Note: I have removed references to the name of the actual software program below and hidden the identity of the individual pictured because neither are at issue here. The software program is actually one that is quite good, and I’m sure the same could be said of the professor who took part in this advertisement.

I picked up a brochure for [unnamed Windows Bible software] today and couldn’t help but chuckle at the photo inside the brochure that I have scanned and reproduced below:

Before you read any further, think to yourself...What’s wrong with this picture (besides the smiley face and my other edits)?

If I were in charge of advertising Bible software, the above photograph is the exact opposite of what I’d want to represent in a brochure. Notice that the professor is concentrating not on [unnamed Windows Bible software], but instead he’s using a physical Bible and he’s taking notes on a legal pad--very old school, very non-Tech. Meanwhile, [unnamed Windows Bible software] is relegated--unfocused and at the moment, unused--to the background.

Now, I’m sure lots of people actually work this way. Sometimes I have a notepad handy when I work for quick notes or outlines, but I generally compose directly on the computer. And it’s not unusual for me to have a physical biblical text in front of me while I’m using Accordance. But that’s different. Why? Because this is an advertisement for software, for the love of Margaret! But the ad doesn’t focus on the software; it focuses on the way we studied before we had software!

Surely whatever Bible the professor in the picture is using would also be found in [unnamed Windows Bible software]. The brochure boasts 115 translations in 35 languages! And ten years ago when I used [unnamed Windows Bible software] before switching to the Mac and Accordance, I distinctly remember that the program had a very handy text editor included, so I’d toss the notepad for sure

I will say, however, that he’s sitting at a very attractive desk; and I certainly like the banker’s lamp...