Weekend Links 3-23-18

Your Friday roundup of interesting stuff unearthed this week:

I've always been curious how rare book dealers appraise books. Surprisingly it's a much quicker process than you might think.

You can now take a free online course in Klingon.

Every wonder how to write a great Jeopardy! clue?

Why P. G. Wodehouse is the funniest author in the English language. It's hard to argue with this logic. This also happens to be one of my current favorite websites to visit.

Steve McQueen's 1968 Ford Mustang from the movie Bullitt is considered the holy grail among car collectors. For a long time it was thought to be lost. The fact that it was found is only the beginning of the story. 

In some parts of the country it's time for the dreaded PBS fundraising drive.
It's rare that umpires speak in public about their profession which is why this interview is so interesting.

This documentary about Fred Rogers looks like it will be amazing.



Related: Why Mr. Rogers still matters.

Daily Links 3-6-14

In today's edition: Wasting time on Pinterest, the spouse checklist, the making of a bestseller, spiritual schizophrenia, and more.

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Top 10 Pinterest time wasters - tips that don't work. Good to know that these have already been tested. I can safely disregard them.

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This is fun: 16 signs your sidekick material.

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The Spouse Checklist:

It dawned on me a few years later when I heard a wise man mention a spouse checklist (hey, I know what that is!), but not one that I'd made for my spouse (oh, guess not), one that I would create for myself (all right, now I'm listening). He suggested a list of requirements to prepare myself to be the person I knew my spouse would need. As I listened to him explain, I felt a small pressure in my chest. Yes, this would have helped me earlier.

So I've begun a different list. This is by no means exhaustive! There's still plenty of room to add more ways to grow as a spouse. Also, for any given couple, some things will come easily in the relationship, and some will feel unnatural or even impossible. I'll share my own spouse checklist along with updates on how things are going — all the while fully acknowledging that no line-item will ever be perfectly complete in this lifetime.

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The dark underbelly of marketing of Christian books: how a marketing company turned a Mark Driscoll book into a New York Times bestseller. Whatever you may think of Driscoll these tactics give one cause for concern.

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Are those Star Trek Federation symbols I see? Maybe.

Hat tip: Neatorama

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Paul David Tripp on the problem of Spiritual Schizophrenia:

I want to write today about something that I call Spiritual Schizophrenia. I can summarize it with a question: does the public persona of your faith live in harmony with the private realities of your life?

Hat tip: Challies

Daily Links 12-9-13

In today's link roundup: World War II in color, gift ideas for Star Trek fans, a Nutella bar opens in Chicago, and more.

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Check out these stunning World War II era photographs. The wonders of Kodachrome.

Hat tip: Glenn Reynolds

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The perfect gift for a Star Trek fan:

Hat tip: Boing Boing

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Understanding the meanings of common British slang phrases. This could come in handy in case I ever make it back across the pond.

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This exists. A Nutella bar at Eataly Chicago.

Photo by Marc Much - Eater Chicago

I have to see that the one thing I miss about living in Chicago is the food. There were always an abundance of great places to eat. Can anyone say road trip?

Hat tip: Neatorama

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Inspired by the soon to be published book Letters of Note: Correspondence Deserving of a Wider Audience (which is an outgrowth of the website of the same name) Flavorwire compiles their list of 12 collections of letters that are worth reading. I love reading letters from writers as it gives an insight into their thoughts. (Hat tip: Book Riot)

Daily Links 10-25-13

In today's roundup of links: origins of Star Trek, pitfalls of our celebrity culture, why restarting your computer is the easiest way to fix problems, and more.

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Willie Nelson once sang "Mama, don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys." Now it might be more appropriate to say, "Don't let your babies grow up to be celebrities."

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Star Trek only ran for three years on television but became an instant legend. The irony is that it wouldn't have made it on air at all if it hadn't been for a rather unlikely producer: Lucille Ball.

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Most people know that performing a complete restart on your computer or other electronic device is often the easiest way to fix a problem. Why is that?

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Why we overestimate the power of technology and underestimate the power of words:

Many experts assume that Amazon’s social recommender system is its killer feature. But what exactly about this feature makes it a killer? 

What — in fact — is the magic sauce of Amazon? 

Sure, there is some predictive value in keeping track of many different variables. There always is. It’s probably Amazon’s best kept secret. But I am guessing it’s not only a secret for people outside of Amazon.

If you would ask me what the most persuasive ingredient is of the sauce, I would say it’s copy.
The smartest algorithms make sure you get to see products that you love (to buy). A recommendation engine knows what you really want, what you really really want. Computing thousands of variables is the key to predicting consumer behavior. Right? 

Nah, I don’t buy it. The black box probably does have an impact, but I know for sure that the copy does.

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Play with your food! Some amazing food art:

More here.

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Weekend Links 9-21-13

Here are a few links of interest for your weekend enjoyment. How to visit a museum without leaving home, keeping up with current events, and Star Trek episodes imagined as vintage movie posters.

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A father dying of cancer knew he wouldn't live to see his daughters get married. But he came up with a way to walk his daughters down the aisle.

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Too busy to keep up with current events? Wikipedia's Date View can help with that.

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How to visit the world's best museums from the comfort of your own home.

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An artist has conceived all of the original episodes of Star Trek as vintage movie posters. The results are pretty amazing. (Hat tip: Gizmodo)

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Disney's Peter Pan is celebrating its 60th anniversary. You can commemorate the occasion by owning this wonderful tea pot.

Daily Links 9-10-13

Vin Scully, statements for leaders, work attitudes and more in today's edition of Daily Links.

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Vin Scully is one of the best storytellers around. But this story about growing up in parochial school is amazing. Best line: "why in the world would you want to change God's work?"

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5 Important Attitudes to Embrace at Work:

American Christians have a rather uneasy relationship with work. On Sunday, the lay person hears an impassioned message about sacrifice, self-denial, and the mission of God. He might be treated to a stirring testimony of a wealthy CEO who gave up a promising career to enter "full-time" ministry.

Then, Monday morning happens. He takes his place on the factory line, at a desk, in a garage, or behind the wheel. The guilt and shame surge up inside of him, for he thinks that if he were truly committed to Jesus, if he were part of the A-team of Christians in the world, he wouldn't get a check from a "secular" corporation or small business, but from a Christian company such as a church or a parachurch organization. 

I've lived on both sides of this secular-sacred divide. My dad is a plumber. He's a committed husband and father who's given himself in service to his church. But still he's ... just a plumber. He's not a pastor or missionary or worship leader. At times, I've felt that Dad was made to feel as if he were on God's junior varsity. As if his entrance into glory won't be met with the same applause as those who delivered the sermons on Sunday.

I'm also a pastor and have had to guard against unwittingly shaming the hardworking lay people I serve, simply because I'm privileged to work, full-time, in the business of church. Some pastors might consider themselves more dedicated and more like Jesus than those who sling it in the real world, getting their hands dirty in jobs that seem less than sacred. Although the pastoral and missionary callings are sober, serious endeavors, they don't ascribe any more glory to the sinners who occupy them. Moreover, if faithfulness is God's measure of success, everywhere you serve is God's theater.

Hat tip: Thom Rainer

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Making the case for not posting your kid's information online (hat tip Challies).

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Some very honest (and important) advice on dating:

Don’t date just for the sake of dating. Sure, you can take a stroll through the park just for the sake of strolling through the park, but dating ain’t a stroll through the park. It’s a complicated and serious thing; it can also be fun, but it isn’t something you should do for pure recreation. Dating is supposed to be a means to an end. Or, maybe a better way of putting it, dating is a means to a beginning.

To put it simply: If you know for a fact that you would never marry a certain person, then you shouldn’t be in a romantic relationship with them. Knowingly staying in a relationship without a future is like riding a dying horse into the desert. It’s a slow, painful death march, and there is no chance of it working out in your favor. So go ahead and date, but date with a purpose. Date with a goal. Date with your eyes toward marriage. I know that might seem old fashioned. In fact it is old fashioned, which is why you should listen to it.

Back in those old, dark days, they didn’t have anything called “dating”; instead they had “courtship.” And courting would have looked a lot like dating, with one difference: There was a point. They had a purpose. They had a goal. They were interested in being adults and making a commitment, and the courting process would tell them whether they should or could make that commitment to each other. Marriage was the ultimate destination, and if it became apparent that this destination could not be reached, they ended the courtship and moved on with their lives. The modern dating strategy is different. You don’t have one common goal or desired destination. Instead, you spin in circles together until someone gets dizzy and jumps off. The sudden stop sends the other person hurtling into space, while you wander aimlessly away, searching desperately for another random stranger to latch onto for an indefinite period of false hopes and disappointments.

Be sure to read the whole thing.\

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Did you know the Star Trek theme song had lyrics?