Thinkersloft - Books, Articles Read

Making It

nospam@example.com (Kevin) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 01:23:10 -0500

I picked up a book at Fry's Electronics. It's called "Making It: Manufacturing Techniques for Product Design". The author is Chris Lefteri. Very interesting book, lots of good photos and descriptions of techniques.

I'll be doing some more updates to kevinfox.wordpress.com regarding a bike frame I'm designing. Much is changing in the way bikes are made as well as in their structural appearance. It's a good distraction from my word-oriented work, and a good way to think differently.

I was looking through www.nextag.com and found many examples of new designs, and prices up to $6,000 per bike. Summer's coming, and really looking forward to making my prototype.

The New Navy

nospam@example.com (Norm) — Thu, 14 May 2009 10:48:51 -0400

http://www.military.com/news/article/navy-lets-sailors-take-break-from-service.html?ESRC=navy-a.nl

I just read this article and had to share. I am sure the "Old Salty Sailors" before my time must of thought my Naval Service time period was not as difficult as theirs, but come on lets get real people. What every happened to the phrase "Steel Ships and Iron Men"? What about the Honor, Courage, and Commitment? Now it will be "Time Out, I need a break".

I certainly agree, that quality of life is a positive motivator for our service members and their families but this to me is just plain entertaining. You got to be kidding me.

I stumbled across this.

nospam@example.com (Norm) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 10:43:43 -0400

http://www.scribd.com/

Watching a Video Online, it is a hazard?

nospam@example.com (Norm) — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 12:10:23 -0400

Interesting article about how determined bad people are at exploiting weakness in our computing habits and practices.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21095733/

Matthew 10 - Heal the Sick

nospam@example.com (Kevin) — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 19:05:17 -0500

Chris, the teenager with cancer, has been given 4 weeks. He's back in the hospital.

Tomorrow night we'll read Matthew 10:8: "Heal the sick, raise the dead...Freely you have received, freely give."

What's that mean? Freely received, freely give tied in to the section on heal the sick and raise the dead. What have we received?

New life in Christ... That's not the answer. We've received more than new life in Christ. We are more than Christians - fellow believers in one body. We received something more, but it is easier to say "your sins are forgiven" than to say "rise up and walk".

Sins forgiven - that's a concept we can own. Rise up and walk - that's going too far. We don't accept it as truth, but as illustration.

It's just an illustration for being reborn spiritually, we say. But Jesus told his apostles, the ones with a wide variety of personalities and character (a doubter, a sinner/tax collector, a zealot, a fisherman, a doctor, etc.) and told them point blank without reservation to go and heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse skin disease, cast out demons as if this were a normal thing. Not just preach that the kingdom is near.

For Chris laying in a hospital with cancer wrapped around his spine and filling his bones, all I can offer is that in Heaven there is no illness. I'm impotent to heal, to carry out what Jesus thought normal, to do greater things than what he did. I can carry my cross, but I come short on the directive to heal the sick. It seems so selective on our human part, to take Jesus at his word for things that seem normal to us, but to doubt him on things that seem normal only to Him, as if those things are reserved just for Him, just for God to do.

And yet he told his human, flawed apostles to Heal the sick. I am human. I am flawed. And I think we are missing something - this thing freely given and we are to freely give, in the same breath as the directive to heal, to raise from the dead, to cleanse and to cast out demons. Something is missing in my concept of what it means to be a Christian. It seems we are more than the body of Christ, members of the kingdom of God, sheep in His pasture, but we just don't believe it could be true of us, not like it is true of Him.

And Chris...he slowly passes towards the gates of hell. Will he enter the gates of Heaven, believing despite my disbelief? [I am not being hard on myself. I am questioning what it is to believe in this Christ.]

Matthew 9 ReCap

nospam@example.com (Kevin) — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 18:47:30 -0500

After much discussion on last Friday night, our summary seemed to be that, "when God is moved, miracles happen."

One person in our group asked, "who am I in this chapter?" The one who carries, the one who is sick, the one who questions, the one who responds, etc.

Another asked, "what, are we now to heal others, too?" as if exasperated at the additional work to do beyond sharing the good news, being in good relationship with God, being a servant-minded Christian, etc.

Many in the group were focused on v. 13, "But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.'"

For me, still v. 28 and the question of whether or not I really think Jesus is capable to do the thing asked for.

And yet, I would agree that when God is moved, then He seems to bring the miracle, the thing that goes beyond human conception and expectation.

"Bookmark Now" by Kevin Smokler

nospam@example.com (Kevin) — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 13:44:05 -0500

A friend of mine recently bought me this book and I've been reading it at free moments. It's a collection of essays previous posted on the Web by writers who see reading and writing evolve. Need I say more? It's a good browse, and a good read.

"The Weekend Novelist Writes a Mystery" by Ray & Remick

nospam@example.com (Kevin) — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 14:44:01 -0500

Ever wanted to try writing a mystery?

The book I used was "The Weekend Novelist Writes a Mystery" by Robert J. Ray and Jack Remick.

They explain everything and "write" a sample novel to give actual examples of what they are explaining.

It's up to you to think of your own mystery and your own ending, but the book gives you everything to make it happen.

Another Perspective on Software Piracy

nospam@example.com (Norm) — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 08:43:31 -0500

I read an article in the "Enterprise Open Source Journal Magazine" this morning. The author Jim Zemlin, had a very interesting angle on software pirates. He basically stated that there are two type of software pirates. The first, are those who would have not bought the software in the first place. The second, those who would have bought the software but decide to pirate it. He was refering mostly to Microsoft as the software company.

The interesting thing is that he pointed out that the first kind of pirate increases the installation base of the software. This allows the company (Microsoft) to increase its selling price because its value goes up. If the first kind of pirate just installed Linux for example, then the install base for Linux would grow. The results would be more third party companies would put there development stock in Linux instead of Windows.

The author's bottom line was piracy only reinforces Microsoft's monopoly.

http://www.eosj.com/

Continue reading "Another Perspective on Software Piracy"

From the creator of Dilbert

nospam@example.com (Dad) — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 16:49:47 -0400

Here's an unusual feel good story from the creator of Dilbert. Read the Comments as well. (There are over a 1000 to chose from- all feel good stories) Really nice! The story is also of interest to those of us who are prone to lose our voice and one possible reason.

http://dilbertblog.typepad.com/the_dilbert_blog/2006/10/good_news_day.html