Blog Closing…

Heard today that the Pyromaniac blog has closed down. Read the last post here! Phillip Johnson has decided instead to pursue a “group blog” (nevermind how that sounds) of the same nature as Pyro, but one that will take less stress and pressure off himself. It’s here.

It’s interesting to me to consider that the popularity of your blog might actually force you to consider not doing one…
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Increase your blog traffic…

I’ve been blogging since September 2005. 6 months. Woohoo. However, in that short span of time, I’ve gotten to know dozens of amazing people who have blogs of their own. Some of their blogs are reflected in the “Scouts” link to the left, and others are mentioned under “Places I’ve Been,” also to the left.

Since beginining, I’ve felt somewhat like an Amway family. I am PRO-blogging. I could go on and on with reasons for it, but the challenge of disciplined writing combined with life observation is high up on the list. the opportunity to build new relationships in which I eventually/intentionally communicate my belief in Christ as being life’s ultimate joy is also high up on the list…
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Mackward Basking

You gotta check out this site…!

Hoop Dreams

If you haven’t seen the video yet, you need to see it here.. It’s awesome. A senior at a New York high school is the basketball team manager. He’s also autistic. For the last game of the year, the coach lets him suit up. The video shows what happened.

Mac Plaxo 2

I posted a while back about there being a sync solution for us Mac-Plaxo users. e2xo (at macplaxo.com) had released a very promising beta. But it ceased functioning late last year, and they have not updated it since, nor will they respond to emails…

However, I may have discovered why today… Plaxo has released a Beta version of its own which seems to sync extremely well with the Mac Address Book. As yet, no iCal support, but it’s getting there!

Download the Plaxo beta here…

Killing Cartoons

Michelle Malkin has an excellent commentary about the recent Danish cartoons that have provoked an Islamic firestorm. She has even posted the cartoons so that you can see them and judge just how offensive they are for yourself.

You know… a person earns your respect. You can’t force someone to respect you. Islam seeks to enforce what it cannot earn. It does so through fear, terror, and false teaching. Read the Koran and make your own judgements.

While you cannot force someone to respect you, the Christian faith teaches love for your enemies. That one counter-cultural, inhuman teaching by Jesus Christ reveals the reality of His divinity.

I respect the right of the Muslim to be mad. I respect the right of the cartoonist. But I cannot respect the person who, through violence, tries to solve a matter of opinion with the sword.

Now THAT is one cool phone…

Gizmodo shows us the the coming Samsung phone that has a pivot screen for TV.

Palm posting…

Not that any of you would be overly thrilled or care, but I’m now a Palm Addicts Associate Writer! Oooo. Aaaah. Don’t be impressed. I think they accept anyone who can type. Even folks from Warren.

However, before you scoff (I’ve always liked that word!), Palm Addicts is an awesome blog haven for those of you who might use Palm devices, whether Treo’s, Zire’s, etc. It’s got amazing tips, insights, and a wealth of resource links. So stop by Palm Addicts sometime!

Here’s my first post at Palm Addicts.

Cut and run or stay and talk?

Terry Heaton, as usual, has siezed on a profound cultural incident and made observations about it that I think also relate directly to the church today, particulary our denominational tribes. Apparently the Washington Post began some blogs, but after one of its writers was corrected/exposed/reviled in some blog comments, rather than dialoguing and seeking to understand, the Post just stopped its blogs all together. Read the article at the Pomo blog here. Terry compares it to taking your ball and going home when the game is not going your way.

I think the significance of this incident is repeated hundreds of times today in the western Christian culture. There is a growing movement of innovative, passionate and authentic Christ-followers, but for the most part established denominations are very uncomfortable with them. Rather than ongoing dialogue or “Faith Seeking Understanding,” (a required textbook in many seminaries) they too are taking their toys and going home.

I know of one exec who informed a group of ministers that if they were reading or encouraging others to read Donald Miller’s Blue Like Jazz, that they needed to stop immediately. That kind of response is evidence of an unwillingness to dialogue, along the lines of the Washington Post. It’s that “top down” prescriptive thinking that frustrates and jades honest seekers of faith in our culture from giving the church the benefit of the doubt.

Another observer of how the church can’t handle outside thinking is George Hunter, author of The Celtic Way of Evangelism: How Christianity Can Reach The West?Again. There is a great interview with him here.

If you disagree with me, don’t post a comment. I’ll shut down my blog! ;)

Did George W. Bush lie?

There is an excellent commentary on Scott McKnight’s blog Jesus Creed, about the issue of Bush and WMD’s (if you can stomach someone even bringing up the issue again!). But he has a great perspective, and I encourage you to read it.

Browser?

I was just wondering what Browser most of you use…

Christians and Media…

There is a dynamic commentary on the Pomo Blog yesterday about Christianity’s influence in media and its rise and fall. Read about it here.

Me oh my oh mini… Macs taking over! (Finally)

In this interesting post, Ryan Katz, senior editor at Think Secret, takes note of something that I’ve mentioned to friends several times… mainly that the Mac Mini would be an incredible gaming/media center. Sounds like things are about to explode upon the scene and change our watching/viewing habits!!

The Future is iPod?

Check out this futurist forecast for the iPod’s application in the next few years…

No more TiVo? Bye bye DVR? Cool!

Rather Gone… the Demise of Mainstream Media

You sense it; we all sense it. The very way we get our news and information has radically changed. During any election year, do you really believe anything a network news anchor says? Or how about all those talking heads that are supposed to be “experts?”

Toodle on over to Terry Heaton’s insightful blog on cultural shifts. He’s got a great entry there on the demise of the mainstream media. It’s a must-read for those of you trying to understand how to communicate with more people today.

Around the House
I worked around the house all day while Caro was in Dumas taking pictures for their Arts & Crafts festival. Cleaned out and organized the storage room behind our studio. Since we built the add-on studio three years ago, it’s been accumulating junk. What a sense of progress! Hooray.

Now onto the next 100 things on my around-the-house list…