Social Network Mapping New Testament Characters

One thing that the folks responsible for the English Standard Version are good at is playing around with new technologies in order to establish curious tools and databases and the like. They have used the data visualization site Many Eyes to create the beginnings of a Social Network Map of New Testament Characters. It is interesting and has pedagogical potential.

No Accordance on iPhone

If you're like me (my condolences if so), as soon as you heard Steve say that the upcoming iPhone would run OS X, you thought to yourself, "Swell. I can run Accordance on that puppy." Well, such is not the case. As the details of the iPhone come to the surface, it is for now a device more like an iPod than a Palm Treo in that no user installable or third party applications will be available. That's a shame, as it leaves the user at the mercy of whatever apps Apple chooses to release. Right now, on my Palm powered Samsung clamshell smartphone, I happily carry a tagged GNT and a full NRSV on Bible Reader, Planeterium and several other apps of my eclectic choosing. Plus, I'm pretty decent at stylus writing for taking notes. I was hoping the upcoming iPhone would be up my alley. Other reasons why the iPhone prospect/approach is not for me:

1. I do all my main dialing through voice recognition ("Call Church Office"). Not currently available on the iPhone, though the software could be in place by June's release.
2. One hand operation is better with tactile buttons. This is the same reason I passed on this universal remote years ago.
3. I'm really looking for a device with better subnotebook text entry/note taking options, as in a touch type keyboard.

The good news is that as time goes by, things will change. The software restrictions will lesson. It's inevitable.

liveWorship goes Universal Binary

When I first learned of liveWorship, I had the thought, "Why do I want a song database and presentation software designed specifically for worship presentations when I can do all this with non-subject specific software I already have?" It's not like I need a web browser for visiting my financial sites and another one for looking at youtube pictures (come to think of it... that's why I don't use Widgets either... I'd just assume bring up the page in a browser.) My basic thought hasn't changed, but perhaps it would if I spent time using the package. (But I really don't like 30-day demos... Why would I invest the time in learning the software and filling up my database only to abandon it in 30 days?) Still, I was glad to see their announcement today that they have released a Universal Binary. Since it is a cross-platform app, I was pleased to see evidence of their commitment on the Mac side of things. If anyone is familiar with the package or uses it, I'd be interested in hearing your thought.