Godly Geek Squad

A fun little poll from Locust & Honey, a methodist blog: Which operating system does God prefer?

Speaking of open sourced operating systems, there is a Christian Linux operating system (which I featured in May's Catholic Tastes). Ubuntu Christian Edition is a free operating system based on Ubuntu, an open-source Linux system that gives users the freedom to change the software. Web developer Jereme Hancock personalized Ubuntu with parental controls for Web content and Christian software (such as e-Sword Bible, Virtual Rosary) to create the Christian edition.

His site is called whatwouldjesusdownload.com and he has a blog named WhatWouldJesusBlog. There Hancock wrote that RCIA class inspired him to develop another Web resource: TheCatholicSearch. Powered by Google, this search engine only looks through sites from an RCIA handout and user suggestions.

To support all his sites, Hancock sells "Christian Geek" merchandise. These include everything from logo shirts to a mousepad with a cross pattern created with slashes and dashes. Along with free whatwouldjesusdownload.com e-mail addresses and a whatwouldjesusdownload.com toolbar, the merchandise helps users spread the word about the site as well as the Word of God.

My lunch=peace in the Middle East!

My favorite lunch, as my co-workers know well, is hummus. And according to an article from the Christian Science Monitor, the Mediterranean specialty made of chick peas could be a key to getting Israelis and Palestinians to get along.

According to the article, Israelis visit the Arab village of Abu Gosh specifically for the hummus. "The hummus draws people here, and they see it's not scary," says Raed Ibrahim, a waiter at Haji restaurant. Others added that is the one thing that everyone shares at meals and that Jews and Muslims have to share the same tables at small hummus restaurants and therefore meet.

There also may be a scientific explanation to hummus' peace-keeping capabilities. Researchers have found that chickpeas have high levels of trytophan, which stimulates the production of serotonin, making people feel happy when they eat hummus.

The theory has its critics, of course, but Palestinians and Israelis need to use whatever they can that brings them together, even if it is a simple meal. I'm hungry for peace and hummus now!