Someday You Might Grow Up To Be a Kid...

Why "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" Empowers Passive Men

2011-05-26T15:47:00.000-07:00

Yes, I read the book. 14 years later it is still doing damage on the Christian community. I'm not attacking the author, but it was written out of frustration when he was dating like crazy and not guarding one's heart, which was admitted in the book, and dating ends up being the scapegoat. He jettisons hundreds of years of dating tradition that has worked well for men & women alike in western society for an unrealistic courtship method that creates undue pressure for both sexes. Dating is denounced, and courtship is praised as the "biblical" way. If one wanted to be "biblical", ask your parents for an arranged marriage.

This whole courtship idea also panders to the passive man, and their not asking the girl just justifies their passivity, expecting God to drop "the right girl" in their lap. Passiveness is man's biggest problem, so suck it up cupcake. World Mag has an excellent article with great interviews on how ideas in "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" has permiated Christian thinking and is creating more single Christians than it is helping (big thanks to my amazing girlfriend for finding this article). http://www.worldmag.com/articles/18064

Guys, suck it up and ask the girl out. You might be surprised how often a girl will say yes instead of no. Your not asking for her hand in marriage, your asking for a date, and dating is intentionally getting to know someone that may eventually lead into marriage. I understand guarding your heart, and wanting to make sure "she is the one", but how will you ever know if you don't ask a few girls out? At the same time, be discerning, don't be a "dating whore" and be known for dating every cute girl who walks by.

Luckily there are other Christian authors who know dating is a perfectly acceptable way to find a mate.

The God Who Judges

2011-05-20T15:12:00.000-07:00

Is God all love, or all wrath? Why is God's judgement avoided or even dismissed in the case of Rob Bell's new book? Would a loving God judge? Jon Nitta of EV Free Fullerton knocks it out of the park with a necessary lesson that most churches today avoid. MP3 link

Healthcare Waiver Request

2011-03-31T22:20:00.000-07:00

To: Kathleen.Sebelius@HHS.gov, healthinsurance@hhs.gov

Dear President Obama and Secretary Sebelius,

Just as 1,040 businesses, five entire states, and powerful labor unions have received waivers from harmful provisions of ObamaCare, I also want to receive a waiver from those that harm ME! I respectfully request that you grant me a waiver from the law's:
-Effective elimination of consumer-driven plans like HSA\'s
-Taxpayer funding of abortion
-$1 trillion in Medicare cuts
-$500 billion in tax increases
-Employer mandate to provide health insurance
-Individual mandate to purchase health insurance

Sincerely,
Jason Rasmussen

www.wheresmywaiver.com

Geek Valentines Poem

2011-02-14T07:30:00.000-08:00

Roses are #FF0000
Violets are #0000FF
All my base
are belong to you

Pissing Money & Resources Away - When Going Green is Not Green

2011-02-09T12:00:00.000-08:00

If you are a male, you have likely seen these waterless urinals, either by Sloan or Falcon. No water! That must save the company that installs them tons of money as well as be good for the environment, right? I knew there was a catch.

For those that have not used them, or for the female readers, my first problem with waterless urinals is the fact that they smell funny. With no water to flush away the waste, bathrooms with these urinals always have this slight odor of stale urine, and some even have a sewer odor (more on this later). There is also often "debris" left on them that never is flushed away as well. But here is the real catch that most don't know, these waterless urinals have special cartridges that need to be changed, according to the manufacturer, every 7,000 uses. These cartridges cost $40 each. Lets do some simple math. I don't have actual bathroom stats, but lets say an establishment has 4 of these, is open 15 hours a day, and each urinal is used 15 times an hour. That is 225 times per day, per urinal, which means the 7,000 use limit is used in one month. $40 per cartridge per urinal (not factoring in tax & shipping) is $160 per month or $1,920 per year. If these were flush toilets, water costs $0.0031 per gallon, and the industry standard 1 gallon per flush of a water urinal means $86 a month or $1037 a year in water costs. That water cost could be even less for urinals that use less than a gallon per flush or because people often don't flush urinals. (Update: even simpler math, 1 flush = $0.003 per use VS. $40 cartridge / 7000 uses = $0.006 per use). This means "going green" will cost you 100% more!

What about that sewer odor that is sometimes smelled in bathrooms using waterless urinals I mentioned above? Water urinals have a special water based valve that does not need replacing which prohibits sewer gas from coming back into the bathroom. Waterless urinals instead rely on a special vegetable-oil based sealant cartridge which must be changed often or else the seal is compromised resulting in sewer gas entering the restroom which creates a health hazard. So anytime it smells funny in bathrooms with waterless urinals, it is a health hazard because the establishment is not changing their urinal cartridges often enough. Plus for all the greenie hipsters out there, these cartridges just add to the landfills.

I'm all in favor for being a good steward of the Earth, and I'm all for alternative energy, but only if it makes sense, saves money, actually saves resources and optimizes things creating a noticeable improvement. "Global Warming" or "Climate Change" whatever you want to call it, is a farce. "Going Green" is all about emotional pandering, and is almost always more wasteful, causes more harm, and costs more; but it gives people a warm & fuzzy green feeling, which is apparently more important instead.

So the next time you take a pee in an old-skool water based urinal, know that your saving money, being a good steward of the environment, and are being more sanitary than the "green" alternatives.

When Great Directors Get Senile

2010-08-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

I think I have figured it out. Great directors get senile at age 55. This is when they create either extremely poor or preachy movies.

George Lucas, The Phantom Menace, age 55.

Steven Spielberg, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, age 55.

James Cameron, Avatar, age 55.

The lesson here is enjoy your great directors while you can. By my estimates, Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight, Inception) has 15 years left before he makes self-indulgent crap.

Review: Disney World of Color Exclusive "Red" Carpet World Premiere 6/10/10

2010-06-10T23:14:00.000-07:00

I had the privilege of attending the World of Color "red" carpet premiere at Disney California Adventure, their newest nighttime spectacular. While there may be many "spoilers" in this review, I don't mention everything there is in the show, and even if I did, the show is absolutely worth seeing, as there are many things to see with multiple viewings.

PRE-SHOW ENTERTAINMENT

They had large puppet figures of the genie, Mike Wazowski , Lumiere, and Sebastian designed in a semi-creative sort of way with light up accents. The best looking characters were the genie and Lumiere, as where Mike Wazowski looked flabby with a funny lower mouth not to mention missing feet, and Sebastian just looked creepy with a funny neck, especially when viewed from the side, and a shell that was not filled in making him look like he was dead and decaying. I mentioned this to others in line and they agreed as they couldn't put their finger on why it looked creepy as well. While it may be different in public from what I saw at the premiere, all the characters did was walk around, not talking or performing. It was just something to look at to pass the time. Other funny thing is Lumiere and Mike Wazowski are not in the show (nor is the movie Monsters Inc).

FOOD

I only tried the colored globe shaped popcorn, and while I originally thought I would not like it as I'm more of a purist when it comes to popcorn, it was surprisingly pleasant. The flavor was milder than expected with hints of added flavor with the colored ones, and never was overpowering. Its an offshoot of kettle corn, a bit salty, a bit sweet, and helped pass the time away while waiting for the show. Served in a plastic logo pail with handle and lid, I would recommend this tasty snack.

CELEBRITIES

As is typical for media events such as this, Disney brought out celebrities associated with Disney. While many I recognized, many I did not. Some of those appearing were Richard Sherman (of the Sherman Brothers, who created nearly every memorable Disney song, and I would argue more talented. memorable, and influential than The Beatles), Teri Hatcher (Desperate Housewives), Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical) who clearly did not want to mingle with the crowd, Jamie Lee Curtis (True Lies), John Stamos (Full House, and huge Disney fan), Jody Benson (voice of Little Mermaid, Barbie of Toy Story, and a Christian as well), as well as others. While I don't expect most to recognize him, the creator of the show Steven Davidson was not even given a nod, as he was just walking around surrounded by a few friends. The usual corporates were there such as Disney CEO Bob Iger, Disneyland Resort President George Kalogridis, and Chairman Disney Parks and Resorts Tom Staggs (who really needs public speaking classes). Mickey Mouse of course was there with his new technology prototype that allows him to talk and interact with guests, complete with moving mouth and blinking eyes.

WHAT WORKS

The scale is absolutely massive. Even if you are sitting far back, you will need to turn your head left, right, and crane your head up to see everything, and that's not a bad thing. The stage is longer than a football field. The show must be completely overwhelming and mesmerizing if you are sitting up front. There is also a lot to see, as you are bound to find more details at each additional viewing. One of the biggest strengths of the show is letting the fountains speak for themselves. While there are a lot of Disney characters in the show, the fountains when allowed to choreograph and perform on their own, are the show's strongest element. Some of the most memorial times are when they paint with color and lasers with the tips of the fountain spurts and pull every last bit of color and design out of the trailing mist yet still in the air. You can see a very conscious effort to do this, and it leads to spectacular results that leave you in awe of the beauty and creativity.

There is also some creative interaction beyond the initial lagoon. Some elements interact with the Mickey Fun Wheel, and it fits perfectly. Other times the globes of Paradise Park change color, and sometimes fountains hidden within the foliage of Paradise Park shoot up. It adds extra dimensionality to an already dynamic show. The fire bursts are huge, and in one sequence basically an entire acre is set ablaze in full force instantly.

There are some very superb sequences such as the Buzz & Zurg fight, Wall-E, "Theme From Firebird" spring sprite, and Pocahontas sequences. They were very well designed, creatively using all available elements to maximum potential, and were just the right length. You could also clearly hear the audience "ohh and ahh" during these sequences. They also had the best transitions with Wall-E's fire extinguisher bursts turning into the clouds in Andy's room, and the "Theme From Firebird" transitioning seamlessly into Pocahontas with nature.

I'm also a stickler for good audio, and World of Color delivers perfectly. The sound is crisp and clear in multi-channel surround with a full sound that is never unnecessarily overpowering. Dialogue is clear and sound is strong to match such strong visuals. For audio geeks like me, they used Meyer speakers. I tip my hat to the audio engineers.

There are many parts throughout the show that are so visually sensational, your minds gives up and you give in to the beauty at hand. Seeing the fountains on video is not the same as actually being there, having your entire peripheral vision surrounded, water ascending 200 feet into the air above you, all in vibrant almost glowing liquid candy like color.

WHAT DOES NOT WORK

Yes, this section is longer than the what works section, but don't let that make you think the show is more worse than it is good.

I have followed this show since its inception, and even heard Steven Davidson the creator speak in person about the show. Many things have changed, and I expect them to, as that is the nature of designing a show like this. Its even more true with Disney as often things change at the last minute, and nothing is set in stone. When CEO Bob Iger first saw the show, there were many things he wanted to change about the show. One of the main things Iger stated was that the show relied too much on nostalgia, and not enough on current characters. From that standpoint, I agree with Iger, we should honor our past, but not always need to refer to it, because then you are never moving forward. Other elements were changed such eliminating the character "little squirt". This would have been a small orange character in the form of an orange fountain that would cause mischief. Little Squirt was clearly shown at the preview center when the show was being built, but was completely absent from the show. Steven Davidson and friend even had Little Squirt lapel pins they were wearing at the premiere. Were they making a statement, or honoring a fallen friend? That is unknown. Can I say that the show would be better with the character? No, and only Steven Davidson will likely know. Some scenes were moved around, as the original opening sequence was meant to be the "Theme From Firebird" where the spring spirit was to enchant some of the fountains, turn them into organic elements, then eventually lead to the huge reveal of the 380ft wide, 50ft tall screen. Now that the scene is in the middle of the show, it looses the dramatic large screen reveal since the show jumped the gun by revealing it in early in the show without the same dramatic effect.

There were also scenes that felt tacked on, and you would not miss them if they were gone. Namely the Up, and Bug's Life sequence. Those sequences were primarily done with just a mist screen with little to no other accompanying elements, and if they were cut out, you would likely not miss them. Some scenes felt a bit long like the Dori & Marlin sequence, and then there were two Little Mermaid, and two Aladdin numbers back to back each. While all strong songs, two back to back diminished from having one strong sequences. It also felt there was too much Mermaid in the show, as even the reprise World of Color theme song has "part of your world" elements in it. The show does not feel long at all, but it may have been more cohesive and transitioned better with the reduction or elimination of these scenes.

A few parts I felt were not needed. They left in the line "ok Mr. Light Beer" from Woody, and while it evoked some laughs in the movie, is referencing "light beer" in a Disney show night after night necessary? I understand they serve alcohol at Disney California Adventure, but even that is stretching it for a connection. I also felt Heimlich exclaiming, "I think I'm going to wet myself" when he gets scared is bathroom humor that is not needed in a high caliber Disney show. There is also a Pirates of the Caribbean sequence which feels odd since it’s the only introduction of a live character (Johnny Depp), and even more out of place since the ride is in the park next door. The main scene that felt particularly awkward is when Simba's dad dies. They show Simba crying next to his murdered dad for nearly 20 seconds, then it segueways into loving or romantic scenes such as Lady and the Tramp then Beauty and the Beast. Even people around me were chuckling at the very dark and disturbing awkward transition attempt to drum up emotion. There are many parts of the show where it clearly makes a sudden and artificial jab at pulling hard at your heart strings, but you know better, so it does not really work. If they would have had more sequences to let the fountains talk for themselves with the new theme music, that would evoke more emotional pulls then the many artificial forced tugs.

Clearly this show will be compared to Fantasmic! as its right next door. Fantasmic! works on so many levels and is nearly the perfect Disney show. It also has a generally cohesive storyline which ties in multiple elements as a whole. World of Color does not have a storyline, and is a combination of beautiful fountains set to music with your favorite Disney clips from various movies. The "Theme from Bald Mountain" is completely unnecessary as they already have that scene and the Chernabog from Fantasmic! next door, and all through this scene I kept thinking of the Disneyland show instead.

A MUCH NEEDED BOOKEND

You need to end the night on a high note, and Disney is known for creating spectacular shows. Disneyland has Fantasmic!, Epcot has Illuminations. Disney California Adventure was sorely lacking such a show, and World of Color is exactly what it needed. It adds that necessary bookend to the park which elevate it to the level of other parks with such shows. The late night show also requires the park to be open later, so hopefully we will see longer operating hours, as this park has been known to close as early as 6pm.

CONCLUSION

World of Color is going to be a huge hit. The show is a must see that is huge in scale and will mesmerize people of all ages. While its not perfect, and there are parts that trip itself up, hopefully they will rework these elements as this show is very customizable. Thank you Disney, Steven Davidson, and all involved for breathing new life into Disney California Adventure with this wonderful creative show!

Premiere swag: World of Color cookie, Disney Parks advertising their new blog, and the World of Color playbill.

World of Color popcorn. Tasty actually.

The Genie was one of the best done characters.

Mike Wazowski looks a little flabby and his lower mouth looks odd all broken up.

Richard Sherman! Nearly every famous Disney song you can think of, him and his brother created, including the original World of Color song.

Sebastian was just creepy.

Lumiere was also done well, it just looks like the guy performing him is wearing a skirt.

Teri Hatcher took many opportunities to take pictures with the fans, even holding their cameras and taking self-portrits.

Vanessa Hudgens clearly did not want to mingle with the crowd, not only in her domineer but how quickly she walked down the carpet avoiding people.

Jamie Lee Curtis

John Stamos, who is a huge Disney fan. It was said he purchased the original Disneyland sign that was on Harbor Blvd.

Disney CEO Bob Iger.

Jody Benson, voice of the Little Mermaid.

Less than an hour before the show!

World of Color creator Steven Davidson (center with black suit, green colar) with "little squirt" lapel pin.

Balloons were projecting the video.

They even used California Screaming as a projection screen.

Nearly showtime!

Creativity In Gifts

2010-03-18T12:10:00.000-07:00

Jim Henson was a genius, pure and simple. He was one of the most creative, passionate and bold leaders this generation has ever known. He lead and inspired people beyond anything they thought they were capable of, all without lifting his voice above a whisper.

One of Jim Henson's longest working partners was Frank Oz, a very talented man as well, and the performer behind a vast array of Muppets. Together Jim and Frank produced more dynamic comedic duos than any in history. Kermit and Miss-Piggy, Kermit and Fozzie Bear, The Swedish Chef (it took Frank and Jim to perform), Statler and Waldorf (the two old-men hecklers), as well as Bert and Ernie just to name a few.

The video that follows is Frank Oz at Jim Henson's memorial service in which Frank will eventually explain a gift Jim Henson gave to him. I don't want to give it away, as "Bert in Self-Contemplation" is one of the most creative gifts I have ever heard of and shows you the depth and breadth of Jim's character through his gift. On a side note, Jim Henson requested that no one wear black at his memorial, and I whole-heatedly agree, as I don't want anyone wearing black at my memorial.

We need more creativity like this in the world. The world is a much happier place because of Jim Henson's teaching, humor, leadership, passion, caring heart and compassion. What is one of the most creative gifts you have been given?

Top 10 Ground Breaking Visuals Since Star Wars

2010-02-11T15:18:00.000-08:00

1977 - Space Battles - Star Wars. People have said once they saw the two ships fly over them for the first time in the theaters, they knew movies had changed forever. This inspired a whole new generation of film makers and special effects artists.
1982 - First major use of CG - Tron. The movie was way ahead of its time in many ways. The sequel coming out late 2010 is gearing up to break new ground visually as well. And to think, a Nintendo DS is three times as powerful as the multi-million dollar computer they used to create the visual effects.
1993 - Dinosaurs - Jurassic Park. To think digital dinosaurs almost didn't happen. They already built the stop motion dinos and did screen tests, and this is what Jurassic Park would have been had it not been for CG artists staying up late working on a side digital-dino project. Once the filmmakers saw a test of a CG dino attacking the Jeep, they scrapped the stop motion dinos immediately.
1995 - First full length CG Movie - Toy Story. Disney makes the first feature length cartoon, then they do the same for CG. Not only that, it was a wonderful story with timeless characters.
1999 - Bullet Time - The Matrix. I only like Superbowl because of the food, friends and commercials. Once I saw the teaser for The Matrix, I was like a deer in headlights. Once the movie came out, the rest of the world was too.
1999 - Gollum - Lord of the Rings. While a extremely convincing character with extremely well done facial movements (see the Gollum monologue scene), he still feels like a CG character when acting with real actors in much the same way JarJar Binks felt in the Star Wars prequals. At the time, it was the best CG character yet.
2006 - Davey Jones - Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. While Gollum will most likely get the praise as best CG character, I would argue Davey Jones was much more convincing, realistic, and fit much better into the scenes than Gollum did.
2000 - Final Fantasy. The movie completely stunk, but this was the first film where in some of the scenes you felt the places and characters were actually real. Mute the movie and make up your own story when you watch it, as whatever you create will be better than the actually storyline of the movie.
2007 - Perfectly seamless CG - Cloverfield. The movie was made for 25 million, but looked like a 150 million movie. Not only a visual masterpiece, it was brilliantly produced, marketed, directed, acted and edited.
2009 Avatar. James Cameron, super HD 3D cameras and the most convincing use of motion capture so far. You can see nearly every emotion on the characters face which was acted by the actors. Too bad all of his effort went into the technology and not the story.

Best Albums of 2009

2010-01-26T20:29:00.000-08:00

Royksopp - Junior
A stunning 3rd album with no signs of slowing down.

Little Boots - Hands
Newcomer with all the right makings of an international pop star.

The Crystal Method - Divided by Night
Can they make a bad album? No. These electronic heavyweights are as strong as ever.

Targeted and Framed: Miss California

2009-06-22T19:50:00.000-07:00

Former Miss California Carrie Prejean, an outspoken Christian, is ousted by the media for "scandalous" photos which are no worse than what you would see in a typical woman's magazine. They are NOT nude photos as the media is reporting. I kid you not, one TV news program said the "nude" photos were too controversial for TV and could not show them, yet when TV news had no problem showing parts Paris Hilton's sex video, blurred out in key places of course, which skyrockets her to stardom. This is the quintessential definition of a double standard.

Three out of the four judges for the Miss America were gay. That alone should have disqualified them judging as their priorities are clearly somewhere else. The judges knew ahead of time she was a Christian, and she was asked for her personal opinion about marriage with a clearly targeted question, while the other contestants were given soft safe questions. Apparently Carrie Prejean got her personal opinion wrong stating she believes marriage should be between one man and one woman, and coming from a state that just voted to agree with her statement. Judge Perez Hilton the very next day on multiple media outlets tore her apart calling her a bitc* and a cun* among other things (http://bit.ly/hYnOs), yet he gets a pass. Again, a double standard. Major media outlets said nothing of this vulgar hate speech.

Then Carrie Prejean is stripped of her crown for not performing her duties as Miss California. What is one of those duties? Taking semi-nude photos for Playboy which she refused to do because of her clear moral convictions (http://bit.ly/4BXYLs), as well as be a part of a goofy reality show (http://bit.ly/3Gjm1o). A setup for failure? Of course! If a liberal gay beauty queen refused to appear at a Christian event or low quality TV program, I guarantee she would have been given a pass.

This is just one clear example that mainstream media is liberal and biased.

The Price of a PC in Today's Economy

2009-03-28T07:30:00.000-07:00

I get asked for computer recommendations all the time. All the time, and I love it. I'm glad people respect my expertise being a professional in the industry for a long time, and I am happy to help them. Having the right computer can really empower a person, make the more productive, and yes, even make them more confident.

As with any computer recommendation, price always plays a major factor. It is usually the number one criteria when purchasing a computer as most people have a fixed amount they can spend. In today's economy price is even more a concern. This video plays out a scenario I often experience when helping people:

<br/><a href="http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?vid=0bb6a07c-c829-4562-8375-49e6693810c7" target="_new" title="Laptop Hunters $1000 - Lauren Gets an HP Pavilion">Video: Laptop Hunters $1000 - Lauren Gets an HP Pavilion</a>

Now, to all my Mac friends, of which there are many, I am not out to spark a flame war. I am just stating the fact that an equivalent powered Mac costs 50%-100% more than a PC of the same power. You get more value and options for your money with a PC, and one can get quite a good PC laptop for around $700. Though I still use Macs in my profession, just one of the many reasons I switched from Mac to PC was value, and value is always a concern when people are shopping for a computer.

Another quick tip for computer shoppers: the best time to buy a computer is not after Christmas which most people think, but during the back to school sales for new computers, and right after school starts (Oct-Nov) for great refurbished deals.

So Many English Bibles!

2009-01-26T14:11:00.000-08:00

One of the latest research projects I have taken up over the past year has been into the realm of bible translations. Us English speakers who love God's word live in an exciting time where there is a wealth of good bible translations available. Most countries only have one, maybe two translations of the Bible. This is a good problem for us English speakers to have! I will be posting more updates, but here is some preliminary information for those who want to know more about the bible you own.

There are two major translation methods. Formal equivalence (word-for-word), and functional equivalence (thought-for-thought). In all translation methods, the main goal should be to accurately speak what is communicated in God's word without changing the intended meaning or inserting bias.

Word-for-word translations are not necessarily better, and there is no true word-for-word bible translations. Even the phrase word-for-word makes it sound better and more accurate, but this is not necessarly the case. For example, here is a true word-for-word translation of John 3:16:
"Thus for he loved the God the world that the son the only/unique he gave so that every the one believing in him not may perish but have life eternal."

Yeah, so translators need to take some liberty in moving words around so the meaning is not lost. Translations like the King James (KJ), New American Standard (NASB), and English Standard Version (ESV), would be considered word-for-word, even though they really are not. Those that speak a second language will know one could never do a true word-for-word translation. These formal equivilance translations try to give presidence to the form of the original Greek or Hebrew and translate that form into English. This does not always work well, which is why we get a lot of "bible sounding" language that does not sound like proper English.

Also, the English language changes. When the King James was being read in the 1600's, people understood it because people spoke that way. We don't speak that way today which is why people often scratch their heads when reading King James, and that's not how the original Greek and Hebrew was. Formal-equivilance with an outdated language can make something nearly unreadable today. Ah, and you likely thought it was you when you couldn't properly read the bible! The original language of the bible was in the original tounge of people that day so one could understand it.

Also, how would you translate "he is in a pickle" into a different language? This is an English idiom which means someone is in trouble. Does it mean this person is litterly inside of a pickle? Idoms don't translate well as cultures are different, and idoms change over time. Mistranslating idoms such as the example above in word-for-word translations comes up with some funny verses as Mark Strauss demonstrates from the Better Bibles Blog:
Amos 4:6 ESV “I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities” Luke 17:35 ESV “There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.”

Functional equivilance, or thought-for-thought translates the same thoughts idea, and idoms from the original language into the language we speak today. The best example of this would be the New Living Translation (not to be confused with the Living Bible which is a paraphrase). The NLT is not a paraphrase as so many mistake it as, but an excellent formal equivilance that is readable and accurate tranaslated by a team of scholars from the original Greek and Hebrew. It also translates outdated time, length and volume measurements into measurements we use today.

Then there are versions such as the New International Version (NIV) and New English Translation (NET) which vary between the two translation methods when appropriate while still attempting to retain rediablilty and accuracy. On the opposite end of the spectum are paraphrases, or translations that places someone interpertation and theological spin on, usually done by one person. If you have The Message, or any other dumbed-down paraphrase, please get rid of it as there are more readiable and accurate to God's word translations out there.

While there are many good bible versions, there is no perfect bible translation, or translation method. Both methods have their pros and cons. My personal favorites are NASB, NIV and NLT. My primary bible is a NIV which I supplement with a NLT, and use a NASB on occasion. I also consult other versions such as the NET, ESV and KJ with Strong's Numbers.

Which bible version do you use?

White Boy Geek Rappers

2008-11-26T13:26:00.000-08:00

One of the many things the internet has done is level the playing field for creativity, allowing a voice to those who would normally not be heard. One only need to look at the rise of Homestarrunner or Ask A Ninja for proof. Here is a video by Sniper Twins which is geeky, and very well done.

Self-admition to Media Bias for Obama

2008-11-17T17:15:00.000-08:00

The mainstream media is biased, liberal, and those who still believe that news reporting is objective and fact driven are sorely mistaken. At least The Washington Post admits their blatant biased agenda in the 2008 election towards Obama. The first paragraph of the story is an unforgiving self-admission of bias. Some of the more interesting admissions were:

Laudatory opinion pieces: 32 Obama / 13 McCain
Negative pieces: 32 Obama / 58 McCain
Obama got the editorial board's endorsement.
Stories and photos about Obama in the news pages outnumbered those devoted to McCain.
57 percent of the stories were about the horse race and 13 percent were about issues.
(Picture coverage) Obama led in most categories.
Some readers complain that coverage is too poll-driven. They're right, but it's not going to change. (Jason's note: Did the polls represent the opinion of the public, or polls influence the public? Polling can lead the lead the person being polled or be made to get the intended results. Also, polls are not issues or stances.)
The Post did nothing on Obama's acknowledged drug use as a teenager.
The Post went over Palin with a fine-tooth comb and neglected Biden. They are right.

This only affirms the fact the one be a critical thinker and properly discern information. If you ever saw the X-Files, you remember The Lone Gunman, a rogue group of three publishing their own magazine of critical stories the media did not cover, or covered up. Critical news sites are hard to come by, but one I have been reading more of lately has been World Net Daily, which often covers stories before they are mainstream, or stories the mainstream media refuses to.

This Washington Post admission is a sad commentary on major mainstream American journalism where self-interest is disguised as critical analysis and has a major impact on influencing the election. The candidate's image instead of their stance on issues were covered, turning this election into nothing more than a high school prom popularity contest.

The full article can be read here.

Peter Pan Street Names

2008-11-13T16:45:00.000-08:00

In Big Bear California, there is a street section along North Shore Drive named after characters from Peter Pan. I first noticed this driving up there on a weekly basis doing computer work for the resorts. Below is a map listing the streets Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, Michael, Wendy, and Nana. Unrelated, there is also Cinderella Drive. Do you have any examples of creative street names?

View Larger Map

Up Trailer

2008-11-11T00:01:00.000-08:00

Pixar set the bar so high with Wall-E, I don't know if they can match it. Here is the new trailer for their next film, Up.

And remember Wall-E comes out soon!

Christians, I'm Calling You Out

2008-11-09T23:37:00.000-08:00

Christians...

If you didn't vote Yes on 8 to protect biblical marriage...
If you didn't vote Yes on 4 to notify parents before children murder other children...
If you didn't vote for a Pro-Life presidential candidate to prevent 1 million murders a year...

...I'm calling you out. You are sitting on the sidelines. Your priorities are wrong. You are weak. You are doing just what the German church did when Hitler was taking power.

If this offends you, good. I make no apologies, because your beef is not with me, but with God. These are clear issues that the bible is completely black & white about. Get off your butt, recheck your priorities, and don't make the same mistake four years from now. Be the salt of the Earth, be a shining light in the darkness. Don't allow evil to triumph because good men have done nothing.

The Lack of Research

2008-11-04T09:17:00.000-08:00

You will not believe how many say they oppose abortion and support marriage between a man and a woman, yet voted for Obama. Can one be so dense? These are their official stances, one need just look:

Official Democratic stance: "We support the full inclusion of all families, including same-sex couples, in the life of our nation, and support equal responsibility, benefits, and protections. We will enact a comprehensive bipartisan employment non-discrimination act. We oppose the Defense of Marriage Act and all attempts to use this issue to divide us." "The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a woman’s right to choose a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay, and we oppose any and all efforts to weaken or undermine that right."

Official Republican stance: "...we call for a constitutional amendment that fully protects marriage as a union of a man and a woman, so that judges cannot make other arrangements equivalent to it. "...we assert the inherent dignity and sanctity of all human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed. We support a human life amendment to the Constitution, and we endorse legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment’s protections apply to unborn children."

McCain and Palin are clear on their stance in regards to marriage and abortion, even with Palin not chosing to abort her baby with down syndrome. What about Biden? As a Catholic he is convinced abortion is the killing of a human, yet he lacks the moral fortitude to stand up for the murder of millions by sitting on the sidelines. Biden is inconsistent and a coward for not standing up for humans he believes are being murdered.

Surprise anyone? The facts are there, and too many are fooled, ignorant, or have inconsistent character when they vote. If you made a mistake this voting round, don't let it happen next time. One's beliefs and moral convictions should match up with how they vote.

Keep the World Safe From Weirdos

2008-11-03T23:20:00.000-08:00

If you don't vote, you can't complain about how things turned out. We are at a crossroad in America's history, and we need Christians to stand up for what is right, and what our forefathers fought so hard for.

Blind "Churches"

2008-10-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

During the sermon of openly gay bishop Gene Robinson, a young man stands up in the crowd calling him a heretic and calling for him to repent. The crown then starts to clap, not for the man standing up for biblical truth, but to silence him. The only biblical voice in that entire "church" was drowned out by the congregation singing praises to their god while he was being dragged away. This is deeply troubling and disturbing.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7504472.stm

How quickly we forget history

2008-10-22T16:07:00.001-07:00

Whether you are for or against the war in Iraq, let us be reminded who beat the drum in the first place. None other than Colin Powell, who now is backpedaling.

Deciphering Windows 7 numbers

2008-10-21T16:06:00.000-07:00

Warming: this post will be more geeky than most of my others.

Microsoft has made a lot of operating systems. With the recently announced Windows 7 being the official name, how did they determine the number 7? In this chart I am only taking into account major version numbers, not the server lines, and not interim releases (like Windows 98se).

First a quick history:
Historic line - The number determined by release date.
DOS Line - Based on MS DOS. 16-bit
32-bit NT Line - Written completely from the ground up and no relation to the 16-bit version except for name and look.
Consumer line - What was sold to mainstream consumers.
64-bit line - Windows completely rewritten to 64-bit.

For those saying Microsoft is rushing Windows 7 because of the bad Vista press, this is completely untrue. Just looking at the historic release date one can see a 2-3, sometimes 5 year time frame between Windows versions, so a 3 year time frame between Vista and Windows 7 is not unheard of. Calling Windows 7 the 14th version of Windows would not be accurate as there have been different lines of Windows for different markets. We can see Microsoft is going with the numbering system that was sold to mainstream consumers, starting with Windows 3.

When Microsoft releases Windows 8 as only 64-bit, then we will get into another naming snafu, as that will technically be the 4th version of the 64-bit platform. Also, since Windows 7 will be the last 32-bit version, and every modern computer is 64-bit, it makes no sense not to buy a computer with 64-bit Vista or get 64-bit Windows 7 when it is released. The industry support is there now, and its due time consumers make the switch.

Everything else aside, I'm enjoying Vista now, Windows 7 is a name that will work, and I look forward to it in the next two years.

Goodbye Analog

2008-10-15T14:23:00.000-07:00

Television will finally switch to all digital in February of next year, and I will be throwing a going away analog party. For those that have not made the switch, here is a brief tutorial.

Best line, "Will all of this make Jack Benny come back?".

Human rights for the dead, not the living

2008-10-07T09:57:00.000-07:00

California just passed a law that gives dead people rights. The exhibit that shows actual human bodies on display for $25 a ticket, is getting these human remains from "unclaimed" dead body trafficking in China. This is not to say what is being done at these displays is permissible or that I oppose the newly passed law, I just find it funny that people are fighting for the rights of dead people, and not the rights of those who are living, whether they be unborn or elderly. Most illogical, and morally inconsistent.

Modern Music Learns from the Past

2008-09-21T09:19:00.000-07:00

Some friends and I were at a club last night for a birthday party and heard Fergalicious by Fergie. I offered $5 to anyone who could name what song this modern dance song was based on. I still have $5 in my pocket.

Listen to "Fergalicious" by Fergie:

SeeqPod - Playable Search

Then listen to "It's More Fun to Compute" by Kraftwerk released in 1981 from the album Computer World.

SeeqPod - Playable Search

From Wikipedia:
"Kraftwerk’s releases in the 1970s and early 1980s, most significantly Autobahn (1974), Radio-Activity (1975), Trans-Europe Express (1977), The Man-Machine (1978), and Computer World (1981), directly influenced and continues to inspire many popular artists from many diverse generes of music."

This is just one example of so many. Notice that the entire bassline and many of the riffs are all taken directly from Kraftwerk. So if you want a history of where modern dance music came from, just listen to Kraftwerk. A German band that started in the 1970's, still tours to this day, and whose influence continues today and likely beyond.

Predicting the Post Election Headlines

2008-09-09T08:16:00.000-07:00

Because of the love affair the media has with the democratic candidate, I'm going to go out on a limb and predict what much of the media may say. If McCain wins and Obama looses:

It was because America was...

not ready for a black president
not ready for radical change
not ready to accept the lifestyle of gays

And not because he...

supports the killing of children through abortion, late-term abortion, labor induced abortion killing of those children that survive an abortion.
opposes the biblical definition of marriage as between one man and one woman.
misquotes and misrepresents the bible.
has a distorted view of Christianity and supports false teachers.

The Trickbusters

2008-08-29T12:57:00.000-07:00

My new favorite no-budget show has to be The Trickbusters. They are not magicians, just super skeptics using basic deductions skills, logic and critical thinking to figure out magicians and other forms of trickery. Their motto is "magic don't exist, only tricks". While a lot of their shows are geared towards debunking the "Mind Freak", Chris Angel, appropriately called "Mind Fake" on the show as to avoid any legal action, they cover other forms of magic and trickery like pick pockets and mind readers.

Check out their site at www.thetrickbusters.com and their videos on YouTube, (here as well). Here is just one of their many entertaining videos.

Don't Speak the Truth, You Might Hurt Someone

2008-08-29T10:27:00.000-07:00

It seems America does not want to offend anyone, and are working on laws to enforce this. If you happen to offend someone today, there is more ground gaining for you to be silenced and possibly be charged with a crime for speaking truth in a world of falsehood.

With gay rights, Islam, and other belief systems that contradict the Bible gaining more ground, those that speaking out against these subjects are being told, sometimes by law, to keep quiet or are being accused of hate crimes. America was founded on Christian values and Christians adhere to the bible as truth. Sadly we are loosing this fast, but that is another story. The bible clearly teaches that the only way to heaven is Jesus, and homosexuality is a sin. All other belief systems that teach otherwise are in contrary to scripture and would be deemed false in a Christian worldview. More and more those that speak up for biblical truth are being silenced and accused of intolerance and hate speech. This is not a hate speech/crime issue, but a truth issue, and I make no apologies for being intolerant of falsehood.

Check out this disturbing news:
"H.R. 1592 is a discriminatory measure that criminalizes thoughts, feelings, and beliefs [and] has the potential of interfering with religious liberty and freedom of speech," according to a white paper submitted by Glen Lavy, of the Alliance Defense Fund.

As well as this news:
It appears from the bill [The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (H.R. 1592)] and from astonishing comments made during the April 25 Judiciary Committee hearing that a pastor who preaches against homosexuality could be charged with inciting a hate crime if one of his church members—sometime after hearing the pastor’s comments—commits a crime against a homosexual person.

Any crime against someone should be punished, but preaching truth even if it offends someone should never be a crime. When Jesus was here on earth, he called people's sin and falsehood out, often offending them, yet he committed no crime against them. God's patience is long, but there is a time when His patience against sin and falsehood will run out. We are called to preach the truth as stated in 2 Timothy 4:2, and should not enact judgment, as that is up to God as shown in Hebrews 10:30-31. Judging and speaking truth to someone are totally separate and different things, and often people get this confused with the "don't judge lest ye be judged" attitude. The bible says not to judge, but also says to rebuke falsehood and preach truth. Contradiction? No. Judgment would be more of a condemning judgment such as a judge in a court of law, and speaking truth and opposing falsehood would be more like a teacher or parent does. As said in Matthew 22:37-39, we need to love God first and as truth is part of God's nature, we should adhere to that and also oppose falsehood because that is against God's nature. Secondly we are called to love others, and love involves speaking truth.

A presidential candidate who will remain unnamed defined sin as anything that contradicts your moral values. With this logic there are no moral absolutes. With no moral compass to adhere to, it is like trying to have sailors navigate the world with compasses where true north is different for each person. Imagine the chaos! Who would be in the wrong? According to moral relativism, everyone is right and the person who offends the other is wrong, but in actuality it would be everyone who's compass is not pointed to the true north. As Christians, we should fix our compass north to God's word.

Apparently not offending someone is more important than truth. Imagine if the law made doctors behave this way. "I can't be allowed to hurt your feelings and offend you by telling you that there is a weird growth inside of you and if we don't remove it, which could be a painful process, you might die. I have to keep silent and not tell you, so we can get along admirably, or else I will be the one punished". On the surface everything would be fine, but in reality things are not ok, and someone is headed for destruction and disappointment, only because truth was traded for tolerance.

I fully embrace freedom of speech and religion by which America is based on. If someone wants to believe a lie and speak accordingly, they have every right to, but at the same time those that adhere to truth and oppose moral relativism should not be silenced or charged with a crime, even if it offends someone. Then again, Jesus spoke the truth, and was crucified because it offended people, and this is just one of many historic precedents.

Disneyland entrance with Microsoft Photosynth

2008-08-23T21:11:00.000-07:00

One of the coolest technologies to come out of Microsoft lately is Photosynth. This is where they take multiple 2D photos that overlap, and their software will re-create the environment in a 3D world you can navigate around. They just released it to the public so you can create your own. I have been photosynthing with pictures in my collection, and am now attempting to re-create Disneyland, or at least parts of it with Photosynth. I spent a few hours taking over 2000 photos! Here is the Disneyland front entrance. I got it to 96% synthy so you can really navigate around 360 degrees! Try it here (PC only):

For my next trick I will do Main Street USA! Until then, Photosynth some of your own photos.

Update: There is now a website dedicated to Photosynthing Disney parks. You can even vote for your favorites. www.disneysynth.com

I recently added Cinderella's castle and hub at Disneyland. See if you can find the Fairy Godmother and time-capsule plaque! You can even zoom in to minute detail to read it all:

So, so sad.

2008-08-13T15:23:00.000-07:00

Best of luck with your new god...

Isa 44:17-18	From the rest he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships. He prays to it and says, “Save me; you are my god.” They know nothing, they understand nothing; their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see, and their minds closed so they cannot understand.
Matt 10:32-33	"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.

The Last Lecture

2008-07-26T19:31:00.000-07:00

If you knew you were going to die very soon, and could give one last lecture, what would it be about? How would your attitude be, what really matters in life, and how do you want others to live life? A CMU professor and Disney Imangineer, that is what Randy Pausch recently did recently before he died yesterday on July 25th, 47 years old of panceatic cancer. His last lesson was titled "Last Lecture: Really Acheving Your Childhood Dreams". There are some very good life lessons, new ways to look a brick walls and how to properly use criticism. The video is a bit over an hour long, filled with some suprises and a very touching moment near the end. I hope and pray he put his faith and trust in Jesus before he died, as no amount of human praise or wisdom could ever save someone.

I just opened Pandora's Box

2008-06-11T17:54:00.000-07:00

When I want to know about something, I tend to really research the subject. Within the last year I have fully researched Walt Disney World, rechargeable batteries and MP4 video. The other week I decided to research Bible translations. OH BOY! I have opened up my biggest research project yet. Heated fights, passion, mystery, intrigue, sabotage, deception, even murder, its all there in the world of bible translations.

It is overwhelming, exciting, scary, joyful, frustrating, fascinating, humbling, and sad all at the same time. Already I have been up in to the wee hours of the night more than a few times already. I will post more updates on what I have found and hope you will find this information useful.

Gas Prices, Dubai, and the Demise of Walt Disney World?

2008-05-29T10:05:00.001-07:00

I took this picture 3 years ago. Check out the price! I bet people would be lining up for blocks to get gas at this price. This may shock you, but I am not one of those really concerned about gas prices. Its a simple supply-demand scenario. We have a high demand, there is a low supply, prices go up. You learn these things in high school economics class. There is no global conspiracy and George Bush is not to blame. We live in a capitalistic society, and this is the way things roll. In fact, I wish they would go higher, as this would only spur the momentum to move away from fossil fuel and move to alternative, clean, cheap, renewable energy sources. Solar, ethanol, wind, hydrogen fuel cells, I have been hoping for these types of energy sources ever since I first visited Epcot at age 5.

Which brings us to the topic at hand. I read this fascinating article about the development of Dubailand out in the middle-east which will be twice the size of Walt Disney World and more densely developed. The scale of this project is unprecedented. Major names will be here (Lego, Dreamworks, Barney, Six Flags, MGM, Universal Studios, Busch Gardens, Warner Brothers, etc), and major design firms and former Imagineers are working on it. The oil out there is drying up and the middle-east is starting to switch gears from oil-exporter to tourist destination. The speculation is that if gas prices go up, international tourists will vacation there instead of Walt Disney World, resulting in the decline of Disney and turning Walt Disney World into a local destination area like Disneyland. Scary thoughts.

Almost ready for a Headthrash

2008-05-19T14:38:00.001-07:00

I cannot tell you how excited I am for this album. The Plump DJs have been some of the most creative, hard-hitting pair of electronic artists since The Crystal Method and The Chemical Brothers. Definitely a big beat style, but as you can hear in the previews, each song is different, unique, with a style of itself. Slow, fast, calm, melodic, lyrics, instrumental, old style, new style, all dynamic. June 1st, I got my eye on you. If preview buttons on a website could get worn out, this one would be already broken.

Thank God I don't get my way

2008-04-26T21:36:00.000-07:00

I am glad that God does not always answer prayers to my will. Sometimes I will ask for things according to my will, and when they don't work out the way I wanted them to it can sometimes upset me, but often in hind site I will say, "What was I thinking!?". Which is why it is all the better to ask for God's will, not ours.

Snow 20 2008 video is up!

2008-04-01T13:14:00.001-07:00

Instead of putting tape on the bottom of your mouse so it does not work or take the batteries out of your remote, I have a present for all of you, no fooling. The Snow 20 2008 video for online viewing or download!

YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQQb1Jje4pI

Video Download:
High quality suitable for playback on your computer or loading on your video iPod, Zune, etc to take with you.
If it can't playback on your computer, use VLC, Quicktime, WinAmp, or Zune to view.
Right click > Save Target/Link As, and for those Mac users with only one button, Command+Click to save.
http://rasmussen.homeserver.com/share/

Enjoy!

Journalist calling out other journalism bias

2008-03-26T14:58:00.000-07:00

Yes these articles may be a little on the techie side, but notice how this journalist calls out other journalists for their bias and spin. It comes down to critical thinking, which 99.99% of all journalists ignore, and prey on their readers not to think critically either, except for this one that I cite. These articles are in regards to Microsoft which seems to be journalist's favorite whipping boy lately. They may be cooing at Apple right now, but just wait for the backlash. America loves propping people up, then tearing them down, and to get you to read their articles in the process.

http://community.winsupersite.com/blogs/paul/archive/2008/03/25/invent-a-story-free-support-for-vista-sp1-update-must-be-related-to-vista-problems-even-if-it-really-isn-t.aspx
http://community.winsupersite.com/blogs/paul/archive/2008/03/26/she-gets-it-she-really-gets-it.aspx
http://community.winsupersite.com/blogs/paul/archive/2008/03/26/microsoft-looks-at-iphone-development.aspx

Smack My Enya Up

2008-03-20T16:12:00.001-07:00

This is one of the more unique mash-ups I have heard in a long time. The Prodigy and Enya, two artists on completely different ends of the music spectrum, yet together they sound so good.
(I apologize for the minor offensive lyrics for those with sensitive ears.)

Want a Hulu.com invite?

2008-03-04T11:00:00.000-08:00

(update: A few days after posting this, Hulu.com went live to all, no an invite is no longer necessary. Still a site worth checking out and another reason not to pay for cable or dish.)
Hulu.com is a video on demand service that major broadcasters are putting their shows to view online, and looks to be the future of television. Currently it is in private beta, but I have some invites I can give out. The first five people to comment on one of the stories I posted recently will receive an invite.

You can even send links or embed shows. Here is part 1 of 2 of the season finale from Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles:

The death of the CD is here

2008-03-03T10:03:00.000-08:00

The traditional method of releasing music is broken, and the CD is almost dead. Portable MP3 players like the iPod, Zune, cell phones and playing music on your computer are the preferred methods of music listening today. Music retailers like Tower Records are going out of business and iTunes is now the #2 music retailer behind Wal-Mart which shows that the days of CDs and traditional music stores are numbered.

I am a disappointed that the proposed successor to the CD with higher quality multi-channel audio with formats such as HDCD and DVD Audio never took off. Instead the public chose space and portability over quality. To simplify the technical, CDs are recorded at 16-bits, 44.1 KHz. The more bits and the higher the KHz, the better the quality. MP3s which are created when you "rip" a CD and AAC files like those from iTunes are less quality than a CD. High quality formats such as DTS used in high-end home theater use 24-bit, 96KHz, much higher than a CD. While I can tell the difference and would prefer higher quality audio, a properly created MP3 sounds just like the original CD and most people find today's digital formats adequate, especially considering most people listen on sub-standard speakers or headphones.

With that $16 CD of yours, the artist only gets about $1.60 of it. The recording industry has been fighting to keep themselves alive and relevant. With the internet, the ability to make a professional album at home, and online self-promotion, the record labels know they are out of a job, and are fighting the inevitable future. In fact, the latest Prodigy album was composed on his laptop using the off-the-shelf software package "Reason". Major artists are dumping their music labels and going independent such as Madonna, Nine Inch Nails, Prince and Radiohead. Nine Inch Nails is releasing their new album in digital format online for as low as $5.

While I like NIN music, I have not always liked their lyrics, but either way I applaud Trent Reznor's forward thinking and method of distribution. CD sales are declining, digital sales are increasing, and music free of digital rights management (DRM) is becoming more of the norm thanks to Amazon's excellent MP3 music store. The CD had a great run, but the consumers have spoken: we want instant access to our music, we want it al-la-cart, we want a fair price for it, we want it anywhere on any device, and we want it ours without restrictions. Too bad we took a step backwards in quality.

Why I don't have cable

2008-02-18T08:57:00.000-08:00

When I moved to Fullerton four years ago my roommate and I decided not to get cable because #1 we didn't have excess money to spend at the time, and #2 we didn't have time because of college. I am not one of those that is against TV, on the contrary, my degree is in TV & Film. There are some good shows, but most stuff out there is crap, so I am quite discerning. During that time I found alternative methods of getting media content that is either cheap or free.

Podcasts (free) - There are so many audio & video podcasts to cover nearly every nitch market you are bound to find something you like. I find these more entertaining than many cable shows. Use either the Zune software or iTunes to get audio & video podcasts. These sync with my Zune and I now have mobile entertainment.
Netflix (<$10 a month) - One DVD movie out at a time is more than enough for me and the ability to watch movies online is very convenient. Renting movies makes even more sense now that Blu-ray has won and I don't want to purchase my DVD collection all over again, not to mention it takes up so much space. I may never buy a DVD again.
Over the air HDTV (~$100 initial investment, free after that) - Most people are unaware that you can get all major networks in HDTV quality even better than digital cable or satellite over the air for free. Often cable or satellite charge you a monthly premium for local channels or HDTV, and you have to buy/rent their HDTV box as well. For over the air HDTV, you just need a over the air HDTV tuner, which you can get as a set top box or tuner card for your PC. Throw out your past experiences with over the air TV, digital over the air TV looks and sounds great! Analog TV will be gone in a year so start investing in digital HDTV. Also, if you have Windows Media Center (built into Vista Home Premium or Ultimate) with a HDTV tuner card, you use your computer as a digital video recorder that arguably works just a good as TiVo with no monthly fees. If you have a Windows Media Extender such as a Xbox 360, you can view all content recorded on your PC and live HDTV from your living room. Even the few hundred dollars invested in over the air HDTV will save you thousands over cable in the long run
Other methods (free) - Most major network give you the ability to watch their full shows online on-demand, and often with little or no commercials. Then there is Joost.com and the upcoming Hulu.com. Online on-demand is the future of television.

The biggest reason I don't have cable is I just don't have time for it. It is a huge time waster and I would rather put that time towards family, friends and self-improvement. But I do like to be informed and entertained now and then, and it just does not make sense to pay up to $100 a month for cable or satellite. Have you ditched cable or are thinking about it? How do you get your content?

When reporting the news becomes biased

2008-02-03T21:29:00.000-08:00

Since when do newspapers such as The LA Times and The San Francisco Chronicle officially endorse candidates such as McCain and Obama? I thought newspapers were responsible to report the news and be unbiased eyes and ears for the nation, or I am just living in fantasyland? This just furthers my case that everything, yes everything, is biased. When newspapers officially endorse candidates, this just makes it officially biased. So much for democracy.

Don't let race or gender decide this election

2008-01-29T18:08:00.001-08:00

I am afraid that this election will come down to the color of your skin or if you are male or female.

I have no problem with a black or woman president. What I DO have a problem with is voters or even the candidates themselves making their race or gender a reason to get them elected. Just because there has never been a black or female president is not a legitimate reason to vote for them. Anyone who votes for them because "Wouldn't it be nice if there was a black or female president? They have been oppressed in the past and this would show the world how we have changed." is an entirely superficial way of thinking. Segregation showed us that the color of your skin does not matter. Woman's rights showed us that woman are just as capable as men.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men (and women, regardless of your color) are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." - The Declaration of Independence (my comment above)

The real question is, can they lead the country? Do they have the skills and abilities to keep us safe, strengthen the economy, unite our nation, restore America's declining morality, pay off our dept, fight injustice? Topics such as these transcend race and gender.

Scientology OT Summit 2007: "We were wrong, let us sell you the lie again"

2008-01-25T18:47:00.000-08:00

I watched the OT Scientology Summit video while packing and let me give you the summary. OT is what they call Operating Thetans, or in real-world terms, people who have paid enough money to be brainwashed so they get preferred treatment from the "church". In the 3 hour meeting they basically say everything you have learned and was taught was a lie, which is why you could not understand anything (to which there was massive standing applause). And who is to blame for this gross error? The secretary. Seriously guys, I'm not making this stuff up. LRH (L Ron Hubbard, their science fiction writer and founder) was recorded on tape telling all about his false religion and they gave the job to a transcriber to write down everything he said and in their words gross amounts of it was mistranslated, mistyped or lost and and written down from the very beginning and all of this was taught. This negates everything they have published, taught and believed in before. And guess what? They have an entire new book series for you to purchase entitled "The Basics". Yes folks, Scientology screwed up so bad that they have to go back to the basics.

Scientology is barely 50 years old. It is a lie, it is a cult, they have to constantly hide cover up information, change their doctrine, and it all is riddled with holes. The Bible is thousands of years old, it has not changed, it has always been attacked and to this day it stands the test of time and proven over and over again. It deeply saddens me to see to see this mass of people who are truly misled by this cult.

Hackers vs Scientology. Let the truth be know, Scientology is a lie.

2008-01-25T16:41:00.000-08:00

So it has been a while since I have posted anything, but I hope to post more regularly. Recently hackers have declared war on Scientology flooding their servers, fax machines, and posting videos that make their biggest $$ supporters $$ (Tom Cruise) look bad. The Scientologists are attempting to censor the internet. In this day and age with technology, it is easier for a lie to spread, but at the same time, it is also easier for the truth to be known. I say, more power to them. Wired has a nice article on it:

http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/01/anonymous-attac.html

A message I recently sent to the MySpace help team:

2007-12-08T17:20:00.000-08:00

Dear MySpace,

Please stop scantily clad women in bikinis, their underwear, bending over, spreading their legs, lunging their breasts or butt towards towards the picture, or posing in lude sexual poses from asking to be my friend on MySpace. I know I am a quality guy, but I doubt these women would throw themselves at my feet, and besides, loose women don't deserve a quality guy like myself. Then again, it could be spammers, but hey, I could be wrong. Either way, stop them from doing this, because I am sick and tired of it.

-Jason

My summer movies ratings thus far:

2007-07-02T23:06:00.000-07:00

Ratatouille: A
Spider-Man 3: A-
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End: B+
300: B

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer: C
Transformers: C
Blades of Glory: D

I rode the new Nemo subs!

2007-06-05T00:15:00.001-07:00

The ride is amazing! Very beautiful all throughout with many great moments. The kids are going to go wild about this one. From what I hear, when the ride opens next week, the wait in line is going to be insanely long, so get there early! If you are ever out at Disneyland, I'll wait in line with you. We can taunt the seagulls together :)

Fantasy & Real Life photography

2007-01-28T16:02:00.000-08:00

Beyonce as Alice, Lyle Lovett as the March Hare, Oliver Platt as the Mad Hatter, David Beckham as Prince Phillip, and Scarlett Johansson as Cinderella? I would have never placed any of them in those roles, well, maybe Miss Johansson, but the casting just works so well. These pictures created by celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz, are fresh and original. I hope to see more Disney pictures like this, and maybe even full length, big budget, live action, PG rated movie remakes of these classic movies? One can only hope. Enjoy the photos.

http://adisneyparks.disney.go.com/disneyparks/en_US/index?name=Gallery&CMP=BAC-DreamsGalleryAP

Update from Hawaii

2006-12-13T13:11:00.000-08:00

I’m so glad Ricki and Rody found a good church. The last time I was out here I knew they were having problems finding a church. The pastor did a good lesson on taming the tongue and listening. Afterwards we went with some friends from church to an Asian pancake house which not only featured your standard pancake fare, but also unique dishes like the Moco Loco, which I had, as well as coconut and pineapple syrup. Then we drove around the island, talking and stopping whenever there was something cool to see. We particularly liked when we saw an older woman decorating a random tree along the highway with Christmas ordainments. We finished up the evening with a stop at the Dole Pineapple Plantation where I had some Pineapple ice cream. If your jealous you can’t find Pineapple ice cream back home, the only other place I know that sells it is the Enchanted Tiki Room at Disneyland, and it tastes exactly the same.

Goodbye mainland!

2006-12-13T13:06:00.000-08:00

I love ya, but I really need a vacation. I am so ready to go. The flight was smooth except for the constant up sale for the $5 headphone rental and $15 on demand movie rental as they were blocking the aisle and people including myself really needed to go to the restroom. Guess making the extra buck is more important than ones comfort. Friendly staff though. *(pic $10 burger king meal)
Rody was in baggage claim waiting for me, so we went to his church to pick up Ricki. She was helping the pastor’s wife decorate their house, which was attached to the church, as well as the church. She was totally into the small Christmas houses. After picking up some Burger King and two of their $4 Xbox games for playing later, we drove around to see some great Christmas decorations around town. As a gift, I got Ricki a Strawberry Shortcake bath set, Rody the book A Field Guide to Evangelicals and their Habitat which is a satirical look at the Christian church, and extremely funny, and for the both of them a Mickey & Minnie ordainment. We all will pick out a tree tomorrow and decorate it! All of us played Wii Sports for quite a while before Rody and I played Gears of War before going to bed. I can’t even begin describe the how good it feels to lay down, close your eyes, and relax.

School is finished! Vacation here I come!

2006-12-06T13:31:00.000-08:00

It has sure been a journey, but I have finally graduated! Though I will walk next year, last Tuesday was my last day of class. It still has not sunk in, as I am a little concerned that there is some stray ½ credit that is not finished or a hidden hoop I didn’t jump through, even though I have double checked everything. One chapter of my life closes while another one opens. Life is always an adventure. By the time you read this, I will be in Hawaii with my good friends Ricki and Rody for a much needed vacation. Rody is graduating with his Masters degree, and his wife Ricki will be taking off work for a week, so it will be a vacation for all of us. By the time you read this, I will already be here eating macadamia nuts and drinking pineapple juice. I will be posting pictures and updates, so be sure to check back!

My celebrity impersonators

2006-11-15T00:07:00.000-08:00

And if I was more famous than I already am (humbleness Jason, humble), I would be:

He or he?

2006-11-07T22:47:00.000-08:00

Ok. So I have had this NLT (New Living Translation) study bible for the last few years. It is quite good, with the history, statistics, who it was written to preceding each book. Dates, times and distances are also translated so modern Americans can understand instead of odd cubit measurements, and dates such as the fifth moon of the bawwing of the sheep.

I did much research before I switched versions, but one thing I still have not shaken though is that when a pronoun is used for God or Jesus, it is not capitalized as most translations do. The word "Lord" is capitalized, just as "God" is, but "he", "his" and "the one" when referring to God or Jesus are not. Before this NLT, I had a NAS (New American Standard) for nearly my whole life.

How do you feel about this? I don't really see it as disrespectful, as I think God is much more interested in the bowing our hearts toward him instead of capitalizing our pronouns. Yet, it still bugs me as most other bibles don't do it this way.

PS: Is it bible or Bible?

2006-10-30T23:03:00.000-08:00

The assault is no coincidence. I have witnessed some major attacks on 10/31. Without fail nearly every year on Halloween something happens at work or some flair up happens between friends so people are pitted against each other. This is no random occurrence.

There is enemy out there and he wants your spirit crushed and bleeding. He does not want you dead. A common war strategy is to wound the enemy so they can no longer fight, and so they drag the remaining warriors down and put a strain on their resources. A wounded or discouraged Christian is excellent fodder for non-Christians to look at and not desire to be.

The attacks are usually on a personal level and have been quite unexpected, sometimes even between close friends. Be on your guard, pray, this is a spiritual battle.

2006-09-29T23:37:00.000-07:00

Only in America

Let's say I break into your house. Let's say that when you discover me in your house, you insist that I leave. But I say, "I've made all the beds and washed the dishes and did the laundry and swept the floors; I've done all the things you don't like to do. I'm hard-working and honest (except for when I broke into your house). According to the protesters, not only must you let me stay, you must add me to your family's insurance plan, educate my kids, and provide other benefits to me and to my family (my husband will do your yard work because he too is hard-working and honest, except for that breaking in part). If you try to call the police or force me out, I will call my friends who will picket your house carrying signs that proclaim my right to be there. It's only fair, after all, because you have a nicer house than I do, and I'm just trying to better myself. I'm hard-working and honest, um, except for well, you know. And what a deal it is for me!! I live in your house, contributing only a fraction of the cost of my keep, and there is nothing you can do about it without being accused of selfishness, prejudice and being an anti-housebreaker. Oh yeah, and I want you to learn my language so you can communicate with me.

author unknown

2006-04-21T19:52:00.000-07:00

Cool/Uncool list:

Uncool - Stores closing before their posted time
Cool - Stanton Warriors
Cool - My Name Is Earl
Uncool - Hershey chocolate shake
Cool - Mr. Hershey himself
Uncool - Slow customer service
Cool - Montana's Cookhouse
Uncool - Male discrimination
Cool - Layo & Bushwacka!
Uncool - Corporate branding on the butt of your shorts

2006-04-14T00:30:00.000-07:00

Exhausted. School, work, life. These past two months has been nothing but non-stop. This weekend I am going with Mariners church on a weekend mission trip to help at out at an orphanage there. Immediately after I get back I am off to Niagara Falls in Canada for an entire week for work. As Ferris Bueller said, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it." I would definitely appreciate a friendly voice while I am out there, eh?

2006-04-04T00:11:00.000-07:00

Kid + Parent + Video = healthy interactions?

(from: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060404/ap_en_tv/baby_video_flap_9 )
The creators of "Sesame Street" are releasing a new line of videos Tuesday targeted for children as young as six months... "These are not 'baby videos' — these are DVDs designed to promote healthy parent-child interactions,"

FREAKING TALK TO AND PLAY WITH YOUR CHILD!! As much as I like media, TURN OFF THE TV AND INTERACT WITH YOUR CHILDREN! YOU DON'T NEED A VIDEO TO HELP YOU!

2006-03-17T23:52:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for the little things.

Lord, God, Jesus. I am thankful for…

…legs that can walk

…hands that work

…eyes that can see

…nerves so I can touch and feel

…hair that I can comb

…a nose so I can smell the fresh air

…a well built body to take care of

…teeth that can chew food

…a mouth so I can smile

…feet to dance with

…a competent mind to ponder things on earth and above

…ears so I can hear music

…muscles to lift and move things

…the ability to swim in water

…a church to worship you in with other Christians

…talents to help others

…taste so that food is much more enjoyable

…a family that loves me

…a family who are all Christians

…the ability to take care of myself

…a God that never changes

…a God who loves me

I have so many little things to be thankful for. I may worry or complain my looks, life, talents, abilities, others and situations, but taking a step back and pausing for a moment, I am so grateful for being blessed with what I have. Thank you God for all of them!

2006-03-06T21:23:00.000-08:00

Everything is biased.

There is no such thing as an unbiased opinion. Everything has an element of bias, and bias is not necessarily bad. I was doing some reading about sex and the media for class:

“Alternative sex educators, such as parents, may supply only restricted or biased information.”

As if biased information is bad?! It is a parent’s job to be biased! If the parents do not tell there kids what is right and wrong in this world and how to act, then they are being bad parents. When I have kids, I am telling them sex is good, but sex outside the bonds of marriage is always wrong and will always bring about negative effects. Schools may tell you to wait, but if you are going to do it then you better have protection. That is not unbiased information, there is a bias there saying sex outside of marriage is ok, which is being called “comprehensive sexual education”. In movies, the ratio of unmarried sex to married sex is 32:1. Sick. Almost never in mass media is sex within marriage glorified, which is if to say sex outside of marriage is satisfying and normal, which is far from the truth.

2006-03-02T21:05:00.000-08:00

Where has the good Christian music gone?

The 90s was a great time for Christian music. As a Christian in the early 90s, I forced myself to find some I could listen to. The only artists I even liked was Petra and Michael W. Smith, but even then, it was not me. For those that know me, I have this affinity for electronic music that runs very deep. I heard “Axel F” by Harold Faltermeyer and it was all over, then “Rock It” by Herbie Handcock just reinforced what I already knew, electronic music is all me. When I heard Newsboys open for Petra, right before they were to come out with the“Not Ashamed” album and WOW! I dropped Petra like a hot iron skillet and found other great bands with an electronic vibe such as Code of Ethics and World Wide Message Tribe.

Then the year 2000 hit and BOOM, Christian music just went poof! Newsboys released Love Liberty Disco, and it was all downhill from then on. Smitty didn’t grow with the times, and DC Talk jumped on the alternative bandwagon. World Wide Message Tribe stepped down to do their Manchester ministry and re-established/renamed their band “The Tribe” with all new young faces that stank in every way possible. Audio Adrenaline got soft for my taste after Underdog (and they groovy enough for my taste). My favorite Christian band of all, Code of Ethics disbanded. At least Code of Ethics leaves a great legacy with every album being amazing musically, lyrically and biblically.

Driving to LA today, I listened to World Wide Message Tribe: Dance Planet again. That was a pretty spectacular album. In My Life with the great baseline and use of samples, Life with great synths and lyrics, and Peace with the very unique musical transition that you never heard on the radio because they cut it (silly Air 1). This was a great album. I still listen to Code of Ethics. Every album had a very unique sound and lyrical approach to it, each great in their own right. Their last album Blaze is the best praise album I will likely ever hear.

Also in the 90s, electronic music finally established itself as something that was not going away and became solidified as a bonified, respectable music genre. Leftfield, Fluke, The Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, Massive Attack, Chemical Brother, Royksopp, Mint Royale, Kraftwerk, The Crystal Method, all electronic artists that consistently put out amazing music that pushes the boundaries and, sorry to say but I find it true, rivals and surpasses nearly anything Christians can put out (biblical based lyrics aside).

For those naysayers, not listening to Christian music does not make me any less of a Christian, and this is also not a rant about me “loosing my Christianity” (which is ludicrous anyways for anyone who has read the Bible). Believe me, I would love to listen to more Christian music, but I can only take so much “guitar band” music that all sounds the same and worship music that is often substandard musically, what you have already heard in church, and sometimes contrary to what the Bible teaches (those songs were written by fallible humans remember).

This is one place I want to be proven wrong. PLEASE, prove me wrong! I know I am not the only one who feels this way as I have talked to other Christians, and most of them feel the same way I do. Are there any good Christian bands anymore? Bands that push the boundaries lyrically, musically and have a very solid basis in Christ? Also if they could have a fairly ample amount of groove, all the better!

2006-02-14T22:37:00.000-08:00

Maybe next year.

2006-02-08T23:41:00.000-08:00

History repeating. Isn't it just weird how God allows you to read passages that directly relate to your life and the situations you are currently experiencing? Genesis 31-32.

2006-02-07T23:57:00.000-08:00

God put a smile on your face. Coldplay played at the Arrowhead Pond and I went with my friends Roberto, Lyndsey and four of her friends from Biola. For me their music is awe inspiring, mysterious, and has comforted me when I needed it. While they may not officially be a Christian group, they sing songs with positive messages, praise God's creations, explore the mysteries that is life and ask questions that make us all human. During the concert I found myself wanting to explore the mysteries of God even more. This may sound weird, but I am scared of their music. Scared of what I might find. It took me a while to finally listen to all of "Rush of Blood to the Head", only selecting a few songs here and there a few years back. I didn't even listen to X&Y when it came out until Roberto assured me that it was a worthy successor. Yet I find myself and others doing the same thing with life. We are scared of what we might find out there, good or bad, and would rather stay where we are and not venture forward. I have taken leaps of faith, often expecting to fail, but God has always been there by me and I look back and His hand has constantly be on me. Yet I find myself in a state of disbelief again, but this may be the best place to be because I know I will look back at this moment and see God's hand in motion. Ah, the mysteries of God.

2006-02-02T00:28:00.000-08:00

I changed my phone number! Can’t everything stay the same? Guess not, but change is good. With me being in Orange County and all, I decided to go with the 714 area code because the 760 was freaking people out. I'm not posting my phone number on the web, so if you did not get a personal email from me, email me and I will send you my new number.

I also switched providers and now am on Verizon and I am part of their “IN” network thingie. If you are on Verizon and are on their IN network, we can talk for free anytime, so let me know if you are! I also have this cool new phone where I can attach pictures to my contacts, so if you could, please send me an updated picture of yourself. My e-mail and website (www.heydigital.com) are still the same. So update your phone books, send me an e-mail with your picture for my contact list, and give me a call because I would love to hear from you!

2005-12-07T23:43:00.000-08:00

I saw Drew Barrymore!

First off, I must confess, since a young age I have had a harmless crush on Drew Barrymore. She has become a respectable talent, helped resurge romantic comedies and has made some great movies through her production company. I have always wanted to see her in person. My sister Michelle tipped me off she would be at Arclight Cinemas in Hollywood for a "Hollywood's Master Storytellers" for her movie 50 First Dates, and of course, I bought tickets for the two of us.

Michelle was going to be there just on time, and I had the tickets, so I sat down and waited. Then I heard a voice behind me, which I knew I recognized. I turned around and sure enough it was Drew Barrymore, only 6 feet away from me with her entourage of people. As it is with most people you see in person, they are smaller than you expect. She toured around the top for a while before heading off to the theater. In respect to her, I let her be and didn't make a big deal of it. Now telling this story to my friends, even the girls I know said I should have got up and talked to her, because that is what they would have done. Naw, she is a person just like anyone else and I'll respect her by giving her her space. Michelle arrived just in time and we entered the theater.

Drew was joined with her Flower Films partner Nancy Juvonen. I was a little surprised that she did not receive a standing ovation as Paul Rubens (Pee-wee Herman) did when I saw him for a previous Q&A session. The Q&A session was great and you could tell she was genuinely happy to be there. She even mentioned how she was so looking forward to Tuesday night; it almost seemed like she was more happy to see us, as she was so grateful thanking us deeply for coming.

After the movie, Michelle and I hung out in the hallway and talked. I had a realization. Drew Barrymore is of course, very beautiful, but seeing her in person is quite different than seeing her on the screen. In person she is pretty as ever, but I realized that I know people that are just as beautiful as her, if not more so. My sis Michelle definitely has that department covered. Its just I see too many people hold others ( to an all to high standard, and get fixed on a certain type, when there is beauty all around.

2005-11-17T17:12:00.000-08:00

Oxymoron morons. One car, two bumper stickers:

"Why do we kill people to teach people killing is wrong?"

"Keep abortion safe and legal."

2005-11-11T11:34:00.000-08:00

BEST WEBSITE OF THE YEAR !!!

www.pandora.com

"Based on what you've told us so far, we're playing this track because it features use of modal harmonies, a tight kick sound, heavy drums, synth riffs and synth tweaking."

2005-11-08T20:35:00.000-08:00

Found this in my school reading and I think you will enjoy it:

I have a spelling checker.
It came with my PC.
It plainly marks four my revue,
Miss steaks aye can knot sea.
Eye ran this poem threw it,
I'm sure your pleased too no.
It's letter perfect in it's weigh,
My checker tolled me sew.

-Jerrold H. Zar, "Candidate for a Pullet Surprise"

2005-11-07T00:51:00.000-08:00

Homework and procrastination were never friends. I'm going to be a little hard to reach this week. I have two big projects due early next week, so your prayers and encouragement would be very appreciated. This is also the reason I have been not too social the past week or so, as I have been doing homework. Though if any of you did want to call me, I could bounce some of my project ideas off of you, and that would be very helpful for me. I care about you all and wish I could hang out more. Gotta tough it out, this semester is almost finished...

2005-10-27T23:16:00.000-07:00

Do you realize that us Christians have a 24-hour, direct line, with the creator of the universe? Sit and think about that for a second. God chooses our bodies as a temple for Him and we can talk directly to God the Father anytime, no on hold music, no busy signals, no certain hours of operating, no waiting. I think a lot of us don't realize this vast resource we have at our disposal. I have the power and connectivity to the God of the universe who is physically in my body! Christ in me = Christian. Lets exploit this resource.

2005-10-19T23:56:00.000-07:00

Ok, who is coming with me?!
Pee-wee's Big Adventure showing at ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood with Q&A session with Paul Rubens, Pee-wee himself!

2005-10-13T00:49:00.000-07:00

www.ChristianAnswers.net I just wanted to share a great Bible site I have been going to for years. It has been around since 1995 (VERY old in web years), and though it still looks like a web page from the 90's, the content is excellent. Nearly every major Bible topic is covered with verses, there is a Bible encyclopedia, online Bible in multiple translations, they have a movie review section, and the site has no annoying advertising.

I suggest you check it out, and if you have any good Christian links that you go to, I would like to hear about them.

ChristianAnswers.net, It's DOT NET!

2005-10-10T22:42:00.000-07:00

God is dead, buy our products. That's the message from Sony and Ikea. In Rome, Sony ran an ad portraying a young man wearing a crown of thorns along with the phrase "10 years of passion". Ikea ran an ad in Italy that said "There's no religion anymore" informing would be customers that their stores are open on Sunday because of the country's dwindling church attendance.

What amazes me is both companies had to do research to deem the ads effective. If Sony and Ikea knew the ads would be offensive or ineffective, they would not run them. Conversely, if they believed the ads would be effective and relate to people, they would invest money in the ads, and they did! As Christians we need to have an even greater pulse on the state of society and seek them even more than these ad companies are doing. Now that I think of it, I cannot ever recall an ad drawing attention to our fallen sin nature and needing a Savior. I have certainly seen ads glorifying the sin nature and encouraging it. (Maybe all my Photoshop and art friends can make an effective ad calling attention to our need of a Savior...)

2005-10-03T23:58:00.000-07:00

Leftfield: Leftism

"Writing about music is like dancing about architecture."

10 year anniversery. Thank you Leftfield for the most brilliant piece of work I have ever heard. Electronic music will never be the same. Leftism sounds as fresh today as it did when it was released. Every song unique and dynamic, as a whole a masterpiece. With each listening, new things are noticed and it only gets better. The entire album is a journey, and I am overjoyed and filled with wonder every time.

2005-10-01T22:12:00.000-07:00

It is amazing how many PHDs worked on Sesame Street. When the show was being designed, they originally separated the grown ups and Muppets to separate fantasy from reality because the "experts" said not to mix the two. They claimed kids could not differentiate between fantasy and reality. In test screenings, the kids got excited when the Muppets were on screen, and were bored when the adults were on. Only when the shows creators went against the "experts" did they fully get the children's attention. Anyone who has seen Sesame Street knows there are a lot of short 2-3 minute segments, and they even experimented by mixing around the elements so there was no coherent storyline. The result? Kids were confused and started to become distracted and eventually left because they realized there was no storyline. We were designed for fantasy, reality and storytelling.

I made a list of some of my favorite movies (in no particular order):

The Incrediables
Pee-wee's Big Adventure
Fight Club
The Abyss: Special Edition
The Princess Bride
Peter Pan (2003)
Spiderman 2

I realized that one common element they all had was they combined reality and fantasy with amazing storytelling (see if you can guess the other related themes). While that is only one part of these amazing movies, it is the combination of those elements which helped make fairy tales and Disneyland so popular. Walt designed Disneyland to tell a story, and to take people into a real fantasy world. Since the beginning of time, stories were told and passed on to generations. Fairy tales are still read to kids, and they thrive on it. It's one of the ways were designed to operate by our Creator. Now I need to watch Tim Burton's Big Fish...

2005-09-13T23:32:00.000-07:00

God, you got my back; I trust you, help me to trust you.

“The only thing I fear is my future” – Adam Sessler.

God has already proven Himself faithful and worked out situations I worried about even better than I ever could have planned. Case and point: When I moved down here a year ago, I was worried that I would not have someone along the same level as me spiritually that I could talk to. It might take me a long time to find someone who we can both totally relate to! I prayed for a “spiritual brother” if you will, and all it takes is just a little faith as God was working and setting things in motion even before I moved down here. The day I set foot into Best Buy to apply for Geek Squad, there was Nathan Garcia, head agent. I briefly met him, but after I was hired, we were able to work together and we eventually found out we both were Christians. He introduced me to his Bible study and great circle of friends. Though I no longer work for Geek Squad, Nathan and I are good friends and can have deep discussions. God is so amazing and faithful, as this was better than I ever expected.

I went to get my haircut at Nate’s wife salon today and Nate was there. We had a good talk, as it is always great to hear advise from a Christian friend, just as iron sharpens iron (Prov 27:17). I worried about having good Christian friends…SOLVED! I wanted a job with expected hours so I could spend time with friends and family…DONE! God is amazingly faithful, and I feel bad because I could have prayed harder and I could have had more faith. It just shows how much grace He has on us.

I pray and expect great things, but often there is still that lingering doubt hidden in there. Is it human nature, a scheme of the enemy, lack of faith? He has proven Himself worthy and faithful over and over again. Why am I worried and concerned about situations now? I am concerned for my future which is unknown to me. Maybe we worry so we have to rely on God? If we didn’t worry, then we know we could do things on our own, and without God we can do nothing. Lord help me to fully trust You, remove all doubt, give me faith, patience, and continue as you have in the past to orchestrate great things in my life for the future and use me for you.

2005-09-12T23:41:00.000-07:00

Teacher assigned, group project on Pee Wee Herman. College is great isn't it! I'm taking a Children's TV class and I finally realize just how many of these kids shows I really enjoy, even to this day. Did you know that people who watched Sesame Street growing up do better in school and in life? Horray for me!

This blog was brought to you by the letter G.

2005-09-10T20:31:00.000-07:00

I wish I was a weatherman. I don't know what it was, and I wish I knew how to explain it, but at 5pm today, the weather was perfect. It looked great, it smelled great, and just breathing the air made everything feel wonderful inside and out. It's not of often weather patterns like this happen, and I wish I knew what caused it. Rain in the desert and thunderstorms are still in my top 10 list of smells, but I at least know what causes that. I would have missed it too if I hadn't gone shopping. There needs to be an awesome weather alert system you install in your house so when there is awesome weather outside, it goes off and you run outside, and hopefully your friends are out there too.

2005-09-10T16:00:00.000-07:00

Dinner For 8! What an amazing time. Campus Crusade for Christ had groups of 8 get together for fellowship. I can't remember the time I sat down to a dinner table and had a good conversation with everyone, as todays fast paced society drives that out of us. Taking the time to slow down and enjoy each others company was great. Afterwards we all got together, played the eye-glance game, Houdi, and just generally goofed off. Afterwards some of us stayed up at the apartments to watch Hitch, which was a generally good movie except for the PMS (pre-marital sex. Yes, guys can have PMS too and it's a bad thing). We also played with Doug's new computer, looked at pictures, had pillow fights and enjoy each others company. Jessica and I even reenacted the Psyco shower schene.

2005-09-08T12:27:00.000-07:00

Taylor will be ok. That is the update I heard today from my boss. Thank you to those concerned and who prayed, and ultimately thank God who is the real one to thank. He has broken ribs and collar bone, but he will pull through. My boss also told me that it's times like these that they get to have group prayers when the board members meet.

2005-09-06T10:38:00.000-07:00

Prayer is in need. I just learned that one of my superior's son (at work) was just involved in a car accident. I don't know much except that he had brain swelling, and I had a friend die from a similar accident and injury. I don't know him well, but I worked with him in Boston two weeks ago and he was a cool guy. His name is Taylor and I hope God pulls him through.

2005-09-03T20:05:00.000-07:00

Pete and Pete and Pizza! For those who have not seen the show The Adventures of Pete and Pete, I cannot even begin to say what you are missing. On Friday Jessica and AJ came over to watch the recently released first season DVD. AJ had never seen the show, but Jessica and I were fans. The show is definitely better watching it with friends as we breezed through many adventures, busting out laughing and sighing with wonder.

It shows like this that I want to capture the same spirit in the work I do. You have the extremely bizarre and absurd combined with mystery and wonder with unique characters along with serious heartfelt issues, emotions and things to learn about life. With stories such as wrestling a bowling ball, finding love because of metal plate in someone's head, befriending an icecream man with relationship issues, being insecure because you work at a driving range so you dress up as a bear, wanting to change the world with a jetpack, searching lawns for landmines and lines such as, "I don't blame him, I blame his glands.", how cool is that?

Even after taking a lot of film courses and critiquing what we see, The Adventures of Pete and Pete is a model example of excellent writing, cinematography, acting and everything inbetween. Shows so dynamic as this are rare. It's nice to know Nickelodeon is releasing the second season which is only two months away! Another party is sure to ensue :)

PS: We played Super Smash Brothers and I kicked everyone's butt. AJ was good, and Jessica put up a really good fight. Sounds like we must battle again!

2005-09-01T01:09:00.000-07:00

If there is one thing I have learned in college, it is to hold your tongue. Pick your battles, hold your tongue, and tell your teachers what they want to hear. There are many teachers where critical thinking is praised, but for some professors, they just want to hear back what they told you, how great they are and what they think. The tongue is a very powerful object that can be very difficult to control, and can "turn the entire course of your life into a blazing flame of destruction, for it is set on fire by hell itself" as said in James 3:1-12. It would be safe to argue that the tongue is the most powerful muscle in the body. Time to tame the tongue this semester.

2005-08-28T20:44:00.000-07:00

I was eating pizza at the Boston airport when I turned my head and heard about hurricane Katrina that was about to hit New Orleans. I a friend who has friends and family out there, my work is going there for an event next year, and this is just really bad. Bars were still open, people drinking it up, partying and not caring that nearly certain death is coming for them. One news reporter asked a man in a bar why he was staying. "It's none of your f**king business", on live tv, too quick to censor. Another bar owner said his business and all that he cared about was here, and you can sign his death certificate. It is so sad that people have no concept of what is truly important in life, and it reminded me of what people did in the old testament when faced with similar situations. Looking to themselves and pleasure instead of towards God. Hoarding onto treasure here, even if you die trying to defend something that is futile to defend. Store your treasures in heaven, and pray for the storm, New Orleans, it's people.

2005-08-28T12:52:00.000-07:00

It seems every time I leave from the east coast, a hurricane happens. I was leaving Florida when hurricane Andrew happened, and now as I leave Boston, hurricane Katrina is about to hit New Orleans. I hope Eleanor's parents will be ok as they live there. While at the food court I talked to another Californian and they felt the same way I do about Boston. There is nothing to do but bars, baseball or business. My flight on JetBlue 489 should board any minute now, so one last check of the email and I'm off. Can't wait to see everyone again!

2005-08-27T20:39:00.000-07:00

Boston has no good places to eat. The only things within walking distance were Dunkin Doughnuts, 7-11, and McDonald's. Not healthy choices at all. Then a co-worker the other day told me about Fresh City (www.freshcity.com) right across the street from the hotel. I saw the sign, but from a distance it looked like a building leasing place because it was in the World Trade Center building. This place is amazing! "Fusion" food, mixing American, Japanese, Chinese and Mexican food together with stir frys, wraps, sandwiches, soup, salads, unique beverages, and smoothies. Great healthy food, amazing choices and the prices are very reasonable. If one of these opened in California, they would do very well. Only major complaint is the hours, 6:30am-4pm and closed on the weekends!

2005-08-26T21:45:00.000-07:00

Working a convention is an experience as it keeps you on your toes, but when you work 12+ hours a day and only get 4-5 hours of sleep per night, you are disjoined with the world, family & friends. This event was planed many months in advance and tonight I am missing my sister's play in Hollywood tomorrow, and she's the lead character! I am also missing the Campus Crusade for Christ beginning of school party tonight which I so wanted to go to. I called Doug to say high to everyone, though the conversation was short because it sounded like everyone was having fun. I talked to a local Bostonian, and he said this was a drinking town. I don't drink, so there's not much for me to do here. It's times like these you really appreciate your friends and family.

2005-08-25T19:19:00.000-07:00

Palm bark in my bath soap, self-defogging bathroom mirror, French milled soap made in Thailand of course, seaside panaromic view, Bose wave radio, even the elusive sewing kit, and the only thing to sleep on is a pull out sofa bed with no blankets. I was admiring all the fluffy towels in the bathroom when my boss called me, so I used the phone near the toliet.

2005-08-23T12:53:00.000-07:00

Watching DirectTV on a plane is very cool, but still there is a lack of quality programming. No wonder I still don't miss cable. The last 30 minutes of the flight were brutal as I really got sick, but no tossing of the cookies. I'm sitting in the baggage claim relaxing until it totally passes, then TAXI & food! Mothers want to keep tabs on you, so I called her with Skype and the connection was bad. Hopefully it is where I am at, and not the Verizon Wireless. I was excited to get here, but now I don't feel so hot about it because I will be missing my sisters play in Hollywood, the first Campus Crusade for Christ meeting as well as the Friday party. But, if I don't work, I can't eat, sleep, or even go to school. Hopefully I will have some free moments to check out one of the oldest cities in America. Or I could just don a pirates hat, and sit around and do nothing. ...or maybe throw some tea into the bay.

2005-08-23T05:45:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm off to Boston. That is my luggage, which I take pictures of ever since my luggage was lost when I went to Florida in 1999 and had to resort to $50 to replace all that was "misplaced". Nice people here, and not your typical airport you would think of. Seems like a throw back to the old-days of airports you see in old shows. Maybe I even get to board the plane from the runway? I'm writing this in the baggage claim waiting until I can board. I'm using this Verizon broadband wireless Internet, and it is FAST! Terriable customer service, but my goodness it is great to have broadband anywhere! I will have my cell phone off until I get back on Sunday, but you can keep in contact via e-mail, as I will be checking it often, and I can call out using Skype. I will miss everyone, but will be back soon!

2005-08-19T22:59:00.000-07:00

"And I've never been to Boston in the fall...". Since I am going to Boston next week for work and because fall starts September 22nd, this will still be true for me. I fly out on Tuesday (23rd), and get back the following Sunday (28th). Because roaming phone calls will cost me 79 cents per minute, I'm turning off of my cell phone and relying on the power of the Internet. I should have abundent access to the Internet, so please e-mail me! I can also call you using Skype which will cost me 1 cent for every 4 minutes. Very cool! So if you want to chat, just send me an email and I will call you, or if you have Skype, call me (my username is: heydigital). If you think of me, pray that everything I have been working on at work for this event will go perfectly. If there is time, I would love to hang out with you guys before I leave. Now time to start training by pushing tea crates into the sea!

2005-08-16T22:22:00.000-07:00

What? Only one week left? I thought I had two weeks left before school! The kid inside me wonders why time is speeding up so much? Summers used to last forever! Inflections are cool!

I want to have a "going back to school" or something like that party at my place as a last hurrah before school starts. Maybe Thursday or Friday, I have not decided yet. Either way, my friend Andy Moore (the guy I am doing the documentary on for those that saw an extremely early rough cut of it) invited me to go to the beach with him and friends this Saturday. Knowing Andy, it is required that I invite friends. So if any of you read this before I get in contact with you, let me know if you can come hang out for the back to school party, and if you can go to the beach on Saturday. I would love to see you at either one, hopefully both!

2005-08-10T23:47:00.000-07:00

Go see My Date With Drew! www.mydatewithdrew.com Tell all your friends and go see it with them as soon as you can to help support such a great film! I went to the Arclight Cinemas in Hollywood tonight for a Q&A session with the filmmakers after the 7:20pm showing. That's me with Brian Herzlinger, the man who aspired to have a date with Drew Barrymore. This was my second time seeing it, and I loved every moment. The movie is so great and inspiring with real human emotion, and it helps if you sit close to the screen to see the subtle nuances of the human face, they tell such a story. I was able to ask Brian a question at the Q&A session that he said he was never asked before! Cool! Outside they talked to us and and I am so glad to see he perused his dream, they took risks, and with only $1,100, they have a movie in theaters for people to enjoy.

He had some good tips too. It's who you know to get you in the business, and it's what you know that will keep you there. Networking with people is key, and do not get discouraged with rejections. Everyone has access to technology and the only thing from keeping you to make a movie is yourself (the movie was edited on a laptop). Take risks and peruse your dream. I know, I know, we hear this stuff all the time, and I hate those little motivational phrases, but this is just good common knowledge that works. Why don't we follow these, take risks, peruse our dreams, and not get discouraged with rejection? It's so easy for me to write about this, but putting all this in action can be very difficult. I guess that's one of the reasons I like the movie so much; Brian had to deal with these problems, and it was great to take the journey with him.

And to all my friends, if you want to see it, and don't have anyone to go with, call me up, as I would be blessed to see it again with my friends.

You can watch the first 10 minutes of the film here: http://movies.aol.com/movie/main.adp?tab=trailers&mid=22746

-=I will post the audio I recorded from the Q&A session as soon as I can=-

SPOILERS! TURN BACK TO NOT SPOIL THE MOVIE!!
So what did I ask Brian that he had not been asked before? This question was in my mind after I saw the movie the first time. I asked what he wrote on the card he gave to Drew Barrymore, as she did not read it outloud and the writing was not shown on screen. Ultimately he had his mom do it. The only line he remembered was, Thank you for taking a risk so I wouldn't have a wasted soul. I also really liked the story when he was at Taco Bell ordering food, and Drew called him up to invite him to the premiere of 50 First Dates. He went and saw Drew walk past, and thought she had not noticed, but she turned around and was ecstatic to see him. Brian said was happy to see her movie, but Drew slightly changed the subject and said she was excited to see "our movie". How sweet is that? That is one of the reasons I like Drew so much. She is so positive, yet realistic. She truly cares about people and what they think and feel. She always tries to brighten up people's day and be positive, because sadly there is too much negativeness in this world. Those are some traits I want to have in myself. Outside Arclight theaters I was able to talk to him a little bit more, not once viewing him as a "celebrity" but as someone who took risks, put himself out on the line, and succeeded! That's inspiring. So if I imply the 6 degrees of separation he used as the basis of this movie. I know Brian, Brian knows Drew. That puts me at one degree of separation between me and Drew Barrymore :)

2005-08-09T19:00:00.000-07:00

I feel like such a dork. I went to get my haircut today at a Liz & Nate's new salon that they just purchased called Salon 9. Nate was there so we chatted a bit before Liz cut my hair. I gave her a twenty, and she placed the change on the counter for me. I pick up the change and she says, "you going to take that twenty?". I didn't notice it but I had picked up the change AND the twenty I placed on the counter for her. Fortunately we are friends, but I felt totally embarrassed. I give her a tip, but only afterwards when I am talking to Nate in the back room do I realize that I didn't tip her enough in my embarrassment. Liz was cutting hair so I gave an extra tip to Nate to give to Liz. Ugghh, even though I am good friends with them, I still feel doubly embarrassed.

2005-08-06T12:12:00.000-07:00

Last night I saw My Date With Drew with my sister and brother in law. This is such a great movie! Here is my review I posted on Yahoo Movies. http://movies.yahoo.com/mvc/dfrv?mid=1808702374&s=&rvid=7-237088&i=1&spl=1&ys=ejc3K54lD6qhUVsHPvavxA--

My Date With Drew is one of the most sincere, charming, and exciting movies I have seen in a long time. It is about the pursuit of a dream and taking a risk. This movie has more edge-of-your-seat excitement than most summer blockbusters as you follow a rollercoaster of a journey that will make you laugh, cry, and hold your breath in anticipation. I saw this movie with my sister and she was so charmed by this movie, she had the biggest smile lasting well after the movie ended.

I have to admit, I am a little partial to the movie because I have had a have a similar harmless crush on Drew Barrymore since I saw her in ET when I was 5. But Brian took action, and with only $1,100 he followed his dream with the help of his friends and documented his journey for the world to see. Yes the video quality is low because a consumer grade camera was used, but the production values, editing and true human emotions are top notch. The world needs more dreamers and people who will take risks. As Drew Barrymore herself said, "If you don't take risks, you'll have a wasted soul." I highly recommend this movie!

2005-07-20T01:33:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of updates. Summer school has taken up all my time, which is why a lot of you have not heard from me lately. My disconnect with the world and friends is very taxing and it will be nice once it is over. Two more weeks, then I get to do it all over again for fall semester in a few weeks! Wee. Once school is done, I have a LOT of updates to post. Now to sleep...

2005-06-22T21:19:00.000-07:00

My bike was stolen. On 6/22/04 my new Gary Fisher bike was stolen from Cal State Fullerton between 6 and 7pm in front of the Humanities building. I parked it, locked it with a Masterlock combo lock and flexible steel cable, then went to class. An hour later at break time I walk outside and it was gone. No sign of anything. I filed a police report, but lets all be honest here, it's gone. This is the 3rd time I have been vandalized in my life, and the 2nd time I have had a bike stolen. Of course I am upset, mad and disappointed. I was so upset I couldn't stay for class, as I could not concentrate at all on the movie we were watching. If I saw someone riding my bike, I would thrown them down and beat them senseless, and I have never been in a fight in my life. It's not so much the money, but the personal violation, agony, wasted time, money, effort, and the fact that it was personally signed by Gary Fisher himself. I enjoyed riding that bike and starting up mountain biking, but that is gone for now. I am never buying Masterlock again, and neither should you. Though I am upset and disappointed, in the grand scheme of things, my loss is extremely minimal. People get raped, loose limbs, loose eyes, loose the ability to walk, loose other bodily abilities, houses, cars, and even their lives. My loss is nothing compared to those. But my loss is still genuine, and would be lying if I said I was not disappointed or hurt. Though the chances are slim, God can do anything. Thanks for praying for my video camera, which would have been a bigger loss, and that turned out ok, so please pray for my bike. If you see a bike that looks like this http://www.fisherbikes.com/images/bikes2005/walls/tarpon_black.jpg and especially if it signed in silver near the front left side top of the frame, it also had a good scratch that took off the paint of the right pedal crank tip, a water bottle holder on the frame, and a small under-seat mounted bag, call the police (CSUF police department: 714-278-2515, main police department: (714) 738-6800) . Thanks.