Did you know? Batteries are ancient news.

In 1938, Wilhelm König discovered several artifacts in the village of Khuyut Rabbou'a near Baghdad , Iraq that were later determined to be a battery around 2000 years old.

I don't believe I had ever heard about the Baghdad Battery before I read this article from Answers in Genesis. After I read the article though, it did make me wonder what the folks did have in the form of electronics. Did some of them have Pocket Scrolls like a Pocket PC? Did they have cool light shows with their batteries? OK, maybe I'm going a bit crazy here! ;)

Yes, they didn't have DVD players and LCD screens, but you got to wonder why did they have batteries? Take some time to read the articles I linked to as the authors do propose some reasonable uses for these batteries. I do find it interesting as we talk about all our gadgets and advances in technology that assume that the ancients were not as smart as we are today. The more and more I learn about ancient times, the more I realize how wrong this view is.

From Palm Addicts: A Pastor and His Palm

This was a good read over at Palm Addicts. Pastor Mike Borgstede shared how he uses his Palm TX in his ministry. I really believe that PDAs can be extremely useful in the ministry.

"As a pastor I use Datebk6 to keep track of my schedule, especially visits with homebound and sick member. I have set different categories with different colors, fonts and icons for the various ares of my life (Pastor, Personal, Family, Foster Care).

I use contact to export from our church membership program a directory of all members.

I love Bible programs and right now I use MyBible and Olive Tree's Bible Reader."

READ MORE

4cast - Your weather forecaster for your PDA

Weather can play an important part in my job. If I am having a youth activity outdoors or the school is having a field trip, I am usually checking the weather in the days before the event to make sure the weather will be decent. While a small task at times, I wanted to make this task as convenient as possible so I installed 4cast on my Palm Lifedrive.

4cast gives you your area's weather forecast via Yahoo Weather. You will get Today's weather & next 4 days of weather. Weather radar images, weather alerts, and detailed forecasts are some of the features of this program. I like it because it supports 320x480 screens. You can have 4cast update wireless thru wifi or your data network and also via hotsync. I don't think you'll find another weather app that will update during hotsync. I've also installed a couple plugins that allow it to function within Datebk6 and QuickNews. Other plugins are available for Zlauncher and 2day.

The developer is very helpful and there is a thread over at 1src that talks about the beta developments. If you would like to try the current beta, you can look for it here.

4cast sells for $9.95 and if you purchase it over at Palm OS Central, there is an additional %20 savings. You get this savings by entering BOO in the promo field at checkout. The code will work until the end of today, but sometimes it lingers for a couple days or another 20% off coupon code comes out.

A new Palm browser is coming!

I'm very excited about Universe 3.0 beta. I'm one of the beta testers for this new browser for the Palm OS. First off, the tabbed browsing experience is awesome. The developer has really put in a lot of hours with this one and should be quite an app once he is done with it. You can check out the full details of what this browser will do on your Palm device here.

"Features including...
A Tabbed interface (supporting up to 3 tabs)
An address bar featuring a url box and navigation buttons
An Integrated RSS reader
Private browsing (mask the history, cache and cookies)
Support for JPEG, GIF, BMP and PNG (with alpha channels) images
Support for HTML/XHTML/WML/RSS 1.0/2.0
Support for WAP 1.0/2.0
Support for Hires and Hires+ screen sizes
No need for the Java VM!
Much more."

Update/Upgrade error with Microsoft .net

For the last several days, I've had the Microsoft upgrade/install icon in my system tray (you know that yellow shield with an exclamation point) telling me about a Microsoft .net 2.0 update. Every time I tried to fix it, it would say the install had failed. So this morning I finally went and did some investigating to see what I could do about this error. I found a solution and now I don't have the icon in my system tray and I am current with my Windows updates. I found this solution over at eggheadcafe and it was listed in the comments section. Basically it involves downloaded to files. I'll tell you how I did it below:

1. Downloaded Windows Install Cleanup and installed.

2. Removed Microsoft .Net versions via Windows Install Cleanup.

3. Downloaded .Net framework again from this link and installed.

4. Problem solved! Well, until the next update... ;)

Hope this helps you, I'm planning on applying this fix to the computers at the church now.

Shopping at Sam's Club

While I was waiting in the checkout line, the older gentleman behind me began to set down about 6 or so of those whole chicken rotisseries. I made a quick comment that he must be really hungry tonight. He laughed and said he was buying them for their church's Everyone's Birthday celebration. I found out that he was the pastor of the church and we had a good conversation as we waited in line. His church recently purchased another church building and would be moving in very soon. He was also excited to see a young person attending church. I didn't have the heart to tell him I was almost thirty- well maybe I just can't stand that thought at all! Anyways, I was glad to have meet him and speak with him. I love Christian fellowship. That's part of the reason that I started this website to be able to meet with other Believers. What has surprised me most is how many Christians are gadget geeks too. It's fun to be able to share about my love with gadgets with other Christians just like me and still be able to talk about my faith as well. What a blessing!

Treo 680 pricing is leaked.

Folks just don't keep secrets like that use to! Engadget Mobile has revealed the pricing breakdown of the Treo 680 and I'm a bit disappointed. In order for someone to get the Treo 680 below $200 you have to sign a 2 year service contract and sign up for an unlimited data package probably a year or two commitment here. To me, this is crazy talk. You will notice in the poster the price is said to be $199 with an asterisk. I couldn't read the fine print to see what made the price go so low. Data plans on Sprint are cheap, but you lose good coverage because of it; Cingular has expensive data plans, but you get way better coverage. As much as I want a Treo device, I probably won't get one because the cost of a decent data plan is so much. If the price drops down, I could probably get one, but until then, I will continue to use my two device system: my Lifedrive and my Motorola v557.

To Upgrade of Not? Better make your list from Brighthand

I just read this over at Brighthand and thought it was excellent. As I've mentioned before, I'm looking at upgrading my current cellphone to a Treo 680 or a Cingular 3125. I've spent many hours reading reviews, watching videos, and what not so that I would make a good choice in my next cellphone. I'll even bore my wife with my learnings for hours. She's so patient with me.
To upgrade or not? Better make your list covers one user's experience as he looks to upgrade his PDA. I think a lot of us could relate with this and would be worth a look.

"I am pretty convinced quite some people are in the same situation as myself. You have a perfectly working device yet the upgrade is trying to convince you for some time to upgrade anyhow. I frequently observe posts on the Brighthand forums from users who just upgraded but are unaware what their device can do. Sometimes there is a little frustration when they find out it can NOT do what they expected. Hence I decided to set down my thought process, hoping some others would benefit from it."

READ MORE

Review of Cingular 3125 from Brighthand

I have been looking at getting a new smartphone and might just do that by the end of this year. I am considering getting a Treo 680 or the Cingular 3125, a.k.a. HTC Star Trek smartphone. The 3125 runs Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone edition and I've been wanting to have a go with the Windows Mobile and see how it feels. However, I'm also really interested in the Treo 680, so I'm waiting for it to officially be available and the price point to be revealed. It's also interesting to note that Cingular unlimited data plans for the two devices are dramatically different. The 3125 unlimited data plan is only $19.99. The Treo 680's unlimited plan is $44.99, barring no changes upon its availability. So that is also a huge factor in my decision.
Yesterday, I noticed the Review of the Cingular 3125 at the Brighthand website. They really did a great job with reviewing the phone and I have posted a bit of it below. Enjoy!

"The Cingular 3125 is, like most new Windows phones, a product of HTC Taiwan. Unlike most others, however, it sports an ultra-slim clamshell design to rival the ever popular RAZR. Originally called the HTC StrTrk, similar models are also sold as the Dopod S300, Qtek 8500, and i-mate Smartflip.
The 3125, though, has a few important differences from its siblings. While most StrTrk models have 64 MB of flash memory, with approximately 16 MB available to the user, the Cingular variant contains 128 MB of flash, leaving 68 MB free. There are also several different battery capacities in use. The Cingular version trades off a slightly thicker battery, and thus overall thickness, for a higher capacity of 1100 milliamp-hours."

READ MORE

Oregon church set on fire during service

This was quite disturbing...

By BRAD CAIN, Associated Press Writer Thu Oct 26, 5:19 PM ET

"SALEM, Ore. - A man ranting about "the blood" burst into a church sanctuary during a service, sloshed fuel onto people and started a fire, police and church officials said Thursday.
Some parishioners were able to smother the flames with their coats while another group tackled the man, said the Rev. Scott Erickson, pastor of the Peoples Church. Two older women from the congregation were burned when their clothing caught fire.
"He ... was yelling things about the blood, and then he began to sprinkle the fluid and light it," Erickson said. "He was making slurs about things that are most precious to us."
On Thursday, prosecutors said Kam Shing Chan, also known as Daniel Chan, 53, was held on charges of attempted aggravated murder, attempted assault, arson and reckless burning. Prosecutors, who did not suggest a motive, said the Salem man was to appear in court Friday..."

READ MORE

news via Drudge Report

Ministry Tip: Have a newsletter.

One of the first todos when I arrived here in Buffalo was to have a monthly newsletter for my teenagers. For my first two years, I faithfully published a monthly newsletter. Usually, I would write a short thought in it, find some interesting articles or humorous stories that they might be interested in, or find something that would help them defend their faith. After about 2 years of doing this, I stopped and many of the teenagers were disappointed.

Well, a couple months ago, the Lord laid it on my heart to once again start our youth newsletter called "The Youth Challenge." I've based it on 2 Timothy 1:8, "Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord." This has been a goal of mine to help our church's young people not be afraid when others ask them about their faith in Christ. I know of a few teenagers who have said that these newsletters have been an encouragement to them.

It does take a bit of time to create a newsletter. I really don't do a lot of fancy graphics or such, but making it look sharp and helpful to the teens. Yes, it's not always easy, but I certainly enjoy to here their excitement when the newsletter is handed out.

I create my "The Youth Challenge" using Microsoft Publisher. I have included content from many Christian websites as I am allowed and I make sure I give credit to the author. I included upcoming activities as well which works as a good way to communicate to them. The ideas here are really endless. If you are a pastor, maybe consider sending out a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly newsletter to your church congregation. As a child, I remember my pastor sending out a weekly newsletter and it was always fun reading it after my parents were done with it.

If you do have a newsletter that you produce, why not share it with us and tell us how you create your newsletter and your newsletter tips. Just post in the comments below.

Cool icons for Datebk 5

Leslie Franke has several collections of icons for Datebk 5 and for use with Icon Manager, both the icon sets and program are free. The sets themselves are amazing and I have installed some of them onto my Lifedrive to be used with Datebk 5. If you have been disappointed with your current collection of icons or you've been looking for more icons, then check out this sets. They will definitely make your datebk 5/6 look even more amazing!

Book Recommendations

Last night, I preached in the midweek service on "It's rest time." My text was Matthew 11:28-30. I'll probably post my message online at a later date. You'll find this funny, but I had to record it on a cassette as I didn't have my Lifedrive with me or my mp3 player so I could have recorded it in a digital format. Now I will have to convert it to a digital format later.

During my message I recommended two books by Phillip Keller and I thought I would mention them online for you all to consider. They are excellent books and very practical.

Lessons from a Sheep Dog by Phillip Keller(Amazon's price: $9.99 hardcover) - I read this when my family was raising sheep and we were even trying to raise a sheep dog. The stories that Mr. Keller shares are humorous and spiritually encouraging. This book had a profound effect on me as a college student.

A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller (Amazon's price $4.99 paperback) - This book I read a portion from last night during my message. If you were to even do an indepth study or preach from Psalm 23, this book is a must have. Mr. Keller shares his experiences as a shepherd while expounding the 23 Psalm.

PC News: FireFox 2 is now officially released.

Mozilla has officially released their FireFox 2.0 browser. It's been in beta for a while, so I'm sure many of you have already seen it. If you're not using FireFox, you are missing a wonderful experience. To download it click here.

My Review of Google Maps

I think one of the best features of owning a PDA is the ability to carry mapping applications on it. I currently use Mapopolis as my map program and it has proven to be quite helpful in me finding my way. However, Palm recently announced their new Treo, the Treo 680, and with it came Google Maps for Treo. Google Maps for Treo is a PDA version of the Google Maps online.

Google Maps for Treo also supports other Palm OS 5 devices like the Palm Lifedrive and the Palm TX. I’ve used it on my Lifedrive and wanted to share my thoughts on this invaluable tool.
Google Maps for Treo works just like the online version. You can type in an address and the map will display that location. You can choose between the satellite view and the regular map view. The satellite view works quite well on my Lifedrive and it looks great. Google Maps for Treo will also give you door to door driving directions. I tried plotting the route from my house in Buffalo, NY to my parent’s home in Pensacola, FL and the program had no problems displaying the route. I had step by step directions and I went through them and they seemed quite accurate. I also plotted my house to my church and again the directions came back quickly and accurately.

Could this replace a program like Mapopolis? Well, for now, Google Maps for Treo doesn’t offer GPS support. Mapopolis does. That said, Google Maps for Treo is free and covers all of the US and six other countries. If GPS is important to you, then an app like Google Maps for Treo probably won’t be an app for you. For those that don’t require GPS and can have a wireless connection, this app will rock. You have all of the US available to you. A huge plus in my opinion.
Google Maps for Treo has quite a bit of features. This program offers real-time traffic (covers over 30 major US metropolitan areas), detailed directions, integrated search, easy movable maps, Favorite places and routes, Insta-KB-o-meter, and satellite imagery. I think a nice feature is the Insta-KB-o-meter which helps you watch your data consumption especially if you are not on a unlimited plan. I’ve also tried the traffic information for Buffalo and it works well. Most of the time it reports gray, but I have seen a few greens.

To see how useful Google Maps for Treo can be I wanted to share two instances of how it has helped me. First off, my teenager guys and I went to a flag football tournament near Rochester. I pretty much knew my way to the church we were going to, but after the tournament we decided to go to the mall as many of us didn’t have power because of the October Surprise storm here in Buffalo. After we went to the mall, I had to find my way back to the interstate. I didn’t want to back track and I knew this must be a closer way back on, so I fired up the Lifedrive and used Google Maps to help. I didn’t have the address for the mall, but I knew the name of the mall and was able to find it thru Google Maps’ search feature. When in a matter of minutes, I found my way to the interstate and I didn’t have to backtrack at all. Last week, the secretary, the principal, and I were talking about the church’s daycare dryer which had died shortly after the storm. We were trying to find a local appliance store that was owned by a friend of the church. We could remember his name and the general location of the store, but not the store’s name, phone number, or address. While the secretary and the principal looked thru the phone book, I pulled out my Lifedrive and use Google Maps to search for the appliance business. From my Lifedrive I found the address and the phone number of the appliance store and we were able to call about getting the dryer fixed. Rather cool, huh?!

Overall, Google Maps is an amazing program and one that would surely be an essential app for you mobile device. Be sure to check out the Google Maps support device list and their virtual tour of Google Maps online.

Be careful shopping this Christmas season!

Yesterday I received a email from a computer parts store and they were advertising a 1 GB USB flash drive for $4.99 after rebate. The deal also included some internet security software. Now that may sound like a great deal, but the rebate was $85, meaning you pay upfront about $100. A quick search on this site and you would find the same flash drive for only $22 and no rebates. Now, I prefer a no rebates deal as rebates can many times be rejected for some odd reason.
That said, when you do shop online be sure to check out the store's reputation at Bizrate or Reseller Ratings. Also check the website you are looking at to see if their bundles really do save you money. Most often they do, but sometimes they don't. Use a comparison shopping tool like Froogle to find the best deal on the item you are looking for.

So this Christmas season, don't be duped. Investigate before you buy!

Some interesting gadgets from ThinkGeek.

I am a big fan of Swiss Army Knives. Ever since I watched Macgyver as a kid, I have tried to have a Swiss Army Knife with me at all times. For awhile I used a Leatherman, but recently I went back to using a Swiss. I purchased it at Amazon and its called the Swiss Army Explorer Plus. It has everything I need. However, ThinkGeek has the ultimate Swiss Army Knife, it is called the Giant Swiss Army Knife and it has 85 tools. The knife is huge and so is it's price- $899.99. You definitely can't call this one a pocket knife. It would need its own tool box!
Another Macgyver favorite is Duct Tape. Duct tape can fix anything. It's the WD-4o of the tape world. So if you are a heavy duct tape using considering outfitting yourself with a Duct Tape wallet from ThinkGeek. Now that's high class. It's made of a special type of duct tape that won't get sticky or peel away.
Hey, either one of these will make a great Christmas gift! Of course the Giant Swiss Army Knife is rather expensive, so you might want to stick with the Duct tape wallet! :)

PC News: Microsoft releases Internet Explorer 7

If you are a user of MS Internet Explorer, you might want to take a look at Microsoft's new web browser, Interent Explorer 7. It has been in beta for some time. I've tried it and it has a lot of nifty features, but I still don't think it can be Firefox. Here is an excerpt of CNN's take on this release:

"REDMOND, Washington (AP) -- Microsoft Corp. is giving its Web browser software its first major upgrade in years, amid signs that Internet Explorer's market share is eroding. The release late Wednesday brings Microsoft's browser more in line with competing products such as Opera Software ASA's Opera and Mozilla Corp.'s Firefox. Internet Explorer 7, or IE7, adds features such as tabbed browsing, which lets people open several Web pages without cluttering their desktop with multiple open browser windows. Microsoft has been heavily testing the new browser, releasing five beta versions over 14 months, and has periodically offered security updates for IE6, first released in 2001. Still, a lag of more than five years between official releases has cost the company."

READ MORE.

Ministry Tip: Designing your own Church Pictorial Directory

Having a church pictorial directory can be quite helpful to your new church members and staff as they can see the people along with their names. I've seen churches hire out someone to take the pictures and then put them together in a little book. Well, with a little work yourself you can do it and bring the cost down quite a bit. All you will need is a digital camera (at least 4 megapixels), a tripod, and a program like Microsoft Publisher (usually comes with MS Office).

Step 1:
Let your church family know that you will be taking pictures of them over the next 2-3 weeks (depends on the size of your church). I bought a nice canvas background off ebay for only $10. Having a nice background will improve your pictures dramatically. Also take several pictures of each family. It's better too much than too little. You will need to take the pictures in a well-lit room.

Step 2:
After you have taking the pictures, you can use MS Publisher to build your own church pictorial. This will probably consume a bit of your time, but once you get one page down, the rest will be easy as you can just use that one page as a template and then just insert the correct pictures. Also it would be a good idea to include pictures of your missionaries, shut-ins, and even church events/activities.

Step 3:
Once you've completed your church pictorial directory (make sure to proof it several times) take it down to a local printer like FedEx/Kinkos or Officemax. They will be able to help you will with printing the book. Look over the proof and approve it. In just a day or two, you'll have your church pictorial directory!

Other Tips:
• Our school uses this format for producing their own yearbook. If you have a small Christian school, you could design your own yearbook using this method and even develop your own yearbook staff from your students. Gives them great experiences.

• Don't forget to have a good shot for the front cover. The cover must look sharp.

• It's very important to have checklists and several proofs before you finally submit your publication. It's very easy to forget someone or have a typo.

• Add your own flair to the directory. Keep in mind this gives you the advantage to do whatever you want with your church's pictorial directory. Have fun with it!

• Pastor's your wifes will have a good eye for what looks good on a page, so definitely seek their advice!

Sitting in the doctors office

Sitting in the doctors office

Right now I'm sitting in the xray waiting room so I can get my knee xrayed. I injuryed it while playing basketball with my teenagers. I actually injured it over a month ago and didn't get it checked out until now because its still not healing properly. This whole experience reminds me of sin that is not taken care of. When we don't take care of sin, our spiritual lives don't just get better. We become spiritually unhealthy and in order to ge better, we need to go to the Great Physician and take care of it right away. Sin will always make for a weak servant of God.
I'm also glad I had my Lifedrive with me today as I've been able to input my future doctors and therapy appointments. Putting these things off is never good.

A more pleasing alarm clock- MyWake-UpTunes

Tonight I've been looking at MyWake-UpTunes by Gx5 which is a program for your PC that will wake you up with your music, dvd clip, video, or internet radio. I hate those alarm clocks with the annoying beep-beep alarms at least this way, I can choose something more peaceful to wake up to. Here is a description of MyWake-UpTunes:

"MyWake-UpTunes is a fully customizeable wake-up assistant that lets you wake-up to any of your favorite songs, albums, internet radio stations, video and DVD clips. Powered by DURVIC, this assistant ensures that your transition from sleep to a fully conscious being is smooth and enjoyable."

MyWake-UpTunes is available for $10, but you can knock $5 off the price by telling 5 friends about the program. They also have a sound track available that you can purchase separately for only $4.95.

Getting along without power- day 4

Getting along without power- day 4

Today is day 4 of no power at my house. Since the October Surprise storm came last Thursday, I've been using my Lifedrive and my bluetooth capable cellphone to stay up-to-date with email and local and national news. I wanted to share with you all some of the programs that I have used to help me thru this situation:

Quicknews- Since my telephone is down as well, occupying my cellphone with internet use to catch up with news and other blogs isn't good. With Quicknews, I'm able to download all my news and other blogs so I don't tie up my cellphone. Quicknews is an RSS reader and works quite well on my Lifedrive. So now I'm able to quickly download and stay up to date with my websites.

Blazer - this app is just a web browser that came with my Lifedrive and while I cannot download any files because of some gliche with Blazer, I have been learning to use the save a page for offline browsing feature. I'm sure many of you have used this feature, but for me it is one that I have just realized will be quite useful to me.

4cast - staying up to date with the weather is a must during a time like this. I have constantly been checking 4cast and updating it so that I'm current with my local weather.

Google Maps for Treo - while specially designed for Treo smartphones, this app works well with my Lifedrive and has already proven quite valuable to me.

u*blog - its my way of posting to the The Gadget Pastor. Simple and free I'm able to easily post on the go.

Splash Money - lastly this program keeps track of my finances on my Lifedrive and since I haven't been able to use my computer, I can still input transactions without worrying about losing a receipt or forgetting what we done.

These are the programs that have kept me going thru the lack of power and communication. They work get and I highly recommend each one for you PDA. In the mean time, I'm going to keep praying that they get our power restored soon. It's somewhat frustrating and a the same time funny as the streets on both sides of us have power and we don't. I will return to posting on a more full time and regular basis as I'm able. Stay tuned...

Stuck at home!

Stuck at home!

Right now, I'm stuck at home because we hahve had a record breaking snow fall on Friday, October 13. We are without power right no meaning I have no interent connection and am using my cellphone and Lifedrive to connect online. Its another great reason to have a Lifedrive. So for now, I'll be enjoying my family and a little break from my normal day's activities. So probably no new posts today as I'll be quite busy elsewhere helping others out where I can. We are not expecting to have power back until Tuesday and that also means limited posting over the next few days, but I will do my best to keep you all informed in how I've used my Lifedrive to keep up to date with weather reports and other local news. I'm truly blessed to be able to have a tool like my lifedrive to assist me during this snow storm.

Palm News: Treo 680 is here!

Well, those of you who have been looking for a Treo that doesn't cost you your firstborn, you now have a less expensive Treo available. Palm has just announced the Treo 680. From all accounts it looks rather cool device. The Treo 680 will also come in 4 different colors which means that you can have your own style of Treo. Sounds like Palm might be on track with this device. Hopefully there will be no major issues with this Treo.

ebook on Evangelism for your PDA

I've been reading the Black Arrow on my PDA and trying to get use to reading an ebook. I like the fact that the book is always with me, but I really miss turning each page. Well, I found another ebook that some of you might be interested in. It is entitled, "Hell's Best Kept Secret" and it is written by Dr. Ray Comfort. The book talks about the problems with modern evangelism and why many so-called converts go back into the world. I'm going to add this to my Lifedrive to read. The ebook comes in TomeRaider, TomeRaider 3, Doc, and Adobe eBook Reader formats.

Maybe thru reading this digital ebook, we all can sharpen our evangelism skills to see more folks be a part of the kingdom of God.

Young shoppers want to pay with chip in skin

I saw this article on the DrudgeReport and boy it is quite scary to me how our young people are willing to accept such an idea. Keep in mind, we already have PayPass available to many bankcards and having a chip in your hand is just a logical step.

"Some customers are willing to have microchip implants as a means of paying in stores, a report out today says. Teenagers are more open to the idea of having a high-tech shopping experience, the Tomorrow's Shopping World report suggests. Around 8 per cent of 13 to 19-year-olds were open to the idea of microchip implants while 16 per cent wanted trolleys to be fitted with SatNav systems."

READ MORE

Palm Software: My favorite Alarm Program.

I bought 2PlayMe years ago and as the developer has added more features it has proven to be one of my most used 3rd party software applications. When I first purchased it, the main feature (and only feature I believe) was to be able to have an alarm play an mp3 using Realplayer. Now, it has evolved into a much more powerful program that allows you to do tasks like turn on/off system sound, turn wifi on/off, start a hotsync, and more. I use it to help get my Lifedrive ready for my day. It's only $9.95 and when I bought it back in the day it was a little less, but it has proven to be quite the tool on my Lifedrive. Here is the features list:

"2PlayMe is a great MP3 alarm clock and much more... 2PlayMe will wake you up with your favorite MP3 song. It uses an extern MP3-Player to wake you up with any MP3 song you like. 2PlayMe works with the registered versions of AeroPlayer and Pocket Tunes and with Sony's AudioPlayer. There is a free MP3 player installed on many PalmOne devices: RealPlayer. Unfortunately, the RealPlayer has no possibility to work as alarm clock. 2PlayMe will change this! Additionally, 2PlayMe will display a nice 3D watch on your PDA. If you don't have an MP3-Player, try the customizable internal alarm (Example). 2PlayMe can also schedule several action to automate several daily tasks on your device. It can schedule Softresets, switch Bluetooth, Phone, WiFi, Sound as well as control Light, default Network Connection and much more...

Features:

Customizable alarms for every weekday, once or every week

"Snooze" and "Safe Alarm"

Customizable background, select any JPEG file from your memory card or watch the animated fire effect

Customizable internal alarm, select on of the installed MIDI files to wake you up

Customizable MP3 alarm, use Realplayer, PocketTunes or AeroPlayer to wake you up

Customizable colors for the real 3D clock

Synchronize the devcie time with the internet

control Sound, Light, Bluetooth, default network connect, WiFi, Phone, auto off time

Works with Sony's Audioplayer (tested with TH55, Audioplayer 3.2, others may or may not work, please test before you buy)

Just some thoughts...

I've been working on the new Blogger beta and will probably switch over to it in the near future. I like it as it seems to be a bit easier to work with. Not sure I understand all that I can do with it yet, but its exciting to learn something new.

This Wednesday night I am preaching for our church's midweek service. As I prepare, my Lifedrive comes in real handy for these. For me, I'm constantly thinking of what to say as I preach. And outside my preparation time, I'll "multitask" in my head thinking of my message. While I do this, I'll use my Lifedrive to jot down quick notes of thoughts and ideas usually using Diddlebug or my Memos application. Once my outline is complete, I'll review it on my Lifedrive a few times before I preach it. I do not preach from my Lifedrive as I like printing off my message and seeing it on paper.

Also today, I'm heading out with some of the young people from the church and school to visit a college in Seneca, PA. I've already got a lot information stored in my Lifedrive for this trip. I also take screen shots of maps online to put in my PDA so I'll not get lost on my way. I've been here to this college before to preach, but that was 3 years ago. So, I'll definitely be needing some additional resources for the trip. ;) Keep us in your prayers as well travel. I'll try to post some on the way if I can.

More news on Ubuntu

I'm still trying different versions of Linux over the past few days, as I'm determined to get one of them to run on an old computer. However, I did notice this article about Ubuntu from CNET. I'm amazed at how much time these folks have invested into Ubuntu. So this got me to thinking that as much time as these folks are dedicated to an OS, does my dedication to Jesus Christ match or exceed theirs? We all have our favorite hobbies and such, but how awful it would be for them to overtake our dedication and service for Christ.

UPDATED: Tracts for you PDA.

I was looking thru PalmGear and found several programs that aim to help you use your PDA as a tract. Now, this is not a tract you would giveaway (could be quite expensive), but if you are on a plane, one of these programs could be quite handy.

Eternity 1.0 - Share the gift of Eternal life, the message of Jesus Christ, with your friends using your Palm PDA. The Gospel is presented one step at a time with scripture verses and illustrations to make it easier to understand. A chance to respond is provided along with a sample prayer. Best of all, your name and contact information can be made available at the end. You use your Palm handheld to beam your "business card" to friends and colleagues, why not beam them the gospel presentation at the same time. The link between your address in the Palm built-in address book and the gospel tract will remind them who shared the good news with them.

Faith Quiz 1.1 - Faith Quiz is an interactive PDA experience to help teach people about the gospel. The program includes more than 50 pages of questions and responses that address the user where they are at based on their answers.

GospelPal 1.0 - Now you can have the gospel in the Palm of your hand.
This simple application guides you through the main points of the Gospel of Jesus from the Apostle Paul's letter to the church at Rome.
Each step includes the verse and tips.

Got Life? 1.0 - Ever wonder about the purpose of your existence? Have you stoped to think about the meaning of life? There are answers! Download "Got Life?" and discover what countless others have... Eternal LIFE makes sense and it can be yours! GotLife is an evangelism presentation. It communicates the Gospel according to the Bible. Read at your own risk!

PTract (Personal Tract) - This app will aid anyone that is willing to witness for our Lord Jesus Christ. It is a personal christain tract that many people hand out to people in public places. Enjoy and use it freely.

Salvation Plan - Basic plan of Christian salvation using Bible verses as a guide.

I hope these help you as you witness to others thru your gadgets.

UPDATE:

A reader mentioned some PDA tracts from Campus Crusade. They are definitely worth a look . If you do use them, you'll need the free Olivetree Reader to view them.

Answers in Genesis online sale

I received this email in my box from Answers in Genesis and they are having a sale on many of their creation materials. It amazes me how many Christians believe the world was created by some form of evolution and how accepting some are towards the ideas of evolution. We believe God will give us enternal life, but He couldn't create the world?! Seems quite odd to me. I've purchased some items from AIG in the past and they have been quite useful for my youth group. My youth really enjoyed the dinosaurs DVD.

IT'S COMING: Coreplayer will be launched October 16th

I'm really excited about this news. Coreplayer (formerly TCPMP and BetaPlayer) is finally receiving the promised update and is being released on October 16th. Coreplayer is a video player for the Windows XP, Vista, UMPC, CE, Pocket PC, Windows Mobile, Palm and Symbian. I have used the previous version, TCPMP, on my Palm and it has been the best video player for my Lifedrive. It plays just about any video file and so it should be quite amazing what the developers of Coreplayer have done.

This is one of my favorite features to my PDA is watching DVDs, TV shows, and family videos. Its also fun to take videos from my camera and watch them on my PDA. Just another cool thing to do with a PDA.

Why a PDA can be quite helpful!

I am preparing for a short college trip to a Bible college in Pennsylvania. While making the plans for this trip, I looked up the dates of their college days on my Lifedrive to see what else is going on. On the particular two days that we would be gone, my wife and son both had doctor's appointments and some of the girls going had a volleyball game that night. So I asked my wife to call and reschedule the doctor's appointments and I tried to get the game rescheduled, but wasn't able to. So we will have to leave early so we can be back in time for the game, but that's ok. My Lifedrive helped me change these things or work around/with them so the youth could go on the trip.

You see most often we have reminder notes here and there in our house that have appointments, etc. For my wife and I, we make sure to put these things into our PDAs so we don't forget about them. This helps out so much and keeps us for double booking or having to cancel appointments. Technology can be really helpful in very simple ways. I probably like most fathers, forget about doctors appointments and such, so my Lifedrive reminds me that they are coming up. This gadget tool works very well for me and if you need a little organization in your life, definitely check out a PDA.

Trying Ubuntu Christian Edition

Over this past weekend, I did install Ubuntu Christian Edition on my PC and I must admit that I was impressed. The install was the easiest thing for me, as I had a bit of trouble. I did add a second harddrive to my PC in order to do so, which made it a whole lot easier for me. If you haven't tried Linux, and you want to, take a look at this sites as they were a help to me.

PC Mechanic

Ubuntu Forums

Ubuntu - The official site

Some might be wondering why did you try this? Well, I guess because I could. Really I think the Ubuntu Christian Edition could be very useful for those who need an OS, but don't have the money for one. Since Ubuntu CE comes with Bible software, internet filter, Open Office Suite, FireFox, and a host of other apps, it really is worth checking it out! Plus its completely free.

The USB Hamster Wheel! It keeps on going and going...

I saw this over at The Gadgeteer and this looks like a great gift for the kids, especially those who are learning to type. It's called the USB Hamster Wheel. The Hamster keeps pace with the speed of your typing. So it could be quite entertaining, possibly distracting, but nevertheless amusing! So give it for a Christmas present to the kids!

Palm Download: The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson

I don't usually read books from my Palm Lifedrive, but as fall approaches here in Western NY, I figure I'll have a bit more time to read since it'll be quite cold outside. One of the titles I have wanted to read is The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson. I found a free copy of it at Memoware, a popular ebook download site, and I've downloaded it to my PDA. So, tonight, I'll plan on starting the book. Nothing beats reading a real book, but since I don't feel like shopping for this one, I'll gladly try it on my Palm. This ebook comes in several formats: iSilo3, Doc, PalmReader, & TomeRaider. I also use ereader by Palm which is also free. Such a great combination.

So anyone else like to read ebooks?

Palm Download: Grace for the Moment for eBible

eBible is perhaps my favorite piece of software on my Lifedrive. I love the ability to add more books to my digital , portable library. One of the titles I have is Grace For the Moment by Max Lucado. I can easily view the daily devotion and the associated Scripture passage with it. Its easy for me to do and with the large screen of my Lifedrive, I can see more of what I am reading. eBible may not be the best Bible reading software for your Palm, but it does have many additional titles available for you to add to your Palm library. I like that as I can easily add something and it will be available for me when I travel. I don't have to worry about bringing a bunch of books with me.

What email program do you use?

I think one of the best things about technology is the ability to communicate via email. I know that most of our missionaries and servicemen have them and many of the folks at church will email these people encouraging them and to let them know that they are praying for them. I have found that its been a great way for us to send pictures of my kids to my parents and in-laws since they all live in Florida.
Personally, for emailing I just use Gmail's online service. I have found Gmail to work quite well for me as I can use the same tools wherever I am, be it work or on vacation. My wife still likes Mozilla's Thunderbird for her email. A while back, I would use IncrediMail, but most of the extra features now seem too much for me. So what I am wondering is what email solution have you chosen and why? What are the advatanges of your email solution? The advatanges of Gmail for me is I have the same interface, tools, and look wherever I go. Its consistent. I think it would be a great help for others if we share our email solution and it just might prove to be a help to someone else. And that's why we are here!