Hunt And Peck For History
Stories
Object:
Contents
"Hunt and Peck for History" by Frank Ramirez
"Nothing but Faith" by Peter Andrew Smith
* * * * * * *
Hunt and Peck for History
by Frank Ramirez
Galatians 6:(1-6) 7-16
See what large letters I make when I am writing in my own hand!
-- Galatians 6:11
If you sat down at the computer today and searched for something on the internet, or made a purchase online, or answered an email -- if you pulled out your tablet, whether it was an iPad or a Kindle, if you decided to make a note on your smart phone, or perhaps if you were up in your attic and found a dusty old manual typewriter, pulled it out, rolled in a sheet of paper, and began to tap out a few swift strokes (and likely jammed a few keys in the process), you took advantage of a circumstance and situation that seems written in stone, and yet which is as much a historical accident as anything so permanent and pervasive can be.
I'm talking about what is known as the Qwerty keyboard. That's the order of the first six keys on the top row, left to right, on a standard keyboard. In the latter part of the nineteenth century it became the standard for the typewriter industry, beating out all comers. And when computers took over from typewriters around the world this layout was used without any questions.
Yet it is not efficient, economical, or even sensible. But it's what we know. How did it come about?
Well, as you can imagine, initially there several different solutions to the problem of how to lay out the keyboard for the new invention of the typewriter. The Qwerty keyboard was designed because it was necessary for a keyboard to be less, not more, efficient.
Simply put, the Qwerty keyboard was designed to slow typists down. Too many keys were getting jammed together. The solution was the Qwerty keyboard, where the most frequently used keys were spaced farther apart so that it took a fraction of a second longer for a skilled typist to move her or his fingers to the proper spot.
Some of the most common letters are on the left side of the keyboard, because most people are right handed. Commonly used combinations like 'th' and 'ch' are separated so that one letter has to be struck with one hand and the second letter with the other.
This layout was designed in 1873 by Christopher Latham Sholes, who sold the design to the Remington Company. According to one story, in 1883 Elizabeth M. Longley, founder of the Shorthand and Typewriter Institute located in Cincinnati, decided to favor the Qwerty keyboard. And the matter was settled once and for all in a mano a mano between Frank McGurrin, whom she employed, and Louis Taub. McGurrin defeated Taub in the widely publicized match, and after that the Qwerty keyboard reigned supreme.
For those who can remember the early days of the personal computer, when there were several different competing systems, it was difficult to know which would win out. Indeed, some people held off buying a computer so they would not be stuck with something obsolete.
Studies have since shown that there are layouts that would increase our speed, cut down on errors, and work far more efficiently. And since today's keyboards are attached to computers, and there are no mechanical keys to jam together, it might make sense to change. But everyone has a stake in the way things are. Nobody who has learned the Qwerty keyboard wants to start all over. Some people have learned to text with the simple keypad on their phones, but even that is fading as the most modern phones feature some form of the Qwerty keyboard.
Now that computers are everywhere, and everybody has a stake in learning how to use the Qwerty keyboard at an early age, it is sometimes forgotten that in an earlier time only specialists learned how to type. You learned how to read and write by hand, and good penmanship was highly encouraged, but no one needed to learn how to type for themselves. That's what secretaries were for!
Something similar was true in biblical times. A person like the apostle Paul might be very literate, which meant he could read and speak clearly and fluently. But that didn't mean he had the training to actually write by hand. Like the typewriter a generation ago, writing by hand was the province of professionals. He could, just as most people a generation ago, could peck out words on the typewriter with a couple of labored finger strokes, write out letters in a slow and large hand, as he did toward the end of his letter to the Galatians, but that was about it.
(Want to know more? Look up Qwerty in the index of Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, by Jared Diamond.)
Frank Ramirez has served as a pastor for nearly 30 years in Church of the Brethren congregations in Los Angeles, California; Elkhart, Indiana; and Everett, Pennsylvania. A graduate of LaVerne College and Bethany Theological Seminary, Ramirez is the author of numerous books, articles, and short stories. His CSS titles include Partners in Healing, He Took a Towel, The Bee Attitudes, three volumes of Lectionary Worship Aids, and Breakdown on Bethlehem Street.
Nothing but Faith
by Peter Andrew Smith
Luke 10:1-11, 16-20
"We can't speak to this group," Tony said. "I can't get a cell signal here."
"They are waiting for us to start," Maria replied.
Tony turned to face her. "No cell signal means no hot spot for internet, which means we can't use the streaming music or videos, which means our whole presentation becomes lifeless."
"We still have the Bible passages we can display on the screen."
Tony threw up his hands. "Those verses won't mean anything to the young people without the clips to help explain them. Besides, who really wants to just have some boring old words up on a screen? Nowadays everyone wants to see movement and hear music along with scripture. We've got none of that so we can't do anything."
"So what do we tell them?"
"Maybe we could reschedule."
"They are ready for us now," Maria said. "Besides do you think in a few days there will suddenly be cell service in this remote area?"
"It could happen."
"I'm serious."
"I don't know," Tony said. "How about we say we're having technical difficulties?"
Maria rolled her eyes. "This group invited us to talk about the Bible and what it means for young people to be Christians. Do you really want to tell them we can't talk about Jesus because we can't connect to the web?"
"I know it sounds bad but without the resources we need, this presentation is going to be terrible." Tony sighed. "I would rather cancel than do a second-rate job telling people about Jesus."
"I want to do the best we can in sharing Jesus too," Maria said. "But what does it say when we can't speak about our faith because we don't have internet access?"
"I guess we should have thought ahead and downloaded the multimedia before we came here."
"Maybe." Maria looked at the pile of computers, projectors, and screens in the back of the van. "Maybe we are relying too much on these things to spread the gospel."
"Oh come on, you know how important all this technology is to telling people the good news," Tony said. "We're living in a wired world where people expect to see professional quality presentations. Do you think the kids in that last town would have reacted the way they did without all of this careful planning, preparation, and all these resources?"
"I'm not sure," Maria paused. "How did you first hear about Jesus?"
"My grandmother told me about him from the time I was a little boy." Tony smiled. "Every Sunday she would read to me from the Bible and pray with me before we went to church."
"Sounds similar to how I came to know Jesus. A girl from school invited me to come to church with her one Sunday. The preacher was so sincere and the people so friendly that I felt right at home." Maria turned to Tony. "Do you know what both of our stories have in common?"
"Christians telling others about Jesus."
"Exactly. The church I grew up in didn't have anything but good people who loved Jesus and shared that in everything they said and did."
"So have we been doing it all wrong?" Tony rubbed his chin. "I mean we've had some good success when we use the video clips and all the technology."
"Maybe we're so caught up in using all the tools in front of us that we forget that video clips and power point can help us share the message but we don't really need any of this to tell about Jesus Christ. We just need to be ready to speak about him and what we believe."
"I'd feel more comfortable if we could use all the things that we have prepared to help us do that," Tony said.
"So would I," Maria admitted. "But you know maybe this is a good thing. Sometimes I think we forget that the gospel is about what God is doing for us as people and the best way to share that is person to person."
"Well we're going to see tonight, aren't we?"
Maria laughed. "Are you ready to go in then?"
"Not until we have the one thing I know we need to have before we speak to these young people."
Maria looked at all the equipment. "What would that be?"
"A moment for prayer."
Maria blushed and bowed her head. After she and Tony said "Amen" they took the bare minimum with them and went into the room to tell the waiting people about the good news of Jesus Christ.
Peter Andrew Smith is an ordained minister in the United Church of Canada who currently serves at St. James United Church in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. He is the author of All Things Are Ready (CSS), a book of lectionary-based communion prayers, as well as many stories and articles, which can be found listed at www.peterandrewsmith.com.
*****************************************
StoryShare, July 7, 2013, issue.
Copyright 2013 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
"Hunt and Peck for History" by Frank Ramirez
"Nothing but Faith" by Peter Andrew Smith
* * * * * * *
Hunt and Peck for History
by Frank Ramirez
Galatians 6:(1-6) 7-16
See what large letters I make when I am writing in my own hand!
-- Galatians 6:11
If you sat down at the computer today and searched for something on the internet, or made a purchase online, or answered an email -- if you pulled out your tablet, whether it was an iPad or a Kindle, if you decided to make a note on your smart phone, or perhaps if you were up in your attic and found a dusty old manual typewriter, pulled it out, rolled in a sheet of paper, and began to tap out a few swift strokes (and likely jammed a few keys in the process), you took advantage of a circumstance and situation that seems written in stone, and yet which is as much a historical accident as anything so permanent and pervasive can be.
I'm talking about what is known as the Qwerty keyboard. That's the order of the first six keys on the top row, left to right, on a standard keyboard. In the latter part of the nineteenth century it became the standard for the typewriter industry, beating out all comers. And when computers took over from typewriters around the world this layout was used without any questions.
Yet it is not efficient, economical, or even sensible. But it's what we know. How did it come about?
Well, as you can imagine, initially there several different solutions to the problem of how to lay out the keyboard for the new invention of the typewriter. The Qwerty keyboard was designed because it was necessary for a keyboard to be less, not more, efficient.
Simply put, the Qwerty keyboard was designed to slow typists down. Too many keys were getting jammed together. The solution was the Qwerty keyboard, where the most frequently used keys were spaced farther apart so that it took a fraction of a second longer for a skilled typist to move her or his fingers to the proper spot.
Some of the most common letters are on the left side of the keyboard, because most people are right handed. Commonly used combinations like 'th' and 'ch' are separated so that one letter has to be struck with one hand and the second letter with the other.
This layout was designed in 1873 by Christopher Latham Sholes, who sold the design to the Remington Company. According to one story, in 1883 Elizabeth M. Longley, founder of the Shorthand and Typewriter Institute located in Cincinnati, decided to favor the Qwerty keyboard. And the matter was settled once and for all in a mano a mano between Frank McGurrin, whom she employed, and Louis Taub. McGurrin defeated Taub in the widely publicized match, and after that the Qwerty keyboard reigned supreme.
For those who can remember the early days of the personal computer, when there were several different competing systems, it was difficult to know which would win out. Indeed, some people held off buying a computer so they would not be stuck with something obsolete.
Studies have since shown that there are layouts that would increase our speed, cut down on errors, and work far more efficiently. And since today's keyboards are attached to computers, and there are no mechanical keys to jam together, it might make sense to change. But everyone has a stake in the way things are. Nobody who has learned the Qwerty keyboard wants to start all over. Some people have learned to text with the simple keypad on their phones, but even that is fading as the most modern phones feature some form of the Qwerty keyboard.
Now that computers are everywhere, and everybody has a stake in learning how to use the Qwerty keyboard at an early age, it is sometimes forgotten that in an earlier time only specialists learned how to type. You learned how to read and write by hand, and good penmanship was highly encouraged, but no one needed to learn how to type for themselves. That's what secretaries were for!
Something similar was true in biblical times. A person like the apostle Paul might be very literate, which meant he could read and speak clearly and fluently. But that didn't mean he had the training to actually write by hand. Like the typewriter a generation ago, writing by hand was the province of professionals. He could, just as most people a generation ago, could peck out words on the typewriter with a couple of labored finger strokes, write out letters in a slow and large hand, as he did toward the end of his letter to the Galatians, but that was about it.
(Want to know more? Look up Qwerty in the index of Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, by Jared Diamond.)
Frank Ramirez has served as a pastor for nearly 30 years in Church of the Brethren congregations in Los Angeles, California; Elkhart, Indiana; and Everett, Pennsylvania. A graduate of LaVerne College and Bethany Theological Seminary, Ramirez is the author of numerous books, articles, and short stories. His CSS titles include Partners in Healing, He Took a Towel, The Bee Attitudes, three volumes of Lectionary Worship Aids, and Breakdown on Bethlehem Street.
Nothing but Faith
by Peter Andrew Smith
Luke 10:1-11, 16-20
"We can't speak to this group," Tony said. "I can't get a cell signal here."
"They are waiting for us to start," Maria replied.
Tony turned to face her. "No cell signal means no hot spot for internet, which means we can't use the streaming music or videos, which means our whole presentation becomes lifeless."
"We still have the Bible passages we can display on the screen."
Tony threw up his hands. "Those verses won't mean anything to the young people without the clips to help explain them. Besides, who really wants to just have some boring old words up on a screen? Nowadays everyone wants to see movement and hear music along with scripture. We've got none of that so we can't do anything."
"So what do we tell them?"
"Maybe we could reschedule."
"They are ready for us now," Maria said. "Besides do you think in a few days there will suddenly be cell service in this remote area?"
"It could happen."
"I'm serious."
"I don't know," Tony said. "How about we say we're having technical difficulties?"
Maria rolled her eyes. "This group invited us to talk about the Bible and what it means for young people to be Christians. Do you really want to tell them we can't talk about Jesus because we can't connect to the web?"
"I know it sounds bad but without the resources we need, this presentation is going to be terrible." Tony sighed. "I would rather cancel than do a second-rate job telling people about Jesus."
"I want to do the best we can in sharing Jesus too," Maria said. "But what does it say when we can't speak about our faith because we don't have internet access?"
"I guess we should have thought ahead and downloaded the multimedia before we came here."
"Maybe." Maria looked at the pile of computers, projectors, and screens in the back of the van. "Maybe we are relying too much on these things to spread the gospel."
"Oh come on, you know how important all this technology is to telling people the good news," Tony said. "We're living in a wired world where people expect to see professional quality presentations. Do you think the kids in that last town would have reacted the way they did without all of this careful planning, preparation, and all these resources?"
"I'm not sure," Maria paused. "How did you first hear about Jesus?"
"My grandmother told me about him from the time I was a little boy." Tony smiled. "Every Sunday she would read to me from the Bible and pray with me before we went to church."
"Sounds similar to how I came to know Jesus. A girl from school invited me to come to church with her one Sunday. The preacher was so sincere and the people so friendly that I felt right at home." Maria turned to Tony. "Do you know what both of our stories have in common?"
"Christians telling others about Jesus."
"Exactly. The church I grew up in didn't have anything but good people who loved Jesus and shared that in everything they said and did."
"So have we been doing it all wrong?" Tony rubbed his chin. "I mean we've had some good success when we use the video clips and all the technology."
"Maybe we're so caught up in using all the tools in front of us that we forget that video clips and power point can help us share the message but we don't really need any of this to tell about Jesus Christ. We just need to be ready to speak about him and what we believe."
"I'd feel more comfortable if we could use all the things that we have prepared to help us do that," Tony said.
"So would I," Maria admitted. "But you know maybe this is a good thing. Sometimes I think we forget that the gospel is about what God is doing for us as people and the best way to share that is person to person."
"Well we're going to see tonight, aren't we?"
Maria laughed. "Are you ready to go in then?"
"Not until we have the one thing I know we need to have before we speak to these young people."
Maria looked at all the equipment. "What would that be?"
"A moment for prayer."
Maria blushed and bowed her head. After she and Tony said "Amen" they took the bare minimum with them and went into the room to tell the waiting people about the good news of Jesus Christ.
Peter Andrew Smith is an ordained minister in the United Church of Canada who currently serves at St. James United Church in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. He is the author of All Things Are Ready (CSS), a book of lectionary-based communion prayers, as well as many stories and articles, which can be found listed at www.peterandrewsmith.com.
*****************************************
StoryShare, July 7, 2013, issue.
Copyright 2013 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
