Matthew 12:37 - Blog by a God-Fearing Man

Real or Not? Mass we Pray

geerlingguy — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:28:06 +0000

The humor tag is only half true... I really really really really hope this is not real.

Post Disgrace - Death of Anonymity

geerlingguy — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:06:35 +0000

Petty and infantile, that's how I'd sum up the handling of a recent situation on the stltoday.com website (the website for the St. Louis Post Dispatch).

Kurt Greenbaum, after getting an anonymous commenter to resign his job [Ars Technica] when he looked up the commenter's IP address and ratted out the commenter to the school for which he worked, posted a little self-congratulatory post on the Post's website, as well as his personal blog.

Excerpt from the post:

I heard from the school’s headmaster. The school’s IT director took a shine to the challenge. Long story short: Using the time-frame of the comments, our website location and the IP addresses in the WordPress e-mail, he tracked it back to a specific computer. The headmaster confronted the employee, who resigned on the spot.

I'm not sure if Kurt understands the concept of anonymous posting and spam comments... on this little thing called the 'Internet,' people spam blogs and such with annoying, crass, rude, insensitive, and pointless drivel almost constantly. Even if you require people to be registered users / subscribers, you will get spam. You learn to deal with it. I could care less about the identity of anonymous commenters—and they should know they can always be tracked, to a certain extent—but the idea of selectively calling out certain commenters detracts from the idea of an 'open forum.' I've seen much more insulting and crass comments on the Post's website, so I don't know what got Mr. Greenbaum's feathers in such a kerfuffle.

You'd think the Post, a sanctuary for Catholic-bashing comments and radical vulgarity (in my experience), would either grin and bear the vulgar comment left by an anonymous commenter on the earlier post, or at most delete the comment and move on. Such should be the policy of a large news organization that leaves all their postings open to droves of anonymous commenters (a bad idea anyways, in my book).

Rupert Murdoch: No More Google News?

geerlingguy — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:41:23 +0000

After reading a few articles mulling over the implications of Rupert Murdoch's purported move to pull out all News Corp content from Google News, I thought I'd share a few thoughts, especially since the 'pay wall' issue is something I deal with from day to day with a local news publication...

Online Ads - a Faltering Art

With the popularity of Google Ads and other similar ad networks, where impressions are free, and clicks cost money, it's no surprise companies are hard-pressed to make any real money with this traditionally-based advertising medium. Heck, only 16% of Internet Users actually click on ads—that's not something the accountants and marketers are excited to hear, when all their business models are based on CTRs (click-through rates). Impression-based pricing is problematic, as well, especially considering the many different techniques people have for tricking ad-impression trackers.

There are a plethora of problems with online advertising metrics, and with revenue from online advertising. There are a few areas where online advertising is extremely effective (YouTube and other video sites have a successful pre-video commercial model, which works well). But for simple news and blog pages, the flashy, arrogant and often irrelevant ads that display in and around the content are largely ignored.

I don't propose any solutions to this huge problem—especially for news companies who, in the past, received more than half their revenue through advertising dollars. However, it's necessary to acknowledge the problem.

The Google Generation

Bing, Google, Yahoo - whatever the site is, online search and aggregation is the way of the future—I can count on one hand the number of people I know who have any particular website besides the three above (or one of their sub-sites) as their homepage. The fact is, people don't use the Internet as a replacement for the morning newspaper and bagel. People browse topics that interest them, then follow a topic around to different sources, and gather more information about this topic than was ever before possible in such a short period of time.

In Other Old News... P-D Online = Anti-Catholic Sanctuary

geerlingguy — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:08:48 +0000

For years, I and other Catholic Saint Louisans have noted with sadness the often disgraceful anti-Catholic slant with which the St. Louis Post Dispatch writes. But until the past few years, the half-truths and boring/uninformed journalistic endeavor was limited to a single story or a single author in the print edition of the P-D. Now, unfortunately, the articles with which secular media (especially the Post) try to destroy Catholocism are a free range for hundreds of other anonymous anti-Catholic commenters.

Take, for instance, today's story by Tim Townsend concerning the fact that the Archdiocese of Saint Louis was one of the contributors to the Archdiocese of Portland, Maine's campaign to protect the traditional definition of marriage. The title, "Carlson tapped archdiocesan fund to fight gay marriage in Maine," can already tip one off to the intent of the story (namely, to incite commenters to bash the Church for being 'anti-gay' and 'hating homosexuals' and 'denying human rights'), but reading through the comments is a practice in patience, as one after another, people tear down the Archbishop, the Church, and anything resembling religion/faith.

I wonder, often, if the Post is purposely becoming ignominious to cater to the anonymous commenters. I guess it generates page views, which give their overabundant ads more impressions. But does anyone take them seriously anymore?

Note: I do not wish to tear down Tim Townsend, in particular - he has actually been one of the most level-headed reporters in any secular publication that has dealt with the Church... but from time to time, an article (or 'blogzone blog' in this case) is simply abhorrent to my taste.

See also: Standing to Defend Marriage: The Archbishop of Saint Louis [Saint Louis Catholic]

Announcing Catholic News Live!

geerlingguy — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:50:20 +0000

Catholic News Live is a new site I've been working on - it is kinda-sorta out of the 'official public beta' status, although most of my sites are in perpetual beta as of late (most notably, Open Source Catholic!), but you can now check the About section of CNL for badges, follow @cathnewslive on Twitter, and subscribe to the many feeds.

There's also a post describing Catholic News Live a little more in-depth on Open Source Catholic, and a post talking about the technology behind Catholic News Live (basically, using Managing News on top of Drupal) on Midwestern Mac.com.

Tips for a Vacation in Rome, Italy

geerlingguy — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 07:10:02 +0000

Spagna - the Spanish Steps, at sunset.

Rome, Italy is a truly beautiful city, and a very worthy destination for people of all ages. After having spent four days in Rome, and a couple weeks outside of Rome, I've learned a few things that would, in my mind, be helpful tips for anyone else following in my footsteps:

Wear tennis shoes or comfortable shoes. You have to walk—a lot—if you really want to see and enjoy Rome. The metropolitana (Rome's subway lines) only covers the northern parts of the city, and a few ancient ruins.
Get a good map of the city; there is an illustrated map that you can find at almost any hotel/touristy area which shows pictures of all the major sights, and has every street marked. Even a GPS won't do so well in certain parts of Rome.
Bring a light camera, unless you're a stock photographer. With all the walking, you won't want to lug around a huge digital SLR and a bunch of glass if you don't have to. The memories are what counts - there are thousands of beautiful pictures of every sight in Rome - no need to take more of those pictures! A smaller, lighter camera affords more mobility, meaning you see more places.
Don't get caught in one or two ruins—i.e. don't tour the Colosseum or the Forum unless you really, really really want to. It's better to walk to another destination than to get caught in a four hour tour of a place in which you're not that interested.
Try the gelato. Seriously. Every chance you get, stop in a gelato shop. There are some especially good ones near the Via Merulana and across the Tiber from Castel Sant' Angelo.
If someone approaches telling you they have a special tour, or cool bracelets, or anything, ignore them. Don't even look at them. If you let them hook you in, you'll have to work to break yourself free from their sales pitches. (Also, don't look too 'touristy' if you can avoid it, at least not in the 'touristy' areas where street vendors are hanging around like vultures).
Don't get your picture taken with a gladiator or a mummy or any of the 'interesting' people around tourist sites. You'll be asked to pay up afterwards, usually to the tune of €5 or more!
Always pack an umbrella (get a little purse umbrella if need be) - rain is very random in Italy, and it can come at a moment's notice. If there are no clouds in the sky, don't carry the umbrella with you, but have one just in case. You can always buy one for €2-5 from a shop on the streets.
If you can figure them out, use the buses - they are very convenient if you need to get somewhere fast, or if your feet are worn out.
Try to speak a little Italian, even if you don't know much! Usually, even Italians who don't "parle" English will get the idea. The most important words:
1. Parli inglese? --> "Do you speak English?"
2. Ciao. --> "Hello."
3. Grazie! --> "Thanks!"
4. Prego. --> "Thanks," "You're welcome," and pretty much anything.
5. Buongiorno/Buonasera/Bunanotte --> "Good morning/evening/night!"
Places you must visit: The Colosseum (at least look at it), St. Peter's Square, St. Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Museums, Piazza Navona, Via del Corso (walk along the fancy shopping street and end at the Spanish Steps / Spagna), Trevi Fountain (just to see it), St. Paul Outside the Walls (if time allows), Termini (it's like the Italian Penn Station), every Gelateria you see, the Pantheon.
Places you could visit if you have time: All the awesome columns and Egyptian obelisks around the city (you could play a game and see who can find them first), the four Major Basilicas (St. Paul Outside the Walls, St. Mary Major, St. John Lateran, and St. Peter's), any other Church in the city, the Forum, the Circus Maximus (you can walk around it and act like you're Ben Hur ;-), Castel Sant' Angelo, Catacombs, the Scavi Tour (exclusive tour of the catacombs under St. Peter's - sign up early!), the Scala Sancta ('Sacred Stairs'), the Trastevere (Piazza di Santa Maria especially).
When eating, be sure to not ask for ketchup, burgers, salad dressing (they only use vinegar), or candy bars. You're in Roma! Enjoy the fish, the pasta, and the pizza... and most especially, the gelato! Crepes are also a nice way to finish off a meal. Ask for water senza gas (meaning without bubbles) or naturale—unless you'd like to try the gassy water ;-)

Any more tips? Leave 'em in the comments, please.

Rome, Italy - The Eternal City [Video]

geerlingguy — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:21:54 +0000

Rome Italy, 2009 - A video to wrap up my time in the Eternal City (I'm heading home in two days!):

HUGE Photos of Saint Peter's Basilica

geerlingguy — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:03:07 +0000

Two images taken on Saturday at Saint Peter's Basilica - both were stitched together using two images from my Canon PowerShot G11 in Photoshop. Click on the picture link to view the photo page on Flickr, or click the download link below the picture to see the HUGE picture file!

The first shot shows the interior of the main transept of Saint Peter's Basilica, with the main dome, the altar, and the beautiful and organic baldaccino designed by Bernini:

Download this photo (HUGE)

The second photo shows the exterior of the basilica, along with the obelisk and much of Saint Peter's Square:

Download this photo (HUGE)

I was privileged to be able to take a tour of Saint Peter's Basilica with a great seminarian and friend from St. Louis who currently attends the North American College. He showed me many of the small details at the Basilica which would be lost on many visitors, and afforded a pretty awesome view of everything inside. More details will be posted along with hundreds of photos ;-)

Many, many, many more photos will be posted to the Pictures section soon. Continue to follow along as I post stories and images from Rome in the special 'Roma' section on Lifeisaprayer.com.

Saint Paul Outside the Walls

geerlingguy — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 22:59:00 +0000

Saint Paul outside the walls. More pictures to come - I've now toured all the four major basilicas of the Church, but am quite tired. Pictures will be posted as soon as I'm able to get to them :-)

Picture taken at dusk, with the Canon Powershot G11 at ISO 80. Stabilized against a wooden post.

St. Peter's Square - Night - More to Come

geerlingguy — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:14:18 +0000

Went around Rome all day today; got back an hour ago and have been processing pictures since. Still not finished, but getting close. There will be a ton of pictures of St. Peter's Basilica (interior), the Vatican Museums, the Piazza de Navona, and the Pantheon later on... hopefully tomorrow, but maybe later.

Catholic News Live - Public Beta

geerlingguy — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 05:02:28 +0000

Catholic News Live - a little site I whipped up yesterday afternoon. Still in early, early beta. If you're interested in joining and helping sort items into channels (and maybe other perks sooner or later), please email contact@catholicnewslive.com.

Observations on Italy

geerlingguy — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 06:33:54 +0000

My observations about Italy / Rome, so far:

"Everything is in its place, but nothing is in order" <-- so true.
Hot Chocolate is very thick here - it's like molasses!
Unlike St. Louis, a rainy morning on Monday does not mean a cloudy, muggy week
Italians talk very fast - multo veloce
Italians have one rule when parking: park wherever there is space.
You can easily spot a tourist. Just look for someone with a map. (Without one, good luck navigating the narrow, crooked, and poorly-marked streets of Rome!).
If you're American, remember to order water senza gas.
I haven't had an Espresso, but I hear they're quite the kick. Should I try one?
Italy vs. Europe - it's actually quite true:

Dr. Scott Hahn - Apologetics for the 21st Century

geerlingguy — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 07:00:51 +0000

The following is a blog post I've written as part of the 'Support a Catholic Speaker' month, sponsored by the excellent Fallible Blogma, run by Matthew Warner (also founder of FlockNote.com).

Dr. Scott Hahn, a distinguished professor, father, husband, and convert to Catholicism, is arguably one of the greatest apologetical Catholic writers of the late 20th and early 21st century. Practically every book authored by Scott Hahn has been listed in the bestseller lists for Catholic books, and his frequent talks never fall on deaf ears.

He speaks and writes the truth and the Catholic faith. My first exposure to Scott Hahn's writing was his excellent book on the Eucharist, The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth, in which he explains the Eucharist from the perspective of a knowledgeable Biblical scholar, highlighting the significance and extreme importance of the Lamb of God throughout human history.

At the Salesianum Outside Rome

geerlingguy — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 22:32:25 +0000

The Redemptorist's XXIV General Chapter is being held this year at the Salesianum, a retreat house / hotel/resort / convention center that is owned by the Saletians. The Salesianum is located about 30 minutes west of Rome's city center, and is set between some hilly farming areas and a major highway.

Many beautiful Palm trees surround the Salesianum.

Also on the property is a beautiful field/hillside of olive trees; pictured below is a single olive on one of the trees. I spotted a pretty good variety of flora and fauna while walking around the property.

As if It Couldn't Get Any Worse... [Windows 7 Launch Party]

geerlingguy — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:54:10 +0000

As if Microsoft couldn't get any worse... introducing the dumbest video ever made, "Hosting Your Own Windows 7 Launch Parties." And the video's actually serious, which is the worst (saddest?) part.

Some nice responses to this horrid video: