In my post on iPhone Resources, I mention that Logos Bible Software (more info) is one of my favorite apps. Someone asked this in the comments:
Have you had a chance to use the Olive Tree Bible app at all? Any thoughts on comparisons with the Logos app?
I replied,
I haven’t used the various Olive Tree apps because my understanding is that Logos can do everything they can and more (esp. if you use Logos 4) for free. I may be wrong on that.
Well, I was wrong on that—at least for now.
Here’s how it describes itself:
Olive Tree Bible Software provides mobile Bible versions and study tools for iPhone, Blackberry, Android, Palm OS, Pocket PC, Smartphone and Symbian cell phones. We currently offer over 500 mobile resources including over 100 translations of the Bible as well as commentaries, dictionaries, devotionals, eBooks, and Strong’s numbering system. The Bible is offered in various languages, including German, French, Spanish, Chinese and many others. Original Hebrew and Greek texts are also available. Additionally, we provide online web and cell phone (WAP) Bible search engines.
2. What does Olive Tree Bible software offer for the iPhone and iPod Touch?
- Bibles. Hebrew, Greek, LXX, ESV, NIV, NASB, NET, NLT, The Message, and more.
- Study Bibles. ESVSB, NET notes, NIVSB, NLTSB, and more. Continue Reading »
I got an iPhone this month, and it surpassed my high expectations. It’s amazing.
My 3GS model is 16 GB and weighs 4.8 ounces. That means that the little phone I keep in my pocket holds eight times as much space as the laptop I used from college through my first PhD (1998–2006).
If you have an iPhone (or iPod Touch), these resources may help you use the tool more efficiently.
1. iPhone Apps
The iPhone comes with several apps already installed, and over 100,000 apps are available through the iTunes Store.
Here’s a screen-shot of my apps as they appear iTunes (click on the image to enlarge):
Here are some practices I’ve found to be helpful:
Continue Reading »
I finally joined Facebook. I hope I don’t regret it.
If you’re a member, how would you suggest using this tool in a God-glorifying way?
Related:
- Justin Buzzard, “Thinking Biblically About Facebook“
- Josh Harris, “My One and Only Week on Facebook“
- Josh Harris, “Facebook Again“
I just came across an intriguing entry in Richard N. Soulen and R. Kendall Soulen’s Handbook of Biblical Criticism (3d ed.; Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2001), p. 53:
Electronic Hermeneutics refers to an emerging discussion concerning the rise of the digital age and its impact on religious communities and on the nature, place, and meaning of sacred texts such as the Bible within these communities and within the culture at large. Cognizant of how epochal shifts in the technology of communication have transformed human culture (as exemplified by the successive inventions of writing, printing, and the predigital electronic media), scholars are now investigating how the transition from printed text to the digital, mutlisensate worlds of hypertexts, hypermedia, interactivity, and “virtual reality” will shape human experience and communication. Biblical scholars have been among the first to make use of computer technology and to reflect on how changes in communication technology affect beliefs and practices. See W. J. Ong, Interfaces of the Word: Studies in the Evolution of Consciousness and Culture (Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1977); R. Hodgson and P. A. Soukup, eds., From One Medium to Another: Basic Issues for Communicating the Bible in New Media (Kansas City, Mo.: Sheed & Ward, 1997).
Phil Gons shares that Firefox has some add-ons that can serve as tools for safer surfing online:
- Adblock Plus automatically blocks most ads on most sites. You can also allow them on some sites.
- Nuke Anything Enhanced allows you to right-click on any image to remove it instantly.
- Flashblock works similarly for Flash.
- Web Developer instantly removes all images on a page when you type Alt-t-w-i-n.
Related: John Piper’s “Resources on Sexuality“
I use a laptop for the majority of my theological research, and I’ve intermittently encountered symptoms of carpal tunnel. I’ve made two useful additions that minimized this at my main study: an external keyboard and a second monitor. I recently made a third addition that has virtually eliminated the problem: the IMAK SmartGlove.
I became aware of this product in May at The Gospel Coalition’s pastor’s colloquium. The man hired to transcribe the proceedings used his laptop and an IMAK SmartGlove on each hand. He highly recommended them to me when I asked about them. I now regularly and gratefully use them myself and am happy to commend them.
Yesterday I switched my blog reader from Bloglines to Google Reader. (If you don’t use a blog reader or aren’t certain what one is, perhaps you’d find my short tutorial on blogs to be helpful.)
Four of my friends and former seminary classmates in Greenville just persuaded me. (They also happen to be bloggers: Brian Collins, Phil Gons, Matt Hoskinson, and Mark Ward.) After a day using Google Reader, I’m sold (though it took a little work to figure out how to set it up for maximum efficiency). The shortcuts are great, especially hitting the j-key to advance immediately from blog post to blog post.
Kudos to Google for another free first-class product.
Google : Internet :: kudzu : southeastern United States
Earlier this week in “Review article: PNTC, BECNT, and NIGTC in Libronix,” I referenced a 19-page review article I wrote earlier this year. Page 83 of that review includes a paragraph I’d like to follow up on:
“2. Readability: Electronic commentaries are more readable than print commentaries, especially those printed with tiny fonts (e.g., some footnotes). I frequently adjust the text’s font size depending on how far away I am from the screen and how tired my eyes are. I nearly always display the table of contents on the left side of the screen, which allows me to (1) see the logical flow of a commentary, (2) expand or collapse certain sections of the table of contents by clicking on the plus and minus symbols, and (3) jump directly to other sections. I also strongly prefer reading an electronic commentary on a large, good-quality LCD screen rather than a print commentary. At my home office, I currently connect a 22-inch LCD screen to my 17-inch laptop, which allows me to have multiple programs open on different screens. For example, when I am working through electronic commentaries, I prefer to have Libronix open on my 22-inch screen and other programs (Word, Outlook, Firefox, etc.) open on my 17-inch screen.”
Adding a second screen to a personal computer (laptop or desktop) is very easy to set up. For those using Microsoft Windows XP, plug the second screen’s cable into your computer, right-click on the desktop, and select Properties | Settings | monitor 2 | Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor. (For those using Vista, right-click on the desktop, and select Personalize | Display Settings | Monitor | Extend the desktop onto this monitor.) Then adjust the screen resolution to the right setting, which may involve a bit of trial and error. When the screen resolution for monitor 2 is right, click Apply | OK. (Cf. Microsoft’s directions.) I highly recommend this!
