FFlick

If you haven't seen FFlick (http://fflick.com), than I suggest you check it out. If you're a twitter fan and/or a self proclaimed movie buff, you'll want to check out this creative new web property. It is a brilliant new way to learn what people say about a movie. If you've had problems trusting IMDB or Rotten Tomatoes, or Roger Ebert, this might be the site for you. FFlick searches twitter for tweets about movies, decides whether they are positive or negative reviews, and publishes the information in a very usable way. It also takes your movie reviews and your friends' movie reviews and turns them into feeds. I find it interesting and very easy to use. Let me know whether or not you've found it useful.

My FFlick link:

http://fflick.com/jshaffe#

India and More

I've recently been 'craving' India. I'm not quite sure if craving is even the right word to use, but it is the one who's definition seems to be most akin to my desires. Of late, I find myself thinking about the time I spent there and longing to go back. I see things on facebook that are posted by people I met while I was there and I want to be standing in these places. The food, the sights, the drinks, and the interaction were so very different there. I feel this sense of being caged up swelling up within me, a feeling that will not go away, it will only grow stronger. Perhaps it is simply my adventurous spirit fighting the American way of life that is so comfortable yet so boring. I cannot forget the feeling of being alive that I felt so keenly on those streets. I knew I was not only making a difference, but partaking in a great adventure with a group of individuals who now hold a very special place in my heart. Push back one more layer and I am struck again with the wave of nausea I felt when I realized it would be only hours before I was on my way back to the USA.

I love America as well as the life I am living here, but the part of me that remains untamed, childlike even, detests the prim and proper of its daily grind. I find myself wanting to fill my pack, tie my boots, and be off on a quest to anywhere. More than that, I desire to renew the unique way I was searching for relationships and spirituality as I began it in India. I was strangely at peace because I was out of my element. My peace came from being truly alive, in experience, in spirit, and in relationships.

Craigslist

I'm interested to hear about what everyone's experiences have been with Craigslist. I've recently been browsing the lists of items to see if I can find any good deals on, well anything really. In essence, I am working now and have pushed past the point where I am breaking even when it comes to my income vs. expenses. There are a number of little things that I would like to pick up if the price is right. Like I said, money is tight. The problem is this, it seems that people don't realize that this is the internet age. I can google, ebay, or kelly blue book whatever they are trying to get someone to buy and find out in about two minutes that they are selling it for as much or more than what it would cost to pick up a new one. It is just another situation where I find myself frustrated by people's greed and utter lack of honesty. So, what have your experiences been while on Craigslist? Is it just the Toledo area that is so poopy? Have you ever purchased anything from Craistlist? How did that purchase work out for you in the end? Comment, FB, tweet, or text responses are all welcome.

"Dumbing Down"

I was reading an article about the "Dumbing Down" of the Gospel (link) and I thought it made some pretty interesting points. It is basically about how the way we have summarized the gospel to those we witness too has changed dramatically since the industrial revolution.

New Way: The Four Laws

1. God's Love (John 3:16)

2. Our Sin (Romans 3:23)

3. His Plan (Romans 5:8)

4. Our Response (John 1:12)

Old Way: Relationally Contextualized

"You are the bride to the Bridegroom, and the Bridegroom is Jesus Christ. You must eat of His flesh and drink of His blood to know Him, and your union with Him will make you one, and your oneness with Him will allow you to be identified with Him, His purity allowing God to interact with you, and because of this you will be with Him in eternity, sitting at His side and enjoying His companionship, which will be more fulfilling than an earthly husband or an earthly bride. All you must do to engage God is be willing to leave everything behind, be willing to walk away from your identity, and embrace joyfully the trials and tribulations, the torture and perhaps martyrdom that will come upon you for being a child of God in a broken world working out its own redemption in empty pursuits." - Donald Miller

Thoughts?

BP

The BP corporation is being vilified on every medium of media on the planet. Let's be honest here, the effects on the environment are a big deal. What I don't like is that I haven't heard any stories published on how the families and loved ones of the 11 workers killed in the explosion are doing. Nor have I heard how the 17 injured are recovering. If stories have even been published about them they have been flooded away by a multitude of other reports on the "environmental backlash".

I care about the environment. I love nature, hiking, camping, backpacking, and swimming. If I can enjoy something outside, I probably find myself spending time outside doing it. We are tasked with the stewardship of this planet. It is ours to take care of. This is what bothers me about the news. BP didn't blow up their own billion dollar oil rig, killing 11 people, because they felt like it. It wasn't in their best interest to do so. Force a company to drill offshore through miles of ocean and earth crust in a hurricane prone area because locations easy to drill are too highly regulated, and accidents will happen. This won't be the last time this happens. I think the American people share some responsibility for this tragedy. It was the representatives that we elected, who voted on the laws to make it impossible for companies to drill on American soil.

Did transocean (the company BP contracted to do the actual operation of the rig) screw up? Look at the pictures of the gulf of Mexico and you'll get your answer. This mistake will be costly in so many ways we cannot begin to calculate it, including a toll of human lives. Grow up America! We are the ones driving around cities gunning our V6 and V8 engines in our super-duties, SUVs, and vans. We are the ones creating the massive demand for fossil fuels (Source).

Here is the problem as I see it. The political leaders of the nation are going to tell the people, "stricter regulation is the key. Keep on driving, flying, and buying. We'll regulate the industry some more and then cap the prices on gas for you when it goes up too much, but still increase the amount of taxes we take per gallon." Unfortunately, people will believe them, the laws will pass, and the situation will become worse. It is a convenient ending where BP is temporarily blamed for all of America's energy problems until a new scapegoat must be found.

Problems With Facebook / I don't really like basements

My New Internet Interests

Evernote is supposed to keep me from forgetting anything. I can save anything I see on my phone or pc. Foursquare lets my friends know what I'm doing and lets me know what they're doing. Geocaching is GPS powered high tech treasure hunting. Google Voice is a sweet new take on telephony. Google Chrome is a browser, I have finally decided to replace firefox with chrome. Why? Because chrome has the extensions I want to use, syncs my bookmarks with my google account, and runs each tab in a separate environment so one wayward tab won't sink the whole program.