Archive for the ‘News’ Category

New Toy, I Mean Phone

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Posted 13 Mar 2008 — by nick
Category Apple, Fun, Movies, music, News, Technology

This has always been more of an inevitable thing, my friends asking “when are you going to get one?” instead of “are you going to get one?”

It’s been about 3 weeks now since I purchased my iPhone, it’s sexy 🙂

Overall I’m happy with it, though it definitely shows the signs of an early product still being developed. Biggest complaints: iCal doesn’t support multiple calendars, wireless has known issues which make it interesting here on campus, and there is no way to delete learned wireless networks.

Apple announced the iPhone SDK last week for developers to be able to build custom applications for the iPhone as well as promised support for Microsoft Exchange making the iPhone more corporate friendly.

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Now playing: The Fratellis – Flathead
via FoxyTunes

Podcasts: Faith Swapping

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Posted 27 Feb 2008 — by nick
Category Family, Jesus, Ministry, News, Podcasts, Spirituality

NPR Story of the Day is one of the podcasts I keep up with on a regular basis. Embarrassing as it is to admit, often times it is the ONLY news input I get in a day.

Particularly interesting to me was today’s story: “Religion Survey Find Many American’s Swap Faiths.” The segment is short, less than 4 minutes and worth listening to, but if you’d rather read it you can find the transcript here and the results of the survey here.

Since I’m short on time I don’t have the ability to get into much depth on this, but I think it reinforces something we see in college ministry all the time and a trend I’ve seen in my family. Children choosing a different flavor of Christianity from their parents, happened with my Dad and his parents and my brother and I with our parents.

Scientology Protest

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Posted 10 Feb 2008 — by nick
Category Friends, News, Photos, Spirituality, Videos

Longtime friends of the Dawg Haus will remember we are located next-door to the Champaign branch of the Church of Scientology – a fact several folks have found humorous. Recently this group has found it’s way into the news and not on such great terms. There is the Tom Cruise viral video, the Anonymous response video, DDoS on Scientology’s website, and today a worldwide organized protest.

Camped out on our front couches, some of us dawgs grabbed our morning coffee and breakfast and became spectators of the event unfolding next-door.


We have a civil and cordial relationship with our neighbors – none of us would agree with their beliefs but we see them as human beings deserving of love and respect regardless of how misguided they may be. It’s this fact that makes me uneasy about the protest. I’ve been thinking a lot this year about how effective protesting is (part in reference to the call of Christians to boycott The Golden Compass and further with this protest though it’s not officially religiously affiliated).


Do signs, shouting, and name calling do more than cause the targeted group to bunker down and solidify further in their beliefs?

I’m not saying these protesters are hoping to persuade the scientologist, I’m just questioning if it’s affective at persuading those passing by. My hunch is not and thus I conclude they’re just creating a stand-off between themselves and those inside the “church” each side growing in their belief in the other being wrong and growing in dislike.

What do you think?

(PS: A very few more photo’s can be found on my picasa account. I didn’t take many.)

Super Tuesday: Vote Today!

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Posted 05 Feb 2008 — by nick
Category News, Social Justice

Just a quick and friendly reminder that today is Super Tuesday, so if your state is holding it’s primary today, go vote. I’m not an expert on all this stuff – voter registration, the primaries, elections – but I do know I get to voice my choice for potential presidential candidates for the upcoming election today and I did so this morning.

If nothing else, they give you a sticker. Would be nice to get a sucker too, but oh well.

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Now playing: Derek Webb – A King and a Kingdom
via FoxyTunes

A World in Disorder

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Posted 21 Sep 2007 — by nick
Category Blogs, Darkness, Jesus, Light, News, Podcasts, Social Justice, Videos

I arrived at work this morning like usual and browsed my podcasts. NPR story of the day, The New from Lake Wobegon, Pandora podcast, This American Life, etc. “‘Jena Six’ Case Prompts Mass Demonstrations” – the NPR headline seemed to leap out. Clicking ‘play’ I found my heart beating faster, an anger welling up and sadness deepening.

Initially I was angry that racism could still be so prevalent in this little town in the south. Then I began to admit it’s not just in the south, in this little town. I see it in my upbringing, I see it at home, I see it on this campus, I see it in my life – through my white privilege and learned behavior.

In the darkness of racism it becomes so apparent to me that Jesus is the hope of the World and that he is putting it all back together again. We simply can’t fix things apart from God.

NPR was my first exposure to this issue – the whole story feels like something out of a text book describing the 60’s. You can read more here at BBC.

One of the more interesting bits of the article to me is how the community is described as a “mixed community” about 85% White and 12% black, yet the churches are not so ‘mixed’ nor are the neighborhoods or even the barber shop.

Continuing my morning routine I noticed a blog post by JR Woodward about this topic. As usual it’s worth reading.

Here is a brief YouTube Photo Story:

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Now playing: Derek Webb – A New Law
via FoxyTunes

Yay, Illinois!

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Posted 18 May 2007 — by nick
Category Fun, News, Podcasts

Welp apparently Illinois is the most average of all the states. Average in racial makeup, slightly above average in income and urban-ness. But alas the good old Illinois… just average. The least average is West Virginia.

NPR: Story of the Day

New Product From Google :)

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Posted 02 Apr 2007 — by nick
Category Fun, News, Technology

Just in case you didn’t catch this on Google today: they are offering a free broadband service in your home now. All you need to do is contact them to receive a free kit – complete with a wireless router, spool of Fiber Optic Cable and Installation CD. They are calling it TiSP. Here is a sample from the FAQs:

Is this offering a tiered service? How does Google’s position on Net Neutrality effect TiSP?
Although we understand that there’s a lot of crap on the web, we also believe strongly in providing equal opportunity access to all our users. While we won’t limit your surfing choices, we do offer three levels of TiSP service:

Trickle The #2 Royal Flush

Download speed (max)

8 Mbps
(10X basic DSL)

16 Mbps
(20X basic DSL)

32 Mbps
(40X basic DSL)

Upload speed (max)

2 Mbps

4 Mbps

8 Mbps

Price

Free

$9.95/mo.

$24.95/mo.
Actual speeds will vary, depending on network traffic and sewer line conditions. Users with low-flow toilets may simultaneously experience a saving-the-environment glow and slower-data-speed blues.

Apparently installation is simple. You attach a weight to the end of the fiber and flush it down your Toilet, letting the spool roll out. Then you connect the other end of the fiber to your TiSP wireless router and one of their Plumbing Hardware Dispatchers (PHDs) hooks up your fiber to an Internet access node.

Ah… happy April 1st.

More Free Caffeine

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Posted 19 Mar 2007 — by nick
Category coffee, Fun, News

Free Iced Coffee from Dunkin Donuts Wednesday March 21, 2007. (Press Release)
Well last week’s free Starbucks helped get me through the week – with the official change of seasons this week and free iced coffee from DD, I’d say getting through this week won’t be so tough either.

Just for fun: calculate your daily caffeine intake. See if you beat me I’m between 580 and 725mg / day. “OK. THAT’S ENOUGH”

Putting The World Back Together

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Posted 19 Feb 2007 — by nick
Category Jesus, Light, News, Social Justice, Spirituality, Videos

I’ve been listening to a provocatively titled teaching series by Rob Bell lately – Jesus Wants to Save Christians – given last fall at his church Mars Hill. I downloaded it then and it has since become unavailable online in order to make room for more recent teachings. While listening this weekend I heard Rob describe his Church as

“Counter cultural insurgency who actually believes the world can be put back together because we think that’s what Jesus has in mind.”

I find this description delightful – it pulled to the front of my mind the University of Illinois Board of Trustees decision last week to end the tradition of Chief Illiniwek. While the Board of Trustees doesn’t serve as a group of Jesus followers we can still celebrate the putting-back-togetherness of the world in such instances of social justice. Part of seeing the world put back together involves hearing the voice of the marginalized, fighting for equality and righting the wronged.

This decision is no doubt controversial – the debate has been raging for decades. Prior to arriving on campus in ’01 I had decided to reside on the “anti-chief” side of the issue (how we refer to those not supportive of Chief Illiniwek). I attribute the heartache and sensitivity to this issue to a work God did in my heart on a missions trip to Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in the summer of ’01. This is the location of the Oglala Sioux Nation whom the University received a set of Chief Regalia from and argues that it is in part honoring in the Chief’s Tradition. A recent quote from the Native American House at the University of Illinois in reference to the January 17, 2007 Oglala Sioux Resolution concerning Chief Illiniwek speaks to the level of “honor” these people feel:

There can be no misreading of the Oglala Sioux Resolution—those to whom the Lakota regalia belongs and whom the Board of Trustees claims to be honoring have clearly requested that the performance and charade of “chief illiniwek” end.

Just one month later they found their request granted. Further thoughts and press releases form the NAH on this issue can be found here.

Simply put I find it hard to follow Jesus and support the oppression and degradation of another people group and I believe it naive to claim the Chief an honoring symbol of a living -breathing people. I don’t believe this issue stops with Chief Illiniwek, how about the Spartans, the Fighting Irish?

Do you have thoughts on the issue, I’d love to hear them? Never seen the Chief dance: click here

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