We just couldn’t resist these shots because Toddler Boy is just too cute.
Monthly Archives: July 2007
Corrie Ten Boom ~ Trusting the Engineer
When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throwaway the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.
- Corrie Ten Boom
The Optimist, Pessimist & Engineer
Optimist: “The glass is half full.”
Pessimist: “The glass is half empty.”
Engineer: “That glass is twice as large as it needs to be.”
- Unknown
Don Marquis on Rich Men
“When a man tells you that he got rich through hard work, ask him: “Whose?”
— Don Marquis (1878-1937)
Matthew Cropper
Today’s blog — that’s blog #9 for those of you keeping count — is Matthew Cropper. Matthew lives in the U.K. … somewhere. It’s also a little known fact that he really likes Facebook.
Matthew is man enough to admit when he is wrong and that’s an admirable quality. I’ve made a mental note that the next time I have to admit that I was wrong about something it makes it much more palatable if I use the word “ace” a couple times. I can see it now, “Sweet heart, I was wrong, on you that dress looks ace.” See, it’s just cool. I now have a new favorite word.
He has awesome taste in clothing and a good sense of humor, that’s for sure. But more than anything Matthew just seems like an all around good guy. Granted, he could be a serial killer for all I know, but if he is then he’s a really good actor.
New Design for Openswitch
Okay, so here’s a new design for openswitch. I may end up tweaking things here and there but I’m fairly satisfied with it for the most part. There are still some styling issues I have to work out with the comments and some of the specific pages but the vast majority of the design is good to go.
I’d love to know what you think. But more than that, I want you to help me name this design. Any takers?
P.S. – For those who might be interested I did make all the images on this site and I used The Gimp for each and every one of them.
Creampuff Revolution ~ Rosemary Rowe
Today’s blog is Creampuff Revolution. Okay, who had day 8 as my first blog authored by a lesbian in the betting pool? What? Nobody? Hah! Told y’all I was broadening my horizons. You people never listen.
Rosemary Rowe has a dog that’s probably gay too. As a minister am I allowed to chuckle when I think of a gay dog? Yes, yes I am.
But an alternative lifestyle isn’t all Rosemary writes about, she also writes about fruit by the basketfull. Yay oranges! Oh, and Yay Bill and Ted!
Witty, well-written blog, that Creampuff is.
Be Good Not Bad ~ Brian
Blog #7 in my 100 blogs in 100 days project is Be Good Not Bad. Enter design envy. Come with me as I explore another blog.
Well, first off, judging from the Bio page, Brian owns the site and is one of those super-human web designers who is actually an artist in geek disguise. It absolutely amazes me that so much sheer talent can be wrapped up in one person. He has more talent in his little finger than … I digress. Just look at his portfolio. Moving inward to the archives, after all, I’m not here to brown-nose …
Ah, looks like he recently bought an iPhone thus making me even more jealous of him. Let’s look around his archives a little more and see what else we can find …
Oh, cool. Brian went to SXSW. If I lived anywhere near there and/or had a really good reason to go I’d be all over that like Muslims on Mecca. Inward the archives, always inward …
Now we have it, the meeting point between myself and Brian. We’re both coffee snobs. I knew I liked this guy for a reason! Heh.
Seriously though, I’ve known about Brian and his blog for a while now thanks to both of us being in 9rules but I’ve never actually taken the time to get to know the guy nor read anything he’s written. But after this time of combing through his writings I know I’ll be coming back for more caffeinated, geeky goodness. Oh yeah, and I’ll be coming back to be inspired by his design :). Subscribed!
Generic Youth Group Permission Form
When I first entered youth ministry I quickly realized that one of the things which I needed was a solid youth group permission form. Well, for those of you who might find yourself with a similar need, here is the permission form I use. The parts which are highlighted in yellow require you to enter your own information.
I’m releasing this form into the public domain, with no restrictions. Feel free to use it in any way you see fit. It’s formatted in Open Document format which is becoming the new worldwide standard. Unfortunately Microsoft products don’t recognize this standard yet. You’ll be well served to download and install Open Office. It’s free, it’s quality and it meets all the needs of the average computer user.
Woofbarkwag ~ Tammie Lister
Blog #6 in the 100 blogs in 100 days project is a different kind of blog. It’s furry, it’s playful and it’s beautifully designed. It’s woofbarkwag.
It’s created and run by Tammie Lister who owns two dogs, Barley and Dillon. After spending a bit of time rummaging through the archives I want another dog. Seriously. But only if it looks like Barley. 
woofbarkwag is a blog for people who like dogs, own dogs, are thinking of owning dogs or would like to own a dog but can’t because they live in an apartment that doesn’t allow pets to exist outside of a cage.
There are really cool articles on training (the dog, not the owner, though that could be argued either way), dog news and dog health to name a few.
I really found this article to be interesting. I’ve never thought about working with a dog in that manner but you know, it makes sense. Dogs don’t speak English, they speak dog so we have to learn their language in order to communicate effectively with them.
If you’re a dog lover (whether or not you currently own a dog) you’ll love this site. Subscribed!
Interesting Ads From Yesteryear
It’s interesting to me how times have changed but, essentially, advertising hasn’t. The goal of advertising is still to evoke a feeling of “need” in an audience in order to get them to spend money on your product, whether they need it or not.
In fact, I would hazard to say that even though we may be shocked that cigarettes were advertised in such a positive light years ago, we have products right now that are no good for us yet are still foisted upon a public which is told what they want and what they need.
Advertising is still in the same business as it was years ago my friends. With that in mind, have a chuckle at some ads that were recently sent to me via email:
Speedo-Man-Run-Away-Frisbee
“I finally made it to the after party despite the speedo-man-run-away-frisbee incident.”
Do Yourself a Favor and Ditch Windows
If you don’t like reading rants, then just go ahead and skip on over this post. Seriously, it’s just a rant.
I just spent the past couple hours deworming, devirusing, and deTrojan-horsing a Windows box. The owner of this box, who should have known better and shall remain nameless, was running Windows XP without Automatic Updates turned on and without any form of antivirus program. There were two safety features: a Windows firewall and AdAware SE. After I installed Spybot Search & Destroy and AVG free and running a full system scan with both, there were found over 100 threats consisting of a mix of viruses, worms and Trojan horses. That’s not including the simple data mining cookies (which usually present somewhat of a lesser security risk.)
Now, I’m not writing this to have a laugh at anyone’s expense. My only goal is to show others, using a real-world example, that it’s just not worth it to run Windows. You’ve got to worry about all this crap. And then, to prevent your computer from becoming infested you have to install these programs which suck up system resources. It just doesn’t make sense to me that a computer’s resources should be spent having to protect itself. Especially when there are viable alternatives out there like Linux and Mac, both of which are (virtually) immune to viruses, Trojan horses and worms. I say “virtually” because while there have been no Linux viruses found in the wild, they have been produced in the laboratory and are “theoretically” possible.
Don’t know where to start? Well, you can start by getting a Mac or, if you’re poor like me, getting Ubuntu which is 100% free and 1,000% awesome! Or, I mean, you could just stick with Windows because you’re comfortable with it, and take the risk of your computer’s security being compromised. It’s your call.
OK, my rant is over. You can go back about your business again :).
Edvard Moonke
Blog #5 of the 100 blogs in 100 days project is Edvard Moonke. He’s a Brazilian living in Britain (!). He’s hosting his self-titled blog at WordPress.com after blogging with Blogger for a while (good move, Edvard). Evidently he spent the first two years of his life being unable to speak! Astonishing. Safe to say he’s making up for it now, as his grammar is impeccable and the way he uses words feels crisp, clear, and direct.
This blog is a perfect example of a person who uses a stock blog theme on someone else’s server (in this case, WordPress’ server) yet cares deeply for the medium and uses it effectively. It’s an inspiration to me personally because I’m always freaking out about my site’s design. But Edvard reminds me, quite unintentionally, that I don’t need a killer-original design to attract people. It’s writing that makes one stand out from the crowd.
Some of my favorite posts of his (so far) are Wimbledon, rain and other interruptions because although I can’t stand watching Tennis I can completely relate with the idea of being horribly distracted and The Smoking Creature From the Black Lagoon because even though I’ve never been addicted to cigarettes I can appreciate the struggle that it must be. But don’t take my word for it, check out his favorite posts and read some for yourself.
Interestingly, the one thing that endeared me to Edvard’s blog immediately is that even though he makes fun of the President, he also makes fun of the British government. In one sense, he’s an equal opportunity insulter. He also insults wryly, in such a way as to make me laugh and forget that I’m laughing at my own government … and I appreciate that. I’m really glad I’ve discovered Edvard Moonke. His feed is definitely going in my reader.
Rats Laughing?
Now, you should know that I’m a big proponent of scientific method. Really, I love logic. With that in mind here’s some “flawless” scientific method for ya.
→ All noise is laughter
→ The rats make noise when I touch them
∴ The rats must be laughing
Are they seriously considering this as “proof” of anything? For all we know, the rats may be writhing in pain and/or humiliation. I, for one, certainly don’t want Professor Tickles touching me there.
“But they chase my hand!” Yeah, there’s some rock solid evidence. It seems to the Professor to be play, so it must be play. Hmmm.
Overall it’s an interesting video with interesting implications, but hardly convincing.
Sarah’s Sketches ~ Sarah Mensinga
I am absolutely loving this project! With so many great blogs that have been suggested for me to feature, you may be wondering how in the world I decide which ones and when. Well, as you can tell I’m not just going down the list. Instead, what I’m doing is picking at somewhat random which blog I’ll write on for the day.
Today’s blog in the spotlight is Sarah’s Sketches by Sarah Mensinga. A good generic description of the blog would be that of “astoundingly talented artist.” But thanks to her main website and the gallery containing some of her art I can confidently say that Sarah is not only astoundingly talented, but she has also been an animator, concept artist, character designer and a ninja (guess which one is my favorite). She has worked on various animated films and TV shows and is currently working full time on a graphic novel. Seriously. Cool.
To boot, she has written and illustrated a couple of stories. My favorite is The Dindle. Poor little fluffy … thing.
Sarah has a close repoire with her readers and is very approachable. Definitely one of the jewels of the Net. Subscribed!
The Short Fat Kid - Guy
Blog #3 in the 100 blogs in 100 days project is The Short Fat Kid. No, I’m not being mean, that’s actually the name of this blog.
Before I even read any of the content I immediately felt a connection with this site for while I was never short I’ve always been the fat kid. In this case, however, The Short Fat Kid isn’t me, it’s a guy named Guy. Well, not that he’s fat, just that he is the author of The Short Fat Kid. Man, this is making my head hurt. Moving right along…
Guy writes about all sorts of stuff that makes me laugh. Part of the connection I feel with this guy is probably due to us being somewhat in the same generation, he’s in his 30s and I’m about to enter my 30s.
A list of his best stuff is available here. I strongly recommend you first read The Fart Machine. It made me laugh … hard. That is all you need know.
Guy also loves mix tapes which, you know, is retro cool. It makes me want to start sharing some mix tapes that I’ve made over the years and still own. Perhaps I will.
Basically, reading The Short Fat Kid is like reading a journal of someone who finds humor in many things and is securely in touch with his inner child. He, after all, plays adult kickball you don’t get much more securely in touch than that.
Guy does have one fault: he likes Okra. If you’ve never had fried Okra before it’s easy to imagine what it tastes, and more importantly feels, like: deep-fried balls of snot. ‘Nuff said 
Seriously though, I’ve had a great time reading through The Short Fat Kid’s archives. Subscribed!
Flip Text Upside Down With Unicode
This little toy is somewhat old, it was on Digg and Reddit well before I found out about it. But recently I just found out how to flip text upside down and then display it anywhere unicode is accepted such as Twitter.
The tool, called flip, basically just takes the text you type in and converts it into unicode that displays upside down text. At least, that’s my basic understanding of what’s going on. Truth be told I really don’t know exactly how it works, all I know is it does.
You type in the text you want to filp, the tool flips it, and then you copy and paste the flipped text into whatever form you want. After all, what good is unicode if you can’t abuse it?
That’s Mister Cracker to You!
It was a very interesting night for me. I got a call from a Redneck church friend (actually, he’s one of my best friends) who needed some help at the Community-wide Vacation Bible School. Now, keep in mind, we’re two very white guys.
Well, a fight breaks out between two of the children that were attending VBS. We step in to break it up. I am holding one of the kids back from jumping all over the other kid and the one I’m holding back (who happened to be black) said to me, “Get your hands off me you n****!” I was a little shocked. I’ve been called a lot of names in my life, but this was definitely a first. By the way, the only reason I mention that the kid was black is because it puts some necessary context into why he might have called me that name.
I made it through the ordeal without laughing and without anyone getting hurt. Though it was hard not to laugh being called that name. I also find it interesting that if I had called him that name I could very well have been taken to jail. It’s all about context I suppose.
Later, after I had some time to think about what had transpired I realized that what I should have said to him was, “I’m a cracker, and to you that’s Mister cracker!” But then, that probably wouldn’t have been a good response, now would it? I think I did the right thing by not saying anything at all.
Stuff I Think - Randy Bohlender
Entry #2 in my 100 blogs in 100 days project is Stuff I Think. Randy Bohlender just started typing one day in October of 2002. His blog was breathed into life with these words:
I don’t know html. I don’t know if I’ll get consistent enough at this to make it worth reading. …
Well, 5 years later he’s still at it and, in my opinion, he’s very good at it. But he doesn’t just blog, he actually writes the old-fashioned way too, in a moleskine notebook. Evidently he goes through them fairly quickly.
His family (somewhat) recently adopted a little girl. I just finished reading all the posts I could find about the adoption process and what has been going on with the family. It’s heartwarming to say the least. I can think of no other act that we as humans can perform that reflects so perfectly what Christ did for us than the act of adopting a child. My wife and I would love to adopt one day when we’re a little more financially secure.
Randy is addicted to his BlackBerry and does a good job of signing its praises. Quite unintentionally he’s almost talked me into getting one. It’s definitely less expensive than the iPhone, that’s for sure.
The most striking thing about Stuff I Think, however, is how witty the writing is. I was literally laughing out loud more than once while reading through the archives. Here’s a prime example of the writing:
It was during one of these runs up to the meeting that I dashed through the hotel lobby and cut a tight left, tearing up the escalator at full boogie. I think I was on the 5th step when I realized I was running up the down escalator (but gaining fast, I must add). I stood straight up, rode it to the bottom standing backwards, and got on the right one. A worship leader I know was riding down and watched the whole thing…at least someone got a chuckle out of it.
Go check out Randy’s blog, great writing, great guy, great testimony of a life well lived.
