So, here is a lesson for wives:
This:
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=
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If math isn’t your thing you should check out the story – essentially, a husband tried to kill a spider with an aerosol, couldn’t see if he’d got it because the light in the bathroom wasn’t working so he lit a match. And kaboom. He had to be taken to hospital.
Bacon, cooked crispy, in your toaster. That is such a brilliant idea. You might be thinking “why didn’t anybody invent this before?” Well. They did. In the 60s. And it failed to make it to market. The company pulled it after initial trials citing such obstacles as “ruined toasters” and “fire hazards.”
Picture credit: Dave’s Cupboard
It’s almost worth inventing a time machine for. But you don’t have to. Here’s the patent submission for the toaster package. Make your own.
Have you ever googled Driscoll Fanboy or Mark Driscoll Fanboy the result is somewhat pleasing.
Izaac was listening to a Driscoll sermon on Nehemiah recently (and even though I’m his number one fanboy I haven’t listened to it myself), he had this to say… (it won’t surprise some of you to know that Nehemiah was actually a church planter).
“This is where it ends. The following 49 minutes reads Nehemiah as a church-planting manual. Keep a diary like Nehemiah, do research, align yourself with supporters, appoint administrators, don’t be surprised by enemies like Sanballat and Tobiah (a.k.a. bloggers) etc.”
Anyway, Driscoll has also been in the news (or the blogs) in the last couple of days because the writer of the Shack called him out over these comments (which I think represent Mark Driscoll at his best, his comments on Twilight and Avatar, not so much)…
Here’s Paul Young, The Shack guy calling MD out, he’ll be speaking at an event in Seattle next weekend.
“Mark Driscoll has leveled some serious charges against my writing and by extension against me. He has publicly called me a heretic. I’ve decided to ask him to meet me in Seattle on Sept 10th, from 1-3 PM, and have an open discussion in front of a public audience about the different ways he and I view scripture.
I have asked my good friend Jim Henderson to host this conversation. It will not be a debate but a discussion about our differences and because we are both Christians about the places we are in agreement. The audience will be able to ask questions of both of us.
Mark seems quite fond of telling his congregants to “man up” and I guess I am really asking him to do the same. I would like him to say to my face what he has spread around the world via Youtube, and you can be sure I’ll have a few questions for him as well.
I’m sure many ‘non-Christians’ wonder why someone like Mark can say things like this with impunity. When someone is able to garner 350K views on Youtube, or for that matter has sold almost 20 Million copies of a book, I believe the conversations have become public property.”
I propose they settle it cage fighting style.
Here are some other “interesting” Driscoll rants…
Well, dear reader, I have some exciting news. Coming soon (very soon in fact, less than three weeks). I will be touring the sunny shores of Corinth (Greece) and Ephesus (Turkey) with a college group. I am hoping to be blogging while I’m over there. I’m telling you now because I don’t want it to be a surprise if a) I suddenly stop blogging for two weeks, or b) you want to invite me to do something really awesome while I’m away and I don’t answer the phone.
It’s also starting to get very close.
Robyn is coming too – she’s actually doing the trip as a subject (she can do it as a subject because she’s only doing a one year course, I can’t).
If you’d like to come on the trip then enrol in a degree at QTC and head along next year.
David Thorne didn’t like his latest electricity bill. Which involved an inexplicable $600ish increase. He tried his best to come up with reasons for the jump in a series of emails with his electricity company. In these emails he claimed to have been experimenting on alternative sources for energy.
He seems like a funny guy.
“As every meter reading for the last two years at this address has been under two hundred dollars, rather than pay you $766.05, I would prefer to spend that amount on thirty eight pizzas, ensuring sufficient fat reserves to survive having the heat turned off, or have my apartment lined with polyester socks and wear a suit made out of carpet – possibly generating enough power to start my own grid company. I would then construct a number, calculate an amount based on this and send out accounts stating that the amount is based on a number and is therefore mathematically correct. If anyone questioned the basis of the number the amount is calculated from, I would simply declare “I have the power” and point out the scientific implausibility of their experiments, forcing them to investigate other, more viable, designs.”
But we already knew that.
I found “Help Lord — the Devil Wants Me Fat” so stay tuned for the next instalment on that front. But in the mean time, here are a couple of options for taking a positive approach to your weight loss.
Via Jesus Needs New PR.
And Jogging With Jesus, another book from the Devil Wants Me Fat author.
Preaching from the iPad is such a great justification for buying one. I’ve said that since day one. I want to write an iphone program (though I have no talent) that functions as an autocue controller for text on an iPad. Autocue controllers are traditionally knobs that twist either sitting in the hands of a newsreader (that’s what they were at ABC online when I had a job interview/audition there a bunch of years ago) or the producer (that’s what they were when I was reading the news for QUT News on Bris 31 when I was at uni).
Anyway, that’s a digression. If you’re already ahead of the curve you’ll want one of these iPad lecterns so that you can preach the gospel unhindered, like Paul at the end of Acts.
From Little Mountain Productions, via PastorGear.
Sitting in church history today trying to grapple with the different figures from the early centuries of the church I thought “wouldn’t it be great to have trading cards of figures in church history” I was all set to start blogging them in the lead up to exams, when I decided to google it. It seems someone else has had the idea and is going to actually produce them. They’re doing theologians more broadly.
But I will not be deterred. So coming soon, in the spirit of Ben’s Jane Ayre trading cards, will be the St. Eutychus (and Andrew Bain) guide to historical figures. I’m also going to venn diagram heretical views of the trinity. Because everybody likes a good Venn diagram.
On my way to college today I was listening to Queensland Treasurer Andrew Fraser in a regular Friday morning slot he has on ABC radio with his opposition equivalent.
For those not living in Queensland, or disinterested in the comings and goings of our political scene, our politicians emerged from a crisis meeting about the unpopularity of our government with one new “policy.” Our Premier has ordered her minions to “walk a mile” in the shoes of Queensland’s constituents. She wants her MPs to spend a couple of days in the real world. Working real jobs.
Basically the whole thing is being portrayed as an extended photo opp. Which it currently is. There’s an assumption amongst our political class that being seen on a construction site wearing a fluorescent vest and a helmet wins votes. And it certainly links government policies with job creation.
But I propose a novel idea for the Bligh Government. Being in touch with the people is a valuable thing. I think there is some merit to this exercise. But if the government wants this to not be written off as a vacuous PR exercise they should ban the cameras, and do no media interviews about the experience. They should each be allowed to make a speech to parliament about their experience and changes they think should emerge from working with real people. But that should be it. A media blackout. No interviews. No contrived photo opportunities. No interrupting a real person’s work day for the sake of the 15 seconds it’ll buy on the news. That is how to make this a positive PR exercise not a negative one. The people you’re imposing yourself on don’t need to be treated like performing monkeys who happen to specialise in working a real job.
That is all.
What would events in world history look like in Facebook updates? Sadly these are just one block image and not separate ones. But they’re very funny. From Cool Material.
Apparently you can. Glen McCracken is taking on Modern Warfare 2, attempting to reach level 70 without killing anybody. He’s been going for a while, he’s up to level 21.
“Along with his astonishing zero kills, Glen has died 1,339 times. I caught up with gaming’s favorite pacifistic player, and although he admits that “things are already starting to slow down,” he remains positive. “With my Tactical Insertion and smoke grenade combo, I’m getting more points than ever,” Glen says confidently.”
Modern Warfare is a team game – and while you’d think having a player deliberately not killing people would be an impediment to team success – he has a winning record.
“Glen isn’t killing anyone, but how are his point grabbing techniques affecting his teams? Apparently, you’ll want him by your side. Glen has a winning record. He has 62 wins and 52 loses so far.”
Letters of Note. If you’re not reading it already. Do yourself a favour.
Here’s a letter from a Japanese kamikaze pilot to his children.
“Even though you can’t see me, I’ll always be watching you. When you grow up, follow the path you like and become a fine Japanese man and woman. Do not envy the fathers of others. Your father will become a god and watch you two closely. Both of you, study hard and help out your mother with work. I can’t be your horse to ride, but you two be good friends. I am a cheerful person who flew a large bomber and finished off all the enemy. Please be an unbeatable person like your father and avenge my death.”
A bit chilling. A bit sad. Very interesting. Imagine growing up with that letter in the place of one of your parents.
You’ll find it easier to get away from the old school “friend” you didn’t really like all that much next time you bump into them thanks to this, the four levels of social entrapment, identifying these situations is half the battle. Sometimes they happen at supermarkets, so you can probably start ordering your groceries online to avoid that one, sometimes they happen while you’re sitting in a cafe – which is why I make my coffee at home. Unfortunately, that leads to people dropping around unannounced, just for coffee.
Conversely, if you would like to catch up with your old friends in a meaningful way (and Facebook isn’t “meaningful” or “catching up”) then there are some typically awkward conversations to avoid.
There is, of course, the fifth social entrapment in church circles – which involves obligation, it looks like going to working bees and joining committees, and awkward conversations with new people where you ask them what they do and then talk about the weather.
Perhaps a solution to all of these problems is to work at having interesting things to say and to ask people about that extend past the weather, last night’s dinner and your job.
h/t Mikey.
I’m bringing back the link post. Huzzah. I turned the plugin on, and ran it, and below are some posts I shared via Google Reader in the last four weeks or so. These will be daily and will feature stuff from around the interwebs that I’ve enjoyed but not posted independently.