James's Weblog

Tasty Brew: Moka Pot

Tue, 06/07/2021 - 08:30 -- James Oakley

The Moka Pot is a traditional Italian tool for preparing coffee. Many people have them, but no longer use them, thinking they prepare coffee with an unpleasantly strong, bitter taste. Brewed correctly, they're fantastic. Here's a guide to how they work, and loads of tips to get the best out of your stove-top brewer.

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The miraculous catch of fish in John 21

Tue, 27/04/2021 - 15:44 -- James Oakley
Tabgha, Sea of Galilee

This Sunday I'm preaching on John 21:1-14, the miraculous catch of fish. I've been asking myself why this miracle is recorded in John's gospel. Here are some thoughts.

What's the Puzzle?

Here's why the question needs asking. The story is a miracle (the catch of fish), and a post-resurrection appearance (“Afterwards Jesus appeared again to his disciples. … This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead”).

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Checking for modifications to default.settings.php

Sat, 30/01/2021 - 16:45 -- James Oakley
Drupal

Drupal sites contain a settings.php file with site-specific settings, that is based off default.settings.php at the time the site is installed. As Drupal evolves, default.settings.php will change. Sometimes, it's worth incorporating those changes into the settings.php file for an already-installed site. This post runs through a low-friction way to keep on top of this house-keeping.

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New Year, Read through the Bible

Fri, 01/01/2021 - 11:13 -- James Oakley

Christians need breadth as well as depth as we read the Bible. As we enter a new year, why not resolve to start the habit of reading right through the Bible - not just once this year, but as part of a routine that will feed and sustain you for the rest of your life. Here are 3 tools to help you do so, and a copy of the Bible reading plan I use personally.

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Beware of Apathy

Thu, 31/12/2020 - 14:55 -- James Oakley

As we look at the visit of the Magi in Matthew 2, the obvious lead human characters in the story are Herod, the Magi, and Jesus himself. These are the lead protagonists and antagonists.

Whilst the Jewish priests are more flat, functionary characters, we mustn't miss the contrast Matthew deliberately paints between them and the Magi.

Michael Green comments:

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Anglican Fissure - A Tale of Three Loves

Fri, 11/12/2020 - 14:43 -- James Oakley
Bishop Bill Love

In 1960, C S Lewis published a book entitled The Four Loves. It has become a classic. He explains that there are four different Greek words for our English word "love", and they have different meanings. There is the bond of love within a family, the love of friendship, erotic love, and charity. This latter, translating the Greek word agape (ἀγαπη), is the love of God, and the pinnacle of Christian virtue, the love that sums up God's requirements.

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Intel Driver and Support Assistant Download location

Mon, 16/11/2020 - 10:54 -- James Oakley
Intel Logo

This is one of those technology blog posts to solve a specific problem. It's unlikely to concern my regular readers, but in time it will be picked up by search engines and ask a question I was asking and in which I'm almost certainly not alone.

Intel Driver & Support Assistant

Intel have produced a free piece of software that you can install on a Windows computer called the Intel Driver & Support Assistant.

Bitdefender Review: False Positive Handling

Sun, 08/11/2020 - 09:25 -- James Oakley

The antivirus marketplace for protecting Windows computers is crowded. Go back 15 years, and there were two or three well established players whose products were becoming increasing bloated and slow, and then a handful of new providers that were leaner but with varied effectiveness.

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