mind doodling

The Lord is my Shepherd

2011-09-15T08:03:00.000+02:00

Some words of encouragement for the tough times...

Psalm 23:
The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.
He lets me rest in green meadows;
He leads me beside peaceful streams.
He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honour to His name.
Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid,
for You are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.
You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies.
you honour me by anointing my head with oil.
My cup overflows with blessings.
Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the LORD forever.

Psalm 3 says:

Lord, how they have increased who trouble me!

Many are they who rise up against me.

Many are they who say of me,

"There is no help for him in God." Selah

But You, oh Lord, are a shield for me,

My glory and the One who lifts up my head.

I cried to the Lord with my voice

And He heard me from His holy hill.

...

What I'm realising is that God is SO ultimately sovereign and victorious, that He calls us to love our enemies. He loves them, He seeks to show them mercy and kindness.. And He wants us to be like Him, at the ultimate cost. Oh what a glorious opportunity it is to be called to share in His sufferings...

Glory to God on high, the Lord of hosts, King of all kings and Lord of all lords..

relaxed, ready for the next half of the year!

2011-08-22T09:57:00.000+02:00

Just returned from an incredible weekend away at Magalies - went to mountain sanctuary park. I hope to definitely be returning there soon! (Next time with grounding for my sleeping bag). Seeing the stars display their array of beauty at night made me stand in awe of our Creator as well as feel quite small and insignificant at the same time.

I've also forgiven the baboon that took the meat we cooked Sat night (it was going to be our lunch on Sunday).. That took a lot, as I wanted to hunt him down with a paintball gun (I could have - I had mine with!) But then I thought he might have more friends and I don't have that many paint balls..

Swimming in the river was icy and awesome - it was a bittersweet experience, and wow, the trails were great.. I'm glad we didn't bump into one of the many snakes that inhabit the region, I think they all hibernating actually.

So yeah, I'm ready for the rest of the year - a bit late, but I'm amped now to get back into the trenches.

Today's gonna be good..

2011-07-12T10:58:00.000+02:00

I have my reasons:

I got this blogger interface to work again. It was having trouble under the old editor.
I have FINALLY gotten MWeb to do what we asked them to do.

I first informed them of our intention to transfer on the 7th of June.
I requested a cancellation of my client's account on the 23rd of June.
After some back and forth, we got the document we needed to cancel, and my client sent it through on the 27th June.
No word from MWeb.
I followed up.
We get a request from MWeb on the 5th of July, asking what we want to do with this domain.
I, as the technical contact on this account, reply, and ask them to urgently open the domain for transfer.
This gets ignored.
We follow up.
It gets ignored.
I post my frustration on Twitter, and a friendly MWeb person assures me they will look into this. 6 July this is.
He escalates the issue.
Nothing happens.
8 July I follow up, he escalates it again.
Nothing happens.
9 July, I call Mweb Customer support. The lady on the phone assures me that this will get sorted this day, she will SMS me when this is done.
Nothing happens.
Today, I call MWeb again, speak to a friendly guy called JP who puts up with my rant. Once I feel better I give the account details and he looks into it. Finds out that it is still not up for transfer. He does what he can and actually sorts it out, for which I'm grateful. I then explain that MWeb owe my client an apology for taking so long. He comes back with something about a mail being sent to my client about what to do with the domain. I said I answered that. He said, she needed to.
So, transfer has been sent through, and I'm waiting to see if it goes through, I expect it will.

I have some advice for anyone dealing with MWeb:

If you want anything done, plan for it - they take 24 hours to get back to you with an automated reply.
If you want to cancel an account, plan to do it - I recommend 2 months in advance, start telling them and trying to cancel.
Add the MWeb Twitter guy - while not much happened, he did give me hope, and hope is powerful when dealing with Mweb.
Oh, and instead of getting a technical person to help you, learn the stuff your self. Or send ALL correspondence from the account holder's account, as the account holder; else it's pretty much not valid.

I think that's all... today's going to be a good day! Back to coding Ruby, my favourite language :)

Something by Tozer..

2011-03-27T10:42:00.001+02:00

I just read this.. I love the way Tozer puts it. "And all that He is and all that He's done is for us and all who share the common salvation. With full consciousness of our own demerit we may yet take our place in the love of God, and the poorest and weakest of us may without offense claim for ourselves all the riches of the Godhead in mercy given. I have every right to claim all for myself, knowing that an infinite God can give all of Himself to each of His children." By AW Tozer, the pursuit of man.

posted from Bloggeroid

Ruby, Python and 2011

2010-12-31T13:33:00.000+02:00

Well, after playing a little with both Python and Ruby, I must say, I really like both languages.. However, I'm leaning towards Ruby with it's native OO benefit. Like, everything is OO.

That being said, should I do the project in Ruby, I'll definitely do another site in Python too, as I see it a definite worthwhile language to have too!

Also, had a great idea for a simple Android app... So lots happening in the new year!

I'm SO glad I haven't heard any year rhymes for 2011... I used to hear them each year: 2009 (something something divine), 2008 (something something great)... bleh.. I'm sure someone out there has used "heaven", "leaven", or something. I don't wanna know! haha

Have a good rest of 2010 - catch you next year!

the snake ate the stone to the music...

2010-12-28T11:37:00.000+02:00

Where I was

OK, so a new project is starting in the new year. And I need to select a platform and possibly learn a new language in the process. In the middle of December, I had two choices: Symfony 2 (in PHP) or Ruby on Rails. Both would require a learning curve, but as I'm quite familiar with PHP development, Ruby would require a steeper learning curve.

There were a bunch of factors that I started considering in this decision, not only for myself, but also for my client. I want to develop a sturdy, fast and expandable solution (that's a given). But also, I want to leave them with a solution that doesn't tie them into using me as a developer. Not that I have any plans to abandon them, but I know of people who tie their clients in and I think it's a shocking scenario. Clients should come back to me because of my solid solutions and good service, not because they kinda don't have any other options.

So, obviously, the PHP as a language would be the most popular choice if you're talking developer availability. I found out that we have a Ruby community in SA, but I don't think it's near as big as the PHP one (that's my impression, at any rate). HowEVER (and that's with a capital EVER), Symfony is it's own beast. A PHP developer is not necessarily a Symfony Developer, and many PHP developers settle for more CMSey solutions like Wordpress and Drupal, or other popular frameworks such as ZEND, CakePHP or a simpler framework such as CodeIgniter. This, in my opinion, levels the playing fields between RoR and Symfony as developer support in SA.

The plot thickens

Being on holiday in Cape Town is a great thing. Generally, it's just a good thing. More specifically, it's always a place where I start to think outside the box. Maybe it's the mountains, maybe it's the sea. Whatever it is, I value the way it makes me think differently. So, being in a bookshop in Somerset Mall, I stumble upon a Python book. Something I never considered as an option. My relatively simple decision had gotten more complicated. Now there were 3 contenders: Symfony 2, Ruby on Rails, or Django (python based). I thought to myself, if I'm considering an option where I'd be learning a new language (Ruby), who's to say that Python shouldn't be that language instead. So I buy the book.

Having done some research the last couple of days, it appears that the Rails popularity of 2008 is in a mild decline, and Django and Python is in an increase... Though, that's no reason to choose one from the other. I've decided that 2011 I want to do a project in each (RoR and Django) but, which to tackle first, if not Symfony, is the big question. My gut feel tells me that Python will be easier to get into, but I'll have more support with Rails. So that's where I stand.

I've also just found out that Python 3 (the book I bought) is not usable with Django currently. So the book might show me things that are still un-doable if I do choose the Python route.

At least I can not be accused of making a rash decision when it comes to the path forward. I will know which solution I'm going with on Jan 3, for now, I'm reading more, playing more and hopefully clearing more pro's and cons for each.

iBurst woe's and solution

2010-11-22T20:58:00.000+02:00

I recently ran out of prepaid iBurst again (why I use prepaid iBurst is a whole other story).. and to my surprise, the normal recharge page had an error. I suspect that iBurst wasn't letting me see the recharge page cos I didn't have Internet left to see the page!

An oversight! Pretty much, what one landed up with, was an infinite loop of redirects, one which safari and other browsers (yes, I tried them all) intervened and showed a message like this:

It's hilarious if you think of what is possibly happening: "go somewhere... you have no internet, so go to this page... can't, you have no internet so go to this page.. can't, you have no internet so go to this page" x 5 million.

So, what to do, right? Well, fortunately, the URL of the frame of the recharge window was in my browser history... but, that didn't give me the navigation to recharge, only my account overview showing me zero balance. Then I took a guess, which paid off, I changed the content.php to index.php, and voila, the whole page appeared! I was now free to recharge my internet. For those of you who don't have it in your history, the page is: https://customer.prepaid.ibcore.net/index.php?bw_depleted=1

Now if you don't have Internet, you're probably not reading this now, so I'd encourage you to bookmark that link for when you DO run out on iBurst, in case they haven't fixed this.

Not exactly hacking, but not exactly what your average user can be expected to figure out. Nice one iBurst. You guys are all as bad as each other. I'm soon hoping to be hooking up with ADSL, and jumping into the uncapped world! Yea, that's right, it'll be like 1999 in America, here, in South Africa, today. once.

new resource site

2010-05-28T17:47:00.000+02:00

Hey - check out the new Christian resource site I've created. Feel free to give me any feedback:
www.crossreference.co.za

I boast no more, by Caedman's call

2010-05-17T12:31:00.000+02:00

This song has always blessed me, and it's particularly important when the LORD uses you for His glory, as a reminder, that we boast only in the cross of Christ, only in the grace of God at what He has done in our lives, and only in His power, without which, we wouldn't be able to breath one breath or lift a hand...

Praise God for what He is doing, how He is moving, His majesty is always there, it doesn't arrive only when we see it, the same way the stars and planets were just as glorious before we had the lenses to see them!

What an awesome song, I'm gonna listen to it again now:

No More My God, I boast no more
Of all the duties I have done
I quit the hopes I held before,
To trust the merits of Thy Son

(chorus):

No more my God

I boast no more

Now, for the loss I bear his name,
What was my gain I count my loss
My former pride I call my shame
And nail my glory to His cross

Yes, and I must, I will esteem
All things but loss for Jesus' sake
O may my soul be found in Him
And of His righteousness partake
Amen, amen

The best obedience of my hands
Dares not appear before Thy throne
But faith can answer Thy demands
By pleading what my Lord has done

nifty little renamer

2010-04-16T11:26:00.000+02:00

I'm pretty stoked about a little Automator function I set up to handle a problem I deal with a lot as a web developer - bulk renaming files...

So first, the problem. I get a bunch of 15 or 50 files to use as assets online, either documents or images for a gallery or something. So, more often than not they come like this:

Points tO the KEYNOTE SPEAKER.doc
NewsLETTER version 4.0.pdf
etc

Now, spaces are bad on web, and caps are dreadful. When dealing with a unix server it's worse because you have to match the case exactly. So, mac users - fire up nifty Automator... Let's create a Service:

You'll want to click on the Service option (selected in the image) because that way you'll have your function added to any right click!

Then you'll want to do a couple of things. What I do is create an output directly, which in this case I've called "sized" on my desktop, because my original outputs were all resized images. I digress, create this directory wherever you want it.

Now, you'll see your screen divided into two halves, as indicated in this image. The left half lists functions you can use (arranged in a sort of category -> function drill down effect), and on the right is your flow.

You won't have any items in your flow section yet, so for starters, select "files or folders" in the drop down. This sets the service to expect input as files and folders.

Now, after doing that, you've told automator you're gonna give it files, you need to tell it what to do. So, for safety, start with a copy:

On the left window, in the Library under Files & Folders, find the "Copy Finder Items" task, select it, and drag it into the right-hand window.

Select your desired directory (I've checked "replace existing files").

Then find the "Rename Finder Items" task, and drag it across. Select the dropdown to "Replace Text". Enter a space into the Find: textbox. (I selected in basename only). I then entered an underscore ( _ ) in the Replace: textbox. This is now set to replace all spaces with underscores. You can change your options accordingly.

I also added another Renamer task to set the name to title case. I'll yet do another task which will set the extension to Lowercase. Wow, and save - all done. It's added to the Services menu.

Feel free to download the workflow I did here. Put it in your Services folder, in the Library folder in your user directory. [/Users/_your_username_/Library/Services].

A toaster to the person who picks up the irony in the download...

A thought on testimony

2010-04-15T12:50:00.000+02:00

In Deuteronomy 19:15 the LORD decrees that only by the testimony of two or three witnesses will a charge be sustained. It is a requirement of the LORD that this be so. Interestingly, a decree from the LORD is established and fulfills this requirement, there are two AND three witnesses, two witnesses in observation, three witnesses in agreement.

When the LORD said, "Let there be light" - it was declared, it was so, and it was established with two witnesses to the member of the Godhead who thus spoke, and with three witnesses in terms of agreement to the truth and validity of the speaking.

Everything the LORD does fulfills this - there is agreement, unity, and truth which is all established in any decree.

Rejection of the idea of the trinity, where the three Persons of God is One, means the falling away of the fulfilling of this requirement.

Check out John 5 where Jesus provides witnesses for his testimony - John the baptist, His own works, the Father, scripture, and Moses... that's 5 witnesses to His testimony. Everything fits! wow...

My thoughts on the Apple vs. Flash battle...

2010-03-31T09:43:00.000+02:00

Some history: Apple seem to be launching an all out offensive against supporting Flash on their mobile, mini devices.

I don't think that the Adobe and Apple fight over Flash is about technical issues with running correctly. I think this is what Apple are bleating, but I think it is far from the truth. Here's the real problem Apple face, and it's strategic. Apple are relying on their developer kit for iPhone to win over thousands of developers... and that has been working. A significant reward is needed to convince companies that it's worth developing in a totally new environment on a new platform: Enter iPhone Apps and revenue as the reward, and the Objective C and Apple developer stuff as the environment... Now, logically, once companies are developing for iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, it's not a far leap to develop full-on Mac apps. What has happened, the Mac has become a developers platform, highly supported and tons of software being written for it. Can you see where I'm going here: Flash on these devices, will undermine their strategy of getting more developers, because suddenly people can bypass their precious Objective C platform, and simply use Flash and Flex. Apple don't want this. They REALLY don't want it, cos while in the short term it will benefit them to have more apps in the form of flash apps, in the long term, they go back to square one, and don't have a mass of mac developers.

storms in life

2009-08-05T08:16:00.001+02:00

I know I've posted this before, but again it's been on my mind and in my ears... the words to the song by Jars of Clay, Oh my God. Particularly this part:

Sometimes I cannot forgive

And these days, mercy cuts so deep

If the world was how it should be, maybe I could get some sleep

While I lay, I dream we're better,

Scales were gone and faces light

When we wake, we hate our brother

We still move to hurt each other

Sometimes I can close my eyes,

And all the fear that keeps me silent falls below my heavy breathing,

What makes me so badly bent?

We all have a chance to murder

We all feel the need for wonder

We still want to be reminded that the pain is worth the thunder

Sometimes when I lose my grip, I wonder what to make of heaven

All the times I thought to reach up

All the times I had to give

Babies underneath their beds

Hospitals that cannot treat all the wounds that money causes,

All the comforts of cathedrals

All the cries of thirsty children - this is our inheritance

All the rage of watching mothers - this is our greatest offense

I've often thought how in the midst of the deepest joy, life even at the best times has a tinge of sadness to it. Like a shadow, our lives are marked always with the reminder of memories of a different time, the brevity of life, how change is constant and how love is the only thing that can endure all things. The brighter the life, at times, the more pronounced this shadow becomes.

One thing I want to ask of my Maker, is for Him to give me the courage and strength needed to weather these changes, allowing them to change me into someone He's more pleased with, then enduring the crashing waves and icy cold storms are worthwhile - because then my joy is found in Him, and I know I'm not alone, no matter how I feel.

mac users - keyboards can be bad!!

2009-08-03T08:21:00.001+02:00

Now the firmware of the keyboard can be hacked on a mac! Either we should stay away from software-crack sites and the likes, or we should use the character palette to click all our text onto the screen. Do Linux users also suffer from such security oversights? Apple, come now - watch a Bok game or two, and be more defensive as well as offensive in your strategy!

more info here: http://tr.im/v4DB.

some more thoughts on Jesus

2009-07-29T10:10:00.001+02:00

We're warned in 2 Corinthians 11:3,4 that it is possible to be led astray after another Jesus, other than the one Paul preached...

But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted - you may well put up with it! 2 Corinthians 11:3,4

And another Jesus, and another gospel, other than the one Paul preached are dangerous to tolerate - in Galatians 1:6-8 we read:

I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. Galatians 1:6-8

Those are strong words, which means we must be very careful what kind of doctrines (teachings) about Christ we will embrace or reject. The question remains "Who do you say that I am?" - those were the very words of our Lord to the disciples, and that will one day make all the difference to you and me, when we stand before God. It is interesting also, to note that there is only ONE view of Christ that is biblical, as the very God become man to redeem us. This God who is love, did the very greatest act of love, which is to give your very life for your friends. All deviant views of Christ reject this. The cults who reject the deity of Christ are standing in the same corner as the muslims, the atheists, and all other world religions. Christianity alone is marked by it's clinging to orthodoxy on this very important point.

Fortunately truth is not determined by numbers or popularity! Truth will stand regardless of the onslaught against it. Truth was put to death over 2000 years ago, and three days later, Truth rose up, alive, breathing and powerful.

Some other thoughts:

never EVER in all scripture is it allowed to pray THROUGH someone or something to God... Also no prayer is ever DIRECTED TO someone besides God Almighty.
No angel received prayer, no human prophet or king... they didn't even receive it and let it pass through them to God. This is a heathen practice.

At the end of Acts 7, Stephen, when being stoned and facing death, full of the power of the Holy Spirit, prayed saying "Lord Jesus, receive my Spirit". He was not praying through, but to Jesus... but even if you want to believe he was praying through Jesus, this wouldn't be permitted unless Jesus is God.

never EVER in all scripture is it allowed that a person has the power to forgive sins. Even the priests of Israel did not forgive sins, but relayed the message of forgiveness after the legitimate sacrifice was made according to God's instructions.

This is why the Pharisee's were so enraged when Jesus forgave the sins of the man lowered to Him through the roof... and so, to prove the authority He claimed, He ordered the cripple to stand up and take his bed and walk!

never EVER in all scripture do prophets, judges or kings, or even angels, messengers from heaven, speak and declare the things of God, accept in the name of God and by God's authority.

Yet Jesus, when declaring things relating to God often said "I say to you", instead of "God says thus".

when all around has fallen...

2009-07-19T23:48:00.000+02:00

Some more lyrics, after a totally fulfilling, joyful weekend; filled with good times, moving moments, reflective thoughts on life, its brevity and the shadow of sadness that is ever present as time passes and memories are made. Life is good, and love is true, comfort is real and joy is full.

Driving through Irene this afternoon made me stop to examine the memories that came flooding back. Riding bikes with my friends, stalk the lantern through the veld which is no more. Seeing Irene Farm and the country club... King Street now blocked off. A wild mix of things that haven't changed with new things. Life goes on. The world spins unwavering. We continue in it and I have to wonder am I doing all I can for my King? Am I doing all I can for my friends and for my family? Am I praying enough for those who were close now far and gone?

I'm thinking now of friends past who've fallen aside from the difficult path of truth. I yearn again for true fellowship, for serving the King as one, standing side by side in love and boldness. I'm listening to this song now, and it's for you guys...

When all around has fallen your castle has been burned
You used to be a king here now no one knows your name
You live your life for honour, defender of the faith
But you've been crushed to pieces and no one knows your pain

Come, come lay your weary head be still my friend
Come, rise I'll place my sword upon your shoulder
Come, rise with me

When tomorrow has been stolen and you can't lift your head
And summer feels like winter your heart is full of stone
Though all your hopes have fallen your skin is now your only armour
Wear your scars like medals defender of the faith

Come, come lay your weary head be still my friend
Come, rise I'll place my sword upon your shoulder
Come, come lay your faithful head, be still my friend
Come rise with me
(Song by Delirious)

valley song - jars of clay

2009-07-19T07:47:00.000+02:00

This song has comforted me in many a tough time, and it's doing so now... Be glad my heart, for the Lord, and not for any other reason!

You have led me to the sadness
I have carried this pain
On a back bruised, nearly broken
I'm crying out to you

I will sing of Your mercy
That leads me through valleys of sorrow
To rivers of joy

When death like a Gypsy
Comes to steal what I love
I will still look to the heavens
I will still seek your face

But I fear you aren't listening
Because there are no words
Just the stillness and the hunger
For a faith that assures

I will sing of Your mercy
That leads me through valleys of sorrow
To rivers of joy

Alleluia, alleluia
Alleluia, alleluia

While we wait for rescue
With our eyes tightly shut
Face to the ground using our hands
To cover the fatal cut

And though the pain is an ocean
Tossing us around, around, around
You have calmed greater waters
Higher mountains have come down

"Did Jesus actually ever exist?"

2009-07-15T13:24:00.001+02:00

Some conversations I have had recently have gone on the topic of Jesus' actual existence. There seems to be a popular challenge going around these days to question everything we know, and even assume that which we know is myth or incorrect. Just under two years ago, I'd done some research which I added to a thoughtleader.co.za post, where the author had himself asked the very same question.

I replied with this response (edited), which I feel specifically is a strong argument. The reason I think this is that often the people asking the question of Jesus' existence logically don't hold a high view of scripture and it's accuracy. The accuracy of scripture is a whole other discussion, and could in itself be seen as a distraction from the main point, so I decided to reply from the perspective of extra-biblical accounts of the true historical Jesus. Here are some references and thoughts on that:

- Extra-biblical accounts of Jesus and Christians
There is more extra-biblical evidence of the person of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, than there is of Julius Caesar or Alexander the Great. This has been disputed and challenged, and so I reply with this:
Let’s start recently and move backwards. We have the Protestant Christians today, starting with Luther about 400 years back. So Christianity is definitely as old as that. We have the Roman Catholic Christians. We know that in the 9th Century AD there was a division between the Eastern (or Greek Orthodox) church and Western (or Roman) church. Hence we know it dates back to at least then. We also know that in the 4th Century AD, Christianity had become so powerful that it had pretty much taken possession of the Roman Empire, the mightiest power of the world at that time.
Going earlier, we have Eusebius in 315 AD who wrote a large volume, giving the history of Christ and his church. We also have the testimony of about a hundred Christian authors, dating to the first 3 Centuries.
Let’s set that aside, because if Jesus is in fact a myth made up by dubious early Christians (paranoid anyone?) - we’d need to focus on non-Christian accounts.
Here are 11 of the most noted authors and historians of antiquity, reaching from the middle of the fourth century back to the very days of Christ himself.

Julian (361 A.D.) Julian was a Roman emperor who saw fit to try very hard to put down Christianity. He wrote a book against Christianity, in which he acknowledged that there were multitudes of Christians in Greece and Italy in the days of the apostles, and that many of them were men of high character, such as Cornelius and Sergius Paulus, proconsul of Cyprus. [Lardner’s Works, vol viii. pp.394-411]

Porphyry (270 A.D.) This learned writer acknowledges that Christians were very numerous in the Roman Empire. He admits that miracles were wrought by the apostles (which he ascribed to a magic art). He endeavours to expose them to reproach as the cause of the calamities that befell the Roman Empire. [Horne’s Introduction, vol 1 p. 209]

Galen (220 A.D.) Acknowledges the virtuous principles of the Christians. [Lardner’s Works, vol. viii pp. 90, 91]

Marcus Antoninus (161 A.D.) mentions Christians as furnishing examples of an obstinate contempt of death [Id. vol vii. p 398]

Epictetus (109 A.D.) Mentions the fortitude and constancy of the Christians under persecution. He calls them Galileans.

Lucian (176 A.D.) in his numerous writings bears testimony to the leading facts and principles of Christianity. He says that Christ was crucified in Israel and was worshiped by the Christians. He mentions their contempt for this world, and how they courageously suffered for their religion. He mentions that they were noted for their honesty and integrity, that they were well known in the world, and that they were numerous in Pontus and Paphlagonia and adjoining countries. He ridicules many of their practices and doctrines.

Pliny the Younger (107 A.D.) wrote a detailed letter regarding Christians and seeking advice regarding carrying out his instructions to punish Christians.

Suetonius (65 A.D.) The first general persecution of the Christians was in 65 A.D. under Nero, the tyrant under whom Paul was martyred. This Roman historian said “The Christians likewise were severely punished, - a sort of people addicted to a new and mischievous superstition.”

Tacitus (65 A.D.) was a contemporary with the apostles, one of the most noted secular historians of the Roman world. Mentions Christ, and that he was put to death in the reign of Tiberius, as a criminal under the procurator, Pontius Pilate. He mentions Christianity as a pestilent superstition that broke out afresh and spread not only all over Judea, but Rome also. He continues by putting down the accounts of the persecution of the Christians.

Josephus was a Jewish priest who lived in the very days of the apostles, and in the land of Judea, in his History of the Jews, after referring to their sedition against Pontuis Pilate, bears testimony to Jesus Christ :
“Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man; for he performed many wonderful works. He was a teacher of such men as received the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him many of the Jews and also many of the gentiles. This was the Christ.”
He continues with how Pilate condemned him to the cross, how he appeared to his followers alive again and how they were known as Christians.

Pontius Pilate - the very man by whose authority Christ was crucified has left on record a careful account of that event. The Romans were very careful to make a record of all important events occurring within the empire. This record is preserved in their “Acts of the Senate”. This document was referred to by early Christians in disputes with gentiles, and it was referenced in some of their writings. They would not have done this if this document was not in existence.

Jews - Of all nations, the Jews are the very ones who ought to know best whether there ever was such a man as Jesus Christ, and whether he was put to death in Judea as the new testament affirms. Jesus was a Jew, he lived among the Jews, all his apostles were Jews. It was among the Jews entirely that Christianity was first founded. Now if all this was false, and Christ had never lived, what would the testimony of the Jews be on the life of Christ and his ministry? Could they be persuaded that all these things happened right among their people yet without their knowledge? No. The whole nation would rise up and declare that no such person as Jesus Christ ever lived or died among them. This would settle the point. But now if you were to ask a Jew if he believes that a man such as Jesus of Nazareth, a Jew, lived in Judea 2000 years ago, and that he was put to death on a cross. Every Jew would say “Yes, we have no doubt of that, though we do not believe he was the true Messiah”

To quote Josh McDowell, “the evidence is conclusive. Jesus really lived among us and accomplished powerful works that even hostile, non-Christian sources do not fail to confirm. The skeptics about Jesus’ historicity are simply wrong.”

*main source: New Evidence that Demands a Verdict, Josh McDowell;

the intimate friendship of Jesus

2009-07-06T06:32:00.000+02:00

Last night we were extremely challenged to examine our lives, our faith, and our motives and heart. We were told about Jesus freaks as they were called, who lived and died for their faith - in persecuted nations giving up all to live for their Lord, and then not denying them even with the reality of torture and death. It reminded me of when I was reading about Christians in the persecuted church around the world, and reminded me how free we are here in South Africa. It challenged me: what I am doing with my freedom? Am I using this freedom to advance God's kingdom and show people near and far the love of God? Sadly, the answer to that was what was challenging to me, and my hope and aim is to make steps to advance that in my own life.

I found this this morning, some more writings of Thomas a Kempis. The "a" is meant to have an accent.. Anyhow, here's his 8th chapter from his second book in the Imitation of Christ. I trust is blesses you as it did me.

WHEN Jesus is near, all is well and nothing seems difficult. When He is absent, all is hard. When Jesus does not speak within, all other comfort is empty, but if He says only a word, it brings great consolation.
Did not Mary Magdalen rise at once from her weeping when Martha said to her: "The Master is come, and calleth for thee"? Happy is the hour when Jesus calls one from tears to joy of spirit.
How dry and hard you are without Jesus! How foolish and vain if you desire anything but Him! Is it not a greater loss than losing the whole world? For what, without Jesus, can the world give you? Life without Him is a relentless hell, but living with Him is a sweet paradise. If Jesus be with you, no enemy can harm you.
He who finds Jesus finds a rare treasure, indeed, a good above every good, whereas he who loses Him loses more than the whole world. The man who lives without Jesus is the poorest of the poor, whereas no one is so rich as the man who lives in His grace.
It is a great art to know how to converse with Jesus, and great wisdom to know how to keep Him. Be humble and peaceful, and Jesus will be with you. Be devout and calm, and He will remain with you. You may quickly drive Him away and lose His grace, if you turn back to the outside world. And, if you drive Him away and lose Him, to whom will you go and whom will you then seek as a friend? You cannot live well without a friend, and if Jesus be not your friend above all else, you will be very sad and desolate. Thus, you are acting foolishly if you trust or rejoice in any other. Choose the opposition of the whole world rather than offend Jesus. Of all those who are dear to you, let Him be your special love. Let all things be loved for the sake of Jesus, but Jesus for His own sake.
Jesus Christ must be loved alone with a special love for He alone, of all friends, is good and faithful. For Him and in Him you must love friends and foes alike, and pray to Him that all may know and love Him.
Never desire special praise or love, for that belongs to God alone Who has no equal. Never wish that anyone's affection be centered in you, nor let yourself be taken up with the love of anyone, but let Jesus be in you and in every good man. Be pure and free within, unentangled with any creature.
You must bring to God a clean and open heart if you wish to attend and see how sweet the Lord is. Truly you will never attain this happiness unless His grace prepares you and draws you on so that you may forsake all things to be united with Him alone.
When the grace of God comes to a man he can do all things, but when it leaves him he becomes poor and weak, abandoned, as it were, to affliction. Yet, in this condition he should not become dejected or despair. On the contrary, he should calmly await the will of God and bear whatever befalls him in praise of Jesus Christ, for after winter comes summer, after night, the day, and after the storm, a great calm.

the tough stuff

2009-07-02T16:21:00.000+02:00

I've been thinking a bit about solitude and being alone... Not as a recluse, but in a healthy sense. I remember reading this a while back and I recently found it again... something I'm thinking over while life turmoils on furiously...

SEEK a suitable time for thy meditation, and think frequently of the mercies of God to thee. Leave curious questions. Study such matters as bring thee sorrow for sin rather than amusement. If thou withdraw thyself from trifling conversation and idle goings about, as well as from novelties and gossip, thou shalt find thy time sufficient and apt for good meditation. The greatest saints used to avoid as far as they could the company of men, and chose to live in secret with God.

2. One hath said, "As oft as I have gone among men, so oft have I returned less a man." This is what we often experience when we have been long time in conversation. For it is easier to be altogether silent than it is not to exceed in word. It is easier to remain hidden at home than to keep sufficient guard upon thyself out of doors. He, therefore, that seeketh to reach that which is hidden and spiritual, must go with Jesus "apart from the multitude." No man safely goeth abroad who loveth not to rest at home. No man safely talketh but he who loveth to hold his peace. No man safely ruleth but he who loveth to be subject. No man safely commandeth but he who loveth to obey.

by Thomas a Kempis

security

2009-06-22T16:11:00.000+02:00

It's been brought to my attention that putting my CV details on my site is a security risk. This could also be why my email address for my site is blacklisted on a lot of client's computers. I thought being free and open wouldn't cause too many hassles, and so far it hasn't... but I think I should be safer from now on. Goodbye CV, potential clients can ask for that directly... yeah.

Any thoughts?

On another note, yesterday was the middle of winter - woohoo, summer's on it's way.

soul fire...

2009-03-30T09:10:00.001+02:00

Busy reading Leonard Ravenhill (Why Revival Tarries), and every page is arrayed with ideas and points that are fiery and inspiring. Here are some of them:

Someone now warns us lest we become so heavenly minded that we are of no earthly use. Brother, this generation of believers is not, by and large, suffering from such a complex. The brutal, soul-shaking truth is that we are so earthly minded we are of no heavenly use.

He who fears God fears no man. He who kneels before God will stand in any situation.

Holiness teaching contradicted by unholy living is the bane of this hour.

God does not want partnership with us, but ownership of us.

We try to help God out of difficulties. Remember how Abraham tried to do this, and to this day the earth is cursed with his folly because of Ishmael. On the other hand, Elijah made it as difficult as he could for the Lord. He wanted fire, but he soaked the sacrifice with water! God loves such holy boldness in our prayers. "Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession" (Psalm 2:8)

Oh! my ministering brethren! Much of our praying is but giving God advice! Our praying is discoloured with ambition, either for ourselves or for our denomination. Perish the thought! Our goal must be God alone. It is His honour that is sullied, His blessed Son who is ignored, His laws broken, His name profaned, His Book forgotten, His house made a circus of social efforts.

I know my late Pastor, Ross, used to read and quote Ravenhill a lot, and reading this book, which he incidentally gave me, brings back fond memories, and stirs my soul for hunger for a heavenly fire to purify my wicked heart.

Have a great Monday...

quick addition

2009-01-03T10:55:00.002+02:00

Here's a quick update to the previous post, in addition to the link provided for Zeitgeist, check this one, which I think is brilliantly presented:

From Charlie Campbell's Always be Ready site, Analysis and Response to Zeitgeist.

the sceptic who wasn't there (part two)

2008-12-24T13:18:00.001+02:00

So, as I said before, there are a bunch of other movies (and books) seeking to debunk the claims of Christianity. So much so, that I would say that it seems to actually be a trend! We have Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code, Brian Fleming's God who wasn't there (maybe his god wasn't?), The lost tomb of Jesus (executively produced by the same James Cameron who brought us Terminator and Terminator 2, koel né - haha), Zeitgeist, and then Bill Maher's Religulous. Methinks there might be some money to be made in this fad...

See, I would be quite troubled if these works were filled more with careful and good scholarship, more logical or feasible cases than mere mockery and slander... Now, I believe that the claims made in these movies need to be addressed, for a few reasons, namely:

1. There are answers. Not replying to critics would give the impression that the arguments are solid and unanswered.

2. Christianity welcomes questions, welcomes scrutiny and provides some strong answers for many issues raised. (Many other faiths do not take this stance).

3. Very often the critics offer no alternative, or an even weaker alternative (Francis Crick, the co-discoverer of the DNA double-helix suggests seeding from outer space to explain the structure and design of it).

4. The bulk of the work presented here is very dubious, it makes weak illogical assumptions, purposefully distorts or manipulates the truth to fit a simplistic and skewed result. It deserves to be exposed at most, and at least not taken very seriously.

5. Serious questions should have a platform for expression, and the rubbish needs to be discerned from the authentic and challenging work.

6. We learn the trends of objections, and also, we learn a bit about decent scholarship by reading through good scholarship. For example, I learnt that it is good practice to list your sources when making statements or quoting people or writings. Don't just state a point about history without backing it up - give a reference. What book, page number, author, date of copy, etc. Most of these documentaries fail this in a huge way, it would not allow for them to twist the truth so deftly!

OK, so, here are some useful links that take up the challenge that these movies throw our way.

Religulous:
http://www.tektonics.org/religuguff.html

Zeitgeist:
http://www.xanga.com/JB_Fidei_Defensor/638110989/zeitgeist-rebuttal-speech.html

The God that wasn't there was linked to in my previous post...

Happy holidays!

the sceptic who wasn't there

2008-12-21T16:36:00.002+02:00

I've recently seen a documentary for sale called "The God who wasn't there". I haven't bought it or watched it, because it wasn't free and I don't actively want to support anti-Christian propaganda. In fact, I'm not a fan of any falsehood, even (and especially) those "christian myths" that make their rounds on the net. You've probably heard them, these pithy little stories which have no bearing in truth but are presented as true. Snopes.com puts many of these to rest. But that's a side issue, the point I was trying to make, is that if I'd found out that this documentary was well researched and the scholarship was good but it casts doubts on certain treasured opinions, I would probably give it a shot. But, it isn't. It's more like some 50 year old executive who grew his hair and bought a Harley Davidson... sure, he looks the part, but he's no Hell's Angel. But, before I get a bit too insulting of a movie I've not even watched, let me direct anyone reading this to some reviews, they address many of the allegations made in this film...

http://www.tektonics.org/gk/godthere.html

and

http://www.answeringinfidels.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=87

There are a few other mockumentaries and short films doing the rounds, I'll comment on them soon...

Have a great Christmas!

Jesus is come in the flesh!

2008-12-20T23:02:00.002+02:00

Some great points I've heard from a teaching recently about the bible:

- The bible has a pre-recorded response to every cult (or deviation from the truth) that could ever be imagined!

He gives and example or two such as -

There are answers to the Mormon's (Latter Day Saints) in Galatians 1:8:
But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
- The angel Morani gave Joseph Smith a gospel message different to the one Paul preached...

And this scripture deals with Gnosticism, Doscetism, Prederism (Jesus already came in AD70) as well as Jehovah's Witnesses (who say that when Jesus resurrected was a spirit-being, and assert that He returned to earth in a spirit form in 1914).

2 John 1:7
For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.

is come in the flesh: present participle is used in the greek.
This baffled scholars because John wrote this after Jesus had already come, already resurrected, already gone to heaven but before he had come back.
So why is he using a present tense word here? You would think he would use a past tense or a future tense.
This is the same confession as in 1 John 4:2, except the perfect participle is used there, is replaced by a present participle. It is not clear why the author changed from a perfect particle in 1 John 4:2 to a present participle here; the perfect participle suggests a reference to the incarnation, that is the past. The present participle would suggest a reference to the future second advent.

In short, what's being said is - anyone with a story of Jesus coming "not in the flesh", such is a deceiver. The present participle suggests an ongoing and unending action.
- So, this could refer to when He first came to earth as Christ - if you say that when He came to earth He was a Spirit-Being, you're the deceiver.
- If you're saying that when He came to earth in His resurrected state as not in the flesh, you're the deceiver.
- If you say that His second coming either was or will be in a Spirit, non-flesh form, you're the deceiver.

This absolutely crushes all the Jesus was/is a spirit-being arguments.

Mumbai attacks are just the tip of the iceberg

2008-12-09T13:39:00.001+02:00

It has been reported on many watchdog news sites that the attacks and persecution in India has been rife. While these don't get as much world news attention as the Mumbai attacks, the carnage continues as radical Hindu groups attack Christians and burn down churches and villages.

See more information here: http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/952138908.html

Please keep these brothers and sisters in your prayers!

and after a long pause...

2008-09-07T10:17:00.003+02:00

I've just read the most incredible quote, and I quote it from a book that I'm wolfing down. I actually think I'll finish this book (i love reading but seldom commit to completing a work).

Anyway, the quote:
"Religion, opium for the people! To those suffering pain, humiliation, illness, and serfdom, it promised a reward in afterlife. And now we are witnessing a transformation. A true opium of the people is a belief in nothingness after death, the huge solace of thinking that for our betrayals, greed, cowardice, murders we are not going to be judged. The Marxist creed has now been inverted. The true opium of modernity is the belief that there is no God, so that humans are free to do precisely as they please."
Czeslaw Milosz, winner of Nobel Prize in Literature, from an essay called "The Discreet Charm of Nihilism.

And the book I'm reading: Beyond Opinion, by Ravi Zacharias. Get it.. get it?
It addresses many of the challenges I've recently faced in my conversations with post modernists, atheists and my own thoughts on existentialism.

coals of fire...

2008-06-04T22:51:00.001+02:00

that last line, is one of my favourite quotes, this is by Charles H. Spurgeon (or Chuck, as I call him).

Coals of fire cannot be concealed beneath the most sumptuous apparel, they will betray themselves with smoke and flame. Neither can pet sins be long hidden beneath the most ostentatious profession of faith; they will sooner or later discover themselves, and burn sad holes in a person's reputation. Sin needs quenching in the Savior's blood, not concealing under the garb of religion.

what I was saying about China...

2008-06-01T10:35:00.002+02:00

A few months back I posted an entry about my concerns with who South Africa is getting friendly with, specifically China. I haven't gotten into it, because honestly, chasing deadlines keeps me out of spending much time in the political goings-on. Recently I came across this article via another article in the Mail & Guardian. I'd definitely say it's worth a read, and it's something to be very concerned about.

The Washington Post article refers to a letter by President Mbeki addressing President Bush, asking him to butt out of the affairs of Africa. Um, excuse me?

See, this is what I'm thinking at the moment. That South Africa is siding with the likes of China, and other less than savoury nations for two reasons, one - they want a handout, and two, they don't want any prohibitive moral-high-ground conditions associated with it.

See, China doesn't care, it wants the minerals, and I believe South Africa (in its current political standing) will gladly give China what it wants. And China won't try parent or criticise South Africa because China is just as bad as Zimbabwe on the human rights abuses.

But why? Why won't South Africa tolerate any criticism (even good, well placed and helpful criticism). I think the reason is simple: pride. We're too proud to admit that things need fixing. We're too proud to admit that we might need help in fixing things, so what's the alternative - continue as before and sweep any issues under the rug. And that goes with: choosing friends who are more concerned with the offerings on the table, than the condition of the house being in order.

Well, the Washington Post article explains it better than I can, so check it out.

the lovely karoo...

2008-05-23T12:19:00.002+02:00

We live in a beautiful and rich country, and I'm proud to show off a part of it which happens to be my uncle's farm... Nice work to the people who did this site, I think it reflects the beauty of the place very well!

http://www.rietfonteinreserve.co.za

If any of you want to book in on an unusual African holiday, be sure to check this out.

more news on LAOS

2008-04-26T13:20:00.001+02:00

The April edition of the webcast from Release International has a feature story featuring a pastor from Laos who was imprisoned for sharing his faith with others. This is a great way to see first hand, what is happening there, and will give you an idea of the urgency of the prayers these people need from us.

Please check it out here.

humans nearly wiped out 70 000 years ago?

2008-04-25T11:14:00.001+02:00

Well, according to this article on CNN.. See, scientists are finding genetically, that we're all related much much closer than they previously thought. To the point that a while back there were only a bunch of us with common genes... so, what better way to explain it that us almost being utterly wiped out? Then they can have a catastrophe (but not a worldwide flood, ok?), and happily continue with the monkey-business that is evolutionary biology...

Well, I believe there is a better explanation. But it's one that many scientists won't even consider, because it doesn't fit with certain presuppositions. My explanation is: the history of man should be according to the bible and not Darwinian goo-to-you evolution. And yes, my explanation also fits the evidence.

I believe more and more these days that science is going to strongly support a biblical account of things. Science will return to her roots: observation of all of creation, with marvel and wonder being directed at the Creator. I also expect an outcry from the atheistic evolutionary bunch, crying "foul" and not pulling punches in trying to discredit the flow of things.

Laos - Ranking: 9th

2008-04-17T11:14:00.001+02:00

Population: 6 368 000
Capital: Vientiane
Dominant Religion: Buddhism
Languages: Loa
Political leader: Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh
Christians: 2%

Laos is a one party, authoritarian state seen as one of the poorest and least developed countries in Southeast Asia.
Laos' national motto is "Peace, Independence, Democracy, Unity, and Socialism." The truth in the day to day lives of Laos' some 100 000 Christians is very different to what this statement would proclaim. Buddhism and Buddhist organisations are openly encouraged. Government needs approval for any proselytizing, printing of religious texts, or owning a building for worship The importation of religious publications and articles is prohibited.

To give you an idea: On February 19, 2004, Christians living in the Donthapad village in souther Laos were told by a government official, "If you [will] not give up your Christian faith, leave the village; if you do not, you will be punished by death."

A ministry partner of WIN received the following plea for help from one of the villagers: "The officials' purpose is to totally eradicate Christianity. They threatened to destroy our homes and to burn our homes. We are not able to travel anywhere. We are kept in ... confinement. They keep watch on us."

Local Christians have land and livestock confiscated, are made to pay fines for continuing to hold to the Christian faith, and are threatened that if these are not paid quickly, their homes will be burned. These are our brothers afar - who have no peace, independence, democracy or rights, because they aren't valued by the government.

See more here:
http://www.persecution.org/suffering/countryinfodetail.php?countrycode=17

What to pray for

- Pray for the church in Laos to be strong and bold in the face of persecution (Rev 2:9-10)
- Pray that the international community doesn't turn a blind eye to this travesty or a deaf ear to the cries of the Laos' Christians. That international efforts will be effective in securing protection for Laos' Christians.
- Pray for the wisdom of church elders in both pastoring churches and fulfilling the great commission.
- Pray that the hearts of believers will continue to be strengthened by the love of Christ in the midst of the their suffering.

a reply to a soft spot jab

2008-04-13T10:53:00.005+02:00

I've often found in discussing Christianity with agnostics, atheists or just plain argumentatives - that when you can adequately answer or explain one of their objections, they change course and fire at you from a completely different angle. They attack the existence of God, you defend that, they jump to the authority of the Scriptures and claim a dubious alternative history of the book, you present evidence to the contrary, then suddenly Jesus never existed, he was made up by his followers, so you show them how history has more proof of his actual existence than they have of Julius Caesar or Alexander the Great; then they jump onto the one thing they can verbally gouge into, a definite soft spot: the integrity of Christians as a whole, their shortcomings, their failings, and a part history of bloodshed in the name of Christ.

Recently this has been raised again, very close to home as it were, when a friend of mine penned the most scathing and hostile words I have read in a long time. It was so intense, that if it had been said about a nationality, or if it was referring to someone's skin colour, it would certainly be hailed as hate speech. But, it is tolerated, because the guns were aimed at: Christians. Funnily enough, that fact alone speaks volumes. Not that I condone or agree with his attitude for one minute, but rather, that it demonstrates a very distinct point, one that I think has been missed.

Let's look at this. Set aside for now, the details of his argument. Let's look at what he has done:
He has severely publicly criticised and condemned Christians and Christianity. Now, take that simple thought, and apply it to other schools of thought. If, say, his raging were against another worldview, say the atheist communist philosophy.

What would be the outcome if he spoke so passionately against that ideology? If such a diatribe came from the heart of Vietnam, Laos, North Korea, Cuba, or the People's Republic of China - would the author continue to live, work and enjoy life as before they wrote the article? I would feel confident in saying that if he survived, it would probably be in some filthy prison somewhere.

Let's move over to Islam for a bit. What would happen, if his article was aimed at Islam within an Islam-run government. In most places, the punishment would be death. In Iran, for example, atheism and agnosticism are illegal.

But, in a predominantly Christian society (although how many are practicing is another story) - this author is pretty safe. Because, in dealing with individuals, we as Christians are told how to behave by our Master, Jesus Christ. See, Jesus said "by this men will know you're my disciples, by your love one for another" - so, that's pretty plain to see that Jesus Himself regards our actions and words as evidence for our following of Him, and not merely our proclamation as such.

So, while we swing our thoughts now to respond to the argument itself, we must present this: The teachings of Christ are plain as day. We are not to turn and eye for an eye, we are to forgive, to give, to bless rather than be blessed. If the church of Christ strays from this, and seeks to receive more than give, to be blessed more than to bless, or to seek vengeance instead of forgiving - then clearly, they are straying from what Christianity is all about. Because Christianity, is nothing more than following Jesus, in every way possible, taking His example, living by it, taking His Spirit, and walking in the love which He puts in our hearts. It is dependence on Him, on Jesus Christ - utter dependence. It's when this dependence loses footing that things go wrong, and then they can go very wrong.

They have gone wrong before, there are parts that aren't too right now - but I think that to condemn the whole thing either smacks of not understanding Christianity, or something more sinister. I would hope, in the case of my friend, that it is the former.

I could go on, but I think I've arrived at my point - look at the biblical standard of Christianity, defined by Christ, and you will get an image of where the church is meant to be, what the Christians are meant to be like. The degree us Christians fall short of this, is the degree the unbelieving world has something to argue with us. It's the degree the devil has something to accuse us of. In this respect, thank God we have another chance, right now, to bow our knee, seek mercy and forgiveness from the only one who shed His blood on our behalf, so that we can stand up again in newness, in His power, in truth, consumed by love, to show this world a taste of Jesus.

After all, the very reason we enter into discourse about this, is not to win an argument and show our intellectual prowess, no, it's simply, to show them Jesus.

eclipse, adobe flex and setting it all up...

2008-03-03T14:50:00.004+02:00

I've recently installed the new Eclipse IDE on my mac, using Aptana for my main PHP and web development. I've been so impressed in this product, that it's made me curious about Eclipse's other plugins available for more development.

I want to install Flex 3, without buying the FlexBuilder app, so back to Eclipse I go. Wesley Swanepoel, a top designer developer at a UK-based agency, (and also a personal friend of mine) has put the following help on his blog. I find his blog really rewarding - letting him do all the pioneering and then putting his experience online to assist others (newby's to Flex and Flash, like me)!

http://blog.wezside.co.za/2008/01/complete-starter-guide-to-develop-flash.html

Check it out if you're getting into Flex.

Afghanistan - Ranking: 10th.

2008-02-26T13:56:00.002+02:00

Population: 31 057 000
Capital: Kabul
Religions: Sunni Muslim, Shi'a Muslim
Languages: Pashtu, Afghan Persian (Dari)
Political leader: President Hamid Karzai
Christians: <1%

The Sunnis make up about 80% of the country's population. Afghanistan has a small Christian community. Conversion from Islam is considered apostasy and is punishable by death under the Shari'a Law. There are no Christian or Jewish schools, no Christian churches and one synagogue.

To give you an idea: In 2006 Abdul Rahman was arrested on charges of apostasy and sentenced to death for refusing to return to the Muslim faith. Due to international pressure, Rhaman was released and fled to Italy.

Persecution of Christians is intense. During the Taliban regime, persecution was accomplished formally by law, and informally, by tribes and families.

See more here: http://www.persecution.org/suffering/countryinfodetail.php?countrycode=20

What to pray for

- Pray for godly men and women to obtain positions of influence in the country.
- The Afghani drug trade is estimated to be among the worst in the world. Pray that it will cease.
- Pray for the thousands of underground believers, many not even known by their families. Pray for safety, protection, courage and wisdom. Pray that they may be effectively discipled.

persecution, suffering and prayer

2008-02-08T11:53:00.000+02:00

In recent months, I decided to take use of Google's offer to mail you news updates based on keywords you provide. I chose Symfony (the web based PHP framework which I use), Israel (I don't have a TV and want to keep up to date with the going's on there) and Christians. I've noticed that many of the Christians headlines don't make it to the mainstream google news site. I've also noticed, that much of the news is about persecution cases around the world. This is happening today, and many people are just not aware.

A while back I added a persecution.org widget to this blog on the left hand column, showing highlights from a Christian based advocacy group. Take a look from time to time at those links. That being said I move on to the reason for this post:

I recently got a book called "The Persecuted Church Prayer Devotional" - Which is an overview of some of the most hostile countries to find yourself in, if you are a Christian, or involved in Christian ministry in any form. The back of the book states a little known fact: More Christians were martyred in the twentieth century than all the previous centuries combined, and this onslaught has continued unabated into the new century. I agree with the conclusion of the write up, which says that it is our duty to be knowledgeable and to take action on behalf of those who are persecuted. Also that one of the most essential actions we can take is to stand in the gap by being on our knees in prayer.

I happen to know both that modern persecution is very real, knowing someone who travels to Sudan now and then to assist with ministry there. Also I know some people in the East who go to places like Tibet and China. It is interesting that many people that I speak to do not know things that are not well represented in modern media.

In the next few weeks I want to take a look at the top ten ranked countries, for violations against Christians and the kind of violations that occur. My aim is twofold: to create awareness, and hopefully by so doing, to create a desire for intense prayer, regarding what is going on there. The book contains many more than ten countries, detailing these violations in an easily accessible format - well worth looking into. The first country we will look at, is ranked tenth in it's intensity of persecution against Christians. It is Afghanistan.

Before I start with that (in my next post) - look at the samples I got from today's Google news alert via email on the word Christians:

The cross they bear - Persecution going on in parts of India by the hand of Hindu extremists.
China's crackdown on Christians worsens - 2007 proves to be a tougher year for Christian leaders and people in house churches.
Pakistani Christians released by abductors - Five Christians had been abducted my militants on the suspicion of selling liquor.

Note: after a period of time, these links may no longer work.

abide with me

2008-02-06T05:19:00.000+02:00

Abide with me,
Fast falls the eventide.
The darkness deepens;
Lord, with me abide.
When other helpers fail
And comforts flee,
Help of the helpless,
Oh, abide with me.

Swift to it's close
Ebbs out life's little day;
Earth's joys grow dim,
It's glories pass away;
Change and decay
In all around I see;
O thou who changest not,
Abide with me

from William H. Monk, 1823-1889
full version here: http://ingeb.org/spiritua/abidewit.html

peer review and climate change, creationism

2008-02-02T09:48:00.000+02:00

I've also often wondered why the scientific articles/papers I find from creation-science organisations are not submitted or not found in peer-reviewed journals. I suspected a scenario painted by this article, yet I had no idea of the lengths editors would go to to deride or ignore work that would challenge the current popular paradigm.

If you're interested in looking at some of the inner workings of the scientific community that is more blindly trusted than many other fields - read this article. Peer review it yourself. But be sure not to make the same mistakes that this article criticises. Don't throw it out outright because it presents views different to your current opinion of the peer review process.

http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/5613/

some more of Ravi Zacharias...

2008-01-25T02:22:00.000+02:00

The strongest argument against the existence of God, is that people say there is too much of evil in this world and too much suffering therefore there is no God. But can you not then see what is brought in through the back door in that question. Because if there's evil, there's good, if there's good there has to be a moral law, if there's a moral law there has to be a transcendent moral law giver but that's what the question is trying to disprove and not prove. Because if there is no moral law giver then there's no moral law, and if there's no moral law there's no good and if there's not good there's no evil, and then what is the question really?

So the strongest argument against the existence of God actually assumes God in the question.

-by Ravi Zacharias

there's a hole in my packet, dear iBurst, dear iBurst

2008-01-14T02:10:00.000+02:00

The conversation is so old, it's actually boring now. I've heard it so many times, and I'm actually as tired of hearing it as I am experiencing it. The age old how we in South Africa get inferior product/service for inflated costs. Often, there are also no redeeming factors! What I mean is, when I buy a Sony I expect a high standard of quality. Thats with Sony, but with our local business, very often we pay a premium for rubbish. And I believe it's only because we are starved for choice.

My gripe today is with iBurst. And with Eskom. And with the municipality. The story starts with Eskom. I'm still not sure whether it's called load shedding or load sharing. The latter makes more sense to me but I've heard both and so kind of mumble the last word to avoid embarrassment: "load sh (mumble) ing". So, just after 10 today it happens again at my home-office.... "hmm, darn, work from coffee shop" I think to myself as I head off towards Kyalami. Ofcouse, once again I forget to take the alternative route and I'm forced to use the road that hasn't been maintained in over a year and it falling apart... Literally, I could close my eyes and think I'm in Mozambique! Thats a bit dangerous for the other drivers, so eyes open I avoid the potholes (some places more of the road is a large pothole than road)... Now I know why most people in jhb drive a 4x4 - they're only avoiding ruining their cars on the roads. After a morning at the coffee shop I head back to my home, power having been returned, load sh___ing over. Fire up good old iBurst... well, not so good.

I encounter the signal I've grown used to - one little dot on my modem. I struggle to even send out an email. Everything is slow, slower than dial-up... First, a bit of history. When I first got iBurst, I had about 100%-95% signal, all the time (five little green dots). Then, after about 8 months, this all changed drastically, and I've had consistently poor signal for the most part (one to two little dots), except some weekend I get a "burst" of good signal. I have contacted iBurst about this before. I was told there was interference because of buildings, or sun spots, or some koalas nesting on the antennas or something. Anyhoo, pretty much there's nothing they can (or want to) do about it. And no, they can't send me some more replacement little green dots.

Honestly, the connection is so bad that when I try an SVN commit to the server (read: sending 3 text files) - it times out and corrupts the synchronisation of the project.

So, after intense and ongoing frustration (did I mention I'm trying to run a business) - I email them and tell them I'm fed up and want to stop my service. I mention that I suspect saturation being the cause of my frustration with them. I literally pour my heart out into this mail... Hoping them to reply after looking into the matter. Or at least to reply saying they might maybe on a good day, if there's nothing else to do... consider maybe perhaps looking into it.. maybe. Nothing. No reply. Maybe they did reply, but they also can't send mails out because of their connections problems!

I know that this is a local regional problem, because my connection in Somerset West was flying! Though, I imagine that to be because the 5 other people on the Somerset West network weren't downloading at the time!

That being said, I've decided to take this matter to my fan-base. (See Flight of the Concords to understand that one). What I'm afraid of is leaving iBurst for an even poorer experience with Telkom (I've heard the stories), because then I'll be dealing with one of the big stuff-up buzzwords of Afrique du Sud.
Hmm, let's hope I can post this without timing out... pfff.

untitled

2008-01-09T00:52:00.000+02:00

standing, looking at the people, walking in their routine, addicted to their schedules
appointments made - keep busy, thats when we won't notice
something's sorely missing
this life we're all so happily escaping
searching for
anything that will pass the time
anything that will close our eyes
anything that will justify, ourselves.

the smile fades, tears come slowly rolling, down the face of hope,
now, realising the sharp pain
seeing the rejected disgraced and the shallow esteemed

starting to run now
the goal in sight
to empty the depth and fill it with emptiness
to scrape away the very last spot of a reminder of the nobler cause
and polish the bubble and fake smile
the teeth for laughing also for biting
words of hatred wrapped in eloquence

comatose we live, and in a lie we lie and sleep
dreaming that things are better this way

a slave to our freedoms, trapped in our own snares
the more we struggle to rest, the more the rest struggle
as they realise too, that nobody cares

spiral downwards into a dark and lonely place
no longer high on the fumes of getting by, a seeker finds that he is lost
and now at last
he can be found.

hasta la vista...

2007-12-04T02:03:00.000+02:00

I have Vista Business edition installed on my Macbook. I think I posted about it earlier. I hardly use it, but when I do it is a refreshing change and I don't come up with too many problems worth griping about. Well, tonight was different. I wanted to watch a DVD on GoogleWhacking my friend loaned me, and I happened to be in Vista running Virus updates and patches... Well, i insert the DVD, and it politely tells me that i'll use Windows Media 11 to show it. Fair enough, click ok. Then Windows Media moans that I don't have the correct plugin to watch a DVD. huh? This can't be right. Cancel or Web Info... Web Info obviously: I get this...

"If you're running Windows Vista Home Premium or Windows Vista Ultimate, DVD capabilities are included as part of the operating system. If you are running Windows Vista Home Basic, Windows Vista Business, or Windows Vista Enterprise, you can enhance your DVD playback experience by purchasing a DVD decoder pack or by upgrading to a more powerful edition of Windows Vista. "

(Don't believe me? Click here and see!)

Excuse me? PURCHASING? So shelling out a few grand (in ZAR) for Vista wasn't enough to buy me the rights to play a movie, I gotta pay another $15?

This is laughable! I would love them to add this side note: "If you happen to be a mac user, you can alternatively reboot into Mac OS X which comes with your machine at no extra cost and watch a DVD on the included DVD player." Because this is exactly what I did. Shame, poor Vista Business and Enterprise users...

I can actually imagine the suits back at the MS Redmond HQ who thought of this. "I'm a business user and I NEVER need to watch a DVD at work, all I do is type spreadsheets and write proposals."

charity begins at...

2007-11-20T00:33:00.001+02:00

www.rayofhope.co.za

Check it out, every year a bunch of people throw a Christmas party for various orphaned kids. They have a day full of fun, food and gifts. I know for a fact the money goes directly to the kid's benefit as I've attended last year and seen it myself! People, consider digging deep in your pockets if not getting personally involved. Else get involved next year... Details on the site.

Out of interest, the site was done by the hard work of the students of my training course. Contact me for more info on that.

new pics up

2007-11-19T00:03:00.000+02:00

Saturday night my friend Max convinced me that we need to go out and take some night pics with our cameras. We went to a look-out in Linksfield Ridge where we snapped away happily. My first few weren't done with a tripod, but then I used Max's and the results were significantly better. My Camera is a Sony Alpha 100 that I got in April. Check out the album here.

i deserve

2007-11-15T09:36:00.000+02:00

I tasted fruit that was forbidden
I murdered trust that you had given
And now I'm living in a place that's not my home
The pain in your heart made you regret
The moment we spoke, did you forget?
Will my transgressions bring us all to our sweet end?
Maybe I'm just being too hard on myself. I don't know
Or is it that your mercy is much more than I deserve?

Betrayed by more than just a kiss
I did much more I must admit
Instead of letting it all end you bring new hope

(words to the song "I Deserve", by Third Day, from their second album - Conspiracy Theory # 5)

some thoughts on science in the Bible

2007-11-04T10:24:00.000+02:00

The thought was raised from an infidel friend that if the bible is in fact of divine origin, it should have some proof testifying to this fact.
The example he gave was the book containing the number PI to the 100th decimal or something about nuclear fission that we only know about now. Now, there is no PI to the hundredth or Nuclear Fission appendices in the bible. He has actually raised a very good point. It would be a strong argument for the Divine involvement in the scriptures if anything known (discovered) only recently was embedded in scriptures written thousands of years ago.

One must remember not to let today's general knowledge dim this gem. To put it in perspective, if only man-made - one would expect the scriptures to only contain commonly held views at the time of them being written. And so anything true and verifiable that goes against the common wisdom of the day, should stand out glaringly, which it does.

OK, so let's see some substance. One great place to start is in the book of Job. According to Henrietta Mears, Job is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, books in the bible. What a great place to start. Also, much of Job has God boldly declaring Himself and questioning Job's knowledge in contrast to God's wisdom.

Job 26:7 mentions that earth free-floats in space. "He stretches out the north over the void, and hangs the earth upon nothing". Common wisdom of the day said that the earth sat on a large animal.

Here are some other references that you might find interesting. Bear in mind, the bible is not a science text book, but when it touches on topics of science, one would expect it to be accurate if indeed it is true. This is what we find:

Bible: Light moves (Job 38: 19,20)
Wisdom then: Light was fixed
Science now: Light moves

Bible: Air has weight (Job 28:25)
Wisdom then: Air was weightless
Science now: Air has weight

Bible: Each star is different (1 Cor 15:41)
Wisdom then: Stars were the same
Science now: Each star is different

Bible: The earth is a sphere (Isaiah 40:22)
Wisdom then: The earth was flat
Science now: The earth is a sphere

This one is pretty impressive --
Bible: The ocean has springs (Job 38:16)
Wisdom then: Ocean only fed by rivers and rain
Science now: The ocean has springs. The ocean is very deep, with almost all the ocean floor being in total darkness with enormous pressure. It would have been impossible for Job (or anyone in the time of Job) to explore the springs in the sea. In the 1970's, with the help of deep diving research submarines that were constructed to withstand 6000 pounds-per-square-inch pressure, oceanographers discovered springs on the ocean floors.

Some more amazing facts:
The bible describes the Hydrological cycle (Ecclesiastes 1:7; Jeremiah 10:13; Amos 9:6). Four thousand years ago the Bible declared that God "draws up drops of water, which distill as rain from the mist, which the clouds drop down and pour abundantly on man" (Job 36:27-28). The ancients observed mighty rivers flowing into the ocean, but they could not conceive why the sea level never rose. Though they observed rainfall, they had only quaint theories as to its origin. Meteorologists now understand that the hydrological cycle consists of evaporation, atmospheric transportation, distillation and precipitation.

The universe is expanding (Job 9:8; Isaiah 42:5; Jeremiah 51:15; Zechariah 12:1). Repeatedly God declares that He stretches out the heavens. During the early 20th century, most scientists (including Einstein) believed that the universe was static. Other believed it should have collapsed due to gravity. Then in 1929, astronomer Edwin Hubble showed that the distant galaxies were receding from the earth, and the further away they were, the faster they were moving. This discovery revolutionised the field of astronomy. Einstein admitted his mistake, and today most astronomers agree with what the creator told us millennia ago - the universe is expanding!

Check out many more items here: http://www.eternal-productions.org/101science.html

leopard bites some users

2007-10-29T09:19:00.000+02:00

Ok, so I was a bit spontaneous. I should never hastily rush and install a new Operating System the day of it's release. Nope, nothing is wrong, well at least with my installation! But i'm hearing reports of bad installs (blue screens of death) and other reports of odd things, like the latest version of Java not being supported on Leopard. Hmm. Hopefully those can quickly be resolved, and luckily I didn't encounter the blue screen and I'm not a Java developer (though I aspire to be one day!)

So, I'm fortunate - no hassles and an awesome OS, pity that these things are marring what would otherwise be a most excellent upgrade. I guess the pressure of a set deadline gets to everyone, even Apple.

leopard being released today

2007-10-26T02:18:00.000+02:00

OK, For a while I resisted. I told myself that I wouldn't be one of those sad individuals who's go to an OS launch and buy the new OS just because. Well now it seems I've stooped to a new level, I'm going to be one of those sad individuals. Leopard will be in my paws in a few hours... Hopefully I'll smile more than when I successfully put Vista on my machine.

I'm not going to do a review like EVERYONE ELSE who has both a mac and a blog. I'll spare you all...

victory whine made from sour grapes...

2007-10-26T02:04:00.000+02:00

My comments on this article: http://it-online.co.za/content/view/162500/142/

I think the hi-jacking of the event into a political game is both sad, pathetic, and counter-progressive. Yes, political correctness does have an ugly side, and it's bearing itself here.

I have a question for the politicians: if there were a majority "of-colour" representation in our team, and instead of going to the finals we failed to reach the semi finals, would your of-colour-lust be appeased?

It should be about talent. Sure, train up anyone, get them skilled, but then choose a team on talent and teamwork, not on melanin levels.

time to reflect

2007-10-17T09:38:00.000+02:00

Very often for me a large part of living in the city means that some important things get neglected. You get so caught up in the buzz that things go un-noticed or unprayed for, sometimes for months on end.
Some bad news this morning reminded me how important it is to keep praying: for the people in our neighbourhood, for our leaders in government. For justice of the wicked and mercy for the oppressed and destitute. I was also reminded to pray for our brothers and sisters in places where freedom to follow God is hindered or outlawed.
Check these stories:

CHINA: Prominent House Church Leader Repeatedly Beaten by Police – China Aid Association
On October 11, prominent house church leader, Hua Huiqi, was repeatedly attacked by police at his home. According to China Aid Association, "Hua was reading his Bible at his home despite police surrounding his house. He was sent to Beijing Tiantan Hospital, because he lost consciousness after repeated beatings from the police." China's Public Security Bureau (PSB) recently put Hua under house arrest. PSB officers had been surrounding his house when they attacked him. Pastor Hua's 77-year-old mother, Shuang Shuying, remains very ill in prison, serving a two-year sentence. VOM contacts say she is being held hostage by police in order to put pressure on Pastor Hua to reveal names and information of believers. Pray for Hua's speedy recovery and for God to encourage him. Ask the Holy Spirit to convict his attackers and draw them into the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

GAZA STRIP: Gaza Bible Society Worker Murdered – Christian Broadcasting Network
On October 7, 26-year-old Rami Ayyad's body was recovered near the Teachers' Bookshop in the Palestinian territory of Gaza where he worked. His body had stab wounds and bullet holes. According to the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), Ayyad was kidnapped the day before by an unidentified group. CBN quoted the spokesperson for the Palestinian Bible Society, Simon Azazian, who said, "We do not know the exact identity of the group, but we know he was martyred for his faith in Christ." The report added, "Ayyad told co-workers he'd noticed a car with no license plates following him. At 6 p.m. (on Saturday), his wife received a phone call from him saying he'd been taken captive by a group of people and would be home late. A second phone call relayed the same message." Rami is survived by his pregnant wife and two young children. Pray the Holy Spirit comforts his family during this difficult time. Pray Rami's testimony will bring non-believers, especially his killers, into the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Ask God to protect believers in Gaza. Psalm 23, Psalm 91

SUDAN: Suicide Bomber Kills Youth, Wounds Others in Sudanese Church – VOM Sources
On September 27, a suicide bomber in military clothing detonated a grenade, killing five youth and critically wounding four others, in Sudan's Upper Nile state. According to The Voice of the Martyrs' contacts in Sudan, "A pastor was having an overnight service in Khorfullus town, when an unidentified man walked into the service and detonated a grenade, killing himself, five children and critically wounding four others, including the pastor and his wife." VOM contacts added that the bomber was dressed in full military clothing, normally worn by government officials. VOM is assisting families affected by this tragedy during this difficult time. Pray God comforts and encourages the families of those killed. Pray for a speedy recovery for those injured. Psalm 118: 17, Isaiah 40:31

source: Voice of the Martyrs USA

what a weekend!

2007-10-15T10:20:00.000+02:00

saturday: crater cruise.
I started off really early to get to my friends place on time to get to the race in Paryl on time for the start. On my way, half asleep I drove past Hans Strydom drive and found the sign said something like MollyBingo drive. Another name change, another sense of foreign familiarity. I pressed on.
We got to Parys in time for the start but stared up at the ominous storm clouds with hesitation. Should we pack it in and go find breakfast somewhere? No, we ride. I remembered that I didn't bring my raincoat and prepared myself for a very wet 106km. The funny thing about the start of the race, is that we didn't officially start! We were looking for the start, riding around Parys on our bikes, and got directed by some very friendly cops along the way, little did we know that we'd joined the actual race.
The nice thing bout the crater cruise, i was told, is that it's flat. Well, this year they decided to throw in a hill or two. Which was nice variety, but I don't do hills too well.
I was an incredible race, and great to see so many people participating. See, we actually caught up with a bunch of people at the one crossing of the crater, which was bottle necked and had a queue of riders going back far. Being from Joburg, queues and lot's of people was a welcome sight. In races (esp. sprint adventure races) - it's normal for me to be so far back that you don't see others for a long way!!
After an hour or two, the clouds gave way to some sun and we got a good roasting. Better than being drenched in my opinion!
My friend was right, those last 10km were the longest 10km in my whole life! So much for me gunning it in the end. I was very glad when i saw the finish line, but they tease you - you're right there, and then the route turns away and you go through this bushy one track maze before you actually get there. All in all, it was a great race. Not too much corrugation also, I think they'd graded many of the dirt roads.
I'll definitely do it again. Next time, I'll gun it in the last 10km!

sunday: what a game!
What can I say, what an awesome game. Both teams played with heart but we were really performed well. It was a very exciting game to watch, esp. those break-away tries (well, one official and one not awarded)!
All I have to say about next Saturday is: BOKKE!!

apple getting greener

2007-10-15T00:15:00.000+02:00

A very interesting trend to watch in corporations (those which manufacture products) - is their attention to the environment. This is obviously a positive effect of not only laws passed, but pressure applied from various environment lobby groups. While I'm not a vegetarian tree hugger myself, I fully stand on the fact that we should look after God's creation as best we can, and so I recognise the good progress we're making on this front.

Check out this link here.

council of europe's parliamentary assembly: stomps on creationism

2007-10-11T09:38:00.000+02:00

"The Parliamentary Assembly is worried about the possible ill-effects of the spread of creationist ideas within our education systems and about the consequences for our democracies. If we are not careful, creationism could become a threat to human rights which are a key concern of the Council of Europe... The Parliamentary Assembly therefore urges the member states, and especially their education authorities to firmly oppose the teaching of creationism as a scientific discipline on an equal footing with the theory of evolution and in general resist presentation of creationist ideas in any discipline other than religion and to promote the teaching of evolution as a fundamental scientific theory in the school curriculum."

See the story here.

Ok, so a few points.

The stomping out of creationism as an option presented at school levels, happening in the political arena, is a clear display of censorship based on fanaticism. To fanatically opposed something because you fear it'll be fanatical would actually be quite funny if it wasn't so sad.
If the science of creationism is bad and unscientific, show us scientifically, right? I mean, an attitude of "it's not evolution so it's unscientific" doesn't display the empirical kind of science you want to supposedly promote.
See my previous post on truth. If macro-evolution (pond-scum to man) is true, then presenting an alternative view in the scientific arena will stimulate thought, and it will allow our young future scientists to present a decent case against creationism. If however, it is not true, then you certainly have something to worry about because more holes will be poked into it. Is that what concerns you?
To prohibit creationism to protect human rights? I'm actually struggling to read between the lines here. It could either mean, 1) we don't want young, scientifically justified creationists blowing themselves up in buses in central London.. or 2) we value our new evolutionarily-justified values and freedoms to do whatever we please without feeling guilty about a God, so we want to keep this and not have some creationist having a strong case. We don't want these young creationist students to come into parliament in a few years and change our laws to remove our self-serving freedoms.

I happen to be a creationist, and a young-earther-6000-years-since-Adam kind! And I notice how we teach our kids that same sex relationships are natural (though biologically this doesn't float) - and on the other hand, we refuse to tell our kids about intelligent design and creationism, because it might impact our lifestyle later.

more free stuff

2007-10-10T02:17:00.000+02:00

Went into CycleLab at the Extreme Centre on William Nicol to pick up packs for the Crater Cruise race this weekend. Popped inside CycleLab and was pleased to be told about an EAS promotion they're having. I left fully equipped for the race on Sat with energy bars, gel, and even powdered drink. Check it out...

truth

2007-10-09T11:15:00.000+02:00

The very fires used to try destroy the truth provide a light and heat which reveal clearly the truth being attacked. Ultimately, truth cannot be destroyed. It can be put down, killed and buried for a period, but in it's very nature it has the ability to rise up again and boldly proclaim itself. People can mock it, deny it, try to ignore it, but it stands regardless of our best or worst efforts.

desmond tutu lashes out

2007-10-09T08:16:00.000+02:00

Desmond Tutu has made some surprising statements recently in an address in Cape Town. I say surprising not because they are words that you don't hear often, I say this because they betray his so-called calling as a man who represented the church, who was a bishop even. It gets ugly when (supposed) ministers seek political esteem.

What he said can be seen here: Heaven's not for Christians only.

Let's look at some of his statements quickly:

Most of us think God is a Christian, but if you think that God is going to tell the Dalai Lama 'you're a good person, but sorry you're not a Christian' then (I say) rubbish.

Um, ok. I also say rubbish, here's why: Getting to heaven is NOT based on good works, but on God's work done in Jesus Christ. To sum it up quickly, we're all rubishes, whether we believe it or not. If judged by the law of God, even the Dalai Lama would fall short, even Ghandi, even Mother Theresa! Mother Theresa won't get to heaven on her good deeds, but on the redemptive work of Christ on the cross, and her reliance on that will attribute God's righteousness to her by FAITH, which should cause her to live a devout life, full of good works.

I agree that God is not a Christian, a Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ, the Spirit of God, and God the Father.

"We've conveniently forgotten that Christians burnt witches at the stake. It wasn't pagans responsible for the Nazi genocide - it was Christians," Tutu said.

Woah D.T., what's with the poison for the people you claim to serve and represent? Anyhoo - The biblical definition of a follower of Christ is just that, a follower of Christ. The bible states clearly that if you claim to love God, yet hate your brother, you're a liar and the truth is not in you. My argument would be, someone doing heinous things would NOT qualify to be called a follower of Christ, even if they proclaim it themselves. It's kinda like me saying I'm a vegetarian while tucking into a large juicy steak.

Besides, in my opinion - It is a stronger argument to say that Nietzsche and evolutionism influenced Hitler more than Christianity.

He said it had also been claimed that apartheid was supported by the scriptures and the symbol of the Ku Klux Klan was a cross.

Ah yes, I hear this often. Anything can be twisted way out of context to suit your needs. I think that D.T. wants to take something that still incites a lot of raw (and validly so) emotion, namely racism, and pin that blame badge to Christianity. History does reject this though, it was Christianity that freed up America from slavery. The same in Britain with John Newton and William Wilberforce. I believe it had a strong role to play in freeing up this nation too. All the while, in all cases, you have your people twisting scriptures to justify their views.

To sum up, I think D.T. has used some popular pithy sayings to gain acceptance from his audience. I don't think he's looked into the topic, and it's clear he no longer stands on orthodox Christian teachings. In fact, he seems to have turned about-face, attacking the church with his views which lean towards universalism.

I'll end with a quote from G.K. Chesterton (from Orthodoxy):

Thoroughly worldly people never understand even the world; they rely altogether on a few cynical maxims which are not true.

new delicious built in symfony

2007-10-03T01:15:00.000+02:00

From the Symfony website:
If you are a reader of TechCrunch, Read/WriteWeb, or ZDNet you may already know that there is a preview of the next version of del.icio.us. What you might not know is that the next version of Delicious is built with symfony. Of course, Yahoo! extended and modified symfony to fit their needs, but what's great is that they could actually do it, and that they will contribute their modifications back to the community in the form of plugins and bug fixes.
See more here.

This is obviously great news for all us Symfony developers. If you're a PHP'er I would highly recommend checking out this great framework.

i love free stuff!

2007-10-02T08:47:00.000+02:00

For the next 60 days Sitepoint is having a promotion for a full copy of one of their books, Ruby on Rails Web Applications, to be available for PDF download for free. It's available here.

Also, though this is old news, Symfony's development book is available online for free here. This is a really excellent book for Symfony developers, I bought a copy cos flipping thru a new shiny book is always nicer.

make me Thy fuel

2007-09-18T02:17:00.000+02:00

I heard this from a talk by Ravi Zacharias...

From prayer that asks that I may be
Sheltered from winds that beat on Thee,
From fearing when I should aspire,
From faltering when I should climb higher,
From silken self, O Captain, free
Thy soldier who would follow Thee.

From subtle love of softening things,
From easy choices, weakenings,
(Not thus are spirits fortified,
Not this way went the crucified)
From all that dims Thy Calvary,
O Lamb of God, deliver me.

Give me the love that leads the way,
The faith that nothing can dismay,
The hope no disappointments tire,
The passion that will burn like fire;
Let me not sink to be a clod:
Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God.

by Amy Carmichael

linux ipod woe's

2007-09-15T08:46:00.000+02:00

In reading this article, it's clear that Apple are effectively shutting out Linux users from using the new iPods. There is currently no iTunes for Linux, and no signals that one will be developed in the near future. They have changed the structure of how the iPod works, encrypting the database with a hash that ties that database to the iPod.

My opinion is this: that Apple should be more platform friendly towards Linux, especially with it's iPod support. Look at Adobe releasing the Flash plugin for Linux, as well as Microsoft's Silverlight plugin. Bring out an iTunes-light for Linux, make it open-source, let the Linux community manage it themselves. Sure, people will know the inside of your software, but rather have it this way and control it, than have some person reverse engineer it and you're left with the impression of being the big bad guy.

Maybe don't even make it open source, but release a core linux version with an API, and let the people build it.

You successfully took the digital music arena, which was a mishmash of illegal copying, file sharing, etc - and made a very lucrative business model from it. I'm sure you can do the same in this case if you apply yourselves.

!!!

2007-09-11T00:34:00.000+02:00

is the news trying to make me cry?

take a look at this: http://mybroadband.co.za/news/Telecoms/1255.html

:-/

hopes for fast internet DASHED

2007-09-11T00:25:00.000+02:00

Regarding the undersea cables.

A few weeks ago I got really excited at the prospect of decent internet bandwidth. While primary thinking of myself, my own usage, and my business - I also thought about how positively it would affect our economy and our international business ties.
Now, just a few weeks later, what was a beam of hope for many of us has disappeared as the dark clouds of bureaucracy drift in.

What is OBVIOUSLY more important to our Minister of Communication, is ownership and control over this pipe, obviously, because it can be quite a lucrative endeavour, because if it's locally owned, the pricing for the bandwidth can be unrealistically high, and once again the popular pass-time of milking the countrymen (as seen in the new car industry, the cell phone industry, the banking industry and currently the internet connectivity industry) can ensure than some key players make their fortunes.

This...
Sickens...
Me...

What can be done? Honestly, what is left for your average South African to do? I mean, if we take to the streets in protest (which we won't) will it actually matter? What will make a difference, when people in high positions are so feverishly set on greed rather than the good of the nation.

Is that truly the theme of this continent: The benefit of the few at the expense of many? Why are we marching to the beat of something which shouldn't be part of what South Africa is all about? No no no NO. That's the old system! Times of change must come, they have to.

Zille detained

2007-09-10T03:23:00.002+02:00

Now and then I get an uneasy feeling, like I get a glimpse of something that should set off warning bells, but then I look around, and either no one else has noticed, or they just don't care. Like one of those movies where you're watching and things slip quickly into a precarious situation. Perhaps it's just a healthy dose of paranoia or a tendency for the dramatic; even so, sometimes I think we don't join the dots where maybe we should. I'll do another post on this soon, taking a completely different direction...

Hearing about what happened to Helen Zille yesterday concerned me. She was arrested and detained for an apparently legal and peaceful march. Read the details here and here. Two other things sprung to my mind: the farewell to the deputy minister of health, which i commented on here. Also the whole McBride incident (which is a whole other story).

In my mind, there are three probable explanations of yesterdays activities: 1- it was just an embarrassing bungle on the part of the police. Hindsight is 20/20 they say, and perhaps under the circumstances, they just thought they did what they should. 2- Some officer felt his authority challenged, and his ego got damaged and so he acted stupidly/rashly. 3- this was a calculated (political) move from the powers that be, in which case we'll probably never find this out. There are other possible scenarios, but from what I've heard these explain things the best to me. With my view on the deputy minister's dismissal, you can probably guess which explanation I'm currently leaning on! I do, however, sincerely hope I'm wrong.

do better now...

2007-09-06T01:03:00.000+02:00

Some more awesome stuff, once again from Ravi Zacharias' podcast, he quoted this poem:

He came to my desk with a quivering lip,
the lesson was done.
"Have you a new sheet for me, dear teacher?
I've spoiled this one."
I took his sheet, all soiled and blotted
and gave him a new one all unspotted.
And into his tired heart I cried,
"Do better now, my child."

I went came to the throne with a trembling heart;
the day was done.
"Have you a new day for me, dear Master?
I've spoiled this one."
He took my day, all soiled and blotted
and gave me a new one all unspotted.
And into my tired heart he cried,
"Do better now, my child."
(Footnote 1: Anonymous, “A New Leaf,” James G. Lawson, compiler, The Best Loved Religious Poems (Grand Rapids: Fleming H. Revell, 1961). Used by permission.)

Are you in need of forgiveness? The Cross is for you. God offers you a new sheet today. Will you receive it?

(quoted from here)

skeptik

2007-09-04T08:53:00.000+02:00

After reading some of the skeptical writings of a friend of mine, and being troubled by the fierceness of his stance against God specifically and religion generally, I was poignantly reminded that as this world spins into more decay and selfishness, people are running in the wrong direction to find their solace. The sick and weak, in a fit of rage attack the one with the cure. As a lesser wordsmith than those I'm about to quote, I will leave it to them to express what I see, in a way that does so better than I could:

But the new rebel is a Sceptic, and will not entirely trust anything. He has no loyalty; therefore he can never be really a revolutionist. And the fact that he doubts everything really gets in his way when he wants to denounce anything. For all denunciation implies a moral doctrine of some kind; and the modern revolutionist doubts not only the institution he denounces, but the doctrine by which he denounces it. Thus he writes one book complaining that imperial oppression insults the purity of women, and then he writes another book (about the sex problem) in which he insults it himself. He curses the Sultan because Christian girls lose their virginity, and then curses Mrs. Grundy because they keep it. As a politician, he will cry out that war is a waste of life, and then, as a philosopher, that all life is waste of time. A Russian pessimist will denounce a policeman for killing a peasant, and then prove by the highest philosophical principles that the peasant ought to have killed himself. A man denounces marriage as a lie, and then denounces aristocratic profligates for treating it as a lie. He calls a flag a bauble, and then blames the oppressors of Poland or Ireland because they take away that bauble. The man of this school goes first to a political meeting, where he complains that savages are treated as if they were beasts; then he takes his hat and umbrella and goes on to a scientific meeting, where he proves that they practically are beasts. In short, the modern revolutionist, being an infinite sceptic, is always engaged in undermining his own mines. In his book on politics he attacks men for trampling on morality; in his book on ethics he attacks morality for trampling on men. Therefore the modern man in revolt has become practically useless for all purposes of revolt. By rebelling against everything he has lost his right to rebel against anything.
from Orthodoxy by GK Chesterton

The Romans gave to us our legal ideals. The Greeks gave to us our philosophical ideals. The Hebrews gave to us our moral ideals.

The Hebrew's pursuit was symbolized by light. "This is the light that lighteth every man that comes into the world." "The people that sat in the darkness have seen a great light." "The LORD is my light and my salvation."
The pursuit of the Greeks was knowledge. "These things are written that we might know that we have eternal life." The Academy was a Greek invention.
The pursuit of the Romans was glory - the glory of Rome, the glory of the Caesars, the glory of the eternal city, that wasn't built in a day.

Paul, who was born a Hebrew, a citizen of Rome, in a Greek city, says this in Second Corinthians 4:6: "God, who caused the light to shine out of darkness, has caused his light to shine in our hearts, to give to us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus our Lord.
...
How that captures every longing and ideal! All are ultimately shown to us in a face. Here we see the ultimate expression of God, the culmination of God’s revelation. It was not restricted to the philosophy of Greece, the spiritual experience of the Hebrews, or the glory of an earthly city. “Do you want to see God?” ask the writers. Look at the face of Christ. That face beckons you not to a smorgasbord of fleeting tastes but to a life of eternal joy.

by Ravi Zacharias, from here and here.

timeout

2007-08-30T09:25:00.000+02:00

I've found the perfect app for the hours-on-end-in-front-of-computer users. It's called Time Out and its free. What this program does, is it forces you into a break at a scheduled time by blanking out your screen. You get normal and micro breaks. A normal break defaults every 50 minutes and lasts 10 minutes, a micro break happens every 10 minutes and lasts 15 seconds. You can change the duration at will.

The only thing I didn't like about this app, was the picture that came up during the break... the whole yoga meditating person thing... I think I found that as distasteful as a new-ager would find a message popping up saying "Jesus is the only way to God". So, learning from another tip on how to change program pictures, i tried to see if I could change the image, and I did.

This is what the original image looked like:

Here's how you change it. You select the TimeOut.app file in Applications (obviously after you've installed the program). Right click and go "Show Package Contents". Go into the Contents and then Resources folder. You'll see the icon as TimeOutBreak.png. Replace it with this one (or any png file you want to use, just name it TimeOutBreak.png):

And voila, the new image is called. Now I just need to figure out how to edit an icon file. :)

hear ye, hear ye

2007-08-30T08:40:00.000+02:00

Just found something pretty awesome on the human ear. I like AIG's explanation of things, mainly because they reject the secularisation of everything and make the presupposition that God designed the universe as per the bible's explanation.

Then, using the ears we've just learnt about - check out the Truth for Life podcast, with frequent sermons by Alistair Begg. His stuff shakes up many incorrect assumptions very clearly but directly using the scriptures.

Another podcast you want to check out is that of Ravi Zacharias, called Let My People Think.

the message is clear

2007-08-13T01:22:00.000+02:00

On the sacking of deputy health minister Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge:
It seems that climbing in, getting involved and doing something useful are not as highly regarded as being in agreement. You could be useless, just agree that garlic and lemons is good for HIV sufferers, stick around. You could be useful, but a clash or challenge means you're gone.
This "agree with me or you're outta here" attitude is indicative of that of a tyrant. I'm not saying Mr Mbeki fits that description entirely, just that he shares some characteristics, and that, is scary enough.

Now, obviously this is all speculation as no official reason was given for her dismissal. However, I sense something is very wrong.

Read more here.

a handful of unix (Part 1) (for new mac users): ls, locate, man, export $PATH

2007-08-09T11:24:00.000+02:00

Here are some tips which I've needed to use recently in setting up my new mac (yes, I upgraded)... You'll need to use your handy terminal, though I prefer using iTerm. I've also started with very basic commands for absolute newby's:

ls

In terminal, the UNIX commands on a mac are similar to your old DOS commands. With a few noteable exceptions. Go ahead, open up a terminal (Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal) and type the following: ls

ls is short for list, it's similar to the DOS command dir. Now try ls -al
See, more details, including hidden files, which are prepended with a period.

cd changes directory. cat displays the contents of a file. less does the same but allows you to scroll.

man

Very simple. Type man locate to get the manual pages for the locate command. It's a text help file explaining how to use the commands. If you want to see how to properly use the man pages, you can see the man page for man... so that would be typing man man.

locate

This function is the terminal equivalent of Spotlight, except, it looks everywhere! You simply type in locate php.ini, and it finds all the file references of php.ini for you. At first run I got an error message saying the database wasn't present. A brief look in the man page and I found the command to update the database (you should ideally run this every so often to just update all your references for locate. Do this before you run locate if you haven't used locate for a long while) - /usr/libexec/locate.updatedb

(It might be different on your system, so then just read your man page to find out how to update the locate-DB)

export $PATH

OK, this is more of a self note for me, so that I can use it if i need to do this again, because some of the bookmarks I had for $PATH stuff no longer link to valid sites... phhffft. ok.

For a shell script, the PATH variable used is stored in the .profile file (technically if you're using BASH - if you have no idea what i mean, ignore this) in your user directory. You can set up Textmate to respond and edit files by using the mate command from a shell. (here's how)
So, once this is done, open up .profile in Textmate and edit it. Mine looked like this:

test -r /sw/bin/init.sh && . /sw/bin/init.sh
export PATH="$PATH:/usr/local/bin:/Applications/xampp/xamppfiles/bin"
export EDITOR='vi'

I edited this and changed it to:

test -r /sw/bin/init.sh && . /sw/bin/init.sh
export PATH="/Applications/xampp/xamppfiles/bin:$PATH:/usr/local/bin"
export EDITOR='mate -w' #textmate as editor, waiting for file to close before continuing
export LESSEDIT='mate -l %lm %f' #textmate as editor for the LESS command, by pressing v

What export does, is make the PATH variable available to sub shells, and you put it in .profile because that's read when you fire up a shell. A shell is a session in Terminal or iTerm (in simple terms).

Something to remember: UNIX commands in the terminal are case sensitive, which means the command locate will work, but Locate or LoCatE will not work.

OK, most of you are either bored to tears cos you know already, or bored to tears cos you have no idea or inclination to get into the shell. This is for the other folks, yes, both of them!

mac: nifty way to schedule a task

2007-08-02T11:45:00.000+02:00

OK, so I need to run a task frequently on my mac. A daily download of a wallpaper to my desktop from National Geographic, and every two days to do a project backup (which I ought to burn to disk and take off-site).

So, what are my options... cron, and iCal. Yes, I found that out today, as an alarm for an event, not only can I set a chime to go *TING* - I can run a script or open a file... This leaves lots of possibilities!

So, I fire up iCal, add a new task called getwallpaper, and set the time to 9AM. Then I change the repeat option to every day.

Now, my iCal is littered on each day with an obscure entry. We'll deal with that in a moment.

I head over to the alarm selector, and select open file (the script is an app, so the run script option didn't work in this case) - I choose my app which collects my wallpaper.

Now, to tidy up, I click the plus [+] icon in the bottom left corner, and add a new calendar, name it Scheduled Tasks. It should appear in the top left side panel with a tick. Uncheck the tick and the events disappear. So I don't need to be bothered by my scheduled events.

I did the same for my backup, except I set up a Custom repeat option so that it happened ever week on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Next time, I'll use Otto (Automator) to control the backup and zip the file afterwards.

Cron is another more scripty-geeky-terminal way to do this, and I'm keen to explore that when I get a chance. I got this info from here, and they also explain how to do this in Windows.

Here's a grab of the iCal screen, with my nifty National Geographic desktop, before I unchecked the Calendar so that they disappear. Wow, am I really that empty this week?

intolerance

2007-08-02T03:35:00.000+02:00

What I got from the Stand To Reason site. Definitely worth checking out...

When Tolerance Is Intolerant

Greg Koukl

There’s one word that can stop you in your track. That word is “tolerance.”

Let’s take a look at the confusing and mistaken ways tolerance is used in our culture today.

Using the modern definition of tolerance, you will see that no one is tolerant, or ever can be. It’s what my friend Frank Beckwith calls the “passive aggressive tolerance trick.” Let’s start with a real life example.

I had the privilege of speaking to seniors at a Christian high school in Des Moines. I wanted to alert them to this “tolerance trick,” but I also wanted to learn how much they had already been taken in by it. I began by writing two sentences on the board

"All views have equal merit and none should be considered better than another."

“Jesus is the Messiah and Judaism is wrong for rejecting that.”

They all nodded in agreement as I wrote the first sentence. As soon as I finished writing the second, though, hands flew up. “You can’t say that,” a coed challenged, clearly annoyed. “That’s disrespectful. How would you like it if someone said you were wrong?”

“In fact, that happens to me all the time,” I pointed out, “including right now with you. But why should it bother me that someone thinks I’m wrong?”

“It’s intolerant,” she said, noting that the second statement violated the first statement. What she didn’t see was that the first statement also violated itself.

I pointed to the first statement and asked, “Is this a view, the idea that all views have equal merit and none should be considered better than another?” They agreed.

Then I pointed to the second statement—the “intolerant” one—and asked the same question: “Is this a view?” They studied the sentence for a moment. Slowly my point began to dawn on them. They’d been taken in by the tolerance trick.

If all views have equal merit, then the view that Christians have a better view on Jesus than Jews is just as true as the idea that Jews have a better view on Jesus than Christians. But this is hopelessly contradictory. If the first statement is what tolerance amounts to, then no one can be tolerant because “tolerance” turns out to be gibberish.

“Would you like to know how to get out of this dilemma?” I asked. They nodded. “Return to the classic view of tolerance and reject this modern distortion.” Then I wrote these two principles on the board:

“Be egalitarian regarding persons.”

“Be elitist regarding ideas.”[1]

The first principle is true tolerance, what might be called “civility.” It can loosely be equated with the word “respect.” Tolerance applies to how we treat people we disagree with, not how we treat ideas we think false. Tolerance requires that every person is treated courteously, no matter what her view, not that all views have equal worth, merit, or truth.

Don’t let this new notion of tolerance intimidate you. Treat all people with respect, but be willing to show them where their ideas have gone wrong. The modern notion of tolerance actually turns this value on its head. It’s one of the first responses deployed when you take exception with what someone has said. “You’re intolerant.”

To say I’m intolerant because I disagree with someone’s ideas is confused. The view that one person’s ideas are no better or truer than another’s is simply absurd and contradictory. To argue that some views are false, immoral, or just plain silly does not violate any meaningful definition or standard of tolerance.

The irony is that according to the classical notion of tolerance, you can’t tolerate someone unless you disagree with him. We don’t “tolerate” people who share our views. They’re on our side. There’s nothing to “put up” with. Tolerance is reserved for those who we think are wrong, yet we still choose to treat them decently and with respect.

This essential element of classical tolerance—elitism regarding ideas—has been completely lost in the modern distortion of the concept. Nowadays if you think someone is wrong, you’re called intolerant no matter how you treat them.

Whenever you’re charged with intolerance, always ask for a definition, then point out the contradiction built in to this new view.

Most of what passes for tolerance today is intellectual cowardice, a fear of intelligent engagement. Those who brandish the word “intolerant” are unwilling to be challenged by other views, to grapple with contrary opinions, or even to consider them. It’s easier to hurl an insult—“you intolerant bigot”—than to confront the idea and either refute it or be changed by it. In the modern era, “tolerance” has become intolerance.

As ambassadors for Christ, however, we choose the more courageous path. In Paul’s words, “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God” (2 Corinthians 10:5). In a gracious and artful way, we accurately speak the truth, and then trust God to transform minds.

coldfusion 8 released

2007-07-30T10:13:00.000+02:00

July 30th is a good day. I've been 30 for 4 days. I'm with the girl of my dreams. Life is good.

And now CF 8 has been launched. I'm busy downloading it now! Just in time for one of my major projects starting, which was done in CF 7. CF 7 didn't work easily on my intel mac, but CF 8 is a universal binary, and the beta installed and worked just great. So now I have successfully moved across entirely to my mac.

Even though my main area of focus is now PHP and Symfony, I guess I'll always have a soft spot for CF. And will continue to develop in it if the demand is there.

Watch this space for the new Auction Explorer Books site in Symfony, and the new MISA site in ColdFusion; all due this year (before Leopard!). Like I said, life is good.

another funny

2007-07-30T06:38:00.000+02:00

OK, we're gonna focus on Christopher Walken, because, everyone loves him, and also, cos he's hilarious. You can't not like the guy.

So, first check out the cooking lesson, then trundle over to Kevin Spacey doing a Christopher Walken impression as he tries for the role of Han Solo.

automator

2007-07-29T05:05:00.000+02:00

Just a quick note to you mac users, once again the other day I was blown away by some standard mac features, this time it was by the little OS X robot called Automator.

I had some music backed up, a double disc-set and I needed to rename all the files, to prepend them with the singer's name. I could have sat and clicked through and taken 8 minutes (pfff, not likely), I could have written a shell script (but I don't do that much) - so I tried automator. It was easy, and I was done in under 3 minutes. Most of the time was figuring it out. I did it again to show someone and it took me seconds...

So, check out automator, one of the little things jammed into a mac which helps with mundane repetitive tasks. After all, repetitive tasks are what a computer should be good at!

Some download-able scripts are available here. Or use the built in steps and play around...

survivalphrases.com

2007-07-29T03:59:00.000+02:00

I've recently been exploring some podcasts through iTunes and have found an overwhelming number of helpful lessons, discussions and tips! Podcasting is not exactly new stuff, but I'm finding the quality of these free lessons remarkable. One I discovered today, in my quest to learn Vietnamese was one from survivalphrases.com. They offer free audio lessons, and give you the option of paying for premuim material (a downloadable PDF, some bonus lessons, etc). I haven't bought it yet, but have downloaded the lessons and found them very good.

Also found some Russian lessons. Search iTunes store for "spoonful of Russian" and you should find it. There are many languages to choose from. But my joy with iTunes doesn't stop there - there are many IT related podcasts too! My favourites are the Adobe Creative Suite Video Podcast, Apple Quick Tip of the Week, php|architect's Pro PHP Podcast.

There are also free lectures and discussions available from iTunes U, or iTunes University.

at last!!!

2007-07-26T00:18:00.000+02:00

This news made me want to cry big fat tears of joy! Something South Africans have all heard about, experienced while travelling, and if you're like me, dreamed of for years now: inexpensive REAL broadband! People, this is the real thing, I repeat, this is not a drill! Check it out:

2009 target for undersea fibre optic link
Seacom has awarded the SEA Cable System supply contract to Tyco Telecommunications, a business unit of Tyco Electronics. The 13 000km project will involve the construction of the undersea fiber optic network providing high capacity bandwidth connectivity between South Africa, Madagascar, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, India, the Middle East and Europe.

http://www.it-online.co.za/content/view/108384/142/

friend hit by a taxi

2007-07-24T09:31:00.000+02:00

We all know that enough is enough when it comes to taxi's on the South African roads... but it's only when something comes close to home that we get shocked awake. A fellow cyclist and friend was plowed through by a taxi two weeks ago, he survived, in much pain, and has been in hospital for two weeks. He was riding on the side of the road in Sunninghill on the road that borders Leeukop Prison and the Seventh Day Adv. church. This is his story: He heard the taxi behind him hooting, so he climbed off his road bike and started moving off the road when he was struck. The rest of the story was told to him by an eye witness because he only came to about 30 minutes later. The taxi stopped a few hundred metres down the road because he was dragging the bicycle. He climbed out, removed the bike and started walking back to my friend. He then saw that another car had stopped to help, turned, ran back to his taxi and sped off.

FG (my friend) came to when the people who stopped started helping him up to take him to hospital. He had a severe concussion because his helmet's strap had snapped and he had a full blow to the head when he hit the ground. He had also lost most of his front teeth. He's alive, and I thank God for that, but I am filled with an anger at this injustice. Because no one saw the driver, or got the license plate, the police discouraged him from opening a case.

It's as if taxi drivers (the guilty ones I'm referring to) see themselves as freedom fighters, using their taxi's as weapons, carrying weapons too in some cases. Taking on even cops if they get too authoritarian. And it's not getting any better. Doing nothing doesn't make it go away. I really don't know what the answer is, how do you get people to grow a conscience?

So, while our government is working very hard at the task of clamping down on smokers and people who discipline their children... it seems it's up to the minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism to face up to the reality of crime in our nation, all while taxi drivers rampantly plow down the innocent. Something is wrong people, something is very wrong.

my new site

2007-07-17T10:40:00.000+02:00

Well, it was due for years now, and I've finally done it. I designed, built and wrote the content to this in 2 hours, so if you notice any problems, please let me know!

http://www.assemble.co.za

If you haven't clicked the above, then I dare you.

Comments welcome, and you don't need to be nice. And yes, it's only HTML and CSS, no fancy stuff. Built using Adobe Dreamweaver CS3, Fireworks CS3, and Textmate. Right, Over and out.

better than quicktime!

2007-07-13T11:44:00.000+02:00

For a while now I've been struggling to see some various avi codecs using quicktime. Stuff that just works nicely on my windows box just seems to be riddled with headaches on my mac. Well last night I discovered a little app called the VLC player.

How this happened: 1) Quicktime moaned that it couldn't play the movie correctly, so it sent me to the Quicktime site. Fortunately, I knew it was an XVID codec I needed (see, before, I didn't actually know - surely Quicktime should also tell us WHICH codec we need, not just send us to a list of 10 Quicktime plugins saying "pick a codec, any codec... oops, wrong codec").

2) I went to the XVID site, and downloaded the plugin, but at the same time I saw a link to another video player, suddently the mist started to clear and the sun came out and a chorus played in the background (it was late).

3) I downloaded this app also, and found my Quicktime plugins didn't solve the problem, so I installed VLC and happily forgot about Quicktime. What's great is that it is also multi platform, and responds to the Apple remote control too (Windows Media doesn't!).

It also supports Windows Media formats, and does a much better job than the Windows Media Player 9 for Mac. I'm impressed, so check it out.

anti-virus: ClamXav and ClamAv

2007-07-13T05:40:00.000+02:00

Although the mac is reputed to have few or no viruses (a few have been made as proof of concept but they aren't really comparable to what windows users experience), it's better to take precautions. I've recently installed ClamXav, which came on one of the MacFormat DVD's. It's a freeware Anti-Virus for Mac. It comes from another project called ClamAv, which is for other platforms. It works well and you can also set up schedules to do a Virus scan, as well as a Sentry, which can watch certain directories always (for example your mail attachment or Downloads folder).

Now, although the risk is less for us mac users, we should be responsible and allow this to apprehend Viruses that could otherwise be passed on in an email to our colleagues or friends. It's like paying your TV license, it's the right thing to do.

the little coding factory comes to life...

2007-07-09T11:36:00.000+02:00

The first training workshop on Saturday was a great success. We jammed 10 people into my little flat to learn web development, starting with HTML. 5 people couldn't make it, which means next workshop might need to be in a new venue!

To backtrack a bit, the idea behind this free training is to equip people who want to get into web technologies with the necessary skills so that they can become available for work. There is already a lot of interest in using the students for non-profit and corporate work, and two potential job interviews await the best.

The manual is available online here. More manuals will be done as we progress.

If you are interested in using the newly produced web developers for your own corporate or charity project, contact me directly.

Christian monastery attacked in Gaza

2007-06-19T06:08:00.000+02:00

by Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook (from PMW Reports newsletter)

During the recent fighting in Gaza between Hamas and Fatah, the Christian community in Gaza was also targeted. The Palestinian paper Al-Ayyam reported that “Armed masked men… stole, destroyed and burned down a monastery and a church school in Gaza, after they bombed the main gate with RPG shells… they destroyed the main gate of the monastery with an RPG shell, and then entered the church and destroyed everything in the monastery: The crosses, the holy books, computers and photocopy machines." They appeared to be members of Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades, however, the Hamas has directed the blame at the Palestinian Authority police.

It should be noted that while this may have been a Hamas attack on the church, the Christian community has been suffering under Fatah rule as well. Ever since the West Bank cities were given over from Israel to the Palestinian Authority the Christian population has been living under very difficult conditions.

Palestinian writer Khaled Abu Toameh recently reported in The Jerusalem Post on the ruin of the Christian community of Bethlehem:

"The conditions of Christians in Bethlehem and its surroundings had deteriorated ever since the area was handed over [from Israel] to the PA in 1995…. 'Every day we hear of another Christian family that has immigrated to the US, Canada or Latin America… The Christians today make up less than 15 percent of the population'… "Samir Qumsiyeh [said]: "I believe that 15 years from now there will be no Christians left in Bethlehem."

When the West Bank was under Israeli administration the Christian population of Bethlehem was over 60%.

This attack on the Gaza church, though more aggressive than the actions in Bethlehem, seems to be part of a Palestinian pattern of marginalizing the Christian community.

The article from Al-Ayyam appears below. As the story of the Christian community in Bethlehem is important for the understanding of the Christian predicament under the Palestinian Authority, The Jerusalem Post article has likewise been reprinted below.

Al-Ayyam, June 18, 2007
Armed masked men, said to be part of Al-Qassam [Hamas] Operational Force, stole, destroyed and burned down a monastery and a church school in Gaza, after they bombed the main gate with RPG shells…

Father Manuel Muslem, the leader of the Latin community in Gaza, said that the armed men who carried all sorts of weapons, including machine guns and RPG launchers, burst in to the monastery and the Al-Wardiya Church school yesterday after they destroyed the main gate of the monastery with an RPG shell, and then entered the church and destroyed everything in the monastery: The crosses, the holy books, computers and photocopy machines… And he explained that the damage caused to the monastery, only on the inside, will require over 100,000 Jordanian Dinar to restore, all the more so the walls and the outer gates which were damaged by the shells and were entirely destroyed.

Muslem indicated that he got a phone call from President Mahmoud Abbas, who expressed his identification and his love for the people of the Christian community… similarly, President Abbas promised the church that the [Palestinian] Authority will be the faithful protector to its people, without differentiating between a Christian and a Muslim.

In a response to the blame directed at the [Hamas] Al-Qassam Brigades and the Operational Force… the spokesman of the Operational Force, Islam Shahwan, said that the events of theft, destruction and burning of some of the institutions are absolutely not part of the values and measures of our people…

[That] those who attacked the Al-Wardiya Church school wore the clothes of the Operational Force and bore symbols saying “Al-Qassam,” Shahwan explained that, concerning the Al-Qassam Brigades, since there was a agreement with them, and they completely left the street, only men of the Operational Force and of the Palestinian police stayed there. He denied [the claim] that this destructive way is the way of the Operational Force.
[Al-Ayyam, June 18, 2007]

The Jerusalem Post
Bethlehem Christians claim persecution
Jan. 25, 2007
By KHALED ABU TOAMEH

A number of Christian families have finally decided to break their silence and talk openly about what they describe as Muslim persecution of the Christian minority in this city. The move comes as a result of increased attacks on Christians by Muslims over the past few months.

The families said they wrote letters to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, the Vatican, Church leaders and European governments complaining about the attacks, but their appeals have fallen on deaf ears. According to the families, many Christians have long been afraid to complain in public about the campaign of "intimidation" for fear of retaliation by their Muslim neighbors and being branded "collaborators" with Israel. But following an increase in attacks on Christian-owned property in the city over the past few months, some Christians are no longer afraid to talk about the ultra-sensitive issue. And they are talking openly about leaving the city.

"The situation is very dangerous," said Samir Qumsiyeh, owner of the Beit Sahur-based private Al-Mahd (Nativity) TV station. "I believe that 15 years from now there will be no Christians left in Bethlehem. Then you will need a torch to find a Christian here. This is a very sad situation." Qumsiyeh, one of the few Christians willing to speak about the harsh conditions of their community, has been the subject of numerous death threats. His house was recently attacked with fire-bombs, but no one was hurt.

Qumsiyeh said he has documented more than 160 incidents of attacks on Christians in the area in recent years. He said a monk was recently roughed up for trying to prevent a group of Muslim men from seizing lands owned by Christians in Beit Sahur.

Thieves have targeted the homes of many Christian families and a "land mafia" has succeeded in laying its hands on vast areas of land belonging to Christians, he added.

Fuad and Georgette Lama woke up one morning last September to discover that Muslims from a nearby village had fenced off their family's six-dunam plot in the Karkafa suburb south of Bethlehem.

"A lawyer and an official with the Palestinian Authority just came and took our land," said 69-year-old Georgette Lama.

The couple was later approached by senior PA security officers who offered to help them kick out the intruders from the land. "We paid them $1,000 so they could help us regain our land," she said, almost in tears.

"Instead of giving us back our land, they simply decided to keep it for themselves. They even destroyed all the olive trees and divided the land into small plots, apparently so that they could offer each for sale."

When her 72-year-old husband, Fuad, went to the land to ask the intruders to leave, he was severely beaten and threatened with guns. "My husband is after heart surgery and they still beat him," Georgette Lama said. "These people have no heart. We're afraid to go to our land because they will shoot at us. Ever since the beating, my husband is in a state of trauma and has difficulties talking."

The Lamas have since knocked on the doors of scores of PA officials in Bethlehem seeking their intervention, but to no avail. At one stage, they sent a letter to Abbas, who promised to launch an investigation. "We heard that President Mahmoud Abbas is taking our case very seriously," said Georgette Lama. "But until now he hasn't done anything to help us get our land back. We are very concerned because we're not the only ones suffering from this phenomenon. Most Christians are afraid to speak, but I don't care because we have nothing more to lose."

The couple's Christian neighbor, Edward Salama, said the problem in the city was the absence of law and order. "We are living in a state of chaos and lawlessness," he said. "The police are afraid of the thugs who are taking our lands." Salama expressed deep concern over the conditions of Christians in Bethlehem, noting that many were leaving the country as a result of the deterioration. "When I see what's happening to Christians here, I worry a lot for our future," he said. "They are targeting Christians, because we are seen as weak."

The Lamas said they decided to go public with the hope that the international community would intervene with the PA to halt the land-grab. "We will fight and fight until we recover our land," Fuad Lama said. "We will resort to the courts and to the public opinion for help.

"Unfortunately, Christian leaders and spokesmen are afraid to talk about the problems we are facing. We know of three other Christian families - Salameh, Kawwas and Asfour - whose lands were also illegally seized by Muslims."

A Christian businessman who asked not to be identified said the conditions of Christians in Bethlehem and its surroundings had deteriorated ever since the area was handed over to the PA in 1995. "Every day we hear of another Christian family that has immigrated to the US, Canada or Latin America," he said. "The Christians today make up less than 15 percent of the population."

People are running away because the Palestinian government isn't doing anything to protect them and their property against Muslim thugs. Of course not all the Muslims are responsible, but there is a general feeling that Christians have become easy prey."

Please feel free to forward this bulletin, crediting Palestinian Media Watch.

Apple drops the ball

2007-06-16T11:57:00.000+02:00

In what most deem is a big risk, Apple decided to release Safari 3 public beta to the masses. By masses I mean both PC and Mac platforms. This move could have been ingenious, if the product was the usual Apple offering. However, it has fallen short, FAR short of expectations. Where is the "3 years into the future" design thinking that Apple are famous for? What, I can shift my tabs around and find things?? What were you thinking? Yes, the time is now to get PC users in, but do it with a product that isn't absolutely terrible! Think of a bunch of amazing browser innovations, build in some ideas from the firefox plugins if you can't think of them yourself. And reduce the features in favour of making it a little more stable. Yes, it's a beta, but my download didn't even start up after it was installed! I'll look again when there is a better offering, but my opinion is, most people wouldn't be bothered.

Another note on Safari. It claims to be a standards based browser and the best for web developers to test their goods on. In my experience, being a web developer, I find it dreadful to use. I've never thought much of Safari, and no amount of hype thrown at a bad product will ever turn it into a good product. I'm just concerned that Apple start resting on their good innovations in the previous few years, and rely on riding the wave of hype. This won't cut it with PC users (remember, they don't worship Apple), it won't work on a bad browser, and also, let's hope Leopard has more to offer than a few shiny makeovers and some irrelevant functions.

Adobe are getting this right, concentrating on workflows and cutting down production times. I'm hoping Apple don't get sidetracked and that recent popularity hasn't gone to their heads. That being said, I'm still a big fan of the company. I guess the expectations are high because people have become accustomed to only the best from Apple.

dumpers busted

2007-06-16T03:16:00.000+02:00

I caught this truck dumping rubbish illegally behind the centre at Chilli Lane. This area was completely clear before I went away in March 2007, I used to ride through there on my mountain bike. It has now been turned into a dumping ground by builders in the area (possibly).

This was taken on 12 May 2007 at 2:17PM, from the entrance to the Virgin Active gym. The license of the vehicle is TZJ708GP.
One word comes to mind: BASTARDS.

photoshop CS3

2007-06-06T11:12:00.000+02:00

Firstly, WOW. I mean it. Photoshop has come a long way since I was cutting up impossible designs by graphic artists back in the late nineties with Photoshop 6. Since going my own route in business meant keeping legal software, which meant limiting myself to the necessities - I have used the Macromedia Suite of software since Studio MX. Now with the merge of Adobe and Macromedia, I get all the MM stuff I know and love like Fireworks, Flash and (ahem) Dreamweaver, and then now I get my hands on Photoshop too, and a bunch of other Adobe specialities. After attending the Adobe Live show (workshop more-like) last week, I've been using a few of the tips that I've learnt, and I'm loving using it again.

This pic is an example of that. I took 3 pics on my holiday in Vietnam, and Photoshop, all on it's own, has stiched these together, keeping the layers and masks - creating the most amazing panorama-style photo. I didn't even use a tripod. Behold - Photoshop CS3, making "awesome" a matter of simplicity. (Sounds kinda Steve Jobsy hey?)

Note: The original doesn't have those little crack-lines I see, that's due to my bad resizing skills, or something. It did produce a 120+ Meg PSD file!

billings

2007-06-06T10:57:00.001+02:00

I've stumbled upon some awesome software for the Mac-equipped own-business user/ freelancer/ developer. It's called Billings, and it is a time management and billings management system. It works so well and has allowed me to become more professional in my time-keeping and billing, and at the same time the half hour estimate and invoicing tasks have been reduced to a minute or two.

It's also quite motivating for a freelancer to work and see exactly the time being spent. I want to have integrity as a foundation of my business, and this product helps me do that.
The best is, it only costs 74 Canadian dollars, which means it's already paid for itself in the time I've saved in my last 5 invoices!

I get a kick out of supporting smaller lesser known software companies/individuals if their product is good and worth the money they ask. This is definitely worthwhile. In my books, it's up there with amazing software like Textmate, Yojimbo, ConceptDraw Project, OmniOutliner.
Nice work guys, thanks.

good ol' Chuck

2007-06-06T10:39:00.000+02:00

"Behold, I am vile." --Job 40:4 One cheering word, poor lost sinner, for you! You think you must not come to God because YOU are vile. Now, there is not a saint living on earth but has been made to feel that he is vile. If Job, and Isaiah, and Paul were all obliged to say "I am vile," oh, poor sinner, will you be ashamed to join in the same confession? If divine grace does not eradicate all sin from the believer, how do you hope to do it yourself? and if God loves His people while they are yet vile, do you think your vileness will prevent His loving you? Believe on Jesus, you outcast of the world's society! Jesus calls _YOU_, and such as you are. "Not the righteous, not the righteous; Sinners, Jesus came to call." Even now say, "You have died for sinners; I am a sinner, Lord Jesus, sprinkle Your blood on me"; if you will confess your sin you shall find pardon. If, now, with all your heart, you will say, "I am vile, wash me," you shalt be washed now. If the Holy Spirit shall enable you from your heart to cry Just as I am, without one plea But that Your blood was shed for me, And that you bid me come to You, O Lamb of God, I come!" you shalt rise from reading this morning's portion with all your sins pardoned; and though you did wake this morning with every sin that man has ever committed on your head, you shalt rest to-night accepted in the Beloved; though once degraded with the rags of sin, you shalt be adorned with a robe of righteousness, and appear white as the angels are. For "now," mark it, "_Now_ is the accepted time." If you "believe on Him who justifies the ungodly you are saved." Oh! may the Holy Spirit give you saving faith in Him who receives the vilest. (by Charles Spurgeon, modern-englishified by me)

textmate and svn

2007-06-05T00:53:00.000+02:00

I'll keep this short cos I know I'll bore many. I needed to install svn on my mac, which was relatively straight forward. I found that the graphic interface plugin to the Finder left a LOT to be desired. It was nothing near as easy as the TortoiseSVN on pc. So, after manually clicking through about 200 files, I was fed up enough to read the manual and try the command line version, which works great. Ofcourse, the first time i got thrown into VI on a commit I panicked, forgetting my all important commands: i for insert, escape for stop inserting, :wq to write and quit. Simple? yes, but try that after you've started typing wildly into the editor who you've just told to divide by zero in VI commands...

Enter Textmate. I've been happily using Textmate to edit my code and then apply the changes to SVN from command line. No more, it's all built into Textmate as an SVN Bundle! Pretty impressive.

ok, now i am relaxed!

2007-04-05T07:19:00.000+02:00

well, i haven't been posting much since i been on leave (a week ago I left for Vietnam) - but that's been because my trip has been so eventful, and relaxing, that posting to my blog is the last geeky thing i've thought about. I have a few moments now, so here goes.

I'm on the beach in a place called Mui Ne (said "mooi ne"), and while it's windy, it's so nice being here. I'm super sunburnt, and super relaxed! I love it here and am using this spot to do a few odd jobs (the work doesn't stop)...

This is one of the best kite surfing spots around apparently, and there are schools where you can learn this art, but it's a bit out of my budget right now...

Here is the view from my office! ahh, life is tough hey! :)

OK, check back soon, but not too soon...

this road

2007-03-20T08:11:00.001+02:00

As I'm about to embark on a journey to the other side of the world, I'd like to post the lyrics to one of my favourite songs. It's about travelling also, but more about our life's journey than a physical trip. Sometimes a journey can impact your life's journey also - which is what I'm hoping and praying for in this trip. My next posts will be from Hong Kong, Vietnam and Australia. I thank God for this opportunity, and I'm so grateful He hasn't given up on this earthen vessel.

This Road - Jars of Clay

All heavy laden acquainted with sorrow
May Christ in our marrow, carry us home
From alabaster come blessings of laughter
A fragrance of passion and joy from the truth
Grant the unbroken tears ever flowing
From hearts of contrition only for You
May sin never hold true that love never broke through
For God's mercy holds us and we are His own
This road that we travel, may it be the straight and narrow
God give us peace and grace from You, all the day
Shelter with fire, our voices we raise still higher
God give us peace and grace from You, all the day through

groenkloof

2007-03-14T08:03:00.000+02:00

Had another great ride at Groenkloof Nature Reserve this Sunday. We arrived late and had to storm into the reserve to catch the rest of the group. Using our Navy Seal training, we determined which part of the reserve they were on and intercepted them speedily. (well, me less speedily and more exhaustily).

We spotted some zebra and this pic was taken while i cycled past. I've also seen giraffe, wildebees and a variety of buck and small animals at the reserve. I love it.

quizlet

2007-03-14T07:46:00.000+02:00

Every few weeks or months, you come across a site that just blows you away. Either because of it's look, or more often, because it is the execution of a brilliant idea. Enter Quizlet. It's a study aid site, the 21st century i-need-my-computer version of flashcards, and it is so well done I have to mention it to the at least one person I know reads this who isn't me.

It's great for learning vocabulary, also for definitions, dates, anything flash-cardy. I'm going to use it to memorise scripture, and learn more French and Russian vocab. Heck I might throw up some Vietnamese sets myself.

How it works it simple. You register, then from there you can either Create your own set of words, or look at the thousands of existing sets. With a set you can familiarise yourself with it, learn it or test yourself. Your stats are all recorded too. I think it's a great idea... What's even more facinating, is this site was built entirely by a high school student.

textmate, e-texteditor and notepad++

2007-03-12T08:15:00.000+02:00

With more power failures in Sunninghill, I decided to take my wireless connection and go elsewhere with my laptop. It was an opportunity for a home-cooked lunch, so mom-wards I went! I had some time to spare, so I decided to check out TextMate on my macbook. I downloaded some screencasts (video tutorials) available on their site and off I went. The next 12 minutes was seasoned with "wow" and "no flippen ways!" as I saw some of the nifty TextMate features in action. The software fits the hand of a developer like a glove, in a completely different way to the other great IDE's such as Eclipse. It was there, sitting in the satisfaction of having eaten a home cooked meal, that I bought TextMate for 39 euros.

My first hint at Textmate's brilliance was when I saw it being used in a Symfony demo a few weeks back. Fabien used TextMate to code up some awesome AJAX controls in his cart demo (Available from the Symfony site). It seemed to do all the slog work for him, and I was impressed. Then I saw that TextMate won the Apple Design Award for best developer tool in 2006. I started telling my friends about it and they asked "is there a Windows version". I checked, nope sorry. Or so I thought, until yesterday, when the Wikipedia entry led me to the e-texteditor. The developer is in essence copying TextMate features to this beta editor. I'm running the trial beta version of that now, but I haven't yet been able to get some coding done with that. I still prefer Notepad++ for now. When I get more familiar with TextMate, I think I'll progress to e-texteditor also. Check out Wesley's comment on Notepad++ here.

free designs, free IDE's

2007-03-10T11:57:00.000+02:00

OK, I've known about this for a while, and I've told some people, but I think the site needs more credit. For those of you looking for a free designed website, where all you need to do is adapt the content and throw in your logo, look no further. Check out www.oswd.org. Terms and conditions may apply, you might need to leave the designers details in the source code or something. Definitely worth checking out for a quick and nasty look. I sometimes send people there to tell me the kind of look they're looking for, and design accordingly - customising it.

Now, I've just heard on the Hal Helms and Jeff Peters podcast that there is a nifty new IDE for web developers called aptana. It's based on Eclipse and apparently is very well suited for web development, including AJAX, CSS, HTML and your scripting languages of choice (PHP, Coldfusion et al). I'm busy downloading it and will rant or rave about it later.
The other thing they mentioned was wink. Looks good but I don't need that now. It's a presentation builder of sorts, recording what you're doing on screen. Check them out...

SA government to switch to open source!

2007-03-07T11:52:00.000+02:00

Well, what can I say but wow and at last. It makes sense, and is perfectly do-able.

I interrupt this news flash to report that I just completely freaked out when something moved under my foot, slamming my knee into my desk. In my mind, it was a Park Town Prawn, in reality, it was the wires behind my desk... ow. Even so I'm glad it wasn't a mini Geiger monster.

OK, back to open source. Why spend thousands of rands per computer of software for normal day to day business activity when you can use an open source alternative. See, I don't only blast the government..
Read up more here: http://www.tectonic.co.za/view.php?id=1377&s=news

free thought

2007-03-06T11:35:00.001+02:00

Something I heard Ravi Zacharias quote, which left me chuckling sadly...

Creed by Steve Turner

We believe in Marx, Freud and Darwin
We believe everything is OK
as long as you don't hurt anyone,
to the best of your definition of hurt,
and to the best of your knowledge.

We believe in sex before, during, and after marriage.
We believe in the therapy of sin.
We believe that adultery is fun.
We believe that sodomy is OK.
We believe that taboos are taboo.

We believe that everything is getting better
despite evidence to the contrary.
The evidence must be investigated
And you can prove anything with evidence.

We believe there's something in
horoscopes, UFO's and bent spoons;
Jesus was a good man
just like Buddha, Mohammed, and ourselves.
He was a good moral teacher
although we think His good morals were bad.

We believe that all religions are basically the same--
at least the one that we read was.
They all believe in love and goodness.
They only differ on matters of
creation, sin, heaven, hell, God, and salvation.

We believe that after death comes the Nothing
Because when you ask the dead what happens they say nothing.
If death is not the end, if the dead have lied,
then it's compulsory heaven for all
excepting perhaps Hitler, Stalin, and Genghis Khan.

We believe in Masters and Johnson.
What's selected is average.
What's average is normal.
What's normal is good.

We believe in total disarmament.
We believe there are direct links between warfare and bloodshed.
Americans should beat their guns into tractors
and the Russians would be sure to follow.

We believe that man is essentially good.
It's only his behavior that lets him down.
This is the fault of society.
Society is the fault of conditions.
Conditions are the fault of society.

We believe that each man must find the truth that is right for him.
Reality will adapt accordingly.
The universe will readjust.
History will alter.
We believe that there is no absolute truth
excepting the truth that there is no absolute truth.

We believe in the rejection of creeds,
and the flowering of individual thought.

"Chance" a post-script

If chance be the Father of all flesh,
disaster is his rainbow in the sky,
and when you hear

State of Emergency!
Sniper Kills Ten!
Troops on Rampage!
Whites go Looting!
Bomb Blasts School!

It is but the sound of man worshiping his maker.

the hype continues

2007-03-06T10:55:00.000+02:00

So, in response to all the hype about the documentary about Jesus' family ossuaries being found, thanks to a documentary (mockumentary?) by director James Cameron and Filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici. Check out the following links:

http://losttombofjesuschrist.com/
http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs2007/0305lost-tomb-review.asp
http://dev.bible.org/bock/node/106

They put it much better than me. Question, has anyone else noticed the growing animosity towards Jesus Christ? We are becoming far more polarised on the issue of who Jesus is. Over the past few years we have been bombarded by Time, Newsweek, etc with very strong claims which attempt to undermine the gospel accounts of Jesus. His birth, His death and resurrection, and His life here on earth. I expect this to grow, and I expect the proponents of these stories to continue in trying to malign the name of my King. My only concern is those who are led astray due to bad information being the order of the day... the Dan Brown's don't bug me personally, but when they reach those who would otherwise simply be following Jesus, and they cause them to stumble, then I get annoyed.

As the apostle Paul said - (1 Cor 15:1-4,12-22)
Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
...
But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

Client site promo: UNAIDS

2007-02-22T01:24:00.000+02:00

Yesterday at 'noon the UNAIDS RSTESA website went live. Lots of work went into updating the content to be relevant and informative. There were a few iterations of this before I got my developer paws on it, but none of them went live as far as I know. Check back periodically for new sections like calendar of events and polls and the likes. You can find the site at www.unaidsrstesa.org.

Any comments, ideas and suggestions are welcome, I'll forward them on to the appropriate channels.