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The case of the 500-mile email

I just read the 500-Mile Email Story for the first time.  (It's amazing how many internet memes I've missed.)  This story would be funny to anyone, I think, but it's going to be more funny for computer nerds, and I'll tell you why: our hubris.  When normal people have computer problems, we can typically fix them in less time that it would take to snort derisively (which we also do).  So many of their problems are things we've been advising them against for years, eg. "did you back up your work first?  When was the last time you scanned for viruses?

Hellenistic Jews, Abortion, and Passover

This started as a Facebook argument between myself and some of my right-wing Christian and Catholic friends.  (For the record, I admire my friends and respect their faiths, even though they are different from my own.)  But the question arose: what is the Jewish position on abortion?  The truth is it's something I never researched heavily, so I did a little quick research and summarized it for my friends.  Nothing worth publishing, to be sure, but in the process I got to know my own faith even better, and I thanked my friends for prodding me into it.  (What does this have to do with the Jewish holiday of Passover?  Keep reading.)