• Christmas in St Mary’s (with a twist at the end)

    Christmas is a time of joy and celebration, and there is perhaps no better place to experience the magic of the season than at St Mary’s Cathedral in the Scottish Episcopal Church. With its stunning architecture and rich history, this beautiful space offers a truly special and meaningful way to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

    One of the highlights of a Christmas service at St Mary’s Cathedral is the music. The cathedral’s choir is known for their beautiful voices and their ability to bring the festive carols to life. The church also features a grand organ, which adds a sense of grandeur and majesty to the service. Whether you’re a fan of traditional carols or more modern hymns, you’re sure to be moved by the beautiful music at St Mary’s Cathedral.

    Another highlight of a Christmas service at St Mary’s Cathedral is the sense of history and tradition. The cathedral dates back to the 19th century and is known for its stunning Gothic architecture. The service itself is filled with rich traditions, such as the lighting of the Advent wreath and the reading of the Christmas story from the Bible. These traditions help to create a sense of awe and wonder that is so fitting for the holiday season.

    But perhaps the most special aspect of a Christmas service at St Mary’s Cathedral is the sense of community and togetherness. As people from all walks of life come together to celebrate the birth of Jesus, there is a feeling of unity and love that is truly special. Whether you’re a lifelong member of the cathedral or a newcomer to the community, you’ll feel welcome and included in the celebration.

    In short, Christmas services at St Mary’s Cathedral in the Scottish Episcopal Church are a truly special and meaningful way to celebrate the holiday season. With their beautiful music, rich traditions, and sense of community, these services offer a chance to experience the magic and wonder of Christmas in a truly special and meaningful way.

    If you’ve made it through this blog post this far and you have a slight sense that there’s something odd about it the you’d be correct. The post above, not in italics wasn’t written by me. It was written by a machine – specifically the ChatGPT bot that has recently been released to the world. You tell  it what you want it to write and it does it.

    This one was generated by the prompt, “Write a blog post about how wonderful Christmas services are at St Mary’s Cathedral in the Scottish Episcopal Church”.

    Now, it doesn’t sound quite like me and it isn’t the most exciting writing there is. Perhaps it is even slightly stilted. But it is a fairly convincing attempt at the problem I gave it to do.

    This technology is going to make all things new. Academia in particular is going to have to change very quickly in the way it assesses students.

    This is disruptive technology. It can be used to do funny things – I could just have easily got it to write the above post in the voice of Donald Trump.

    Thus: “Let me tell you, folks, this place is amazing. The music is absolutely incredible, with the choir singing all of your favorite carols in the most beautiful way. And the organ! Wow, what a sound. It’s truly something to behold…”

    But this isn’t just entertainment. It is something completely and utterly new. Nothing you ever read again comes with a guarantee that it was written by a human being.

    The world is changed. As someone once sent with a telegraph key, “What hath God wrought”?

11 responses to “Changing the mobile”

  1. Tim Avatar

    Variously:

    Google Sky;
    Either Catch(.com) or Springpad (see springpadit.com – currently preferred);
    Handcent (SMS);
    FBReader or Aldiko (eBook readers);
    Wikitude / Layar (augmented reality);
    Connectbot (ssh client);
    MyTracks (GPS tracking on steroids), Foursquare;
    AppBak (save/restore lists of things installed);
    Advanced Task Killer (kill processes).

    Welcome aboard 🙂

  2. kelvin Avatar

    Thanks Tim. I found google sky already. Indeed, it was one of the things that persuaded me.

    Now I can see the constellations in the city! Indeed, now I can see the constellations in my bedroom.

  3. Sarah Avatar
    Sarah

    SlideIT – easier way to enter text. Good fun, the predictive side of it can be a bit of a pest so do re-read what you’ve written, although there is the facility to go back to simple ABC input.
    Enjoy the ‘phone!

  4. Kennedy Avatar
    Kennedy

    Lifehacker is always a good source of info for these things.

    http://lifehacker.com/5717356/set-up-and-get-to-know-your-new-android-phone

    Kennedy

  5. agatha Avatar
    agatha

    Nothing to do with phones but I do like the “Want a girlfriend” advertising in the sidebar!

    1. kelvin Avatar

      I’m glad you like whatever you are seeing, Agatha. The ads are served up by a remote server which focusses the ads on the viewer, including whatever you are looking at, where you are and I think also your browsing history.

      Whatever you are looking it is what google thinks should be aimed at you. I see no ads offering girlfriends myself.

  6. ryan Avatar
    ryan

    I do hope I’m not the only one getting “Spy on your boyfriend” ads! 😉

  7. office manager Avatar
    office manager

    Android? Data (trekkie pun intended) could be lost. See story at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12138790 Good luck.

  8. Hermano David | Brother Dah•veed Avatar
    Hermano David | Brother Dah•veed

    I see no ads, which beats the Scientology ads that I used to see!

    I have nothing to ad because Padre has forbidden it.

  9. Hedge Avatar

    Snap! I got mine just before Christmas.

    Seesmic (for Twitter)
    Guardian Anywhere (downloads while you sleep and can be read while offline)
    Kindle
    Dropbox
    Pocket Common Worship

    I’m also addicted to Wordfeud, or Scrabble by any other name…

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