Phonetic Searching

Archive - November, 2009

Instant Book Locator

Adam Navarrete | Mon, November 30, 2009 | Training 14

Today’s post is from Morris Proctor, certified and authorized trainer for Logos Bible Software. Morris has trained thousands of Logos users at his two-day Camp Logos training seminars.

You no doubt have at least one bookshelf (probably more) in your home or office for print books. If you’re like me, those bookshelves get filled, yet you keep buying books and soon you start lying books one on top of the other. Before long I can’t find a specific book I’m looking for. Imagine for a moment if that bookshelf contained a voice activated booklocator. You say something like: Pursuit of God by Tozer. Then instantly that book sprang from the shelf.

Perhaps that’s wishful thinking for print books, but not with our Logos Bible Software 4 e-books.

First of all, you have an electronic bookshelf called the Library. Click the Library icon on the toolbar to open it. You can learn to use the Library by watching one of our training videos.

For now, notice the Find box in the Library. This is the locator we just imagined. You can type practically anything in the box.

Type ESV to find any resource with ESV in any of its bibliographic data such as title, publisher, and so on.

This is where it gets fun, though:

Type title:twelve and the word twelve has to be in the title of the book.

Or type title:twelve AND author:bruce. Now twelve must be in the title and Bruce must be in the author fields, respectively.

When you type that, you’ll discover A.B. Bruce’s book Training of the Twelve will spring from the bookshelf right into your hand! This is what we just imagined. You’ll never lose another book with Logos Bible Software 4.

Show Us Your Best Logos 4 Videos

Phil Gons | Fri, November 27, 2009 | Community, Training 15

In Ryan’s helpful post yesterday, he forgot to mention the one other helpful source of information about Logos 4—the growing number of user-created videos showing Logos 4 in action. Even if you’ve already watched our demo video and all our training videos, you’ll definitely want to check out what some of our users have put together.

Happy Thanksgiving

Ryan Burns | Thu, November 26, 2009 | Training 1

Like many companies in the US, Logos will be closed today for the Thanksgiving holiday. While we may be closed, we realize that many of you will be using, buying, or simply wanting to learn more about Logos 4. Since we won’t be in today to answer your questions, I thought I’d put together some links that might help you out.

Looking at Logos 4

First, for those of you who are browsing Logos.com today and thinking about buying Logos 4, you might want to start by viewing the Logos 4 demo. This 4 minute video gives you a brief demonstration of what Logos 4 is all about.
After that, if you’re interested in seeing more footage, head over to our video page where we have over 50 videos highlighting many of the new features of Logos 4.
With videos behind you, visit www.logos.com/products to take a look at all our base packages.
After viewing those pages, you’ll want to stop by our special discount page to see what sort of sweet offers we have for our new and existing customers. When you visit the page, be sure to login or create a Logos.com account so you can see a custom price tailored just for you.
Once you have a good idea of what all your options are for Logos 4, read through the special FAQ we created for people considering the purchase. This will help answer some of the question you may have, or didn’t even know you had.
Finally, if you’re looking for more information, head over to our community forums where there are literally hundreds of conversations about Logos 4. Join in the discussion and ask any questions you may have. The community is more than happy to help you out.

Buying Logos 4

As I mentioned in the above section, you should head over to www.logos.com/upgrade. Whether you are an existing user or new to Logos, this page will give you the best price for all our base packages. Be sure to login or sign up for a Logos.com account to see the best price.
Before completing your purchase, be sure to read this FAQ. We outline some important information that will help make your purchase and installation run more smoothly.
If you’re looking for something to do while you wait for Logos 4 to install, check out our videos and visit our community forums.

Using Logos

Our customer service department has been pulling extended hours and weekend shifts for the last 3 1/2 weeks to help all our users get used to their new software. While they are getting their well-deserved rest today, our community forums are here for you 24 hours a day.
If you haven’t seen our training and feature tutorial videos, be sure to check them out.
Be sure you catch up on all our Logos 4 blog posts from the past couple weeks. There is a lot of great information in there.

So, there you have it. I hope that this information helps you out. If you need further assistance, we’ll be in the office bright and early Friday morning. Wait, who am I kidding, we live in Bellingham, WA. We’ll be in the office dark, cold, rainy, and early Friday morning.

Finally, from everyone at Logos, we truly hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Rethinking the Nativity

Jayson Bradley | Wed, November 25, 2009 | Products 5

What happens when tradition starts to slip into the way we interpret truth? Take a look at your nativity scene. If you have wise men, you will likely have three. This has just become the traditional, accepted number due to the three gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh that the magi brought to Jesus. Matthew’s Gospel, however, does not mention the number of wise men who visited the Christ child. If you take an informal poll, you will find that most people, due to tradition, assume that there were three. Does it make a difference if there were three or thirteen? Probably not, but perhaps our resistance to challenge ingrained thinking matters.

In the Nov.–Dec. issue of Bible Study Magazine, Gary A. Byers, archeologist of near eastern sites and contributing member of the Associates for Biblical Research, makes such a case for interpreting Christ’s very birth place. In an article entitled Away in a Manger, but Not in a Barn, Byers challenges our traditional preconceptions about inns, inn-keepers, and where exactly one would find a manger in the first century. It is very likely, according to Byers, that Jesus wasn’t born alone in a barn, but in the downstairs living quarters of a home where the animals would have been kept at night.

This is the kind of article that would provide great discussion in your Bible study, home group, or even around the dinner table. As Byers concludes in his article, “If this is an accurate reconstruction of the facts, we can say that the Christmas story is not about rejection and being alone. Rather, the focus appears to be just the opposite. It tells us that God the Father made sure His Son was born into this
world surrounded by family.”

With Bible Study Magazine you have tools and methods for Bible Study, as well as insights from respected voices in the church and biblical scholarship, delivered right to your door. And if you subscribe now, you will get six issues for $14.95—almost 50% off the cover price!

As a special bonus, when you subscribe to Bible Study Magazine this month, you will receive the Nov.–Dec. issue with the complete 16 page insert on the brand new Logos Bible Software 4.

Phonetic Searching

Kent Hendricks | Tue, November 24, 2009 | Training 9

Want to search for Greek and Hebrew words? With the launch of Logos Bible Software 4, we’ve added a feature which makes it easier to search in Greek and Hebrew, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the original languages.

Logos 4 lets you type phonetically and have Greek and Hebrew words displayed in the drop-down box. In the search box, start with g: for Greek or h: for Hebrew. For example, when you type g:agape, Logos 4 knows you’re probably looking for ἀγάπη. If you’re not, then you also have the option to select similar words, like ἀγαπητός. These words appear in a drop-down menu as you type. If you’re preaching on 1 Corinthians 13 next Sunday or leading a Bible study on the Beloved Disciple, searches like this can speed up your study.

If you don’t know Greek or Hebrew, but you’re familiar with words like agape, you can still search the original language texts with phonetic searching in Logos 4. This is just one small way Logos 4 makes the original languages more easily accessible to more people.

Phonetic searching—like many of the new features—is intuitive. As you type, Logos 4 guesses what you’re looking for, and presents you with search options as you type. It’s a quick and easy way to search for Greek and Hebrew words.

What are you waiting for? Open Logos 4 and give it a try!