blog one another

Installing XP

Steps to install Windows XP:

1. Install XP itself.
2. Run Windows Update. I want to secure this system quickly to avoid attack, so let's initially go with the critical updates. What? There are 91 of them?
3. Done installing. Have to reboot.
4. Run Windows Update again. This time, get the recommended updates as well as any critical ones. Down to 15 of them.
5. Done installing. Have to reboot again.
6. Run Windows Update again. 10 updates this time.
7. Done installing. Have to reboot, for the third time!
8. Run Windows Update again. 1 update this time.
9. Done installing. Thank God, I don't have to reboot for this one.
10. Download and install anti-virus software. Run it.
11. Download and install anti-spyware software. Run it.

Um. How long have Windows users been putting up with this? I see Apple just issued a security update. It says, "Previous security updates have been incorporated into this security update." Fancy that.

Prayer request

Our nephew Luke (Kay's brother's son) has gone missing at a national park in Ecuador. If anyone can survive this, it would be Luke, who grew up in Nepal. But I am worried. Please pray for his safety and recovery.

Update: A search party of around 100 people has not turned up anything yet. The weather has been poor enough to prevent helicopter searches.

Google Luke Dornon for more news.

Update 2: He's been found alive!
++ thank you, I know that things don't always work out this way ++
whew

Worship porn

A growing number of people (like Alan Hirsch) are critical of "Jesus is my boyfriend" worship music. Some of the criticism is that it is over-romanticization, even eroticism, and specifically that men feel awkward singing love songs to Jesus, 'cause hey, he's another guy and that's just weird.

I, too, am critical of "Jesus is my boyfriend" but I think I mean something different. What I see is shallow sentimentality, what I call "white bread worship" -- all fluff, no substance. Some of it is certainly shaped by the lyrics of popular songs, because I think the reason they become popular is that they are inoffensive. But I think it goes beyond the songs to the attitude of the worship leader and the way some churches view worship as a means to an end.

Technorati Tags: worship

Homeless Adventure #2

This past Sunday after helping with church tear-down, our family decided to go to Erik's Deli for lunch. I parked the car and was explaining the pagan symbols of Easter to the kids as we walked towards our destination -- right past a homeless guy sitting with his cardboard sign. Inside the restaurant, I told Kay, "I'm going to give that guy a few bucks," and walked back out.

I greeted him, squatting down to get onto his level. I handed him four dollar bills, saying I hoped it would help him. "Oh yeah," he said thankfully.
"My name's Jon," I said, extending my hand.
"I'm Richard," he said. Still holding my hand, he looked intently at me. "Are you a Christian?" he asked.
"I'm trying to follow Jesus, so yeah, I guess so," I replied.
"I thought so. I could see it in your eyes. I'm a Christian too." Then he added, "That makes us brothers."

Technorati Tags: homeless

Homeless Adventure #1

I have to thank our Mexican-American neighbor for taking me one day to his favorite haircut place. The price is cheaper than anywhere else. All of the workers are Vietnamese. And for some reason it is a favorite hangout for gang members; most of them wait outside while their buddy gets his hair trimmed to perfection. Every time I go, I set foot outside my familiar world of the highly-educated tech worker.

As I was walking in a few weeks ago, I noticed a couple of guys hanging out in the parking lot. Freshly shorn and having just paid in cash (instead of using my card), I was walking back to my car with small bills in my wallet, when I saw the same two guys. "Hey," one of them said, "can you give us a hand?"

"How can I help you?" I asked, walking over.
"Can you spare any change?" he asked.
"Sure, what's up? What do you need it for?"
"Aw man, we're homeless. Anything helps."

Technorati Tags: homeless

My Spitzer-induced rant

As I recover from this nasty cold/flu/thing, I feel a rant coming on.

Eliot Spitzer! You have perpetuated this image of prostitution as a high-class institution, full of mystery only available to the initiates. Did it not strike you that you are increasing the demand? As MomLogic asks, "What does a woman do to you for $4,300 a 'session'?"

People of the press! Your fascination with the possibility that the prostitute will gain fame from this is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Did it not strike you that by projecting this image of glamour, you are increasing the supply? Follow the example of the New York Times and clearly identify "high-class prostitution" as an oxymoron!

Fools! Thanks to you, another "John" will kiss his family good-bye to leave for an important "business trip" to Thailand -- or simply arrange for an "escort" right in the suburbs. Another desperate girl will be lured by promises of love and comfort, only to find herself beaten, raped, tortured until her will is crushed.

And being well-informed fools, you probably know that the modern-day slave trade dwarfs that of the past. It's just better hidden, and by your actions, you have served their purposes.

I dare Spitzer and the press to sit down and watch Lilja 4-Ever. It's easy, just put it in your Netflix queue. Organize viewing parties -- heck, I'll host one if you want. I dare you.

Technorati Tags: slavery