On facebook, the majority of my friends are non-technical folks so in a recent status update I asked them what they most want to know about IT and I said I’ll try my best to answer them.

An old friend was second to the plate as I chose to ignore my son’s initial attempt at inciting my disdain. She asked:

If I want to get a full-time IT person for the company…what technical questions should I ask to make sure he knows his stuff

Well my first answer is don’t restrict yourself to just a him! I’ve worked with some excellent female techs down the years and wish there were many more in the industry, but enough of the aside … (more…)

Another in my mini-interview series.

This time with Brendan Powell Smith the genius (if I may say so) behind “The Brick Testament“. If you don’t know what that is then where have you been? In their own words:

The Brick Testament is the largest, most comprehensive illustrated Bible in the world with over 3,600 illustrations that retell more than 400 stories from The Bible.

In my words – it’s stories from the Bible re-told using lego and its characters. Absolutely fantastic stuff. Anyway my thanks to Brendan and on with the interview.

1. What’s on your current / recent reading list and why?
I just ordered the newly published book Jesus: Neither God Nor Man by Earl Doherty.  Since it remains a subject of fascination for me, I try to stay current on the scholarly study of the origins of Ancient Christianity, and I’d found Doherty’s previous book The Jesus Puzzle to present a theory on Christianity’s origins with more explanatory power than any other I’ve come across to date.  But just to provide his theory with some contrast, I also recently read Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium by Bart D. Ehrman and reread Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews: A Jewish Life and the Emergence of Christianity by my former thesis advisor at Boston University, Paula Fredriksen.

2. List one bit of advice you try to live by?
“If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee.”

3. Half-full, half-empty or static and why?
Half-empty.  I find that having pessimistic expectations leads to more pleasant surprises and less disappointment.

4. What would you say to a child / young person wanting to do what you do?
Concentrate on being very, very lucky

5. Name one thing would you like to do that you haven’t already?
Illustrate the rest of the Bible in LEGO.

For those of you unaware of whom Paul Steinbrueck is then let me direct you at his homes on the web. His main home is OurChurch.com which he started in 1996 with his brother and then there’s his Live Intentionally blog.

Anyway, my thanks to Paul for his time in answering my standard set of questions. Answers after the jump.

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Alexander is the self-styled “Chief Happiness Officer” over at the Positive Sharing blog. His main aim with the blog is to get people to see that happiness at work is not just something that is talked about but that can be.

I thoroughly recommend the blog and thanks to Alex for his time.

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My thanks to the excellent David Airey – a self employed graphic designer and all round good egg for being the second in my short interview series.

David runs an excellent blog and I can only encourage you to read it if you have even an inkling of interest in design.

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