The Ironic Death of Josiah in 2 Chronicles

A discussion of the various accounts of the death of Josiah in the biblical books of Kings and Chronicles. The category of irony is used to describe the version in 2 Chronicles 35

Coming, Going, and Knowing. Reading Sex and Embodiment in Hebrew Narrative

This article both summarizes and analyzes recent feminist scholarship in literary studies and, in light of that analysis, examines a range of Hebrew terms for sexual intercourse. Particular attention is paid to Genesis and Judges

A Note on the Creation Formula in Zechariah 12:1–8; Isaiah 42:5–6; and Old Persian Inscriptions

This note explores whether the influence of the Old Persian creation formula as well as its underlying theology can be seen in biblical texts. The particular focus is on Zech 12:1–8 and Isa 42:5–6. While both of these texts use creation language found elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible corpus, the particular content and structure of these texts have strong resonances with the Old Persian texts

OFMspert: An architecture for an operator's associate that evolves to an intelligent tutor

With the emergence of new technology for both human-computer interaction and knowledge-based systems, a range of opportunities exist which enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of controllers of high-risk engineering systems. The design of an architecture for an operator's associate is described. This associate is a stand-alone model-based system designed to interact with operators of complex dynamic systems, such as airplanes, manned space systems, and satellite ground control systems in ways comparable to that of a human assistant. The operator function model expert system (OFMspert) architecture and the design and empirical validation of OFMspert's understanding component are described. The design and validation of OFMspert's interactive and control components are also described. A description of current work in which OFMspert provides the foundation in the development of an intelligent tutor that evolves to an assistant, as operator expertise evolves from novice to expert, is provided

Cognitive engineering models in space systems

NASA space systems, including mission operations on the ground and in space, are complex, dynamic, predominantly automated systems in which the human operator is a supervisory controller. The human operator monitors and fine-tunes computer-based control systems and is responsible for ensuring safe and efficient system operation. In such systems, the potential consequences of human mistakes and errors may be very large, and low probability of such events is likely. Thus, models of cognitive functions in complex systems are needed to describe human performance and form the theoretical basis of operator workstation design, including displays, controls, and decision support aids. The operator function model represents normative operator behavior-expected operator activities given current system state. The extension of the theoretical structure of the operator function model and its application to NASA Johnson mission operations and space station applications is discussed

Model-based displays for satellite ground control

With the emergence of new technology for both human-computer interaction and knowledge-based systems, a range of opportunities exists to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of satellite ground controllers. The use of models of operator function to represent operator activity in the context of changing system events and operator functions is illustrated. Although there are many models, the operator function model (OFM) was used in this research. In addition to representing operator activities, the OFM can be used to design 'intelligent' operator displays and, in real time, control the displayed information so that the operator has the appropriate information, at the appropriate time, and at the appropriate level of abstraction. The OFM was demonstrated in the context of a NASA Goddard Space Flight Center satellite ground control system. To evaluate the effectiveness of the model-based workstation, an experiment was conducted to compare system performance with a conventional operator workstation versus the model based workstation

Operator function modeling: An approach to cognitive task analysis in supervisory control systems

In a study of models of operators in complex, automated space systems, an operator function model (OFM) methodology was extended to represent cognitive as well as manual operator activities. Development continued on a software tool called OFMdraw, which facilitates construction of an OFM by permitting construction of a heterarchic network of nodes and arcs. Emphasis was placed on development of OFMspert, an expert system designed both to model human operation and to assist real human operators. The system uses a blackboard method of problem solving to make an on-line representation of operator intentions, called ACTIN (actions interpreter)

What to Do with All These Canaanites? A Settler-Canadian Reading of Biblical Conquest Stories

Reading the biblical conquest stories in light of the UN Declaration on the rights of Indigenous peoples and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada

Power, eros, and biblical genres

Abstract: One of M.M. Bakhtin’s contributions to the study of texts was his profound distrust of formalism. In this essay, I seek to extend this insight to the study of biblical genres. As such, I work to detach the study of biblical genres from form-criticism, and to examine genre as dialogically constructed (and thus socially situated). To do so, I draw on Bakhtin’s work on dialogism, the chronotope, and heteroglossia. However, in his work Bakhtin did not clearly provide the motive or impulse for dialogism. I seek to enhance and refine a dialogic understanding of genre by reconceptualising genre as a site of politics constructed by the operation of power and eros. In this essay, I explore power from a Foucauldian perspective, seeing it as a network of discourse relations that enfolds the struggle for domination. The dynamics of power, once understood, help to understand the development of distinct genres and development within genres. In this essay, I explore eros from the perspective of productive act (Deleuze), as well as from the perspective of desire for the lacked object (Hegel, Lacan, Foucault), both understandings being ultimately Platonic in origin. Without understanding the erotic impulse, I argue that we cannot understand the dynamics of power that explain dialogically-constructed genre. In this way, this essay takes Bakhtin as a starting point and touchstone, but moves into some different areas as well