I am constantly amazed at the levels of knowledge my students possess with anything electronic. I still struggle with the use of the overhead projector which lets me teach off my computer screen. My dad was not gifted electronically but he tried. I am following in his footsteps. The following, from December 29, 2005, recalls Dad's leap into the age of the DVD player.
I am technologically deficient. I come by it honestly- my dad is technologically deficient. This past summer, I broke down and purchased a DVD player. They've become so inexpensive there was little reason to keep relying on my increasingly unreliable VCR. Amazingly, I read the directions and was able to connect all the proper cables, having to wire through a special box because my TV is twenty years old and lacks the necessary equipment. After struggling to figure out the remote control, I was shocked to discover how superior the DVD quality is compared to video tape. The least I could do was pass on my good fortune so my niece, Karis, and I bought Dad a DVD player for Christmas. My father now also possesses 21st century viewing capabilities.
A DVD player without a DVD is wasted space so last night, Dad made his first rental. His selection was March of the Penguins, perhaps the largest money-maker ever for documentaries. I am no documentary fan, especially when the topic is animal life. A film with no actors and only a commentator (Morgan Freeman) to tell the story would seem dull.... but it was fascinating. March is the tale of the annual migration of Antarctica's emperor penguins for the species' propagation. Enduring the coldest temperatures on earth, the penguins make numerous seventy mile treks across ice within several months in an elaborate, timeless ritual to reproduce. Courtship results in the pairing of males and females who, to the untrained, appear identical. It's a very sweet love story which becomes a saga of survival for the next generation. Cooperation of both male and female is paramount. Inept or careless parents result in eggs not hatching. After laying eggs, females must travel back over the seventy mile ice expanse to their water source, bringing back food for their soon-to-be-born. Hundreds of males huddle together against blizzards for warmth, insuring the group's survival while incubating the eggs. Of course, when the chicks are hatched, they are unbelievably cute and the ordeal is not only worthwhile, it's a lesson for our species on life.
Loyalty, cooperation, sacrifice- what do they know that we don't? We have the same Creator but their system works so much better than ours. What a radical system they employ! A mother and father working together for the benefit of their offspring! A community sharing burdens for the well-being of the group! Why can't we have a system like that? Oh, my bad- we do. The Lord laid it all out for us. We just conveniently choose to ignore it most of the time. Pride, anger, selfishness, and dishonesty don't seem to pollute the penguin population like they do the one propagated by Adam and Eve. We watch trash on television and the movie screen. We become immune to filth and indecency and wonder why kids seem to emulate those with such low standards of behavior. They won't get that if you invest in this ninety minute glimpse into God's perfect plan for his animal kingdom. I don't make it a habit of endorsing movies but there is so much good in this one. Maybe the penguin's march can help us in our own walk with the Master. Thanks, Dad- you chose well!
Applicable quote of the day:
"I have often had the impression that, to penguins, man is just another penguin- different, less predictable, occasionally violent but tolerable company when he sits still and minds his own business."
Bernard Stonehouse
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
http://www.hawleybooks.com/
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com
I am technologically deficient. I come by it honestly- my dad is technologically deficient. This past summer, I broke down and purchased a DVD player. They've become so inexpensive there was little reason to keep relying on my increasingly unreliable VCR. Amazingly, I read the directions and was able to connect all the proper cables, having to wire through a special box because my TV is twenty years old and lacks the necessary equipment. After struggling to figure out the remote control, I was shocked to discover how superior the DVD quality is compared to video tape. The least I could do was pass on my good fortune so my niece, Karis, and I bought Dad a DVD player for Christmas. My father now also possesses 21st century viewing capabilities.
A DVD player without a DVD is wasted space so last night, Dad made his first rental. His selection was March of the Penguins, perhaps the largest money-maker ever for documentaries. I am no documentary fan, especially when the topic is animal life. A film with no actors and only a commentator (Morgan Freeman) to tell the story would seem dull.... but it was fascinating. March is the tale of the annual migration of Antarctica's emperor penguins for the species' propagation. Enduring the coldest temperatures on earth, the penguins make numerous seventy mile treks across ice within several months in an elaborate, timeless ritual to reproduce. Courtship results in the pairing of males and females who, to the untrained, appear identical. It's a very sweet love story which becomes a saga of survival for the next generation. Cooperation of both male and female is paramount. Inept or careless parents result in eggs not hatching. After laying eggs, females must travel back over the seventy mile ice expanse to their water source, bringing back food for their soon-to-be-born. Hundreds of males huddle together against blizzards for warmth, insuring the group's survival while incubating the eggs. Of course, when the chicks are hatched, they are unbelievably cute and the ordeal is not only worthwhile, it's a lesson for our species on life.
Loyalty, cooperation, sacrifice- what do they know that we don't? We have the same Creator but their system works so much better than ours. What a radical system they employ! A mother and father working together for the benefit of their offspring! A community sharing burdens for the well-being of the group! Why can't we have a system like that? Oh, my bad- we do. The Lord laid it all out for us. We just conveniently choose to ignore it most of the time. Pride, anger, selfishness, and dishonesty don't seem to pollute the penguin population like they do the one propagated by Adam and Eve. We watch trash on television and the movie screen. We become immune to filth and indecency and wonder why kids seem to emulate those with such low standards of behavior. They won't get that if you invest in this ninety minute glimpse into God's perfect plan for his animal kingdom. I don't make it a habit of endorsing movies but there is so much good in this one. Maybe the penguin's march can help us in our own walk with the Master. Thanks, Dad- you chose well!
Applicable quote of the day:
"I have often had the impression that, to penguins, man is just another penguin- different, less predictable, occasionally violent but tolerable company when he sits still and minds his own business."
Bernard Stonehouse
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
http://www.hawleybooks.com/
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com
1 comment:
Hey coach good read lol!
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