Foxit PDF Reader

For a long time, I used Adobe PDF reader to view PDF documents. It was all right, but I did experience frequent crashes and it always seemed to want to update itself. I finally found a decent alternative to Adobe PDF. It's called Foxit PDF Reader (freeware). It doesn't do everything that Adobe does, but in my experience it has worked great with FireFox and Internet Explorer. It's also a lot smaller in size then Adobe. Foxit's download is only 1.5 mb while Adobe is 20.8 mb.
There is a paid version of Foxit PDF Reader that has a few more features, but the freeware version has sufficed for me. I even used Foxit PDF reader once to type my name into a rebate form and print it off. Since I was using the free version it did also print a watermark at the top of the page, but I didn't care.
It's a definitely warrants a test as it help me avoid my frequent crashes with Adobe. Did I also mention it is free?

GPS sneakers locate with press of a button - CNN.com

GPS sneakers could help parents have a peace of mind when their child is out and give the authorities the upperhand in finding a child who has been abducted. I'm sure many parents would appreciate something like this, but unfortunately, it does seem to be quite expensive and there is a monthly service fee as well. Some parents will probably have a hard time convincing their kids to give up their Nikes for this shoe.

"MIAMI, Florida (AP) -- Isaac Daniel calls the tiny Global Positioning System chip he's embedded into a line of sneakers "peace of mind."

He wishes his 8-year-old son had been wearing them when he got a call from his school in 2002 saying the boy was missing. The worried father hopped a flight to Atlanta from New York where he had been on business to find the incident had been a miscommunication and his son was safe.

Days later, the engineer started working on a prototype of Quantum Satellite Technology, a line of $325 to $350 adult sneakers that hit shelves next month. It promises to locate the wearer anywhere in the world with the press of a button. A children's line will be out this summer."

READ MORE

Bearing Precious Seed Bibles

First Word Publishers, a "division" of Bearing Precious Seed, sells high quality leather Bibles, pocket sized New Testaments, and hardback pew Bibles at really good prices. I know that Bibles can be very expensive. I think my Charles Ryrie Bible cost over a $100 and it was a gift to me when I graduated from college.
These Bibles are of very good quality and the price won't break your bank account. Their wide margin Bible with genuine Moroccan leather sells for $42 plus shipping. Their pocket sized New Testament with bonded leather cover sells for a mere $10 plus shipping. If you are looking to get a Bible as a gift for someone, I'd start here first.

Sermon Highlight: Why Won't They Listen? Reaching A Lost Culture

It can be a very difficult task in ministry: reaching the lost with the Gospel of Christ. If the truth be told, we can get discouraged when our pews or Sunday School classes don't grow. Ken Ham, Answers in Genesis Founder, has a message entitled "Why Won't They Listen? Reaching A Lost Culture". I think this message will be a help to you and especially for those of you struggling to reach that lost culture.

I plan on mentioning a sermon once a week that would encourage or challenge all of us. I will be listening to this messages and then recommending them to you. I do not plan on having several out in a week, rather just mentioning one a week. The reason is I know many of you are busy with your ministry, so it would not be a help to you at all recommend several messages a week. Sometimes they will be in the audio format and other times they may be in a written format. I truly hope that these messages will be a help for you.

Some pictures of the best cellphones coming shown at the 3GSM conference

If you are interested in seeing some of the latest phones to soon hit the mobile market, you can over at Wired News. They got pics of some of the hottest phones to be coming to a cellphone market new you. A lot of phones will be more of the smartphone nature and I think consumers will begin buying and using smartphones over the basic cellphone. Personally, I'm looking at buying a smartphone so I don't have to carry around my Lifedrive and my Motorola v557. While they work together well, I think having a device that could do both would be more practical. I've shun a convergence device for some time, but I've been changing my tune lately after seeing some of the upcoming devices in the next few months. (i.e. Windows Mobile 6, iPhone, etc.)

Source: Wired News

"I'm sorry I lost my 160th laptop... can I have another one?"

160 lost laptops in last 44 months ? It sure makes you wonder about some of the folks at the FBI doesn't it? I couldn't survive if I lost just one laptop from my church. I'd be paying for it out of my own pocket book. I sure hope someone tightens it up at the FBI. It's funny, but sad all the same.

"How many laptops does the FBI lose? The Office of the Inspector General (or OIG; it's a part of the Department of Justice) sought to find out back in 2001, when it did an initial audit of the Bureau's losses of both weapons and laptops. The findings of that first audit were bad enough that the OIG began a follow-up on it, the results of which have just been released. The good news is that losses are dropping. The bad news is that they're still happening, and the FBI doesn't know if secure information is entering the wild."

Source: Digg

3GSM-UPDATE 2-Phone,software makers urge cheaper Web mobiles | Tech&Sci | Technology | Reuters.com

3GSM conference is going on and it is basically a huge gathering of manufactors latest designs in mobile phones. I must say that some of the phones look rather amazing and should compete quite well with the iPhone.

"BARCELONA (Reuters) - Wireless operators need to make mobile Internet much cheaper if they want it to become a success that can generate extra revenues, major mobile phone and mobile software makers said on Monday.

The telecoms industry in developed markets has bet the farm on wireless broadband networks, sinking 100 billion euros in licenses and more than the equivalent amount in infrastructure, but the popularity of phones that take advantage of these new networks is sinking.

Sales growth of the more expensive and high-margin phone models slowed in the third and fourth quarter, especially in Western Europe, hitting mobile phone makers such as Nokia, Motorola and Samsung."

FunnyGadget.com

If you like to read and see some of the funniest and oddest gadgets around, Funny Gadget is the place to check them out. I went over and visited the site and I really like the "One touch pressing Robots for your Pants." That could be a huge help for many a pastor and missionary. Definitely something I would want and I'm sure that my wife would too! Be sure to make the jump and give them a look-see. They offer a English and a Spanish version, too.

Just what the world needs: A world-wide lottery

Don't know how many of you feel about state lotteries, but I wouldn't mind seeing them gone forever. I do not believe for one moment that they help education or anything thing else. Their negatives far out weigh their positives. Here's a clip about the push for a world-wide lottery.

"A "world lottery draw" with a possible £250 million jackpot could be available within five years.

The proposed game forms the centrepiece of Camelot's submission for the next lottery licence, while its rival bidder is pledging better terms for corner shops and other retailers.
advertisement

Dianne Thompson, Camelot's chief executive, unveiled plans yesterday for the "biggest lottery on earth" as she pitched for a third successive licence. So far 48 countries have expressed an interest.

Under the proposal, "up to 100 millionaires" will be created every month, with one annual game that could bag a winner up to £250 million."

READ MORE

Weekend Thought: Are you spending too much time in your "Second Life"?

It is quite common for people to want to escape the life that they are living and sadly, many people find their escape in drugs, alcohol, television, music, etc. They are not happy with themselves physically or socially. I've seen this quite often among the teenagers I have encountered as a youth pastor. Some I have been able to help and others I haven't.
Recently, I learned about an online service called Second Life. Second Life is exactly what its name implies. You have the opportunity to create a online "Second Life". You can choose your looks, personality, and much more. There are ways to earn materials and wealth in this "game" and one could easily find themselves draw in by the ideal of a better life. I've read reports of many people spending unreal amounts of time playing Second Life. While I'm sure its designers would say their intentions of this service is meant to be fun, some people have taken this service to the extreme and have made Second Life a huge part of their real life.
The dedication of Second Lifers amazes me. Grant it, I believe a lot of us would love from time to time to escape from our problems and our troubles. Yet when we, as Christians, think this, I believe we have forgotten our real purpose. Our time on Earth is our "Second Life". We are pilgrims in this world, strangers passing through. Eternity ought to be on our minds and not the draw of our "Second Life". I'd be the first one to tell you it's not easy to live life that way. I'd be a fool to say I've got it mastered or it's not a problem for me. It is a struggle and I believe it's one we all will face from time to time.
Yet, what will you do? As servants of the Lord, we are to do our part for the Kingdom of Heaven. We've chosen a road that many do not take. "Many are called, but few are chosen." Am I do what I ought to be doing? Are you?
Blogging is a lot of fun, but if I allow my blogging or anything else take away from that work, I'm spending too much time in my "Second Life". If we together as Christians spend too much time in our "Second Lives", the cause of Christ will suffer. So take some time tonight, tomorrow, or whenever you can, examine your labor and see where you have put in the most effort and time. If your heavy ended on your "Second Life" then it's time to make a few changes.

God bless you and your ministry. I trust that you will continue to stay by the stuff!

Resources for Christian Teachers

Resources for Christian Teachers is good place to find ideas for your bulletin boards, Sunday School classes, and more. I was looking at their bulletin board or door decorations which had some good ideas. They even provided pictures so you could see what they were telling you. Some of the stuff on the website is free and some of it does cost, but overall, it may give you some fresh and new ideas for you ministry.

Microsoft presents new Windows Mobile version from Reuters.com

Windows Mobile version 6 has now been unveiled and will be available in the second quarter of 2007. I've seen a few screen shots and it looks really good. Whether it will function well and be practical will be a different story. I'm sure the update will work with Vista's new sync center and you'll no longer have to use ActiveSync, which many folks have despised.
If you already have a smartphone with Windows on it, you may not be able to upgrade. It seems when new versions of a mobile OS come out, you cannot upgrade to it. So if you are looking for a new smartphone, hang in their until early summer. That way you can look at Windows Mobile 6, the iPhone, and maybe one of Palm's latest devices.

Checkout Engadget's gallery of Windows Mobile 6 Standard.

Finding books to read in ministry.

Now most pastors, missionaries, teachers, etc. I know tend to read a lot of books. One of my professors in college had somewhere around 4,000 books of his own. I've got a more modest library of about 400 books. Sometimes finding a good book to read can be difficult and/or costly. So what do you do? Well, here are a couple places you could find paper books and digital books.

Christian Book Distributors - probably one of the most well-known catalog and online bookstores. You'll find just about any current book and many of them at decent prices. I've ordered from them a few times and they've done me right.

Amazon - Surprisingly, Amazon can have really good book deals. I've also been able to find hard to find copies here.

eBay - While ebay can be a great price to find books and usually at good prices, you need to remember the phrase "buyer beware." I've shopped from ebay many times over, but I'm very careful from whom I buy. Look at their feedback and read the reviews. Overall, you'd be surprised at how many folks are selling their books.

These are the places I go when I need a new book. If you have some secrets to finding books for your studies at good prices or other sites you have shopped at, please tell us in the comments below.

Two hundred and counting...

I cannot believe it, but I'm writing my 200th post here at the Gadget Pastor. I've covered a lot of different things over the past few months focusing on ministry tips, tech news, and useful freeware for the home and the church office. I'm working on some ideas on content for the site and will hopefully have them implemented soon.
It's been about six months since The Gadget Pastor posted its first post. For those who might be curious, the reason I started this blog was I wanted to help others and be able to have a place to share my thoughts on technology. I'm truly a Gadget geek. I love reading about them and I love going to my local electronics store to try them out. I blame my dad for it, because he always had me close by while he repaired a TV or VCR. I learned it all from him. I've constantly looked for ways to use gadgets in my ministry to make me more productive or speed up my work. While this has not always worked perfectly, it has shown me that technology can be helpful and at times it is a necessary evil. ;)
I really appreciate all of you that have been visiting The Gadget Pastor and for the emails and comments you have left. I count it a real privilege to be able to communicate with you and talk about gadgets and the ministry. I pray that the Lord will bless your family and your ministry.

Thanks,
Joshua

P.S. Enjoy the fun facts below about 200 from Wikipedia.

Two hundred is also:

• A common ISO-standard film speed for photographic films. However, 200 speed film is being phased out in consumer films in favor of faster films.
• A denomination of the euro note. The 200 euro note was designed by Robert Kalina.
• The size of one side of the main square in Kraków, Poland (200 m×200 m)
• 200 MeV is the temperature of quark-gluon plasma phrase transition.
• The name for a car made by Rover, called the Rover 200.
• An HTTP status code indicating a successful connection.
• The sum of dollars given in the classical Monopoly game to a player passing Go.
• A cholesterol level of 200 and below is considered "Desirable level corresponding to lower risk for heart disease"

Another reason Christians need to take a stand.

In Ephesians 6:13, Paul writes, "Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." I believe that some Christians are not doing their part in the "good fight". They have chosen the road of comfortable Christianity and a philosophy of let's-just-get-along.

The Bible tells me that "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." It inevitable that serving the Lord will be an irritant to others and we cannot allow ourselves to put the armor down. We must continue the "good fight".

The reason I ranted is because I feel many Christians could do more to fight the "good fight". There is a battle going on right now in the state of Washington that all Christians, not the ones living in Washington, but everywhere should take a stand against. Other battles like this happen a lot in our nation and when they do I hope you do stand and encourage those around you to do the same.

"LYMPIA, Wash. - An initiative filed by proponents of same-sex marriage would require heterosexual couples to have kids within three years or else have their marriage annulled.

Initiative 957 was filed last month by Washington Defense of Marriage Alliance. That group was formed last summer after the state supreme court upheld Washington's ban on same-sex marriage.

Under the measure, marriage would be limited to men and women who are able to have children. Couples would be required to prove they can have children in order to get a marriage license, and if they did not have children within three years, their marriage would be subject to annulment.

All other marriages would be defined as "unrecognized" and people in those marriages would be ineligible to receive any marriage benefits."

READ MORE

Everybody's going digital

Recently, a Sweden newspaper, claimed to be the oldest paper in the world, went from newspaper to digital paper. I find this interesting myself, because I do get most of my news from the internet, and yet I still like reading a newspaper. I'd be surprised to see all papers go this way, but I guess it is quite possible.


"STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) - For centuries, readers thumbed through the crackling pages of Sweden's Post-och Inrikes Tidningar newspaper. No longer. The world's oldest paper still in circulation has dropped its paper edition and now exists only in cyberspace. The newspaper, founded in 1645 by Sweden's Queen Kristina, became a Web-only publication on Jan. 1. It's a fate, many ink-stained writers and readers fear, that may await many of the world's most venerable journals."

Read More

Kodak launches new printers that have long lasting ink and cheaper ink cartridges

Kodak has announced a new line of printers that will certainly save many folks lots of money. Kodak claims that a 4x6 picture will only cost you about 10 cents. That's cheaper then what I pay at Sams Club. The ink that these printers use also lasts for 100 years (now how did they figure that one out?!). Black cartridges will sell for $10 and color cartridges for about $15. That could mean big savings for home users.

"Eastman Kodak Co. (EK.N: Quote, Profile , Research) is introducing a line of desktop printers and low cost replacement inks on Tuesday, as the photography company takes on a market dominated by Hewlett-Packard (HPQ.N: Quote, Profile , Research).

For the camera maker, the long awaited launch of inkjet printing products kicks off a year in which it hopes to end the tough and expensive three year transformation that has seen the company shed tens of thousands of workers.

Kodak said it will in March start sales of 3 EasyShare All-in-One printers, ranging from $150 to $300, which will print, scan and copy document and photos. Black replacement ink cartridges will sell for about $10, and a color one for about $15, about 50 percent less than its rivals, Kodak said, adding that it will profit on sales of both printers and ink."

Source: Reuters

Walmart's new movie download service

New York Times is reporting that Walmart has secured a deal with several film studios to offer movie downloads. Walmart is the first retailer to start such a service. Interesting as I do believe this will be the next big thing for the entertainment industry.

"Wal-Mart Stores may have lost the online DVD rental battle, but it has no plans to lose the higher-stakes video downloading war.

Wal-Mart’s video download site will offer movies and television shows. The new service enters a field already crowded with competitors.

Today the company will introduce a partnership with all of the six major Hollywood studios — Walt Disney, Warner Brothers, Paramount, Sony, 20th Century Fox and Universal — to sell digital movies and television shows on its Web site..."

READ MORE

Google Calendar.

Keeping track of appointments, meetings, and other important dates can be difficult to do. You could use a smartphone or PDA to assist you or maybe a paper daytimer. Any of those methods can be vary useful to help you stay afloat with your personal schedule.
Something new that I have been trying as of late is Google Calendar. I know some may shy away from posting all of your appointments to an online website, but I have found it quite convenient and a time saver as well. I'm already a Gmail user, so it's rather simple for me to adjust my schedule as I need to or put in new appointments from my emails as there is a link to Gmail in the upper left hand corner of my Gmail screen. At this point, it has replaced the Palm Desktop calendar software for me.
You can add appointments via your text message cable cellphone and also receive notification of an event from your cellphone. You can send a text message and receive that days list of appointments and events. This could be helpful for those who are a bit busy and forget about promised appointments to have an automatic reminder sent to their cellphone. Grant it, you better have a decent text message package with your cell company or you could wind up paying thru the nose.
For mobile device users, there is a free service called GooSync (they also have a paid yearly subscription version) that will sync your calendar with your mobile device. I use it on my Palm Lifedrive PDA. I can add appointments to my PDA and then later I can sync that appointment to Google calendar. Many cellphones are supported by these service as well, but you'll need a good data plan for your mobile device.
There is also support for multiple calendars (i.e. personal life, work, church events, etc.) It is also possible to set a calendar for public viewing and giving your church members an easy way to check out the church's calendar for the year or month. Having your church calendar readily available wherever you go would be very useful too. On the road or at home, you could easily make changes or add events with ease.
If you really think about it, having access to your email via Gmail and your calendar via Google Calendar would be an excellent way to stay productive in your ministry. Automatic reminders to your phone and you'll never miss another important meeting again! Well, unless you forget your phone...

BTW, if any of you would like a Gmail email address, please email me and I will send you an invitation to join Gmail. You could also use your cellphone to do the same thing by visiting www.gmail.com .

Keeping your desk clean and organized.

WikiHow gives some wonderful tips on organizing and cleaning your desk. My desk seems to always have clutter on it. It starts with a few pieces of paper, add some junk mail, some computer parts and cables, and finally a few books and presto! You've got a messy, cluttered desk. Some take some time to get organized and clean that desk.
A clean desk with help you be more productive in your ministry. I've found that I do work better and am less distracted when my desk is organized. Plus, if you have folks visiting your home or church office, it portrays a better example with a clean desk then a messy one.
Now, I'm off to practice what I preach!

Bill Gates on Vista and Apple's 'Lying' Ads

MSNBC has done a interview with Microsoft's Bill Gates on Microsoft's latest release of Windows Vista. It's an interesting article and kind of gives a bit more of the thinking behind Windows Vista. My favorite part is Gates response to the Apple "PC vs. Mac" commercials. I've always found the commercials funny and entertaining. Gates doesn't like them at all. Go figure.
I'm, so far, enjoying Windows Vista on my PC and I'm glad I upgraded to Vista. The install was a bit scary, but everything is running quite smoothly now. (knock on wood). If all stays and goes well, I'll be a very happy user of Windows Vista. I do believe though that if you have Windows XP or Professional, you don't really need to upgrade to Vista. You'll really not miss much. If you do decided to upgrade to Vista, I'd recommend purchasing a computer with Vista already on it. It'd will be a lot easier and less headaches for you.

10 foods for a good night's sleep

Lifehacker pointed out some great food items to help you get a good nights rest. I don't know about you, but my brain doesn't seem to shut down at night at all. I have so many things running through my mind and all of them are important. I'll struggle to fall asleep right away. Grant it, the Lord might be trying to get my attention... anyhow, I hope you check this out and it maybe a help to your especially if you have troubles falling asleep at night.

"What is the secret to getting a solid 7 to 8 hours of sleep? Head for the kitchen and enjoy one or two of these 10 foods. They relax tense muscles, quiet buzzing minds, and/or get calming, sleep-inducing hormones - serotonin and melatonin - flowing. Yawning yet? "

READ MORE

I'm now running Microsoft Vista

Well, I decided to take the plunge and install Vista on my custom built PC. The install was a bit rough, but in the end I did manage somehow to get Vista installed on my PC. Right now, I'm still getting use to it and learning more about this new OS. So far I'
like what I see. I've even installed a new HDTV tuner that will pickup over the air (broadcast HDTV).
I do see some similarities to Mac OS X. I would recommend installing vista on your older PC as Vista does require some serious hardware and installing a new OS can be frustrating, I'm speaking from experience here.
Overall, I'm liking Vista more and more. I'll be sure to share my experiences as I have them.

Give your PC a little extra care with Advanced WindowsCare Personal

Taking care of a PC is like remembering to get your car's oil changed. You usually forgot. Advanced WindowsCare Personal is a freeware application that will help keep your PC in tune. As servants in the Lord's ministry we don't have time to mess around with computers and keeping them in tune. This program simplifies that task and can be a huge help to elveate crashes, freezes, and other common issues with PCs. It checks for spyware, registry errors, analyzes your system, startup programs, and a few other checks as well. It's trustworthy and has been quite reliable for me on my PC. Since its free and it works, I can highly recommend this program.

Give it a try and finally tune up your PC.

What's making news.

Lots of things going on in the tech world today.

Microsoft has launched Windows Vista today. This latest version of the Windows comes almost 5 years after Windows XP. It is said to be a more secure and robust version of Windows. I'll let you all know what I think as soon as I complete my upgrade to it this week.

Apple has given the Shuffle a spot of color today. Funny how their announcement comes the same day as Vista is releasd.

Apple has also announced their $1.99 AirPort Extreme 802.11n Enabler. This will allow some Mac users to unlock their Mac computers 802.11n feature.

Nitendo's Wii is doing quite well for Nitendo and their profits. Funny thing about the Wii is I know several adults who have been playing the Wii and they love it. There are not much of gamers themselves, but they do like the interaction of the Wii.

This one is a couple days old, but Palm has end of life'd their Lifedrive Mobile Manager. I love my Lifedrive and I had been hoping for a new version of a Mobile Manager, but it looks like there may not be a Lifedrive 2.

Kids and the home office: how to make it work - Lifehacker

Kids and the home office: how to make it work is a wonderful article from Web Worker Daily. While it is focused on a programmers world, I felt that it could easily carry over to the pastor's world. I found this via Lifehacker, a website, I'd highly recommend for those who want to be more productive.

Being a pastor sometimes means you'll be working at home. I knew of pastors who claimed to get all their work done at the church and not have to do any of it at home. That's great for them, but I've yet to find that balance.

So sometimes I end up studying at home for a sermon or Sunday School lesson and that means my three boys will be around. Most of the time they will freely roam about in my office area and I don't mind at all. However, there are times I will tell my boys not to disturb me as I have important work to do and then I can play with them or whatever. They are usually good about that and my wife is a huge help in this area.

Family is very important to me and I don't want my kids to feel the ministry is so much more important then them that I can't break away to spend time with them. A home office can be a great blessing and I have found it to be so. These tips given are well worth a read. Our children grow up to fast in today's world. My oldest soon turns five in just over a month and I cannot believe how fast he has grown up. Maybe if we focus on this we can not allow ourselves to be so bothered by our children.

iPhoneImitation

Looking to make your Palm appear to be an iPhone, well here is your chance. We have yet another iPhone look-a-like launcher for your Palm device. The last one, iPhony, disappeared because of Apple's pressure on the developer. So someone else is trying again and I'm sure that Apple will be contacting them soon. To learn more about iPhone Imitation click here. As of miday Saturday, the file is still available for download for those interested in trying this out on their Palm devices. This one supports hires+ screens.

Backup program suggestions.

Well, as many of you know, my PC decided to rid itself of my documents, family pictures, and some of my music files. Thru the means of recovery software I was able to undelete most of my lost files. I have yet to figure out what happened and at this point I'm not likely to find out the why of the matter. I'll go ahead and explain what steps I have taken to prevent this from happening again.

Step #1 - I organized all of my folders that keep my important files like pictures, documents, etc. I made two copies of them and place the copies in separate folders on my second hard drive.

Step #2 - I have incorporated SyncBack (freeware) in backing up these files on a daily basis. My files if deleted on my first hard drive could be recovered from the second drive and I will have only lost a day's worth of work. I'm also trying out Power Folder (freeware) which can keep two folders synced as changes are made. I might end up user this so as not to lose any work whatsoever.

Step #3 - I've eliminated many extra programs I do not use on a regular basis. I've decided to know keep programs I think I might use down the road, but rather get rid of them so to less complicate my PC and hopefully avoid problems.

Step #4 - I cleaned up my register by using the suggested programs from 46 Freeware. So far these programs I have used have helped my computer have less errors at startup. The programs were Eusing Free Registry Cleaner and jv16 Power Tools.

Step #5 - Prior to all the above, I ran virus scans and spyware scans several times.

Step #6 - Prior to changing anything on my first hard drive, I use the PC Inspector Recovery Software to find my lost files and got most of them back. It is very important when you have a data lost to not add any new files or make changes to your hard drive as you can overwrite your lost data. This happened to me and that is why I didn't recover all that I could have. Another TGP reader suggested using Acronis True Image (commercial). The software suite retails for $49.99 and it would seem worth the money to avoid what has happened to me. I'm looking into purchasing this software to aid in keeping my important files backed up and safe.

Step #7 - I am creating DVD discs of my important files, mostly my pictures. I can stand to lose my documents, but my pictures of my kids and family, would be almost impossible to bear.

So that about wraps up what I've been thru this week. I've been spending too much time on this and I'm definitely taking steps to avoid this happening again in the future. I'll be posting some more today and I hope that you have taken the time to backup your important data as you don't want to have to live thru data loss with no recovery.

It hasn't got better.

Computers are fickle objects. You keep them clean, healthy, up-to-date and they still can get sick. You scan for spyware, adware, a virus, and whatever else you can and still it gets sick. So it is with my computer. In my last post, I mentioned I lost my documents, well I also lost 2 months worth of our family's pictures. I was able to recover about 70% of what I lost using PC Inspector File Recovery, a program that can undelete or recover lost files. It worked quite well for me as I was able to undelete and recover much of what I lost, but not all of it. Depsite backing up on my PDA daily, I don't backup anything on my PC at all. That has changed. I'm in the process of setting up a system to insure that I will have backups of my more recent files and then backing up older files onto DVD discs.
It's a learning process to be sure and one that I should had listened to others advice and the many articles I've read on backing your files up. Sometimes we have to learn the hard way. I'm just thankful it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

BTW, I've got a nasty cold and I've been slow getting posts out, so please bear with me as things are tad slow as I work my computer issue and get over this cold.

My scare for the day!

After coming home from my post-op appointment today, I wanted to work on a couple documents. When I opened the My Documents folder, none of my documents where there. All my folders that I had organized were gone. I looked in the recycle bin and search for them, but could not find them. At this point, my hands were quite sweaty and I thought I'd lost them all for good. I then remember that my Lifedrive syncs with my documents folder. Thankfully, my Lifedrive had all my documents that I had lost on my PC on my Lifedrive. I was able to restore them from my Lifedrive. After completing this task I restarted my computer and had three serious errors reported upon my return to Windows.

Had I not been able to recover this folder, I would have lost all of my financial records, documents from church stuff to personal stuff and posts I've been working on for Palm Addicts and for The Gadget Pastor. Not good at all. It's just another thing pushing me to a Mac computer. I'm sure Macs have their issues as well, but I've been having too many problems with this PC setup and Vista isn't impressing me at all.

Why this loss happened I don't know? I had worked on some documents on my PC yesterday and everything was fine, however today they were gone and errors abounded. I'll probably never figure out what went wrong, but I did begin using the Windows XP backup program to backup the My Documents folder. I would highly suggest anybody with important files like a My Documents folder to back it up. I have two hard drives in my PC and one of them is strictly for backing files to. I have all of our pictures store there and now I'm adding the My Documents folder.

If you are looking for an easy guide to backing up files using the Windows Backup utility, take a look at this article, "Windows XP Backup Made Easy." It will make it easier for you to set your backups automatically. I wouldn't wait to do this later, but do it now as you don't want to have the unfortunate happen and be without a backup. Keep in mind this would be a good idea to do at home or at your ministry.

If you now of other backup programs (shareware, freeware, etc.) that you would like to suggest please use the comments like below to share that program with others.

Parallels to turn it around, help Mac OS onto generic PC boxen - Engadget

Parallels to turn it around, help Mac OS onto generic computers. Now that idea to me is quite appealing, but I'm sure that Apple won't let this happen too easily. I would love to have Mac OS X on my 3.2 Ghz, 1 GB, 350 GB hard drive PC. Maybe it won't be too long away. We'll have to see...

"With the popularity of software like Apple's Boot Camp and SWsoft's Parallels, it's no secret that people want to run Windows and Mac OS on the same box, but who says that it has to be an Apple box? Well, Apple does, and the company has staunchly defended itself from the porting of OS X into the mad world of PC generics (not with total success, of course). But with mounting pressure from users and increasing software support from VMware and SWsoft, Steve Jobs might have to let go of his tight..."

VLC Media Player

One thing that will drive me crazy is not being able to play a particular video with Windows Media Player because I lack a certain codec or whatever. I've also been encountering a problem with Power DVD as it crashes during the playback of my DVDs. This happened a lot when I was using my PC to watch videos while I rested on my bed. So I began to search out for a new video player that would play lots of the different video files out there and DVDs. What I found was VLC Media Player. Here is the app's description from its homepage:

" VLC media player is a highly portable multimedia player for various audio and video formats (MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, mp3, ogg, ...) as well as DVDs, VCDs, and various streaming protocols. It can also be used as a server to stream in unicast or multicast in IPv4 or IPv6 on a high-bandwidth network."

So, far it has worked great and watching DVDs has been much more pleasurable then with Power DVD. VLC Media Player is freeware and works on Windows, Mac, and Linux. There are well over 6 million downloads of this media player. I'm also glad it works on Mac as I will be switching to a Mac once the latest version of Mac OS X comes out later this Spring.
If you are looking for a video player that will handle most of the media files that you will come across, VLC Media Player will handle them just fine. BTW, Lifehacker is reporting that you can also rip DVDs with this program. Please be careful and know your country's copyright laws before ripping any copy protected DVD.

Weekend Thought: Do Bible programs on our computers and mobile devices make us dumb?

After my surgery, I found that I could not easy sit at my computer and was confined to my bed or the couch for a few days. Sitting around with not much to do, does offer one lots of time to think. Being away from my computer for a couple days proved to be a good experience. I realized how useful it was and how it was a time waster for me all at the same time. I love technology and I rely on it on a daily basis from email to blogging to keeping my schedules. It is a necessity in my ministry and my personal life.

However, I think it makes me dumb when it comes to Bible studying. The reason I say this is I don't attempt to find verses anymore using my Bible, I search for them using my PC or PDA software. While many call this productivity, I found that looking thru my Bible for a verse or passage meant I would stumble upon other verses that I have underlined or highlighted over the years. Even using a concordance is better as you will look up many verses or see other verses that are associated with your word or topic. While I may spend less time search for something with my PC, I can't help but wonder if I'm really missing something along the way.

Also when I prepare a message, I tend to copy and paste the verses I need into my sermon notes rather then writing out those verses. If I just took a few minutes to write verses out rather then copy and paste, I wonder how much more of an effect they would have on me.

Instead of pulling out the Strong's concordance, I just right click on a word and look it up in mere seconds. Wouldn't I benefit more by finding it on my own?

I know many folks and TGP readers use Bible programs on their mobile devices and computers. I do as well, but I wonder if they have hurt us more than have helped us. When we don't have access to a computer or our mobile device, and folks are asking about a specific verse, wouldn't it be nice to find that verse right away in our Bibles? It would seem more embarrassing for us to say, "Hold on a minute and let me search for that on my computer or PDA." Doesn't seem like we have let "the Word of God the word of Christ dwell in you[us] richly." Maybe its time to have more of a hands-on-the-Bible approach instead of a simple search-for-it-with-my-Bible-program.

What do you think? Do think your Bible program has been a help or a hurt to you when it comes to knowing the Bible? Click on the comments link below to leave your thoughts.

Conservative Christian music at Sacred Audio

I certainly enjoy listening to music on my iPod. Since owning my iPod, I've found myself listening to more music and podcasts then I had before my iPod. When it comes to my taste in Christian music, I prefer a instrumental conservative style over the more popular contemporary style. So you can imagine my excitment when I found Sacred Audio at website dedicated to those that enjoy instrumental conservative style of Christian music. They have many albums and tracks available for download. You can even download a freebie, Sweet Hour of Prayer. I've listened to quite a few of their previews and I found several songs that I liked. If you favor sacred music, you ought to check out Sacred Audio. Their tracks sell for $.99 and many of the albums sell for $9.99, so the prices are rather competitive.

Alex Pruss makes slight updates to MineHunt and Hardball and releases a new program

I have several applications developed by Alex Pruss on my Lifedrive. My all time favorite is Fontsmoother and if you are still using the default fonts of your Pam or Treo device, you really need to take a look at Fontsmoother.

Alex Pruss has taken Minehunt and Hardball and given them a slight update. He mentioned this update over in the 1src forums and that's where I noticed it. Exactly what he updated I do not know. However, I use to play these games on my m100 all the time. I thought it was so cool to be able to play MineHunt wherever I went. Hardball was a lot of fun too and I lost many hours to it. Here is Alex's comments on these updates:

"Both very, very slightly updated for OS 5 (and still compatible with OS 3.5 and up). MineHunt was, I think, included with some Palm models. Both games are from the OS 4 example source code, so I can't take any credit or blame except for minor modifications.

http://www.palmgear.com/?xyz=129474
http://www.palmgear.com/?xyz=129514

Unlike many modern apps, these are refreshingly small, 18K for the one and 25K for the other."

Alex also released another app that I have installed on my app called Center Menu 1.0 beta. This app is quite handy and enables you to maximize your one handed use of your Palm or Treo device. On my Lifedrive it enables my center select button to activate the drop down menu in a program. All I have to do is hold the better for a second or so. This does disable the default action of the center button for my Lifedrive which is to show what alarms have gone off in the calendar application. Here is the program description from Alex:

"This software and its source code is in the Public Domain.
Use at your own risk.

CenterMenu on newer Palms (T5, TX, Lifedrive, TE2, Treo 650+)
replaces the not-very-useful notices viewing that you get by
holding down the center key on the navigator, by the ability
to trigger the menu by holding down the center key for a
second. You can hide the menu by holding down the center
key for a second again.

http://www.1src.com/freeware/fileinfo.php?id=1634"

Christian Palm Addicts Forum

Sammy over at Palm Addict has setup a thread for Christian Palm Addicts to discuss Palm/Treo programs and Palm/Treo other tips and tricks. There has been some good discussion already in the thread. If you haven't visited the Palm Addict forums, I'd highly recommend it as you'll find a friendly atmosphere and one devoid of the usually forum discussions.

ActionBible™ a free Bible program for your PC

ActionBible™ looks like a decent Bible program for your PC. It is freeware although you do have to submit your name, address, and email to them (they do keep your info private). I don't believe I've ever heard of this program before. I stumbled upon it while searching for some free software for my church. So, it does look to be a simple program and not much extras, but I'm sure some folks would appreciate a program with less bells and whistles. Here is the feature list:

• Fast, user-friendly layout and simple design
• FREE Download, FREE registration
• Featuring the English Standard Version (ESV) Bible
• Other free translations, including the King James Version, to download
• NASB and HCSB available as licensed modules
• No overblown study library features to slow things down and make it complicated
• Easy cut & paste options
• Quick study notes, verse notes, and daily journal features
• Right-click to compare translations, highlight passages or words, and bookmark favorite verses
• For those whose desire is to put the Word of God into action

Palm Addicts reporting that Palm has provide an update for the Treo 680 battery issue

Looks like Palm intends to get things right with the Treo 680 as they have just posted an update for the Treo 680 to help correct the short battery life many users have been experiencing. All in all, this is a quick update and I'm glad to see Palm getting this out so quickly. Now, we'll have to wait and see what the user reports are. Keep your eyes on Palm Addict as I'm sure Sammy, Peter, and the other Treo 680 users will be reporting on this quite soon.

Source: Palm Addict

Apple to see near 50% gross margin on each iPhone sale

AppleInsider is reporting that Apple to see near 50% gross margin on each iPhone sale. I'm not entirely stunned by this report as Apple has always charged a premium for their computers and iPods. If you saw the keynote, you might have heard Steve Jobs say that all they were hoping to do was capture 1% of the cellphone market. Some analysts believe Apple could sell 12 million of these devices. If they only sold 10 million of the devices in their first year, that means there would be a profit of somewheres around $2.5 billion dollars if my math is correct. That's a chunk of change.

Online Bible North America - Downloads

Online Bible was a popular Bible program for the PC when I was in college. Mainly because it was free and being a college student I never had a lot of money. So, I used online Bible to help with my classes and sermon preparations. Its been a while since I last checked their site and I found out that they now offer a Pocket PC app that works alongside Online Bible for your PC. I don't have a Pocket PC so I cannot test this feature. However, if you have a PPC and didn't know about this feature, it might be worth checking out and downloading the program. After all it is free. They do offer my favorite commentary set by Matthew Henry. I think it's one of the best commentary sets out there as it is loaded with content, doctrine, explanations, and insights on the Scriptures.

Pogue’s Posts - Technology - New York Times Blog

Pogue’s Posts - Technology - New York Times Blog is a good resource to help you better understand the Apple iPhone. David Pogue is a popular tech guru from the New York Times. He's reviewed loads of gadgets and his opinion weighs heavily on the consumer's decision.
There's been quite a stir over the iPhone and the impact it will have on the cellphone and smartphone market. I believe it will help other smartphone makers like RIM, Palm, Nokia, etc. to design more advance products instead of the some old design. The Apple iPhone may not be all that folks had hoped it to be, but it still looks great and there are 5 more months for the device to get some of the wrinkles ironed out. I do believe that this device will be quite a success down the road. I'm not sure though that this first generation product will be a huge success.
If you are already a mac user at your home or church, the iPhone maybe right up your alley. If you have been considering a smartphone to help you be more productive, then this device may not fit all that you want. You should consider a Palm Treo device as they are much cheaper and have a tried and true record. The iPhone is yet to be completed and it will have limited, if any, 3rd party programs available for it.

The 46 Best-ever Freeware Utilities

The 46 Best-ever Freeware Utilities is a popular list of Windows freeware software. It covers everything from anti-virus to search toolbars to registry cleaners. The page is updated on a regular basis, so its the perfect resource to bookmark for future use. I picked up a registry cleaner from this site yesterday to help with a problem I had on my Windows XP computer. With all the issues, I've been having lately, I'm looking at purchasing a Mac mini. Hopefully, I can do this so, because I'm getting very much tired of Windows.
I hope these freeware utilities can be helpful to maintain your computer at the church or at home and most important of all, keep you productive as you serve the Lord's ministry.

Make your own "Silly Putty" - Lifehacker

Make your own "Silly Putty" is a cool craft from Lifehacker. This would be an excellent bus giveaway, Sunday School promotion, etc. It really doesn't take much work at all and with a few helping hands you could easily have this ready for Sunday. It is a slight messing, but the cost of it is relatively low. Have fun!

A profanity filter for FireFox.

The internet can be a dangerous and vile place. We all know that. One of the things I hate the most is reading through a forum and folks there are using vile language. Many times you don't notice it until too late and it is frustrating. Well, Lifehacker has provided a tip to prevent this from happening. You need FireFox, GreaseMonkey, and this script for GreaseMonkey. This is a great hack to help your protect your kids and others from vile language on the internet.

My favorite music at the moment

I enjoy listening to music. It's a great way for me to relax or study. The majority of my music is piano, classical, and movie soundtracks. Right now I'm listening to The Chronicles of Narnia soundtrack. It's the orchestration version, not the lyric soundtrack. I'm listening to the soundtrack on my iPod nano. Works very well and I highly recommend the nano as it is a light device and the battery life on it is amazing. It's a lot easier to carrier the nano around then my Lifedrive and with the nano I don't have the annoy skipping like the Lifedrive is occasionally prone to.
I have also loaded some messages and Christian podcasts on my nano. My favorite podcast is Back to the Bible with Woodrow Kroll. It's about 25 to 30 minutes long and I can listen to it on my way to the church and on my way home and have the complete podcast done. It's multitasking and is proving to be very helpful and spiritually challenging.
Now you have many choices for an mp3 player, I choose the nano because of the wealth of music available on iTunes and the simplicity of an iPod. Another great mp3 player I have used is the Creative Zen Nano Plus. It is the 1 GB model and I must say it has way more features then the nano. It's also a lot cheaper as well. If you are looking for a decent mp3 player check out the Zen nano and the iPod nano. Both are excellent devices.

Posting on the go.

I'm attempting to post from my Lifedrive to see if I can post on the go. I've had troubles logging on to my Blogger account via Blazer. I tried disabling the Java script option and I'm able to log on successfully. So hopefully this works!

iPhony 0.2 for you Palm

It didn't take the Palm developing community to create a program that can make your Palm device resemble the upcoming Apple iPhone. It is called iPhony and it works like a launcher for your Palm Treo or PDA.

" Hello guys,

Why wait until June 2007 to get your iPhone? Just download iPhone 0.2 (file attached) and start to impress your friends and colleagues today!

Of course it is just for fun (Launcher app) and it is not completly done yet but the way I see it is that I have until June 2007 to finish the application!

Of course it is FREE so enjoy!

1- Version 0.2 now allows now to set each button to a app in our device. For instance the icon "Mail" can be linked to "SnapperMail" , "ChatterMail" or whatever. To access the "buttons setting" window, simply click on the top of the screen (as if you were trying to open a menu) and a list of the icons will appears. Each icon will have a pulldown menu listing all the app on your device. Simply choose one by icon. By default all the icon are set to "Launcher". You can also access this setting window by clicking on the "menu" button on your device.

2- Version 0.2 also allows you to navigate around the icons using the 5-ways pad (blue ring).

3- I changed the icons a little bit. For instance I removed the "Weather" icon and replaced by "Notes" or Memo.

I am still working on the graphic quality and the 320x480."

Source: Palm Addict and Brighthand Forums

We need God's help to overcome our trials and temptations

This past week has given me lots of time to reflect. Much of my time has been laying on my bed trying to not think about my sore knee. I had lots of time to reflect and think. For the first couple days, I learned that as hard as I tried I could not move without the help of my wife lifting my right leg for me. I was dependent upon her because I couldn't do it myself, even though I tried as hard as I could. On my own, it proved painful and unprofitable. With the help of my wife, it was easier and I got my leg moved to where I wanted it to be.
I think a lot of us pastors, missionaries, evangelists, teachers, deacons, and other Christians serving in the ministry act this way when it comes to our trials and temptations. Instead of seeking God's help and His wisdom, we act on our own. We give it everything we have and yet we fail. Exhausted we come back to the Lord and ask why and He tells us, "You did it on your own. You didn't ask me to help."
God is always willing to help us, we just need to ask. Remember in the Bible when Joshua and the Israelites attacked the city of Ai and were defeated. They lost 36 men in that battle and they lost their confidence. The reason for their lost was God was not with them because Achan had taken of the accursed thing.
Folks, if you and I battle on our own, we will be met will sure defeat, but if we battle with God, we will win. This weekend make sure that when you face trials and temptations, don't make a move without seeking out God and His help. We google our PDA, PC, Mac issues all the time. Why can't we pray to God when we need help?

"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?"
Romans 8:31

Tab Effect: cool Firefox extension

I'm a FireFox user and I love adding new add-ons, themes, and extensions to enhance my browsing experience even more. I think many of you will love this extension called Tab Effect. This add-on will add a cube effect when you change tabs. It's really cool and has not caused my FireFox to be unstable. Only works with Windows computers and also needs Direct8 or better installed. It's only meant to be a flashy way of changing tabs and mimic an Apple or Linux like effect. Enjoy!

Source: Lifehacker

Wow! What a week of news.

When I heard about the iPhone and saw the picture of it, I told my wife that is the cellphone I have been waiting for. I pulled out my PDA and started looking at Engadget's coverage of the Mac Keynote. Needless to say the iPhone will change the mobile phone market forever.
The reason I believe this is the current companies' designs have become stale. They lack innovation and creativity in their phones. While some may not like the iPhones data entry method or the virtual keyboard, it does offer something that is futuristic in its design. I do remember that Star Trek: The Next Generation used virtual buttons and as best as I can remember they had no actual buttons to press. You will no longer have to worry about buttons being loose falling off etc. (think Tungsten E's power button here) I think what Apple has really is a better design then what is available.
I'm concerned about a few things though. The battery is my first. The talk time for the iPhone is 5 hours which is quite comparable to a Treo device, but the iPhone's battery is not swappable. That means once you are out of battery juice, you are done. The iPhone does have two batteries in it, one for the phone and the other for the music, so maybe there will be a way to utilize the second battery. Another concern of mine is the inability to add other software and to develop software for the iPhone. Rumor has it that the iPhone's software is what you get is what you have. Now hopefully this will change by June, the release date of the iPhone, because I would love to have a couple Bibles installed on the iPhone.
One of my last concerns is will this kill Palm? I will say this: it surely doesn't help Palm stay alive. While the Treos definitely have advantages over the iPhone, the iPhone looks awesome. An iPhone next to a Treo makes the Treo look homely. Palm better put up this year or they will be shut up this year. Don't fret yet Palm users, this iPhone may be the push that Palm needs to be innovate in their next Treo design.
Whether or not I get this device will depend on the reviews that come over the next few months. I will say this, it does speak out to me. I'm very interested in this device and I am a cingulr customer. ;) We'll see...
I'll be talking about more of this past weeks news and other thoughts I've had, so stay tuned!

Thank you.

I wanted to let you all know that I'm getting along quite well. Still a little stiff and sore when I move around, but that should ease over the next few days. I still have another week in my knee immobilizer- oh the fun. I've had lots of time to think and I will try to get to some posting today as sitting in a chair doesn't hurt as much as it did the last couple days. Thanks for those who emailed me get well wishes. I appreciate that.

Refurbished Apple Goodies

I've been tossing the idea of switching to a Mac in the near feature and still haven't decided whether or not I will. However, the Apple site has a refurbished outlet store that you might want to check from time to time. Right now they are offering the original Shuffle 1 GB model for $59. That's a good price for an iPod. The store has deals from time to time, but they do go fast. So if you are interesting, you best get clicking.

I will be having surgery on Monday.

Things will be a bit slow around here for the next couple days. I'm having ACL reconstructive surgery on my right knee. While on a teen activity, I tore my ACL while playing basketball. That happened last August. I didn't have the doctor look at it until early November and now I just a couple of days away from surgery. I'm a bit nervous about this as it is my first surgery (besides my wisdom teeth). I'll be in a knee immobilizer for 2 weeks and can't drive for 4 weeks. By midweek I should be posting again. I'd appreciate if you'd keep me in your prayers. I'm off to get a permanent marker to mark my good knee! ;)

Trim the wasted and unprofitable minutes of your life

I cannot tell you how many hours I have lost to aimlessly surfing the web. I click this link and then follow that link and pretty soon I've racked up a bunch of minutes that I wasted. I really don't want to continue to work or surf that way. Being online should be a tool and not a waste of my time. There are many other areas of our lives that we might find ourselves wasting minutes here and there. So here is some very useful tips to help you be more productive. Believe it or not, many people have this problem, but it can be overcome. Read these great tips and more from an article called "How to be more productive" from Wired.

"Tidy Up Your Desk ...

1) Stack the knickknacks and pile up the papers until you actually see your desk's top.

2) Line up books and binders to establish a perimeter for your work area. Keep all extraneous items away from your keyboard and mouse.

3) Hit the Container Store. Magazine holders help isolate clutter. Folder organizers keep lower-priority projects from usurping valuable real estate. A document tray provides a target for paperwork that coworkers might otherwise toss haphazardly onto your desk.

4) Set aside a few minutes daily to clear your desk. If you have to, make it a standing appointment in your calendar...."

Source: Wired

2day - See all your appointments and tasks in one screen

Staying productive in the ministry means being able to see what you have to do quickly. Sometimes I don't have time to open my tasks application or my datebook application on my Lifedrive. I like to have a Today screen that shows me what I have planned for the day. I use Datebk 6's today screen for this, but 2day is a very good Today screen application for your Palm. Right now it is on sale at Palm OS Central for $10.05. A great price for this productive app.

- "Today" type application - detailed list of all of your calendar & to do items.

- New: New PIM databases support - Including new calendar fields, location, categories, birthdays and timezones.

- New: Week view.

- New: High-Resolution support - Icons & graphics, small font.

- New: DIA (320x480).

- Call, send SMS/Email & browse to numbers / addresses in your appointments & to dos.

- See the status of your Emails, SMS, IM, Voice-memo, Voice mail (**), Missed calls (*) and alerts.




- No stylus operation, plus TRUE 5-way navigator support.

- Skinnable (for Treo users - use images from your camera).

- View next day/s items, too. Launch at power on.

- Supports Plugins...

- Multitude of new features - category filtering, templates for alarm clock & timer creation, coloring today meetings, ...

(*) - All Palm SmartPhones.
(**) - Treo devices (depending on carrier).

Reading speeches of former Presidents

I studying for a message that I am preaching this Sunday night and came across the farewell speech of President George Washington. It's a good read and quite interesting to hear what our first President wished the Nation to do. Here is a an excerpt of it below and you can read the full speech here.

"As a very important source of strength and security, cherish public credit. One method of preserving it is, to use it as sparingly as possible; avoiding occasions of expense by cultivating peace, but remembering also that timely disbursements to prepare for danger frequently prevent much greater disbursements to repel it; avoiding likewise the accumulation of debt, not only by shunning occasions of expense, but by vigorous exertions in time of peace to discharge the debts, which unavoidable wars may have occasioned, not ungenerously throwing upon posterity the burthen, which we ourselves ought to bear. The execution of these maxims belongs to your representatives, but it is necessary that public opinion should cooperate. To facilitate to them the performance of their duty, it is essential that you should practically bear in mind, that towards the payment of debts there must be Revenue; that to have Revenue there must be taxes; that no taxes can be devised, which are not more or less inconvenient and unpleasant; that the intrinsic embarrassment, inseparable from the selection of the proper objects (which is always a choice of difficulties), ought to be a decisive motive for a candid construction of the conduct of the government in making it, and for a spirit of acquiescence in the measures for obtaining revenue, which the public exigencies may at any time dictate.
Observe good faith and justice towards all Nations; cultivate peace and harmony with all. Religion and Morality enjoin this conduct; and can it be, that good policy does not equally enjoin it? It will be worthy of a free, enlightened, and, at no distant period, a great Nation, to give to mankind the magnanimous and too novel example of a people always guided by an exalted justice and benevolence. Who can doubt, that, in the course of time and things, the fruits of such a plan would richly repay any temporary advantages, which might be lost by a steady adherence to it ? Can it be, that Providence has not connected the permanent felicity of a Nation with its Virtue? The experiment, at least, is recommended by every sentiment which ennobles human nature. Alas! is it rendered impossible by its vices ?"

Giveaway of the Day: Joyce Audio Converter

The site, Giveaway of the Day, is giving away for free Joyce Audio Converter. I've already downloaded this one, because I'm constantly looking for a decent program to help me easily convert audio files to another format. This freebie seems to fit the bill for me. Keep in mind that this deal is only available for today. You have to install and activate it today only.

"With Joyce Audio Converter you can sort out all your audio files and make an ordered music collection, convert any song to another size, convert chanels (stereo to mono), change bitrate or frequency. And you don’t have to obtain any technical knowledge to do this. There are tips to every step you take. Most audio converters create intermediary wav files. Joyce Audio Converter converts tracks on the fly saving my time and hd space."

Source: Giveaway of the Day

An open source free software suite designed for students.

Our church has a good number of students in colleges and many of them use computers non-stop while their for email, writing papers, etc. I know when I was a college student, you are always lacking money. Well, some folks have decided to put together the best of the freeware software that a student would use and put it into one convenient location. The site is called Software For Starving Students. From word processing to password keeping to sound editor to internet browsing, they cover all of the best freeware available for a students needs. Now that doesn't mean someone else wouldn't be interested in this software suite. There are lots of great pieces of software here, so you might want to take a look. BTW, the have both Apple and Windows versions available.
This could be a great help to the college students in your ministry. I plan on mentioning this collection of software to our college students.

" Software for Starving Students is a free collection of programs organized for students (but available to anyone). We've gathered a list of best-in-class programs onto one CD (one disc for OS X, one for Windows), including a fully-featured office suite, a cutting-edge web browser, multi-media packages, academic tools, utilities and more."

Source: Lifehacker

UPDATED: Dangerous bug in Gmail- Spammers could retreive all your contacts!

UPDATE: Google has now fixed this security issue, so your contacts should be safe.

Well, nothing like a new security issue to start off the New Year. According to Engadget, Gmail users could have all their address books exploited by a spammer. Your friends, co-workers, and family's email address could easily become some spammers next list with a simple click from you!

"Like your Gmail account? Consider it a sacred place which must be protected from spammers at all cost? Yeah, us too. Well, we hate to break the bad news at the dawn of the new year but there's a weakness in Gmail which exposes your email address to any web site capable of exploiting the bug. As reported on Digg, the exploit takes advantage of the fact that Google puts your details into a JS file. As a result, if you're logged into Gmail and browsing the web, any rogue website can declare the function "google" and then parse all your contacts. The only way to safeguard yourself is..."

READ MORE