Update for 3/26/2017

Project updates

• Knowledge representation – I installed software for the three controlled languages I want to look at, plus Inform 7 because I’m curious how well an interactive fiction engine can be adapted to general KR, and I’ll probably explore some logic programming too, since it’s fundamental to most forms of KR. This week I’ll probably read some reference docs but mostly take a break to work on the code console.
• Code console – For the coding guide I collected a lot of the links I’d found for documentation, and I’ll finish that section this week, along with relevant code in the console project, and work on the last section for this phase of the guide, configuration. After that I can work on the code console’s main functionality, creating a new project based on templates.
• Beliefs report – As a context for thinking about my future religious activities, I’ve been starting to round up my current beliefs into an essay, an idea that comes to mind occasionally in church when I’m confronted with other people’s spirituality or exhortations about my own (in the form of sermons rather than personal advice). Last week a friend helped out by asking what I believe about prayer, so I’ve been working on my reply, and some version of that will probably end up in the essay.
• Media
  • Books – I finished The Divine Conspiracy–finally, after many years of meaning to and starting and restarting it–and although I’d quibble with some of the details, I like its overall vision, especially its focus on eternity and its outline of a discipleship program. Since we’re still in Lent and I need more spiritual reading material, I would reread it, but I see it as more of a signpost than a destination, and I’d rather read something with more detail on one of its themes. Right now my theme seems to be prayer, so I’m moving on to Philip Yancey’s Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?, which addresses some of my core issues.
  • TV – I’ve progressed in Iron Fist through episode 6, and I’m happy to report it does get better. I was able to relax into it by the fourth episode, and even Ward, my least favorite character, is growing on me.

Life updates

• Car – This problem has been developing gradually for a while, but Sunday morning my brake pedal was consistently sinking to the floor when I pressed it, so I’m making an emergency trip to the mechanic Monday morning. My anxiety level was up Sunday morning, since I wasn’t sure how safe I’d be driving it even the minimum I needed, or how easy it would be to make my emergency arrangements, or how long the repair would take, so I made a worry list, got through the first couple of items, and felt better.