PicoBlog

Welcome to the Experimental Theology blog on Substack exploring the intersections of Christian faith and psychology with author and psychologist Richard Beck. Richard Beck (PhD) is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at Abilene Christian University and is the Senior Fellow of the Landon Saunders Center for Joy and Human Flourishing. Richard also teaches in the Doctor of Ministry programs at Fuller Theological Seminary and Abilene Christian University. Richard’s most recent, soon-to-be released book (now available for preorder at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop) is The Shape of Joy: The Transformative Power of Moving Beyond Yourself:

This week Google announced that its generative AI bot Bard would accept visual input. Naturally I started playing with it. Here I’ll report on four experiments I tried. tl;dr - the results were mixed. I started with a somewhat complex photo, including an unusual car, myself in the 2010s, other people, a bicycle, buildings, and foliage: “What can you tell me about this photo?” I asked as I uploaded it.

Normal map, France, 16th century For most of their existence, original sources and records from the Middle Ages sat in libraries and private collections, largely unavailable to the public. But today, thanks to modern technology, they’re easier to access than ever: the information, manuscripts, and resources that have been transcribed, translated, digitised, and put online are far more than you could ever hope to use in your life! It’s exciting, but also a little bit intimidating, and definitely hard to know where to start.

At the end of April my next book will be published by Casemate Publishers. Called White Sun War, it is a fictional account of a war over Taiwan that takes place in 2028. The narrator for the story is a future historian, looking back from 2038 on the tenth anniversary of the beginning of the war. In this respect, it is similar in structure to the Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Killer Angels, which was written by Michael Shaara and published in 1974.

Oneirogens are a class of substances that enhance dreaming. In shamanic communities, plants and fungi with oneirogenic activity have been used to connect with the spirit world, dead ancestors, and gods for thousands of years. The practice was used to receive prophetic information, heal, or seek higher levels of spiritual awareness.  The visionary dreams these substances produce range from hyper-realistic to abstract or even alien experiences. They're used to facilitate lucid dreaming and uncover hidden aspects of the psyche.

Apple Jing’an illustrates the idea that good things take time. Years have slipped by since rumors of this store first appeared. Other stores have opened and closed in all corners of the globe, an entirely new retail design language materialized, and the world emerged from the pandemic while Jing’an Temple Square sat dormant. This week, spring arrives. It was worth the wait. At this point, the subterranean store is a time-tested format that Apple seems to love.

Reading time: 2 minutes Like me, if you're into desserts, then Le Kéne in HSR, Bengaluru is the place to be! I recently visited this cozy bakery and fell head over heels for their mouthwatering goodies. Let me tell you all about it in simple words. (I mean it - this post is Grade 5 on Hemingway) Imagine biting into a pastry that's crunchy on the outside and filled with yummy chocolate inside.

For many years a certain locale immediately beyond the western most Linda Vista community limits maintained a mild element of mystery for me. This is a place along Sea World Drive that I routinely drove or walked past for so many years but never entered, as I wasn’t sure what was there other than marshland. The mystery was heightened by the fact that the place sits smack dab in between a couple of my favorite walking/jogging trails, as well as popular Sea World and Fiesta Island.

Share A core memory in my childhood was dipping biscuits into chai while I watched Thakumar Jhuli cartoons, also known as Grandmother’s Bag of Stories. The most terrifying episode featured Shakchunni, a formidable figure in Bengali folklore. Shakchunni sent shivers down my spine as she laughed maniacally and rotated her head 360 degrees. Her shrill voice gave me goosebumps as she divulged her plan to kidnap and take the place of a Brahmin man's wife.