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England turns to the church to help fix rural internet
Though our cities now teem with fiber optic cables and 4G signals, it's still common for rural areas to struggle with even basic connectivity. In the UK, a new pact between church and state could help local religious hubs become bastions of faster broadband. The National Church Institutions (NCIs) of the Church of England and the government will work together to promote the use of churches and other church-owned properties as sites for digital infrastructure, improving broadband, mobile and WiFi access for rural communities.
Face-tracking tech knows when you skip church services
More than two dozen churches around the world have installed a facial-recognition system that monitors which members of the flock have actually shown up for the Sunday sermon. The system is called Churchix and was developed by Israeli software company, Face-six. It continually scans the religious center's CCTV feed and matches congregation members to a pre-existing database of their faces -- reportedly with 99 percent accuracy.
The Big Picture: using a cellphone in this cathedral creates a laser show
Next to a movie theater, we're going to say a church, temple or mosque are among the last places that using a mobile device is deemed okay. Unless you're in France's Saint-Eustache cathedral, that is, where your mobile-made thoughts translate into bits of laser light that travel up the house of worship's columns and form constellations on the vaulted ceiling. The installation was noticed by Creator's Project, is called Shooting Thoughts and is the work of one Filipe Vilas-Boas. The above picture might be impressive, sure, but it's nowhere near as cool as seeing it in motion -- jump after the break for that.
Grand Theft Auto lead buys a big, beautiful church
Rockstar North President Leslie Benzies purchased St. Stephen's Church in Edinburgh, Scotland, with the intent to prolong its role as a community venue for arts, theater and music gatherings. St. Stephen's Church is just half a mile from Benzies' home, and the purchase was "entirely philanthropic," spokesperson Philip Johnston told Edinburgh News. The deal was thought to exceed £500,000. Benzies is the lead developer on the Grand Theft Auto series, from Grand Theft Auto 3 onwards. "The preservation of St. Stephen's church as a community center meets a pressing need as well as protecting an important historical building," Johnston said. "We are delighted that we can help bring the church back to its former glory, securing its future whilst providing a renovated local and performing arts centre that will benefit the wider community." The church features the longest clock pendulum in Europe and a 160-foot tower, with performance space that can hold 800 people. Edinburgh News reported that St. Stephen's Church had been a community center for the past 20 years, but recently, it'd been used less. Benzies out-bid more than 50 other potential buyers, some of whom wished to turn the church into bars, restaurants or private residences. "We will engage with the community as the plans progress and look forward to welcoming local residents and groups back to the centre in the very near future," Johnston said. [Image: Malcolm McCurrach]
Apple's 'blasphemous' logo under fire in Russia
And now for your daily dose of overreaction. Extreme Orthodox Christians in Russia have upped their complaints about Apple's iconic logo, according to CNet. This specific group of Orthodox Christians say that Apple's logo represents a "blasphemous" attack on the church since it can be seen as a representation of the Christian mythology of Satan tempting Eve in the Garden of Eden. As CNet points out, the uproar correlates to other religious/political issues happening in Russia right now -- namely the jailing of punk band Pussy Riot for its protest against the Russian Orthodox Church and its (and other secularist's) assertions that the Church has the goal of creating a clerical police state. This isn't the first time Apple's logo has been associated with Satan, and there's plenty of other crazy examples out there (jump to the 2:40 mark in this video) but this is something that Apple should conceivably be worried about. Anti-blasphemy laws are currently being proposed in Russia which, should they pass, could theoretically bar Apple from selling products with its logo on them in the country.
Churches increasingly using custom apps
The iPad and iPhone are wildly popular among consumers and influencing both the business and education markets. This is just the tip of the iceberg for the pair of iOS devices -- their popularity will inevitably extend the iPad's reach beyond these core markets and into smaller ones like religion. According to a Wall Street Journal report, an increasing number of church and synagogue leaders are using custom iOS apps as a part of their outreach. Churches are tapping talented congregation members or companies like ROAR or Subsplash, which has over a thousand church-specific titles, to develop apps that'll connect them closer to their members. The apps are used by parents to track their child's progress in Sunday school, listen to sermons when they are unable to attend a service, or connect with other members in a virtual prayer room. It's also a way for churches to reach out to teenagers, a group that is likely to drop their faith when they leave home. It's not just Protestant and evangelical churches that are embracing the iPad and iPhone. Rabbis, like Dan Cohen of the Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel in N.J., are also using the iPad in their services and developing apps for their synagogue members. Rabbi Cohen is apporaching the idea cautiously, though. Like many religious leaders, he wants to use technology to help people embrace their faith, not turn them away from it.
Parrot AR.Drone floats into damaged New Zealand cathedral, returns with haunting video
Whenever disaster strikes, robots are among the first to scope out the damage. Rarely, however, do they return with footage as eerie as what this Parrot AR.Drone recorded in Christchurch, New Zealand. In the wake of Monday's 6.0-magnitude earthquake, engineers sent the $500 bot into the city's Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament -- a 106-year-old Roman Catholic church that had sustained significant damage, rendering it too dangerous for humans to enter. The iPad-controlled quadrocopter swooped in and captured rather depressing images of the cathedral's battered interior. The video's quality may be low, but its creepy quotient is high: shattered stained-glass windows, piles of debris, stray pieces of iconography -- it's all quite heavy. Head past the break to see it for yourself. [Thanks, Ross]
Massively Exclusive: RuneScape Betrayal at Falador excerpt
It's not every day you get to read a novel on Massively, so grab a cup of your favorite beverage, curl up next to the fireplace (assuming it's relatively chilly in your neck of the woods) and prepare for something a bit out of the ordinary. We recently interviewed RuneScape novelist T.S. Church about the impending re-release of 2008's Betrayal at Falador. Now that the mass market edition of the book is hot off the presses, we're pleased to bring you this exclusive excerpt in order to whet your appetite for all things RuneScape. Turn the page for more.
And the Lord said unto Sony, '01101000 01100...'
With pointy hats and staffs stowed in a coat-check of pure gold, Catholic bishops have decreed the use of mass, digital communications to spread the word of the bible in as many languages as possible. In a statement just issued to the flock, the bishops said:"The voice of the Divine Word must resonate over the radio, on Internet channels with virtual distribution (and by) CDs, DVDs and iPods, and on television and cinema screens." The implied message here is very clear: God hates the Blu-ray.
Megachurches look to take sermons to a higher definition
High-def integration into churches is nothing new, but it's still far from commonplace. HD installers are now keying in on megachurches throughout the US, which typically have congregations in the thousands and could certainly benefit from HD projections. According to Pat Thompson, senior vice president of engineering operations for broadcast and audio visual systems integrator TV Magic, there are around 10,000 megachurches in America today, with only 1,000 or so equipped with HD cameras, displays, etc. He also noted that some of the larger venues would spend between $500,00 and $4 million in order to completely convert to high-def, which would likely have some churchgoers fanning themselves and passing out in the aisles. Still, there's hardly a more suited place for HD than this, but you should probably tell your pastor to invest in some makeup if your church is planning on doing closeups at 1080p.[Image courtesy of Yucan]
Pope Benedict XVI texting out messages of encouragement
Don't act like you didn't know that Pope Benedict XVI was down with modern technology. As part of World Youth Day, the man himself will begin sending out texts of encouragement to pilgrims who have signed up through Telstra to receive them. A total of four gigantic "prayer walls" have been erected at the Sydney Opera House, the Domain, Darling Harbour and Randwick Racecourse in Australia, where folks will actually be able to send their own messages for all to presumably see. The first message sent out? "Young friend, God and his people expect much from u because u have within you the Fathers supreme gift: the Spirit of Jesus - BXVI." Hllujh, amn brtha.[Thanks, zedster]
After review, NFL will allow church Super Bowl parties
Tell your pastor to stop looking over their shoulder, a higher power (Roger Goodell) has decided the NFL will no longer object to live showings -- regardless of screen size -- of the Super Bowl. With the caveat that the event must be free, and held on premises the church uses "on a routine basis", this makes the local ministry and sports bar odd bedfellows enjoying exemption from the NFL's rule against public viewing on screens 55-inches or larger. With more and more churches adding big screens, this could have become a PR nightmare for the NFL, but with HDTVs continuing to grow, we suspect this isn't the last we've heard about this issue.[Via ESPN; warning, registration required]Update: Check out the senator's press release concerning the letter received from Commissioner Goodell (Thanks Taylor!).
NFL still clamping down on churches for illegal Super Bowl parties
Restaurant and bar owners, fret not, you're free to broadcast tonight's matchup between the Giants and Patriots on a screen larger than life, but for churches, movie theaters, casinos and the like, throwing that Super Bowl XLII party is likely a no-no. After a well publicized tilt last year between the league and Fall Creek Baptist Church in Indianapolis, it seems that Goodell and company aren't backing down from the 55-inch image restriction nor the stipulation that the big game cannot be used to "promote a message." According to a recent article at The Wall Street Journal, many venues are renaming the event, scaling it back or simply not having a single large gathering in order to stay within the guidelines. One more reason to just blow it out at your place, we guess.[Image courtesy of ChristianPost]
Texas churches seeing sermons on HDTV
Around this time last year, we were all caught up in the drama unfolding between the NFL and Fall Creek Baptist Church, but this time, it doesn't seem as if any place of worship is being smitten for showing the big game on a big screen. Rather, a pastor down in Texas is utilizing HD (and IP) technology to beam himself (and his sermons) to satellite churches around the area in real-time. Apparently, the signal from an HD camera and two other cams zoomed in on his face are zipped around to other auditoriums and churches in the area, which prevents individuals that live further away from having to make a lengthy drive, yet still gives them the ability to interact with other congregation members. Unfortunately, we've no idea if the pastor in question is being seen simultaneously in 720p, 1080i or 1080p, but regardless, let's hope he's wearing some form of HD makeup for everyone's sake, eh?[Image courtesy of KIR]
Church shooter kept away from video games
As has become standard practice now when a kid goes on a killing rampage, it's time to examine the life of Matthew Murray and see if video games had anything to do with the weekend's shootings in Colorado. Murray, who killed four people over the weekend in a couple of church shootings, was apparently not permitted to play video games growing up.The Denver Post reports Murray was rebelling against an upbringing that didn't allow for "rock music, video games and popular DVDs." In online postings Murray said that his mother would give him a "pat down" to check for music, DVDs and video games when he came out of electronic stores. As GamePolitics puts it, "In the final analysis, Murray seems like a very depressed, very angry, very disturbed young man who had access to weapons."
Man. Cathedral accepts Sony's Resistance apology, sort of
Forgiveness is the Christian way, so it's not too surprising that Manchester Cathedral officials have officially forgiven Sony for their use of the historic church in Resistance: Fall of Man. But the subtext of the public acceptance shows there is still some ill will behind the words. Despite two apologies from Sony for any offense caused, Cathedral Dean Rev. Rogers Govender could only passive-aggressively tell the BBC that "we do forgive Sony for what they have done, even though they still believe they have done nothing wrong." Govender went on to urge the game industry to follow the "long held traditions of film and television" by "having courtesy, respecting the dignity of your subject, and admitting when mistakes have been made." Such traditions of filmic church respect can be seen in this action-packed church scene from Face/Off and this bloody church shootout from The Killer. On the plus side, Govender admitted to the BBC that the controversy over the game has caused "an increase in visits from young people and tourists." It might not be the "substantial donation" they were looking for, but we're sure the Church doesn't mind the extra money.
Wii Warm Up: Gaming and (at?) church
A couple of days ago, Joystiq reported on churches using Halo to lure in younger folks who might not otherwise bother to spend the time going to church. The recent buzz may be about Halo, but the idea behind the campaign isn't new: we've reported on other examples of churches using the gaming angle, and many of us have seen or experienced it in our daily lives. This is one issue we figure will result in some pretty distinctly drawn lines, so it certainly makes for a perfect morning discussion topic -- how do you feel about games in the church? -- but we do encourage everyone to keep things respectful. Religion is a sensitive and often personal topic, after all, but that doesn't mean we can't discuss the implications of gaming and churches over our morning coffees.
Religion of Halo helps churches find young congregants
The New York Times explores how churches are using Halo to attract young congregants and the criticism it has caused. The article focuses on Protestant youth groups using the game to get young people through the door, then giving them the church spiel so that it'll be "hard for [the] teenagers to go to hell."Critics say that allowing young people to play a game like Halo -- that they should not be able to buy on their own because it's rated M -- is actually a corroding influence. One critic put it succinctly when he said, "If you want to connect with young teenage boys and drag them into church, free alcohol and pornographic movies would do it."As this blogger can clearly remember wanting to join the "troubled youth" program in elementary school because they got to play Nintendo and talk about their feelings while the rest of us were learning, it's pretty understandable how the allure of video games would get kids to do things they wouldn't necessarily want to do. [Thanks Anonymous]
The Joystiq Weekend: June 16 - 18, 2007
Nintendo and Sony united for a holy cause, picture provided to us by Joystiq reader Norm Wilson. Check out the highlights for the weekend:JoystiqueryJoystiq interview: Hal Milton, lead designer, The AgencyToday's full of stuff video: Beautiful KatamariToday's which-one-is-evil comparison: Skate versus Tony HawkToday's please-play-play-better-in-person video: DK Bongo BlastWeekly Webcomic Wrapup: criminal comic editionNewsHarry Potter website unleashes a little magicGTA IV episodes confirmed Xbox 360 exclusivesGamespot: Beautiful Katamari coming to Xbox Live ArcadeIndependent Games Festival submission open call Church of England thanks Sony for apology, it's not enoughA valiant attempt to get Xbox 360 failure rate answersWatch the exclusive Red vs. Blue content without a ZuneTomb Raider: Anniversary episodes hitting Xbox 360 in SeptemberBlockbuster stores boast for Blu-raySony not talking about rumbleVirtual Console Monday celebrates gentlemanly sportHalo 3 viral marketing begins, countdowns and flyers galoreDead or Alive movie dead on arrivalTake-Two chair talks Wii and DS focusLegendary Pictures producing Diablo filmThis Wednesday: Band of Bugs crawls onto XBLA (ick!)Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 kicking this fallNew games this week: DiRT edition3D Realms claims Earth No MoreTake Two got $50M for GTAIV episodic contentMcFarlane working on Halo 3 action figuresMicrosoft sues Immersion over alleged breach of contractPSP's Earthworm Jim gets the bird, goes 'on hold'Tiltboard for Xbox 360 shipping next week for $40Big Daddy's final look for BioShock limited editionMarathon: Durandal runs away from German ratings board80GB PS3 launches in KoreaEA reorganizes business into four labelsSoul Calibur IV's bountiful bouncing breasts bulge biggerAfro Samurai going the way of the video gameRumors & SpeculationGameStop: Wii Blaster due on June 27Rumorang: Halo DS exhumed by IGNCulture & CommunityIndie gaming blog Gibbage turns into a portalFan crafts unofficial Super Mario Galaxy box artThe Guile to show SSFIITHDROMGBlizzCon sold out, let the scalping beginGaming magazines influence boys' self-imageFather-son event at Nintendo world storeNintendo Museum tour video, with 8 bit musicDrown your 360 sorrows with Ring of Fire parody songCircuit City offers free copies of Shadowrun to Halo 2 Vista buyersGameSpite gets teary-eyed with Chrono Trigger
Sony vs. Church of England, meanwhile CNN has field day
This weekend the news broke that the Church of England was unhappy with depictions of Manchester Cathedral in the Insomniac developed, Sony published, game Resistance: Fall of Man. The Church had issues with Resistance's use of guns in the virtual cathedral and called the whole thing "highly irresponsible." Sony went ahead and finally issued a statement stating that they take the matter seriously: "Whilst we believe that we have sought and received all permissions necessary for the creation of the game, we will be contacting the Cathedral authorities in order to better understand their concerns in more detail." So, that's that, until dialog begins between Sony and Church of England; however, while the two groups work out their issues, CNN's headline writer is having a field day with this story. The best example is the first story they ran about the Church's issues. The headline reads: Cathedral shootout game under fire. Who knew that Resistance was all about a cathedral shootout? Then their latest story had the headline: Church wants cash for 'sick' game. Funny thing is that the word "sick" never shows up once in a quote, it's merely a word supposedly used by the church to describe the situation, but there's no attribution. Get ready kids, the mainstream media might spin this story off its axis.
