…follow these links…

There is more talk of Amazon Kindle on the web (thanks to Jim West for pointing me to it).  I think it is important for people to be up to date on issues of the e-paper revolution (see the BBC’s comments here).  Microsoft is no longer in this race to try and compete with google books.  Let me make a few predictions based on this latest information:

1) The richest person will be the one who combines the iPhone with the kindle and can do it at low cost.

2) Google and apple will team up to create an online library that can be accessed through their cellular device.  There will be previews of books and the ability to buy books online.

3) There will be more decentralized books being written and desiminated via cellular devices than ever before.  Writing will become more free-form in nature.  Novels will be writen for niche audiences and complex artistic books will be much cheaper to make and print for visual enjoyment (i.e. comics)

4) Just as news has become individualized, books will also become individualized and the amount of books will increase because of the relative decrease in start-up costs.

In other news….

1) Some are arguing that evolution can inspire faith.

2) Jesus manifesto is dealing with issues of dispensantionalism and eschatology.  Sam argues on there that the dispensationalist view of the second coming holds a paradox: the first time Jesus comes to save the prostitute and the second time he comes to kill them.  He struggles with how to make the two different missions of Jesus come together.  He brings up the point that our end-times eschatology influences of practice of church (for the intellecutal: ecclesiology).  Often a dispensationalist theology, he argues, makes us unconcerned with the present world.  Do you agree?

3) Visit here for up to date news on decisions for Obama’s cabinet.  I personally would like to see Colin Powell in his cabinet. What do others think about this?  Some think John Kerry will be the next secretary of state?  Really?  What do you think?

4) The New York Times writes on the difficulties Obama will face after his inaguration.  What is the main issue that you want to see Obama address in his first one hundred days?

5) FFF argues that education is a socialist regime.  I argued in my letter that Obama should provide more reforms and more resources for schools, but do you think the federal government should just take a step back instead and let states deal with these issues?

6) Brian Walsh argues if Barack Obama can be a post-imperialist president.

Suburbs, Jesus and Amazon Kindle

There is an interesting conversation going on at common root on the issue of ministry in the suburbs.  Read it!  The suburbs is often a place that many people (including myself) as a boring place to do ministry because most people already are Christians or they are turned off to Christianity for whatever reason.  It is incredibly difficult to create a community in this land of genemerica (as Mark calls it).

Also interesting is some thoughts over at Juris Naturalist about the new Amazon Kindle.  Just as iTunes has taken many record stores out of business, so also Amazon Kindle has the potential to take publishing companies out of business.  There is no way that they will be able to compete with a machine that can hold so many books in its hard drive.  Textbook companies will start facing many of the same problems that the music and move world now face with torrent files.  Students will be illegally sharing copyrighted books that they scan into their computers via pdf files.  And if you can write on the screen to take notes, the kindle is basically the same as having a book in hand.  This will revolutionize the way that universities do class and how students read their textbooks.

It is also one more step in the decentralization of authority in the world.  Now someone could write a book, distribute it through kindle via e-mail or blogs and people read the book virtually free of charge.  Soon enough, it may be enough that people begin self-publishing books and getting them out into the world through the internet rather through any one company.  It will certainly be interesting to watch as these new ideas arise.