SBL

AAR/SBL Meeting App now available

Again, many of those reading this will have already received the email, but if you are attending this year’s AAR/SBL shindig you will now have an app to help you through the Days of Awe(some). Big plus: The iOS app is for either iPad or iPhone. (I have not tested it yet. A little busy around here right now.)

Dear Colleague:

At the Annual Meetings 2011 San Francisco, the Society of Biblical Literature and American Academy of Religion will introduce the use of Mobile Meeting Guide technology in a way that provides their members with a technically reliable, intuitive, and functional solution. Without additional cost, this solution will provide attendees with:

the entire event program, including both SBL and AAR program unit and special sessions

exhibitor info, including an interactive Exhibit Hall map

maps of conference hotels

Attendees will be able to create and customize their own schedule, make notes about sessions, and share information and their schedule with colleagues and friends via built-in social networking. Because the solution features an intuitive offline program that is native to Android, Blackberry, iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch devices, there is no waiting for schedule downloads or web pages to load and no dealing with slow or non-existent Wi-Fi connections. Schedule changes are downloaded in the background, allowing attendees immediate access to event information. A similar web-based solution will be accessible via one’s computer.

We are excited to announce that the app is available now in the App Store and Android Market—simply search for AM11AAR&SBL. On the SBL and AAR websites, we have posted answers to numerous questions as well as an introductory guide to the app. You will also find a mobile app help desk in the registration area in the Moscone West Convention Center and can send questions via email to charles.haws@sbl-site.org. You can download the app to your mobile device from the Android Market and App Store now, use the web version of the app that is available here, or scan the appropriate QR code displayed on signage throughout the meeting. We hope you will find the app useful!

Sincerely,

Your Annual Meeting Team

HarperCollins eBook Promotion

Nov 7th, 2011

by Christian Brady.

No comments yet

Most of my readers have already seen this announcement, but it is worth sharing widely. I have purchased several of these myself. They are available in almost all eBook formats: iBookstore, Kindle, Google, Nook, and Kobo.

To celebrate the American Academy of Religion and the Society of Biblical Literature’s annual conference in HarperOne’s hometown of San Francisco—we’ve put together a special eBook promotion. So, load up on your reading for the plane! Even if you can’t attend the conference, you can still get this “stack” of great e-books at a great price! Hurry! This offer expires on November 13, 2011.

10 great books! $3.99 each!

Here’s your chance to rediscover your favorite authors in an eBook format:

THE HISTORICAL JESUS by John Dominic Crossan
THE BIRTH OF CHRISTIANITY by John Dominic Crossan
GOD’S PROBLEM by Bart Ehrman
THE MEANING OF JESUS by Marcus Borg and N.T. Wright
DISCOVERING GOD by Rodney Stark
THE LOST HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY by Philip Jenkins
THE MISUNDERSTOOD JEW by Amy-Jill Levine
THE GNOSTIC GOSPELS OF JESUS by Marv Meyer
MORMON AMERICA by Richard Ostling
WHY RELIGION MATTERS by Huston Smith

Hurry! This offer is good in the United States only from November 4-13, 2011.

You’ll find more information and links to purchase here.

And, of course, we’re looking forward to seeing you at HarperOne’s SBL booth (536 & 537)—where you’ll find our new and classic print books at special prices throughout the conference.

Sincerely,

Laina Adler
Senior Director of Marketing
HarperOne

Technology at SBL 2011

Oct 17th, 2011

by Christian Brady.

No comments yet

I am sure most of you going to SBL received the update email regarding the conference. I was pleased to see this note about SBL’s efforts to make the conference more technologically convenient.

Technology at the Meeting

Our Mobile Meeting Guide will debut in November. You will be recieving an email with instructions. The mobile app will contain:

the entire event program, including both SBL and AAR program units and special sessions

exhibitor information, including an interactive Exhibit Hall map and

maps of conference hotels.

Attendees will have the ability to create and customize their own schedule, make notes about sessions, and share information and schedules with colleagues via built-in social networking. The solution features an intuitive offline program that is native to Android, Blackberry, iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch devices. This means there is no waiting for schedule downloads or web pages to load and no dealing with slow or non-existent Wi-Fi connections. Schedule changes are downloaded in the background, allowing attendees immediate access to event information. A similar web-based solution will be accessible via computer.

Exhibitor Locator Kiosks

Trying to find the publisher of a book you’d like to buy? Use the locator kiosks in the front of the Exhibit Hall to search by title, author, or subject matter.

If your search results include a book or product that is available through one of our exhibitors, the booth will be highlighted on the Exhibit Hall floor plan.

Free Wi-Fi and Cyber Café

Enjoy free Wi-Fi in the Exhibit Hall and lobby areas of Moscone Center West.

Check your email or use the Mobile Meeting Guide at the computers provided in the Cyber Café

SBL Aramaic Studies Session Finalized!

Jul 20th, 2011

by Christian Brady.

2 comments

I had not posted this earlier because we had a few kinks to sort out, but the, not one but TWO, Aramaic Studies Sessions for SBL 2011 are now scheduled!

S21-203

Aramaic Studies
1:00 PM to 3:30 PM
11/21/2011
Room TBD

Christian Brady, Pennsylvania State University, Presiding

Aaron Koller, Yeshiva University
Jewish Aramaic literature of Achaemenid times (20 min)

Discussion (10 min)

Adam C. McCollum, Hill Museum & Manuscript Library
Towards a Typology of Translation Technique from Greek to Christian Palestinian Aramaic (CPA) (20 min)

Discussion (10 min)

James F. McGrath, Butler University
The Satirical Use of Christian Material in the Mandaean Book of John (20 min)

Discussion (10 min)

Ryan Armstrong, Princeton Theological Seminary
The Fountain of Youth or the Lake of Fire? Job 33:25 in 11Q10 and Greek Bible (20 min)

Discussion (10 min)

David Shepherd, University of Chester
Can Anything Targumic Come From Qumran? Revisiting Klaus Beyer’s ‘Targums’ of Tobit and Isaiah (20 min)

Discussion (10 min)

S21-104a

Aramaic Studies
9:00 AM to 11:30 AM
11/21/2011
Room TBD
The Elephantine Papyri
This section will be invited papers addressing the Elephantine Papyri corpus, perhaps from the perspectives of language, law, and social history.

Mark Leuchter, Temple University, Presiding

50 Years of Research by Bezalel Porten

Alejandro Botta, Boston University, Panelist (20 min)

Andrew Gross, Catholic University of America, Panelist (20 min)

Bezalel Porten, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Respondent (20 min)

Discussion (45 min)

Founder and CEO of Academia.edu to speak at SBL

Jun 1st, 2011

by Christian Brady.

5 comments

I am very pleased to announce that Richard Price, DPhil (Oxon) will be speaking at the Blogging and Online Publication session at SBL this fall. I had the chance to have a cuppa with Richard last fall in SF and he is a wonderful young philosopher who also has a keen sense of what is happening in the wired world. If you are not familar with Academia.edu it is somewhat like Facebook for academics. They describe the site in this way:

Academia.edu is a platform for academics to share and follow research. Academics upload their papers to share them with other academics in over 100,000 research areas. They can also follow other academics, and see new papers and other research updates from those academics in their News Feeds.

I know many in our community are already on the site. (If you like, you can follow me on Academia.edu.) It appears to be a promising platform for collaboration and collegial interaction without being barraged with cute kittens, total depravity, or Top 50 lists. Please do come for the whole session, we have great speakers lined up, but be sure to stay for Richard as well.

S19-314

Blogger and Online Publication
4:00 PM to 6:30 PM
11/19/2011
Room TBD

Robert R. Cargill, University of Iowa
Welcome and Introduction (5 min)

Alice Bach, Case Western Reserve University
Can Blogging at 3 AM Be Considered Scholarship? (25 min)

Madeleine Flannagan, Independent and Matthew Flannagan, A _Not Found
Blogging a Short-Cut to Peer Review: How to do it Effectively (25 min)

Juhana Markus Saukkonen, University of Helsinki
Sense and Practicality: Building a Historical GIS Online (25 min)

Richard Price, Academia.edu
Academia.edu: The Past, Present, and Future of Scholarly Social Networking (25 min)

This session will conclude with a Q&A discussion period with Academia.edu CEO, Dr. Richard Price.

Discussion (25 min)