Rob Williams - Orangejack

The following went out to our eNewsletter list:

Hello! We hope you are doing well and warm! Orlando is quite nice this time of year! Wanna come visit?

Rob and I have been working with ministry throughout the internet for a couple of years now and we are continually amazed at how God is bringing people to Him through this technology!

Ministries all over the world are using the internet to reach share the Gospel of Christ.

We invite you to read our Feburary update online.

If you feel led, please reply to let us know how you're doing. We love to hear back from you.

In Christ,

Patricia & Rob Williams
Campus Crusade for Christ
http://www.orangejack.com

You can also sign up for our eNewsletter if you like.

"If there is anything the nonconformist hates worse than a conformist, it's another nonconformist who doesn't conform to the prevailing standard of nonconformity."

- Bill Vaughan

I know becuase Rev Mike told me so.

Many churches (and other groups such as Bible colleges) are planning to mark the first worldwide INTERNET EVANGELISM DAY on 24 April. By using a downloadable PowerPoint presentation, video clips, dramas and other resources, they are creating a custom 'do-it-yourself' non-technical focus slot, to share with their members the enormous potential of the Web for effective outreach. Part of the program is about how to make effective church websites.

More information see www.InternetEvangelismDay.com

I know becuase Tony told me so.

...and becuase I'm helping plan it!

You ready for a bizarre, sad, and uplifting story all in one? Read this story about my buddy, Berley Stabler. He's from my hometown, home church, and friend of mine. My dad and he are very close. Berley plays trumpet in the church brass ensemble that my Dad directs.

(Hey MUSC Tiger, you might appreciate this story too...)

The latest article ran a couple weeks ago in The Greenville News. They don't allow deep links so if you want to find the latest, do a search in the archives for "Berley Stabler". There are some older articles online for free.

Excerpts from the article:

Berley Stabler is a Southerner once again; his flirtation with life as a Frenchman is but an exotic, bittersweet memory.

...Stabler has returned to his native South Carolina accent after a strange, year long odyssey during which he spoke with a French accent as the result of a rare, stroke-induced condition known as "foreign accent syndrome." Only 20 cases of the syndrome have been reported since 1919.

...He had to endure rigorous speech and physical therapy, reverse a lifetime of poor eating habits and take a daily cocktail of medicine for the purpose of lowering his blood pressure (medication he no longer has to take thanks to improved health through exercise and diet).

... A University of South Carolina neurology professor has been studying Stabler's brain with a powerful MRI device in Charleston, tracking how the brain heals the damage a stroke inflicts and how that healing process could lead to better treatment methods.

And a British medical journal is set to publish Stabler's case history to document the rare syndrome. Two British neurologists as well as a foreign accent syndrome specialist from the University of Central Florida will meet Stabler in Charleston in March for one last scan.

...Today, he is a man determined to avoid another stroke...He's lost 46 pounds since he suffered his stroke Dec. 18, 2003, and his blood pressure readings are right in line with what defines a healthy cardiovascular system. He's found himself renewed -- and the stroke isn't the only force that has driven him.

I wish that was all to the story.

In April, Stabler's wife, Shari, passed away suddenly. About the same time, the home-electronics business he helped run with a longtime friend folded. It was a difficult, painful time, a period in which he says he had to reach deep down for faith in order to press on.

Over the summer, Stabler decided to honor Shari's life by working in a nursing home, remembering how fond of the elderly she had always been. Just before Christmas, he was laid off from that job.

Out of work, Stabler entered 2005 hoping for a better year than the one that had just passed. Yet, only a few days into January, he found himself suddenly paralyzed...The doctor told him he had a burst blood vessel on his upper spine (not the result of a stroke) and gave him a choice: life-threatening surgery that might or might not work, or spending the rest of his life as a quadriplegic.

He had two minutes to decide. He thought of the late Christopher Reeve. He prayed: "I said, 'God, if you're ready to take me, I'm ready to go.'"

Incidentally, my dad was in the hospital room during those two minutes. Not the most fun place to be. He went under the knife.

This week, he started his new job...just as he returned to work mere weeks after he suffered his stroke.

...The Hosanna Brass ensemble Berley plays trumpet in has joked with him that he should change his middle name from Jacob to Job..."I've never met anyone like him...How many people do you know who could do or would do what he's done? For someone who has lost as much as he's lost, he's retained the very best human traits."

We got to see him at Christmas before the surgery. In some ways, he's never changed. He's a great guy. Happy and full of life. He's getting back on track now. And his fiath is strong.

I just wanted to share some of Berley's story with you.

Rev Mike is worried about being 43.

Jack Black is worried about being 33.

I'm not as worried about being 33. For some reason I keep thinking I'm 34. I thought I was 33 when I was 32. Guess I'm ahead of my time.

One cool thing about Firefox is they allow you to install all sorts of search engines into the browswer. Pretty cool. But when will they add a blog search engine like Technorati? That would be cool.

Interesting.

I know becuase Search Engine Lowdown told me so.

So I'm in a small group Bible study this morning. One guy says something about a lack of faith. I reply with, "I find your lack of faith disturbing". The guy next to me starts to die laughing. He got the quote.

If you don't get it, why not check out Google's new toy.

And if you still don't get it, try this.

Steve Rubel from Micro Persuasion has two short posts on his blog tonight that I find very interesting...

The Ivory Tower of Babble Comes Crashing Down

AP Launches RSS Feeds

In short, it's a new day. Conversations on the web are moving from "lecture" to "conversation". And on top of that, now the AP provides it's news in RSS feeds. This means now a person doesn't have to go through the traditional channels to get news. One can now get it directly from AP itself.

It's a new day.

We're on it. Are you? Right now about 10% of the US is. By the end of 2007, 45% will be. From ClickZ adds:

A recent report issued by Jupiter Research, predicts the number of U.S. households using VoIP will increase from approximately 400,000 at the end of 2004 to 12.1 million in 2009.

As far as I can tell, this isn't a joke. Really cool.

Thanks to Seth for the tip.

Hilarious!

They just keep falling into the blogsphere! Jeff's Rutter is the latest from a friend blogging. He's a, well, I'll let him tell you.

Stop by and tell him 'Ol Orangejack sent ya!

I mentioned Vonage back in January saying how I was thinking about switching to it. I've stopped thinking and I did it! And boy is it great!

Vonage - The Broadband Phone Company is a great service. If you have a cable modem, you can use Vonage (not so sure about DSL). It's available in the US, Canada, and the UK right now. Here's the skinny on it:

• If you switch to Vonage, you can cancel both your local and long distance services. We figured we were paying about $45/mth just to have a phone, voice mail, and $0.05/min long distance. Now we pay $25/mth, and we get more
• We can call anywhere in the US and Canada for the $25/mth.
• We get all the bells and whistles we had to pay for earlier like voice mail, caller ID, call forward, call waiting, etc. It's free.
• We can have our voice mail emailed to us as an email announcement or file attachment. We can listen to our messages online if we like.
• If our internet is down, it'll auto forward to a cell phone.
• 911 service still works
• We could keep our home phone number (check to make sure they can switch yours though)
• There's other benefits that I haven't explored yet

No, I'm not selling Vonage. I'm just telling you what I like about what I've got. The clarity is perfect. I can't tell I'm talking over the internet. It seems just like normal.

If you're interested, check out the site yourself. If you have questions about it, email me. If you do switch though, let me know because if I refer you, we both get a free month of service. If you're not referred, you don't get the free month. So it helps us both out.

Now, add Vonage to Skype and you've got a cool combo. They serve different purposes though they use the same technology called VoIP. You use Skype at your computer to talk to other Skype members (like IM). Or you can pay them and call other phone numbers. You have to be tied to your computer to make a Skype call, but that means you can travel around and still use it...for free. And in my opinion, Skype is not spyware. Vonage, on the other hand, works for your home phone system. It's not tied to your computer, just the broadband connection.

Again, if you have any questions or comments about this stuff, leave a comment or email me. I'm only sharing these products because I'm excited about them and finding some great use out of them.

Today I'm reading that Laveranues Coles, the Washington Redskin wide receiver, wants out of Washington. I'm not posting on this because I really care about that. He's good and will be picked up somewhere.

I'm posting on it because of what I found ironically funny today when I read about it. Tony Kornheiser of the Washington Post wrote:

I bear Laveranues Coles no ill will, and would welcome him back. But if he wants out, fine. The computer's 'spellcheck' always spits his first name back at the copy desk. It's just easier for everybody in the newsroom when there's a wide receiver named, oh, Randy.

This from a guy named 'Kornheiser'. I just find some ironic humor in that.

One of my favorite punters of all time died today. Remember Reggie Roby? Best punter in the 80s as he played for the Dolphins.

Bummer.

And this time it's Royalty! Sorta. Princess Alissa's Random Thoughts has now entered the blogshpere. We met her when we were in Canada last fall...we met because we rented the basement from her parents!

Stop by and say hello to Alissa. Tell her Ol' Orangejack sent ya!

I mentioned yesterday that Firefox was really slow.

It's now fixed. Turns out it was the extension "SwitchProxy" that was causing the problem. I blogged about it on my other blog.

Mozilla has got some good people working with them. No doubt.

Do you use an email program that has a "This is Spam" button you can click if you suspect an email is spam? Ever wonder what happens when you send that report back?

Wonder no more.

Doug told me Jesus is coming back...and this time, He's recut!

Maybe I'll see him this time around.

Is anyone else experiencing this? Firefox was moving quite well but last week I noticed it was having a hard time every time I started it or opened a new window. I'd experience a delay of a few seconds.

Yesterday that delay turned into several seconds.

Today it's up to minutes! Literally, it takes it a couple of minutes to open a new window!

Any idea what's up?

Maybe I'll reconsider Skype! ;-)

Snopes knows:

Some of us think we're observing George Washington's Birthday...some of us think we're celebrating the combined birthdays of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln (two formerly separate holidays smushed into one), and some of us think we're honoring the memory of all U.S. presidents past and present. Which is it?

...the observance of Washington's Birthday was made official in 1885 when President Chester Alan Arthur signed a bill establishing it as a federal holiday...

However, the seeds of confusion were sown in 1968 with the passage of a piece of legislation known as Uniform Holidays Bill, intended to create more three-day weekends for federal employees by moving the observance of three federal holidays (Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, and Veterans Day) from fixed calendar dates to designated Mondays, and by establishing Columbus Day (also to be observed on a Monday) as a new federal holiday. Under this act, from 1971 onwards the observance date of Washington's Birthday would be relocated from February 22 to the third Monday in February. (Oddly enough, this change guaranteed that Washington's Birthday would never again be celebrated on his "actual" birthday of February 22, as the third Monday in February cannot fall any later than February 21.)

..The concept of combining Washington's and Lincoln's birthdays into one holiday called "President's Day" was floated as far back as the early 1950s...

President Nixon is frequently identified as the party responsible for changing Washington's Birthday into President's Day and fostering the notion that it is a day for commemorating all U.S. Presidents...

You may know that I'm a fan of Skype. We've been having some email conversations about Skype and if it's spyware or not. I decided (per request) to post my reply to the question here:

I've heard some of the same claims re: skype=spyware. I did a search in Google on "skype spyware" and a lot came up. However, as I worked through the first page of results, I couldn't confirm the validity of most that claimed it was spyware. I did find this article that seemed pretty honest about it all (including quotes from the CEO of Skype and their business model) from silicon.com

At least according to that article, the claims come because the Skype CEO also came up with Kazaa. However, he says that although Kazaa allowed spyware, Skype does not. Skype makes it's money through add-ons like voice mail and SkypeOut (you pay to call non-skype members).

On the other hand, this group says it is spyware. However, my reading of that warning doesn't tell me much. Read it for yourself and see what you think. As I read it, they say it's spyware because it's a P2P program. However, their instructions on what to do about it are lacking. It almost seems (to me anyway) that they say Skpye=P2P therefore it is spyware (the assumption that all P2P software are spyware).

I also did searches on cNet and ZDNet and didn't find much more.

Writing personally here, I've been experiencing a slowdown on my laptop. However, I'm not convinced it's because of Skype. In fact, every time I run Ad-Aware, I get the same amount of bugs in there that I've always gotten. I don't attribute any of them to Skype.

My personal opinion is that it's safe. However, I could be wrong. I've talked with our office "security guy" and he doesn't have a problem with it. I keep my virus protection up to speed and run Ad-Aware or Spybot occasionally.

At this point, I personally don't feel Skype is any different than installing something like AIM on my computer.

I went to a conference Thursday night, Friday, and Saturday morning. It wasn't too bad. I don't want to go into it all here now.

But I do want to share something that has really been on my mind since I heard it Friday night.

A quote was shared. I wish I was able to record who said it. But it went something like this:

If you choose "Yes", then you will receive the reward of adventure. If you choose "No", then you will receive the reward of security.

I really like that. "Yes" will lead us into new places...places we've never been or been before. It takes us on an adventure. And that is a reward for our choice.

But at the same time, if we choose "No", that will also be a reward. It's security. When did security become a negative word? Why is it that many look at adventure and say it's better than security. Both are appropriate. Both are needed. There are things we shouldn't do. We need boundries. "No" helps keep us in those boundries. Outside of them is bad. It's not secure.

I realize though I live in security more than I live in adventrure. I want to say "Yes" more. But within reason. "No" is also good. One is not better than the other. We need them both.

I think Jesus said it best when He said:

Simply let your "Yes" be "Yes," and your "No," "No"

There's nothing wrong with either. But choose. Enjoy the reward you receive.

My good friend Brent and his wife Kelly are in China right now adopting their new daughter. And they are blogging their adventures as well as they can. Stop by and say hello. Tell them "Orangejack Rob" sent ya! ;-)

Last weekend I gave a quick update on the Orangejack Network of Websites (TM). Today I want to announce that the Orangejack Network has now been expanded by one half.

Yesterday I became co-author of RealityBlogs.com: A blog about watching reality television and living the E.P.I.C. life.

You can read the official announcement: RealityBlogs Merges With OrangeJack.

I think it was this post about William Hung yesterday that finally sealed the deal with my new partner, Steve of KnightTopia.com.

It's a privilege to expand the Orangejack universe, even if it's half a blog at a time. Bwahahahahahaha! Don't worry Brain...I won't be renaming this the Pinkyjack Blog.

Oh! You may be wondering what's this "E.P.I.C. life" all about. Follow the trail and you'll learn....

And this time it's pretty funny.

The search engine Ask Jeeves is releasing several TV commercials. You can view them all on the AJ Blog. They are pretty funny. I personally like the one with Hung, Jack Hannah, and the dog show.

The William Hung one is set to air tonight during, what else, American Idol.

I told you about my jury duty last week. Well on that theme, you should check out what happened in Delaware County, Oklahoma. It seems that a guy was called to jury duty there also. Only there was a twist...

he was dead.

But wait! There's more!

Not only was they guy dead, he was called for...

...you ready for this?...

....his own murder trial!

You just can't make this stuff up.

Today this blog hit a milestone when it's 10,000th visit occurred. Well, it's at least officially 10,000. I started the counter about a month after launch.

To celebrate, I changed how the comments are shown on this site. Just click on the comment link and the comments (if they are there) will unfold themselves!

So leave a comment helping me celebrate!

I find it quite ironic that I learned of this new word today (Valentines Day) via my computer. A technolsexual is "a male with a strong aesthetic sense and a love of technology". Oh good grief.

Thanks to the Indian Blogger who brought this mess into my life, via his blog into my SharpReader, now in my blog through Firefox.

This is a cool site: Check Flight Status.

Next time you know someone who is up in the air, check this site out.

I don't mean literally. But here's what I thought to be true:

Most broadband companies max out around 3-5 Mbps. At least that's what some now advertise: "We're now faster...up to 5 Mbps". Things like that.

But my old wireless router transmits up to 11 Mbps. If I plug into my router, I go up to 100 Mbps. I think newer routers go even faster.

But if the line coming into the router is only up to 5, isn't my OLD router at 11 overkill? It seems that I could handle my ISP doubling their speed without skipping a beat. Why would I want to pay more money for a router that is supposed to be WAY faster than what I have when it seems to me my current router is capable of handling double the speed I have access to?

And if that's the case, is plugging into my router (100 Mbps) really any faster than wireless (11 Mbps) when the speed the router receives is only 5 Mbps?

What am I missing?

And it only costs less than $9!!!

Thanks to SteelerDirtFreak for the tip.

We've updated our online calendar that contains the highlights of our schedule the next couple of months over on our ministry homesite.

You can stay more updated on a more personal level with my wife and I through the Orangejack Network of Websites (TM). Okay, I'm kidding with the (TM). But here are the direct links to these sites:

• Our Ministry Home is orangejack.com. There you can get our monthly updates, partnership information, etc
• The Orangejack Blog which of course is this site. It's Rob's personal blog that is updated frequently on random topics. For example, you can read about my recent call to jury duty
• Pitatayo's Blog is Patricia's blog that is updated often. For example, you can read about our recent car nuisance
• Effective Web Ministry Notes is my personal ministry blog that is updated several times a week. For example, you can read about why the internet is "making a comeback" so to speak

Of course, you can access all of these sites from this page

...And by the way, if you're confused or not sure what a blog is all about, why don't you start with this page I created on How to Read a Blog.

Have a great weekend! We'd love to hear back from you. Feel free to email us or, if you're feeling really adventurous, leave a comment on one or more of our blogs!

Awwwwwwwww!



Read more about the Hippo saved from the Tsunami.

I told you last night that I was summoned for jury duty today. Turns out, they let me go early. Right at noon they said "If you haven't been called yet, you can go home." So I did.

There were 135 of us there and after I got there I realized they had wireless available for those who brought laptops. D'oh! I wish they told us that before we got there! Oh well. Then they had a cyber-cafe that was made up of old computers. But they warned us if we logged into any website, the computer wouldn't log you out so others could access your stuff. I don't believe it. But there weren't any open computers anyway so I didn't get a chance to try it out.

But the cool thing was when I got there, I saw a guy I sort of knew from work. So I approached him and we talked the entire morning making plans and basically having a business meeting all morning long! Pretty cool.

They only called abut 5 groups to see the judge and that's all they needed today. My friend got called at 11:30. We were all dismissed just before noon. Sorry, Joe!

So now I'm back home, sifting through 40+ emails trying to figure out what my priorities should be. I couldn't decide so I blogged instead!

Isn't that the line from A Toy Story? I've been called up to fulfill my civic duty. Tomorrow morning, I'll be a juror for Orange County, Florida.

Oh joy.

But check this out...I've been playing with the new Google Maps that launched this week. It's very slick. I don't have the address of the parking lot I have to drive to tomorrow (it's separate from the Court House and they bus us I guess). But I knew the intersection. So I asked Google Maps to show me "Amelia St & Hughey Ave, Orlando". It pinpointed it perfectly. Then it gives the option to get directions to or from there. I chose "to" and put in "MCO" which is the airport code for Orlando International Airport (why it's not OIA I don't know). I'm dropping Patricia off there in the morning. Well, Google Maps knew what "MCO" meant and gave me a perfect map.

Though I don't know if I can vouch for jury duty, I can vouch for Google Maps!

Jerry Greene of the Orlando Sentinel writes today:

That's right, friends, football season is over. Oh, sure, there's the Pro Bowl on Sunday night, but that's like giving methadone to an opium addict. It's not the real thing.

We must watch something else, but what?

We can rule out hockey -- because it already ruled out itself. I know there are a few of you who are miserable because the NHL is pulling its own plug. But most of us do not miss it for a moment.

Almost all of us miss football. We can't stand the idea of being without it even for a few months. But we must. It is the way of things.

So what about other sports? Do we care? That's our question today, class: 'If a sport other than football disappeared, would you miss it?'

It's a great question. Leave a comment answering the question. For me, football is the only thing I really miss. I watch March Madness, but that's about it for basketball. Don't care much for baseball and the NBA. Greene gives some ideas:

Hockey : We've answered that.

Arena football: After your third big beer, you can hardly tell the difference.

Baseball: If you're from Montreal, you don't have to answer this. Tampa can skip this one, too.

Extreme sports: Judging by the falls these kids take, this activity is probably cleaning out the genetic pool and eliminating itself.

NASCAR: Hey, back off! I was kidding! (Nice shotgun rack in your truck.)

Poker: If you watch other people playing poker, you are in serious need of a life.

Figure skating: Women (and men) wearing sequins and displaying great taste in music. Something for everyone.

Yikes!

So who's having pancakes tonight? Happy Shrove Tuesday!

I don't know what's more amazing: that The Amazing Race 6 concludes tonight, or that I don't care who wins. In the past, I've had a favorite. Not tonight though. But I'll still watch.

Okay, I'm breaking my "no posting" today. There's been a lot of talk about the Super Bowl commercials, but I thought this was the most creative use of Super Bowl money.

Ironically I have to post that I'm not going to post today.

I'm in mourning.

Football is over...for now.

June, July, August, and Football are my 4 favorite months.

I just realized that next year's Super Bowl will be Super Bowl XL and played in Detroit.

I'm sure that'll be a lot of advertising we'll get sick of. "Super Bowl Extra Large". "Extra Large Super Bowl". "All Super Bowls before have just been OK. This year it's XL."

Yawn.

The New England Patriots have moved to tied for #4 on my all-time best NFL teams. I figured total points as 2 if you get to the Super Bowl, 3 more if you win.

Dallas Cowboys: 5-3 (0.625), 31 pts
San Francisco 49ers: 5-0 (1.000), 25
Pittsburgh Steelers: 4-1 (0.800), 22
Washington Redskins: 3-2 (0.600), 19
New England Patriots: 3-2 (0.600), 19
Denver Broncos: 2-4 (0.333), 18
Green Bay Packers: 3-1 (0.750), 17
Miami Dolphins: 2-3 (0.400), 16
Oakland Raiders: 2-2 (0.500), 14
New York Giants: 2-1 (0.667), 12
Buffalo Bills: 0-4 (0.000), 8
Minnesota Vikings: 0-4 (0.000), 8
Kansas City Chiefs: 1-1 (0.500), 7
Baltimore Colts: 1-1 (0.500), 7
St. Louis Rams: 1-1 (0.500), 7
Baltimore Ravens: 1-0 (1.000), 5
Chicago Bears: 1-0 (1.000), 5
Los Angeles Raiders: 1-0 (1.000), 5
New York Jets: 1-0 (1.000), 5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 1-0 (1.000), 5
Cincinnati Bengals: 0-2 (0.000), 4
Philadelphia Eagles: 0-2 (0.000), 4
Atlanta Falcons: 0-1 (0.000), 2
Carolina Panthers: 0-1 (0.000), 2
Los Angeles Rams: 0-1 (0.000), 2
San Diego Chargers: 0-1 (0.000), 2
Tennessee Titans: 0-1 (0.000), 2

After church, lunch, and a nap, I'm ready for the big game!

Who 'ya got?

I've got the Pats by 21. I really think it'll get that bad.

BTW: I felt that at the end of last year's Super Bowl, we could see this match-up coming.

UPDATE: Philly is up 7-0 with less than 10 minutes in the 2nd. Off to a bad start for my prediction! Best commercial so far is FedEx Kinkos.

UPDATE 2: Pats tie is up 7-7 with just over 1 minute until the half. FedEx Kinkos still the best commercial so far.

UPDATE 3: Katie & the boys are liveblogging the Super Bowl.

UPDATE 4: Na na na na na na na na, na na na na, Hey Jude!

UPDATE 5: Pats starting to make my prediction look a little more realistic. They are now up 14-7 with just over 11 minutes left in the 3rd. I'm already tired of the Mustang winter release commercial.

UPDATE 6: Okay, the best commercial so far is now the Anheuser-Busch one where everyone in the airport is applauding the American soldiers coming home from war. Well done, AB.

UPDATE 7: Philly ties it back up 14-14 with just over 3 left in the 3rd.

UPDATE 8: Pats take it to 21-14 with just over 13 left in the game.

UPDATE 9: "The next episode of American Idol is the most important one yet"? Sheesh.

UPDATE 10: Pats starting to kick it into another gear. They go up 24-14 with just over 9 left in the game. Get it? Kick it? Oh nevermind.

UPDATE 11: I'm tired of our local FOX affiliate who insists on having it's logo constantly on the bottom right corner. It keeps covering up postings of stats.

UPDATE 12: 2-minute warning. Still 24-14. Eagles have the ball on the 30, but they are playing like it's the 3rd quarter and not the 4th.

UPDATE 13: Eagles get the game to 24-21. 1:48 left in the game. But it's only interesting if Philly can get the onside kick.

UPDATE 14: It's not interesting.

UPDATE 15: Okay, it's kinda interesting. Philly gets the ball back with 46 seconds left and they need to go about 65-70 yards to get a FG to go to OT. But I doubt it.

UPDATE 16: Philly can't do it. Pats repeat by winning Super Bowl 39 by 3, 24-21. Bring on the Simpsons.

You've heard me reference Grant's blog a few times. I've added his blog to my blogroll over there on the right.

Keep up the great posting, Grant!

It was a good, but quick trip. I got in Wednesday night in the dark, went straight to the hotel, went to the office 2 minutes away, out to eat at night, hotel, then office again. I was glad to ride to the airport on Friday before lunch so I could get a glimpse of San Jose!

Ironically, there in Silicon Valley, I didn't have internet access the entire time.

Though my trip was short, the guy on the plane next to me from San Jose to Atlanta was only in San Jose for a night. He was there for a 1-hour meeting Friday morning. So he flew from Atlanta to San Jose, spent the night, got up for a 1-hour meeting, then flew back to Atlanta. Now that's nuts!

...but I play one on the blogsphere. I wonder what my co-workers will qualify as?

Thanks to Andrew for the link.

Holy Cow! This is the funniest thing I've seen in a long time! Christians, come with a sense of humor.

Baby Got Book

Don't be distracted by the background. Wait for the video. Hilarious!

Hey, if Christians can't laugh at ourselves, then everyone else will!

Thanks to MonkeyOuttaNowhere for the tip.

Congrats to my friend Ken who's blog Blogging about Incredible Blogs received the Good Housekeeping Site of the Day Award. Says Ken:

What an honor: 'Blogging about Incredible Blogs' is Good Housekeeping's Site of the day. Thank you Good Housekeeping.

And thank you Ken for mentioning this blog on the front entry! Welcome Good Housekeeping readers!

The Indian Blogger tells us that Firefox 2.0 is set to launch in April.

But they won't tell us exactly what it'll have in way of improvements.

Ohhhhhhh the mystique!

Do yourself a favor and get Firefox. You'll thank me later.

I've been following Grant's NFL Uniform Rankings. It's a fun series. He's completed his opinion of the best uniforms in the NFL. Although I don't agree with some of the rankings and comments, it's all in fun. Though I will admit he got #1 right.

But I won't reveal the countdown here. You've gotta go check it yourself.

Nice job Grant...er, uh, Stu. Who are you anyway?

I'm sitting here watching American Idol (don't shoot me...I find a lot of humor in it!) and LL Cool J is a guest judge. I've always liked him. And seeing him reminded me that tomorrow I'm, well, going back to Cali myself.

San Jose, Cali to be exact. Never been there. I've been to San Diego but that's it. It's going to be a quick and full trip for work, but should be nice.

So, remembering back to LL Cool J's song, he's got one of the goofiest but coolest lyric ever:

I'm going going back to Cali, rising, surprising
Advising realizing, she's sizing me up
Her bikini - small; heels - tall
She said, she liked, the ocean
She showed me a beach, gave me a peach
and pulled out the suntan lotion
Now I thought that was fast, but this girl was faster
She's lookin for a real good time
I said, "Close your eyes, I got a surprise,"
and I ran away with the bottle of wine

I'm just going to give some quotes from this article and let you read it. It's great and well worth the read.

Dr. Robert Clinton...has identified six common traits of leaders who quit running the race effectively:

1. They lose their learning posture.
2. The attractiveness of their character wanes.
3. They stop living by their convictions.
4. They fail to leave behind ultimate contributions.
5. They stop walking in an awareness of their influence and destiny.
6. They lose their once vibrant relationship with God.

Have any of these self-destructive time bombs crept into your life to any degree?

Starting well is beneficial. Staying the course is critical. But if we don’t finish well — that tends to be our legacy regardless of how we started or lived most of our lives.

The article stands along quite well without my comment.

...then you'll get a kick out of this.