpponents of blasphemy then and of blasphemy now share something in common: a concern to protect that which is sacred. But that is where the similarity begins and ends. Old-style blasphemy involved desecrating God because it was God who was sacred. Today\u2019s blasphemy involves suggesting that man is not all-powerful, that he cannot create himself in any way he chooses, that he is subject to limits beyond his choice and beyond his control.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.richardhanania.com\/p\/understanding-the-tech-right\" target=\"_blank\">Understanding the Tech Right<\/a> (Richard Hanania, Substack): \u201cIn our current politics, one can simplify the world by saying that conservatives are in favor of hierarchy and against change, with liberals against hierarchy and for change. While this isn\u2019t how things always work out in practice, and there are many nuances and qualifiers one could add, this is at least how each side perceives itself. The Tech Right combines the acceptance of inequality of the right with the openness to change of the left. The pro-change, anti-equality quadrant is the sweet spot for support for capitalism, so of course they tend to favor free market economic policies.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theage.com.au\/national\/the-hillsong-experiment-is-over-christianity-was-never-meant-to-be-cool-20230526-p5dbot.html\" target=\"_blank\">The Hillsong experiment is over. Christianity was never meant to be cool<\/a> (Cherie Gilmour, The Age): \u201cPerhaps now that Hillsong has been cast out of the Garden of Eden, the hundreds and thousands of people who are and have been members can find their way forward. The future of the church will depend on its next move. But for all saints and sinners alike who need grace, it\u2019s worth remembering there was only one man who said, \u2018Follow me\u2019. And he wasn\u2019t on Instagram.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/finance.yahoo.com\/news\/frequent-marijuana-users-tend-leaner-093000474.html\" target=\"_blank\">Frequent marijuana users tend to be leaner and less likely to develop diabetes. But the pseudo-health benefits come at a price, experts say<\/a> (Erin Prater, Yahoo Finance): \u201cIt\u2019s well established that cannabis consumption is linked to lower BMI and improved cardiometabolic risk, the authors write. But their findings point to the ability of the drug to permanently disrupt organ function, \u201cwith potentially far-reaching consequences on physical and mental health,\u201d Piomelli said. \u201cAdolescent exposure to THC may promote an enduring \u2018pseudo-lean\u2019 state that superficially resembles healthy leanness but might, in fact, be rooted in \u2026 organ dysfunction,\u201d the authors wrote.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/arstechnica.com\/information-technology\/2023\/06\/redditor-creates-working-anime-qr-codes-using-stable-diffusion\/\" target=\"_blank\">Redditor creates working anime QR codes using Stable Diffusion<\/a> (Benj Edwards, Ars Technica): \u201cThe creator did not detail the exact technique used to create the novel codes in English, but\u2026 they apparently trained several custom Stable Diffusion ControlNet models (plus LoRA fine tunings) that have been conditioned to create different-styled results. Next, they fed existing QR codes into the Stable Diffusion AI image generator and used ControlNet to maintain the QR code\u2019s data positioning despite synthesizing an image around it, likely using a written prompt.\u2026 This interesting use of Stable Diffusion is possible because of the innate error correction feature built into QR codes. This error correction capability allows a certain percentage of the QR code\u2019s data to be restored if it\u2019s damaged or obscured, permitting a level of modification without making the code unreadable.\u201d&nbsp;<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Wild stuff- that these codes work is very&nbsp;cool.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Less Serious Things Which Also Interested\/Amused Glen<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"simple-list wp-block-list\">\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/stanforddaily.com\/2023\/06\/08\/tree-at-stanford-grows-40-different-fruits\/\" target=\"_blank\">Tree at Stanford grows 40 different fruits<\/a> (Sarayu Pai, Stanford Daily): \u201cA living art installation has planted its roots near the Rodin Sculpture Garden. The art is a <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Tug7h7q5woY\" target=\"_blank\">tree<\/a> capable of growing 40 varieties of stone fruits, highlighting themes that branch out into the realms of aesthetics, social commentary and fruitful delight.\u2026 Stone fruits, also known as drupes, are fruits with a pit at their center. A juicy jumble of such fruits, ranging from peaches to plums and even almonds, will dangle from the tree\u2019s grafted branches.\u201d (not a joke \u2014 this is real, just a little less serious than the stuff in the previous section)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=XAxzo61zdHo\" target=\"_blank\">The Church History Mixtape Vol 2: Marburg<\/a> (Lutheran Satire, YouTube): six minutes. Theologically inaccurate but very&nbsp;funny.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/babylonbee.com\/news\/critical-error-in-game-of-monopoly-as-esau-trades-boardwalk--park-place-for-a-bowl-of-campbells-soup\/\" target=\"_blank\">Critical Error In Game Of Monopoly As Esau Trades Boardwalk &amp; Park Place For A Bowl Of Campbell\u2019s Soup<\/a> (Babylon Bee)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smbc-comics.com\/comic\/snake-2\" target=\"_blank\">Snake<\/a> (SMBC)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Things Glen Found Interesting A While&nbsp;Ago<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Every week I\u2019ll highlight an older link still worth your consideration. This week we have <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/ct\/2021\/january-web-only\/only-biblical-peacemaking-resolves-racial-and-political-inj.html\" target=\"_blank\">Only Biblical Peacemaking Resolves Racial and Political Injustice<\/a> (Justin Giboney, Christianity Today): \u201cIn 2020, the pandemic forced Americans to distance ourselves physically. Our politics, identities, and worldviews forced us further apart too. We watch the same occurrences and walk away not only with different opinions, but with a different set of facts. And yet, through social media, we\u2019ve bridged our divides just enough to antagonize one another.\u201d Highly recommended. The author is president of the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.andcampaign.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">AND Campaign<\/a>. From <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2021\/01\/22\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-285\" target=\"_blank\">volume 285<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Why Do You Send This&nbsp;Email?<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In the time of King David, the tribe of Issachar produced shrewd warriors \u201cwho understood the times and knew what Israel should do\u201d (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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>Disclaimer<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Chi Alpha is not a partisan organization. To paraphrase another minister: we are not about the donkey\u2019s agenda and we are not about the elephant\u2019s agenda \u2014 we are about the Lamb\u2019s agenda. Having said that, I read widely (in part because I believe we should aspire to pass <a href=\"http:\/\/econlog.econlib.org\/archives\/2011\/06\/the_ideological.html\">the ideological Turing test<\/a> and in part because I do not believe I can fairly say \u201cI agree\u201d or \u201cI disagree\u201d until I can say \u201cI understand\u201d) 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\u2019ll 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.\n\nAlso, remember that I\u2019m not reporting news \u2014 I\u2019m giving you a selection of things I found interesting. There\u2019s a lot happening in the world that\u2019s not making an appearance here because I haven\u2019t found stimulating articles written about it.\n\nIf this was forwarded to you and you want to receive future emails, sign up <a href=\"https:\/\/theglendavis.substack.com\/\">here<\/a>. You can also <a href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/category\/links\">view the archives<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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&nbsp;way. This is volume 406, which is also the name of a poem by John Boyle O\u2019Reilly. Things Glen Found \u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/archives\/2023\/06\/09\/things-glen-found-interesting-volume-406\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> \u201cThings Glen Found Interesting, Volume 406\u201d<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"There's a tree at Stanford that grows 40 distinct fruits. Wild!","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[16],"tags":[201,160,227,113,116,203,214],"class_list":["post-7216","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-links","tag-drugs","tag-how-the-church-is-perceived","tag-immigration","tag-lgbtq","tag-race","tag-silicon-valley","tag-technology"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6Ded-1So","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7216","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7216"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7216\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7217,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7216\/revisions\/7217"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7216"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7216"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glenandpaula.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7216"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}