Archive for the ‘Current Events’ Category

The Fontopian

Now that no one is talking about the Fremby font anymore, it’s time to announce that Font Grill has released a new font.

Introducing: Fontopian Font

image of Fontopian font

Go download Fontopian.

I was inspired by the logo of The Autopian website. I didn’t think much of the logo before this, but they ran an article about how the Autopian logo came to be and that got me nostalgic about the process of making a font so I decided to give it a go.

Then the Lord said to me, “Take for yourself a large tablet and write on it in ordinary letters: Maher-shalal-hash-baz.”

Isaiah 8:1

With Great Power

It seems that everyone knows the lesson from the Spider-Man origin story – with great power comes great responsibility.

There is a similar quote from Eleanor Roosevelt though that I’d like to focus on today.

For freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility.

It makes sense – if you’re not free to decide something, then you’re not responsible for it. It happens at work: the corporate policy tells you to do something, then it’s not your fault if it turns out bad. But if you are free to decide something then you have the responsibility for its outcome.

In this election year, I notice many of the ads are pushing for something called “reproductive freedom” but I also notice that no one is pushing for “reproductive responsibility”. I say they are two sides of the same coin. People want freedom with no responsibility. And in many ways this modern world appears to allow more freedom with less responsibility.

Consider what the end result is, not just of reproductive freedom with no responsibility, but of general freedom without responsibility. Is human nature such that people will do what’s good for them and others? That’s the benefit of natural consequences – it keeps peoples’ behavior in check.

I think the internet provides a glimpse of what happens. Consider the internet to be a virtual society with no physical consequences: people do and say things that they wouldn’t do in person. If we keep removing natural consequences from personal behaviors, it won’t be progress. And “reproductive freedom” is just the current example of that.

For He repays a person for his work, And lets things happen in correspondence to a man’s behavior.

Job 34:11

The Beat Still Goes On

Thanks to someone’s generosity in loaning us her car while ours was in the shop, I got to hear a few days’ worth of satellite radio. So we tried to get a wide variety of stations while we could, and I tried to explain the significance of various songs in regard to the culture at the time. One of the songs that came on was “The Beat Goes On” by Sonny and Cher.

It was written to highlight how things are changing, and things are staying the same. And it oddly still works today. It reminds me of a monologue by Roy Rogers, I think. The way it was written it spoke of politics and societal events in a general enough way that it was timeless. I wish I could find it on the internet, but no such luck today.

Anyway, here are some of the lyrics to The Beat Goes On

Charleston was once the rage, uh-huh
History has turned the page, uh-huh
The miniskirt’s the current thing, uh-huh
Teenybopper is our newborn king, uh-huh

I suppose miniskirts are still around, not sure about teenyboppers anymore though. This verse is a wash: +1 and -1.

The grocery store’s the super mart, uh-huh
Little girls still break their hearts, uh-huh
And men still keep on marching off to war
Electrically they keep a baseball score

This one’s still true on all counts. Although it’s not noteworthy now that baseball scores are kept electronically, it was a big deal back then. But it’s still true today.

Grandmas sit in chairs and reminisce
Boys keep chasing girls to get a kiss
The cars keep going faster all the time
Bums still cries, “Hey buddy, have you got a dime?”

This one’s mostly true. Cars do keep going faster all the time. As far as I can tell, we’ve reached diminishing returns on that one, both in top speed and in 0-60 acceleration – however you want to consider “faster”. The things that not quite true is that bums don’t ask for dimes. They still ask for money, but in denominations larger than dimes.

And the beat goes on

Okay, this one’s the chorus not a verse. But it needs to be acknowledged that the beat is still going on today, so +1 for that too.

What has been, it is what will be, And what has been done, it is what will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 1:9

Snow in Summer

It’s mid-to-late June, and it looks like there’s snow on the ground here in southern Michigan. In northern Michigan it might be actual snow, but here it is just the cottonwood trees shedding.

I didn’t get a good picture of the fluffy white “cotton” falling gently through the air, but this is what it looks like after it lands.

picture of cottonwood litter on the grass

picture of cottonwood litter on the grass

Unfortunately, it does not pack well into snowballs, nor can you make fabric out of it. It’s just for visual interest, and for finding out who has seasonal allergies.

Like snow in summer and like rain in harvest, So honor is not fitting for a fool.

Proverbs 26:1

Not Banned Books

It’s not band books week, but there was a news story – or whatever substitutes for one in these social media days – about some people getting upset at certain schools for banning some books.

And I got to thinking that they’re overreacting.

Sure, the schools aren’t allowing some books in the school, but how is that different from any other category?

Our schools in the area have a dress code. Certain types of outfits are not allowed at school. Are groups protesting the fact that the school has banned those?

Our schools in the area also have a movie policy. Teachers are not allowed to show anything over PG-13 (or PG for the lower grades). It’s the same for the charter buses used for long field trips. So certain types of movies are not allowed at school. Are groups protesting the fact that the school has banned those?

The people who are mad at the schools for “banning books” are approaching it from the wrong angle. The angle should be that the content of any media is restricted to what’s appropriate for the age.

Part of the problem is that there is not a rating system for books like there is for movies. If there were, then it would be easy for the school to have a policy of “School library books are to be rated PG-13 or lower” or something like that.

The other part of the problem is that books are synonymous with knowledge, so the people opposed to restricting books are decrying that as banning knowledge. On one hand, I suppose you could learn a lesson from just about any books, but on the other hand some books are meant just for entertainment. Not all books are equal when it comes to their educational merits, and thus their place in school.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Philippians 4:8

Happy Thanksgiving

I’m not posting anything today – I’m too busy doing Thanksgivingy stuff.

O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

1 Chronicles 16:34

Pumpkin Fun

To celebrate Reformation Day, we carved pumpkins and put their innards to good use as a tasty snack (and the rest as compost (not shown)).

Not much commentary for this, as it’s mostly self-explanatory.

image of some carved pumpkin jack-o-lanterns during the day

image of some carved pumpkin jack-o-lanterns during the night

image of some carved pumpkin jack-o-lanterns during the day

image of some carved pumpkin jack-o-lanterns during the night

image of some carved pumpkin jack-o-lanterns during the day

image of some carved pumpkin jack-o-lanterns during the night

image of some carved pumpkin jack-o-lanterns during the day

image of some carved pumpkin jack-o-lanterns during the night

image of some pumpkin seeds being cooked

image of some baked pumpkin seeds in a bowl

I find I like the pumpkin seeds better if they’re overcooked slightly.

Now then, reform your ways and your deeds and obey the voice of the Lord your God; and the Lord will relent of the disaster which He has pronounced against you.

Jeremiah 26:13