VOIP - Cheap LIMITED Phone Service

I was looking for cheap local phone service with no monthly fees, only pay based on usage, and to use a home phone, not a computer for access. This is a different then Vontage which is relatively low monthly fees and unlimited usage. The reason for this is that I prefer to use a cell phone for most calls but want to have a home phone as well. The service I chose was gizmo (http://www.gizmoproject.com/) service which charges $0.019 per minute calls to normal phones, no monthly fees, prepaid. The only "catch" is that I have to add to the pre-paid accounts in minimum increments of $10 and which expire after 6 months if I don't use them. I looked at Skype, but it doesn't do true VOIP so if you want to use their service without a computer you have to buy an expensive proprietary Skype phone, not my normal phone. I purchased an ATA, an analog telephone adapter so I can still use my normal phone. Plus, so I didn't have to purchase a phone number from the gizmoproject (for $3 a month), I instead use the Grandcentral service (http://www.grandcentral.com/) from Google which give a user a free access number which calls all of your phone numbers, cell phone, home, work, and even your GIZMO account. So my setup looks like this

Outgoing calls

Home phone -> ATA (Grandstream HT488 Adapter) -> Comcast Internet -> Gizmo Project -> Normal Phone Network -> End Phone number

Incoming calls

End user caller -> Normal Phone Network -> Google GrandCentral Service -> Gizmo project -> Comcast Internet -> ATA (Grandstream HT488 Adapter) -> Normal Phone

I'm going to use this for a few days and then write more about my experiences.

Fixing a NSLU2

I'm running an NSLU2 server with the default linksys firmware. It serves up a USB hard drive to my home network. It was failing sending small files in Windows with the message "The Network name was no longer available". I just disabled UPnP support on the NSLU2 and then file transfers starting working. I found this tip here http://www.nslu2-linux.org/wiki/FAQ/DroppingConnections.

Quick install CMS

Quickly install most cms stacks in less then 5 minutes for testing. I installed drupal in < 5 minutes on my windows laptop for playing. I have no idea if their stacks are production worthy or even upgradeable but for testing an a new app its really nice. Most installers are for Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X.

http://bitnami.org/stacks

* Infrastructure
* LAMPStack
* MAMPStack
* RubyStack
* WAMPStack
* Blog
* Roller
* WordPress
* Bug-Tracking
* Mantis
* Redmine
* Trac
* CMS
* Alfresco
* Drupal
* Joomla
* KnowledgeTree
* ECM
* Alfresco
* KnowledgeTree
* Forum
* phpBB
* Poll Management
* Opina
* Portal Server
* Liferay
* Wiki
* DokuWiki
* MediaWiki
* eLearning
* Moodle

Putting it all together - Fun with web 2.0

This is a re-post of mine from here http://www.geekbrownbag.com/blog/topher/2008/jan/12/putting-it-all-together-fun-web-2-0


For a dynamic site I'd want it to be as easy as possible to manage data from multiple sources, and manage content with a team of people but never actually have to go to the site to manage content and I want to use the tools I already use on a day to day basis namely google reader, blogger, google calendar, and possibly google documents and flickr (although I don't use flickr currently). Plus for brownie points I don't want to have create special accounts on those sites, I want to use my existing accounts just use labels on the content specifying the topic.

If we did this on geekbrownbag I wouldn't have repost this same blog entry both here and on my own website so both communities can read it. I'd just put a label on the post for geekbrownbag, and then bang it would be both places.

Here are some tricks I've learned

Blogger allows label specific RSS Feeds

http://help.blogger.com/bin/answer.py?answer=53336&topic=12455

So to subscribe to my RSS specific feed from my normal blog a cms could be subscribed to

http://eltopher.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/-/geekbrownbag

Goggle reader allows re-feeding label specific RSS items

http://www.google.com/support/reader/bin/answer.py?answer=70656&query=pu...

Any interesting article, I could just tag it geekbrownbag and it would instantly show up on the main page.

Plus if the CMS software can't handle multiple RSS Feeds for one category like the main page not a problem seed the feeds through a feed aggregator which sends them out as one combined rss feed.

Using software called reblog and its re-feed component
http://reblog.org/refeed/README.html

Calendar Integration

Google calendar allows multiple authors
http://www.google.com/support/calendar/bin/answer.py?answer=36598&ctx=si...

Google calendars can be embedded into a website
http://www.google.com/support/calendar/bin/answer.py?answer=41207

Dynamic Sites

I'm looking for a good CMS software package which can do the following

1. Display multiple RSS Feeds into multiple parts of the page
2. Display images Flickr
3. Uses *nix but not java so probably PHP, Perl, Ruby, etc

So far Drupal, wordpress, and Joomla seem to be the main ones I've seen on the web.

I'm also interested in rss feed aggretators which can display a single section with feeds from multiple sources. I don't know if CMS's can do this or if I I need to find a seperate rss feed aggregator like refeed at http://www.reblog.org/refeed/README.html which can aggregate multiple feeds into one, optionally allowing moderation and selection of specific posts to refeed.

Geek Brown Bag

I started posting over at Geek Brown Bag a Christian/Geek Site hosted by a friend of mine.

http://www.geekbrownbag.com

Cool Firefox Car

Cool car

Robot Stand-in at work

http://news.therecord.com/Business/article/236315

IvanAnywhere - stand in for Ivan Bowman who is working from home, but uses cameras and microphones on a robot to go to meetings, and meet with co-workers in their offices.

thefreecountry

I really like this page for looking up free (no cost) and open source software in almost any category.

http://www.thefreecountry.com/

Examples

Backup and image software

http://www.thefreecountry.com/utilities/backupandimage.shtml

Encryption software

http://www.thefreecountry.com/security/encryption.shtml

Partition Editors

http://www.thefreecountry.com/utilities/partitioneditors.shtml

Emulators

http://www.thefreecountry.com/emulators/pc.shtml

Anti-virus

http://www.thefreecountry.com/security/antivirus.shtml

New Mexico Drive In Theaters

http://www.driveintheater.com/list/nmexico.htm

Operating Theatres

• Fiesta Drive-In Theatre
  
  401 W. Fiesta Dr, Carlsbad, NM (505) 855-4126

• Apache Drive-In
  1411 W. Apache St. Farmington, NM 87401 (505) 325-3925

• Fort Union Drive In
  3300 7th Street, Las Vegas, NM 87701 (505) 425-9934

• 85 Drive-in,
  1391 2nd St. Raton, NM 87740 (505) 445-3672

Funny New Mexico World Records

In 1998, Kevin Cole, of Carlsbad, New Mexico set a new world record for farthest spaghetti nasal ejection, by sending seven-and-a-half inches of noodle rocketing from his nose in a single blow.

In 2001, Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta vendors "The Original Breakfast Burrito" also set a record, for the most breakfast burritos sold in one hour at an outdoor event—417. Wow! 417!

Then, in 2002, charity workers from Albuquerque set a record for the world’s largest taco. The soft-shelled taco weighed over 1,600 pounds, measured almost twenty feet long, and took at least twenty-five people to construct.

So, there’s that.

New Mexicans, it seems, can be a pretty odd lot—with unusual hopes and goals and accomplishments—but it seems we may be represented by one of our own. In 2002, in Albuquerque, current New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson set the Guinness Book world record for most handshakes by a politician in an eight-hour period, shaking the hands of 13,392 potential voters.

http://www.mystrangenewmexico.com/

Websters 1828 - first edition dictionary search engine - Christian definitions

Websters 1828 - first edition dictionary

Search here

http://1828.mshaffer.com/

Example:

politics

POL'ITICS, n. The science of government; that part of ethics which consists in the regulation and government of a nation or state, for the preservation of its safety, peace and prosperity; comprehending the defense of its existence and rights against foreign control or conquest, the augmentation of its strength and resources, and the protection of its citizens in their rights, with the preservation and improvement of their morals. [emphasis mine] Politics, as a science or an art, is a subject of vast extent and importance.


Do think secular humanist ideas haven't effected our language? Look up words in this dictionary and compare to modern definitions. This 1828 edition bases many definitions out of the Bible and is completely politically incorrect according to todays standards.

1828 Noah Webster's Dictionary (first definition)
1981 Webster's New Dictionary (a more modern edition)

Examples copied from here http://www.hstreasures.com/1828dictionary.html

Marriage:

The act of uniting a man and woman for life...Marriage was instituted by God himself..."Marriage is honorable in all..." Heb. 13.

Marriage:

...man and woman are joined in a special kind of social and legal dependence for the purpose of founding and maintaining a family...an intimate or close union.

Education:

Education comprehends...instruction and discipline intended to enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations. To give them a religious education is indispensable.

Education:

The action or process of [developing mentally or morally]

Mercy:

That benevolence, mildness or tenderness which disposes a person...to treat an offender better than he deserves. "The Lord is long-suffering and of great mercy." Num.14.

Mercy:

Compassion or forbearance shown esp. to an offender or to one subject to one's power...an act of divine favor or compassion...a fortunate circumstance.

Truth:

Conformity to fact or reality...We rely on the truth of scriptural prophecies. "Sanctify them through thy truth..."
John 17

Truth:
Sincerity in action, character, and utterance...the body of real thing... a judgment...that is true or accepted as true.

You can be my Firefox

Very, very funny geek love song.

http://www.gryphontech.co.za/ffsong/

Chorus from the page

Chorus:
My heart went Yahoo!**
When I Stumbled Upon** you
I couldn't help to Google**
Your beautiful face
So please don't be Froogle**
with your love for this nerd
You can be my Firefox**
and I will be your Thunderbird**

Printing Large Fonts in Firefox

To print using a larger font than the default. Follow the steps in the image to set the minimum font size FF will display or print. Click on the image see it full size.

Helping the visually impaired to read a little easier

1. 5 Inch Round Lighted Magnifying glass

2. Head Mounted magnifying devices - These would be good if purchased with the optional light

3. eBay: 3 Mounted Lighted Magnifying Glasses

4. Miscellaneous - Magnifying Glasses, Lighted Magnifyers, Magnifying Headsets, Optics, and other magnifying devices - Scroll down they have several interesting products

5. Low Vision Reader - home project for creating a cheap electronic magnifing device

6. 3 Inch Dome Magnifier - Cool shape

7. Magnifying Desk Lamp - Pricey but very large

8. 3X Rectangular Magnifier - Interesting shape

9. Sheet Magnifier - Magnify a whole sheet of paper at a time

10. Sheet Magnifier with built in stand
    

11. TOPAZ - expensive electronic magnifying goodness

Albuquerque Driving

Funny forward from M.
-------------------
Driving in ABQ

Ladies and Gentleman these are tips on how to survive driving in Albuquerque.

First you must learn to pronounce the city name.

It is 'Al buh kirky' or some variation of that.

Juan Tabo is pronounced Huan Tah boh, San Pedro is San Peh Droh,
Candelaria is Can Deh Lay Ree Ah, etc.

Forget the traffic rules you learned elsewhere. We have our own version of traffic rules. 'Hold on and pray'.

There is no such thing as a dangerous high-speed chase in Albuquerque We all drive like that.

All directions start with, 'Get on Central'. which has no beginning and no end.

The morning rush hour is from 6 to 10. The evening rush hour is from 3 to 7. Friday's rush hour starts Thursday morning.

If you actually stop at a yellow light, you will be rear ended, cussed out and possibly shot.

When you are the first one on the starting line, count to five when the light turns green before going to avoid crashing with all the drivers running the red light in cross-traffic.

Construction on Central is a way of life and a permanent form of entertainment. We had so much fun with that, we have added Montgomery/Montano and Lomas to the mix.

All unexplained sights are explained by the phrase, 'Oh, we're in Rio Rancho.'

If someone actually has their turn signal on, it is probably a factory defect.

Car horns are actually 'Road Rage' indicators.

All old ladies with blue hair in Mercedes have the right of way. PERIOD.

Montgomery and Ellison mysteriously change names as you cross I-25. (these are only a couple of examples).--------- If asking directions in the SE or S part of town, you'll benefit from a working knowledge of Spanish.

If on Central or in Tijeras, ditto the above. If you stop to ask directions on Coors Blvd or S 4th, you'd better be armed.

A trip across town (east to west) will take a minimum of two hours, although many north/south passages have an unposted minimum speed of 75.

The minimum acceptable speed on North I-25 is 85. Anything less is considered downright sissy.

The East I-40 is our daily version of NASCAR. It also ends in Edgewood .

I-25 to Santa Fe is called 'The Death Trap' for two reasons: 'death' and 'trap'.

If you flip on your turn indicators expect the lanes beside you to close up bumper-to-bumper.

If it's 100-degrees, Thanksgiving must be next weekend.

If it's 10-degrees and sleeting/snowing, the Fourth of July is around the corner.

If it's rained 6 inches in the last hour, and it is Fall, the Balloon Fiesta just started.

If it is Fall, the Balloon Fiesta is going on.

If you go to the Fair, pay the $5.00 to park INSIDE Fair Park . Parking elsewhere could cost up to $2500 for damages, towing fees, parking tickets, etc. If some guy with a flag tries to get you to park in his 'yard', run.

All amusement parks, stadiums, arenas, race tracks, airports, etc., are conveniently located as far away from EVERYTHING as possible so as to allow for ample parking on grassy areas.

Australian English to American English Dictionary

My mom's list of terms and oddities she recorded on the trip.

Australian- US
Sacked- Fired
No Worries- ?Don't worry about it????
Schedule Schedule
(pronounced shedule)-
Burger King- Hungry Jacks
2 liter soda- $4.00 to $5.00 USD
small Can soda- $1.99 to $2.50 USD
paper round- Paper route
highway smash- car accident
lollies- candy
rebranded- renamed
house removal- house mover
feed- meal
swaggie hat- a hat which has corks hanging down with strings all around your face to scare flies away. (First thing I've ever looked up which isn't in wikipedia)
Bus set down- bus stop
toilet - bathroom
Liter of Gas - $1.25, which is about $5 per gallon
seat belt in buses

Google SMS

Getting info from Google using text messages. Send a text to the phone number 466453 (GOOGLE) with a message like any below. You can try it out on their web page.

http://www.google.com/intl/en_us/mobile/sms/

Search Features	Example query
Local Listings	sushi 94040
Weather	weather NYC
Flight updates* New!	LH454 or AA 2111
Airline information* New!	United Airlines
Sports**	lakers
Movies***	the departed 94110
Stock Quotes	tgt
Glossary	define zenith
Zip Code	72202
Translation	translate hello in french
Driving Directions	pasadena CA to 94043
Web Snippets	g hubble telescope
Q&A	abraham lincoln birthday
Area Code	650
Froogle	price ipod player 40gb
Calculator	1 US pint in liters
Currency Conversion	8 usd in yen
Help	local

* Flights data is provided by flightstats.com

My Strange New Mexico

Funny stuff

http://www.mystrangenewmexico.com/

Who what of thought New Mexico had a snake whacking day like the Simpsons?

"In Alamogordo, in an even more unbelievable example, locals get together every April to round up every rattlesnake they can find, throw them into trashcans and buckets and cardboard boxes, and then kill and skin many of them to cook up and sell to the public. Those snakes that aren’t killed are goaded and harassed into striking at objects for the amusement of onlookers; vendors sell balloons which can be dropped into snake pits for the snakes to attack, and snakes are kicked along the floor or dropped while being used in tricks. On average about two thousand people a year attend this event, the Alamogordo Rattlesnake Roundup—which is combined with a crafts exhibit and a gun show—and over half of those collecting snakes admit to taking theirs from public lands. These snake hunters have gathered as many as one thousand snakes every year since 1986, mostly western diamondbacks, and as most of these rattlesnakes are not listed as endangered species, the area’s Game & Fish representatives do nothing to protect them."

Is it wrong that the above description of the event really, really makes me want to go?

[Simpsons]
http://www.answers.com/topic/whacking-day

Funny Kid Quotes

An email forward I received

JACK (age 3) was watching his Mom breast-feeding his new baby sister. After a while he asked: "Mom why have you got two? Is one for hot and one for cold milk?"

MELANIE (age 5) asked her Granny how old she was. Granny replied she was so old she didn't remember any more. Melanie said, "If you don't remember you must look in the back of your panties. Mine say five to six ."

STEVEN (age 3) hugged and kissed his Mom good night. "I love you so much that when you die I'm going to bury you outside my bedroom window."

BRITTANY (age 4) had an earache and wanted a pain killer. She tried in vain to take the lid off the bottle. Seeing her frustration, her Mom explained it was a child-proof cap and she'd have to open it for her. Eyes wide with wonder, the little girl asked: "How does it know it's me?"

SUSAN(age 4) was drinking juice when she got the hiccups. "Please don't give me this juice again," she said, "It makes my teeth cough."

DJ (age 4) stepped onto the bathroom scale and asked: "How much do I cost?"

MARC (age 4) was engrossed in a young couple that were hugging and kissing in a restaurant. Without taking his eyes off them, he asked his dad: "Why is he whispering in her mouth?"

CLINTON(age 5) was in his bedroom looking worried. When his Mom asked what was troubling him, he replied, "I don't know what'll happen with this bed when I get married. How will my wife fit in?"

JAMES(age 4) was listening to a Bible story. His dad read: "The man named Lot was warned to take his wife and flee out of the city but his wife looked back and was turned to salt." Concerned, James asked: What "What happened to the flea?"

TAMMY(age 4) was with her mother when they met an elderly, rather wrinkled woman her Mom knew. Tammy looked at her for a while and then asked, "Why doesn't your skin fit your face?"

The Sermon I think this Mom will never forget.... this particular Sunday sermon..."Dear Lord," the minister began, with arms extended toward heaven and a rapturous look on his upturned face. "Without you, we are but dust..." He would have continued but at that moment my very obedient daughter who was listening leaned over to me and asked quite audibly in her shrill little four year old girl voice, "Mom, what is butt dust?"

Audio Bible

I've run into a situation a couple of times now where I wanted to help someone find a audio bible but the person don't own a computer or portable MP3 player. MP3 Bibles are cheap or free and often contain extra resources such as sermons. I think they are a great resource, but in some cases the person can't use them because he or she doesn't have a player. Alternatively, you can find audio bibles on audio CD. They take up 64+ CD's and generally cost over $60. Isn't there something in between?

Options

1. Check to see if the person has a DVD player and if it plays MP3 CD's - maybe this would work in some situations
2. Determine if there is a cheap portable MP3 player <$35 Which can hold the MP3 Bible contents generally <>
3. Use a CD Duplicator to create the 64 + CD's from a burned copy of an the MP3 bible. 64 Audio CD's themselves will cost less than $10 the problem is how long it will take to make 1) the initial burned copy and 2) the additional copies + labels. A couple of audio bibles I've seen allow you to make unlimited copies for non-commercial use, for the others just purchase an additional copy and package it with each set of CD's.

Find someone who already sells a combo of any of the above options for a reasonable price.

Update. E-bay has some cheap used (eg here, here) CD/MP3 player combos which could be bought for $15-$25 including shipping.

Huge smoke ring generator

Truth Project - Conference Schedule

Here's what to expect (view the conference agenda) ...

• Dr. Del Tackett teaching The Truth Project Curriculum
• Understanding and living the Christian worldview in daily life
• Knowing the nature and character of God
• God's design for all of life: work, science, family, government, art, ethics and more
• How to thrive in a hostile culture
• Participants will receive the complete DVD set of 12 Lessons. (These professionally produced DVDs are only available by attending Focus on the Family's The Truth Project conference.)
• Access to our password protected learning support site that features lesson outlines, bonus multimedia content, discussion forums, worldview articles and more
• Conference hours: Friday, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Upcoming Conference and Training Events:

Spring 2007

• San Antonio, Texas, February 2-3, 2007 (Trinity University)
• Sacramento, California, March 23-24, 2007 (Bayside Church)
• Kansas City, Missouri, April 13-14, 2007 (First Baptist Church of Raytown)
• Orange County, California, April 27-28, 2007 (Yorba Linda Friends Church)

Fall 2007

• Louisville, Kentucky, October 12-13, 2007 (Highview Baptist Church).

Other Planned Event Locations, 2007 (dates to be determined)

• Colorado Springs
• Phoenix
• Toronto
• Tulsa, Oklahoma
• Vancouver, British Columbia

Amazing Juggling Finale

Chris Bliss performing an amazing juggling routine.

Mozilla Virtual Patching

I've always wondered if you could create a useful "virtual" patch extension for Firefox. What I mean by this is real patches, or security updates are not released until their fully tested to not break core features or external plugins, and some security improvements involve creating new GUI's, and modifying default preferences, and the coders what to solve it "correctly" the first time at the root of the problem and not just band-aid the fix and have to solve it over and over again. But what about the time it takes to get a real "fix" and do it correctly? Between the time the problem is discovered and fixed it can take a few weeks for critical security bug and literally years to make some security enhancing fixes. What if I'm willing to live with a band-aid or imperfect GUI's between those times, in the name of security? What if a corporation is willing to live with these band-aid as well?

Design ideas
1. Simple extension where a user can optionally enable/disable security related prefs on a per site or global basis (like noscript but more granular and moving beyond javascript and plugins.). I believe Mozilla does have the ability to disable particular javascript commands on a per site basis, there is just not a GUI For it.
2. If possible I would not want to change the original code at all, just override functions externally (can I do this through an overlay? Like a wrapper class in a java filter, wrapping a function, changing its behavior as needed but not having to modify the original code) and allowing the altered functionality to be disabled or enabled per site. If the new/altered functionality breaks something you care about turn it off for that site.
3. If possible, do all of this using only cross platform languages, javascript, XUL, etc so someone doesn't have to continually recompile the solution for multiple platforms.

Update 1/1/2007:

I'm now wondering if this should be more of an library and API rather than a product. Then each patch will be javascript & xul files which call the api.

1. Use Cases (Some based on http://www.squarefree.com/2006/12/14/sgwant/ and http://www.squarefree.com/securitytips/users.html)

• HttpOnly
• Gmail contacts vulnerability

http://cyber-knowledge.net/blog/2007/01/01/gmail-vulnerable-to-contact-list-hijacking/

• block known bad sites by default as black list or white list
  

2. Functionality required from API

• warn or Blacklist/whitelist specific domains
• warn or Blacklist/whitelist Block specific pages
• warn or Blacklist/whitelist specific URL Parameters
• warn or Blacklist/whitelist specific POST Parameters
• Encrypt specific param values or cookie values so they become useless to scripts, but get decrypted before being sent back to the server
  
• Scan params for cross site scripting type code, (javascript, SQL, etc)
• limit get/posts and specific params to particular URL's by referrer
• Clipboard monitoring???

Existing functionality to study

httpOnly-extension
noscript-extension
adblock-extension

Configurable Security Policies
http://www.mozilla.org/projects/security/components/ConfigPolicy.html

Cheap ways to stay warm this winter

Check out this link from the Get Rich Slowly Blog

Examples from the page.

1. * Let in some light. Open blinds on south-facing windows during the day to let in the sun. Close them in the evening to add a bit more insulation. This provides just enough mid-day warmth that we don’t need the heater.
2. * Use rugs on bare floors. We have hardwood floors above a poorly-insulated basement. These floors are cold in the morning and the late afternoon. An area rug does a fine job of keeping my feet warmer.
3. * Block drafts. This is best done with weather-stripping or other forms of insulation, but even a blanket in front of a door helps. Because our house is so old, nothing is level. This makes it difficult to install weather stripping. The bottom of our mudroom door, for example, has a one-inch gap on one end but is flush with the floor near the hinge. By laying a blanket in front of the door, we can mitigate some of the heat loss.

etc.

Biblical Dating - An Introduction

Biblical Dating: An Introduction

Beginning of a series of articles on Christianity and dating. Scott Croft attempts to address how to apply Biblical principals to find a person to marry.

Excerpts from the article ....

Biblical Dating

OK. Let's take care of some basic definitions. We may define biblical dating as a method of introduction and carrying out of a pre-marital relationship between a single man and a single woman:

1. That begins (maybe) with the man approaching and going through the woman's father or family;
2. that is conducted under the authority of the woman's father or family or church; and
3. that always has marriage (or at least a determination regarding marriage to a specific person) as its direct goal.

....

Modern Dating

We may basically define modern dating as a method of introduction and carrying out of a pre-marital relationship between a single man and a single woman:

1. that begins with either the man or the woman initiating with the other;
2. that is conducted outside the formal oversight or authority of either person's family or church; and
3. that may or may not have marriage as its goal and is often purely "recreational" or "educational."

Crisis Counseling - What to do or not to do

These items are quoted/paraphrased from the "His Presence in Crisis Evangelism Conference" Training Guide by Billy Graham Ministries. These are things to not say immediately after a crisis to the person you are counseling.

Do Say

1. These are normal reactions to a disaster.
2. It is understandable that you feel this way
3. You are not going crazy. This is just a abnormal situation which is beyond your ability to cope [right now].
4. (If the statement is true.) It wasn't your fault. You did the best you could.
5. Things may never be the same, but you will get better and you will feel better.
6. Would you be willing to tell me how you feel?
   

Don't Say

1. It could have been worse.
2. You can always get another _______ (pet, car, house, spouse, child).
3. It's best if you just say busy. (Don't use over-working to self-medicate and so avoid dealing with the problem).
4. I know just how you feel.
5. You just need to get on with your life.

Luffa Sponge Garden

Who knew that a luffa sponge was a vegetable?????

GroovyGreen.com - Start Today :: Save Tomorrow : Blog Archive : How To Make (and grow) A Luffa!:

"For the third autumn in a row I am pleased to be harvesting my shower sponge for next year. Now I know that must sound like a strange statement but it’s true. Many people are surprised when they find out I grow my own Luffa sponges. “Don’t those come from the sea?”, is the standard question to which I respond that the Luffa is a vegetable you can grow in your very own garden."

Despair.com

De-Motivational Videos

Satire on what not to do in the office.

http://theater.despair.com/disconfirmationwmv.html

http://theater.despair.com/powerofstorieswmv.html

http://theater.despair.com/013006icbwwmv.html

Memo to Bosses

Do's and Don'ts of being a good boss.

Huge list of 100 item - here are a few.

1. Make your employees come in on their days off even when you know there is no real work to be done.
2. Call them when they are on vacation, not unless the office has burned down, in which case the call is moot anyway.
3. Be biased, play favorites or show partisanship when dealing with your subordinates.
4. Hog your employees’ limelight, or more specifically, take credit for ideas that are not yours.
5. Monitor every aspect of your employees’ work. Peering over their shoulders every few minutes, or worse, hooking up hidden nanny cameras to spy on them in your absence is as good as wearing a sandwich board saying “Hate me, I deserve it”. Remember, just as a watched pot never boils, an over-supervised employee’s creativity and productivity are stifled.

Serial Hybrid Cars from GM

KurzweilAI.net

EcoWorld, November 19, 2006

General Motors has announced plans to sell a serial hybrid car, with a prototype available early next year.

A serial hybrid means that the car has two engines, but only one engine is connected directly to the drive train, hence it is a "serial" hybrid.

It is less complex than conventional hybrid cars, because only the electric motor, with its huge range of usable RPM, is connected to the drivetrain.

Another huge advantage is that serial hybrid cars have their second motor, a small, ultra-low-emission gas or diesel engine, connected to a generator to recharge the battery pack while the car is being driven. By doing this, a cheaper and more reliable battery pack can be used, and there is no need for a complex heat management system.

Read Original Article>>

Should Google Go Nuclear? Clean, cheap, nuclear power (no, really) - Google Video

Should Google Go Nuclear? Clean, cheap, nuclear power (no, really) - Google Video:

"ABSTRACT This is not your father's fusion reactor! Forget everything you know about conventional thinking on nuclear fusion: high-temperature plasmas, steam turbines, neutron radiation and even nuclear waste are a thing of the past. Goodbye thermonuclear fusion; hello inertial electrostatic confinement fusion (IEC), an old idea that's been made new. While the international community debates the fate of the politically-turmoiled $12 billion ITER (an experimental thermonuclear reactor), simple IEC reactors are being built as high-school science fair projects."

Dr. Robert Bussard, former Asst. Director of the Atomic Energy Commission and founder of Energy Matter Conversion Corporation (EMC2) is presenting to Google. Dr Bussard is in need of $200 Million to produce a full size Fusion reactor using a style of fusion abandoned by most researchers 20 years ago. But Dr. has been working with a team quietly and without publication for 17 years attempting to make the technology viable.

This sounds like a project for the Google Foundation

Hotel Rwanda

http://www.calvaryabq.org/events/event.asp?EventID=469

Join M88 and KNKT for a FREE movie.

Ten years ago, as the country of Rwanda descended into madness, one man made a promise to protect the family he loved--and ended up finding the courage to save over 1200 people. Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager in Rwanda, secretly used his position and intelligence to shelter over a thousand refugees during the genocide crisis. While the rest of the world closed its eyes, Paul opened his heart to prove that the human spirit can make us stronger than we’d ever imagine.

When:	Saturday 11/18/2006 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Where:	Lobo Theater

Are You a Man of Prayer?

Are You a Man of Prayer?

Interesting Article on Men and prayer in America

by Jim Clayton

'The sheep are never so safe from the wolf as when they are near the shepherd.' - Charles Spurgeon

Fast Facts: Although 90% of Americans say they pray (60% say they pray every day), the ways they pray vary significantly, according to pollster George Barna. Two out of three unchurched Americans (63%) pray regularly, but only one out of three (34%) is sure that praying makes any difference. In contrast, nearly 70% of the 'born-again' respondents think God personally responds to their prayers."

Sample Accountability Partner Questions

This is a list of sample questions for an accountability partners. I'm unsure where they originally came from but they were given at R at church a few weeks ago.

Update: These questions are from the Men of Integrity Web site. The lists on this site are good as well.

SAMPLE ACCOUNTABILITY QUESTIONS

Regardless of the accountability questions you choose, the last question should be "Have you been truthful about everything we have discussed?" There will be times when that question is necessary, and true accountability demands it.

- Have you spent time with God on a regular basis?
- Have you compromised your integrity in any way?
- Has your thought life been pure?
- Have you committed any sexual sin?
- How much time did you spend in prayer this week?
- Did you pray for the others in this group?
- Did you put yourself in an awkward situation with a woman?
- What one sin plagued your walk with God this week?
- Did you accomplish your spiritual goals this week?
- Are you giving to the Lord's work financially?
- How have you demonstrated a servant's heart?
- Do you treat your peers and coworkers as people loved by God?
- What significant thing did you do for your wife and/or family?
- What was your biggest disappointment? How did you decide to handle it?
- What was your biggest joy? Did you thank God?
- What do you see as your number one need for next week?
- Are you satisfied with the time you spent with the Lord this week?
- Did you take time to show compassion for others in need?
- Did you control your tongue?
- What did you do this week to enhance your relationship with your spouse and/or child(ren)?
- Did you pray and read God's Word this week? What did you derive from this time?
- I what ways have you stepped out in faith since we last met?
- I what ways has God blessed you this week? And what disappointments consumed your thoughts this week?
- Did you look at a woman in the wrong way?
- How have you been tempted this week? How did you respond?
- How has your relationship with Christ been changing?
- Did you worship in church this week?
- Have you shared your faith this week? How?
- What are you wrestling with in your thought life?
- What have you done for someone else this week?
- Are the "visible" you and the "real" you consistent?

Rock Paper Scissors Strategy Guide

Article on beating newbies in Rock Paper Scissors - and no this isn't a joke, the tournament seems to be real.

With the 2006 World Rock Paper Scissors Championships coming up in November in Toronto and $10,000.00 on the line (not to mention bragging rights of being able to call yourself "World Champion of RPS"), trying to get some sort of edge on your competition is becoming a focal point for a lot of players.

NPR : 2003 World Rock Paper Scissors Championship - and No I'm not kidding

NPR : 2003 World Rock Paper Scissors Championship: "Just as the World Scrabble Championship wraps up in Kuala Lumpur, another major gaming competition is starting in Toronto: The 2003 Rock Paper Scissors World Championship. Tournament organizers claim that 1,000 competitors will face off this weekend in a tense drama pitting fist against splayed fingers against outstretched hand."

Emergency Response

The Calvary of Albuquerque Rapid response training conference is one of the coolest projects I've seen from Calvary for a long time.

I assume that it may be a push to get people to take some of the additional training linked to below.

Additional links

National Incident Management System
The International Critical Incident Stress Foundation

Pilfered directly from the calvary abq site.

His Presences in Crisis - Rapid Response Training
Posted: Friday, November 03, 2006

Calvary of Albuquerque is pleased to partner with Billy Graham Evangelical Association in the training and deployment of Chaplains to offer hope through Jesus Christ to those who are affected by man-made or natural disaster.

SIGN UP ONLINE!

Individuals signing up for our Rapid Response Teams will be trained to assess disaster incidents for the appropriate response and recovery services in the following capacities:

• They will assist First Responders and displaced families.


• They will provide emotional and spiritual care to support personnel and will facilitate resources for police, fire, EMS, pastoral, and other First Responders, as well as displaced families, with the goal of stabilizing needed services in response to any particular incident.


• They will provide Christ-centered intervention through prayer and sharing God's love and hope.


• They will provide trained, licensed counselors for public school systems.


• The will provide International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF) trained chaplains for First Responders.


• The will facilitate FEMA, Red Cross, and other organizations to meet the needs of First Responders and displaced families.

ANY individual regardless of age is invited to train for certification to respond at one of four levels. If you have a heart to serve, we have a need for you.

Training Sessions:

• BGEA (Billy Graham Evangelical Association training) hosted by Calvary, December 1st and 2nd.

Other Training Sessions:

• NIMS (National Incident Management System)


• ICISF (International Critical Incident Stress Foundation)

For more information on how you can get involved, please contact Jo at 344-0880 or email your questions to jo@calvaryabq.org.

Geeky Electronic Bumper Stickers

I've never been into bumper stickers but I might change my mind. Why should the city bus be the only vehicle with with a fancy, shmancy LED light up sign on the back.

1. LED Bumper stickers

http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/2006/06/led_light_pick_and_led_car_mes.html

2. LCD Bumper Stickers

http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9661617-1.html?subj=Crave&part=rss&tag=rss

Christian Courses and Training

1. The Truth Project

   Focus on the Family's truth project, series for small groups of 12 DVD's given in small groups for 12-2 hour lessons on a Christian Worldview. I've got a co-worker going this this. He says it is VERY good. I want to go to either his church when they give it again, and then I can give it myself from my home or through the church or they have big conferences around the country where you can go through it in 2 days. Next big conference is in Orlando, next week. Probably gonna miss that one. But it will be in Texas in February.
   
   

   http://www.thetruthproject.org/events/A000000068.cfm/
   

   The Truth Project Lessons
   Lesson 1 - Veritology: What is Truth?
   Lesson 2 - Philosophy and Ethics: Says Who?
   Lesson 3 - Anthropology: Who is Man?
   Lesson 4 - Theology: Who is God?
   Lesson 5 - Science: What is True?
   Lesson 6 - History: Whose Story?
   Lesson 7 - Sociology: The Divine Imprint
   Lesson 8 - Unio Mystica: Am I Alone?
   Lesson 9 - The State: Whose Law?
   Lesson 10 - The American Experiment: Stepping Stones
   Lesson 11 - Labor: Created to Create
   Lesson 12 - Community and Involvement: God Cares, do I?


2. Christian Online Learning at Christian Courses
   By the publishers of the "Our Daily Bread: Daily Devotional" A ton of free comprehensive bible and Christian history courses. Looks very good.


3. Answers in Genesis on line courses

Creation apologetics. These courses run only a couple of times a year with about 6 hours of homework a week.


4. Update: Centurions by Breakpoint
   
   Created by Chuck Colson, the Centurions Program is a one-year distance-learning course that equips Christians to engage a starving culture with the choice fruits of biblical truth. Studying under Colson and other great biblical worldview thinkers, students learn to handle accurately the word of truth as it applies to every area of life and culture—including politics, education, mass media and the arts, bioethics, business, and marriage and family. And they gain confidence to speak truth persuasively and winsomely amid the stew of distorted beliefs and values.

Truisms

Funny forward from V.

1. Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
2. A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well.
3. He, who laughs last, thinks slowest.
4. A day without sunshine is like, well, night.
5. Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.
6. Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don't.
7. Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.
8. The 50-50-90 rule: Anytime you have a 50-50 chance of getting something right, there's a 90% probability you'll get it wrong.
9. It is said that if you line up all the cars in the world end-to-end, someone would be stupid enough to try to pass them.
10. If the shoe fits, get another one just like it.
11. The things that come to those that wait may be the things left by those who got there first.
12. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will sit in a boat all day drinking beer.
13. Flashlight: A case for holding dead batteries.
14. The shin bone is a device for finding furniture.
15. When you go into court, you are putting yourself in the hands of 12 people who weren't smart enough to get out of jury duty.

LEXOPHILES (LOVERS OF WORDS):

Funny forward I got from M.

-----

1. A bicycle can't stand alone; it is two tired.
2. A will is a dead giveaway.
3. Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.
4. A backward poet writes inverse.
5. In a democracy it's your vote that counts; in feudalism, it's your Count that votes.
6. A chicken crossing the road: poultry in motion.
7. If you don't pay your exorcist, you can get repossessed.
8. With her marriage she got a new name and a dress.
9. Show me a piano falling down a mine shaft and I'll show you A-flat miner.
10. When a clock is hungry it goes back four seconds.
11. The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine was fully recovered.
12. A grenade fell onto a kitchen floor in France resulted in Linoleum Blownapart.
13. You are stuck with your debt if you can't budge it.
14. Local Area Network in Australia: The LAN down under.
15. He broke into song because he couldn't find the key.
16. A calendar's days are numbered.
17. A lot of money is tainted: 'Taint yours, and 'taint mine.
18. A boiled egg is hard to beat.
19. He had a photographic memory which was never developed.
20. A plateau is a high form of flattery.
21. The short fortuneteller who escaped from prison: a small medium at large.
22. Those who get too big for their britches will be exposed in the end.
23. When you've seen one shopping center you've seen a mall.
24. If you jump off a Paris bridge, you are in Seine.
25. When she saw her first strands of gray hair, she thought she'd dye.
26. Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead to know basis.
27. Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses.
28. Acupuncture: a jab well done.
29. Marathon runners with bad shoes suffer the agony of de feet.

Note: No trees were killed in the sending of this message, but a
large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.

Mark Herron

Google.org for profit philanthropy?

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 13 — The ambitious founders of Google, the popular search engine company, have set up a philanthropy, giving it seed money of about $1 billion and a mandate to tackle poverty, disease and global warming.

.....

The philanthropy is consulting with hybrid-engine scientists and automakers, and has arranged for the purchase of a small fleet of cars with plans to convert the engines so that their gas mileage exceeds 100 miles per gallon. The goal of the project is to reduce dependence on oil while alleviating the effects of global warming.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/14/technology/14google.html

Tutorial: How to Sabotage Yourself

Tutorial: How to Sabotage Yourself - Associated Content: "Tutorial: How to Sabotage Yourself
Finally, a Tutorial that is Designed Especially for Self-loathers

This tutorial is designed specifically for self-loathers. Follow these instructions carefully to become extremely unhappy, poor, disrespected, lonely, and better yet, to hate yourself even more."

Funny.

Examples

Use credit cards to pay for everything.

When a credit card "stops working," apply for a new one.

Always look ---- off or upset when you're at work. You want to make sure everyone knows how much you hate your job.

Borrow money from friends and family, and never pay it back.

Top Ten No Sympathy Lines

Top Ten No Sympathy Lines: "Top Ten No Sympathy Lines (Plus a Few Extra)

Steven Dutch, Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

I heard all of these in school. Interesting rebuttal from a teacher on the top complaints of students.

Best Free Stuff Online

Best Free Software

Browsers

firefox
http://www.mozilla.com/

anti-spyware tools

spybot search and destroy
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html

Windows Defender Anti Spyware
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx

adaware
http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/

Personal Firewalls

ZoneAlarm
http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/company/products/znalm/freeDownload.jsp?dc=12bms&ctry=US&lang=en

If you are a comcast high speed customer you can get a free version of macafee's firewall

http://www.comcast.net/security/

Anti Virus

Free Anti Virus Products
anti-vir - annoying messages on machine restart but seems to work better than AVG

http://www.free-av.com/antivirus/allinonen.html

For AOL Users out there this might be cool

http://www.activevirusshield.com


If you are a comcast high speed customer you can get a free version of macafee's antivirus

http://www.comcast.net/security/

Zipping/Unzipping (Compression) Utilities

z-zip
http://www.7-zip.org/

Web Email

gmail
https://mail.google.com/mail/

Add ons

Quicktime + itunes
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html

Flash
http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash

Image Editors

Paint.net (Really nice - recommended)
http://www.getpaint.net/index.html

The Gimp (Unintuitive interface makes this somewhat of a bear to use)
http://www.gimp.org/windows/

Photo Organizers

Picasa - google product

Word Processors/Spreadsheet/Database/Presentation

OpenOffice

More Obscure Products

Web Based RSS Readers

Google Reader

Bookmark sharing

del.icio.us

Todo list management

Remember The Milk

Comparing text documents (For programmers only)

WinMerge

Text Editors (For programmers Only)

vim

Compilers

Microsoft Visual C Express
http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/visualc/

Free Training

Quick HTML Overview
http://www.draac.com/html.html

Good Free HTML Course
http://webdesign.about.com/c/ec/9.htm

Christian Courses
http://cc.christiancourses.com/

Lulu.com - Self Publishing

Easy route to becoming a published author.

http://www.lulu.com/

Interesting idea. A book publisher who will accept any manuscript, prints on when an order is received and doesn't keep the copy right. Anyone can upload a book and never be charged, it is just markup on the book if it sells. Lulu makes 25% of the amount you set as the royalty plus the cost of printing or you can sell or give away a digital copy of the book from their site at the same rate, or free if you choose.

The Simpsons Maker - AbcArcade.com

The Simpsons Maker - AbcArcade.com: "The Simpsons Maker"

I sent a few of you a link to this a while back. It still makes me laugh. Make your own Simpson's character.

What does your browser reveal about you?

Terminally Incoherent » Blog Archive » What does your browser reveal about you?:

"What does your browser reveal about you?"
Firefox vs IE

I often tend to judge people based on the type of browser they use. Believe it or not, the choice of your favorite browser reveals a lot about your personality.

IE 5.0:

You only use your computer for IM, email and Myspace. You stubbornly refuse to upgrade that ancient Win 98 box that you are using because you don’t need some fancy computer and in your opinion the one you have works just fine. You also probably don’t use antivirus or antispyware either. You just let your son/nephew/friend clean it out every month or so." ....

And its pretty accurate look of the definition of the browser I use.

Firefox 2.0 Beta:

You are a developer by day and open source developer by night. Either that, or a huge Firefox fan. You are all over Bugzilla reporting all the issues you encounter with the browser. You have probably summited at least one patch to an open source project at some point in your life. You love to tinker with your applications, and you don’t mind running beta software on your machine. After all, it is fun to discover new bugs, and to work little kinks out of the new cutting edge programs.

And this one is for M and D.

AOL Suite:

You most likely either still use AOL as your dialup ISP. Either that, or you somehow figured that you still need AOL even after getting broadband connection. Someone told you you can actually use the internets without starting AOL but you haven’t figured out how is that possible. It seems really difficult though, and you suspect it might be illegal.

And yes, I stoled this link from guitarchick9. http://guitarchick9.livejournal.com/ C, this is a test of whether you and your hubby actually read my blog (and whether you read the posts all the way to the end and in really, really small print)

Snopes

I told a few of you about snopes. They investigate urban legends and email forwards. It researches whether they are true or not and then documents their research.

http://snopes.com/

Examples

Claim: Monkee Mike Nesmith's mother was the inventor of Liquid Paper correction fluid.

Status: True.

Origins: Bette Nesmith Graham
A guitar's all right Michael, but you'll never make your living by it
Bette Nesmith and young Michael
(she was divorced from Michael's father in 1946 and remarried in 1964) came up with the idea of using a small bottle of tempera waterbase paint to correct her typing errors while she was an executive secretary with Texas Bank & Trust in Dallas in 1951. She supplied bottles of the fluid to other secretaries at her workplace (under the name "Mistake Out") for several years; then, in 1956, she improved the formula, changed its name to "Liquid Paper," and set out to trademark the name and patent her product. After IBM passed on her offer to sell Liquid Paper to them, Bette started marketing the product on her own. Liquid Paper, Inc., did not become profitable for several years, and it was not until the mid-1960s that Liquid Paper correction fluid began to generate subst...

http://snopes.com/music/artists/nesmith.htm


Claim: Static electricity is the cause of an increase in gas station refuelling fires.

Status: Multiple — see below

* Static electricity can cause fires at gas stations: True.
* Static electricity was actually the cause of a number of gas station refuelling fires: Undetermined.

Example: [Collected on the Internet, 2002]
....
http://snopes.com/autos/hazards/static.asp

Your Mom Goes To College [Napeon Dynamite Quote]

I'm I the only one that thinks this t-shirt is funny?

http://www.snorgtees.com/yourmomgoestocollege-p-198.html

They've got some funny tee-shirts at this site.

Chuck Norris Facts

For those who haven't seen the Chuck Norris facts. Here are a few. These were picked as the favorite by none other than Chuch Norris himself (as the story goes .....)

http://www.chucknorrisfacts.com/

• When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night, he checks his closet for Chuck Norris.


• Chuck Norris doesn't read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants.


• There is no theory of evolution. Just a list of creatures Chuck Norris has allowed to live.


• Outer space exists because it's afraid to be on the same planet with Chuck Norris.


• Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits.


• Chuck Norris is currently suing NBC, claiming Law and Order are trademarked names for his left and right legs.


• Chuck Norris is the reason why Waldo is hiding.


• Chuck Norris counted to infinity - twice.


• There is no chin behind Chuck Norris’ beard. There is only another fist.

Bruce Schneier Facts

Bruce Schneier Facts a take off of the Chuck Norris Facts
http://geekz.co.uk/schneierfacts/fact/1

Funny stuff, but only for people who appreciate computer security and cryptography humor (a much smaller group of people than I'd like :-(

My favorite of all ........

Bruce Schneier can solve NP-Complete problems in NlogN time.

Google maps + all locations in the Movie Napoleon Dynamite

Google maps + all locations in the Movie Napoleon Dynamite

http://www.dynamitemap.com/

Does anyone feel like a road trip? ;-)

Shakepeare sonnets reviewed by order of the court

Funny punishment for a crime through the "sensitivity through poetry" program.

"Some guy from New York, who has been ordered to remain anonymous, has been instructed by the courts to conduct a line by line discussion of each of the sonnets.

...

If you've ever wanted to learn what Shakespeare was really saying in his spine-tingling poetic cycle, you’ll be hard pressed to find a friendlier, more forthright guide or one as jargon free.

Shakespeare wrote for the masses and, believe me, there's no one more "masses”"than Some Guy From New York!"

-http://www.podiobooks.com/podiobooks/book.php?ID=81

EXPLICIT: May not be appropriate for younger listeners

Original site (Easier to download from)

http://www.fiddleandburn.com/bardny/

Voice Recognition

Warning: Nerdiest post yet.

I've always thought it would be cool to use a voice recognition interface to a computer. The question has always been what would I do with it (and a bit of AI)? Well in previous years continuous voice recognition wasn't up to snuff, it was hard to get data from different sources including the web that was machine parsable/understandable, and AI was terrible.

Most of these restrictions are now at a level where this may be possible.

Continuous Voice Recognition - Now 95+ % if you are willing to wear a voice canceling microphone - a pain but doable.

Data from multiple sources - web services, and XML.

AI - hmm, still researching this one. Also perhaps I don't really need AI, just software that can parse the english language with a specific set of commands.

How would I use it?

Voice Control
1) Over Phone
2) from hands free device - cordless noise canceling mic?

Calendar Data - Google Calendar
1) Alarm Clock
Wake me up tomorrow at 6:00 am to go to the park
2) Reminders
Remind me on Thursday to buy a birthday present
Remind me to pay my water bill tomorrow evening
3) Add a birthdays to the calendar.
4).Ask questions
What bills are due this week?

Movie Listings (xml source????)
1) What is playing at Rio at around 10 pm?

Email - Google Email
1) New email notifications
2) Read email messages to me

Map Data - Google Maps
1) I'm at Eubank and Montgomery Where is the nearest Sonic?

Note Taker - with tags
1) Keep track of todo lists
2) Ability to tell it random but interesting facts I may want to later recall
3) Add Items to grocery list

Home Security Monitor
1) Has the repair guy been to my apartment yet?
2) Asks repair people to identity themselves and notifies them that they are being video and audio recorded - web cam goodness along with motion sensors and voice/facial recognition

Phone Number lookup
1) What is the phone number of my car mechanic?
2) What is the phone number of Chili's?

Search for files on my computer
1) Show me my todo list
2) Show me receipts generated for purchases online from radio shack

TV Listings?
1) What time is Smallville on?

Tape Shows
1) Tape Smallville

RSS Feeds
1) Notify me of updated blogs from friends

Christians and Politics

A friend of mine, "C" sent me an article from the NY Times about why Churches should stay away from political agendas. I don't know if I agree with this view or not. I do agree that the Republican party can and do do stupid immoral things at times and Christians back them because they also push Christian goals. Then, they deny that anything immoral is happening because they believe so much in the good things that the leader is doing. But are some evils, ie abortion, so evil that Christians should back the party no matter what else they do, or what else they believe? This article was very timely as several of us where pondering the question recently of if Jesus where around physically today (and an American), would he vote? I don't know what I think the answer is yet, and I highly suspect that it is some how the wrong question, but I'm starting my research with these articles. Being that I'm cheap and don't read books, I'm going to start listening to the free original 6 part sermon linked to at the bottom.

Article being discussed
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/30/us/30pastor.html?_r=1&amp;ex=1154404800&en=c2f83bd1edc3c799&ei=5087%0A

The Myth of the Christian Nation - More background and a link to his book
http://www.whchurch.org/content/page_676.htm

Free 6 part audio series about why the pastor believes what he believes
http://www.crossandthesword.org/

Why english teachers die young

Stupid forward I received. Stupid... but very funny.

Every year, English teachers from across the country can submit their collections of actual analogies and metaphors found in high school essays. These excerpts are published each year to the amusement of teachers across the country.

Here are last year's winners....

1. Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master.
2. His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free.
3. He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it.
4. She grew on him like she was a colony of E. Coli, and he was room- temperature Canadian beef.
5. She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up.
6. Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.
7. He was as tall as a six-foot, three-inch tree.
8. The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had disintegrated because of his wife's infidelity came as a rude shock, like a surcharge at a formerly surcharge-free ATM machine.
9. The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn't.
10. McBride fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a Hefty bag filled with vegetable soup.
11. From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you're on vacation in another city and Jeopardy comes on at 7:00 p.m. Instead of 7:30.
12. Her hair glistened in the rain like a nose hair after a sneeze.
13. The hailstones leaped from the pavement, just like maggots when you fry them in hot grease.
14. Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. Traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19 p.m., at a speed of 35 mph.
15. They lived in a typical suburban neighborhood with picket fences that resembled Nancy Kerrigan's teeth.
16. John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.
17. He fell for her like his heart was a mob informant, and she was the East River.
18. Even in his last years, Granddad had a mind like a steel trap, only one that had been left out so long, it had rusted shut.
19. Shots rang out, as shots are wont to do.
20. The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil, this plan just might work.
21. The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating for a while.
22. He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but a real duck that was actually lame, maybe from stepping on a land mine or something.
23. The ballerina rose gracefully en Pointe and extended one slender leg behind her, like a dog at a fire hydrant.
24. It was an American tradition, like fathers chasing kids around with power tools.
25. He was deeply in love. When she spoke, he thought he heard bells, as if she were a garbage truck backing up.

Uncommon Business

Interesting blog about people making good money in unconventional (ie strange) ways.

http://uncommonbusiness.blogspot.com/

Paintball Equipment

I got one too many welts playing paintball yesterday. I've been looking into more safety/protective equipment.

I was surprised by the number of items out there for this.

• Body Armor - For stomach, back, and side shots
• Neck Protection - Could you imagine getting hit in the throat?
• Gloves - But getting hit in the hands was pretty common but I'm going to use some cheap gloves I already own
  
• Complete Head Mask& goggles - I actually have a welt on my forehead
• Complete Exo-skeleton - for the completely paranoid out there
  

There are some other non-safety items I need they include

• CO2 Tank
• Holster for holding additional Paint or Air
• Paintball sleeve - I have plastic paint ball plug but it takes the first 10 seconds of the game to put it away so you don't loose it - you could be dead by then. The sleeves are cool because they are attached with an elastic band, you just pull them off.
  

GPS Info

I'm looking for a portable (non-in dash) Car GPS Receiver. Feature list I'm looking for

Requirements

• 2d and 3rd Maps
• Complete US Maps can be loaded all at once, ie don't need to load maps per region
• Good POI (Point of Interest) Database
• Touch Screen
• Easy interface
• USB connection to computer
• Good Maps
• Audio voice giving directions
• Accurate Directions
• Good battery life
• Battery Powered and Car Charger
• Multiple destinations\way-points
• Quickly updated instructions if I pass the correct road or destination
• Knowledge of U-Turns (I'm king of U-turns.)
• *Small enough to carry in pocket or backpack
• Compass

Nice to have

• Read street names (ie "Turn left on Pine street in one mile") not just "Turn left 1 mile"

*I'm interested in hiking with a GPS as well, but am considering getting a simpler GPS with better battery life for this purpose.

Update:
Best GPS Reviews http://gpsinformation.net/
NuVi http://gpsinformation.info/nuvi/nuvireview.html
Quest http://www.gpsinformation.us/quest/questrev.html
I3 http://www.gpsinformation.org/i3/i3.html
I5 (no link yet)

NuVi discussion forum
Magellan RoadMates

The problems with the Nuvi I've seen is that they only offer 1 via point, which I'm assuming means specifing a particular route that you want to take as part of its calculations, but it does allow multiple way points. Once you reach a point you can tell it to proceed from there to a different one. Also while it sounds as if it isn't good for geocaching because it may not show GPS cooridantes on the map. Just on a separte page. Also its unclear if you can put GPS coordiantes as a destination on the map. It also provides no trackback feature to allow you to follow your path back. It also doesn't appear to have a built in compass screen. It only has a battery life of 4-6 hours and is not waterproof but but that is forgivable since its primary for car use. Battery is built in and can't be replaced (I'd at least like to be able to carry a backup pair of batteries if possible).

Postives for the Nuvi included tiny size, best GPS chipset in general use, 3d, says street names, rechargable battery (unfortunatly no-removable).

Some of the new roadmates appear to be direct competitors for the Nuvi and new models are coming out now for a lot cheaper than the Nuvi. I'm looking into those now.

TravelMate 760 & 860 T http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=51884
Bigger than the Nuvi, but still hand held with similiar features. One huge plus of these devices is that since they run Windows CE they can be tricked into running other apps for CE, divx players, and support for http://www.oziexplorer.com/. Which is the coolest moving map program for hiking I've ever seen. Just scan in or download any map, upload it and the software will help you calibrate your position on the map. It doesn't do routing but it moves the map under you and points you in the direction of your next waypoint.

Don't get any of these from normal sites, the prices vary a ton on the web
http://www.pricegrabber.com/p__Garmin_nuvi_350_Personal_Travel_Assistant,__11841514/sort_type=price