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April 29, 2006

Inward Outward

Inward /Outward is a relatively new blog from Our Church of the Saviour in Washington D.C.

I recommend reading a little about the ministries of that church, it's a pretty amazing list.

You can sign up for a daily inspirational email on the site as well. I found out about this from an email I was sent about the Bruderhof Communities and the question What happened to the Daily Dig?.

The Daily Dig was a daily inspirational email; and part of a fairly large internet presence by the Bruderhof Community, that was pulled from the web by the authors because they wanted "to focus on face-to-face relationships with those around us."

Sounds good.

I discovered the Bruderhof Daily Dig about a week before it was removed, and found the messages, and thoughtful commentary by readers, quite appealing. I also found the courage and consistency of the authors in pulling the web presence refreshing. One of the main authors had written a note shortly before the plug was pulled about the evils of the internet and it would have been hypocritical to continue using what he referred to as a tool of the devil. Needless to say there was a lot of online conversation after that essay appeared on the pros and cons of using the internet.

Back to the Inward/Outward blog from the Church of the Saviour though - this is a snippet of today's blog entry that I liked:

"The authentic Jesus does not condone violence but is the embodiment of love, embracing all people equally with mercy and the hope of transformation. The authentic Jesus confronts our addictions to the culture—our cravings for money, prestige, control, security—and the systems that create and sustain them."

There's a lot of tension between being a Christ-centered Christian and living in this world. The discussion continues on many websites near you. Hopefully we will all have chances to participate in some of the face to face activity that takes the discussion off the computer and into the world where people need our help.

April 28, 2006

Internet Explorer - Grrrrrrrrrrr

Anyone who has spent much time developing web pages knows the sinking feeling when a page that formats fine in Firefox turns out to be messed up using Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser.

It can be very time consuming to figure out what I.E. doesn't like.

I just noticed that the formating on this page isn't right when viewed using I.E.

I imagine it's been that way for some time since I never use I.E. unless I have to....sorry about that I.E. users.

I hate to give up but considering the time I've spent on various web pages getting them to look good in I.E. my recommendation is - "Get Firefox".

Firefox is a better browser. Try using it and you will quickly realize that Firefox, it's extensions and themes are developed by people all over the world using the web for real work and play...not people inside the Microsoft campus creating a "product" based on some limited perception of what users want.


April 25, 2006

Kayak.com - Helping You Find Good Travel Deals

I read in this week's Time magazine that Kayak.com is a good place to find Cheap Airfare, Hotel Reservations, and Car Rentals.

Their site says they search over 100 sites to allow you to find the best deals.

April 20, 2006

India

Will Chase's essay, Thank You, India, does a great job summarizing a North American's experiences while visiting India. He recommends an India trip for the intrepid traveler who wants to get the most bang for their buck. If that description fits you (intrepid = characterized by resolute fearlessness, fortitude, and endurance) then by all means go.

I ran across this essay by accident while looking at the credits page for the Burning Man web team, which is interesting in it's own right.

If you think Burning Man is mind expanding I recommend spending a few weeks hanging around in India. The WOW factor for us North Americans visiting India is pretty well summed up in Will Chase's essay. I think going to Burning Man and visiting India may have one thing in common - you either love it or you hate it. It all depends on where you are coming from within yourself.

I loved having the chance to experience both, but spending six weeks in India had much more of a lasting effect on how I view the world, then a week in the desert with thousands of other wealthy (relatively speaking) people.

India has a way of showing you the error in thinking being poor equates to being unhappy. Which leads one to think about whether pursuing material things for the sake of having the most toys - is the road to happiness.

India also forces you to think about a zillion other things we don't think about much or just take for granted...like toilets and toilet paper, refrigeration, clean water, washing machines, clean air....

One caveat - I'm not saying people in extreme poverty (lacking adequate food, clothing, medical care, shelter) are not suffering, rather that people who have a whole heck of a lot less than we do, but have their basic needs met - for some reason seem to be a heck of lot happier than us affluent North Americans.

April 11, 2006

Patagonia - Cool Stuff

Shop at Patagonia!

April 01, 2006

The Best Things in Life

Robert Louis Stevenson once wrote,

"The best things in life are nearest. Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you. Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain, common work as it comes, certain that the daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life."