Genesis 5 Redux

Genesis 10

Yikes, this is even more boring than the last geneology. Maybe I just wistfully recall the lovely time spent reading the names 5 chapters ago- but this stuff is really dry.
2 minor ideas-

1) Are these names from birth? Peleg gets his name (not from Peter Pan) but because during his days the earth was divided. So...how did they know? Prophecy? Was he the child to be named later?

2) it seems fairly arbitrary which names get carried through- sometimes the oldest son, but not always- arbitrary unless (as Icky eluded in an email) this is tracing the lineage of Christ. This makes the passage a little more pertinent (though sadly not much more interesting).

Ah if it weren't for the casual reference to Nimrod and the Ludites (what's the connection to the techno-phobes of today? ) this would have been even more of a snoozer.

Sorry, a few lame jokes and very little insight- let's hope there's more to pull from in chapter 11.

Chip