Journal of the Week

Posted on October 7, 2025 by timlyg

10/10/2025 Friday

5 Top paintings in China, handscrolls（手卷）:

晋朝 （266-420）为了说服 贾南风（晋惠帝之妻）行德：女史箴圖 - 顧愷之
唐朝 （618-907）about cows or metaphor of the artist's servitude: 五牛圖 - 韓滉
宋朝 （960-1279）千里江山圖 (rare minerals for rare colors - Malachite & Azurite) - 王希孟
宋朝 Recovered decades after 宣統帝 (last emperor 1906-1967) took it with him: 清明上河圖 （rich details, 800 people, 12 century China life) - 張擇端
大清 Qing Dynasty (1636-1912) 百駿圖 - 郎世寧 （Giuseppe Castiglione) painted on silk

10/9/2025 Thursday

Now Wifi signals can monitor heart rate.

Shayne Coplan becomes the youngest billionaire (age 27) because of his Polymarket: cryto-based betting site. This is despite many countries (Swiss, Singapore, Poland, France) blocking the site due to its gambling nature.

Histotripsy is a cancer treatment in which ultrasound waves are concentrated onto a small area of a tumor to destroy it.

One thing Governor Gavin Newsom did well: To forbid making commercials louder in California. The ban should take effect (in CA) in June 2026.

This Youtube Channel (Nahre Sol) cares about teaching piano:

10/8/2025 Wednesday

The Israel Defense Forces used a Scottish museum’s 3D models in propaganda videos: While the West went the wrong direction with "Thou Shalt Not Steal" by applying it to copyright as Intellectual Property, Israel would justify herself for copying materials from others without citation. One doesn't understand stealing, the other doesn't understand lying.

10/7/2025 Tuesday

Drawing warmups - 10 tips

10/6/2025 Monday

Interesting conversation between Cenk Uygur and Pastor Doug Wilson on Christian Nationalism:

I would say this is by far the most intellectual discussion on Christian Nationalism I've heard so far. Had to be done by an atheist. The ones I've heard from Presbycast and other Christian medias aren't as thought provocative as it should. Although, this is just the tip of the iceberg, perhaps because Cenk was trying to rush through 1.5 hours of a big subject.

@41:00 Wilson argued for a Christian only office in the government. It's interesting to learn from Google that Denmark, UK and Norway all have requirements for their monarchs to be Christians (Evangelical Lutherans for Denmark & Norway). Of course, I don't think this would work, not even down 500 years in the future as Wilson hoped. Due to theology, and examples for those other countries that had done so. Cenk should have confirmed that Wilson would not vote for non-Christians or would he, or if Wilson approve of mosque establishments in the States.

@47:10 Christian denominations mentioned. I don't believe it's feasible as you'll no doubt have to debate about Mormons and such.

@1:20:20 Wilson's book was quoted: "A man penetrates, conquers, colonizes, plants; while a woman receives, surrenders, accepts." ~ from his 1999 book Fidelity: What it Means to be a One-Woman Man ~google AI. I think this is just a play of words, which is unnecessary. It's more American/Western culture than a biblical one.

Posted in Art, Biology, Music, News, Theologization, Vocabularies | Leave a comment

Mopiko 無比膏

Posted on October 6, 2025 by timlyg

Considered foreign to Americans. But good for insect (i.e. mosquitos) bites. But based on the manual, these three terms are good to know of Mopiko, with help of google AI:

Camphor is a waxy, white substance with a strong scent, derived from the camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora) of Asia. It has traditional uses in medicine as a topical treatment for pain, itching, and congestion, and as an insect repellent. However, camphor is highly toxic when swallowed, especially for children, and should never be taken by mouth.

Rheumatism is a broad term that refers to a group of conditions characterized by pain, stiffness, and inflammation in the joints and connective tissues. It encompasses a wide range of disorders. Mopiko's useful for such.

Warfarin, sold under the brand names Coumadin and Jantoven, is an anticoagulant medication known as a "blood thinner". It is used to treat and prevent blood clots by decreasing the blood's ability to clot. Mopiko should not be used under this condition as it may lead to bleeding.

Posted in Biology | Leave a comment

情欲 vs.情义

Posted on October 3, 2025 by timlyg

“情义”（情義）一词指的是在人际关系中，情感与道义的统一，即朋友或亲属之间应有的情感和道义责任，强调的是一种长期、稳定的伦理联系。这个词通常用来形容人与人之间真挚的情感和信守道义的行为，例如“千里送鹅毛，礼轻情义重”这句谚语。Google AI

Posted in Theologization, Vocabularies | Leave a comment

戒驕戒躁

Posted on October 3, 2025 by timlyg

「戒驕戒躁」是一個成語，意思是警惕並防止產生驕傲自滿和急躁的情緒，常用於勸誡他人或要求自己保持謙虛謹慎的態度。 這個詞語強調在獲得成績時，要保持謙虛進取的精神，避免因成功而變得驕傲或急躁，進而影響持續的進步和發展。Google AI

來歷：

Posted in Vocabularies | Leave a comment

List of Christian Paradoxes

Posted on October 1, 2025 by timlyg

The Scriptures are shallow enough for a babe to come and drink without fear of drowning and deep enough for a theologian to swim in without ever touching the bottom ~ St. Jerome
Although, some churches messed this up: to make the Scriptures too deep for a babe to drown in, and too shallow for a thinker to make any splash, because they fail to understand but praise this quote of Jerome in its proper context. Also, I cannot find the citation for this quote of Jerome.

Posted in Quotes, Theologization | Leave a comment

3 Kinds of Priest/Religious Leaders

Posted on September 30, 2025 by timlyg

Came across this from David Tong on Facebook. This is the type of ordinations established at GRII by Stephen Tong:

Ada tiga macam pendeta (Ef.4:11):
1. Pendeta Penggembala. Shepherding
2. Pendeta Pengajar. Teaching
3. Pendeta Penginjil. Evangelizing

So I asked David Tong as to which type was Stephen Tong his father's ordination, such was his response:

Dia dipanggil sebagai Pengijil, ditahbiskan sebagai Penggembala (karena dia tidak ditahbiskan di GRII). Walaupun demikian Pak Tong memikirkan bahwa seorang yang ditahbiskan harus menjalankan ketiga fungsi ini dan dia lakukan ketiga fungsi ini dari sejak muda. Tapi kalau ditanya fungsi utamanya, Tuhan lebih banyak pakai dia sebagai Penginjil. Di GRII baru dia tetapkan bahwa HT [hamba tuhan?] GRII ditabiskan sebagai Pendeta Penggembala, Pendeta Pengajar, dan Pendeta Penginjil sehinga yang namanya "pendeta" di GRII bukan hanya penggembala saja.

Posted in Theologization | Leave a comment

Journal of the Week

Posted on September 29, 2025 by timlyg

10/4/2025 Saturday Visited Dennis' place. Learned of his son's cerebral palsy condition. Update 12/2/2025 At some point, I should read Sandra Peoples' book Accessible Church (mentioned by Millington Baptist Church Podcast Behind the Pulpit S4E13). She has a program called "Start a Disability Ministry". A ministry/podcast that seems to dedicate to church and disabilities is called Key Ministry.

10/3/2025 Friday

Democrats vs. Republicans on Museums:

This survey pitted Republican (right wing/conservative) view against Democrat (left wing/liberal) view on feeling welcome by organizations, particularly cultural ones such as museums. The left generally are seen as too sensitive, so this graph is not too far from the truth. With Children's Museum & Science center being neutral, the right seems to always feel welcome no matter what, I would say even if they were being challenged by leftist ideas of the museums, with Art Museum being the obvious case. One can understand that the left often would view the content historical art being too outdated with current progressive culture; while the right (except for the far right perhaps, but the far right wouldn't even appreciate museums to begin with, as they're too low IQ for that) do not take it personal or find offense with modern progressive art piece.

What I think a fair take on Taylor Swift by Christians, right after the release of her new album: The Life of a Showgirl. The last line by Esau is funny as well. I probably still won't get hooked to TS' music, but I learn more about TS' music from Swifty Fan Lindsey Goetz here than listening to TS music:

10/2/2025 Thursday

I just realized that the Prologue by Alan Menken from the Beauty and the Beast was inspired by Camille Saint-Saens' Aquarium, in The Carnival of Animals:

10/1/2025 Wednesday

The math behind Kevin Bacon's famous Six Degrees of Separation, investigated by Veritasium on Network Science. For how someone gets hired through unexpected friends/connections: Strength of Weak Ties mentioned ("The Strength of Weak Ties" is a foundational concept in sociology, introduced by Mark Granovetter in 1973 arguing that weak ties—casual acquaintances or distant connections—are more effective than strong ties (close friends, family) at providing access to novel information, opportunities, and diverse perspectives. This is because strong ties often exist within homogenous "cliques" of people with similar backgrounds and information, while weak ties bridge different social circles, offering access to new resources and ideas critical for innovation and career advancement ~google AI):

Painting of the day: Christ Calling the Apostles James and John, 1869
Painting by Edward A. Armitage (1817-1896),
Painted in 1869,
Oil on canvas
© Sheffield Galleries and Museums Trust, UK

Fr. Patrick van der Vorst: Luke 9:57-62 Jesus said to him, ‘Leave the dead to bury their own dead' - "it is fair to assume that his father is still alive" [I've never heard this interpretation before and don't plan on buying it] but it's an interesting take on the urgency of His calling. Do not postpone, do not be sluggish.

"In our painting by Victorian artist Edward A. Armitage , we see Jesus standing on a rocky shoreline bathed in soft light, addressing James and John who are in their boat. The landscape reflects the great adventure that is awaiting them. Edward Armitage was a noted Victorian painter trained in Paris under Paul Delaroche. Rooted in the tradition of Academic realism, Armitage specialised in historical, classical, and biblical subjects. His is a master at depicting —dramatic narrative moments with great technical detail.

You will see that the font of the boat carries a 4 letter inscription. I haven't been able to work out what it stands for... Feel free to leave comments on our webpage below today's reading to share your thoughts or... if you know the answer."

Scientists make embryos from human skin DNA for first time. The fundamentalists are going wild with this, I'm sure: Human egg is still needed, just replaced its nucleus with that of a skin cell (perhaps appealing to same-sex couples, infertility due to old age, etc.) but the idea that the egg is emptied is just something else:

9/26/2025 Monday

If it's not gun violence but evil in the criminal's heart that is the problem, then America is more evil than China, etc. with so many school shooting cases:

Most of the MAGA ideology is more pagan than the Christianity it is attempting to pretend.

Posted in Art, Music, News, Projects, Theologization | Leave a comment

Excel: Return row number if value of a cell in a column matches a cell in another column and another condition is matched in yet another column

Posted on September 23, 2025 by timlyg

I needed to do this at work (SPG), and google's AI worked marvelously, as easy as it maybe for advanced Excel Formula experts which I am not.

Ingenious solution by Google:

In Excel, you can return a row number based on multiple criteria using a combination of the INDEX and MATCH functions. For users with newer versions of Excel (Microsoft 365, 2021), the FILTER function is a more straightforward alternative. 

Example scenario

Imagine you have a table with sales data that includes Product, Region, and Sales. Your goal is to find the row number for the entry where the Product is "Mug" and the Region is "West".

ABC
1ProductRegionSales
2T-ShirtEast$150
3MugWest$200
4T-ShirtWest$120
5MugEast$180

Formula:
=MATCH(1, (A2:A5="Mug")*(B2:B5="West"), 0)

How it works:

  • (A2:A5="Mug") creates an array of TRUE or FALSE values. In our example, it becomes {FALSE;TRUE;FALSE;FALSE}.
  • (B2:B5="West") does the same for the second condition, creating {FALSE;TRUE;TRUE;FALSE}.
  • The multiplication operator * acts as an AND operator. Excel treats TRUE as 1 and FALSE as 0, so the formula multiplies the two arrays element by element. Only the row where both conditions are TRUE will result in a 1. The resulting array is {0;1;0;0}.
  • MATCH(1, {0;1;0;0}, 0) then searches for the value 1 in this new array and returns its relative position. In this case, it's the second position. 
Posted in Computer Science | Leave a comment

Journal of the Week

Posted on September 22, 2025 by timlyg

9/27/2025 Saturday

Replace PostgreSQL with Git for database. Interesting idea.

9/26/2025 Friday

After meeting with Rob at Panera Bread in Bridgewater today for lunch, as it matters the state of the church and Nadia and my view of it vs. Crossroad PCA church. I emailed the elder this:

Thanks again for the talk and the lunch!

I was listening to this podcast driving back and I was amazed how it matches what I was trying to communicate. The message of the entire episode is exactly what I was saying our church is lacking/weak at: the complacency of just attending church as a checklist in Christian living). To sum it up, I love this (perhaps controversial to some) quote of this pastor Todd Wagner (I don't know him) that was being interviewed in the video:

"There's fewer people doing great works for God that aren't saved than there are people who think they're saved because of what they believe who do nothing more than attend churches."

I can predict already that the common response (controversial take) to this quote would be: "Well, nobody knows who's saved or who's not, only God knows", but if that's how someone responds, I would say, that that someone is likely not listening it well.

I customed the link below to go to the second where he spoke of this quote:

But feel free to watch the entirety of the 1 hour long episode, it's so good. Allie Beth Stuckey's podcasts are 50% mediocre to me, but this one is like the top 10 for me.

I am saving this Podcast episode. It's golden.

If Rob replies back, I will add this to my email response: You asked me to define "anti-intellectual", due to the evolution of the Christian anti-intellectuals/fundamentalists over the years (especially since the 1930s: lookup The Fundamentalist–modernist controversy, from which ironically the fundamentalists took the win to be the more biblical ones), this is how I define it for these folks today: It applies to those who are bad at science, but in denial of it due to pride and jealousy, thus they mask their incompetence of the rationality with spiritual things (i.e. "I don't use science to understanding these, I use the Bible, I use faith, because I rely on God. And if you think you can reason it better than I can, you are NOT using faith, you are not biblical, you are not relying on God").

Came across this, thought it's worth a save since it's from the main Charlie Kirk's official Youtube Channel: The 2 Billion View Video: Charlie Kirk's Most Viewed Clips of 2024

This is explained well: The Battle of Shanghai = 淞滬會戰. Where ROC (led by Chiang Kai-Shek 蔣介石, a Christian) had to fend off not only Japan, but also the rising communist party as well as internal rivalries. Without help the expected from foreign nations, despite Shanghai being known as the Paris of the East. Japan was winning due not to man count, but superior war technology in greater number as well, until being stopped by 1945. It is no wonder ROC would lose to the communist party after that. I'm saving this video.

9/24/2025 Wednesday

The right hate evil, thus assigning evil to the left in order to give themselves permission to hate the left; The left hate hate, thus assigning hate to the right in order to give themselves permission to hate the right. ~Phil Vischer (VeggieTales creator) of the Holy Post Media.

9/23/2025 Tuesday

The Business founder seen as Prophet & Priest. Interesting article that clearly shows the writer, Jeff Huber, has enough Christian knowledge to write this. Prophet = who sees what others don't. Priest = sacrifice their time and energy for the future success. Babel = thousand languages = so many startups today that confuses people, and probably without a true goal. He said more in his article about temple, kairos and chronos, and such.

China's solar power project as a nation is remarkable according to this chart:

The U.S. is awkwardly behind on this. Perplexity AI gave these reasons: China's solar power project is far ahead of the U.S. due to several major factors, including policy, scale, cost, industrial strategy, and state investment. U.S. political policy shifts and fossil fuels reliance pulled themselves back.

This Tiktok deal is interesting. I think it's stupid to "Americanize" tiktok, not to mention licensing it from China. Tiktok is a global thing. You cannot contain it. You can only compete against it. But it would be fun to watch, because this concerns "intellectual property", which is why the U.S. considers licensing it from China, which probably would not care about IP, which to me is a made up moral code by the West. Would Americans use the American Tiktok? China could easily create a new direction for the American population, circumventing the need for American Tiktok.

A ticket at my SPG work that requested for a deleted Youtube Video. So I came across these solutions that suggested two great sites dealing with deleted videos/pages online:

By google AI "how to find any information on deleted youtube video": https://web.archive.org": If you have the url of the deleted site (i.e. Youtube video), this site not only records when Wayback Machine crawled the site with a nice calendar of it, it also archived the video/page itself that you can play it!!! I wonder how long these archives would stay up.

By reddit: https://www.recovermy.video: A free account that tracks Youtube playlists, etc. such that it remembers for you the video info when the video on the playlist is deleted.

9/22/2025 Monday

Toxic Empathy: Nobody's allowed to criticize or say negatively of the other. Only say nice things, silencing anyone who disagrees, which is not loving, not empathic:

TYT (The Young Turks) shows Charlie Kirk's only time to go against Israel. And probably the only time he did so, before becoming more pro-Israel:

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Paedocommunion

Posted on September 18, 2025 by timlyg

David Tong posted this on facebook:
Paedobaptism, Yes
Credocommunion, Yes
Credobaptism, No
Paedocommunion, No.

I obviously would agree with the first three. But I haven't dealt deep enough with Paedocommunion, and thus it interests me. It may not be something popular among the Reformed. But google search gives me one name:


The Reformed theologian Wolfgang Musculus (d. 1563) is a primary example of a historical Reformed advocate for paedocommunion, which is the practice of allowing children to participate in the Lord's Supper. While many Reformed thinkers historically opposed it, Musculus based his support on a covenantal understanding of the church and the identity of children within the body of Christ, although he did not advocate for its reintroduction in his own time. More recently, scholars and theologians such as James B. Jordan, Peter Leithart, and Douglas Wilson are also noted as supporters of the practice. 

And this reddit discussion seems beneficial. I will post the raw data in the comment in case it gets removed.

Posted in Reviews, Theologization | 1 Comment