Things of Note: January 5-11
Happy Sunday! I had a busier calendar this week, between starting a website project and starting a new CCEF class, so this week's post will be briefer. Here are 5 things from this past week that have been intriguing or inspiring to me.
To Be Read
To start with, like many people, I made a New Year goal to read at least 12 books this year. My family and I have a shared list of each of our books to hold ourselves accountable, but I also wanted to use something to track my own reading progress. I am not at all in the #BookTok world, so researching all the options of book tracking apps was getting overwhelming (this app has this unique feature, this app requires a subscription, et cetera). Eventually, I discovered a website and app called The StoryGraph. StoryGraph doesn’t offer anything groundbreaking in terms of its functionality. You simply search for the book you’re reading and add it to your “currently reading” or “want to read” list, or any other list you prefer. What I think sets this app apart is how it visualizes your data. It presents information such as the number of books/pages/minutes you’ve read or what genres and moods you prefer. As a data nerd, it's pretty cool to have all of that information in front of me.
They also have a feature to import your GoodReads account so if you've been feeling meh about GR, perhaps you should give StoryGraph a try.
Bye Bye, iPhone?
Last week was CES, the Consumer Electronics Show, where thousands of tech companies descended upon Las Vegas and promoted their upcoming products like robot vacuums, ultra-thin TVs, or things that will most likely never see the light of day (a.k.a. vaporware). In the midst of reading headlines of all the products that have AI in them that nobody asked for (sigh), an intriguing product showed up on my feed. Clicks Communicator is launching a phone that looks like a classic BlackBerry running modern Android OS. It prioritizes the communication part of our cell phones (hence the Star Trek-inspired name) and it lacks social media apps like Instagram or Facebook, pitching itself as a second phone for focused work. I am a longtime iPhone user and do not anticipate leaving the "walled garden" of Apple products any time soon, but as someone who wants to spend more time with people than with his phone, Communicator has me intrigued.
In Nolan We Trust
I was somewhat intrigued when I heard that famed director Christopher Nolan was helming a film about Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey. I enjoy many of his movies immensely, but for some reason, I kind of forgot that this movie was happening. Until I watched the trailer last week. I am now very excited about this film. Now I need to read The Odyssey before it comes out!
Better Late Than Never
As I mentioned at the start, I began my next CCEF class last week, Scripture for Life and Ministry, which included starting my reading for the class. One of the books we are reading is the late Tim Keller's Prayer, which somehow I have never read. I enjoy both Keller's preaching and writing styles, and so far Prayer is no different. Even though this is a required reading for my class, I have a feeling this will quickly become one of the books I recommend to people who have questions about prayer.
Good Vibes Only
And to cap it off, enjoy this absolutely incredible video of a Polish percussionist playing Ella Fitzgerald's scat solo from "How High the Moon". That sure sounded like a Mad Libs sentence, but just watch this video and enjoy.
Anything you enjoyed reading about? Let me know in the comment section!
Until next week!