Palm Releases the Treo 755p

Today, Palm has announced their latest Treo smartphone, the Treo 755p. Overall, it is a minor upgrade and there are really no new features to this phone- well, unless you mean this new Treo uses a Mini SD card or that it comes in two colors, midnight blue and burgundy. Seems most people are not too thrilled about that new feature. I think it is high time that Palm releases something with a "wow" factor. I mean seriously, the Treo 755p will never be able to compete with the iPhone in looks of style and it may loose in terms of user friendliness as well. Grant the Treo has the iPhone beat in the applications category, but Palm better have something up their sleeve if they want to be around for the long haul.

Here are the specs for the Treo 755p.

In the box

• Palm Treo 755p smartphone
• Rechargeable battery
• AC power charger
• USB sync cable
• Stereo headset
• Stylus
• Palm Software Installation CD with desktop synchronization software
• User documentation
  

Software on device*

• Blazer® Web Browser
• Bluetooth® Manager
• Calculator
• Calendar
• Camcorder
• Camera
• Card info
• Contacts
• Documents To Go® 8.0
• Google Maps
• HotSync® Manager
• Memos
• Messaging
• MyTreo™
• Phone
• Pictures and Videos
• PocketTunes™
• QuickTour
• Tasks
• VersaMail®*
• Voice Memo
• World Clock

Software on
CD-ROM*

• Audible®
• Bejeweled
• Documents To Go® (for your desktop)
• eReader
• HotSync Manager*
• Palm® Desktop Software 4.2
• Palm® Files
• Remote File Access
• Solitaire
• Traffic for Treo™ smartphones
• Treo™ Voice Dialing

Palm OS® 5.4.9

Operating System

128MB (60MB persistent user storage)

Memory

Intel® XScale™ 312MHz processor

Processor

320 x 320 pixel TFT touchscreen displays over 65,000 colors

Screen

Dual-band CDMA2000 EvDO
Backward compatible with 1xRTT and IS95 networks

Bluetooth® 1.2 wireless technology

Wireless

Personal speakerphone

Hands-free headset jack

Microphone mute option

TTY/TDD compatibility

Support for 3-way calling

Phone Features

1.3 megapixels with 1280x1024 resolution

Automatic light balance

2x digital zoom

Integrated self-portrait mirror

Video capture with 352x1024 resolution

Digital Camera

2.5mm headset jack is stereo headset compatible. The use of standard stereo headphones requires a stereo headset adapter, sold separately.

Speaker

Polyphonic MIDI & WAV ringtones

External ringer on/off switch w/ vibrate mode

Vibrate mode

Audio

Full QWERTY key layout with backlighting

Integrated number dial pad

Keyguard feature

Keyboard

Support for miniSD cards

Expansion Slot

Removable, rechargeable lithium-ion battery

Talk time: up to 4.2 hours

Standby time: up to 240 hours

Battery

Multi-connector on device

USB sync cable

AC adapter (108-132 VAC/60Hz)

Power/Sync

2.3" W x 4.4" L x 0.84" D

59.3mm W x 113mm L x 21.3mm D

Size

5.64 ounces / 160 grams

Weight

Palm offers free technical support for 90 days after purchase

New Mac vs PC commercials

I just saw a new Mac vs PC commercial during "24". This time Apple pokes fun at the different versions of Vista and then states that Mac OS X has only one version making your decision a whole lot easier. While I do not own a Mac (I would like to), I think Apple has an excellent marketing campaign with these commercials, but really credit should be given to Microsoft for making it so easy for the Apple's marketing department.

If you want to watch the three latest installments, you can do so at Apple's website and by clicking here.

The best selling cellphone with over 200 million sold world wide

Engadget is reporting that Nokia's 1100 handset is the best selling cellphone ever. It even beats out other popular gadgets like the iPod in number of units sold. Interestingly, the cellphone is a low end phone and is not feature rich at all. The most exciting features would be its flashlight, Xpress-on color covers, and its 2 games: Snake II and Space Impact II. There's a "wow" factor for you! Despite its lack of features, it still has managed to be Nokia's best selling phone.

I've included the specs from Nokia's website below.

Nokia 1100 Phone Features

Phone Features

Mobile Messaging Text and picture messaging1 Send up to 3 linked messages with up to 459 characters of text1 Instant messaging1 Predictive text input 8 picture message templates and 8 text message templates Organization Phone book Reminders Alarm clock Stopwatch and countdown timer Date and time screen saver Personalization & Fun Screen savers Built-in flashlight Xpress-on™ color covers (sold separately) Compose your own ring tones Downloadable ring tones and picture messages1 2 games: Snake II and Space Impact II Specifications High-resolution, easy-to-read display (96 x 65 pixels) Anti-slip sides, large keys and a user-friendly menu Internal antenna and vibrating alert Hearing aid support with the LPS-3 Loopset TTY/TDD (Telecommunication Device for the Deaf) compatibility with phone adapter HDA-9 (sold separately)6 Weight: 3.26 ounces 4.16 inches long x 1.78 inches wide x 0.77 inch thick Service GSM 850/1900 MHz 1100 Phone Battery Life Extended Li-Ion Battery 850 mAh -- Digital Talk Time up to 3 hours* -- Digital Standby Time up to 16 days*

Spider-Man 3 the Game reviewed by CNN

I just picked up my copy of Spider-man 3 for the Wii and it has been an amazing experience. The enhanced Wii controls make the game much more enjoyable and exciting. Even CNET has picked up on the game and post their review of it.

"(CNN) -- With the video game version of "Spider-Man 3" and its theatrical counterpart hitting the United States on Friday, we're not just seeing the continuation of a hugely successful movie franchise.

We're seeing the continuation of a video game franchise that's hugely successful in its own right.

"As popular as 'Spider-Man' is in the movie world, he's as popular in the video game world," says Bryan Intihar, Previews Editor for the video game magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly."

5 ways to enhance your Sunday evening service

While some churches have decided to do away with the Sunday evening service for the sake of convenience, I believe that a Sunday service is important and vital to the spiritual growth of a congregation. Admittedly, the size of the congregation is always smaller then your Sunday morning service. People are not always as committed as they ought to be. How can you encourage these folks to come for the Sunday night service? Well, I've complied a few ideas that I have seen done or read about that could be a help to your ministry.

1. Be friendly on Sunday mornings! - One of the best ways for you to see more people in your Sunday evening service is to be friendly to the Sunday morning crowd. Understandably, you may not be able to shake everybody's hand in your church, so delegate some of your faithful soul winning members to be greeters and watch for folks coming in even after the service has been started. Everybody wants to be welcomed to a church, so make sure it happens. If the people see the friendliness of the church in the morning, they'll be more likely to come back at night.

2. Promote your Sunday evening service. - In your church's bulletin, does it remind the congregation about the service? Perhaps it says something like this "Sunday Evening service - 6 pm." If that is all that it says, you're not likely to have a lot people interested in the Sunday service. Use your creativity in your message titles. Have titles like "The night New York disappeared", "One goal, One cup" (Our NHL team, the Sabres, are on the quest for the Stanley Cup), etc. Promote this message or your message series in the bulletin for it will peak the curiosity of the congregation and make them excited to come back!

3. Have top-notched music specials. - Many times Sunday and Wednesday evening services are times that the choir, specials, etc. are second rate. Make sure that doesn't happen. Make sure your choir sings in the Sunday evening service and has a really good song for that evening. It's important that your congregation sees that the church staff and those that participate in the service believe it is an important service. If there is a clear difference between the quality of your Sunday morning service choir special and Sunday night service, you're losing in the fight to have people come back. Maybe once a quarter have a Singspiration service. Sing songs for the whole service and wrap it up with a short challenge. Have a mini-concert with your church members singing hymns, choruses, or playing their instruments. Even get some of the children or teenagers involved.

4. Keep things moving! - If you Sunday evening service drags, most people won't want to come back. Keep the announcement time short (tends to be a big time waster anyhow), start the service on time, end the service on time, etc. Keep it moving. Avoid long pauses between the offering and the congregational singing. Keep it moving. By the way, if you end the service on time, you'd be surprised at how appreciative your congregation will be. It's totally appropriate to go over on occasion when the Spirit leads, but for the majority of the time, end the service on time. People may have children to get to bed for school the next day or some have to get up for work the day, so be mindful of that.

5. Have some surprises. - One sure fire way to peak the interest of your congregation is having some special surprises that night. Have a special mystery singer or preacher. Have a "everybody's birthday" fellowship afterwards. It seems that churches get in a rut and stay in it for the long haul, so get out of it! Add some spice to your Sunday evening service.

Above all, make sure you spend some time in prayer about your Sunday evening service. Prayer is a huge part to a successful church and making those Sunday evening services better!

A downloadable manual on Dating for teens

If you are a youth pastor, you have experienced first hand teenage love. You have those couples that are so exclusive that they seldom participate and seemingly cause you grief. Currently, I'm taking my teenagers thru a series on dating and one of the resourse I'm using is a dating manual written by Pastor Todd Sawtelle. The manual called "Dating: Disaster or Delight" is superbly written and loaded with Scripture to back up the ideas behind it. I'd highly recommend it to any youth pastor and if you have not considered speaking to your teenagers about dating, now would be a good time.

Back online today.

Well, I'm back online today. So I've got a few things to post for later and also some comments to respond to as well. I'm having little time to spend for posting as I'm in the process of candidating for my next place of service. I've been spending more time in prayer and thought as I talk to pastors, pulpit committees, etc. and see what God would have for me. This has proven to be a good challenge to my faith and trust in God. It's a test that I am struggling with. God has seemingly closed many doors for us, but we know that somehow He will provide us with just the right place of service.

What I cannot understand is God's timing. You'd think that when He lays something on your heart in a reasonable amount of time, you accomplish or fulfill that something, but instead, it takes some serious amount of time. During this time, it's a roller coaster ride. But this I know, that when I have found that place, I'll be able to look back and see the hand of God in my life and it is something that I long for. It's then I know that He had it planned all along and that He accomplished much in my life as I waited on Him.

If you are in that waiting time, hold fast to the faith and continue to trust God. His plan is in motion and it will be fulfilled in His time and keep in mind, it's all for our own benefit!

No internet = No posts

Yes, I'm without internet access at home and that is where I spend the majority of my time posting. For whatever reason, our broadband provider has outages throughout Western NY. I'm amazed at home much we depend on our internet service. We could not access pictures that were emailed to us by family. Our phone is also out since we use Sun Rocket, a VOIP service, for our home phone. All calls are now being forwarded to my cellphone for the time being. What fun! As soon as I'm able I will be back posting. Right now I'm using the school computer lab to post this and let you all know what's been going on over the weekend.

15 great utilities you've never heard of by PC World

PC World has compiled a list of 15 not-so-well-known software titles. From security to Graphics and media to system tools, they have it covered for your PC. My personal favorites from the list are Windows Advanced Care which I have mentioned here at TGP before, Undelete Plus as this has bailed me out several times, and Eusing Free Registery Cleaner. Definitely apps I would recommend and could easily help you and your PC be more productive.

"Looking at the price of software today is enough to send you into sticker shock. Sometimes it feels as if you need to mortgage your house if you want to get a full suite of tools.

Luckily, that's not the case. There are plenty of very good free programs that do everything from protecting you against spyware, to giving you a comprehensive look inside your PC, and cleaning your Registry, to managing your media, and plenty more.

We've scoured the Web and come up with 15 of our favorite free utilities that most people have never heard of. We've focused on three popular categories: security software, system tools, and graphics and multimedia. But we've also thrown in some personal favorites that defy categorization."

Source: PC World

H.R. 1592 could limited what we preach.

Sometime next week, the US House of Representatives could be voted on a bill that could have a huge effect on Christians and other faith based groups.The Bible clearly calls homosexuality an abomination to the Lord. (Leviticus 18:22) If a law likes this passes, it could very well mean that our liberty to preach what we believe we be a crime. I firmly believe that it is high time that Christians take a stand against bills like this. People with an non-biblical agenda continue everyday to take down Christianity and we, pastors, must stand in the gap and encourage our people to do the same.

Here is a portion of an email that I received from American Family Association about H.R. 1592. This will help clarify what could happen with a bill like this in place.

"And not only does H.R. 1592 violate the concept of equal protection under the law by granting more government protection to certain classes of people, it is a clear overreach of federal power – allowing the federal government to intervene in local and state affairs.

But even more chilling is the fact that H.R. 1592 paves the way to religious persecution – with “hate crimes” laws inevitably leading to “hate speech” laws targeted specifically at Christians and other faith groups who hold traditional beliefs on homosexuality.

Already this has happened in Canada, Sweden, Belgium, France, Spain, Ireland, Scotland, England, and New Zealand. Even here in the United States in Philadelphia, Christians have been arrested and jailed under a state “hate crimes” law.

Let’s face it: homosexual and transgender activists know full well that the church is one of last bastions in Western culture that has yet to cave in to the demands of a radical agenda that seeks to redefine fundamental concepts such as marriage, family and gender."

Scary, isn't it? I cannot imagine being told what I can or cannot teach a congregation or my youth group. For what it is worth, you would do well to sign up with American Family Association as they can keep you well informed of bills like this one.

Other Christian news agencies have also picked up on this. Crosswalk News has written an article about it and I've included a portion of it below.

"(CNSNews.com) - The House Judiciary Committee passed a "hate crimes" bill Wednesday night, all 23 Democrats in favor, all 17 Republicans opposed. Every Republican attempt to amend the bill was defeated. Critics call it a "thought crimes" bill.

The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007 (H.R. 1592) would expand the federal definition of hate crimes to include violence against a person because of his or her "actual or perceived" sexual orientation or "gender identity."

Under the bill, people who attack others out of "hatred" for their race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability would be committing a federal offense."

The bottom line is will you help and take a stand or will you stand aside and let the enemy take over? Call your House of Representative today and let them know how you feel about this bill!

Apple posts higher profit on strong MacBook sales | Business News | Reuters.com

Reuters.com is reporting that Apple has posted higher profits then expected. This is due to strong sales in their MacBooks and their iPods. I've been considering a MacBook as of late because I could be needing it down the road. I like the construction and the qaulity of a macbook. However, I'm waiting for Leopard to come out first or the next generation of MacBooks to come out. Maybe this June, I'll have to wait and see.

"SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Inc. (AAPL.O: Quote, Profile , Research) posted on Wednesday a quarterly profit that soared 88 percent, fueled by strong sales of its MacBook computers and iPods.

Net income for Apple's fiscal second quarter rose to $770 million, or 87 cents per share, from $410.0 million, or 47 cents per share. Revenue rose 21 percent to $5.26 billion from $4.36 billion.

The results blew away Apple's own forecast of 54 cents to 56 cents and which has historically been cautious. Analysts expected Apple to earn 63 cents per share, on average, on revenue of $5.17 billion, according to Reuters Estimates."

Resizing Pictures online

There have been quite a number of times I wanted to resize a picture. I've downloaded a few programs, but I usually uninstall them once I've used them because I don't need to resize pictures very often.

Well, today was one of those days that I needed to resize a picture. So off I went googling programs that would resize a picture for me. Instead of finding a program, I found a website that allowed me to do that and it worked perfectly for my Nike+ icon (which I've included for you viewing enjoyment). The website is called picresize.com and it's really simple to use which is great as some programs can be difficult when you want to resize a picture.

Upload your picture to their site (helps to have a broadband connection to use this site, especially if you have large files) and then select the size you wish to resize it to and then download the finished file. Easy. If you are concerned about privacy issues, the folks at Pic Resize have their servers set to delete the image and the resized file after 20 minutes automatically. Still if you have a really confidential picture, you might want to try alternative method to Pic Resize. If not, you've got yourself a great and easy way to resize pictures!

Handbrake for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux

I've been waiting for the windows version of Handbrake and it looks like they have one out now. (It may have been out for a while, I don't know...) However, Handbrake allows you to rip movies from your DVDs so you can view them on your iPod, Zune, Apple TV, and many other mobile devices. I'll be trying this with my Lifedrive and see how well the converted file works with Core Player. I certainly enjoy taking a movie with me while on the go and many times it has been a life saving with my boys!
Handbrake is freeware and is still in beta.

Source: Lifehacker

The day they kicked God out of the schools. Part 2

After mentioning that video about the day they kicked God out of the schools, I came across this article about mass shootings. The article is entitled "Mass Shootings More Common Since 1960s". Of course, guns are partly to blame, but why is it that people do not see the connection to the removal of prayer in public schools in the early 1960s? Most likely, these people purposely over look this connection because they do not want to recognize the truth. Obviously, it has been the constant attempts by people to remove God from everything over the years. Take some time and read this article thoroughly.

"NEW YORK (AP) - Mass public shootings have become such a part of American life in recent decades that the most dramatic of them can be evoked from the nation's collective memory in a word or two: Luby's. Jonesboro. Columbine.

And now, Virginia Tech.

Since Aug. 1, 1966, when Charles Whitman climbed a 27-story tower on the University of Texas campus and started picking people off, at least 100 Americans have gone on shooting sprees.

And all through those years, the same questions have been asked: What is it about modern-day America that provokes such random violence? Is it the decline of traditional morals? The depiction of violence in entertainment? The ready availability of lethal firepower?"

Continue reading

Tips for your church bulletins.

Every church has a church bulletin. It allows you to connect with everybody that comes through the doors of your church. It lists the details of the morning worship. It discloses the locations of the Sunday School classes for you visitors. It lists upcoming church functions. All these things and more can make up a bulletin, but what makes a good bulletin. Well, I will give you my top dos and don'ts to bulletins.

1. Don't stuff it full with lots of extras. - As a kid, the church I attended basically published a book for their bulletin each week. It was loaded with papers and sometimes you opened it and the papers would exploded out! I loved them as a kid as they serve to be a perfect distraction from the preaching. It seemed a lot of folks enjoyed looking at their bulletins during the offertory as you could here the hundreds of ruffling of bulletin pages. It's a good idea to keep your bulletin lean and clean from extras.

2. Do have a map or a list of Sunday School locations and nursery for your visitors. It's every important for you visitors to know where they should go for Sunday School or drop off thing children for nursery.

3. Do have all your announcements posted in your bulletin. This helps you keep the announcement time short and avoids it becoming a time waster to the service. Churches allow this time to drag on and on just like that Energizer bunny.

4. Do emphasize your Sunday evening service. Mention the title of your message or your choir's special music that night. Perk the curiosity of your congregation.

5. Don't have a boring front to your bulletin. With today's technology, it's quite easy to add a picture of your church on the front or even order pre-made bulletins from the internet. It really makes the bulletin and your church look sharp in its appearance. Take the time to produce a sharp design on the outside and the inside. Your people will notice.

6. Do have a short personal message from you the pastor. Specifically thank people, mention upcoming revivals, talk about praying for one another, etc. These things help you connect with your people and you can just about guarantee that they will be reading it.

7. Do mention your church's website, pastor's email, church phone number in your bulletin. I think in some churches it would be good to mention the pastor's home number as well. It helps show people that you are ready and willing to listen and to help them.

8. Don't use the bulletin as a weapon. You don't need to attack your congregation from it or other ministries, pastors, etc. from it. If you are planning a church protest against a product, a particular government bill, save those things for the pulpit or a separate paper available in the back and not with the bulletin.

9. Don't have a stale bulletin. Change the graphics, the fonts, the arrangement from time to time. Don't continue with the same design year after year. Keep it fresh. Some people might complain, you always get those, but at least you know that they noticed the change!

10. Don't let it consume your time. If you are the one who does the bulletin, don't spend hours creating some masterpiece. Keep in mind many people take the bulletin and throw it away when you get home anyways and you're bound to be discouraged when nobody notices all your hard work. If you are able to delegate the task of creating and printing the bulletin to someone else. As a pastor, you should only be concerned with the pastor's message not the whole bulletin. By doing this, you free yourself up and give someone else an opportunity to serve the Lord.

I hope you enjoy this tips and if you have any other tips that you'd like to share, please do so in our comments below. Click on the comments link and a new window will open for you to share with us.

Wii is no. 1 selling game console again!

My family and I really enjoy our Nintendo Wii. The gaming experience on a Wii does not compare to anything else I've every played. The graphics are plenty good for me and it's so much fun to watch my boys play boxing and the WiiPlay games. My wife and I share many laughs from their Wii experiences.
So when I read that the Wii is the no. 1 selling game console again, I was not surprised. Since my kids can play and enjoy the Wii and I've read that senior citizens also play the Wii, it's not surprising to see it become the best gaming console out there.

"LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - U.S. sales of video games, devices and accessories rose 33 percent to $1.1 billion in March, propelled by sales of new video game consoles like the popular Wii from Nintendo Co. Ltd., market research firm NPD said on Thursday.

The Wii was again the No. 1 current-generation video game console, selling 259,000 units. That $250 console uses a motion-sensitive controller that has been popular with mainstream gamers as well as new audiences like females, senior citizens and very young children."

Read More

The day they kicked God out of the schools.

Here is a stirring video that I came across and was mentioned to me by the American Family Association. It talks about the impact of God being kicked out of schools and what we have allowed to happen in our nation. I do sincerely believe that if Christians do not take a stand for the faith, that we will find ourselves being persecuted more then we are now and our nation drifting further into apostasy. Watch the video and see what you think.

Remembering the Virginia Tech victims.

I think it is important for us to know about the people who lost their lives on that horrible day. It drives me mad that some people think it is acceptable to make the killer immortal by posting his media packet. What we should be focused on is the victims, their families, and their friends, not the killer. The New York Times has published a article doing just that and I wanted to make you all aware of this article.

"Brian Bluhm, 25, was a graduate student in civil engineering at Virginia Tech who was working toward a master’s degree in water resources. He considered Blacksburg, Va., his hometown, but he was really from all over. He was born in Iowa and went to high school in Louisville, Ky. He spent his childhood in Detroit, where he became a rabid Tigers fan.

His next stop, friends say, was Maryland.

Mr. Bluhm was set to finish his courses and defend his master’s thesis early this summer, and he had already accepted a job in Baltimore and found an apartment there, said his best friend, Michael Marshall, 25, of Richmond. He said Mr. Bluhm had planned to start his new job in July."

Source: Digg

The "Christian" Blogosphere

One of my favorite Christian newspapers is the Sword of the Lord which publishes sermons, editorials, and other articles. It helps keep the fire stirred up. In one of its recent articles, the editor, Dr. Shelton Smith, discusses the impact of blogs on the Christian community. I find it amazing that Christians will blog their ungodly views about a business, church, school, or whatever to the extreme that some do. I guess being Christ-like goes out the door when they blog.
This is a really good read and I believe it will do you well to read it. It should help us consider what we blog, write, or say as we will be held accountable for it. Here is a a portion of that article:

"When Christians speak, orally or in print, there ought to be a note of integrity struck with every syllable spoken. Whether it be in the pulpit, on radio or television, the pastor’s paragraphs in Sunday’s bulletin, the editor’s column in this newspaper, or on an Internet blog, there should be (because we are Christians) a full commitment to scriptural values and views.

Since we’ve had pulpits, newspapers and Sunday bulletins a long time, we seem to have an idea about how to handle them in a way that is governed by the principles we all hold dear. Unfortunately, that is often not the case with the blogs.

In recent times, the Internet has come along. With it has come this phenomenon called “blogging.” A blog is a site where anyone with a computer can express his views openly and easily. Those blogs are then available for everyone with a computer to view. So far, so good! But now there’s a problem!

Some Christians have set up their own blog, or they post their thoughts on someone else’s site. Very quickly they can sign on and start giving the world the benefit of their thinking. They can express themselves positively or negatively about whatever comes to mind and about whomever they please."

READ MORE

More iPhone news: It's still coming in June

iPhone on target for end of June launch, AT&T says. Well, that's the word on the street anyhow. I'm sure Apple does not want to see this potential hot-selling product delayed. After all, it was announced several months ago. I for one hope it does come out on time and that I will still be a cingular/AT&T user then. I do think the iPhone will become a very hot item and could be a hard to get item. I am wondering how one would go about protecting the beautiful screen. Anyone have any ideas on that? Well, for now, enjoy the article...

"BOSTON (Reuters) - The iPhone, Apple Inc.'s (AAPL.O: Quote, Profile, Research) first mobile handset, is on schedule to hit the U.S. market at the end of June, a senior executive with AT&T Inc. (T.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Wednesday.

AT&T's wireless unit has an exclusive U.S. deal to sell the highly anticipated new handset.

"Our expectations are good. Our testing has been good," said AT&T Chief Operating Officer Randall Stephenson. "The iPhone is on target to launch in June."

The iPhone has become one of the most highly awaited product debuts since Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs demonstrated a prototype of the device in January."

Sunbird: Calendar Application for Windows, Linux, Mac OS X

Most people are aware of Mozilla's FireFox web browser and Thunderbird email application. Mozilla does have some other offerings and one of those I wanted to mention is Sunbird. Sunbird is a standalone desktop client somewhat similar to Microsoft Outlook. Sunbird does have some limitations as it has yet to see a 1.0 release, but if you are looking for an application that can keep your data on your PC or laptop and you need it for free, Sunbird could be the way for you to go.

I was able to sync my Google calendar by adding the ical address to Sunbird and using Sunbird's remote calendar function. I think I would have to manually reload the calendar if I want to update Sunbird. It doesn't look like there would be a auto feature for this. You can also have multiple calendars which would be a great way to keep your family events and church events separated.

You might be wondering why use Sunbird? I think it would be quite useful if you did not have a constant internet access on a computer. Maybe you use dailup at home or work or at your church. You would be able to backup your calendar information to Sunbird incase you cannot access Gcal or you lose data in Gcal. Overall, it's a nice app and I'm sure it could prove to be quite useful once it reaches version 1.0.

My trip last week.

Last week, as many of you know, I was away at a youth conference in Pontiac, Michigan. Our teenagers particiapted in several competitions including a Bible quiz over 1 John 1-4. Our Bible quiz team took first place! We placed well in other competitions such as basketball, volleyball, female solo, photography, and a few others. The preaching was amazing. A couple of the teenagers surrender to the Lord during the week and others made decisions as well. It was a very profitable time spiritually and competitively and we are truly grateful for what the Lord has done this past week.

Yard sales are coming!

I'm not one for a garage or a yard sale. First off, the name itself is misleading and I've never understood folks browsing someone else's junk and buying it. Still, my wife and I will be having one of those yard sales soon I am sure in the next month or two. We've set a few things aside for the event. I've even bookmarked a Lifehacker post with garage sale tips. So if you are looking at having one, be sure to check out that post and leave your tips for my wife and me.

Prayers for the students, faculty, and their families at Virginia Tech

Days like today are ones we all wish never happened. The vicious taking of lives of those Virginia Tech students is hard and difficult to comprehend. People's lives have been changed forever and will not ever be the same. I do hope that you have taken the time to pray for those affected by this tragedy and if you are a pastor or a church member in that area, I pray that you find a way to reach those young college students that have so many questions about this awful event in their lives. We as Christians have an awesome responsibility to help and serve those around us to weep with those who weep, to lift up the fallen, to encourage the weary. May the Lord find us faithful in doing exactly that.

"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer, to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear."

1 Peter 3:15

Pontiac, Michigan

Our trip to Pontiac, Michigan is going well. I have been using Splashblog to post pictures of the teens while on our trip. You can view the pictures at www.splashblog.com/joshuaburdick.

Will be out of town Monday thru Friday

Next week, I will be traveling to Pontiac, MI for a youth conference. I will be posting sporadically while I am away. In other words, as I am able, I will post. In the meantime, if you all could remember to pray for our group as we travel and remember the teenagers especially as God can use these trips to do a marvelous work in their lives.

Boys only church

If this doesn't take all, a church in Florida has decided to start its "men-only" church. It's been labeled 'Church for Men'. If this isn't pleasing the crowd or really tickling their ears, I don't know what is.

"Florida 'Church for Men' Features Rock Band, One-Hour In-and-Out Guarantee

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. —
No hymnals. No pews. No steeple. No stained glass windows. And no women.

This ain't your grandma's church.

Organizers of the Church For Men say that guys are "bored stiff" in many churches today.

The Church For Men meets one Saturday evening a month, drawing about 70 guys dressed in everything but straight-laced shirts and neckties. The service features a rock band, a shot clock to time the preacher's message and a one-hour in-and-out guarantee.

The church is part of a national movement to reverse what many Christian pastors and ministers are calling a troubling trend.

Studies show that men are less likely than women to show up on Sunday mornings, and the reaction has been an emerging testosterone theology of sorts. Churches nationwide are now reaching out to men."

A shot clock? A one hour in and out guarantee? It seems like it's a place that makes you like good person just because you attended church?! If this is a national movement, I think that Christianity will suffer from this kind of "Burger King" church. You know, have it your way. Overall, they seem to have done a great job in making sure that this "church" doesn't resemble a church at all. No steeple. No hymnals. No pews. No stained glass windows. Unbelievable. It's really a shame that a church has to changed and adapted to what the world wants rather then bringing the world to Jesus Christ.


Source: Fox News

iPhone's expected June release from Brighthand

Brighthand reports that the iPhone will be released in June. You can fead a portion of that article below and then follow the link for the full article. I'm quite excited about the iPhone and I am hoping to get one as it looks like it could replace much of the devices I carry. I still may not get one in the battery life is poor or if I move to an area where there is no cingular reception. So I will have to wait and see what comes of all this...

"When Apple's iPod/phone combination was announced early this year, the company said it would debut in June. But that promise was made five months before the expected release date, and a great many things can go wrong in all that time.

That's why those who are eagerly waiting for the iPhone will be happy to hear that this device is apparently still on schedule.

Cingular Wireless -- the carrier that will be exclusively offering this smartphone in the U.S. -- sent an email this week to everyone who has signed up on its site to be notified of the iPhone's release. Although this doesn't give a specific date, it does make it clear that the device is on track to be introduced in June.

Apple hasn't given an exact date, but according to an unconfirmed report its first smartphone will debut June 11, the day Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference kicks off.

Backward Christian Soldiers

If this doesn't hit close to home- or should I say the church?!

Backward Christian Soldiers

Backward Christian soldiers, Fleeing from the fight,
With the cross of Jesus, Nearly out of sight.
Christ our rightful master Stands against the foe
Onward into battle, we seem afraid to go.

Chorus
Backward Christian soldiers, Fleeing from the fight,
With the cross of Jesus, Nearly out of sight.

Like a might tortoise Moves the church of God.
Brothers we are treading, Where we've often trod.
We are much divided, Many bodies we,
Having different doctrines, but Not much charity.

Crowns and thrones may perish, Kingdoms rise and wane,
But the cross of Jesus Hidden does remain.
Gates of hell should never 'gainst the Church prevail,
We have Christ's own promise, but we think it might fail.

Sit here then ye people, Join our sleeping throng.
Blend with ours, your voices in a feeble song.
Blessings, ease and comfort Ask from Christ the King,
But with our modern thinking, We won't do a thing.

- Anonymous

Google offers free directory assistance

Lifehacker reports that Google is offering a toll free directory service. You just dial 1-800-GOOG-411 and you can save yourself some 411 fees on your next phone bill and even your cell phone bill perhaps. I think any church should consider using such a service as I am sure those kind of calls do add up during a month's time. They also mention another service which is 1-800-FREE-411. I was not aware of either service, but I will be making the folks at church aware of this very useful tip.

" Goolge Labs just rolled out a Google Voice Local Search, which is basically a free 411 search along the lines of previously mentioned

1-800-FREE-411.

To use the local business search tool, pick up your phone and dial 1-800-GOOG-411. Like you'd expect, an automated operator starts asking you questions and you narrow in on what you're looking for. Once you get your results, Google can connect you to the business for free or say, "text message", and it'll send you details by SMS to your phone. And since you're sure to want to know all of the advanced shortcuts, be sure to check out the GOOG-411 cheatsheet."

Digital paper coming soon.|

Electronic paper edging toward reality is a good read over at Reuters. Personally, I think this would be a good idea and could be quite practical. I like the idea of my daily news updated onto my "digital newspaper." I'm sure we are still years away from this being seen in everyday use.

"CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts (Reuters) - "Electronic paper" has long been hyped as the future of newspapers and books, but products like e-books have been slow to take off. That may soon change, say executives involved in the pioneering technology.

While Internet companies are scanning libraries of books and making them available online, E Ink Corp., which emerged out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology a decade ago, is seeing a surge in orders for its portable, foldable displays that mimic conventional paper to carry such books."

READ MORE

Tweak and Speed up your PC.

Looks like today is a day of PC maintenance posts. Foxnews has an excellent and useful article called "How to Maximize your Performance in Windows Vista." (I'm still upset that my Windows Vista experience has been sour- still waiting on drivers for my video card). The article is written by Joel Durham, Jr. from Extreme Tech, a computer builder's site.

It offers some useful tips to help you tweak and keep Vista running smooth and fast. I'll definitely check back with this article if I ever get Vista running right.

" Performance is probably the most coveted intangible when it comes to PCs, and tweaking, to the performance hungry, is considered more of a necessity than an option.

Gearheads go to great lengths to get quicker system response times, faster-running games and shorter PC boot-up and shutdown times.

One way is to overclock the heck out of the poor components (and then, for bragging rights, to log on to a message board and claim a stable CPU frequency of about 300MHz faster than what's actually possible). Another way is to tweak out the operating system itself."

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PC World's 101 fantastic freebies!

I must admit that I'm a sucker for freeware for my PC. I find it fun testing the software or having it improve my PC. PC World, one of my favorite PC websites, has compiled a list of freeware applications. It covers a lot of cool and useful software from email to system utilities to blogging tools, etc. So read and enjoy a more happy PC!

"Once upon a time you actually had to pay for great software and services -- hard to believe, but true.

We revved up our cable modem and searched for the most intriguing free offerings out there. After we took each download or service for a test-drive, we picked the very best, and came up with the following list of 101 great freebies.

Luckily, we no longer live in that world. The Internet is stuffed with great downloads and Web sites offering free software and services of every kind."

READ MORE

Contacting me.

This past weekend I posted an email address in which you can use to send me any correspondence. If you have any stories about using tech in your ministry that you would like to share or questions, we'll do our best to post them or answer them. I don't know everything about the tech world, but I do have Google as my friend. ;) So please feel free to drop me a line if you like.

Posting your missions trip, youth camp, etc. pictures on the go

Next week, I will be heading to Michigan for a youth conference. Our Christian school goes every year and it proves to be a great time for the students and even us teachers. One of the things I started last year was posting pictures of our activities on Splash Blog by Splash Data. This service allows you to use your Internet capable PDA or smartphone to send pictures to your online photo blog. This is a great way to show the parents of your students what their child is doing and what the place is like. I use my Palm Lifedrive to transfer pictures from my digital camera and then send then thru my Motorola v557to my Splash Blog. I've even had parents call me or my wife to ask where the latest pictures. Don't forget it's a great way to let others in your church know what the students at your school are up to.

So the next time you take a missions trip or go to youth camp, use Splash Blog to post your trip online and while it happens. You can still do that infamous slide show presentation when you get back, too.