“Alexa, tell me a story.” Today we can ask our “voice assistants” almost any question and hear a reply. Alexa can tell jokes and bedtime stories and even play games. Artificial intelligence (AI) applied to areas like this appears almost magical. As a computer scientist I delight in the possibilities of AI but I don’t…
I studied engineering at a large, respected provincial university, an education made up almost entirely of specialized engineering courses. At the time I was told I was getting the best education available, but I have since realized that something was missing. In contrast to many large public universities, a Christian liberal arts education includes a…
Just over a year ago, I was traveling in a large, air-conditioned, four-wheel-drive vehicle over rough roads in rural Zambia. I was sitting securely in the passenger seat, comfortably watching the scenery and villages pass by, when suddenly the steering rod failed. The vehicle veered into a field next to the road and abruptly ground…
We have lived as Canadian expats in the U.S. for nearly four years now. Shortly after arriving, we realized that bringing up politics in conversation was insensitive to the pain many of our American friends were experiencing. We needed the advice of Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady: stick to subjects like the weather and…
What does technology have to do with the opening chapters of Genesis? At first glance, the creation story seems to speak only of the natural world – skies and seas, fish and birds, stars and planets. However, the first chapters of Genesis provide a crucial frame for understanding the context for all our human cultural…
A recent Netflix documentary titled The Social Dilemma interviews several engineers who initially helped build social media platforms, but who are now sounding the alarm on their creations. The film features prominent designers from Google, Facebook and Twitter, including the engineer who created the pervasive “like” button and the inventor of the “infinite scroll.” The…
The student who sat in front of me was having difficulty looking me in the eyes as he shuffled his hands. He gradually began to speak. He was a second year engineering student having second thoughts about his chosen field of study. He knew he liked being creative, but he was becoming increasingly convinced that…
As I write this column, Calvin University is in the first week of classes. After rapidly pivoting to online instruction with the outbreak of COVID-19 last spring, the university worked on a plan for returning to in-person classes for the fall of 2020. These efforts stem from the fact that a Christian, undergraduate, liberal arts…
Justin Early toiled as a lawyer in a big corporate law office before feeling a call to become a missionary in China. After grueling studies in law school, a fast-paced legal career and the demands of the mission field, he was exhausted. Years of over-committed scheduling took their toll. He ended up in ER, experiencing a variety of symptoms related to exhaustion. He was told to slow down.
The Coronavirus pandemic swiftly brought into focus our shared vulnerability and humanity on a global scale. We are lonely, confused and scared. Yet amidst these difficulties, we have come to recognize the blessing of digital technologies and how they can connect us during this time of social distancing. As for schools across the world, teleconferencing software has enabled me to continue my classes at Calvin University.
When I was young, electronics and electricity seemed like a form of magic. Computers seemed to magically run using special incantations called “code.” Radios and televisions could teleport voices and images from around the globe. Energy harnessed from Niagara Falls could be invisibly transported to turn on a motor or light a home. Part of my motivation to learn about electronics was to demystify and understand what seemed like magic.
Ironically, the week that COVID-19 shut the door to in-person classes at Calvin University, our capstone computer science course was scheduled to discuss the importance of embodied community. One of the points that we were scheduled to explore is how electronic communications should not be preferable to embodied community. However, as we have seen with COVID-19, when that is not possible, digital communications are a blessing. Our current situation brought an unexpected “experiential learning” opportunity to engage this topic.
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