WildThoughts

the office

2011-11-10T21:46:00.000-06:00

Here's where all the magic happens

You wanna fight?

2011-09-15T19:57:00.001-05:00

WildDog, ready to throw down for a serious play fight after I made him chase a rock.

Later, he would get mud in my shorts.

stockyards alley

2011-09-14T22:25:00.001-05:00

stockyards alley, originally uploaded by thewildpeople.

Tripping out on TripColor

2011-09-09T19:09:00.002-05:00

TripColor is a nifty, new iPhone app being featured in the App Store. And, I'm being featured by them. So, in a strange way, Steve Jobs is smiling on me with an approving twinkle in his eye from wherever he's hiding out right now.

TripColor works as an easy photo journal. It reads the location and time data embedded on your iPhone photos, let's you add a short caption, then posts it to a tumblr-esque blog

Today, they've put my recent trip to the Mediterranean on the app home screen for some reason. So if you download he app, you can see the donkey that tried to kill me in Santorini and other great moments in travel right from the front page.

It's a free app that's worth a look for photo nerds.

ink black spaghetti

2011-08-13T09:15:00.002-05:00

Why is his pasta black? And what are those small chewy bits?

Watch as Eric discovers two unexpected ingredients in this Venetian delicacy as we dine on the banks of the Venice Grand Canal....

(Be sure to view in 720p to catch all the delicious detail.)

#Greece #Santorini #whitewash

2011-08-10T08:49:00.001-05:00

#clouds above Dallas

2011-07-20T17:18:00.001-05:00

#twistedroot #dallas #Bambi

2011-07-19T22:12:00.001-05:00

#chocolate #lab #sketch

2011-07-13T23:49:00.001-05:00

#midnight #lamp #painting

2011-07-13T00:40:00.001-05:00

This #bald #eagle keeps eyeing my coffee

2011-07-10T19:18:00.001-05:00

#spaceneedle #seattle #tourist

2011-07-01T15:15:00.001-05:00

Taken at Space Needle

she goes out swinging

2011-06-27T08:19:00.001-05:00

36 months later…and still married.

2011-06-22T12:22:00.000-05:00

Can you believe it?

Three years ago yesterday, I tricked Sarah into thinking I was marriage material. Thirty-six months later, I still have her hoodwinked We celebrated this happy deception with gifts of leather…and by teaching Sarah how to swing a golf club.... See the photos...

4 months, 40 pounds

2011-06-20T09:43:00.001-05:00

Lewis is packing on the pounds at a clip of 10 per month. As you can see, he takes everything very seriously -- including his food.

At this rate, the vet estimates Lewis will reach 90 lbs.

Yup. Ninety.

Now's the time to teach him to walk calmly and not attack humans in search of a scratch behind the ears. Before we know it, Lewis will be the one taking his humans for a walk.

#camera #show #crew

2011-06-13T22:56:00.003-05:00

#camera #show #crew

2011-06-13T22:56:00.001-05:00

#puppy #play #ball

2011-06-12T21:35:00.001-05:00

#audio #board

2011-06-10T18:39:00.001-05:00

#deer #funny #sign #hunting

2011-06-10T18:35:00.001-05:00

#cabana #mexico #yucatan

2011-06-08T23:10:00.001-05:00

you dirty dog

2011-06-05T22:32:00.001-05:00

Playtime comes at a soapy price... READ MORE...

#in-n-out #frisco #worththewait

2011-06-05T21:47:00.001-05:00

You've got mail

2011-06-05T15:02:00.001-05:00

#puppy #lab #bath

2011-06-05T13:08:00.001-05:00

#brick #downtown #McKinney

2011-06-04T23:57:00.001-05:00

#pinhole #crazymug

2011-06-04T15:26:00.001-05:00

The Man Below Me and to My Right

2011-05-31T12:15:00.005-05:00

Deliberately, each of his withered fingers wrapped around the arms of his wheelchair one by one until the old warrior’s claws trembled.

When Pastor Chuck began to pray, every head bowed and every eye closed. Except mine.

I was watching the man below me and to my right. The way he was fidgeting in his seat had me curious.

The Sunday before Memorial Day, Pastor Chuck invited former and active military to stand. Here and there across the room men and women stood. Younger men and women from recent desert campaigns were quick to their feet. Silver-haired, square-shouldered men from Vietnam stood more slowly. Bald-headed men clutched the seat backs in front of them and arose..... READ MORE

Review: Brushes for iPhone

2011-05-30T20:14:00.000-05:00

Brushes is an art creation app that lets you craft multi-layered paintings or drawings on your iphone. Everything from quick diagrams to print-ready art — and even a blog illustration — is possible on the Brushes canvas. Brushes has even been used to draw the cover art for an edition of The New Yorker.

I’m finding Brushes useful for sketching out a quick storyboard…and for trying to improve my artistic eye…and for doodling in meetings.... READ MORE

#Payphone #smalltown

2011-05-29T10:22:00.001-05:00

#lab #puppy #fetch

2011-05-27T14:28:00.001-05:00

Untitled

2011-05-26T18:29:00.001-05:00

Taken at The Shops At Legacy

No Apples: Only Woe and Destruction

2011-05-25T21:36:00.001-05:00

No Apples: Only Woe and Destruction, originally uploaded by Whispers from the Edge.

If you're looking for produce, apparently you've come to the wrong place.

Good find by my buddy Josh Keeney.

#tornado #clouds #sunset

2011-05-25T18:34:00.001-05:00

#mannequin at the #theater

2011-05-22T17:40:00.001-05:00

#brushes #flowers #iphoneart

2011-05-22T16:34:00.001-05:00

#puppy #lab #chocolate

2011-05-19T15:31:00.001-05:00

brown dog

2011-05-16T18:34:00.001-05:00

faith

2011-05-13T18:48:00.001-05:00

only 25¢

2011-05-11T14:56:00.001-05:00

red dog 7

2011-05-06T20:07:00.001-05:00

getting my disc on at bill allen

2011-05-02T15:23:00.000-05:00

Bill Allen Memorial DGC

EveryTrail - Find the best Hiking in Texas

PUPdate: play time

2011-04-27T11:30:00.002-05:00

the monday after sunday

2011-04-26T21:17:00.001-05:00

Bunnies, brunches, candy and crosses. Easter is a nice spring holiday we celebrate. It’s also the memorial date attached to an historical event.

Question is, what do we do with that event?

There are some things you can just shrug about and move on without forming an opinion. The resurrection of Jesus isn’t one of those things. It happened or it didn’t. It’s either a crazy myth or it’s a paradigm-shifting historical event.

The idea that Jesus is God and literally came back to life is a lot to swallow. I have my reasons for why I believe this to be true, but I’m not coming down on those who doubt.

It’s the believers I’m worried about.

See, people who don’t believe do a really good job of reflecting their view of the resurrection in the way they live. They go all out, stay in the moment, and live like there’s no tomorrow. Because, let’s be honest. If Jesus didn’t come out of that tomb under his own power there really isn’t any tomorrow. I get it.

On the other hand, those of us who do believe in Jesus’ resurrection seem to have a hard time reflecting that belief in our moment by moment conduct.

For the religious crowd, it’s easy to project the meaning of Easter to the far-off future. We know the resurrection means that we’ll see our loved ones again and that we’ll live forever in the sweet by and by. However, we forget that the message of Easter is firmly attached to the here and now.

When Paul crafts his remarks about the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15, he wraps up his discussion with a concluding statement. He’s talked about the historic event, he’s theorized about the what ifs and he’s expounded its eternal benefits of the resurrection.

Then comes the short conclusion. It’s short, but it packs a punch.

Paul doesn’t say, “Since Jesus is alive, hole up somewhere until he returns to take you out of this crummy world.” He doesn’t give us believers a free pass to day dream about heaven all day or to cluck our tongues at sinners who will get their just reward when an angry Jesus returns to kick butt. Far from it!

What Paul does say is “so what” of Easter. It’s the very practical bottom line:

“So then, dear brothers and sisters, be firm. Do not be moved! Always be outstanding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord”
(1 Corinthians 15:58).

One way or the other, Easter isn’t just something we celebrate — it’s something we do. How we live the Monday after reflects how we really view the Sunday.

The hope we have isn’t just a distant insurance against death — it’s a very present assurance that what we do in this life matters now and in eternity.

Easter is the kind of hope that makes you roll up your sleeves on Monday “knowing that your labor is not in vain.”

This Monday, let’s be outstanding…what do you say?

Untitled

2011-04-25T21:46:00.001-05:00

amber

2011-04-23T00:30:00.001-05:00

industrial revolution

2011-04-22T18:00:00.001-05:00

an old ev-65

2011-04-21T20:31:00.001-05:00

sniffer

2011-04-20T19:27:00.001-05:00

timeline

2011-04-20T17:46:00.001-05:00

the deluxe

2011-04-19T09:21:00.001-05:00

spoon chandelier

2011-04-19T08:27:00.001-05:00

the lab

2011-04-18T21:16:00.001-05:00

People watch the #fountain at #WatersCreek

2011-04-17T09:33:00.001-05:00

Taken at Waters Creek

Best Thai. Seriously.

2011-04-15T23:36:00.001-05:00

Taken at Best Thai Frisco

Check out your "Federal Tax Receipt"

2011-04-15T23:24:00.000-05:00

It's April 15: Do you know where your taxes are?

The White House launched a tool today that calculates the where the government is spending your tax dollars. The web-based widget allows you to enter the amount you payed in taxes in 2010, then outputs a "receipt" of what money you have contributed to each of the US government's budget categories.

It's interesting to see the breakdown on where our nation is spending its tax funds.

Try it out for yourself below!

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How Kindles could fire up newspaper sales

2011-04-15T19:17:00.000-05:00

It’s old news that newspapers and other print periodicals are struggling to compete with digital media. Individuals in my demographic are giving newspaper execs grey hairs because I — and my fellow 20-somethings — just don’t find the daily rags all that appealing. But, the London Review of Books recently offered an interesting path for print purveyors to go from rags…to riches.

Newspapers and magazines bemoan the decreasing interest in the print format. However, if they were smart, print outfits would realize that the barrier between their content and my money isn’t content itself or my lack of interest in news. The confounding factor is format.

I can put up with my favorite magazines (like National Geographic) because they have pretty pictures and charts, they are easy to navigate, and they don’t take up much space.

Newspapers, on the other hand, don’t have any of that going for them. I’m about as old-school as a 20-something can get. My college news profs made me read the paper every day and that habit is hard to break. But even I feel like buying and reading a newspaper is like taking vitamins. It’s good for me, I should do it, and it leaves a bad aftertaste.

Here’s the short list of what’s wrong with newspapers. Papers are an awkward size. They’re printed on the cheapest possible paper. The photos look bad. There’s no table of contents to reference. And I hate HATE shuffling around looking for the other half of that front page article back in “D3.” What is this? Battleship?

Notice what all these complaints have in common: They are all format problems. I still go to papers because I love the smart, deep, and wide coverage of local and international news. There’s nothing like the Wall Street Journal. Or the Times. I love finding an unexpected topic to think about or use later.

If papers find away to overcome the format issues that turn off the younger generation — if they weren’t bulky, if the photos looked good, if the text was more organized and searchable — print news could find a new start with the new generation of readers. While internet news is more easily accessible, my generation is savvy enough to know that not all sources are created equal. If newspapers were a bit more palatable, I’d swallow the vitamin in exchange for news from an unbiased source.

I think a lot of my peers would, too.

That’s what makes this proposal from the London Review of Books so very, very interesting:

The New York Times, if it stopped printing a physical edition of the paper, could afford to give every subscriber a free Kindle. Not the standard Kindle, but the one with free global data access. And not just one Kindle, but four Kindles. And not just once, but every year. And that’s using the low estimate for the costs of printing.

That is a staggering set of statistics. Imagine! If the Times stopped the presses, they could literally give every subscriber a free Kindle capable of downloading a daily edition from anywhere on the planet and stay current with technology by giving each subscriber a new Kindle every year. And still save money.

If the New York Times were to offer me a yearly subscription, delivered automatically, daily to a Kindle provided with my subscription I would jump on that without hesitation. That would solve all my problems with the newspaper format while preserving the in-depth, careful journalism I enjoy.

I could keyword search, bookmark, highlight, and annotate articles. Add a supporting website for archive purposes what would store “favorited” articles and provide archive access, and it would be a no-brainer.

If papers would simply adjust their format for delivering content, the next generation of citizens would have a reliable source for news. Plus, they wouldn’t have a reason to rag on the daily rags anymore.

No burger yet

2011-04-15T18:16:00.001-05:00

Taken at Twisted Root Burger Co.

Forreel

2011-04-14T17:55:00.001-05:00

Live at NRB 2011

2011-02-26T23:13:00.001-06:00

NRB 2011

Live from NRB 2011

2011-02-26T22:40:00.000-06:00

Middle East Youth Movements

2011-02-18T00:43:00.001-06:00

Mid East Youthquake.pdf (2665 KB)
View this on posterous

Middle East Youth Movements

2011-02-18T00:38:00.001-06:00

Mid East Youthquake.pdf (2665 KB)
View this on posterous

Coco Power

2011-02-10T09:36:00.000-06:00

Read this article from Fortune about Conan O'Brian's use of new media, and we'll talk about it later...

GoWild: Disc Golf in Dallas

2011-01-30T20:42:00.000-06:00

Today, Sarah and I made an important discovery: There is more in this universe than meetings and computer screens. Things like sunshine. Trees. Creeks. And little plastic frisbees.

Today, we went disc golfing at the very fun Alex Clark Memorial course in McKinney. We were both over due for a nature detox treatment. Don’t let her charming personality fool you, Sarah is a disc golf machine!

Here are some photos….

Random riff of Sarah's favorite Christmas song

2010-12-11T00:03:00.001-06:00

I needed some music therapy, and Sarah's been complaining that I never use the keyboard she gave me last Christmas. So, here you go, love! Your favorite Christmas song homemade with with plenty of nutritious keyboard craziness.

(4480 KB)
Listen on posterous

SuperFeed RSS map

2010-11-24T13:39:00.001-06:00

View SuperFeed in a larger map

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Anniversary 2: "Let's go to NYLO."

2010-06-23T17:47:00.000-05:00

Two years ago, we said, “I do.” Today, we still does.

Sarah and I have a strange and wonderful relationship – I’m strange and she’s wonderful. But, somehow, she’s still smiling. In a world were so many couples struggle, what Sarah and I share is a cause for thankfulness, gratitude, pride and humility. And it’s a reason to celebrate.

So we did.

We staged a little “staycation” this weekend in our hometown, stayed at a fun place called NYLO, and lounged by the pool. It’s amazing how a short, simple getaway can be so fun when your best friend tags along!

She knew it must be Owen when:.... click to read more....

The Cheap Cabinet Blues

2010-06-09T16:12:00.000-05:00

Things have been a little stressful around here, so last weekend we decided it was time for some art therapy.

We found this old Ethan Allen piece at a rummage sale for $29. According to the markings, it’s from about 1955. We have no idea what the cabinet’s original use was, but we like the random hatch on the top and the classy louvered doors....

Pictures and more at my new blog....

Krueger, Richard Simmons team up for exercise mask. For real.

2010-05-27T16:31:00.001-05:00

Introducing...Rejuvenique the electrical exercise face mask...

It's one of Time's 50 Worst Inventions...

Posted via web from wild pansophia

Tonight, CNN races to call American children "racist." Not so fast...

2010-05-18T20:45:00.004-05:00

CNN reports that biased racial attitudes begin forming in young children and that American black and white children are both biased toward whites. And, they say they have a scientific survey to back it up.

It goes like this.

An interviewer shows a young white girl illustrations of girls lined up from lightest-skinned to darkest skinned. Then, the interviewer asks her questions like: "Which girl is the smartest?" and "Which one is the good girl?" She points to the lighter-skinned girls. When the interviewer asks, "Which girl is the bad girl?" the little white girl points to the darker-skinned illustrations.

Her mother looks on through a live camera feed and cries. Obviously, scientifically, her sweet little girls is a budding racist. Or is she?

Not so fast.

This poorly crafted survey is an example of what researchers call a "confounding bias" introduced by how the questions were phrased and how the test was presented. I'm not making any comments about race or racism here. I'm only talking about the validity of the survey from a scientific standpoint, as a way to remind us all to be careful what we accept as "proof" of a particular point of view. Just because people in lab coats stand around with clipboards doesn't mean it's science.

In this survey's case, there are a number of problems:

This girl had no option to chose that "none of the children are bad." She was forced to make a value judgment.
Lack of variables. No other visual characteristics like hair color/length, eye color, clothing or even position of light and dark illustrations in the line-up were introduced in the line of questioning. Would the girl have made a different choice if the darker-skinned illustrations where wearing purple dresses and the survey taker's favorite color happened to be purple? The survey doesn't rule out these possibilities.
Because of the lack of variables introduced, no correlation can be drawn between the girl's choices and her racial attitudes. It's scientifically useless.

Since this survey did not introduce any other possible variables - say, asking the same question but with the illustrated children arranged in a different order in the visual, for example - the survey isn't scientifically conclusive.

But then, why would a black child point to the light-skinned child as being "good" or "smart"?

The survey's results say that even black children pointed to light-skinned illustrations as being the "good" or "smart" children. How could it be anything but the child reflecting a belief that light-skinned individuals are somehow better then them or, at least, better off socially?

Here's something else to consider. Children are not able to think abstractly at this young survey-takers's developmental stage. When she is picking a child out of the line up, she isn't drawing abstract conclusions about value based on skin color. Quite the opposite, she sees herself as a "good" and "smart" child, so she picks the illustration that "is like me." (If you watch the video, you'll see this is the case.)

This survey could just as easily be viewed as a measure of a child's self-esteem than a test of his/her views on an abstract race construct. Why would a black child pick a light-skinned illustration as the "good" one? Maybe his or her parents and teachers have sent the dark-skinned child negative self-esteem messages. Therefore, the "good" child is the one that is opposite to them. That's a self-perception that would fall on the shoulders of parents, teachers, and other influences in the child's life.

Since the survey didn't test for these possible variables for the responses it gathered, it's interesting but scientifically useless. Again, this is not a defense of any kind of racist behavior. But, in the race to call young Americans "racist" I'm just flipping on the yellow light of caution.

Just because this survey is labeled "science" doesn't mean it's the genuine article.

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Wildman Reviews Dekker's Latest for thefish.com

2010-05-06T10:02:00.004-05:00

In "The Bride Collector," Best-selling author Ted Dekker explores the line between genius and insanity through the eyes of a brilliant serial killer who thinks he's working for God.

Read more in my latest review for thefish.com...

Live: The Rambling Grad & History Tour

2010-05-01T17:43:00.004-05:00

We're scooting along through east Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Because we can. And to celebrate our man Tres' graduation. Track us live...at the party...on the road...and of the wall...

The Rambling Grad & History Tour

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

2010-04-20T14:51:00.003-05:00

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

2010-04-17T15:45:00.002-05:00

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

2010-04-16T12:35:00.004-05:00

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

2010-04-11T15:51:00.001-05:00

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

2010-04-09T14:37:00.001-05:00

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...

Frisco Roughriders Live Test

Posted via web from wild pansophia

My new robot friends need names.

2010-04-05T10:03:00.002-05:00

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.

2010-04-01T12:05:00.003-05:00

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.

Our $15 Cabinet

2010-03-29T22:46:00.003-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, we came across this cool old buffet sitting in a parking lot in Frisco. The solid old cabinet had obvious potential, but what was the best way to polish this diamond in the rough? We posted the pics, and friends gave some great ideas.

Well, here's our partial answer. A splash of color makes this piece pop. Using materials we had on hand, all the referb cost was a little elbow grease.

It was fun to save some money, and save this old buffet from the scrap heap. Total cost: $15.

See the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from wild pansophia

National Day of Unplugging: 10 commandments for high-tech Jews that we all could use

2010-03-22T12:13:00.000-05:00

10 Principles for an Unplugged Day

1. Avoid technology.
2. Connect with loved ones.
3. Nurture your health.
4. Get outside.
5. Avoid commerce.
6. Light candles.
7. Drink wine.
8. Eat bread.
9. Find silence.
10. Give back.

Read more about the National Day of Unplugging from CNN:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/03/19/national.unplugging.day/index.html?hpt=Mid

Imagine not booting up, logging on, dialing up, downloading, streaming, hyper-texting, clicking, viewing, or browsing for one whole day. Sad to say, I don't know if I could really do it. It's worth a try....With all the chatter hushed, maybe I could even hear a still, small voice....

Bargain cabinet find. Now what?

2010-03-16T13:34:00.001-05:00

We're all about deals. So when we came across this old cabinet/buffet sitting in a parking lot, we were intrigued. When we got down to $15 on the price, we couldn't refuse. Now the question is...what to do with it. It has lots of potential. And it needs a little attention. So, how do we fix it up? Ideas?

See the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from wild pansophia

Back up the truck, I'm dumping this stuff off the balcony...

2010-03-05T15:02:00.001-06:00

Posted via email from wild pansophia

Pew Research Study: Young adults as religious as ever, but are less interested in church

2010-03-01T20:41:00.000-06:00

Check out the article below from a recent USA Today...

Contrary to what we hear from today's church leaders, today's youth are no less spiritual than previous generations. The problem is Church - today's young people are much less interested in Church than the youth of yesteryear. Is it possible our "post-modern culture" that church leaders claim is the problem with America...really isn't the problem? If contemporary young adults are just as interested in religion as their parents, but less interested in attending church, then maybe church is the problem.

Every generation and every culture presents challenges to evangelism and discipleship. Let's complain less and work harder to find out what people need from church. We might have to make changes, but that's ok because we're not out for our own gain, right? Right. :)

Connecting God's dots can give you crazy pictures

2010-02-25T16:17:00.004-06:00

Today has been a little discouraging. In the grand scheme of things, I have nothing to complain about. But right now I'm frustrated because I got two papers back and got a little roughed up on both of them. And the experience has me thinking about how we as people -- and as Christians -- interpret the things that happen in our lives.

Take my two bum papers, for example. Are they a sign? If so, what do they signal? Is God telling me to buckle down and do a better job next time? Or is he telling me to quit school because it's not His will for my life? Those are two very different possibilities that use the same evidence. But I know people who base major decisions on the events in their lives because they connect the dots and think they see God will.

place place a in for everything its everything

As people, we are born with a strong desire to make sense the world around us. We seek to arrange everything we encounter inside a framework that organizes them, gives them context, and assigns them meaning. That's why you puzzled over the bold line of words above this paragraph for a few minutes before moving on. Your instincts told you that those words were there for a reason, that they somehow related to each other and that together they expressed meaning. In other words, you assumed there was...

A place for everything and everything in its place.

That's ok. It's totally natural.

As Christians, we have an extra layer we like to apply to help assign meaning to the events, sights, sounds, and people in our lives -- God. We believe that God is in control and he is organizing the scattered bits of our experience into a coherent sequence for a directed purpose. God, we think, is sovereign and he is scripting history -- including our history -- into a meaningful story.

Even if we can't comprehend it now, God is placing everything in its place. Normal people don't buy that, but we believe it. And we should, because that's how the Bible presents it.

Our faith is the problem

But in this regard, our faith can be a problem for us as believers. We so much want to assign meaning to what is happing in the world right now, that we jump the gun. We try to tell ourselves and others what God is up to in a specific situation, even though we don't always know for sure. In fact, a lot of times we get it wrong. Like Pat Robertson claiming the earthquake in Haiti is God's judgment for their sins. He's wanting to make sense of the situation, so gives it a meaning based on what he thinks God is up to.

Robertson is an extreme example, I admit. But, all of us Christians do the same thing - interpreting life in a way that fits our ideas about God and about how we want the story He's writing to turn out. I do it. We believe in God's sovereignty so strongly that we jump to conclusions too quickly.

This quote from N.T Wright sums it up:

One of the key words [in interpreting history] is Paul's little word perhaps, which he uses in Philemon...'Perhaps this is why Onesimus was parted from me for a while, so that you could have him back not just as a slave but as a brother' (Philemon 15). When Christians try to read off what God is doing even in their own situations, such claims always have to carry the word perhaps about with them as a mark of humility and of the necessary reticence of faith. That doesn't mean that such claims can't be made, but that they need to be made with a "perhaps' which is always inviting God to come in and say, 'Well, actually, no" (Christianity Today, April, 2001 p. 47).

So, I'm not going to make any bold claims or drastic conclusions because I got two bad grades in a row. Perhaps God is telling me to quit school, grab a camera and move to Africa. But I'm going to have to see a lot more of my story play out before I connect the dots that way.

And I guess the lesson is, be careful when you think God's telling you something based on a few circumstances. You and God might wind up having very different ideas about the meaning. It's best to let him put everything in its place...in His own time.

Posted via email from wild pansophia

Snow: The Vocal Edition

2010-02-24T18:12:00.006-06:00

A while back, I posted a little musical mix called, "Snow."

Well, here's a little update on that. It's the vocal edition, complete with lyrics. Here it goes: click here to listen....
Snow in the City

Tea with Hezbollah: I review Ted Dekker for crosswalk.com

2010-02-18T10:04:00.001-06:00

Ted Dekker is known for his fiction. But this time, he writes about his own personal experiences interviewing influential Islamic leaders in the Middle East.
What Dekker asks these "enemies" of America may surprise you.

Is this a book for you? Read my review at crosswalk.com.

McReps & McDems Alike Should Cry at Bayh's Goodbye

2010-02-16T08:07:00.004-06:00

Cooler heads in Congress head for the exits.

Wow, the current administration and Congress are even too liberal for members of their own party.

Sen. Evan Bayh, a 12 year veteran and moderate Democrat, says he won't run for reelection because Congress "is not operating as it should" and he's tired of the "strident partisanship," CNN reports. Good news for all the Republican fans, right?

Wrong.

I think Bayh and his fellow long-term members on both sides of the aisle see the handwriting on the wall. America's going to be very hard on incumbents this election cycle, Reps and Dems alike. Bayh doesn't want to be the guy who loses his seat to the other team.

The real loser? The American people. Centrist members in both parties have been the quiet workhorses of government for years with their ability to see issues from other points of view and strike deals that suit everyone and not just advance their party's agenda. Now their number is shrinking as the cooler heads in Congress head for the exits.

The increasing polarizing of American politics into only two opposing viewpoints is exceptionally dangerous. Each party will simply resort to exponentially extreme behavior in order to make it clear to voters that, "Hey, at least we're not those other guys." More posturing, less real action by both parties results.

We have decades of disinterested, uninformed voters to thank for giving Reps and Dems the need to caricature themselves and make the choice easy for people who'd rather not have to think too hard. Gone are the days when someone is elected for their personal skills and viewpoints, and not for their party label.

Now, America votes for their preferred party like they cheer for their favorite sports team or choose their favorite fast food chain. Sure, with McDems and McReps you always know what you're going to get, but what you get won't be very good for you.

Its easier that way, because all that takes is being able to read the letters "D" and "R" at the ballot box. Soon, we won't even need names on ballots. We'll simply put pictures of elephants and donkeys on the screen and select our government like we order our value meals.

"Thank you for voting, America. Would you like fries with that?"

What snow in the city sounds like to me

2010-02-11T20:25:00.000-06:00

So, when I have a snow day crazy things can happen. Garageband things. Looking out at all those fluffy flakes floating down inspired me to pull out the keyboard Sarah gave me for Christmas and scratch out a few notes...

For all of us watching snow flutter past our porch lights tonight, here's what snow sounds like in the city...

Google Audio Widgetgreat free widgetsWidgetboxMore info

The Future of Reading: How magazines can be better than ever

2010-02-10T12:31:00.003-06:00

Apple's iPad has been unveiled, and it's potential as a web browser and electronic book reader has people like Josh Quitter thinking about the future of reading in an outstanding, forward-thinking piece focused on how the Internet could impact traditional print magazines.

Personally, I love magazines. I think they have the best chance of any current print format to survive the switch to digital because mags already integrate multiple media.

The visual component is an integral part of the experience. If properly harnessed, the multi-media capacity of the web allows for a richer reader experience than print alone. With the web, features like supporting video, interview audio, and flash animated maps and charts can be used along with the typical photos and graphics.

To survive, magazine outfits need to take three steps:

1. Offer full digital versions for much lower subscription costs than on newsstands.

2. Use the money they save from print production to flood the virtual pages with interactive multi-media content. Maps to click, drag, and scale. Photo slideshows. Audio and video from the interviews. Interactive charts. Links for further reading from past issues.

3. Boost interactivity by providing comment and response mechanisms for digital edition consumers. Schedule chats with the author. Allow a reader to annotate a portion of the article, make comments and publish them to the page. Other viewers could opt to see these annotations - like a collaborative pdf document.

Perhaps the changing tastes of readers is a by-product of a more formally educated population than we had 30 years ago. In college, you can't get by with writing a paper and citing only one source. In college, you learn that most people's writing is influenced by their personal views and not fully objective. As you are exposed to a variety of ideas, you find that often every perspective on a topic has some foundation in fact and can contribute to the discussion.

Perhaps that's why the next generation of readers wants conversation as much as they want information. They want their news and information from multiple sources and from a variety of perspectives. They don't merely want to be told, they want to be shown.

This is a lesson that every traditional medium can learn from as we transition to an increasingly digital age.

A book about a book about me?

2010-02-06T10:25:00.002-06:00

If I were to write a book someday -- I mean a work of fiction -- I know what I would write. It would be a book about me writing a book about me.

A first person account of me constructing a third person account about myself for national consumption.

The me I would write about writing about wouldn't be a Me that friends would recognize. Neither "Me" (the one writing and the one writing about the process of writing) would be me exactly. They would be the Me's I would be if I let me be myself without being concerned with convention or with being comprehended.

Me (both of them) would be the character I wish I could be or that I'm relieved I'm not -- depending on my mood.

The first person third person autobiography would most likely poke fun at how most people construct what they think is reality based on their desire to be accepted by others based on their perception of what other accept.

And it would be a chance for me (this Me) to write like I think and not translate my thoughts into conventionally composed, single themed streams so others can follow. I could write in rivers, not streams.

"The Convention" would be a good title. That's where Me would get inspired to leave and write about himself. He would write a journal about writing a book about himself while dabbling in writing the book. The journal would be first person and the book would be third person.

And that's how I would write about me writing about Me.

What's your Life Clock say? Check the time on the Life Clock Calculator

2010-01-26T10:50:00.011-06:00

Do you know what time it is? I'm not talking about checking your watch for how many hours and minutes that have passed in this current day. I'm talking about what time it is in your life...what's the reading on your Life Clock?

On your Life Clock, your 80-year lifespan is represented as a single, 24-hour day. Each day you live moves the hands of your Life Clock forward, starting at 12:00AM when you are born and ending when you finish your 80th year and the clock strikes midnight. Where the hands of the clock are right now is your Life Time.

There's something about looking at a clock that gives you a great visual reference for where you are in your day. 7am? Time to leave for work. 12:55pm? Lunch is over, time to get back to work. 9:13pm? Last chance to call your Mom to wish her happy birthday. Thanks to the clock, you know where you are in relation to the activities of the day and you can budget your time accordingly.

So, what if you could do something similar for your entire lifespan? What if we could look at a clock and see how much of our life we've spent and how much remains?

Follow steps below to find out what time your Life Clock reads right now. You'll need about 3 minutes and a calculator.

Find out how many days you've lived by filling out this Days Calculator. The "start date" is your birthday. The "end date" is today.
Multiply the days you've lived by 3. This is the number of seconds you've lived on your Life Clock.
Divide the answer from step 2 by 60. This is the number of Life Clock hours.
Round the answer from step 3 to the nearest whole number. Use this Quotient / Remainder calculator divide your whole number by 60. The quotient = the hour on your Life Clock. The remainder = the minutes on your Life Clock. For example: If your quotient = 8 and remainder = 24, then your Life Clock reading is 8:24AM. This is your Life Time.
REMEMBER: The Life Clock calculator gives your Life Time in a 24-hour (military) format. If you are over 40 years of age, you can subtract 12 from the quotient to give your hours in a 12-hour format. If you to this, don't forget that your Life Clock reading with be PM not AM.

We're found out our Life Time...so now what?

The years of our lives pass quickly, like a sigh. The days of our lives add up to seventy years, or eighty, if one is especially strong... Yes, they pass quickly and we fly away...So teach us to consider our mortality, so that we might live wisely. (Psalms 90:9b-10,12)

the other side of the fence

2010-01-18T19:35:00.007-06:00

the other side of the fence, originally uploaded by thewildpeople.

The worst thing about growing up is that as you get bigger, the world gets smaller. The world, and everything in it.

A few days after Christmas, I revisited the old neighborhood. My fuzzy blond head peeked up behind this white fence for the first twelve years of my life.

My chin once strained to rest on the top of the slats as my blue eyes elevated in search of the ice cream truck. It never occurred to me that all the other chins and eyes on the fence were brown. Or that most of of the treats on the truck were Mexican candy.

Now, the fence ends at my waist. Now I have no difficulty seeing over it.

The yard offered plenty of room to shoot water guns, practice soccer kicks, and shove paper balls of gunpowder down ant hills, light them and run behind a tree to wait for the victorious snap. Now, the truck I'm in rumbles past the entire ramshackle estate in less than a second.

Don't blink or you'll miss it. Unless you want to miss it. Then, go ahead and blink. I couldn't decide which I wanted, so I closed one eye, squinted through the other and took this picture.

In my memories, the fence, the yard, the house -- the world -- all seemed so much larger. I think I liked Big World. More space for possibilities. More room to run. And back then, I didn't know why the rich kids from church on the north side of town never wanted to come over.

The world's smaller now. And everything in it.

Not sure what this even means...

2010-01-12T12:01:00.002-06:00

I didn't know the words
until I heard the song.
I didn't know my place
until my place was gone.
I didn't see the sunshine
until the night was long.
I didn't know the words
until I heard the song.

Sarah's "Dog" Shopping Nightmare

2009-12-12T23:57:00.004-06:00

Sarah woke today from dozing in a pain-pill induced haze and called for me to come over.

"What, Sweetheart?" I asked, "Do you need more water?"
"No, I need a hug. I just had a terrible dream."
"Oh no, what was it about?"
"It was really bad."
"It's ok. You can tell me."
"Well," she started, "I had a dream that I was shopping."
"That sounds good. Girls love shopping."
"No, I had a dream that I was shopping and Beth Chapman from Dog the Bounty Hunter had her own clothing store."
"You're right," I said. "That's a terrible dream."
"The worst part was that Beth Chapman had her own store and she was forcing me to buy clothes and try them on. It was a really bad dream."

The moral of the story: If you think all the crowds are bad while you're doing your Christmas shopping this month, remember, it could be much worse. You could be trapped in a store owned by this woman, and forced to try on clothes. Fashions by Beth: A fate worse than death.

Sarah Preps for Surgery

2009-12-10T07:39:00.000-06:00

Sarah prepares this morning for bone graft surgery. The procedure will remove a mass from inside the bone that forms the tip of her left ring finger. Once this mass is removed, bone matter from forearm will be used to fill the void in her finger bone.
It's a routine operation that will take an hour to complete. She's scheduled to begin at around 9:30. We anticipate bringing her home by Noon.
I know she'd appreciate your prayers for an uneventful surgery.

Anatomy of a Story

2009-12-08T15:07:00.006-06:00

Whether you're reading a book or writing one. Whether you're watching a movie, a commercial, or viewing a magazine; you are experiencing Story.

I've been studying Story for the past 8 years now. How to build them, interpret them, transfer them, capture and retell them, and how to assess their potential emotional impact on an audience. I'm still not very good at any of those things...but I have seen and told a tale or two.

The past couple of weeks I've been reading the Old Testament in large chunks. No, it's not because I'm spiritual. It's because I'm playing catch-up on all the semester end projects I should have been working on since October.(It's amazing what procrastination can do for your time in the Bible when you're in seminary.)

Anyway, reading it in large sections give you a great bird's-eye view of the major themes and movements. Usually when you read the Bible, you get bogged down in the details. You can't see the forest for the trees... You can't see the point for the facts.

In the middle of all this reading, I had an epiphany about Story. From a TV ad to a feature news story, to a travel magazine article, to the "greatest story ever told," I'm seeing a simple pattern in the little stories that make up Story. It's kind of a meta script for how good stories are put together in a way that keeps us interested, engages emotions and provokes response.

Others have already seen this pattern, this meta script for assembling good stories I'm sure...but I'm calling it:

Anatomy of Story

1. A hope is held.
2. A problem interferes.
3. The problem deepens.
4. The hope is revived.
5. The hope is realized.

Try putting the stories you come across through this filter. Does it work? Think about it in relation to the story of Christ and Christmas...

Ok...now I have to stop procrastinating and get back to my reading...

Dear Wildman: "Women Not Complicated, Grow Up"

2009-12-07T08:32:00.006-06:00

Dear Wildman:

Girls are not complicated! How hard is it to say "You're pretty" and give us chocolate?

-Simple in AZ

Dear Simple:

Women are complicated.

Let me 'splain. It's complicated. Because, it doesn't just involve the words and candy. It also involves timing. So, what makes women complicated is that you have to do the right things (which they've told you to do) at the right time (when it's convincing and they don't think you're doing it because they told you to). Plus, you have to surprise them with the comments and chocolate - even though they know what's coming and when.

Women are not complicated like golf is not complicated. Simple, yet requiring great skill. Oh, and your life could be in jeopardy if you mess up. So, I guess it's more like playing golf with the devil with your eternal soul on the line.

Not complicated at all.

Except for you, Sarah, my sweet, pretty wife. Here's some chocolate.

(Didn't see that one coming, did you? Score.)

Snow?!?

2009-12-02T09:52:00.001-06:00

A 70 degree Thanksgiving weekend followed by a chilly snow? Now I'm even more confused about climate change. Can we install a climate change switch? I'll take some global warming in the winter and some global cooling in the summer.

Now that'd be what you call climate control!