What Passes for Charity

Listen to the Audio and/or Subscribe to the Podcast Full Transcript: An act of charity is traditionally defined as generosity that would include donations to aid those in physical or financial distress. It is usually characterized by leniency in judging the acts of others, and forbearance when such others fail to act on a timely … Read more

Evolution

Full Transcript: n his second epistle to the various Churches in Asia Minor, Peter writes: “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” In Genesis we read: On the first day He said “Let there be light,” and there was light. On the second day … Read more

Faux Corporations

Listen to the Audio and/or Subscribe to the Podcast Full Transcript: The first companies were comprised of people working in company with one another, corporations were originally defined as people associating for a common purpose and acting corporately. In our day we must come to grips with certain oxymorons and especially any hop-skippety-jump logic behind … Read more

The Arduino

Full Transcript: Getting control of your home environment is much easier when you can use certain handy devices to monitor conditions and make necessary adjustments. We now take intelligent thermostats and smoke detectors for granted but, with so many intelligent appliances available off the shelf, we have an embarrassment of riches. The ease with which … Read more

Misplaced Faith

Full Transcript: I recently read an article by Valerie Tarico, a psychologist and writer who describes herself as having “a passion for personal and social evolution.” It was written for people she describes as having left biblical Christianity behind. She suggested “that popular Christian versions of heaven would actually be hellish.” I must admit, I … Read more

The Fetish of Bipartisanship

Listen to the Audio and/or Subscribe to the Podcast Full Transcript: In ancient Greece, secret ballots were used to hide votes from people seeking favors. Certain special votes, such as one to ostracize and thereby expel a citizen from Athens were also cast in private. In ancient Rome, the secret ballot was introduced to all … Read more

Electronic Amplification

Listen to the Audio and/or Subscribe to the Podcast Full Transcript: In the late 1940s, William Shockley led a team at Bell Laboratories to develop a new kind of amplifier for the US telephone system. He, together with John Bardeen and Walter Brattain announced the invention of the bipolar “junction transistor” at a press conference … Read more

God’s Handiwork

Full Transcript: There is a crater on the moon named after William Francis Gray Swann. He is widely recognized for his research into cosmic rays and high-energy physics. His book, The Architecture of the Universe, was published in 1934. In that seminal work Swann, referring to chemical elements, made the statement: Starting from any one … Read more

The New McCarthyism

Listen to the Audio and/or Subscribe to the Podcast Full Transcript: Most Boomers remember the educational technology of the 1960s as one comprised mostly of flash cards. Today, I’m reminded of one such card in particular. On the front side it read “McCarthyism.” On the flip side it read “A brand of vitriolic, fear-mongering.”  Future … Read more

Electronic Switching

Listen to the Audio and/or Subscribe to the Podcast Full Transcript: In railroading a switch diverts a train from one track to another. In plumbing, a valve can redirect the flow of water between pipes. In early electronics, directing electrons along a certain path was controlled by what North American scientists called a tube, while British … Read more