Mark of the Beast Ain't What It Used to Be

A hair-thin electronic patch that adheres to the skin like a temporary tattoo could transform medical sensing, computer gaming and even spy operations, according to a US study published Thursday.
The micro-electronics technology, called an epidermal electronic system (EES), was developed by an international team of researchers from the United States, China and Singapore, and is described in the journal Science.
"It's a technology that blurs the distinction between electronics and biology," said co-author John Rogers, a professor in materials science and engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
"Our goal was to develop an electronic technology that could integrate with the skin in a way that is mechanically and physiologically invisible to the user."
The patch could be used instead of bulky electrodes to monitor brain, heart and muscle tissue activity and when placed on the throat it allowed users to operate a voice-activated video game with better than 90 percent accuracy.
"This type of device might provide utility for those who suffer from certain diseases of the larynx," said Rogers. "It could also form the basis of a sub-vocal communication capability, suitable for covert or other uses."
The wireless device is nearly weightless and requires so little power it can fuel itself with miniature solar collectors or by picking up stray or transmitted electromagnetic radiation, the study said.
Less than 50-microns thick -- slightly thinner than a human hair -- the devices are able to adhere to the skin without glue or sticky material.
"Forces called van der Waals interactions dominate the adhesion at the molecular level, so the electronic tattoos adhere to the skin without any glues and stay in place for hours," said the study.
Northwestern University engineer Yonggang Huang said the patch was "as soft as the human skin."
Rogers and Huang have been working together on the technology for the past six years. They have already designed flexible electronics for hemispherical camera sensors and are now focused on adding battery power and other energy options.
The devices might find future uses in patients with sleep apnea, babies who need neonatal care and for making electronic bandages to help skin heal from wounds and burns.

Source:  
http://www.breitbart.com/article.phpid=CNG.6e1e2ad90e2d94b12b6258b7e9c5b33d.611&show_article=1

Church Aint What It Used to Be

Pastor Tased, Woman Stabbed After Church Service
(ST. ELMO, Ala.) - The Mobile County Sheriff's Office is investigating a bizarre case out of St. Elmo, after a church pastor was tased, and a woman was stabbed during a fight.
It happened at the New Welcome Baptist Church after Sunday service.
Simone Moore is a self proclaimed R&B artist, he ran unsuccessfully for the US Senate, and he's a teacher in Mobile County. Now, Moore is wanted by the Mobile County Sheriff's Office after authorities say he tased Rev. Daryl Riley.
Deputies say it all started when Moore, who worked as the Minister of Music was handed his last paycheck, and told by Rev. Riley that his services were no longer needed. Investigators say that's when Moore tased the pastor.
A fight ensued, and deputies say Harvey Hunt, a deacon at the church, pulled out a pocket knife and began stabbing Moore's mother, Agolia, in the arm.
Six people were injured in the fight, all have been released from the hospital.
Lashea Gray lives near the church, she told us, "It was unbelievable for it to be at that church, a lot of people go there, never heard of any problems. That was shocking to me to see that going on."
Warrants have been signed for both Moore and Hunt.


Source: http://www.local15tv.com/mostpopular/story/Pastor-Tased-Woman-Stabbed-after-Church-Service/Em_GtXEWUEqdvmdx0jlAmQ.cspx

An Unfortunate Juxtaposition

Normally, I try and avoid political commentary for a couple of reasons. First, I'm a Kiwi. Second, I've found that there are way too many Christians who automatically presume their political sensibilities are God's.

But today the following two statements came at me in such close proximity that I couldn't help but notice, and mention, the contrast.

I was reading from James 4:13-16 in preparation for this Sunday's message: Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes.

Then I took a brief break to catch up on the news. In his first public comments on the credit downgrade announced by Standard and Poors Credit Rating Agency, the President said,
"Markets will rise and fall. But this is the United States of America. No matter what some agency may say, we've always been and always will be a triple-A country." (Source: Associated Press)


James tells us that hubris is never a virtue for an individual presuming to control his financial future. Scripture repeatedly condemns the same attitude at a national level. The consistent testimony of history, seen in the rise and fall of all great empires, is that God seems to delight in humbling any and every nation that prides itself on . . . itself.

None of us likes to lose money. None of us likes the pain of a struggling economy, especially when it impacts the rest of the world, which is a whole lot more needy than we are. But perhaps something else is going on. Perhaps, in addition to learning how to balance our national checking account, we will end up learning something even more valuable: a little more national humility.