Things I don't trust #9: minivans sans hubs

Some things just scream "I am shady, don't trust me."

One of those things are minivans with no hubcaps.

You're trolling the parking lot for a spot to park your car. Then you spot this:

Are you really going to throw on your blinker, go for the empty space and assume this person will either:

1) see you and make a good decision to avoid a collision, or

2) decide not to ram you and take the spot anyway.

They might be a fine, sane, logical person. But...then again, there's a reason their van has no hubcaps. And I don't want to find out that reason the hard way.

So, when I see a minivan with no caps, I give them plenty of room to do whatever they want because minivans sans hubcaps are one of the things I don't trust.

On location in Plano

Every year, a group of adoptive parents and birth moms reunite at Arbor Hill Nature Preserve. Today, the Phosphorus crew captures their stories for an upcoming promo video for AdoptionWorks. Great shoot, heartwarming stories & fun crew = a great event!

Posted via email from wild pansophia

It's not another vampire novel: Wildman reviews Patterson's "Fang" for thefish.com

 

Don't judge this book by it's cover:

It's not another teen vampire novel.

It's something parents, teachers and teens can agree on.

And, it's the subject of my latest review for thefish.com. 

Hebrews: A Companion Guide

Hebrews: A Companion Guide

Click to read & download

 

From my other blog: Easter is a fun and meaningful holiday. It's a time to enjoy the emergence of Spring and celebrate with family and friends. Easter also marks a day we set aside to reflect on Christ's death and rejoice at his resurrection.

But, have you ever wondered why Jesus really died? What is the point of his sacrifice? What does it mean for us today? Hebrews: A Companion Guide is a free download that can help you answer these questions for yourself.

The Bible book of Hebrews is all about Jesus -- who he is, how he fits in with the Old Testament, what his sacrifice accomplished, and how all that impacts contemporary believers. The problem is that a lot of us are afraid to tackle Hebrews because it seems difficult to understand. We love to pick out an occasional inspiring verse, but we have a hard time figuring out what the message of the book as a whole.

Maybe this spring it's time for you to dig in to Hebrews and find out what it says about Jesus for yourself. And the Hebrews companion e-guide is here to help. Packed with background information and tips on interpretation, Hebrews: A Companion Guide is set up to go with you chapter-by-chapter through the book to help your personal study get off on the right foot.

Click on the book widget above to read it online or download the pdf file and print it out to tuck inside your Bible. It's totally free to use and pass along to others.

 

 

 

Posted via email from wild pansophia

Testing out Live Blogging from the Roughriders Game

Testing out coveritlive.com as a way to do live event blogging...I'll be trying to use my blackberry to start up the live blog and post to it in real time from tonight's Frisco Roughriders baseball game. Let's see how it goes...

 

Posted via web from wild pansophia

My new robot friends need names.

These two robots are always ready to give a helping hand. I met them during our visit to the UT @ Austin robotics lab. Josh introduced us to the robots, which are used for testing human interface programs. The robot being controled by the computer terminal uses an infrared camera to populate objects in a 3D space. With that data, Josh can see the area where the robot is operating on his monitor and click on objects he wants it to interact with.

The only problem? The robots need names!

Just the facts, ma'am. The art-i-facts.

Do you ever sit back and wonder what the bits and pieces of our modern lives say about what it means to be human? What we as people hope for, desire, despise, and value? The basic, nuts & bolts needs and assumptions we're using to build our lives as individuals and as a culture?

Archeologists use the artifacts left behind by a civilization to guess what that civilization considered important, what they believed, and what they desired to achieve. An unearthed scrap of pottery can reveal a lot information. Everything from technological advancements, to economic conditions, to the ideals of a culture can be reflected in the things they made, used, and left behind.

Such artifacts are valuable because they have both a function and a meaning. They do something for the person that used them and they say something about the people that made them. Sometimes the function and meaning of these objects are closely related. Sometimes they were quite distinct.

Artifacts don't have to be buried in the soil to be telling indicators of a culture.  You don't have to dig in your backyard for artifacts -- just dig in your closet. Clothes from the 1970's aren't really that old in the grand scheme of history. But to our modern eyes the tie-dye, polyester shorts, and Chuck Taylors of that decade are distant from us today. They are a reminder of the spirit of the times that inspired these fashion artifacts. A spirit that's somehow similar but very different from the spirit of our contemporary times.

Artifacts don't even have to be old. In fact, the clothes I'm wearing right now are artifacts that say something about me personally and my culture. We all know this. We know that what a person wears on their bodies is an expression of what's in their minds and on their hearts -- a small symbol of who they are. We check out each other's artifacts all the time. That's one reason why brand names are important to us.

So, looking at our clothes is an easy way to sit back and wonder what the bits and pieces of our modern lives say about what it means to be human. What about the other things? Maybe sit back, have some fun, spot a random object and try to think about what that thing says.

That's a conversation I could learn a lot from.