January 2012 Archives

SOPA – Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge

The unemployment rate among college graduates is 4.1% (source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). We might choose to believe that this provides a case for getting a college degree. However, this overlooks some very important truths. Some people are not good at or happy in the types of jobs that a college degree affords. College is not necessarily the best format for preparing people for all occupations. Society needs the services of many occupations that are not well served by college education.

The thought being that if we give everyone a college education, they will rise to the socio-economic advantage that people with a college education normally have. However, what if it is not the college education that is the key to success? Is it not more likely that success comes out of pursuing that which you are good at, that which you find fulfilling? Is the only difference between an auto mechanic and an economist, the college education of the latter? Is it reasonable to suppose that had the auto mechanic instead gone to college, majored in economics, she would be happy working in economics? The most rudimentary survey of high school students shows that this is clearly not the case. Some people are made to more academic pursuits. Some people are wired to be outside. Some people are only happy when their hands are covered in grease and oil and they are up to their waist in a motor.

As a society we have made it second rate to pursue a career that does not involve going to college. Kitchen tables all across America are the battle ground of kids who are being told that they must go to college even though their passion is to build homes, fix cars, or be a cowboy. Where would today's unemployment rate be if being blue collar were not equated with being second class? If students who sought to pursue vocational careers paths were given equal time and resources as their college bound peers?

Mike Rowe hits the nail on the head his testimony before the Senate.

Bible

I started using this app a few months ago. It is the best bible on the iPhone that I have found. All the major translations of the bible as well as a lot of lesser ones. Lots of different languages. The text is well displayed and easy to read. The app has day mode and low light mode.

It was actually this app that inspired (or maybe persuaded) me to read through the bible in a year. The app popped up a suggest in the end of December.

"A new year is starting, how about starting a reading plan in the new year," says Bible app.
"OK, what have you got?"

Bible has quite a few plans, divided into five categories; devotional, partial bible, topical, whole bible and youth. I was looking for a plan that would get me through the whole bible. At the head of the list is Bible in 90 Days. Now, while I am quite literate, have a fairly respectable vocabulary, I am not a very fast reader. In fact, I am pretty slow. According to the description, it works out to about 12 pages of Bible a day. Next. A plan titled Chronological. Read through the Bible in the historical order in which events occurred, according to current research.

So far, the reading plan has me going through 3 to 4 chapters a day. I started in Genesis, Adam and Eve, beginning of the world, right? Read in Genesis through Noah's boat ride. I am currently reading Job, apparently he was next.

Bible is made available by LifeChurch.tv for free. I have had no problems with the app. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in a good Bible on the iPhone.

The ball has fallen in Times Square. 2012 has begun. If the Mayans are to be believed, we should all make the year a good one, it will be the last. Which is probably good advice in any case. Live each year as if it were your last.

I am not one for resolutions, usually. This year, I thought maybe I would try something new. So, here we go.

• Read the bible, all the way through.
• A blog post every week.
• Run 350 miles (not brave enough to commit to 500).

Hopefully, next week's blog post will not be about how I have abandon these resolutions already. Worse would be no blog post at all which would essentially be the same statement.

To read through the bible in one year I plan to use an iPhone app, Bible. The app offers access to a variety of reading plans. I am going to pick one of the one year plans. I am leaning toward an historical approach, reading events in the order they occurred. But, I have not decided yet.

I already use a Garmin Forerunner 405cx on my runs. Garmin Connect provides the ability to set goals. I have already set an annual goal for 2012 of 350 miles.

To track my blog posts… Watch this space for further developments.

Happy New Year. Welcome 2012.