Archive for September 2011
Update to Zotero
If you’re like me and you’ve abandoned Firefox in favor of the much faster Chrome, and if you frequently log bibliographic data for papers and such, then you’ll be please to note that Zotero has updated its excellent software for use in almost any web browser. The software was previously a Firefox-only extension. Now you can use it as a stand-alone application, or continue to use it within a browser. Details are here.
And, it’s free.
If you’re not familiar with Zotero, you can read my overview here and here.
Numbers 16 in Psalm 55
Tonight I taught on Psalm 55 at Kenwood Baptist Church. The psalm is about David’s inner turmoil and anguish due to the betrayal of a close friend(s). Verse 15 stands apart in that David calls for harsh judgment on these former companions—”Let death steal over them; let them go down to Sheol alive.”
“Sheol” is found frequently in the Bible, but as I was studying the psalm I realized that the latter phrase of v. 15—”let them go down to Sheol alive”—is unique in that it appears only twice in the OT: here in Psalm 55:15 and also in Numbers 16:30, 33, the passage about the Korahite rebellion. In that passage, Dathan and Abiram are destroyed as a consequence of their rebellion against God and their rejection of Moses’ leadership. To demonstrate that God had judged their insolence and that their death was not the ordinary lot of human beings, the ground opened up and Dathan, Abiram, and their families “went down alive to Sheol.” The Hebrew construction in Numbers 16:30, 33 is essentially identical to the one in Psalm 55:15:
Num 16:30 — וְיָרְדוּ חַיִּים שְׁאֹלָה
Ps 55:15 — יֵרְדוּ שְׁאוֹל חַיִּים
So perhaps David had the Korahite rebellion in mind when he called for judgment on his enemies/former-friends. What he wants is probably not the same mode of judgment (i.e. the ground opening up), but the same kind of judgment—abrupt and unexpected.
Customize Your Mac Desktop
Whenever I get a new computer I spend some time customizing the desktop to fit my needs and preferences. So when I recently got a new Mac for my office (thank you UofL), I added some additional features and changed a few icons. All of this is very easy to do. If you like the way mine looks I’ve provided instructions below:
Since I have the date and time on the desktop I don’t need them in the Mac menu bar, usually on the top right. These two features are live and operated by a program called Geek Tool, which is a free app in the Mac App store and which is easy to use. Mine is in Helvetica font.
The desktop image can be found here.
Instructions for setup can be found here.
I found the .Mail, Chrome, and Safari icons by doing a simple image search on Google. I personally hate the default icons for these apps, and these are more appealing to me.
In my dock I also have the Reeder app, which has a great interface for reading blogs from your Google Reader. I’ve been using it for a long time and have no complaints. I also have Accordance software for Bible study and 1Password for managing the 50+ passwords I have online.
Enjoy!
Josh Philpot 