Why I Prefer my Kindle to your iPad

So I had some extra money in my Amazon account from selling back books. For a long time, I contemplated spending this money in various ways: magazine subscriptions, renting an elephant for a few days, or buying a Kindle. Apparently Amazon doesn't (yet) offer an elephant rental service, so I decided to go with the Kindle, thinking it will be useful on Male Chorale tour. I just got it yesterday and have been playing with it for the day, and I love it! Here are some reasons why I love it and it beats the iPad, at least in my opinion:

1. Energy efficiency. The Kindle lasts for a month without charge. The iPad? Well, the iPad 3 lasts 9 or ten hours on a full charge, depending on what you're doing.
2. The technology. The Kindle uses e ink, which I originally knew nothing about, but researched just now and found it super awesome. Basically, there's ink inside, and the electricity is used to move the ink. Once the ink is moved to its new position, it stays there without electricity. This leads to my next point.
3. Genius marketing strategy. This one is not in competition against Apple, as they obviously also have a brilliant marketing strategy. My Kindle is ad-supported though, which means that while in sleep mode, it shows an ad. Right now, it's showing an ad for a fitness center. This is genius because it uses no battery, and everyone will leave their Kindle just laying around anyhow. Most won't find this a reason to love the Kindle, but I appreciate good marketing, and this is very well done.
4. Access to free books. Did you know that any older books are in the public domain? Sherlock Holmes, Alice in Wonderland, and others are all free on Kindle because they're in the public domain. I can also rent books from the public library without even going to the library!
5. It fits in my back pocket. I'd like to see you try to fit all the Harry Potter books and the Bible in your back pocket!

These are just a few reasons the Kindle is awesome. I could go on, but you probably have something very important to get to, like watering your lawn. At the school I go to, watering the lawn is priority number one. Have fun!

My Plans to Make Everything MASSIVE!

I was at a conference the other day when I saw a projector. It was only a few inches across, so small that I stood there for a few moments and awkwardly stared at it. I continued awkwardly staring as the man who was in charge of the booth came and explained what they did, which had nothing to do with projectors, unfortunately. But walking away from that, I have come to the realization that there is a trend making all electronics smaller. Projectors are tiny, cell phones fall through your fingers, televisions are huge, but also razor thin. These things called iPads will be broken if you drop it too hard once, and as for the Macbook Air...I have to squint to see it. 

After comparing this trend to clothing trends, I have noticed that all trends come back. So I have a preparation plan to become the new trend-setter. Clearly the new trend will be huge electronics. So I have some ideas. First I will make a cell phone the size of a refrigerator. It will be on wheels, so transportation will be no problem. Also, the days of losing your cell phone will be over for good. Definitely one of my better ideas.

Next I will bring back a computer that takes up a whole room. It will double as a heating system for the room in the winter, thereby killing two birds with one stone. The keyboard will be large enough that one must dance on it to type. I'm convinced that dance-typing will become all the rage, and it will be common for secretaries to be panting as they answer the phone due to the exertion from dance-typing ninety words per minute. This technology will be akin to Dance Dance Revolution, except that you can play at work and no one will be mad at you.

I have more ideas, but your brain is probably on mental overload already with how much of a genius I am. Be sure to join us next time as I explain the new trend of your dog walking you backwards!

Where Are You, Summer?

Today it is raining. I have to admit, I love summer. So I'm going to write a list of things I look forward to in the summer.

1. The beach! Every day...or at least once a week...whenever I can get away. I will swim, longboard down the beach, maybe even sleep on the beach! Are there regulations about that?
2. Being shirtless. Let's be real, I came into this world shirtless...and if I could be shirtless the entire time I was alive, I would be entirely happy. 
3. Ice cream. Sure, I can eat ice cream whenever I want, but eating ice cream on the beach is just so much cooler than running into the ice cream shop from the rain and asking them to microwave it for you because it's too cold.
4. No Homework! Homework is the scourge of mankind. When you're an adult you go home from work and you're free...but this is my last five weeks of homework of my life!
5. Baby penguins. OK, this probably won't happen, but here's to hoping!
6. Partying like it's 2012. I'm still in the 2011 state of mind. I'm constantly being told, "Dude, that was so last year!" They're right.
7. Figuring out how to write better blog posts. Eventually I hope to have a lot of people reading this blog, but currently I'm just trying to provide some sort of content to hopefully entertain.

Trendy

The Hunger Games apparently came out at midnight, thirty-two minutes ago as I type this. Why am I not there? Simple. I haven't read the books. I won't watch a movie until I read the books, it just seems wrong. Also, it's just too trendy to like the Hunger Games right now. It's as good of a book now as it was five years ago; why was no one freaking out then? 
Why do we all blindly follow the current trends? If it's cool, we end up doing it. Alternatively, we do the opposite to try to start a new trend and get people to follow us. It's dumb. Why can't we just be who we are instead of bending to every ridiculous pressure the world throws at us? I'm tired of following trends! I'm tired of being hipster and doing the opposite! From now on, I'll follow God, followed by myself (with input from my close friends). I could care less what the media tells me is important or what the newest must-have iPad, er...gadget is. How can I be not of the world if my life revolves around what the world tells me?

Seeker-Sensitive

I've been trying for a while to determine which church to become a member of. I'd like to have something more charismatic, where I can jump and yell and dance and sing random harmonies for Jesus without having it hinder anyone else's faith. I also need it to be straight up biblical, rooted in solid theology. And one thing I've noticed about a LOT of churches nowadays is their need to be seeker-sensitive, eg. transforming the end of every sermon into an altar call. 
Now, I'm definitely not opposed to an altar call; I love seeing people come to Christ in any way possible. I know I have a strange conversion story, so I'm a strong believer in the fact that God can use pretty much anything to lead people to him; after all, he's God! But to have one at the end of every sermon feels somewhat contrived to me.
From what I've read in the Bible (and forgive me for not quoting scripture, this blog is mostly to express thoughts and not researched statements), the church is supposed to engage the world to bring people to Christ. And a lot of the model that we are presented with in the church today is to bring a friend to church so that they can come to Christ. This leads to sermons almost always being 'seeker-sensitive,' not digging deep into great biblical thought or theology for fear of driving away new believers. Paul says that we need to move past spiritual milk, and I'm afraid that this attitude can at times prevent us from doing so. 

So what shall we do instead of bringing our friends to church? Bring the gospel to them. Our lives should be so radically different that they should see it. If your life is not that different, and I struggle with this too, something is off. Jesus would never have been seen as just another carpenter. Everyone who met him would see the difference. That's how we need to be.
Again, I'm not opposed to altar calls in church, but I'm rather afraid that the entire 'seeker-sensitive' movement can be dangerous to our faith. Thoughts? Opinions?

If I Were King

Ever wonder what you could do if you were in charge of everything? Well, if I could, here's a very small portion of things on my list, in no particular order:

• Add bacon to In N' Out Burgers. Seriously, this is long overdue.
• End world hunger with previously mentioned burgers. It's the obvious solution.
• TWIRP week or some sort of Sadie's would continue to happen after college. But only for one week a year. One week is fun, but us guys still need to know how to sack up and ask a girl out!
• Lady Gaga would wear normal clothes and be a normal person. She could also use her unused meat dress to help with the world hunger issue.
• People would learn to get along with people different from themselves and see that we can learn a ton from each other if we just admit we don't have it all figured out!
• Everyone would have my strange ability to be highly energetic with only four or five hours of sleep a night. I feel bad that I can't give away some of my excess energy!
• Personalized phone calls from a favorite celebrity. I know I'd be up on time if Chuck Norris was on the line downstairs!
• Stop being so afraid to be different! Also, hipsters, please realize that the real hipsters have already moved on to new trends that are not yet trendy. Your style is trendy, though cute, and everyone is doing it. Admittedly, I bought a pair of hipster glasses.
• Don't judge people by what they've done or what they're doing, love them for who they are. God loves prostitutes, students, terrorists, pastors, and probably even aliens if they exist. I want to love with the same love God loves with!

These are just a few things I would love to see take place in the world. Anyone else got anything?

Tomorrow

*I rather like this. A place to vent and just let out what's going through my mind...


Oh, the future. That time I look forward to and dread simultaneously. The time that arouses a massive breath of excitement within me and causes a slight trepidation as well. Where will I be in a year? Where will I live? Where will I work? Will I enjoy my job? Will I still be a perpetually single, albeit happy, twenty-something? What will have changed? 
Can the things I dream of actually come to pass? Will I ever design rides for Disney? Will I ever travel the world with someone I love? Will I ever have a job I'm as passionate about as camp counseling? Will I get the girl of my dreams?
That's a lot of questions. I don't have all the answers, but I also realize that I have no desire to have all the answers. Life would be much less exciting if one knew every step laid out before them; if the shuffle on the iPod of life was always predetermined. But I know one thing: That I know and trust God. I strive to have total faith that whatever happens to me will serve to advance His kingdom's glory, which is, after all, the most important thing.


"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself."
Matthew 6:33-34

A Return to Blogging

Right now, I'm blogging for my university over at http://lancerdiaries.calbaptist.edu/ But once I'm done there, I plan to blog much more often here. So be patient and wait, and I'll be back.

The ironic thing is no one will ever read this post but me.