Thursday, May 17, 2007

Quaker Informatics


:: future meeting house, pre electro-measurements ::
I've served as projectionist a couple times now for Bleeke & Abbott, sojourners to the Middle East recently, now on the Powerpoint circuit. My Optoma, with its bright light and small footprint, is a hot commodity among Friends, has done screen duty a few times, and not just for me. However, I'm protective of it, and claim in the fine print to be the 800 pound gorilla who needs to accompany it everywhere -- hence "the projectionist."

Part of my philosophy is I don't want Friends to grow up over-reliant on others for technology, a mistake made by a lot of religions, especially in Europe, where science and religion squared off in opposing corners for various reasons. This either/or mentality leads the religious to think engineering is some distant discipline and vice versa -- a debilitating condition, bordering on psycho-pathological (well over the line in some cases).

Fortunately, I see lots of signs that Quakers aren't forgetting their heritage and future technological competence is still very much in the cards, as probable even. So I can't say I'm really too worried about it.

:: a work in progress ::