Paolo massaged this machine-translated product description of an “Electronic Rosary” on sale in Italy for us:
The Electronic Rosary, produced in Italy by the PREX Company, is an apparatus of reduced dimensions, comfortable and portable. The Saint rosary is recited by a feminine voice and a chorus of persons who answer. The digital rosary PREX has a push-button in order to select the day of the wished week, with its mysteries. Simple to use, the electronic rosary can be listened to as a meditation aid or it can be answered as customary.
In the future, all religious duty shall be performed by machines, leaving humanity’s time free for more sinning.
Catalog Page [HolyArt.it]
Previously • Kuka: Robot Ascetic Inscribes Bible [BBG]
• Electronic NIV Bible and Hymnal from SAK Korea [BBG]
Joel, your last line in the blurb is pure classic.
Then there was the observation that lots of hard disks contain appropriate text and thus can be considered high-speed tibetan prayer wheels…
The Electric Monk from Douglas Adams’ novel Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency can’t be far behind.
The idea of a device that does with faith and prayer what a VCR used to do with TV shows is starting to make more and more sense.
link to english page
http://www.holyart.it/articoloDettaglio.asp?Nome=PRODOTTI%20ACCESSORI&IDArticolo=1160
#1 I think you’re talking about this;
http://www.serve.com/cmtan/buddhism/Lighter/GoodKarma/index.html
It’s the modern version of those Sumerian statues with the creepy eyes that stood in temple constantly at prayer so the person it represented didn’t have to be.
This is clearly a ripoff of the Automated Prayer Project that CDC put out a while ago:
http://philtered.net/~adam/app/prayterm.html
My time.. is yours.
Could you be more.. specific?
You are a true believer. Blessings of the State, blessings of the People.
I was immediately reminded of “the handmaid’s tale.” Its just like machines that print off prayers upon request, only to later be recycled into other prayers.
I just carry a recording Fred Travalena doing his impression of Shatner at the end of “Trekkies” saying, “Your bible is a lie!”.