Weekend Links 4-13-18

It's been a really full week of fun stuff on the internet. Here are the stories that caught my eye.

I'm generally not a fan of colorized photos but I have to admit these colorized photos of old baseball players are amazing.

Minor league baseball teams always have to be creative with their promotions. Case in point: the Richmond Flying Squirrels will have an Edgar Allan Poe Bobblestache night (Poe lived in Richmond).

Speaking of the minor leagues, here is a terrific profile of the brief, colorful history of the Saratoga Phillies, where baseball was played for the fun of it.

Disneyland has updated its monorails with some pretty cool Pixar themed artwork.

Many young girls dream of being a princess. The next best thing is to attend a royal wedding.

This 12-year-old Manchester attack survivor has landed an invite to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding - and she couldn't be happier about it ❤️ pic.twitter.com/pbRiFcU5yB

— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) April 11, 2018

The idea of being a location scout always seemed interesting to me but once you know their secrets it's not as glamorous a job as you might think.

Strange but true: how a typographical error might have helped end World War II.

Matt Walsh has some interesting observations about how our culture destroys boys.

No doubt this was a shock among Purdue fans: head football coach Tony Levine has stepped down to run a Chick-fil-A in Houston. But read the whole article to discover why he made this unusual career move.

Tweet of the week:

“I acted for what I deemed the best.”
“Another time try acting for the worst. Then we may possibly escape with a mere flesh wound.”
-Right Ho, Jeeves

— DailyPlum (@DailyPlum) April 6, 2018

Weekend Links 3-2-18

After an unexpected week off a whole host of links for your weekend reading. I'm spending the weekend off of social media and am going book hunting. We'll see how that goes. Meanwhile, enjoy these articles.

This is fascinating: these astronauts have seen Earth from space. Here's how that experience changed them.

Odd but true: divers found an undetonated World War II bomb in Sydney harbor.

Someone decided to abandon a Boeing 737 in Bali and nobody knows why.

If you can't remember the last book you read or the last movie or television show you saw you're not alone.

Speaking of reading, here's how to read more books. I have found that I have to make time every day to read. Plus I have at least one book I am working on at any given time. Right now I am churning through about seven books a month and that feels like a pretty good pace. I also follow lots of different bookish people on Instagram and it's a treasure trove of inspiration.

Tim Challies weighs in on why men don't read books written by women. I think he's on the right track in terms of how writers target their writing for a particular audience but mostly I think it has to do with how publishers market the books.

Quote of the week: Carl Trueman on the Oscars:

I make a point of never watching the Oscars. If I want to waste four hours of my life being alternately patronized and reminded what an abject failure I am according to the criteria of contemporary society holds dear, I can always read The New Yorker.

I don't like to wade into politics here any more in large part because it has become far too toxic to discuss. However, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share this column from Mona Charen. Last week she was booed off the stage at CPAC because she dared to call conservatives on their hypocrisy when it comes to sexual harassment and the chronic excusing of past behaviors of their candidates. I applaud her for her courage. I wish more conservatives had her backbone.

Guns have also been a hot topic in the aftermath of the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. But this piece by David French is very thoughtful and worth careful consideration.

Joe Carter wraps up his series on how Christians should engage with the news. In summary, consume less of it. The previous installments are here, here, and here.

A related issue that frankly has been woefully under-reported is the plague of fatherless homes. Matt Walsh has some great insights into things every boy needs to learn from his father.

Matt Szczur may have moved on from the Cubs to the Padres but he still has fond memories of the 2016 World Series. He's also quite the talented artist.

"Great people choose to do what is right no matter what." That certainly rings true for Iowa's Jordan Bohannon who missed a free throw on purpose.  A very classy move.

Daily Links 4-28-14

A roundup of links to start off your week. In today's edition: dispelling homeschool myths, how to worship when you don't feel like it, the Christian Industrial complex, and more.

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Matt Walsh skillfully deconstructs two of the worst arguments against homeschooling. It's well worth your time.

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In celebration of the Bard's 450th birthday, a look at 50 common phrases that come from Shakespeare. (Hat tip: Challies)

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There are times when you may not feel like worshiping. What do you do? Here are some helpful things to try.

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How to read more and remember it all. Some interesting tips in this article.

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This is cool: a Macbook designed to look like a real book. (Hat tip: Book Riot)

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I stumbled across this article from Jenny Simmons this week and was startled by these paragraphs:

Please hear me say: I do not believe there is an enemy or hero, a good guy or bad guy scenario at work here. That type of villainizing or hero-worshipping is far too small and minimizes a vastly complicated issue. The Christian music and book publishing industries are complex. Within the Christian industry there are many good people with many good intentions, some not so good people with some not so good intentions and a multitude of results that both further and detract from the work of the Gospel. Amazing music, books and life-changing conferences have emerged from our industry. And I know first hand the power of a song on the radio to change a person’s life. I’ve heard thousands of stories from people all over the world who have been changed by the products coming from our industry. I believe music, books and conferences deeply enhance God’s kingdom and I will always champion the industry that gave those very gifts to me and changed my life. 

My story is similar to many other artists and authors, in a wide variety of genres. But when it happens within the Christian industries, it should raise a small warning light. A reminder that at the end of the day the Christian industry is still a business. It’s still a group of men and women who are trying to find a way to be authentic and gospel-centered while contending with a $4.5 billion industry. And the truth is, as hard as you try, gospel-centered and $4.5 billion dollars just don’t contend very well together.

I want you to know that there are a sea of voices that will never make it to the radio or the shelf of a Christian retail store because they are not popular enough to be picked up and promoted by the current Christian industry. And some of those voices carry the most powerful stories that need to be shared with the Church. So I believe it is up to the local church, Christ-followers and community to invest in art being made outside of the walls of the Christian industrial complex.

I think she is absolutely right in sounding some warnings here. However, it is interesting that just two days after this article was posted her Kickstarter campaign was fully funded. I believe the internet continues to revolutionize the entertainment industry in ways we can't even imagine. The ability to reach consumers directly without having to go through a large (or small) publisher will open up more opportunities for more artists in the future.

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 This is likely to start a few arguments: the most famous book set in each state.