Everything's Amazing and Nobody's Happy

Sometimes we need a vehicle like humor to remind us how amazing our technology is.

Blockheaded Idolators

Isaiah 44:12-20 shows the foolishness of making and worshiping idols - really worshiping any created thing besides God. A man takes half of some wood and burns it for warmth and cooking; with the other half he shapes an idol and worships it. His first action shows his own power over the material, while his second action shows he thinks the material now has power over him.  Beyond this humorous and pointed picture, I have a few observations related to technology.

Engineering Inspired By Creation

Take a look at this article from Wired: Mother Nature as Engineer. While I take the creationist stance and I assume the author does not, we have applied a great deal from designs we see in nature to our technology.

Personally, I think of it as imitating God, the ultimate engineer.

Simple Technology Can Go A Long Way

Take a look at this video about the Forgotten Foundation. Be warned that there are some graphic images in there.

Starting around 10:00 or so, they talk about the relatively simple technology they offer the Karen people when they arrive. With just a few things, they can get started creating a new home and can even find new life through the Bible being read in their native language.

Praise God for the work done among these people, and for the technology that plays a small part in it.

Nehemiah The Project Manager

When we lived in Texas I was part of a men's breakfast study group at our church. For a time, we studied the book of Nehemiah. Over the course of this study (and teaching a few times) I became fascinated with him. Many Biblical figures such as David and Peter are held up as great examples of manhood for their courage and boldness. Nehemiah can and should be considered part of that group of men we can look to. Besides his prayerfulness, leadership, and courage, he was a skilled project manager.

Gadget Love

According to this blog, a survey run by Intel showed that a large number of Americans really love their technology gadgets, more than family and more than their favorite food. Some caveats: I can't find a link to the original survey & results, so it is difficult to draw conclusions from this. I don't know what population they surveyed, how they surveyed them, what questions were asked, how they define "gadget" (iPhone, iPad, or pencil sharpener?) etc.

Still, I'm sure there are people that love their gadgets this much. As Calvin says, our hearts are idol factories. Our gadgets are good a providing personal comfort, entertainment, and a sense of independence from others. They immediately respond obediently and are focused on our personal pleasure, unlike a spouse, children, and other relatives where we have mutual needs we need to meet. This self-focus is one of their great attractions.

If anyone out there finds a link to the original report, please leave it in a comment.

Answers in Genesis on Technology

Answers in Genesis has a post about technology. The story about the woman objecting to the use of color printing was interesting and can be an analog to many other types of technology. I left the following comment for them on Facebook:

One thing technology does is extend the reach of our communication. We've come a long way in a short time from delivering letters by horse to overnight air shipping, phone, email, youtube, etc. Yes, all of these technologies can be used to share both truth and lies, but so can our own tongues; they only extend the reach of our tongues. We need not fear the technology when it is used to convey truth.

John Dyer's From the Garden To The City

John Dyer, a technology and theology blogger has a book out: From the Garden to the City
. He's releasing chapters on his website: http://www.fromthegardentothecity.com/ if enough people help promote it through social media. He's gotten some good endorsements and I've found many insightful posts on his blog. I have not read the book myself, but I encourage you to go promote it to help open some of the chapters.

Applying Scripture to Social Media

Go read this great post about Social Media and Temptations to Sin.

Technology Predictions from 1900

Here are some postcards from 1900 that predict what the year 2000 will be like. Interesting to see how their predictions were so strongly influenced by their current technology and culture. It is difficult to predict technological innovation, much less how it will change society. It's also interesting to think about how fast technology advanced over that century.

Review: Wayward Technology

I found Wayward Technology by Ernst Braun in the campus library section I mentioned previously. I've slowly read it and recommend it for anyone thinking about the nature of technology. It's rather difficult to review as it is so wide-ranging. Braun looks at technology from a sociological perspective, showing how technology and its innovation have always been central to the development of society. He defines technology as "the creation and use of artifacts for practical purposes." According to him, technology is pursued and desired for it's ability to grant independence/self-sufficiency and power/self-determination. However, it can also tend to remove creativity and judgment and impose control on us in various ways. He believes we experience a tension when working with technology between our dependence on technology and a fear of submission to it.