Wow!
I haven’t had a chance to look at this report yet, but I have to say it looks like the Vatican has its act together.
The Church’s interest in the Internet is a particular expression of her longstanding interest in the media of social communication. Seeing the media as an outcome of the historical scientific process by which humankind “advances further and further in the discovery of the resources and values contained in the whole of creation”, the Church often has declared her conviction that they are, in the words of the Second Vatican Council, “marvellous technical inventions” that already do much to meet human needs and may yet do even more.
Thus the Church has taken a fundamentally positive approach to the media. Even when condemning serious abuses, documents of this Pontifical Council for Social Communications have been at pains to make it clear that “a merely censorious attitude on the part of the Church…is neither sufficient nor appropriate”.
I want to read this and see if it provides some help for us, but at the moment I was simply overcome with curiosity about the Council itself. I messed with the URL and then followed a link to this page. The group dates its start from 1948 and the Pontifical Commission for the Study and Ecclesiastical Evaluation of Films on Religious or Moral Subjects.
One would have needed to be a clairvoyant to foresee the remarkable future of this minute Office, composed of a President and four Members and housed in a single room in the Palazzo San Carlo in Vatican City, in a wing still overflowing with the Information Office’s vast archives on the Second World War. In spite of its modest beginnings, this small Commission was to write a new page in the history of the Church’s pastoral and cultural activity.
I’m sure it did!
On a much less important note, since I listed some Web 2.0 apps I like, I feel compelled to mention one I have bookmarked that really intrigues me. Stikkit looks like it might come my bookmark site, address book, task list, calendar, and more.
Maybe.
If it works.
Here is Merlin Mann’s hint sheet. See what you think.
Dang,
First you’re blogging about various web2.0, GTD, etc… Now, Grant blogs about moleskines. I feel like I’m on the Truman Show.
I haven’t cared for Stikkit. I tried it when the Download Squad first intro’ed it. Then again when Merlin made his announcement. I find that it is rather slow, even at work, which is pretty amazing.
I think my biggest issue is how to deal with connectivity. There are times when I’m away from my computer … what do I do then?
My basic setup is as follows; though, as my wife will attest, I’m always tinkering with it.
+ Gmail — btw, didn’t you ask how to get email links to open directly in gmail? I’m using XP and FF, and it works, but I’ve forgotten. Sorry that’s not terribly useful, but it is possible.
+ Google Calendar (prints out, 4 week view, very easily. I wish it didn’t automatically split at months; i.e., the next four weeks are split between Feb and Mar, GCal automatically makes them separate pages, which is rough visually). I don’t really care for 30 boxes, but I haven’t given it much look.
+ Remember the Milk — works great. I wish the various gadgets/modules (for netvibes or google homepage) would allow me to see separate lists for various GTD contexts. It also has a nice ‘print version’ that I take with me.
+ Google Reader … simply the best. It has a gadget for google homepage, but nothing for netvibes. 🙁
+ Google Docs. I’m struggling to get into zoho, even though it is working with both box.net and omnidrive. I think that thinkfree is going to be bought by either google or zoho. It is great software.
+ Google Notebook … I’ve tried this, but haven’t found a great need for it. Perhaps I will in the future, but not right now.
+ Google bookmarks — I like that this syncs in my google toolbar. Very nice, indeed.
I hate to be so google-centric, but some items are just better, some are least worse, and others just seem more stable/reliable (i.e., is this company going to be sold soon?)
Mike, regarding connectivity: synchronizing the two computers is a much bigger issue for me these days. And when I’m away from the computer I simply don’t need to know my schedule usually.
You’re the second person to recommend Remember the Milk. I’ve resisted due to aesthetic testosterone allergies to cartoon cows.
I use box.net when I need such a thing, but I haven’t needed it lately….
Yeah, I’ve love a greasemonkey script to get rid of the obnoxious cow, but alas, its the best despite the cow.
I really wanted stikkit to change my life, but it didn’t when I tried it. I may try it again, but it’s just not there yet.