Software | Nerdlets

A Guide to Using Zotero in Biblical Studies: Collecting, Annotating and Citing Bibliographic Data
Zotero is free bibliographic software that allows you to easily collect, annotate, and cite bibliographic data. It runs as a plugin for the excellent Firefox browser, which means that you have the web at your fingertips as kyou manage information, and also that it can run on any operating system that Firefox can run on [...]
Logos Rolls out Biblia.com, with Desktop Integration
David Stark at New Testament Interpretation reports on the (still beta) roll-out of Biblia.com, an excellent web resource for Biblical Studies. Check out the full report here, or if you’d just like to see the goods, check that out here.
Sale at WTS Books
WTS Books currently has a super sale on all NICOT commentaries. The sale is running until August 19th, so be sure to check it out!
ESV Study Bible Now Available on iOS Devices
The folks at Crossway have produced a really phenomenal application for iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches. The iPad version is especially handy, with an interface perfectly fit for its widescreen. The app is currently on a promotional sale ($9.99), so check it out on iTunes. Via: What’s Best Next
Upgrade In Progress!
No, Nerdlets is not dead. It’s just been on sabbatical. But now that I have graduated (so now it’s Dr. Nerdlet), I should have more time to regularly update this blog. Here’s what to expect in the future. Faster and better. Some plugins were slowing things down, and those have been removed or replaced. I [...]
Using Greek and Hebrew on your Web Site
The always interesting Phil Gons has a wonderful guide to blogging in Greek and Hebrew. You can find that here. Looks like he is prioritizing Gentium as a Greek font, which is also my font of choice. And if you don’t know how to type in (Unicode) Greek and Hebrew, make sure you check out [...]

Saving Money with Open Source Software

Computing, Culture, Software No Responses »

Feb 242009

The times, they are a changing. One interesting, and in my opinion welcome, change is a new push by businesses and institutions to move to Open Source Software. Aside from the fact that most open source software is free, there are a whole host of other advantages worth considering. Two that stand out: (1) interpolability and (2) security. These are things every organization needs—you want people you like to be able to see and use the information you provide and you want people you don’t like to, well, not.

Apparently Obama is considering moving government-run technology to a more open model. Obama asked Sun’s chairman Scott McNealy, an open source advocate, to write a white-paper on the benifits. McNealy’s (admittedly biased) take:

It’s intuitively obvious open source is more cost effective and productive than proprietary software….The government ought to mandate open-source products based on open-source reference implementations to improve security, get higher-quality software, lower costs, higher reliability–all the benefits that come with open software.

Read the whole story here.

In these tough times it will benefit many homes, churches, and non-profit institutions to look into free Open Source software as an alternative to high-priced proprietary solutions. Even just switching from MS Office to openoffice.org could take a significant chuck out of your fixed-costs! Or consider the Gimp instead of Adobe Photoshop, or Zotero instead of EndNote, and Thunderbird or Gmail instead of Outlook.

Zotero 1.5 Beta Released

Computing, Software No Responses »

Feb 232009

Zotero recently released the 1.5 beta iteration of their excellent bibliographical software. You can find that release, along with an excellent video introduction, on their site. A list of new features can be found here.

Avoid the Hype: Make Windows XP Look Like Windows 7

Computing, How to, Software No Responses »

Feb 192009

There are good reasons for eventually upgrading to Windows 7, but don’t let eye candy be one of them. Avoid the pull of marketing by retrofitting Windows XP. There is a guide for that here.

Or maybe you’re an under-the-hood kinda guy or gal. There are many applications that allow you to get the features provided by Vista and the upcoming Windows 7 up-and-running in XP. A Guide for that can be found here.

Import Your Libronix Library into Zotero

How to, Research Tools, Software No Responses »

Feb 112009

Phil Gons has a short little guide on how to import your Logos Libronix Library into Zotero’s database.

Bibleworks Warranty and Mac/Linux Support

Software No Responses »

Feb 062009

As an addendum to my guide to setting up Bibleworks 7 and 8 in Linux, I should mention this encouraging statement from the Bibleworks Website:

BibleWorks comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you purchase BibleWorks directly from us but cannot get it to work with your Windows emulator, you may return BibleWorks for a refund (shipping not included).

How to Run Bibleworks 8 (or 7) in Linux

Biblical Greek, How to, Software No Responses »

Feb 062009

Bibleworks 8 now runs in Linux through WINE.

I posted a guide awhile back walking Linux users through the steps required to get Bibleworks 7 up-and-running in Linux (using Wine). It has recently been confirmed that the steps used in that guide also work for Bibleworks 8. If you are interested in running Bibleworks in Linux (Ubuntu, Fedora, OpenSUSE) you can find the guide here.

Surprisingly, it appears that some problems that plagued Bibleworks 7 in Linux are no longer issues in Bibleworks 8. This is good news!

Microsoft Releases Internet Explorer 8 RC

Software No Responses »

Jan 262009

Lifehacker recently announced that Microsoft has made available the first release candidate of Internet Explorer 8. While I’m still not moving away from Firefox, I am excited about this new release. I have been using the IE8 Betas for awhile now and am impressed—it is definitely a step in the right direction, if only because MS has promised that IE will finally be standards-compliant (why this has taken over a decade, who can know).

The Lifehacker post includes links to the download and to a description of IE8′s new features.

Add the Westminster Seminary Library to your Browser Search Bar

Books, Research Tools, Software 68 Responses »

Jan 222009

As a follow-up to my Westminster Bookstore Search Plugin I have created a similar plugin for the Westminster Seminary Library, which works in both Firefox and IE7. So now you can search Westminster Seminary’s library right from your browser, and since the site natively supports Zotero, this makes research all that much easier.

Add the Westminster Library to your search bar

The same instructions for installing the Westminster Bookstore plugin apply here as well. In brief, while viewing this post (here) just click on the search engine toolbar in your browser and select “Add the Westminster Library.” Still confused? Just check the picture to the right. This plugin works in Firefox, Internet Explorer 7, and several other popular browsers. The plugin is also available directly from the Westminster Library site.

Consider this the official page of this little plugin. Updates will be posted here, so you may want to bookmark this post. Please post any comments, suggestions, or problems in the comments section and I will respond as soon as possible.

If you want to make this search feature even more powerful, follow this guide. There is also a Ubiquity command available.

As a side note, the plugin supports advanced boolean syntax. Typing “stott romans” into your search will return all results with both “stott” and “romans” that occur in any field. By contrast, “a:(stott) romans” will search for any books whose author is “stott” and also have the word “romans” in any other field. Similar results will occur with t:(“title”) or s:(“subject”). For more syntax suggestions, just search the Westminster Library Catalog and pay attention to how it formats your queries.

Update: This plugin is now official. In addition to accessing it here, it is now available from the Westminster Library Catalog.

What Blogging Platforms do Churches Use?

Software, Webapps and Websites No Responses »

Jan 202009

ChurchCrunch has compiled a list of blogging platforms used by the top 60 church blogs. WordPress Wins (of course), but the results are interesting.

Even More Greek Advice

Biblical Greek, Software 1 Response »

Jan 192009

How many times have you learned Greek? There is something enormously discouraging about spending all that time taking a year’s worth of Greek only to forget it in the course of a summer. Con Campbell has been instructing us how to avoid the forgetfullness that sets in as soon as Greek is over (start here). His latest post contains some wise advice regarding the use of Greek Bible software:

Be slow to move that cursor. The risk of using software is that you can short-cut the learning process, just as you will with an interlinear (see my second post). You need to struggle to remember words and grammar, rather than just get a quick answer (By the way, this need only apply to your ‘Greek reading time’, not every time you use the software). So, if you’re disciplined, go ahead and use the software for your Greek reading. But if you can’t be trusted not to cheat, then close your laptop, and get out a paper Greek New Testament. If you can find one.