Bobby Maddex interviews Kelly Ramke Lardin, author of the new Conciliar Press children’s book Josiah and Julia Go to Church: A Young Child’s Guide to Church Etiquette.

Bobby once again interviews Fr. Vassilios Papavassiliou, author of the new AFP book Thirty Steps to Heaven: The Ladder of Divine Ascent for All Walks of Life.

Bobby interviews Fr. Lawrence Farley, the author of the new AFP book The Epistle to the Hebrews: High Priest in Heaven.

Bobby interviews Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick, the author of the new AFP book An Introduction to God: Encountering the Divine in Orthodox Christianity.

Bobby interviews Jane G. Meyer and Megan Gilbert, the creators of the new book A Child’s Guide to the Divine Liturgy, published by Ancient Faith Publishing.

Bobby interviews Fr. David Fontes, a priest, psychologist, and the author of the new Ancient Faith Publishing book In the Eyes of Your Creator: Truly Valuing Yourself and Others.

Bobby interviews Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon, the author of Reclaiming the Atonement: An Orthodox Theology of Redemption - Volume One: The Incarnation.

On a new live pop-up-edition of Ex Libris, Bobby Maddex interviews Angela Isaacs, the author of the new Ancient Faith Publishing children’s board book I Pray Today.

Bobby Maddex interviews Dr. Philip Mamalakis, the author of the new AFP book Parenting Toward the Kingdom: Orthodox Christian Principles of Child-Rearing.

Bobby Maddex interviews Fr. Evan Armatas, priest at St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church in Loveland, Colorado, the host of the AFR live Sunday-night call-in show Orthodoxy Live, and the host of the AFR podcast Transforming Our Lives in Christ. And now he has published his first book with Ancient Faith Ministries titled Toolkit for Spiritual Growth: A Practical Guide to Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving.

John Mark talks about character formation and what to look for in higher education opportunities.

Dr. John Mark Reynolds introduces The Saint Constantine School, a new K-College Orthodox school.

Dr. John Mark Reynolds talks about the importance of education--learning to think well--in our society.

Dr. John Mark Reynolds talks about the interplay between law and custom.

Dr. John Mark Reynolds talks about the importance of celebrating Black History Month. He also addresses what happens, what goes wrong, when the church is co-opted by *anything,* even good things.

Dr. John Mark Reynolds asks Bishop Thomas questions about angels, demons, miracles, house blessings, weeping icons, and other topics.

Dr. John Mark Reynolds talks about poet Mary Weston Fordham and reads one of her poems.

Dr. John Mark Reynolds talks about Orthodoxy history and today's global church community.

Supporting another's self-destruction is not a compassionate or morally neutral act.

Is the "right to die" more important than religious liberty?

Do the words that we use to describe the various stages and conditions of human life really matter?

Do "doctors of death" need any specialized training to diagnosis and prescribe lethal drugs to patients who want to die?

Are we living in the "Brave New World" of Aldous Huxley?

Should aspects of nature be given the same kind of rights as human beings?

Wesley introduces the Transhumanists and then explains what is wrong with their desire to increase human intelligence.

LG Display’s new free-form screen technology can expand from 12 to 18 inches, with a resolution of 100ppi. The display also uses a micro-LED light source smaller than 40 micrometers, so it can apparently be stretched over 10,000 times. While this probably isn’t your next smartphone, we could see the tech in clothing, car panels and more.

LG Display has pushed the boundaries of screen tech for a while, revealing folding screens before foldable phones appeared, roll-up TVS before roll-up TVs went on sale and transparent displays before they appeared in fancy stores, theme parks and elsewhere. So expect to see this Bop-it of displays somewhere, eventually.

— Mat Smith

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Netflix’s ad tier has attracted more than 70 million subscribers

However, many have probably downgraded from a premium tier.

Netflix is crowing that its ad-supported tier now boasts 70 million global users. Amy Reinhard, president of advertising at Netflix, says the company continues “to see steady progress across all countries’ member bases.” But there isn’t any information about existing customers. It’s very possible a lot of people downgraded from a premium tier to an ad-supported tier.

Continue reading.

Fujifilm is developing a 102MP medium format cinema camera

With a new sensor 1.7 times larger than full frame.

Fujifilm is developing a medium-format, 102-megapixel cinema camera, the company said in a surprise announcement. Due next year, the GFX Eterna will carry a boxy, modular design reminiscent of Sony’s FX6. The new camera will have a medium format GFX 102-megapixel (MP) CMOS II HS sensor, the same one used on the GFX100 II. That sensor is 43.8mm x 32.9 mm in size — that’s 1.7 times larger than the full-frame sensor on the FX.

The benefits will be extra dynamic range, potentially high resolution and a very shallow depth of field, which should enable cinematic shots with the right lens. Having said that, Fujifilm currently has no GFX glass designed specifically for film production. It’s working on it, though.

Continue reading.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA's research center responsible for robotic space missions, will lay off more workers before the year ends due to budget constraints. JPL Director Laurie Leshin has announced in a memo addressed to employees that the reduction will affect 325 people, or about five percent of its whole workforce. Leshin explained that the lab took various measures to meet its budget allocation for the 2025 fiscal year and to minimize the adverse effects of a limited budget on its workers. In the end, though, JPL "reached the difficult decision" to make "one further workforce reduction."

The lab already cut 530 employees and cut over 100 contractors from its roster earlier this year because of uncertainty over the final budget that the Congress will give NASA for 2024. It also froze hiring in response to the dilemma. The main reason why the lab had to implement those measures was because the Mars Sample Return Program was allocated a much smaller budget than it needed. NASA had requested $950 million for the mission, but only $300 million was allocated for it. 

NASA's original plan was to bring home the samples collected by the mission in 2040. But its budget ballooned from $7 billion to $11 billion, and as The Washington Post notes, the government found the return date "unacceptable." For the 2025 fiscal year, NASA only requested $200 million for the project that could go through significant changes. The agency is now looking for ways to alter the mission and is even considering proposals from private companies. 

Leshin said that the layoffs will affect all areas of the lab, including its technical, business and support divisions. "[W]e had to tighten our belts across the board, and you will see that reflected in the layoff impacts," she said. JPL's director also said that the US presidential election results have nothing to do with the reduction that the "action would be happening regardless" of its outcome. 

In this inaugural program, Dr. Rossi helps us define what "a Healing Presence" is and how we can begin that journey together. Included is a touching musical recording of Dr. Rossi's dear wife who fell asleep in the Lord several years ago, but who is still his life's companion.

Dr. Rossi talks with iconographer Khouria Erin Kimmett about the icon most associated with the resurrection.

Dr. Rossi's guest is Rev. Dr. Sarah Fogg, Director of Pastoral Care at St. John's Riverside Hospital in Yonkers, New York. Dr. Fogg has long been an instructor in pastoral care for the seminary students at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary. She also gave the commencement address at St. Vladimir's.

Dr. Rossi interviews Dr. Paul Meyendorff, the Father Alexander Schmemann Professor of Liturgical Theology and Director of Continuing Education at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary about the importance of attending and participating in the Divine Liturgy.

Dr. Rossi reflects on the reality of what is unseen, seeing Christ through the eyes of the heart even in death.

Dr. Rossi shares his reflections on the life and ministry of the Theotokos.

Dr. Rossi talks about the book God's Path to Sanity by Dee Pennock.

Dr. Albert Rossi interviews Dr. Peter Bouteneff about his new book titled, How to Become a Sinner, published by St. Vladimir's Press. Dr. Bouteneff is the Director of the Master of Arts Program and Professor of Systematic Theology at St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary in Yonkers, NY.

Dr. Albert Rossi continues his musings about the real life experiences of the Theotokos.

Dr. Albert Rossi muses about the life of the Theotokos, the Virgin Mary, "the Great Example".

Dr. Albert Rossi reflects on the need to communicate with one another and to pray, from the heart, in deep silence.

Dr. Albert Rossi shares a metaphor for how we can put the name of Jesus on those we come in contact with.

Dr. Rossi thinks about overthinking.

The recent vote in North Carolina outlawing same-sex marriage prompted this commentary from Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick about Calvinism and the politics of the damned.

Fr. Philip LeMasters, Dean of the School of Social Sciences and Religion at McMurry University, examines Pope Francis's controversial response to homosexuality and gay marriage.

Fr. Lawrence Farley argues that Herod had more insight into the significance of Jesus than do most moderns.

Fr. Philip LeMasters reminds us that our Orthodox faith does not require us to abandon or condemn any dimension of life, but instead to offer all that we are and do for fulfillment and blessing and healing.