Psych: Season 4 Promo

We like this show. The 80s tv and movie pop culture references are hilarious :-) You can watch it at hulu.com also. New season begins August 7th.

Theodore Roosevelt: This Will Destroy America

The things that will destroy America are prosperity-at-any-price, peace-at-any-price, safety-first instead of duty-first, the love of soft living, and the get-rich-quick theory of life.
Theodore Roosevelt

Got that from my dad via email today, and I'd say it's pretty spot on. Unfortunately, it also seems to describe our current culture in America.

I copied that quote from a website with lots of quotes. Including, more from Teddy Roosevelt.

ParentalRights.org - Time To Stand Up

I'm really not much of an activist. I'm really not an activist at all. I love the freedom that we have in the United States (or, at least, should have) to be diverse. To be different. I don't need to convince you to see and do it "my way" in any area of life. We can discuss our opinions and beliefs, even passionately. But in the end, we all get to choose.

Today I was referred to a site representing a group that is trying to defend our rights in this country to parent our children best we know how. ParentalRights.org lays out the threats to that freedom, namely the UNCRC (The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) which the Obama administration is attempting to ratify. In short, ratification of this treaty would allow the government to decide what is "best" for a child, without any proof of wrong doing by the parents. It also would allow international law and UN policies to supersede the rights granted by the US Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Really? Really??

It's getting ridiculous. We won't be able to recover from the decades and decades of out of control spending by so many politicians in Washington. I can't imagine how we won't eventually succumb to our insane national debt. (And maybe sooner than later?) But, can't we at least hold on to what makes us Americans?

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

The quote above is from the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence. Independence declared from an oppressive government that had trampled on people's liberty for too long. Theoretically, we still have a representative government that listens to the people. But perhaps it is time to once again do as Jefferson penned in that paragraph a few sentences later:

But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

It's pretty crazy times we are in, folks.

Click through to the website for more, but if you are so inclined, call the White House comments line at 202-456-1111 and leave a message there, voicing your opinion. There are a few other things mentioned at this recent news post.

Be heard.

NOTE: The White House comment line is apparently not a place you can leave a message. Their outgoing message says you can call anytime 9:00am ET till 5:00pm ET Monday through Friday.

Aló Presidente! : The Hugo Chávez Show

I came across this documentary while browsing that category at Netflix. Having lived in Venezuela for three years as a kid, I do notice anything pertaining to that country, and this one intrigued me. I didn't know much about Hugo Chávez, just that he doesn't like America. This is still true (although he is buddies with his socialist friend, Obama - per his own comments) but this documentary showed a side of Chávez that I didn't know. He kind of comes off as a bumbling fool ... yet with just enough smarts to definitely play (read:manipulate) the system.

It's a fascinating look at Venezuela (loved hearing the Venezuelan music and the people speaking, and seeing a view of Caracas that looked similar to the view I remember from our apartment building!) and the her history since Hugo Chávez has been involved.

(For example, did you know that years before he was elected, he was part of a military coup attempt ... that failed miserably? Then that he was removed from the office of president (by the military) after he was elected ... only to return two days later? Crazy stuff.)

Also, the title of the documentary (and title of this post) is from his weekly Sunday TV show (by the same title). Chávez does a live show from various locations around Venezuela (and of random durations) every week to connect with the people. Much like our own president Obama, he certainly knows the power of the media. He is very similarly a "information age" political leader.

I believe this documentary was produced by a media guy from Venezuela, and I thought it was well done. If you're interested in such things, the video embedded above is the first segment. The entire documentary is available online here.

GregsHead.net Readers Are Smart!

I was working with Google Analytics today for a couple of my web clients and I remembered that I had my own account with Google, so I logged in to check that out. (It's been a good long while!)

Now, I think traffic overall is down to GregsHead.net since I don't post nearly as much content here as I used to. But even if it's less traffic, I'd have to say it's smarter traffic!

Check out this report of the browsers used to access the site this month:


Yes, folks... (you who frequent this website) Firefox has the slight edge over Internet Explorer! And look at Safari's admirable contribution. Combined, those two browsers are over 56% of the total! IE is at a mere 33%! Nice!!

I love you guys. :-)

Keep it up! Spread the word! There are much better browsers out there!

NO ONE SHOULD BE USING INTERNET EXPLORER!

If you are one of those 33% and just don't know there are other options... there are! Most of these are available for Windows and Mac OS. (Chrome is ... coming soon? Hopefully?) Click a link and improve your web experience today! Follow the trend setters at GregsHead.net! :-)

Safari (Mac/Windows)
Firefox (Mac/Windows)
Google Chrome (Windows)

Barack Obama: He's Come To Save The Day!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Spotted this video posted to a blog I follow and had to post here. Those JibJab guys are very good at what they do!

It's Not About Church

It's about Jesus.

That may seem simplistic, but I really believe it's true.

If you'll permit me... I just need to lay down some thoughts I've been working through on this.

The Kingdom is not about what we can do (with or without Jesus' help). Life as a follower of Jesus is not about going (or NOT going) to the Sunday morning gathering - or any other one really. It's not about making the stuff we do together more effective, better, more focused on Jesus, more fruitful...

It's really, truly, only, about him.

This truth has just been in the forefront of my mind for many weeks now, seeing it in various ways at various times... through books I read, stuff I see in Scripture, conversations with friends...

It's just about Jesus. He did say, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life." Focus in on that last one. He is life. In John 17:3, Jesus said, "This is eternal life: to know you the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom you sent." (I added the italics...) ;-)

We squabble over what parts of "Christian" life are most important. We quarrel over doctrines and even "worship" styles and preferences. We know the Scriptures because we think they have eternal life, but the Scriptures point to Jesus. (See John 5:39.)

How does that look? How does the church live life together ... just as the body of Christ? I'm not sure. Not sure I'll ever be sure. But I am sure that we put a lot of other stuff in the way that doesn't need to be there. We work so hard at being the church, we just need to know and follow Jesus, and he will shape his church. That doesn't make sense in the world, but I really think it does in the Kingdom.

Sorry for the brief rant. I must be bothered by something these days. (Remember the rant on tips from a few days ago?) I certainly don't have all the answers, but I do love the idea of living life together (real, everyday life) with other believers not under the banner of some "local church" or denomination or whatever... but just as believers, excited to follow Jesus as he leads and to share that life with others.

That's so the church... and at the moment in our lives, it seems to be muted by all the other stuff we call "church". Looking forward to the next season of life where we see Jesus building his church all around us.

Speaking Engagement: Village Bookmarket

I'll be talking about my book, A Journey Shared as well as self-publishing options in general at our local bookstore, the Village Bookmarket, tomorrow at 10:00am. If anyone in the Palmyra area would like to come join us, should be about an hour-long event, and I plan to really just field questions and see which way those attending would like it to go. I'll talk about A Journey Shared, as well as my other two books. I'll talk about this blog, and blogging in general. I'll talk about social networking sites a bit probably, and I'll talk about various self-publishing options if there are any there who would like to know such things.

It's pretty neat that I have been able to publish three books over the past couple years, and it will be fun to talk about that process, and the content of the books as well. Since you are here reading what I write, I thought you may enjoy joining me for that fun!

Maybe see you there. And, if you didn't know I had published three books, then... my page header and sidebar are not working... :-) You can click here to see all three books at Amazon.com... that'd work, too.

Target Practice

Today just after lunch, Ian and Alex were testing out a new Nerf dart gun set. It apparently includes a vest with little targets on it that presumably one or both combatants would don as they battle it out.

In today's test however, Kirstie was wearing the vest. (And the cool, protective googles.) And she was stationary.

(That was the best part!)

So, big brother Ian was taking shot after shot at his 5 year old sister, while she just stood there and took it, giggling each time a dart would hit the target. (Other big brother Alex was collecting darts and reloading his older brother.)

One of many funny moments in the Campbell household. It's certainly never dull around here. :-)

GregsApples.com ... is back? (Sort of.)

Hey folks! Just wanted to give you a quick heads up. I was reminded today that I used to be an Authorized Apple Business Agent, for which Apple paid me a commission on any sales I generated for them. That was neat. Then I was an Apple Business Store Affiliate, similar deal, just not working directly for Apple. THEN, I actually worked for Apple as a trainer at the local Apple Retail Store... which was awesome! But... I didn't have enough time to give them. Too bad.

So now... I decided to use my Amazon Associates account to make a new little "GregsApples" store (though I have let that domain expire...)

If you are into that sort of thing (Apple, iPod, iPhone, Mac, etc) and you'd like to support GregsHead.net and the Campbell family (well, at least, a little...) I'd invite you to check it out! It's pretty cool actually. Like my own little mini-Amazon ... and only Apple stuff!

Click the banner above to visit, or it will be in the sidebar even after this particular post gets pushed off the front page of my blog ... or, here's the direct link:

http://astore.amazon.com/bwdapple-20

Check it out and let me know what you think. If you have any Apple/Mac questions, I'm pretty good at answering those, too :-)

WWDC Kicks Off: No Jobs, But Plenty of Fun

As expected, Steve Jobs did not make an appearance at the latest Apple keynote. However, many product updates did take center stage!

No time to detail it, but here are some highlights:

• New iPhone: 3G(s) ("s" stands for "speed", says Apple)
• Same prices, but current iPhone (3G, 8GB model) will sell for $99!
• Tons of cool new iPhone apps for the app store, involving the new features of iPhone OS 3.0 (several with GPS locating/mapping stuff)
• Mac OS 10.6 (Snow Leopard) was covered, will be released in Sep. $129 as usual, but will be $29 for current Leopard users! Crazy.
• Other interesting tidbits: Will take up 6GB less space on your computer, uses 64-bit processing much better, everything is just faster.
• Speaking of faster, new MacBook lineup announced: Featuring, new 13" MacBook Pro, 500GB 7200rpm hard drives, unibody design allowing for 1,000 battery charges (normally about 300). Processors up to 3.06GHz. 8GB RAM. Oh, and starting at $1699.

There's more, and in previous years, I would elaborate a bit more, but for now, check out Macworld's coverage. They do a good job. :-)

And, go visit your local Apple store.

Humble Scientists

We received a complimentary copy of the latest edition of Creation magazine (the Answers in Genesis folks) and I have been perusing it the past couple days. I really enjoy the subject matter they cover, and I believe that my worldview is similar enough to theirs that I can mostly relate to what they are presenting, so it's generally a good read.

What makes me sad is that as I read it, I sense the same (or greater?) arrogance that I would get from any staunch "Darwinist" in their writings. Their conclusions—really just most of the words they choose to use—drip with arrogance. Their angle seems mostly to tear down the "prevailing" scientific thought of the day, which seems to begin with the parameter that there is no God (or supernatural) and so all of life happened on its own.

As I said, the arrogance permeates all of science, no matter which fundamental worldview you happen to hold to. Whether you feel the evidence points to evolution and all of those conclusions, or a creator and his creation and all of those conclusions (or somewhere in between I suppose?) why the need for such definitive certainty? In most cases, we just can't know everything. We know what we know now, and usually that's only a part anyway.

So I was just thinking, wouldn't it be cool if there was some organization for humble scientists? Scientists who pledged no allegiance to a theory or a doctrine or, even worse, a financial underwriter or a political party? How great would that be to just have intellectually honest investigation of the facts, based on current theories, and then a neutral (although, can never be completely neutral) presentation of the current conclusions from the current studies? What could be wrong with that?

If I was a scientist, in the scientist community... that's what I would do.

Tips Should Be Tips!

Today as we ate at a sit-down restaurant for the second day in a row (may be a record!) I found myself in the familiar place of attempting to figure out what a "fair" tip would be for our waitress. Generally I do a few dollars, which is probably about the percentage it is "supposed" to be.

But this time I had to pause for a few reasons. First, we have spent a bunch of money this weekend on home school books and other supplies, so, was considering the overall funding. Then, the waitress wasn't really all that helpful. Aren't you supposed to tip for excellent service?

That's when I realized what a crazy system the whole "tipping" thing has become!!

Listen, people... TIPS are BONUS money given for doing a GOOD job!!! They are not a requirement. They can't be. Then they are not tips!

But, I know. Part of the brokenness of the system is that the employing restaurant does not pay their servers a fair wage. They pay less because they realize that "tips" have become a "required" expense for those doing the dining. So they pay less? How is that fair? Doesn't make any sense... they should get paid to do the work they are doing!

Some places even have a forced gratuity (for large parties, etc). Come on!!

Hmmph! I am pretty close to deciding to never tip a waiter/waitress/server again. If I'm forced to pay a predetermined amount... how is that a "tip"? How do I get to choose to show someone I appreciated their service with a little bonus? I don't!

So, that's my rant for the day. TIPS should be TIPS!

:-)

Time Flies When You're Not Driving a Bus

I realized today just how long it's been since I drove a school bus.

Jen & I spent a decent chunk of this day driving through the streets of Fairport, NY. It was their annual Canal Days festival, and we were privileged to have a babysitter caring for our kids, so we decided to check it out.

First, we drove through the various side streets of the village looking for a street-side parking spot. This was an adventure! Canal Days are quite well attended on sunny, 75º days! We managed to find a spot, and eventually made our way to the festival.

We enjoyed the fact that we had no kids in tow (AND the fact that I got some Perry's White Lightning ice cream at a little ice cream shop there!!) - and we enjoyed a nice leisurely browsing of the library book sale. But, overall, not really our thing. (Lots of people, a little too hot...) So, we moved on.

Due to modified traffic patterns caused by all the people, vendors, and other fun stuff from the event, we took a few side streets that I knew of from my bus driving days. As we traveled the "back" roads, I recounted a story or two of my time as a Fairport schools bus driver (bus #190!). I told Jen about the places I stopped, the kids I remembered picking up, and even the long break I had at one of the schools we passed today.

Then all of a sudden it hit me.

None - not one - of the kids I drove on those school bus routes ... are still in school!!!

Holy cow. How can that be?? But it's true. I drove their busses the 1996-1997 school year. That is 13 school years ago. Thirteen! So, even the kindergartners I drove... they have graduated. (Or maybe are this year, I suppose.)

It doesn't seem that long. It really doesn't.

The older I get the more I realize that the old people before me were right. Time just keeps going faster, and faster. It really does. Before you know it, it's been 13 years, and all the kids you drove to and from school are too old to be in school.

Craziness!

Glenn Beck is a Lying Sack of Dog Mess

I saw this video online yesterday (it's actually kind of long) and just thought it was... weird. The events that precipitated this investigative report were quite weird as well. Talk show guy Glenn Beck was accused of being a "lying sack of dog mess" by Whoopi Goldberg on her TV show, The View. And, the crazy part, it's all about a meaningless event.

And yet, still quite fascinating. Enjoy.