Be Careful What YouTube For!

Have you noticed the "helpful" changes that have recently occurred at YouTube? Well one of the more questionable benefits of the service now is that while you are watching a video on YouTube if you hover over the image with your cursor the "helpful" YouTube PTB (powers that be) invite you to sample other of their wares that are "related" to the video you are currently sampling.

These are becoming pointedly unrelated and often, in the case of religious content extremely opposite in content.

Read more at Church of the Masses.

Perhaps Barb is right, we need a concerted effort to let the PTB at YouTube know that we don't need the help in finding related content so immediately, we can do related searches all by ourselves.

If anyone has an alternative source for sharable video content on the Internet that doesn't promote sleaze I sure would like to know, because I want to point my kids in that direction.

Pax

Fun With Podcasts

Have you ever wanted to . . .

Learn a new Language in quick 15 minutes lessons?

or

Discover exactly what a Papal Document was all about by listening to a very knowledgeable Cardinal discuss his views on the subject.

or

Get the latest Hollywood News in a quick Headline Rap

or

Keep up-to-date with your favorite sports stories.

or

Get tips on how to get rich quick on the Internet?

or

Hear the latest Bands or Books before they are even released to the public?

All of this and more is available to you totally free of charge via the wonderful world of Podcasting. All you have to do to enjoy it is to download ITunes onto your computer, and look on the Podcast page of the Istore. From there you can register for any podcast you like; most of them are free.

Above are some of the ones I currently subscribe to, (and some I don't, you can try to decide which ones are which). Then ITunes will download them onto your computer and you can listen to them whenever you like.

If you happen to have an MP3 player (like the one mrangelmeg got me for my birthday, lucky girl that I am) you can take them with you. It is really cool to be able to listen to Cardinal Arinze's analysis of Deus Caritas Est as I am waiting at my daughter's school for her to get out. It actually makes the waiting much less of an imposition.

My favorite find has to be Coffee Break Spanish, which I listen to while I fold laundry. This one is really cool. It is taught by a man from Scotland. I am being taught to speak Spanish with the pronunciations that are used by people who live in mainland Spain by a man with a decidedly Scottish Burr. Only in cyberspace would this be possible. But hey, the next time someone comes up to me and asks me my name in Spanish, I will know exactly how to answer.

There are tons of podcasts out there for you to try and you can unsubscribe just as easily as you subscribed if you find them not to your liking. What do you have to lose?

Pax

Undue Influence, But This Kind I Could Get Used To

So I went to my parish library yesterday after morning mass. Did I tell you all how much I love the new priest (I think I did). I intended to pick up a few books on ancient and medieval philosophy to read between now and when I have to take those dreaded classes next summer. What I found was a veritable gold mine of books on Philosophy and Religion (what did I expect in a parish library after all?)

So, anyway, I pulled a few books off of the shelf and was quite satisfied. I had reading material for the next month or two, and would be well versed in ancient and medieval philosophy. I was about to leave when because of the influence of my Internet pals I could not stifle the urge to check out just one more book.

Now, lets you and I play a little game of "one of these things is not like the others": Which of the books in angelmeg's stack doesn't quite fit into the category of Ancient and Medieval Philosophy studies: Which do you suppose I was coerced to pick up because of my affiliation with that wild group of men?

Introduction to Thomas Aquinas

The Emergence of a Philosophy of Religion

Medieval Thought: Augustine and Aquinas

Kierkegaard an Introduction



And the funniest thing of all, in a day with no time at all to read I have practically devoured the silly thing. I am almost halfway through. Can you imagine if I had had any real free time yesterday.

If we had studied Kierkegaard in my Modern Philosophy Class last summer I might not have gone so starkers. He actually makes sense, and poetic sense at that. I am in awe and indebted once again to the guys across the blogosphere for the shove.

Now I have to back-track a few centuries and begin reading the other stuff.

Sigh.

Work, work, work.

Pax

Saint Lessons . . .

SIC, (spouse of Ironic Catholic) is at it again, and just as satirically witty as his better half. In this case though I think Ironic should sleep a bit to the outside of the bed for fear of the lightning bolt.

The theme of his latest missive is How to be a saint like me in two easy lessons. I have included a quote from a portion step one "humility humility humility" to wet your appetite

No, humility means accepting the fact that not everyone will admit that we
know the truth, and patiently enduring their abuse and scorn. “Blessed are those
who are persecuted for my sake,” the Lord says.

Read the rest here.

Pax

If I had a Champagne Bottle . . .

who am I kidding, if I had a bottle of champagne I would drink the stuff.

Anyway. I want to introduce all of you to a new blog in the Catholic Blogosphere:


The Speakin' Deacon

which is hosted by none other than my guest blogger Deacon John. He has begun with an awesome homily for All Saints Day. And I hope that you will all subscribe to his feed so that you don't miss a word that flows from the gifted mind of this awesome man. He certainly was led to the vocation of Deacon so that he could honor us with his ability to preach.

I have been blessed to hear a few of his homilies in person. I only wish that his blog was podcast equipped, because as good as they are written out, they are truly written to be preached and they are very powerful when you hear them preached.

I will be sad to lose him from this site, but I realize that it is a far far better place to which he has gone. (okay that was a bit hokey, but I am tired this afternoon).

add him to your blogroll, subscribe to his feed, be blessed by his gift of preaching, and let him become one of your friends.

Pax

Venti Creator Spiritu, No Room!

Check Out Ironic Catholic for a look at the newest deadly sin. Finally something of which I can speak with authority.

Pax