Every couple of weeks somebody tells me I ought to create an RSS feed. I respond with “what would you use it for?” The reply is “well, it’d be cool to get Schlock in an aggregator.”

Fine. Show me an aggregator. I’m throwing down the gauntlet on you LJers because some of you talk about how cool RSS is. So far NOBODY has been able to provide me with a demonstration of the value of RSS. Until I can use it myself, I’m not going to go to the trouble of putting it in place. To date, RSS has been demonstrably worthless, because nobody has been able to demonstrate its worth.

Here’s your challenge: Post useful, clear instructions, such that I can follow them and observe the (to date wholly THEORETICAL) benefits of RSS for myself.

Go on, I dare you.

–Howard

I read the most recent installment over at Cox and Forkum, and found that the commentary under the strip was missing an excellent piece that jmaynard pointed me at a few days ago. So I emailed the guys with a link, and POW! Not only did they link to Norman Podhoretz’ dissertation, they linked to ME!

If you’re coming here from C&F, know that I don’t typically talk politics, though it does happen sometimes. Adding my blog to your list of “informed sources” would be like rolling the Washington Post up and packaging it as toilet paper — it might be a satisfactory political statement, but you’ll end up with a sore butt.

(Okay, THAT metaphor has to go on my “don’t do that again” list.)

Adding my comic to your list of “things you read every day” will be much more satisfying and yes, easier on those tender places.

I had a great workday yesterday, and followed it up with a really lousy morning today. Finally, I decided I just needed to get “out of the box,” so I went down to Dragon’s Keep with my drawing stuff, and worked on artwork for cast pages.

It was fun. I knew a few of the people there (including the store owner and the regular staff, obviously), and they liked having me around. The rest of the patrons tolerated me with aplomb.

Mostly I drew and threw non-sequiturs into the conversations to which I was listening. I’m good at that. For instance: I kept quiet during the discussion of Michael’s ex-roommate’s friend and her bouts with the STD of the week, but when the conversation 30 minutes later turned to rock-climbing and the benefits of pants with a “gusseted crotch” I couldn’t help but throw a call-back to the previous conversation. Hilarity ensued.

I mention this (hanging out at Dragon’s Keep, not gusseted crotch and the associated home remedies) because I’ll probably do it again. It may end up being my default workplace on Friday afternoons, with an extension into RPGing in the evenings. We’ll see. I know I have work to do, and piles thereof, but having a planned night out may help get that work done more efficiently, what with the out-of-the-box thinking and the clearing-of-cobwebs.

–Howard

It’s time for Sunday School, kids. Those not of a theistic bent may feel free to tune me out.

I just caught this article in which we learn that “Pat Robertson told citizens of a Pennsylvania town that they had rejected God by voting their school board out of office for supporting “intelligent design” and warned them
Thursday not to be surprised if disaster struck.”

My commentary is not about Evolution vs. Intelligent Design.

My commentary is not about accountability in the political process (e.g. to what extent the voters in the minority should be held responsible for the decisions made by the majority.)

Both of those are interesting topics, and have served to enflame teh intarwebs (Hi, Scrubbo!) for years.

My commentary is on the role of the Mouthpiece. See, I believe that God does call prophets in these days to speak for him, just as he did in Biblical times, and that the pattern established there is followed today. Pat Robertson has assumed that mantle, taking it upon himself to speak for God, but the things he’s saying are not consistent with the things God’s prophets have said in the past.

Specifically, he said “I’d like to say to the good citizens of Dover: if there is a disaster in your area, don’t turn to God, you just rejected Him from your city.”

This is contrary to the way God works.

Here’s how it REALLY works. If an individual or (in rarer cases) an entire society fall into sin, there are always consequences. Some of the consequences are worldly (getting sick after sleeping around, for instance), and are often viewed as “divine retribution” by people who don’t understand the point of consequences — people like Pat Robertson.

The point of these consequences is simple– humble the sinner, that he, or she, or they may be brought back into the fold.

That’s where Robertson gets it wrong. He’s telling these people NOT to turn to God, when God wants exactly the OPPOSITE. God wants people to turn to him. These lives we lead are filled with a certain measure of anguish, grief, and misery. If we humble ourselves and turn to God, we can find peace in our trials, and we will ultimately be more loving, more caring, and more godlike when we are called upon to help others through THEIR trials. Robertson has missed this entirely. Sure, sometimes God’s Mouthpiece is called upon to warn of calamity, but the warning usually goes “repent, or you will suffer [insert specific suffering here].” Jonah did this in Ninevah (after chickening out and spending some time being humbled himself), and the people in Ninevah repented, and were spared.

Robertson is just playing the vengeance bit, and has missed out entirely. Whether or not God wants us to vote for Intelligent Design in our schools, I seriously doubt he’s going to inflict calamity on a town over it, much less NOT BE THERE FOR THEM if they turn to him in prayer. That’s not the way He works.

If Pat Robertson ever had license to speak for God, I’m confident that it has now been revoked.

–Howard