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On behalf of the BibleTech:2010 team, I am pleased to inform you that your presentation proposal has been accepted! We would love to send you an email with just such a message this November.

The BibleTech team is putting a call out for everyone interested in how technology is shaping the ways we read, interpret, translate and handle God’s Word. If you specialize in the intersection of Bible and technology we would be thrilled to hear what you are working on.

If you go to the past speaker page you can see that there is no subject that is too technical for the audience attending BibleTech. We have had discussions that are more philosophic in nature— Technology is Not Neutral: How Bible Technology Shapes Our Faith as well as more developer/academic related topics— Formal Equivalence versus Dynamic Equivalence: How digital texts can break the conundrum.

So if you are a programmer, developer, publisher, tagging expert, information/library scientist, technologist, thought leader, design guru, information architect, webmaster, mash-up creator or just have an interesting vantage point on how the Bible and technology intersect, we want to hear from you.

Go to the Participation page now and submit a proposal!

We are gearing up for BibleTech 2010, which will be held in San Jose, CA, March 26–27. BibleTech is our annual conference which focuses on the many ways technology is affecting and being affected by how we translate, interpret, communicate and transmit the Scriptures. This isn’t just a great opportunity to hear speakers address many of the tech savvy issues that are important to you, but also a chance to interact and network with some of the leaders in their fields and others who share your interests. I just spoke to one of last year’s presenters yesterday and he was mentioning the relationships that he has developed through his involvement in BibleTech.

This year we are moving the conference into the heart of Silicon Valley. It only seems appropriate that BibleTech should be held in a city like San Jose, CA, just a stone's throw from such important hi-tech institutions as Intel and Google.

We are putting out a call for programmers, publishers, tagging experts, information/library scientists, technologists, thought leaders, design gurus, information architects, webmasters, ,mash-up creators or anyone working at the intersection of the Bible and technology to lead conference sessions and roundtable discussions! It is as easy as going to the BibleTech 2010 website and filling out the participation form. We get a lot of entries and we encourage you to be as descriptive as possible when sharing your ideas for topics and content.

Register before November 30 at $139.95 and save $40. With our tiered pricing, the earlier you sign up for Bibletech, the more you save. Lock in the lowest price today!

You should follow us on Twitter here.

The latest Geeks & God podcast, episode 116, is now available, and it’s all about Logos Bible Software. It runs a little over an hour and features the following:

• a recap of BibleTech:2009 by Rob Feature (a.k.a. Bob Christenson), who was one of this year’s speakers (3:00–9:45)
• a review of Logos Bible Software for Mac by Matt Farina (9:45–45:30)
• an interview with our President and CEO, Bob Pritchett (45:30–1:07:00)

I listened to it yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s very well done. You can listen to it on the Geeks & God site or download it in MP3 or MP4 format and listen to it on your commute to work or while you’re working out or mowing the lawn.

If you’re into techie stuff and want to hear some of the other topics that the Geeks & God guys cover, be sure to subscribe to their podcast via email, iTunes (ACC or MP3), or RSS.

Today’s guest post is from J. D. Elgin, a member of the Marketing Department and the coordinator for BibleTech:2009.

BibleTech:2009 is officially a thing of the past. The conference was a great time for learning, interacting and networking with everyone in attendance. It was truly amazing to be in the company of so many intelligent and creative people.

For those of you who missed out and really want to catch up, we have made the conference audio available on the BibleTech website. We have also made available the presentations slides for several of the presentations.

Today, we thought you would enjoy hearing what the conference attendees thought about BibleTech. We have listed links to the blogs of our speakers and attendees, and we hope you can take some time to read their reactions to BibleTech:2009.

BibleTech:2009 received some encouraging media coverage from sources outside of Logos and our speaker base. Eric Young of The Christian Post wrote a nice article about the event. Matthew Miller, ZDNet Tech Blogger, was in attendance and wrote a very thorough review of each session he attended. Thanks, Matthew!

In addition to his BibleTech:2009 Postlude, Sean Boisen posted a blog entry for each presentation he sat in on. You can surf through his recent posts to read a nice summary of the presentations.

Speaker Wes Allen reminisces on his experience in BibleTech09—Points East. Wes also posted several live blog posts from the event.

Antoine RJ Wright of Mobile Ministry Magazine shares his concluding thoughts in Reflections while on the Plane.

You can also find the entire #BibleTech09 Twitter feed on the BibleTech website. Try following the Twitter conversation that corresponds to a presentation you want to listen to. There were several attendees conversing over Twitter during the presentations and their discussions added a new, interactive dynamic to the conference experience!

We certainly hope you can make it out to Seattle next Spring! If the positive feedback from our recent gathering is any indication of things to come, you won’t want to miss out on BibleTech:2010!

If you know of any other BibleTech:2009 round ups we missed, please post them in the comments for everyone to enjoy!

UPDATE: We have set up a live twitterfeed of the conference on the BibleTech website.

Today’s guest post is from J. D. Elgin, a member of the Marketing Department and the coordinator for this year’s BibleTech conference.

BibleTech:2009 officially begins today at 9:00 AM Pacific Time. If you’re reading this, chances are you’re missing out on all the excitement! We certainly don’t want any of our faithful blog followers to feel left out, so we’ve assembled a list of speakers who will be covering the conference live via their personal blogs and Twitter feeds. We invite you to use the links below to follow all of the action.

Three conference speakers will be sharing their thoughts on the conference, so you can get the latest by checking out their blogs or subscribing to their RSS feeds.

• Rev. Wesley Allen of ABCNJ from New Jersey (RSS)
• Sean Boisen of Logos Bible Software (RSS)
• Antoine RJ Wright of Mobile Ministry Magazine (RSS)

Or try out this Google Blog Search (also available via RSS) to catch any blogs we may have missed.

Also, you can follow these speakers on Twitter:

• Ellen Frankel and JT Waldman of The Jewish Publication Society at @JewishPub
• Rob Christenson of Geeks & God and Mustard Seed Media, Inc. at @Rob_Feature
• Stephen Johnson of Olive Tree Bible Software at @RearCog

Or just follow the BibleTech:2009 hashtag, #BibleTech09, to get all of the Twitter action in one place.

You will also want to stay tuned to the BibleTech Conference website in the coming weeks. We will be recording the conference audio and will post the MP3 files as soon as we are able.

Update: Follow along with the Twitter action right at http://www.bibletechconference.com/live.htm.

Today’s guest post is from J. D. Elgin, a member of the Marketing Department and the coordinator for this year’s BibleTech conference.

BibleTech:2009 is quickly approaching—it’s on March 27–28—and we are quite excited as things come together.

Are you looking for ways to pump life into your church website? Do you want to get the most out of your blogging community or social web interface? Maybe you’re more interested in Bible translation software or what’s in store for the next generation of Bible technologies. Wherever your interests lie, be sure to secure your seat at BibleTech:2009, where you’ll learn from the experts! Registration is only $149.95 and gets you access to twenty-eight presentations, three catered meals, a conference T-shirt, and the chance get to know fellow Bible and technology geeks! Registration is accessible through the conference website.

BibleTech:2009 will consist of fourteen sessions split between March 27 and 28. Each session will give you the option of a high-tech presentation or a low-tech presentation. The high-tech presentations will discuss the latest developments in Bible software platforms and the use of computer-based technologies for Bible translation and Bible study. The low-tech presentations will handle issues of design sensitivity, current trends in Bible technologies, and the integration of the Bible with internet-based communities.

A list of conference speakers is available on the conference website. Get acquainted with the speakers and catch up on their preparations for BibleTech:2009 by checking out their personal blogs. You can also view the official BibleTech:2009 schedule and plan ahead for your BibleTech experience.

Registration for BibleTech:2009 ends on Monday, March 23, so reserve your spot now!

Join us on March 27 and 28 in Seattle, WA for BibleTech:2009!

Can’t make it out to Seattle this year? Stay tuned to the Logos Blog for ways you can keep up with BibleTech:2009.

Today’s guest blogger is J. D. Elgin, a member of the Marketing Department and the coordinator for this year’s BibleTech conference.

BibleTech:2009 is shaping up to be an incredible event for anyone passionate about the latest developments in Bible and technology! But don't take our word for it; check out what some of the speakers are saying. As they are busy preparing their presentations, several have leaked details through their personal blogs. We decided to give you a BibleTech:2009 sneak peek by posting links to some of these blog posts.

Remember, BibleTech:2009 is March 27–28 in Seattle. If you’re making your plans to join us, be sure to register soon.

Recently, speaker Gabe Taviano interviewed me about BibleTech:2009. The podcast interview is available from iTunes or on the GodsMac.com website. The interview is about fifteen minutes long and begins at 26:00 into the podcast. Thanks to Gabe for helping us get the word out! You can also read about Gabe’s presentation on GabeTaviano.com, where he shares his passion for digital ministry and the effective use of technology for the Kingdom.

Wes Allen is a pastor on the East Coast. His presentation is entitled “Sermon Painting: Using Digital Projection to Illustrate a Sermon.” Wes has prepared a nice video promo to entice you. If you have any interest in preparing an effective presentation, you won’t want to miss Wes’ discussion!

Ellen Frankel of Jewish Publication Society (JPS) will present the latest digital initiative from JPS. Her presentation, “How the Ancient Rabbis Invented Web 2.0 Before Its Time,” explores how an online platform can produce a unique social experience for reading the Hebrew Bible. The official announcement is available at the Yavnet blog.

Mike Aubrey will demonstrate the functionality of SIL’s FLeX language program. Mike will illustrate the power of software for Greek studies and translation work. You can follow his preparations on his blog, ΕΝ ΕΦΕΣΩ.

Rick Brannan’s study, Stylometry and the Septuagint: Applying Anthony Kenny's Stylometric Study to the LXX, applies a method of statistical analysis previously used on the Greek New Testament to the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament). Your can track Rick’s progress on his personal blog, where you’ll find his early musings and some recent findings.

For more on the these and other BibleTech:2009 speakers, check out the BibleTech:2009 website and view the complete conference schedule.

Are you unable to attend BibleTech:2009? We are putting together a list of speakers who will be blogging during the event. Stay tuned to the Logos blog for the official BibleTech:2009 blogger list. You can also keep up with BibleTech by joining our BibleTech Facebook group or by following the conference on Twitter (#BibleTech09).

We look forward to seeing you in Seattle!

Today's guest blogger is J. D. Elgin, a new addition to the marketing team and the organizer of this year's BibleTech conference.

Back in January Logos hosted BibleTech:2008. BibleTech is a conference for people interested in the intersection of the Bible and technology. We were blown away by the result of this conference this year. The presentations were pertinent and timely, and the networking opportunities were absolutely priceless. And BibleTech:2008 participants were nearly unanimous in wanting to make this conference an annual event.

So we're happy to be announcing BibleTech:2009!

The conference will take place on Friday, March 27 and Saturday, March 28 in scenic Seattle, WA. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend! We are anticipating a bigger turnout with an even better outcome than last year.

BibleTech is geared for anyone with specialization, or serious interest, in the intersection of Bible study and technology. If you are involved in web design, software development, open source programming, biblical language or Bible study software development—or even if you are simply interested in the latest news from this incredible field and want to meet the people who make it all happen—plan to join us at BibleTech:2009.

We are now accepting proposals for conference presentations. If Bible and technology are your specialties, we invite you to submit a proposal.

We have updated the conference website. For the latest information, including a list of past presenters, visit BibleTechConference.com.

To stay informed with all the latest news about BibleTech, sign up for the BibleTech email list. Just send us an email, and we'll get you added.

We hope you're as excited about BibleTech:2009 as we are. And please help us make this a spectacular event by spreading the word!

BibleTech:2008 was an awesome event and a huge success. A big thanks to all of the speakers and attendees! It was fun putting faces with names and chatting over meals with so many people who share a passion for the Bible and technology.

We realize that many of you wanted to attend, but were unable to. Well, we have some great news for you.

First, the audio for most of the sessions is now available at the BibleTech website. Go to the Sessions page and look for the MP3 Audio links. We also added a directory of participants, which includes both speakers and attendees who wanted their names to be listed. If you went to the conference and didn't get the contact info for someone you wanted to get in touch with, check the directory. If you went and want to have your name added to the list, please send an email to bibletech@logos.com and let us know.

Also, based on the great feedback that we got, we are already making preparations for BibleTech:2009. So start making your plans to be with us next year. We'll provide you with more details when we have them. If you'd like to be added to the BibleTech email list to receive updates and information about the next BibleTech, send us an email.

If you want to read more about BibleTech, search for bibletech and bibletech08 at Technorati and Google Blog Search. Many of the speakers have posted PowerPoints and PDFs of their presentations. If you're a World Magazine subscriber, you'll want to check out their article about BibleTech.

We look forward to seeing you at BibleTech:2009!

We're off to a great start here in Seattle at BibleTech:2008! There are just under 100 people in attendance from all over the world, including Canada, France, the UK, Hong Kong, China, and Indonesia. The attendees range from programmers to academics to ministries to pastors to avid Bible software users.

I have thoroughly enjoyed all of the presentations that I have been able to attend. James Tauber's discussion of the history and future of MorphGNT.org was excellent. Andi Wu's work with treebanks of the biblical texts was equally enjoyable. John Hudson presented his amazing work in developing the beautiful SBL Hebrew font. Nathan Smith and Christian Bradford made a strong case of Christians using web standards with a goal to accessibility.

We're hoping to provide summaries and highlights of many of the sessions in the near future. There may even be some audio available. Stay tuned!

The first-ever BibleTech conference is only days away! It looks like there will be about 90 attendees at the conference—some of which will be flying in from as far as Hong Kong and England.

We at Logos aren't the only ones getting pumped about the event. Several of the presenters have blogged about BibleTech:2008 and what they will be speaking on. Check them out!

• Sean Boisen at Blogos | Information Architect, Logos Bible Software
• Rick Brannan at Ricoblog | Information Architect, Logos Bible Software
• Stephen Johnson at OliveTreeBlog.com | Software Engineer, Olive Tree Bible Software
• Mark Michael Miller | Director of Communications, Word of Grace
• Craig Rairdin at the Lardian Blog | President, Laridian, Inc.
• James Tauber | Co-Creator, MorphGNT.org

There is a final session schedule now available at the BibleTech:2008 website. If you are going to be there, you can go ahead and start planning which sessions you want to attend.

We know that many of you aren't going to be able to make it to the conference, so we'll try to bring you some of the highlights here at the Logos blog. It looks like at least one of the attendees is planning to blog about the conference as well. I'm sure others will too. We'll bring you the roundup of all the BibleTech:2008 goodness right here, so be sure to check back!

BibleTech:2008 is only three weeks away! For those who are new to the Logos Blog, BibleTech:2008 is a two-day conference that will feature more than 2 dozen presentations on projects at the intersection of Bible study and technology. The event will take place on January 25 and 26 at the Seattle Airport Hilton Conference Center. Tickets are still available for the conference at a discounted rate.

Recently, there have been several updates to the BibleTech:2008 website. More presenters have been added to the conference and a session schedule is now available.

The most common question we have been asked about BibleTech is, "Do I need a degree in Computer Science to attend?" The answer is a resounding, "No!" During each session you will have a choice to attend a more technologically advanced presentation or one that is more geared towards the common Christian with rudimentary knowledge of the internet and computers. Think of it this way, if you enjoy reading this blog you will have a great time at BibleTech:2008.

Presenters and attendees will be flying into Seattle from all over the country and it looks like BibleTech:2008 is going to be a great event. Don't miss out on all the fun! Purchase your ticket for BibleTech:2008 today.

We'll see you in Seattle.

Now is the time! Registration is live for BibleTech 2008, January 25-26, 2008, in Seattle!

We’ve got a variety of speakers addressing all kinds of topics at the intersection of the Bible and technology. We’ll be looking at digital Bible maps, online education, open source projects, web-based language tools, and Bible-reference micro-formats for marking up HTML.

Pastor, programmer, or professor, there’s something for you at BibleTech!

More importantly, we’ve got a great group of people showing up. As interesting as many of the sessions sound, I am even more excited about spending two days meeting and talking with people who share my interest in the Bible and technology. I hope you’ll come and be part of it.

We have tried to make BibleTech 2008 as easy to attend as possible. We’re holding it literally across the street from the SeaTac airport, so you don’t need a car or taxi; you can walk. We’re also pricing the tickets at a “covers costs” level. (Your ticket includes three conference meals, coffee breaks, etc.)

Tickets for BibleTech 2008 are being sold through the Logos Pre-Pub system, so that we can get a head-count in advance. You can pre-order your ticket now without being charged until December.

And please don’t forget to blog about BibleTech 2008. Sadly, not everyone reads the Logos Blog, and we need your help to get the word out!

(Note to bloggers: If you blog about the BibleTech conference, consider using the "bibletech08" tag so that posts about the conference are easy to find in Technorati and others. Thanks!)

Vincent's post about mapping out and harmonizing all the various book-chapter-verse schemes for the Bible has sparked some great discussion among other bloggers. Here are a few selections; click through on the links to read the complete posts at each site...

ESV Bible Blog - "They plan to use the data in the next version of their software to allow for a 'higher degree of precision when it comes to Bible navigation, comparing Bible versions and viewing them in parallel, and Bible reference tagging.' The amount of effort put into this project boggles the mind."

The folks at Crossway also point to a series of posts by blogger Ben C. Smith, who is working his way through a detailed description of the various canonical lists assembled by the early church. Interesting stuff which has a bearing on the Bible we read today.

Randy McRoberts of The Upward Way Press writes,

"Most people know that the chapter and verse divisions of the Bible aren’t part of the original text. Many people may not know that the versification of all Bibles is not the same. For example, if you look up a psalm in the Septuagint, it might have a different number than it does in the English Bibles. It is a very complicated situation. Particularly if your Bibles are digital."

I'm sure Vincent would concur with this assessment. He's been looking a little wrung out lately, and could probably use a care package.  :-)

In a post entitled "Here's Why I Believe in Logos Bible Software" (we appreciate the vote of confidence but would direct such praise to the One who truly deserves it), Benjamin Janssen writes, 

"There are many good reasons why any serious Bible student should invest in, learn, and use Logos Bible Software. But here's the best reason I can think of: the company is dedicated to getting it right. This is a Bible study software that I am confident will always be on the cutting edge of research and analysis without compromising quality, even down to chapter and verse divisions."

We do work hard to stay at the cutting edge of Bible technology, and are taking steps to promote a healthy "give and take" with others in the industry. The BibleTech 2008 conference in January will be a great opportunity for all those who work at the intersection of Bible and technology to share best practices and spur one another on to even greater levels of excellence.

If things like XML versification maps get you excited, you definitely need to be at the conference!

Announcing BibleTech 2008, January 25-26, 2008, in Seattle!

I enjoy hanging out with Bible geeks and talking technology. I enjoy it so much that every morning I tag along with a handful of Logos developers for a brisk walkabout, and learn all about things like "expression trees" and "lambda methods" (or is it lambda trees and expression methods?).

Regardless of whether you know your trees from your methods, you are invited to BibleTech 2008!

It is a two-day conference where publishers, programmers, webmasters, educators, bloggers, and others who work (or dabble) at the intersection of Bible and technology will come together in one place for great networking, presentations, and discussion!

I don't know of any other conference like this, and I hope 2008 will be the first of many. Be sure to visit http://www.BibleTechConference.com and check out the details and tentative list of speakers!

Also visit the Call for Participation and propose a talk on a project you're working on, new technology you're excited about, where you see the industry headed, or any Bible+Technology topic you'd like to address.

What BibleTech is Not

BibleTech is not a conference about Logos Bible Software...it's about Bible software, and online Bibles, and open source Bible databases, Bible mark-up schemes, software for Bible translation, Bible microformats, Unicode fonts for Bible display, semantic Bibles, visualization of Bible data, and I think you get the picture. Technology related to the Bible.

So mark your calendar...and we'll look forward to seeing you in Seattle!

Note to bloggers: If you blog about the BibleTech conference, consider using the "bibletech08" tag so that posts about the conference are easy to find in Technorati and others. Thanks!