I Pay for This?
Because it's the only thing in the bathroom, and I'm a captive audience, I started flipping through the March 2008 issue of Martha Stewart Living Magazine. I…
Content tagged with #tom
293 items found (293 articles, 0 projects)
Articles (293)
Currently Reading
Sarah tagged me, so I'm therefore obligated to let you all know what I'm currently reading. I'm in the middle of a couple books right now... I started out…
Lessons Learned
Never try to dry beef jerky when it's 100% humidity. For some reason, it doesn't work very well.
Thomas and Tab on the Body Boards
We went to Hershey Park for the company picnic this year, and they had a new body board ride. Tab and Thomas both wanted to try the ride, even though we were…
Chinese Food and the Destruction of the United States
I'm going to lay out a couple of facts here, and then let you in on my latest theory. If true, this dire situation could lead to the destruction of the United…
The Decline of Western Civilization
Found an editorial in Crisis Magazine , linked off reddit , by Mark Shea called " Insensitivity Training: Facing the Crybaby Culture ". After spending a good…
Mr. Wizard Died Today
Mr. Wizard, the man who taught science to millions of geeks when we were kids, died today of cancer. read more | digg story
Different in Japan - An Evolving List
Shoes are removed at the front door Windshield wipers both go in the same direction Electric operated shower toilets - plugs into the wall, complete with…
Upgrading Ubuntu to Edgy
Ubuntu 6.10* (a.k.a. Edgy) was released yesterday to great fanfare . Edgy is a "minor release", while their last release, 6.06 (a.k.a. Dapper) is known as a…
Google Earth on Ubuntu
[Image no longer available: GoogleEarth] YES!!! Google has released a version of Google Earth for Linux , and it's currently running on my desktop. So far, it…
Stupid in America
Youtube has a video " Stupid in America ", a 20/20 expose of public schools in America. I know you all know my opinion of the public school system , but I…
Interview with Ralph Smith
When Sarah and I travelled to Tokyo together (twice in the last couple years), we were blessed to be able to worship at Mitaka Evangelical Church . I found…
Asides
By the way, this is what an " aside " looks like. These are where I can put random little musings like the following: During my upcoming trip to Japan in…
Back in the Game
I've realized that I've let my website lie fallow for too long, and it was starting to looking aged. I changed the theme , updated my photo software , and…
Delay of Game
I received an email the other day from someone who has been following the issues that have been going on in our church , and wondering whether anything has…
Quis custodiet custodes ipsos?
To security professionals, Bruce Schneier is considered a guru. His book, Applied Cryptography is considered the authoritative book on computer security, and…
Why Encryption is Good
After watching recent events regarding our Federal Government reading the phone records of American citizens , and the acknowledgement by the NSA chief that…
Memorial Day Pig Roast 2006
[Image no longer available: Big Pig] Once again, it's time for the (fourth) annual pig roast, and you all are invited to attend the party at the home of Tom…
What's Your Beer Personality
You Are Guinness You know beer well, and you'll only drink the best beers in the world. Watered down beers disgust you, as do the people who drink them. When…
Google Earth Plus
Since the kids have been asking to go treasure hunting again, I finally broke down and bought a GPS receiver, a Garmin GPSMap 60 . We're planning on going out…
But a Sub is Just Not the Same
Looks like some students at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee conducted a dialect survey , asking questions like how do you pronounce "coupon" (the…
He Must Play Darts
My boss and I were sitting in the business class lounge at Narita Airport. We had been out the night before at a bar on Akasaka-Mitsuke playing darts, and had…
Ubuntu Rules
You know, my life is busy enought with "normal" activities without the random emergencies that keep popping up. Somehow, my wife managed to get the…
The End of Dollar Hegemony
Ron Paul gave the following speech before the House of Representatives on February 15, 2006. It's amazing that such an honest man could ever be elected to…
Another New Look for the Site
Some people do crossword puzzles when they're bored. Some people knit. I redesign my website. Actually, I stole the theme from another website and added my own…
Lynn Swann for Governor
Fox Sports is reporting that Lynn Swann, former Pittsburgh Steeler and Hall of Famer, is going to announce that he's running for the office of governor of…
Lessons in Sushi
For those of you who enjoy this foreign delicacy (and even for those who have not yet had the pleasure), this instructional video on sushi is one of the most…
Tyranny Retreating
One more shadow of prohibition has been thrown out the door. South Carolina is finally allowings bars to use full-sized bottles of liquor bottles , instead of…
Yucky Peas
2719 Bit of shameless self-promotion, but who cares. My wife has been working for the past few days on different clothing ideas, but so far, I haven't heard…
Coatesville a Biking Mecca?
I wake from my long slumber to post this interesting tidbit of gossip. According to CyclingNews.com , "The City of Coatesville in southeastern Pennsylvania is…
Australian Table Wines
I finally found the audio for one of my favorite Monty Python skits, the review of Australian wines (1.3 mb). Yes, it's stupid, but it's funny. I've got some…
Flock Released
True to form, I've jumped on new technology, and fully expect it to change the way I live my life. A new web tool called " Flock " has just been released in…
Sweet Satellite Hurricane Videos
[Image no longer available: Hurricane] NASA has a very, very sweet video made up of satellite images of the 2005 hurricane season . I had it playing at work…
Emerging Unscathed
Sorry I haven't written in a while. I've been distracted by another project , and also been working long hours on a proposal at work. But, I saw this answer…
Squeamish About Sushi
[Image no longer available: Squeamish About Sushi] I haven't done a review in a while, but Sarah picked up a book at the library that I so enjoyed that I…
Gleaning Laws for the Modern Age
I take a perverse pleasure in seeing people discover for themselves wisdom that's been in the Bible for centuries. Leviticus 19:9-10 "And when ye reap the…
The Trial Begins
Well, it seems that the prosecution in our case intends to use our blog as evidence in the trial, and we've received selected posts in our packet of evidence…
Treasure Hunting
[Image no longer available: First Treasure!] We had a great day yesterday! After going to Uncle Andrew and Uncle Peter's soccer game, we took a borrowed GPS…
Trial Starts Tuesday
Our trial is now scheduled to begin Tuesday, September 27. There really isn't too much more information that I'm aware of, except for one major issue. Despite…
Controlling Personalities in the Church
An anonymous source sent me an excellent series on the Wittenberg Gate on spiritual abuse, and the techniques that abusive leaders will use to control the…
Google Trumps the Doctor
An interesting letter was posted on the Google Blog talking about a couple that used Google to save their premature twins from a dangerous medical procedure…
Beware of Parents with Video Cameras
There are certain items which, when combined, create a noxious result. Combine a video camera and a young baby, and you get inane movies like this one. But, of…
Professional Do-gooders
Dr. Neill H. Payne posted this quote on the Reformed Theology Discussion List . It's appropriate in many contexts. Most of the major ills of the world have…
Servants of the Law
I love this quote from John Roberts during his Supreme Court confirmation hearing today: Judges and justices are servants of the law, not the other way around…
Thomas' Movie
Thomas was watching the trailer for Corpse Bride , and I was explaining to him how stop-motion animation works. He didn't really seem to be grasping the…
Who's Fault Is It?
How sad is it that human natural always looks for something or someone to blame? We work so hard to prop ourselves up as gods, and when the true God comes to…
A History of Intolorance
"This was a central characteristic of progressive thought in the nineteenth century and the first part of the twentieth. From Darwin, who provided the…
NPR Offering Podcasts
National Public Radio is now offering podcasts of many of their offerings, including Michael Feldman's Whad'Ya Know and their news summaries . The podcasts…
Google Earth New Orleans Overlay
I created an overlay of the satellite imagery from New Orleans . You need Google Earth , a free download, in order to be able to see it. It's amazing stuff…
Pat Robertson is a Liar
So, you all saw that news that Pat Robertson , former presidential candidate, and now impotent spokesmen for disillusioned dispensationals, had called for the…
A Plea
Hear my voice, O God, in my meditation; Preserve my life from fear of the enemy. Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, From the rebellion of the workers…
I'm on Google Talk right now.
Google Talk is Google's new IM service that they're supposed to be announcing tomorrow. All you need is a Jabber client, and a GMail address (your id is going…
Google Earth
[Image no longer available: ANA Hotel from Google Earth] I'm surprised I haven't written anything about Google Earth yet, but I've only had a chance in the…
Sauce for the Goose...
Jonathan Schwartz , president and COO of Sun Microsystems, has written a very insightful post about a conversation he had with the CTO of a "big media…
Photoshop the Supermodels
Behold the power of Adobe Photoshop . This is the website of a photoshop artist who "retouches" photographs of models. So, if you ever thought that the…
Whatever You Do, Don't Think
Witness the idiocy of our public school system . Slashdot has the story of 13 Kutztown students who are facing felony charges for reconfiguring the laptops the…
Why I'm Cynical
Remember that story about the guy who was shot by the cops in London? Remember how the police say they were justified in shooting him because he was wearing a…
Free Online Graph Paper
For those of you out there trying to avoid hording graph paper around the house because you might need it someday, here's a link to a site where you can…
Why I'm on Trial
Sorry for this being protected for a little while. After I posted it without comment, I thought that perhaps it could get me into trouble. I put the password…
Cherries in the Snow
We're finally getting a chance to use the cherries that Sarah and the kids picked at Highland Orchards. The first beer is going to be a light ale called…
Spring Breeze
I'm sure I'm going to embarrass myself in this post, but here it goes. On my last trip to Tokyo, I was coming through Shimbashi station when I ran into a group…
Baseball Players Ain't All Bad
While Rafael Palmeiro is lying to the Senate and ruining whatever respect baseball players have left, the Cincinnati Reds offered a bit of an antidote, and…
First Meeting
Last nights meeting was a bit anticlimactic . After everything leading up to this point, the meeting lasted about a half-hour, with the crux being that Sarah…
The Art of Pettiness
On the eve of our inquisition , I found an article on Credenda Agenda by Doug Jones entitled, " The Art of Pettiness ". Sometimes, when I cry out to God about…
Didgeridoo and Tyler Too
I'm a sucker for street performers. When Bob , Billy and I were down in Australia, we ran into two guys with two didgeridoos and a drum machine performing near…
Mini Golf Video
Following up on Sarah's Mini-golf post, I've got some video online of our outing. It's kinda big, and I'm not sure how much this is going to kill my webserver…
Louisiana Presbytery on the Federal Vision
After the premature decisions by Mississippi Valley and Central Carolina Presbyteries, Louisiana Presbytery has actually adopted a lucid position, and…
Diet Blog
I've decided to lose some weight. My surgery last year has had wonderful results , so I have no more excuses for not getting back into shape. For those of you…
Blogging Personality
Your Blogging Type is Pensive and Philosophical You blog like no one else is reading... You tend to use your blog to explore ideas - often in long winded…
Indictment Served
Jim Sauer and Dale Van Ness stopped by tonight to deliver the indictments and list of witnesses as required in BCO 32-3 . The packet included the revised…
Trial Postponed
It looks as though the Session has sought the wisdom of the moderator of the Heritage Presbytery, and thankfully, he has concurred with the interpretation of…
Full Hard Drive?
misc/jdiskreport I hate it when my hard drive starts to fill up. Usually, there is just a bunch of junk laying around all over the place, and most if it is…
Kindling Strife
"Where there is no wood, the fire goes out and where there is no talebearer, strife ceases. As charcoal is to burning coals, and wood to fire, so is a…
Vague Generalities
In my last post , I quoted from Dr. Morton Smith's commentaries on the Book of Church Order. Sarah was reading through other areas of the commentary, and found…
Charges Filed
Heck of a way to start a vacation . Jim Sauer came by yesterday afternoon with a letter summoning me and Sarah to appear before the Session to "hear charges…
Sweet Vacation
I'm taking off work for a week (plus today and Friday). I need a break to spend time with the kids, brew some beer and relax. It's my birthday today, and I had…
Home Again
Well, as ususal, it was a long trip, but I'm back home. Sarah seems to be relieved to see me, and the kids remember who I am. It amazes me how much Micah has…
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Please Stop the Aid
You know, this isn't a typical blog. Most blogs tend to be the rantings and ravings of people who believe their opinions are important. My wife and I under no…
Ready to Come Home
Well, I'm ready to come home. I've been here for a little over a month, and that's quite long enough, thank you. The transition from exciting to mundate didn't…
I'm Still Alive
misc/800px_Fugu_in_Tank Well, after being here almost a month, I've experienced a new first. Myself and two other guys from work decided to participate in a…
Big Fish
misc/catfish You may recall the story and photo I posted about the record holding catfish that weighed in at 124-pounds. Well, the record has been broken…
Worst Headline Ever
" War of the Windows: Pic biz frets as B.O. fades & DVD usurp key dates "
Thank God for Friday's
JapanJune2005/IMG_0873 A long day today... I had plans to go try Fuji, but I discovered that the mountain doesn't open until July. Then, I thought I would head…
Why Internet Explorer is Unsafe
I found a website called " BrowseHappy ", an advocate site for alternate web browsers like Firefox and Opera . One of the cool features of the site is that in…
Outfoxed
No... not the exposé of Fox News . Outfoxed is a plugin for Firefox that allows you to share your web experience with others. After you get the plugin running…
Earthquake!
At 1:16 this morning, I noticed that the room seemed to be shaking. It was like I was bouncing my legs, but I wasn't. Weird... I thought maybe I broke my chair…
Japanese Reggae
So, I'm watching MTV Japan over here, and this band, Fire Ball , comes on, and I'm entranced. It's got an urban reggae sound, but it's all Japanese. Anyway, I…
Vanity Fair
What a long day... I wanted to try something new in the city, so I tried googling for Tokyo , and found the Tokyo City Guide , which had articles on some…
That IS a Tasty Burger
misc/quentin3 For lunch today, I stopped at the Kua'aina burger restaurant in Omote-Sando. It's a Hawaian burger joint, and it was pretty good. I found out…
Ah, Brotherhood
I was walking across a bridge one day, and I saw a man standing on the edge, about to jump off. I immediately ran over and said "Stop! Don't do it!" "Why…
Caution! Contents May Be Hot
[Image no longer available: Grilled bread, I guess] Just for your information, raman shops serve their noodles hot. Very hot. I forget every time, and every…
Morally Treasonable
I love this quote from Theodore Roosevelt. According to the source linked below, it's from an editorial Roosevelt wrote for the Kansas City Star on May 7…
Life in the Alleys
JapanJune2005/IMG_0845 A coworker here coined an accurate description of Tokyo, when he said that this city lives in the alleys. For every main street, there…
Green Tea
I love iced green tea, uncorrupted by added sugar. It has a sweetness that perhaps only white tea could possibly beat. Sadly, Americans are addicted to sugar…
Burping Up Fish
misc/rosen_e One evening, after Sarah and I returned from an excellent sushi dinner here in Tokyo, she made the comment that she was burping up fish. Sushi…
Little Things are Finally Coming True
One of the hardest parts of being out of town is the lack of communication. Yeah, there's email, but it's just not the same. So, on my last trip, Sarah and I…
Back In Japan
Once again, I'm back in Japan. For the first time, though, I'm not staying at the ANA Hotel in Akasaka. Since I'll be here for more than 30 days, I'm at the…
Andrew Bain is a Spammer
Many of you have probably been receiving email from a Mr. Andrew Bain . Whether or not I agree with his theological views, his methods of spamming his…
Star Wars and Immortality
Finally saw the newest Star Wars film, and I was pretty pleased with it. While the dialog was stilted (that's being kind), the visual effects were amazing, and…
Intoleristas
Looks like things are getting a little rough up in Moscow, Idaho, USA. Of course, it hasn't dulled Doug Wilson 's wit any. He writes the following about the…
Endorsement
A couple weeks ago, I bought a new wireless card for my laptop. I looked on PriceWatch for a good deal on a card that works well with Linux, and found the…
Dr. Seuss Nursery
A friend of mine here at work is expecting his first baby in July. He's just finished up paining his Dr. Seuss themed nursery for the baby, and it's looking…
Poop
misc/poop When a couple sits down and decides that children are a good idea, generally speaking, they discuss how children are going to affect their lives…
I Think He's Got It
Rev. Andy Webb has written a " brief thought " up on the Warfield List , in which I think he means to score some points in the FV debate, but really just shows…
Quote of the Day
"The best kisses are the ones that leave you wanting more. Now, go away, Sarah!"
Premature Departure
I received a press release in my mailbox last night from the Evangelical Reformed Presbyterian Church . "Who," you may ask? Well, the ERPC is the newest…
True Conservatives
The Washington Times has posted an interview with Pat Buchanan. The man does not sound optimistic, saying that the "conservative movement has passed into…
Aslan is On the Move
World Magazine 's blog has a link to the teaser/trailer for " The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe ". I will allow myself to be cautiously optimistic about…
My Battle Monster!
No Grasp of Your Reality is a Giant Mecha-Ape that looks like a Man in a Rubber Suit, controls the Weather, is Covered with a Thick Slime, and CANNOT BE…
New Update to WordPress
Just applied a new security update to WordPress , the software we use to run our blog. It was literally a 10 second process. These guys are getting good! If…
BibleWiki
Been a little quiet here recently, since I've been working on a new project. The other day, I was looking for a Bible dictionary on the Internet, and couldn't…
Wordpress Plugins
Someone had written asking about the newly added email plug-in that I added, and I thought it might be cool to list the plug-ins that we're using, and give…
Emailing Posts
New features abound every day! If there is a particular post on this site that you'd like other to see, you can now email them to your friends. Just click on…
Happy Slapping Porn
Before I actually get into my commentary, I should first give you a little background. Today, Drudge linked to an article in the Guardian about the new…
Email Now Available
For those of you who would like to know immediately when we post a new article or story, we now have the ability to send an email whenever we submit a new…
Construction Ahead
We're in the process now of moving our hosting from our own server to an external hosting site. Hopefully, this should make things a lot quicker and more…
Who Owns Your Culture?
In 1990, Paul Simon released " The Rhythm of the Saints ", which continued his foray into world music which he started with "Graceland". The album was very…
More Catholic Than Baptist
Some people had commented to me about the relatively high score that Roman Catholic had scored on my recent denomination survey I had taken. Should it be…
Fat People Unite!
"Being overweight is nowhere near as big a killer as the government thought , ranking No. 7 instead of No. 2 among the nation's leading preventable causes of…
Soda Tabs for Dialysis
My great-uncle Andy, before he died, went a couple times a week for kidney dialysis. I remember growing up, we'd all collect our soda tabs, because they could…
It's Official... I'm Reformed
Found this on the Interweb . It's a survey you can take to figure out where you stand in terms of Christian denominational preference . I'm not too surprised…
Washing Their Hands
Well, it's done ( again? ). The Session has handed over their jurisdiction to the Presbytery . The gist of what they're asking the Presbytery is contained the…
Ruling Elders Who Cannot Teach
I submit that the practice of ordaining people as "ruling" elders who are not able to teach is an evil curse on the Church.
Afternoon Worship
We can't do it. Our family just cannot do this early afternoon worship service thing. Two of our four kids are physically used to napping at that time, and I…
April Status
I guess I should probably give an update as to where our family is in regards to our ongoing conflict with the IPC Session. We had received a letter from the…
For What It's Worth
There's something happening here What it is ain't exactly clear There's a man with a gun over there Telling me I got to beware I think it's time we stop…
Ikea Tax-Free This Weekend
Just found out that the Ikea in Conshohocken is having a tax-free sale this weekend. From the Ikea website: Don't miss the IKEA Tax Weekend Event from April…
New Golf Clubs
I received my new set of golf clubs that I got off EBay this week. There is a fundraising golf tournament coming up next week, and I was invited to play. I…
Comcast's DNS Problems
Great. Out of the frying pan and into the fire. For two evenings in a row now, Comcast has been having some serious DNS issues. It's so bad, Sarah and I…
Verizon is Almost Gone
Well, I've switched over my home ISP from Verizon to Comcast . While I had to do a little hackery to get it to work, I am happy to say that all has been…
Sin City
Sarah and I went to see Sin City tonight with my brother and his new wife. I thought the movie was worth a review. First of all, the movie is extremely…
Ubuntu Linux
I'm currently downloading a torrent of the AMD64 version of Ubuntu Linux for my new laptop. I hate Windows XP (especially the "home" edition), but there are…
Memorial Day Pig Roast 2005
misc/pig05 It's that time of year. Sarah and I are preparing for the annual Memorial Day Pig Roast, and you all are invited to attend the party at the home of…
Back in the States
In case you hadn't noticed, I'm back in the states. The trips were generally productive, but I'm looking foward to a few 40 hour weeks to relax.
Atlantic City
I went to AC last night with my brother for his bachelor's party. Had a pretty good time. It's amazing how dead the streets are at 10:30pm when we arrived, but…
Mono?
Right before I left for Australia, I found out that my friend and coworker Bill was really sick down here. He missed work a few days, and when he went to the…
Nice
The number one search string to find our website this month is "roppongi foreigners death" , due to this post . I'm actually the number #13 link on Google for…
Free Wireless at Narita
Now that's more like it. Remember when I was saying how the United lounge at Chicago O'Hare disappointed me because I had to pay for my wireless connection in…
Obligatory Pictures
album09/IMG_0343 I guess if one goes to another country, that one must take pictures of things. It's no lie to say that I haven't seen the sun in five days…
Status Report
How sad is it to be in one of the most amazing cities in the world, and not being able to take the time to enjoy it? I've been working 12-14 hour days for the…
In Japan
I've arrived in Japan. Didn't sleep much on the plane, and I'm exhausted. Got the BBC on the television, and Soba noodles in my belly. Time to get some real…
On the Road Again
Nice. My new laptop arrived just in time for me to bring it on my trip. When I ordered it, the sales guy told me that it would ship on March 18, and arrive 5-7…
Like We Didn't Know
Found an online nerd test. Like we didn't know what the score was going to be. Take the test and post your scores in the comments... UPDATE: I didn't know that…
Dig Any Holes Lately?
Every now and then, you see stories that are so deliciously ironic that you have to laugh out loud. Today, I found one… Annette "Flirty" Stevens, president…
Intellectual Property
I've created a new category to organize my thoughts on intellectual property, copyrights, and their relationship to Biblical ethics. As I said in a previous…
Discernment
Saw this quote originally written in Christianity Today by Lewis Smedes : Seeing reality for what it is is what we call discernment. The work of discernment is…
Or It Could Be Swollen Tonsils
Young Tilly Merrell, a seven-year-old girl from England, had never eaten solid food, since she was diagnosed as a child baby with Bulbar Palsy , a condition…
My New Laptop
Sarah and I had been going back and forth on the status of our computers. She's been spending more time writing in the past few months, and we've started to…
Sin City
From the Consular Information Sheet on Japan : Concerns Regarding Roppongi, Tokyo: We note that an American Citizen was murdered in early December 2004 in the…
New Church Members?
A week ago Sunday, we had a couple guys in our church stand before the congregation and answer the "membership questions" that our pastor asks all new church…
Money Where Your Mouth Is
misc/3mmoneyglass Here's putting your money where your mouth is. 3M has created an ad in a bus stop advertising their security glass. It's not all cash, but…
15 Feet of Snow
We got about an inch or two of snow last night. Nothing major, with just a little accumulation. Compare that to India's portion of Kashmir, which this past…
Homskoolerz
misc/639ls Ah, the old "abuse masquerading as homeschooling" argument has reared it's proverbial ugly head again, this time in the form of a political cartoon…
Federal Vision Repository Online
Grace Fellowship Church is now posting and editing a repository of documents dealing with the Federal Vision and the New Perspective on Paul, and it's "…
Photo of the Week
misc/i_beat_anorexia I've decided to start doing a "photo of the week" to find the best of the photos I see in a week. I'm starting off with one I saw a few…
Yankee or Dixie
Find out whether you're a Yankee or Dixie on this easy quiz. It'll take you 5 minutes to get through, and you're learn some interesting regional terms and…
Microsoft's Guide to Being Cool
Microsoft has posted a guide to "133t5p33k" (aka "elite-speak"). Now, you parents can understand why Johnny keeps saying that the IRS has o\/\/n3d you. It…
Bible Link Test
I added a new plugin that will automatically link scripture references to The Bible Gateway . Below are a couple tests to see if they link up correctly. Romans…
The Narrower Catechism
This is good for a laugh. I'm sure this'll upset a few friends and one or two relatives, but it's still pretty danged funny. Without further ado, here is The…
Baby Name Tool
This is a pretty neat tool I found out there . It's an interactive java tool showing name trends over the last century . Turns out my name is on the decline…
Upgraded Blog Software
Wordpress released version 1.5. I have a psychological need to run the latest version of any software, so I upgraded. Now I need to move over the custom stuff…
New Baby Boy!
album10/IMG_0244 Awesome! Micah Stephen Albrecht introduced himself to our family this evening. Both Sarah and baby are doing just fine. Sarah was amazing! We…
Mmm... Italian Pork
misc/item_cheesesteak I didn't know until very recently that Philadelphia has two sandwiches vying for official Philly sandwich. Of course, one is the Philly…
It's For Your Own Good!
The Fare Inspectors tried to prevent me from taking photos under threat of citation. When I refused to stop, they tried to cite me but couldn't find any…
The Businessman
Another parable blatently stolen from Doug Wilson : Once there was a man who would not write anything down. This was only a mild nuisance when it came to…
Central Carolina Also Speaks
Following close on the heels of the actions of the Mississippi Valley Presbytery , Central Carolina Presbytery has passed the following motion: Whereas on…
More from Mississippi
More quality discernment from our Mississippi brethren : Additionally, leading pastor-theologians in the Reformed and evangelical world have raised concerns…
Lines Being Drawn
Mississippi Valley Presbytery has unanimously adopted this study ( WARNING: PDF ) of the Ad Hoc Committee on the "New Perspective on Paul", "Federal Vision"…
You Cannot Deny Evil Exists
Our pluralistic society didn't like it when Bush referred to certain countries as an "Axis of Evil". To call something "evil" means that we're placing an…
David Prowse is My Hero
misc/dprowse I've mentioned before that I think George Lucas' decision to change the Star Wars movies was one of the dumbest ideas ever, and totally destroyed…
Instant Messenger
I usually don't blog about work too often, but I thought it was worth mentioning that Lockheed Martin rolled out the Microsoft Windows Messenger client to all…
Who Out There?
This is pretty cool. A blogger in London has set up a database for associating geocoordinates with websites called " GeoURL ". You can register a website, and…
Christian Prenups
In the past few months, there have been discussions going on in certain circles about Christian marriage, and specifically about prenuptial agreements and…
Tumble-Bumble
album05/IMG_0421 Aiden fell down this morning. Anyone who knows my son also knows that falling down is not newsworthy enough to write about. This was…
New Format
Never one to be satisfied with anything, I was up until 1am changing the layout of the weblog. I decided to go with a three-column layout, so the left side was…
Photographic Test
PicsOfKids/110_1006 Just wanted to test adding pictures to our blog entries. It looks like it's simply a matter of a few clicks, copy and paste a filename, and…
Conservative?
"To say that someone is a conservative does not tell us what he is interested in conserving. Within our lifetimes, we have seen hard line communists trying to…
Words Without Definitions
I've been reading over George W. Bush's inauguration speech he gave on Thursday. After reading it, I think I'm starting to understand why so many evangelicals…
Collapse of Society
Our society is collapsing around us. Basic concepts of civilization have slowly eroded to the point where we have simply lost any sense of intelligence as a…
Oh, Bill!
Bill Gates. Teen Beat Magazine. 'nough said . (via BoingBoing ) Turns out, the photos were real, but the attibution was wrong. According to Snopes , they were…
Commission Meeting
Yesterday, Sarah and I met with the Judicial Commission from Heritage Presbytery over our recent complaints . It was difficult for me to imagine it possible…
How Many RIAA Lawyers?
Q: How many RIAA lawyers does it take to screw in a light blub? A: We at the RIAA think we will never really know, as we are fairly sure that each lightbulb…
Bookcrossing
Sarah and I spent our Saturday weeding our book collection. Instead of taking them to the library, or (God forbid) throwing them in the trash, we've set up a…
Lost Humor (part 1)
My wife gave me an early Christmas present, since she thought it would approprite for some of the conversations I've been recently been participating online …
Comments Fixed (Again)
I upgraded our blogging software, and didn't realize that it broke the ability for y'all to comment. I found out from a reader, and I've got the comments…
A Christian Response to Jonathan Swift
It sometimes amazes me that out of the same pen can come amazing tales and immoral treatises alike. I am sure that many of my readers know and love the book…
Read What You Sign
salguod just posted a scan of his register receipt from his local video store. Apparently, in signing the receipt, he agreed to "surrender [his] soul for all…
Free Speech and Dissent
Lawrence Lessig has invited Geoffrey Stone to guest blog until Saturday while he's away in Italy working on Creative Commons stuff. Geoff is a professor of law…
Truth and Laughter
"The truth of the gospel leads inexorably to laughter. Those who want to glower as they cling to truth want something that can never be. Whatever it is they…
My First Scam in German
While I've received over a hundred of the Nigeran Scam emails, today marked a turning point, as I have received my first email in German. I assume it's one of…
Full Recovery
I forgot to mention this! I stopped by the surgeons last week for a followup check to my recent surgery , and I got a clean bill of health. Praise God, the…
Grim Calendar
I found out that Cryptome.org has a detailed chart of American soldiers dead in Iraq (when, where, and how) . There's been a lot of talk about removing…
Joke of the Day
Q. Why does a chicken coop have two doors? A. Because if it had four doors it would be a chicken sedan.
Power Outage
Sigh... power went out this morning right after we left for church. Didn't get back home until this evening, which means the system was down for over 12 hours…
Orthodox and Catholics Together?
The schism between the Orthodox Churches and the Roman Catholic Church make the Protestant/Catholic split look like a minor disagreement. It surprised me, then…
If the Federal Vision Were a Beer
Doug Wilson has posted a review of Guy Waters' new book, Justification and the New Perspectives on Paul , and he seems to agree with the author who seems to…
So, What Do You Really Think?
While I have no plans on seeing the movie, this review of Alexander in the Marin Independant Journal has probably cemented my resolve not to go. The reviewer…
Quotes on Thanksgiving
"When we were children we were grateful to those who filled our stockings at Christmas time. Why are we not grateful to God for filling our stockings with…
Protect Yourself This Thanksgiving
While the Thanksgiving holidays have traditionally been a celebration of the blessings that God has given us, and a yearly time set aside to thank our Provider…
Everyone Needs the Gospel
This is... interesting. I stumbled on Molatar's Castle from BoingBoing . The site has the goal of "spreading the Gospel in the werewolf and furry communities."…
Parenting in 2004
I don't recall my parents ever saying this... perhaps it might have helped. My son, Thomas, is now prone to sneaking into the office to use the computer. I…
They Didn't Know?!
One one hand, this story has a "well, duh..." element about it. On the other hand, it's dumbfounding how disfunctional our federal government, and how we…
Helping God Along?
Have Premillennial Dispensationalists become discontent with simply watching the prophetic events unfold around them, and decided to help try speed up God's…
But We All Knew That
Take the "How Do You Use Magic?" test! Written by Brimo
When Will They Learn?
You would think after the embarrassment caused by the "faulty intellegence" we had on Iraq and their weapons capabilities, that the Bush Administration would…
Internet Explorer, You're Fired
An editorial in the Washington Post has endorsed Firefox as their browser of choice. Looking at my logs, I can see that many of you are using IE... perhaps the…
Bush is a Neoconservative
Well, President Bush has won reelection, and I cannot say that I'm disappointed. The idea of John Kerry as President kinda scared me, especially since I…
New Blog Title
You may have noticed that we've changed the name of our weblog. The title deserves an explanation. In his classic (and sadly underrated) movie, The Adventures…
Back in Japan
Sarah and I have arrived safely in Japan, after a really long flight. Door to door, it took 23 hours to get here. For the first time, I flew in the back of the…
Countries I've Visited
Cool! Go to World 66 to make a map of the countries you've visted! My map is below. Here are the states I've visited... Actually, World 66 looks like it could…
Will the North Secede?
BoingBoing has an interesting article , calling for the secession of the yankee states. Even Chris Matthews noted on Tuesday night how the states that voted…
Specter and the President
Blatently stolen from the National Review Online . ----- A Liberal Republican Senator from Pennsylvania and a President -- both running for reelection -- need…
Bleed Until Bankrupt?
I never actually calculated how effective the 9/11 attacks were financially for the Al-Qadea attackers. According to Bloomberg , the tactic of financially…
Halloween Mushroom
While I really don't care much for Halloween, I thought this was a pretty cool design. Combine pumpkin carving with classic video games , and you get... 1upkin…
Voices from the Desert
I could understand former Congressman Bob Barr's thinking when he wrote the following recently: Voting for president used to be so easy, at least for a…
Can You Admit When You're Wrong?
I think one of my bigger gripes is that so many excuses that are coming from Bush Administration about the whole Iraq war, and no one can just admit "We were…
Truly Mighter Than the Sword
As I start to reach middle age, I'm starting to take notice of life's smaller pleasures. Take, for instance, my Zebra Sarasa gel pen. Before I can explain the…
One Major Point for Peroutka
Just received this email from an associate of mine on the Reformed Theology Discussion List . In a previous post , I asked to see "just see one person in the…
Doug Wilson Seems to Agree With Me
As a matter of settled policy, Bush has observed Ramadan in the White House, conducted a polytheistic worship service in the National Cathedral, offered…
Hold Your Nose When You Vote
The election looms ever closer, and I'm realizing that I need to make a decision who I'm going to vote for in the upcoming presidential election. For those of…
Jon Stewart on Crossfire
You need to see Jon Stewart on Crossfire . Tucker Carlson looked like his head was going to explode. You can download the BitTorrent here . You can also read…
Limited Scope?
How many times have we heard that the "insurgent/terrorist" attacks in Iraq are limited to particular areas of Iraq (i.e. Fallujah, Sadr City, Ramadi, etc.)?…
Voices from Prison
Amazing words from an inmate down in out in America's prison. It will truly bring a tear to your eye.
Why Kerry Can't Afford New Programs
"A plan is not a litany of complaints, and it's not laying out programs you can't pay for,'' Bush said during the last debate. I wonder why it is that Kerry…
I am a Freak!
Another one of them danged online tests , this one to determine my personality disorder. It's good to know that I'm a paranoid narcissist ! Disorder Rating…
Paedo? Credo? Other?
Mark Horne has posted another good commentary on baptism in the Reformed Churches, and their common tendency to become credobaptists when it comes to baptizing…
An Open Letter to George Lucas
Dear Mr. Lucas, Despite your best efforts, my acquaintances and I have managed to procure a copy of the original Star Wars movies in a format superior than the…
Comments Are Now Working!
Well, it's good to know that this personal injury time wasn't a total waste. I decided that I was going to fix a frustrating problem once and for all, and…
The Great Awakening, and the Infant Casualties
I am currently half-way through Lewis Bevens Schenck's " The Presbyterian Doctrine of Children in the Covenant" . So far, it's been a very good read. The book…
I Had a Bad Day Today
So, my surgery went Ok, and the doctor seemed happy about both the surgery and my recovery from the anesthesia. After all the horror stories that others have…
An Open Letter From the President
Dear Presidential Debate Commission: I did not like this experience at all. It was scary. I have instructed Karl Rove to look into whether debates are…
The 2004 Presidential Drinking Game
Stole this from the Chicago Tribune By David Martin. September 29, 2004 Let's face it. The presidential debates are a nuisance. But for whatever reason, most…
Uneducated and Docile
You gotta love The Memory Hole . While many of us realize that the design of the public school creates an assembly line type of "education" system, where…
Surgery Tomorrow
Sigh.... don't read this post while you're eating. I'm going in for surgery tomorrow. For the last nine years, I've been living with a pilonidal cyst in my…
Advice for Church Leaders
Recently, historians have discovered an old letter from Presbyterian Elder Screwtape to a young elder, Wormwood. It's a short letter, and provides a lot of…
Cuban Cigars May Not Be What They Once Were
As any cigar affectianado knows, Cuban cigars are considered the ultimate in forbidden fruit. Since the embargo was enacted on Cuba in the 1960's, their cigars…
Performance Art
Amazing! Simply amazing. The French obviously have too much time on their hands.
Compassion or Guilt?
I would hope that as Christians consider the issues, they truly consider their Christian brothers around the world, and the solutions to the poverty that…
Which OS Are You?
Well, I took another one of those stupid online quizes. Which OS are You?
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence
A gang of us went to see Innocence last night, and, well, I wasn't too impressed. The visual imagery was incredible, and the story was pretty involved, but as…
What is RSS?
You may have noticed the RSS links at the bottom-right side of this website, linking to some weird XML data. These links contain the feed data for our website…
Death and Burial
There are many aspects of life that we often take for granted, culturally, without considering them from a Biblical perspective. I take a certain pleasure in…
Cigars at Midnight
Wow... I am smoking the strongest cigar ever. "Buzzing" is too weak a word for what I'm going through right now. It's called a " La Aroma De Cuba ", which…
Hypocracy and Other Bullshit
Matt 5:22b "Whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire." I love the…
Public School Teachers More Likely to Send Their Kids to Private Schools
Surprise, Surprise! Who best would know about the conditions of America's public school system than the teachers who work there? If their opinions of the…
What Happened to Expository Preaching?
Well, the PCA web-magazine, By Faith Online may actually have restored a little bit of my faith in it. For a while, it seems that the magazine has been…
The Evils of Pietism
So, what is pietism, and why is it evil? Doug Wilson defines it by saying, "though piety is nothing more than simple godliness, pietism is a thorough-going…
God the Dangerous
Credenda Agenda has a new issue online with a powerful photograph on their front cover of a coyote's corpse dangling on a barbed wire fence. The author then…
The Nature of Marriage
As Sarah and I were driving home this past Sunday from my sister-in-law's wedding, we were discussing the nature of marriage. I think the conversation came up…
Are Government Redactions a Joke?
The Memory Hole wrote up a quick little investigation into an instance of the United States Justice Department 's attempt at hiding information. "Redaction" is…
We're Home
I'm a little bit upset with my Internet setup at home. While I was down in Australia , I discovered that the website went down. As if that's not enough of a…
How to Blog
Simon World has an informal list of dos and donts for bloggers. Some of the interesting ones include #15 "Learn to spell or how to use a spell-checker." and…
I Broke My Camera!
I can't believe it! I was out at Pebbly Beach today with Bob Becker and Larry Butler, and I got hit by a freak wave. My camera was soaked, and now it won't…
Wonderful Evening in Canberra
Today I experienced a "Australian" evening. We went to the Wig 'n Pen Brewhouse , and spend a good two hours there with the site guys after work. Had a great…
Rugby Match!
Today, Bob and I went to a Raiders game, which is Canberra's local Rugby League team. We heard from the onsite guys that the Raiders generally weren't very…
Thoughts from Australia
Sorry I haven't really had a chance to write, but the internet connection for my website is extremely flaky, which is why anyone who has tried to post comments…
Who Should Prevent Genocide?
With the ongoing situation continuing in the Darfor region of Sudan, it looks as though both the U.S. and the U.N. are reluctant to step in to prevent the…
Verses of the Day
Psalms 38:12-16 Those also who seek my life lay snares for me; Those who seek my hurt speak of destruction, And plan deception all the day long. But I, like a…
Some Early Aussie Pics Online
I've got some of my first pics up online. It's a bit chilly down here, and it's rather dry, so while it can be mild during the day, at night, it'll quickly…
Writing in the Airport
Airports are amazing places. I usually fly Northwest, but they don't fly down to Australia, so I needed to pick a different airline. United was my only choice…
She Was Alive?
Have you ever heard about the death of some really old celebrity and the first thought the pops into your head is, "She was still alive?" Fay Wray died this…
Short Notice
Well, I found out today that one of the guys who was supposed to be leaving for Australia today ran into snags getting his visa, and needed a quick…
Confidentiality?
PittsburghLIVE.com has a story about an obscure but amazing law in Pennsylvania. Apparently, doctors in Pennsylvania are required to notify the PA Department…
I Hate Verizon
I hate Verizon with a passion. It amazes me that a company would deliver technology like DSL right to my door, and then put a lock on it so I can't use it for…
Prozac in the Water
Boing Boing has a link to a BBC story describing that the Brits are consuming and... er... expelling such large amounts of Prozac, that the water tests are…
Sick Kids; Sick Parents
Aiden woke up yesterday with a runny nose, and as Sarah and I feared, more of the kids woke up with the sniffles this morning. There's been a rather sudden…
The Shipwrecked Presbyterian
Doug Wilson has posted a quaint little story on his blog. Although, as one person observed, it wouldn't be a very good presbytery with only one church.
Friends in the Church
Ray Doreian stopped by today to see how Sarah and I were doing, and to pray with us. I appreciate that he took the time out to talk to us, instead of judging…
New Weblog
Due to the pain caused by losing a month of weblog entries, I've decided to switch to a more... robust weblog. I've heard good things about WordPress , so this…
Beer and Civilization
Fark had this link to a pretty interesting article on Beer and Civilization . While the author makes some questionable statements ("Noah carried beer on the…
Quote of the Day
"Safety from external danger is the most powerful director of national conduct. Even the ardent love of liberty will, after a time, give way to its dictates…
Financially Supporting Michael Moore
So, Michael Moore 's new movie, Fahrenheit 9/11 , is coming out this Friday, and I'm really interesting in seeing it. Now, being as his last movie, Bowling for…
Arrrrgh!
So, I came home from work a few days ago, and my monitor wouldn't come up. The light was green, so it was getting a signal from my computer, but nothing came…
Some Rights Reserved
You may have noticed at the bottom of all the webpages on my side, that there is a "Some Rights Reserved" icon. Clicking on it will take you to the Creative…
So, I Laughed
Normally, I believe that the bedroom is a sacred (read "set-apart", not "holy") room; a private area dedicated to the special, personal relationship between a…
Cute?
[Image no longer available: Muqtada Al Sadr] How am I supposed to react when my wife says that this guy is cute? She also says I'm cute! What does that say…
Home From Japan
Well, last night I made it hope from Japan. I had a busy last couple days over there, and I didn't really have to write about them here while they were…
Meiji Shrine
Tony Rogers, Bob Grawl, and I had a day off today, so we took a trip down to the Meiji shrine in the southwest part of the city. We started out the morning…
Food!
The food is so expensive here! You have to look hard to find a place that will sell you a decent, filling dinner for less than $20. Last night, we went to the…
There and Back Again
I made it home from England, and I'm back on the road again. This time, my travels take me to Japan, home of samurai and Hello Kitty. I was able to wander…
Skittles
It takes flying over to England to learn me a new game. The Cross Keys has, in addition to pool and darts, an interesting game of skill called Skittles …
Tales From Overseas
Well, I've got a little break from work, so I'm writing up a quick journal entry. I arrived safely, and spent a day touring London, exhausted. I couldn't sleep…
I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane
I'll be leaving tomorrow for England on a business trip for work. The job that we're doing there seems a lot more "open" than most of my recent work (when I…
Perseverance of the Saints
Barry, our benevolent dictator on the RTDISC list, had written the following on the list, "The doctrine of perseverence is not to be used as some sort of…
Retractions and Clarifications
I've been digging through the archives of the Reformed Theology Discussion List , and after reading a lot of my old posts, I posted the following to the list…
Irish Stout Opened
Just opened my new bottle of Irish Stout. I'm drinking it and typing at the same time. I haven't chilled it, but just pulled it right from the case in the…
Tiring Day
Spent about 4 hours this morning over at Janet Hobson's house doing a lot of "spring-cleaning" maintenance to her house. Eric Vannoy organized the excursion…
Travel
Found out today that I'm going to be spending a couple weeks in England at the end of May, followed by a couple weeks in Japan at the beginning of June. I've…
Got Polled Last Night
Last night, I got called by the Quinnipiac University poll about the Specter - Toomey Republican Senatorial Primary in Pennsylvania. The last poll called 431…
Sunflowers Planted
Thomas and I planted the sunflowers just outside the fence in the backyard. I dug the hole, and Thomas planted the seed. I covered the hole over, and Thomas…
Mandrake, Take 2
As part of my ongoing quest to educate myself on the different linux distributions available, I'm going to be wiping out my Fedora build and putting Mandrake's…
Drinking With Calvin and Luther by Jim West
If you have ever gone to a good brewery or pub, you may know that for a small fee, the bartenders will be happy to pull into a small glass a sample of whatever…