Friday, February 26, 2010

Sophomoresque Designs

Back in the good ole sophomore year, I took the required computer science class, and got to choose 3 labs. I choose Photoshop and Illustrator, in addition to the necessary Microsoft Word.

In said class, we were required to make three postcards centering around the same subject. These are what ensued. I would like to apologize in advance for the less than stellar designing. This is more for a laugh than anything else.

The first image was supposed to be advertising for a movie:


And the second was for a book:


And the third was for a play:


Now, as for this last one, would not a Justice League themed musical be one of the greatest things you could ever hope for or imagine? I think yes.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Mousepoint Tracker


This is a picture of the path my mouse took while I was writing an annotated bibliography this past weekend. (Which, I might add, was one of the worst experiences of my scholastic career).

The lines represent wherever my mouse went, and the dots are wherever it stopped. The bigger the dot, the longer it rested there. A few of those big ones were restroom breaks. And another was when I went downstairs to make a few copies.

It is pretty interesting to see all the points you hit. I did it at work the other day and by far the highest traffic was along the tabs bar in Firefox.

If you want to give it a go, then right click this link and "save target as." Wherever you want. The picture file will save in the same folder you put the above file.

[Tip o' the Hat to Brandon Oxendine and Ryan Hollingsworth]

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

What I'm Reading

Even though I still haven't finished the last thing I said I was reading, and while I do intend to finish it, I have really enjoyed this piece by David Crowder so far. I especially liked his bit on Lectio Divina.

So far I find his psalm responses interesting, not so much insightful. I've essentially been reading it as a quasi-devotional, except at night before I hit the hay. But it is good for sure.

Also, his appendices are very helpful.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

It's Too Late to Apologize, George III!

Just about the funniest things ever to me are the unlikely mixings of contemporary and historical events. I've tossed one at you before, but this one is a tad better, just because it features founding fathers breaking it down in a rock band.

Enjoy.

Monday, February 22, 2010

"To Fetch A Pail"

What you probably know after reading my blog for o-so-long, is that I am a poet of sorts. What you may not know is that this past semester I took a poetry writing class. The reason you do not necessarily know this is because I have not posted any of my poetry that came out of that class. Now I am remedying this--

To Fetch A Pail
2009

A modern Jack and Jill,
Arduous brother-sister partnership
That climbs in search of water
May find that what the bucket's
Filled with, what they're looking for,
Is not the expected clean and clear.
While trying to construct to
Some sort of paradise,
The bridge we thought we'd built
Across the infinite looks great
But weighs down on our shoulders
As we try to carry it.
Let's try some demolition:
There is a devastating majesty--
A clear, pure stinging to the heart
That can catch you, safe.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Quotage

"Hello, with a last name like Gundersheim? Jew-town, population: them."
--Tom

"I hate it when I get cold 'cause then I have to pee."
--Caitlin

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Stop Animation FTW

It makes me sad that in the 1+ year I have been in possession of this blog (by Title, at least) I have yet to share with you the wonderfulness that is Rhett and Link.

In this particular video we have a wonderful display of high quality comedy juxtaposed with immaculate stop animation, a particular form of artistry of which I am very fond. [ponder with me, for a moment, the various implications the previous sentence would have if I had typed "found" instead of "fond," an action that almost happened]

Also, the t-shirts are up for grabs at their website, if you want one of the actual t-shirts from the actual video. Cheers.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

2010 Winter Olympics Medals



[click through if you can't see it]

Hello, Cypress Gardens

I went down to Charleston a few weekends ago to celebrate my birthday with my family, and while I was down there, I took the opportunity to do the photo shoot assigned for my Intro to Photo class. Of the 134 pictures I took, these are the five I weaned it down to:






Apparently, those were not good enough for my professor, as he said I should have picked these two:



Finally, (now that your web browser is screaming "NO MORE IMAGES!") we had to convert our five selected images to black and white:





Tuesday, February 16, 2010

St. Valentine's Day

Has St. Valentine's Day reached that oh-so-elusive holiday status where it requires the obligatory post by anyone who considers himself moderately insightful? I feel as thought the very presence of this post on my blog serves as an adequate "yeah."

If you've been sentient within the last 10 years you have probably noticed that a lot of people hate this holiday, especially single people. I'm a little late adding my 3¢ to the discussion (I like to not arrogantly assume that what I have to say is a little more valuable than what others have, the proverbial 2¢, naturally). I just wanted to wait and see that my perceptions during this particular St. Valentine's day remained unclouded by the day's presence.

I think, overall, I am a fan of St. Valentine's Day. Not the movie. People say that it is a completely fabricated holiday for the benefit of Walmart and Hallmark and other sundry companies. I think they have a point. But to hate it on those grounds is not really the solution.

Why not undermine it's very purpose by celebrating it in a manner in which they don't benefit at all? Have a stay at home dinner, or a picnic! Instead of buying cards and flowers, why not write and make your own? Or just go an read the card, and then write it on construction paper! Much more romantic, yes?

St. Valetine's Day at it's uncommercialized core is a holiday for the celebration of love. And if you hate love, you're just a douche bag. So you may say "Why not celebrate love every day?!?" And I'd say "Good question. Probably because everyone hates everyone else or is at least to selfish to care."

It's like this--a birthday is for celebrating someone's birth, essentially, the fact that someone is alive. Now saying that people only care about love on St. Valentine's Day is like saying people don't care about someone being alive except on their birthday. Which actually may be the case. But it's not right.

I say we remedy it in both directions. Love everyone every day. Celebrate love every day. But also recognize that special occasions are bangin' too. (No pun intended).

Monday, February 15, 2010

They're Both There

While my theological excavations have been somewhat lacking of late, I came across a recent post by Steven Furtick, from the middle of his church-wide undertaking of the entire New Testament in 30 days. He is talking about how often opposing theological viewpoints are both to be found in Scripture. He says,
The sovereignty of God…
and
the free will of man.
They’re both in the Bible.


God’s promise to prosper and bless His children…
and
the certainty of hardship and suffering in the life of a believer.
They’re both in the Bible.


The mandate to preach the Gospel…
and
the responsibility to care for the poor.
They’re both in the Bible.
And he's right. While as a reformed individual, I would like to take the more conservative of each of these viewpoints, I cannot deny the prevalence of seemingly contradictory opposing viewpoints in scripture.

I am often tempted to smooth over those that support free will or social gospel, to explain them away while consolidating and re-affirming the validity of Ephesians 1-2 or Romans 8.

Why do I do this? Easy as pie: because I'm a prideful, arrogant pr*ck. Why do so many people do this? Because pride is #1 favorite pastimes of those who claim humanity as their species of choice. I want to be right, you want to be right, we all want to be right. Except for Jesus, because he is right.

I have been coming to a prolonged epiphany that there is more to God than I used to know. (Surprise, surprise!) Now, I still hold firmly to reformed theology, but I am beginning to see how an unyielding grasp to doctrine often results in an unwillingness to do God's work--namely, loving people.

...more to come in this train of thought at a later date.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Marc Johns' Answer

Marc Johns, an artist who I have lauded before, has provided society with the answer to a seemingly impossible question:



Bravo, good sir, for providing us with the answer we've always hoped for.

Related:

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Time Waster! Yay!

If you have a couple hours to kill, then I suggest you go check out this time waster. From Tyler Stanton's Weekly Six, this thing is very difficult to explain. I realize I'm not making a good case for you to drop your blog perusing and check it out, but do.

Basically, you click on one of the squares and it starts playing a note in a regular rhythm. Click other notes and it will add them to the sequence in sequence, with similar notes being close together, further notes further apart. Create yourself some rad beats, yo.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Dug Down Deep Video

I know I have mentioned Josh Harris' new book Dug Down Deep several times, and seems a little hypocritical that I haven't obtained and read it yet, but whatever.

Before the book came out, Josh had a short-film contest about the book, and this is one of the finalists. I like it as an artistic piece and because of what it is saying, a passage from the introduction that struck me before. Enjoy, and if you like it a lot, go vote for it on the website.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Six Word Memoirs

About a year ago a friend was doing a photography project entitled "Six Word Memoirs," inspired (as far as I can tell) by a certain NPR story and gallery, or, upon further research, this book and this magazine.

Whatever the original source, she asked a group of us to give her a memoir, summed up in exactly six words. No more, no less. This was to be accompanied with our photographic portrait. What I came up with was:
I was born, and then again.
I have tried very hard to match the glory of that precedent. I will continue to try. In the meantime, here are a few others I have done:
My soul clings to the dust.

Life happens a lot. Respond accordingly.

Love is all that I can.

I have fallen for you, miss.
Now, when the same directive was put to others of my friends, here is what was produced:
I want to wear a tie.
I'm so glad that's over with.
It rained yesterday. My umbrella broke.

--Daniel Romanoski
and
I am my mother's flower child.
The world hurts, but he restores.

--Amanda Patterson
It is an interesting exercise. It takes some thought and purpose and often creativity to condense experience to a mere six words. From a poetic point of view, it is a convenient and interesting way to get he most bang for your buck as far as words go.

Now, I know I ask you as readers to do things a lot, or at least ask what you think, but this is a sincere request: please please PLEASE take a tad bit of your time to do this. Boil it down to a "penny for your thoughts" query.

It doesn't have to be a memoir of your whole life, your "singular purpose." It can be for the last year, the last week, the last day--it could even be a memoir of the last hour. Just think about it, and post your Six Word Memoir as a comment.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Fulfillment In Jesus Is A Myth

That's right, I said it. You will never be fulfilled by Jesus here on earth. If want to hear the explanation to this seemingly heretical statement, you are going to have to watch this video:



From what I understand, this is a major gist of Donald Miller's new book A Million Miles In A Thousand Years. I want to read it, bad. And I agree.

Jesus is the climax of my life, but not while I am here on earth. Not until glory. If he is the climax in this life, then what's with all this troublesome and ridiculous and difficult crap I have to deal with!?! That is no falling action. That's a crappy denouement. And God doesn't do crappy.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Stapled To My Face

With a good friend undertaking No Shave '09, and my recent visit to Boone, NC--a town I can never visit without appreciating the prevalence and quality of facial hair, I found this particular comic from the webcomic Strangegods especially hilarious:



And it's true: while I must agree with Mark Driscoll that there are a number of "men" in our society that are really just "boys who can shave," I must also concede to Mr. W. Shakespeare when he said "He that hath no beard is less than a man, and he that hath a beard is more than a boy."

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Little Boy Blue--Creepy Edition

In honor of the resumption of Lost for it's final season (thank you J.J. for sticking to a set storyline) I thought it would be a good idea to share this video. Michael Emerson (Ben on Lost) demonstrates the power of voice rather than words in changing the mood of a scene. This is so creepy.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Everything's Amazing and Nobody's Happy

While the controversy is over, and Conan is leaving, and we'll have to wait 8 months to see him again (it's a stipulation in the departure contract), you can at least enjoy this little bit with comedian Louis CK:



I must say I wholeheartedly agree. Even though I get caught up in things like this sometimes, I think it would be awesome if we could shock ourselves out of this type of attitude.