Technology
Self Disfigurement
And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.
Matthew 18:9
Jesus taught us that any area that allows sin to enter into our lives must be removed. If spending time with certain people causes you to sin, don't spend time with them. If certain activities take your mind away from God, don't do them. If looking magazines, television shows, or the Internet causes you to lust after the opposite sex, don't allow them into your life.
With the Internet, there is an ever-present, easily accessible, gateway into every sin imaginable. We have access to it and our children have access to it. With just a few clicks of the mouse lustful desires and sexual exploitation, perversions and blasphemy are brought right into our home. Sometimes it is even done accidentally.
For anybody struggling with temptation, or worried about their spouse or children lured into the sins of the Internet, it needs to be removed. You can simply cancel the Internet all together. Or you can install an Internet filter device. I have found and tested one called the I-Boss from Phantom Technologies. It is a hardware device, and it works very well.
The I-Boss is a small box the plugs in between your modem and computer. Or, if you share the Internet between multiple computers, it will plug in between the modem and router. It only works for broadband access, so if you are still using dial-up, the I-Boss will not work for you.
The I-Boss works by filtering categories. Using a browser-based configuration menu you can allow or disallow certain categories such as adult (pornography), violence, illegal, hacking, drugs, dating, gambling, shopping, and many more.
It works by comparing the website you are accessing against a database. The database is constantly being updated to include new sites. The subscription price is currently $7.95 a month or $59.95 for a year. Because it is a hardware device and no software has to be installed, the filter does not slow down your Internet access.
I was very skeptical at first. With so many websites out there I didn't expect it to be very effective at catching the ones I wanted to block. I am happy to say that it works extremely well. Trying to find a website to access that falls into a blocked category is almost impossible. Someone would have to try very hard, for hours on end, to find a site that wasn't allowed.
Every attempted access to a block category is logged. If the device is disconnected in an attempt to bypass the filter, it is logged as well. The logs can be set to automatically email to a parent, accountability person or spouse. I believe this is an excellent way to protect your children from information you do not want them exposed to. Or, to remove the temptation to look at pornography, gambling or other websites that lead to sin. With the e-mail logs you can set up an accountability system that can help keep you on the narrow path into the Kingdom of Heaven.
iPod Nano
Christmas has come early. My wife was lucky enough to be given a new iPod Nano from her employer. I was lucky enough to be the one it was re-gifted to. It is the black 4GB model and is very sleek and stylish. Since opening the box last night I have had my first experiences with iTunes. I now wish that I had tried it before. As with all things that Apple does, it also is very sleek in design.
The only drawback I have found with using iTunes is that to import my existing WMA format music I first have to convert it to Apple's AAC format. This means either keeping a copy of the song in each format on my computer or deleting the WMA files. I chose to cancel the import for now. I may go back and convert the WMAs that I have into MP3s. This way I can import them into iTunes and still keep them in a format that provides the most portability.
What I like most about iTunes are the Podcasts. A Podcast is simply a topical recording, like a radio broadcast without the broadcast. I have subscribed to several technology and Christian sermon Podcasts. They are downloaded very quickly to the iPod during docking whenever a new episode is released.
There are thousands of Podcasts that can be subscribed to on just about every topic imaginable. This is a very practical way to stay informed. For the Christian on the go there are many teachings available. Even Calvary Chapel, the church I attend, has many fellowships providing weekly Podcasts. Just be careful that the teachings you are listening to are doctrinally sound. By knowing the Word you'll be able to know when a teaching is true.
The iPod Nano is very slim. It is only 3.5" tall x 1.5" wide and only .25" deep. It can hold up to 1000 songs, less if you store other information with them. The iPod also can store digital photos, Outlook Contacts, and calendar entries. All of which are automatically synced when the unit is docked with your computer.
Playback quality is excellent. Songs sound crisp and full. It is amazing how much sound can come out of such a small unit. The battery life is claimed to be at about 14 hours per charge. I have yet to verify this.
Over all the Nano is a very fun gadget. I would recommend it to any Audiophile. The only problem I'll have with mine is finding a good time to listen to it. Maybe I'll listen while I'm working out or bike riding. Other than that, maybe I'll plug in some powered speakers to it so I can listen at work.
Is it worth $250? That depends on how much you like music and Podcasts. If I had the cash I would have probably bought an Asus Pocket PC instead. But since it was a gift -- it was worth it!
It's here
The new website is finally up and running. I spent the last half of this year changing all of my code to be CSS compatible. This proved to be a much more time-consuming task than I had originally thought.
First I had to manually go through every page and strip out the tons of garbage that Microsoft Front Page had decided to add in. It's unbelievable when you see what a mess Front Page can make out of the HTML code. I have now switched over to Macromedia Dream weaver and have started hand-coding everything. Having control of the code is nice.
After the garbage was stripped out, I then went about placing all of the content in div and span containers and then applying the CSS styles to them. Now the code is efficient, easy to read and most important of all, Web Standard Compliant. All pages will pass CSS and XHTML validation.
The next step was getting Moveable Type installed and integrated into the website. This was most difficult, but after a week I am now ready to start using it. This is my first official post!