Skunked Expressions
I've finally found the answer, the right name for a particular problem I face often due to my chosen line of work, Stalwart Opponent of Lexicographical Prescriptivism (SOLP). The problem is this: I happen to know that there's no "rule" against splitting infinitives, ending a sentence with a preposition, or using "hopefully" the way all of us do—the list could go on. Who has the authority to make such a rule? The President? (If so, grammar would change every four to eight years!) But I'm afraid...
The Flip Side
Duncan Johnson made a valid comment on a recent post. The Internet may be an opiate for the people, but that's not the whole story. So here's something on the flip side. I recently attended a large evangelical-ish church while on vacation (and limited by snow from going elsewhere). It was a part of the Churches of Christ, a group known for its belief in baptismal regeneration. But I wouldn't have been able to tell that very well from anything I was told or handed, because its more important...
Forks and Finnish
Don’t blame my parents, but I didn’t know until I was 27 that the two different-sized forks in the silverware drawer had different names and purposes. (Don’t blame me either. Blame the Democrats, I think.) One fork is for salad, while the other is a dinner fork. The first fork is shorter, the second longer. This distinction is observed across dozens or hundreds of silverware designs.* But why? Who said this is the way it should be done? The International Bureau of Cutlery Standards? No, I’m...
Western Assumptions about Technology
Americans assume that the Internet is a tool for democracy. Not necessarily so, says a new book (or rather a review of it). Authoritarian regimes make an implicit deal with their populations: help yourselves to pirated films, silly video clips and online pornography, but stay away from politics. “The internet”, Mr Morozov argues, “has provided so many cheap and easily available entertainment fixes to those living under authoritarianism that it has become considerably harder to get people to...
Dissertation Completed—Sort Of!
I have reached the end of the dissertation, but I'm 3,395 words over my absolute top word limit and I have some editing to do anyway. I hope to accomplish that today. I praise the Lord for in-laws who let me work in their basement for two weeks (they got time with their one grandchild out of it!) and for a wife who supported me. I also praise the Lord for the opportunity to study His special and general revelation. On the special revelation side, I was really deeply struck with how much Paul...