Selected by cindyk

• 
  PCMag: Breaking News

• Judge Makes BlueBeat Beatles Ban Really Official

  A California district judge this week issued EMI a preliminary injunction against Web site BlueBeat, which posted and sold EMI content on its site, including the Beatles re-mastered collection.

• Facebook Puts in Place Updated Privacy Policy

  Earlier this week, Facebook users voted to adopt new privacy policies the social networking site proposed in late October.

• Chrome OS Lands on BitTorrent Sites

  Not surprisingly, developers have already snapped up the code to Google's open-source Chrome OS, known as Chromium, then compiled it and put it on the Web for users to download.

• Hands On: the Casio G'zOne Rock

  On Thursday, I was able to spend some time with the Casio G'zOne Rock, a rugged feature phone that could appeal to adventurers or simply people who break their phones often. A suite of outdoorsy tools also adds to the appeal.

• Hands On: Sony Ericsson Xperia X10

  I had a chance to test out Sony Ericsson's new Xperia X10 (codenamed "Rachael") for a few minutes at last night's Pepcom in NYC. It's a beautiful phone, and a uniquely Sony product.

• 
  PCMag: Computer Security

• Three Charged in Worldwide ATM Attacks

  A world-wide gang of criminals stole money from over 2,100 ATMs one year ago according to information released by the FBI. The machines were in at least 280 cities in the US, Canada, Italy, Hong Kong, Japan, Estonia, Russia, Ukraine and elsewhere.

• Spyware Doctor at the Heart of PC Tools 2010

  PC Tools Internet Security 2010 combines Spyware Doctor's spyware-fighting protection with a suite of security protections. It's worth checking out.

• Security in Windows 7: Windows Filtering Platform

  What do third-party security software companies think of the Windows Filtering Platform? We ask a half-dozen of the security industry leaders.

• Security in Windows 7: Windows Filtering Platform

  What do third-party security software companies think of the Windows Filtering Platform? We ask a half-dozen of the security industry leaders.

• Security in Windows 7: Windows Filtering Platform

  What do third-party security software companies think of the Windows Filtering Platform? We ask a half-dozen of the security industry leaders.

• 
  PCMag: Tips and Solutions

• Your Chart, In the Cloud

  The Web offers an answer to the conundrum of digitizing medical records.

• Kill Your Phone Remotely

  Many of today's most popular smartphones can be erased remotely if they are lost or stolen; here's how to do it.

• How To Print From Your iPhone or iPod touch

  You don't need a computer to print photos or notes from your iPhone.

• DIY Bloopers: iPhone Screen Replacement Gone Wrong--Twice

  Despite fierce determination and the best of intentions, repairs to today's disposable electronic gadgets are sometimes better left to the pros.

• Build It: AMD Gaming System

  Yes, it is possible to build an all AMD-based gaming desktop. We show you the step-by-step.

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  PCMag: Security Watch

• 2,100 ATMs Worldwide Hit at Once

  Larry Seltzer

  20 Nov 2009 | 11:34 am

  A world-wide gang of criminals stole money from over 2,100 ATMs one year ago according to information released by the FBI. The machines were in at least 280 cities in the US, Canada, Italy, Hong Kong, Japan, Estonia, Russia, Ukraine and elsewhere.. The attack was coordinated by "...three 20-something Eastern Europeans and an unnamed person called simply 'Hacker 3'." These individuals were charged earlier this month following an investigation involving the FBI, other federal agencies and agencies abroad. One of the masterminds, a 28 year-old Moldovan uncovered a vulnerability in the networks…

• SSL/TLS Protocol Flaw Subject to Redirect Attack

  Larry Seltzer

  20 Nov 2009 | 11:07 am

  A recently-revealed weakness in the SSL3 and TLS protocols for secure networking could allow an attacker, positioned as a "man in the middle," to redirect a client from an https site to other sites, according to research reported in Computerworld. I'm on record downplaying the severity of this problem and I still look on it as an attack that doesn't scale, but it's disturbing to see the implications of the vulnerability escalate. I was not all that impressed with the first proof of concept, exploiting a separate vulnerability in Twitter, but successful exploitation of this version of the…

• The (Spyware) Doctor Is In

  Neil Rubenking

  20 Nov 2009 | 8:37 am

  Spyware Doctor is a household name, and Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus 2010 is our current editor's choice for standalone antivirus/antispyware. But did you know that for $10 more you can super-size your protection? Spyware Doctor is the core of PC Tools Internet Security 2010, a lightweight security suite that adds a firewall, spam filter, phishing protection and a site-rating browser toolbar.In testing, the firewall did its job, putting all ports in stealth mode and preventing unauthorized programs from accessing the Internet. Well, it did after I tweaked its settings. The firewall blocks…

• Scareware Downloads Porn On Your System

  Larry Seltzer

  18 Nov 2009 | 3:03 pm

  In a YouTube video, AVG's Roger Thompson shows a new kind of scareware attack with a really scary twist. Most of the attack is mundane stuff by now: A legitimate web site is hacked to include links to load a fake malware scan. This scan, however, includes pornographic pictures which it claims were found on your computer. Of course they were not found on your computer, they were downloaded to your computer by the fake scan in order to create a sense of panic and press you to buy the fake removal software. Not much more to say about this, other than to recognize these things when you see them…

• Google Fixes Chrome Flaw Reported by Microsoft

  Larry Seltzer

  18 Nov 2009 | 1:23 pm

  Google has released an update to Google Chrome Frame that fixes several crashes and other bugs and one High-severity security issue. Google Chrome Frame, in case you don't remember, is a plug-in version of the Chrome browser that runs inside Internet Explorer. If a web page uses features unsupported by IE, like the HMTL5 video tag, then Google Chrome Frame kicks in and renders it. When it was announced Microsoft said that they weren't all that hot on the idea and didn't recommend using it. The security problem fixed in the update is a cross-origin violation issue, but it's noteworthy because…

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  PCMag: Editor's Choice

• Verbatim InSight (500GB)

  The pocket-size Verbatim InSight (500GB) has an innovative e-ink-like display let you know how much free space it has, even when the drive isn't running.

• Samsung Mythic SGH-a897 (AT&T)

  The Samsung Mythic is a high-end feature phone with excellent broadcast mobile TV and a super-sharp screen.

• Compaq Presario CQ5210f

  If you want to pay nettop prices for a higher-end multimedia performance from your PC, take a look at the Compaq Presario CQ5210f. It gives you the full multimedia computing power you want, yet comes in at under $400 (without monitor).

• Panda Cloud Antivirus Free Edition 1.0

  Panda Cloud Antivirus offers free malware protection in a lightweight package with an ultra-fresh user interface.

• Acer Aspire AS8940-6865

  The Acer Aspire AS8940-6865 has the performance and feature goods, delivered to you at an affordable price.

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  PCMag: Wireless Networking

• Judge Denies AT&T Request to Pull Verizon 3G Ads

  The Verizon ads that take aim at AT&T's 3G network will stay on the air – for now.

• Amazon to Launch Kindle in Canada

  U.S. Internet retailer Amazon.com Inc said on Tuesday that it was introducing Kindle, its wireless electronic reader, in Canada.

• Motorola Reportedly Looking to Sell Network Units

  Motorola Inc is in the early stages of looking into a potential sale of roughly $4.5 billion of its television set-top box and network equipment business, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

• Logitech Buys LifeSize Communications for $405M

  Logitech said it is buying privately held LifeSize Communications for $405 million, bolstering its position in the much-prized video communication market, which is seen as a key source of future growth.

• Google Sponsoring Free Wi-Fi at Airports

  Google is getting into the holiday spirit early this year, bringing the gift of free WiFi to 47 U.S. airports.

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  PCMag: Tech Commentary

• 11 Things You Need to Know About Google's Chrome OS

  The world's number one search provider has opened its operating system project up to the world. Here's what it's all about.

• Your Free Phone Cost $240

  Think you're getting a cell phone for free? No way.

• Google Phone? In Arrington's Dreams!

  Apparently, TechCrunch's Michael Arrington can write anything he wants and get away with it.

• Apple's iPhone App Vetting is Here to Stay—For Now

  Developers can protest all they want, but Apple is likely to maintain its tight control over the App Store for as long as it can.

• Google Voice: Free Calling Has Arrived

  Free phone calling is finally here, and Google is leading the charge.

• 
  Ars Technica

• Shocker: Ars, Hollywood agree on need for ACTA openness

  20 Nov 2009 | 1:56 pm

  MPAA head Dan Glickman sent a letter yesterday to both Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and to US Trade Representative Ron Kirk in which he called for a serious US push to pass the secretive Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. That's certainly expected—ACTA contains a host of goodies for Hollywood and the recording industry—but what came as a surprise was Glickman's irritation at various ACTA "protests" which create "apprehension over the Agreement's substance." He's referring to online outlets that have hoisted the anti-ACTA flag over the last year, accusing the treaty of being a…

• Computerized medicine: good for quality, but not costs

  20 Nov 2009 | 12:20 pm

  Electronic medical records and the general digitization of medical data and practices are promoted as a way to slow the rapidly inflating costs in the US healthcare system. The push for expanded medical IT has come from the top, with President Obama extolling its virtues and his administration making funding for EMR deployments part of its stimulus package. But many have pointed out that simply throwing computers at a problem isn't a solution unless the software and practices are also in place to allow the medical community to leverage the technology efficiently. A study of US hospital data…

• Arrests made in massive, $390/hour Video Relay Service scam

  20 Nov 2009 | 10:48 am

  Dealing with some technology is challenging enough for the hearing-impaired without scammers taking advantage of federal dollars meant to help them. That's exactly what has happened with the Federal Communications Commission's Video Relay Service (VRS), however, and 26 people were arrested Thursday for scheming to steal "tens of millions of dollars" from the program. VRS was first launched in Texas in the mid-90s as a way for the deaf to communicate via telephone. A hard-of-hearing or speech-impaired person could use a video phone to dial into a VRS service equipped with sign language…

• Microsoft settles with employee accused of stealing docs

  20 Nov 2009 | 10:44 am

  The litigation between Ancora Technologies, Miki Mullor, and Microsoft reached a settlement both in respect of the patent infringement claim and Microsoft's claims against Mullor, Ancora's founder and former Microsoft employee. All claims between the three parties have been resolved; they have agreed to deny any and all liability, and have released each other from all claims of the litigation, but made sure to keep the terms of the settlement as confidential. "I am pleased with this resolution and wish my friends at Microsoft's Windows division nothing but success with Windows 7 launch,"…

• Students get discounts on Exchange-compatible Office for Mac

  20 Nov 2009 | 9:51 am

  College isn't cheap these days, even if you're attending public university. In that case, pretty much any discount offered to students is welcome. Microsoft's Mac Business Unit has just announced that it's offering a special discount on the full Office 2008 Business Edition for US college students, offering them a 70 percent discount off the usual retail price. Even if you're not a college student, though, the Mac BU is offering a range of "holiday" discounts on Office as well. Office 2008 for Mac comes in two different editions. The Home & Student Edition includes Word, Excel,…

• 
  PCMag: John C. Dvorak

• Google Voice: Free Calling Has Arrived

  16 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm

  Free phone calling is finally here, and Google is leading the charge.

• The State of Open Source on Firefox's Fifth Birthday

  9 Nov 2009 | 9:00 pm

  Mozilla's success had demonstrated open source's potential. Pay attention, Microsoft.

• Don't Fear the GPS Revolution

  3 Nov 2009 | 2:22 pm

  Today's GPS devices are only the beginning. Upcoming products will soon make them—and privacy concerns—a distant memory.

• Lost Productivity Lament

  31 Oct 2009 | 9:50 pm

  BlackBerry users are glued to the screen 24/7 looking for new e-mail from anyone as if life and death depended on it.

• Windows 7 is a Winner, Mostly

  26 Oct 2009 | 10:00 pm

  Win 7 is good, but it has factors working against it—including Microsoft's track record

• 
  ReadWriteWeb

• An iPhone Visualization App That Syncs with the Cloud

  20 Nov 2009 | 3:50 pm

  Roambi announced a pro version of its iPhone application this week that syncs with Salesforce.com and other cloud-based services or on-premsie sales environments. It's a visualization application, providing mobile workers with a pretty cool way to see sales information. Integration is by far one of the most significant trends we are seeing in the enterprise space. It's a wave, really, marked this week by Salesforce.com and its move to turn the Force.com development platform into a service that makes all of its applications social. Sponsor A good example of this trend are small companies like…

• Three Great Light Blogging Tools Compared

  20 Nov 2009 | 3:35 pm

  Once the service for those serious enough to pay for the privilege to post, TypePad recently released a free "Micro" service. The company made the decision to offer a free product realizing the demand for a platform more formal than Twitter and less formal than Wordpress or Typepad's original product. ReadWriteWeb compared TypePad's Micro against 2 other leading light blogging tools. Below are our thoughts: Sponsor TypePad Micro: In addition to being able to blog via email, iPhone app, "Blog It" bookmarklet and the general WYSIWYG dashboard, this tool also allows users to cross post to…

• 8tracks to Launch Playback API and Developer Program

  20 Nov 2009 | 12:00 pm

  It appears that the time for freemium music services in the US has passed. Earlier this week streaming music site Imeem sold to MySpace for under $10 million dollars while laying off a large number of staff. For a company with all four major record labels signed, more than 15 million uniques a month and well over 5 million tracks in its catalogue, it came as a sobering blow to the industry. While many companies move to a subscription model, 8tracks continues to forge along in what some describe as a convenient loophole. As of this weekend the company is publicly launching its API for Boston's…

• Memento: Protocol-Based Time Travel for the Web

  20 Nov 2009 | 11:45 am

  The Web constantly changes and evolves. That, of course, is what makes the Internet so exciting, but it also means that finding older versions of a website is hard. The current push towards the real-time web is making this problem even more apparent. Memento, a project based at Old Dominion University, wants to make it easier to access older versions of a web page without having to go to the Internet Archive. To do this, the project is using a relatively obscure feature of the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP). Sponsor The Memento project wants to give browsers a 'time-travel' mode.

• The Future Is All About Context: The Pragmatic Web

  20 Nov 2009 | 11:14 am

  The semantic Web has long been heralded as the future of the Web. Proponents have said that Web experiences will some day become more meaningful and relevant based on the AI-esque computational power of natural-language processing (NLP) and structured data that is understandable by machines for interpretation. However, with the rise of the social Web, we see that what truly makes our online experiences meaningful is not necessarily the Web's ability to approximate human language or to return search results with syntactical exactness. The value of the semantic Web will take time because the…

• 
  Gizmodo

• NewEgg Black Friday Deals Leak [Black Friday]

  Rosa Golijan

  20 Nov 2009 | 6:27 pm

  Some of NewEgg's Black Friday offers have surfaced and while we don't know everything yet, a few of the deals we're seeing, such as a 2TB HDD for $150, are looking pretty good. According to Logic...

• Cop Tasers and Arrests a 10-Year Old Girl For Throwing a Fit [Crime]

  Sean Fallon

  20 Nov 2009 | 6:00 pm

  Are idiot cops with tasers in some sort of competition with one another? I think the new record for stupidity belongs to Dustin Bradshaw, the Arkansas police officer who zapped and arrested a 10-year...

• Perhaps It is Time To Make "The Switch" to an Electric Razor [Mods]

  Sean Fallon

  20 Nov 2009 | 5:20 pm

  Because the original switch on this model was busted. Of course, the modification looks like it would get in the way of a close, comfortable shave. [TIFI via Boing Boing]

• Worry Not, Fight Club Has Not Turned Into a Horrible Romantic Comedy [Blu-Ray]

  Sean Fallon

  20 Nov 2009 | 4:40 pm

  If you picked up the new Fight Club Blu-ray edition, don't panic when you see the menu screen. Edward Norton HAS NOT been replaced with a Drew Barrymore character that makes out with her alter ego to...

• This Week's Best iPhone Apps [IPhone Apps]

  John Herrman

  20 Nov 2009 | 4:30 pm

  In this week's charmingly tawdry app roundup: Voices, creepily modulated! Annoying trips to Kinkos, averted! Cats, artfully superimposed! Photos, easily shared! iPhone speakers, blown! Call of Duty,...

• 
  Lifehacker

• From the Tips Box: Gmail Remember the Milk, Touchpad Tricks, and Repelling Mosquitoes [From The Tips Box]

  Whitson Gordon

  20 Nov 2009 | 5:00 pm

  Readers offer their best tips for updating Remember the Milk with Gmail's canned responses, avoiding mouse jumps while typing with touchpads, and repelling mosquitoes with Listerine. Don't like the...

• This Week's Most Popular Posts [Highlights]

  Adam Pash

  20 Nov 2009 | 4:00 pm

  This week we rounded up the best online backup tools and explained how you're backing up wrong, detailed how to build an excellent Boxee-based media center, and cured your various aches and pains...

• PTS Desktop Live Makes Performance Benchmarking Simple [Downloads]

  Jason Fitzpatrick

  20 Nov 2009 | 3:00 pm

  Linux Live: If you want to put your computer through the paces and get some feedback and benchmarks, you'll be hard pressed to find a tool more packed with tests than the Phoronix Test Suite Live CD....

• Twitter/Facebook Client Brizzly Open for Sign-Ups [Social Networks]

  Kevin Purdy

  20 Nov 2009 | 2:00 pm

  Brizzly, the web-based social media manager that ranked as one of our readers' favorite Twitter clients, has dropped the invite code requirement and is available for anyone to log into. It's still...

• Windows Surface Scanner Finds Bad Hard Drive Sectors [Downloads]

  Lisa Hoover

  20 Nov 2009 | 1:30 pm

  Windows: When your computer starts acting hinky and spitting out error messages, it's hard to know exactly where to begin to diagnose the problem. Windows Surface Scanner gives you a place to start....

• 
  CNET News.com

• Large Hadron Collider up and running again

  20 Nov 2009 | 5:03 pm

  The world's biggest particle accelerator is in full operation after a year of repairs.

• Seize Seesmic Twitter app on BlackBerry, Android

  20 Nov 2009 | 4:02 pm

  Twitter service Seesmic expands from the desktop with two new apps for Google Android and BlackBerry phones.

• Reporters' Roundtable Podcast: Tech biz turkeys

  20 Nov 2009 | 3:20 pm

  In the history of tech, some decisions stand out as truly awful. This week, Rafe Needleman, Charlie Cooper, and Jim Kerstetter go over some of the worst ever.

• Game developer cuts back on Android in favor of iPhone

  20 Nov 2009 | 3:12 pm

  One game developer said it is cutting its investment in Android in favor of Apple's iPhone because it sells 400 times more games for the iPhone than it does for Android.

• Can Facebook group change World Cup game result?

  20 Nov 2009 | 2:43 pm

  The World Cup elimination game between France and Ireland was decided by a piece of blatant cheating. A Facebook group, more than 250,000 strong, wants it replayed.

• 
  Church Marketing Sucks

• Joshua Blankenship on Copying

  19 Nov 2009 | 6:38 am

  If you're not familiar with Joshua Blankenship, he's the web guru behind the scenes at NewSpring Church in Anderson, S.C. A couple times recently, he's tackled the difficult question of churches, copying and the problems that come along for the ride. We have wrestled with this question a few times recently. But it's always worth another visit. He answers the question, why does it hurt you to "borrow" from other churches' web sites?

• Live Interview with Church Marketing Gurus

  18 Nov 2009 | 8:17 am

  Tune in tomorrow, Nov. 19 at 1:00 p.m. ET (10:00 a.m. PT), as Conversant Life does a live interview with Phil Cooke and Brad Abare. They'll be talking church marketing and religious media and taking questions from the online audience. Phil Cooke is a writer, media consultant and filmmaker. His company, Cooke Pictures, advises many of the largest non-profit and faith-based media organizations in the world. He also serves as a board member for the Center for Church Communication, our nonprofit parent. Brad Abare is an entrepreneur at heart and currently serves as the director of communications…

• Boon or Bust Poll Results

  18 Nov 2009 | 5:25 am

  Just yesterday, Michael Buckingham said, The Internet isn't powerful because it connects you to information, but because it connects you to other people. And that's what social media aims to do. In theory, social media is the technology that is connecting the church--to one another, to the world, and even to God. But is it really working? 42% of you say social media has been a wash for your church. People haven't been so zealous about replying you that they've crashed Twitter, but they also haven't gone out of their way to publicly berate you on Facebook. The next biggest chunk of you are the…

• The Internet Is Not Your Delivery Boy

  17 Nov 2009 | 6:23 am

  The Internet is more than a delivery method. As I was reading a report on the meeting of the European bishops and reps from Facebook, Google, YouTube and Wikipedia, one of the quotes really grabbed me. It points out why so many miss the power of the internet. From the article: During a press conference, [Bishop di Falco] described the Internet "as important as the invention of the printing press," saying just as the printing press helped make the Bible available to everyone who could read, the Internet can make the gospel accessible to everyone who uses the Internet. Too many times this is…

• Church Marketing Plan

  16 Nov 2009 | 5:54 am

  The United Methodist Church has put together an online tutorial to help churches create a marketing plan. It's a seriously-involved, 5-step effort that includes homework with PDF downloads, action steps and a worksheet to fill out your marketing plan. It starts with with values and vision and ends with ongoing evaluation and adjustment to make sure your plan is working. This is a meaty resource, ideal for any church that wants to get serious about marketing (and no, you don't have to be Methodist). The biggest downside is that it's entirely online, so you're on your own. There are lots of…

• 
  djchuang.com

• How to find a mentor for yourself

  djchuang

  19 Nov 2009 | 12:00 pm

  Where have all the mentors gone? It saddened me to hear that Kyle Reed asked a dozen people to be his mentor, and to be turned down and rejected. What’s up with that? Watch this interview to hear what Kyle wants to do to change this situation: Kyle (on twitter @kylelreed) may very well be right, if a young person can’t find a mentor in their church for the Kingdom of God, they’ll find one elsewhere outside the church. So, add your comment below and get this conversation going!

• Let’s get missional, missional…

  djchuang

  14 Nov 2009 | 7:25 am

  Missional communities are the conversations du jour among church leaders, escalating during the past few years. Now there are gatherings (conferences) that revolve around how we can be more missional. (Several local and regional gatherings have already happened, though I haven’t been counting.) A regional (free) unconference about missional churches is happening this weekend called Verge LA. I’ll be there most of today. Definitely want to hear Kevin Doi, currently scheduled at 1:45pm, and you can watch via livestream at ecclesianet.com. And, I’ll get to meet in person, JR…

• how a conflict played out in social media

  djchuang

  6 Nov 2009 | 7:21 am

  “Conflict is something that will always be. It is neither good nor bad, it simply is.” [cf. Sam Chand] The incident regarding Deadly Viper had set the online world ablaze, and very uncomfortable words of pain festered in the open space [cf. read this summary]. My prayer was that the key leaders at the core of the conflict would resolve it privately, walking through their respective pains together with each other. This direct conversations has since happened offline in private, and an appropriate resolution is in the works. A public statement has been issued. I commend all involved…

• How to raise up minority leaders

  djchuang

  5 Nov 2009 | 8:22 am

  Asian and Latino. Techie and Non-techie. Conference junkie and conference rock star. DJ Chuang and Rudy Carrasco. We’ve been friends online and offline. Now we’re thousands of miles apart. Web technology has kept us connected. And one of the burning issues we often banter about is raising up minority leaders. People and organizations say they want to collaborate and have more diversity in their leadership, but it’s so hard to find qualified leaders to work with. Why is that? We had a conversation about that in this wetoku-powered video. Watch it: I have a feeling this is…

• Impact matters more than intention

  djchuang

  3 Nov 2009 | 10:25 pm

  Wow. These blog post comment threads at here and here about unintentional racial stereotypes is blowing up. Big. Time. [cf. summary] I think that discussing highly-emotionally charged issues in an asynchronous public forum like the online blogosphere is mostly ineffective. One party describes the pain of the impact from the (alleged) offense, while the other party tries to describe the original intent, all sincere and good. To quote Sam Chand, “The difference between reality and expectation is conflict.” Both sides have unmet expectations. Both sides have different perceptions of…

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  The Digital Sanctuary

• Brad Abare & Phil Cooke on Conversant Life

  Cynthia

  19 Nov 2009 | 11:09 am

  Marketing gurus Phil Cooke and Brad Abare appeared in a livestream chat this morning on Conversant Life.  These guys are two of the most sought-after consultants in the field of church and religious media communications. Hearing them talk about Christians / media / church / communication / change / effectiveness is amazing because of the way they compliment each other.  They really spark one another’s ideas and their seasonings & expertise just flows. I should say that we all serve the Center for Church Communication, the nonprofit parent of Church Marketing Sucks.  But,…

• 5 Trends Affecting Your Ministry in 2010

  Cynthia

  14 Nov 2009 | 1:11 pm

  Last week Guy Kawasaki directed his readers to a piece called 5 Ways to Create a Future-minded Non-profit.  The timing was a great read for me as I get more deeply involved in working with the Center for Church Communication, a non-profit group that “helps the Church matter”. For me, reading the article allows easy application for ministry trends and the importance of leaders strategically resisting attrition, lack of innovation, failure to change, misplaced values, etc. Here what the 5 trends look like when applied to the Church: Shifting demographics. With new generations…

• Story Inspires Us To Become Historytellers

  Cynthia

  30 Oct 2009 | 8:48 am

  Special thanks to Tim Schraeder for his impressions / interpretations of some of the concepts / dialog / challenges our session raised at Story 09.  And thank you to the participants who came to our breakout.  Were you there?  You’ll see some of your comments and input here in Tim’s notes. Social Media Pulse What are churches current social media patterns? We are living in a world people dreamed of. There used to only be a computer at work… then it went home… then to your lap… now to your hand. Mobile ubiquity, where everyone has a phone, presents challenges and…

• Cultivate Conference This Week

  Cynthia

  26 Oct 2009 | 9:39 am

  This week I’m headed for Chicago and Cultivate 09.  Then on to Ben Arment’s Story Gathering. Cultivate will be streaming live and I’ll be doing the interviews with facilitators all day. Who do you wanna see? Kem Meyer Dawn Nicole Baldwin Matt Knisely Tim Schraeder Maurilio Amorim Blair Farley Drew Goodmanson Jon Acuff Phil Cooke Michael Buckingham Brad Abare Kent Shaffer JR Kerr Sarah Hatter Jeremy Scheller Terry Storch Carlos Whittaker Gabe Taviano Cynthia Ware Tony Steward Michael Forsberg Brad Ruggles Clint Runge Justin Wise Tiffani Barnes Bobby Gruenewald Katie Moon…

• SimChurch - Being the Church in a Virtual World

  Cynthia

  22 Oct 2009 | 7:27 am

  Since we are still evaluating the reality & potential of church online the question just keeps coming up: “Of course, [virtual church] is possible. But is it biblical?” The following is a response to me from Douglas Estes, author of SimChurch regarding his reflections on this post by Drew Goodmanson - Is Online Community real community; Questions about the virtual church? A virtual church is just as biblical as a Baptist church, a house church, a Lutheran church, a megachurch, a Pentecostal church, a contemporary rock church or a traditional American fundamentalist church. Why?

• 
  Holy Experience

• When You're Just a Tad Overwhelmed ....

  Ann Voskamp @Holy Experience

  19 Nov 2009 | 10:00 pm

  I'm standing at the counter, day seeping in without knocking, jotting down a list of the day's tasks, the work of a week, in my journal, and it's just a tad overwhelming and I am trying to remember just to breathe... And then I am fifteen, that summer I grip the handlebars of a Honda Goldwing, weave around margarine tubs set up as pylons in the backyard. Thread through four white Gay-lea markers, loop around the Manitoba Maple, slip through another four tubs, circle a knot of slender poplars, begin again on the far side, under the lilacs. Come the end of the day, my Dad would lean up against…

• Homeschool Routines and Rhythms

  Ann Voskamp @Holy Experience

  18 Nov 2009 | 9:30 pm

  `What sculpture is to a block of marble, education is to the soul.'-- Joseph AddisonYou learn to speak by speaking, to study by studying, to run by running, to work by working; and just so, you learn to love by loving. All those who think to learn in any other way deceive themselves. - Saint Francis de SalesAddendum: Another addition to Every Day Learning Links, links to online pages that update with new educational information daily. (HT: To kind reader, Debra (you folks are the best!):Glimpses of Christian History --Scroll to middle of the page for Today's story from Christian History…

• When Life Heats Up

  Ann Voskamp @Holy Experience

  17 Nov 2009 | 11:00 pm

  I've got the squash peeled, gutted, chopped, November's sun food, and water's bubbling in grandma's pressure cooker, the one with the decades old, hand-smoothed wooden handles, and I only need the weight, that thing-a-mo-bobber that will dance in the heat.And she not on the shelf by the stove where I tuck her away, or in the cutlery drawer -- or pot drawers -- or utensil drawer. And I call Levi from Latin chants, Levi always with knitting needles in hand, even now, Levi the dryer and returner of all things enamel, stainless and shiny.I ask almost without angst, "Have you seen the weight for…

• Symphony of the Seraphim

  Ann Voskamp @Holy Experience

  17 Nov 2009 | 8:08 am

  (with return of our internet server, I whisper)They were happy tears but he didn't know that, in from morning barn chores and those mama sows, finding me in front of the world's flickering screen.Those man hands stroke my hair and that always gentle whisper brushes my ear, "You sad?"And I shake my head and the words quaver, hardly knowing their way."My aunt once took me to Roy Thompson Hall. I must have been fifteen, this wide-eyed girl from the country, in the center of the arts and cosmopolitan Toronto. She had tickets to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra." I nod towards the screen."But this…

• The Real Joy Secret

  Ann Voskamp @Holy Experience

  16 Nov 2009 | 2:30 am

  Iwake wanting to die. Scarlet light bleeds over the horizon, another day aching in. I lie in bed. Pull covers up over my head. I'm withered dry and even the tears won’t fall: a heart drought. .... continued...Read me over here today, please... (and for a giveaway for some furniture vases of your own) Would you like Holy Experience delivered to you quietly via email?...

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  Bible.org Women -

• What a Year of Disruption Means for this Thanksgiving

  Lael Arrington

  19 Nov 2009 | 10:39 pm

  The disruption to our lives that gripped us last Thanksgiving lingers still. The shock has worn off. But the waves continue to ripple out. On a week when the stock market soars we’re encouraged to think, as I saw on a billboard for Charles Schwab, "We can get our future back!" We feel like giving thanks. read more

• God Has Called Me To Do Nothing Good (and Other Lies of the Heart)

  Jamie Lath

  18 Nov 2009 | 9:52 pm

  It’s really amazing when you think about it. God calls us all to do different things. He takes our gifts, our passions, our loves, our weaknesses, our totality as His creation and then he calls us to do His work. The beauty of seeing the variety of ways that God’s Body is at work is stunning. I have a friend who records stories of people’s lives. I have a friend who is a teacher. Another who is a pastor. One who sells make-up. One who is a doctor. One who bakes bread. read more

• A Poem for the Gerasene (Luke 8:26-39)

  Sharifa Stevens

  17 Nov 2009 | 10:00 pm

  The ministry of loneliness Is staying when you want to leave When those around you don’t believe But you’ve come out of darkness The daily plague of Legion No clothes, no sleep, no shelter Life above the tombs no better Than living underneath The soul is strange the body bruised No end, this darkness permeates But then this man comes Radiates The promise, hope renewed Legions flee in fear Neighbors stand and stare They hate the man that caredread more

• Increase Your 'Net Worth: Everywoman’s Guide

  Sandra Glahn

  17 Nov 2009 | 8:56 am

  Yesterday at a conference for women in leadership, I led a workshop titled, “Increase Your 'Net Worth—Communicating in a Virtual World.” When the sponsors asked me to speak on the subject, I told them that—while I do have a web site, a blog, and two social networking accounts—I do not do Twitter and don’t plan to tweet anytime soon. I don’t own a Kindle. And I don’t even do HTML code or know how to design a web site. They said that was okay. They wanted someone who uses technology but isn’t a “techie” and doesn’t follow every trend.   read more

• A little glimpse of heaven

  Gwynne Johnson

  15 Nov 2009 | 2:50 pm

  This weekend I joined over 1700 others in celebrating 50 years of God's faithfulness to Bible Study Fellowship International, a ministry in which I participated for 25 years.  The room was filled with tearful and joyful reunions and the joy of hearing from many the "rest of the story."  In many cases it had been years since we had seen one another and it was a little taste of how we will celebrate the first thousand years of heaven. read more

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  Out of Ur

• Angry Preachers or Gospel Musicians?

  by David Swanson

  18 Nov 2009 | 10:00 pm

  There wasn’t much that could have distracted me on the way to the train station on a recent Saturday evening. After two days at an outdoor music festival—in the rain one day and under the blazing sun the next—I wanted nothing more than to return to our apartment for a long shower and some blessed quiet. Lollapalooza was a blast, a great opportunity to see some new bands and observe Chicago’s diverse youth culture. I might have stayed for the day’s final acts, but I’m a pastor and my ringing ears and tired legs needed a good night’s sleep before Sunday morning. Before I’d…

• Ur Video: Perry Noble on Responding to Critics

  17 Nov 2009 | 10:00 pm

  How should you and your church respond to critics? Perry Noble has some experience with the subject and some wisdom to share.

• Preaching for the Nod

  by Bob Hyatt

  16 Nov 2009 | 10:00 pm

  Every once in a while I find myself preaching for the nod. That’s when we try to hard wire a bit of ego-stroke into a Sunday morning message. We do it a lot, and it’s so easy—insert that small comment, that little aside, or even that main point that we know will appeal to the sensibilities of certain listeners. You know, the left-leaning (or right leaning) political comment. The doctrinal aside that scratches the itch of that person so prone to give up the "Amen" or the vigorous head nod. Preaching for the nod has less to do with what we see in the biblical text and more to do with what…

• The Future of Church Facilities

  by Eric Reed

  12 Nov 2009 | 10:00 pm

  Until recently, churches responded to growing attendance by building larger facilities. But the faltering economy makes raising large sums for building projects harder to accomplish. And combined with the aversion of younger churchgoers to the bigger-is-better ministry philosophy, these tight-money days are demanding imaginative alternatives. For some churches, the question has become, "Should we build at all?" "We have told many clients in the last couple years, 'You're not ready to build, because you aren't sure what your ministry is,'" said Ed Bahler of the Aspen Group, a church design…

• Separated at Birth?

  by Url Scaramanga

  11 Nov 2009 | 10:00 pm

  A few days ago, Drew Dyck (managing editor of BuildingChurchLeaders.com) sent an email to Skye Jethani (managing editor of Leadership Journal) asking to borrow a book by Dave Ferguson. Drew parenthetically commented that Ferguson looked like Edward Norton the actor. That got the ball rolling. With the help of Drew Dyck, Tim Avery, and others, Skye created a post on his blog of church leaders and their celebrity lookalikes. It was so well received that I decided to post some of the more popular images here. Of course I'm always open to more. Send me your ideas. Tim Allen and Joel Osteen…

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  Holy Kaw!

• World AIDS Day: making awareness sexy

  20 Nov 2009 | 6:06 pm

  World AIDS Day is coming up on December first—and awareness is sexy. So, take a few moments to read this great post by Sheryl Lee Ralph. She brings up great points that will really challenge the way you feel about the awful disease that killed more than 3,000,000 last year alone. To put that into perspective, Swine Flu has only killed 1000 people to date. Don’t get me wrong, that’s terrible too, but if those numbers can spark a media frenzy—surely HIV and AIDS are deserving of some discussion time too. Be sure to read the article, and maybe share it with those you…

• How to buy the Twilight: New Moon house

  20 Nov 2009 | 5:59 pm

  You can own the Twilight: New Moon house. It’s for sale for $3.3 million. If you hurry, you can close escrow in time for the Winter Olympics because it’s in West Vancouver. Total Twilight coverage. Permalink | Leave a comment  »

• Stuff Brazilians like

  20 Nov 2009 | 5:03 pm

  Total news coverage of Brasil and soccer. Permalink | Leave a comment  »

• Why the right fertilizer can cut greenhouse gases

  20 Nov 2009 | 4:32 pm

  In a stinky Science development, researchers have discovered that using alternative types of fertilizers can cut back on greenhouse gas emissions, at least in one part of the US. Nitrogen fetilizers are often necessary to yielding sufficient crops, but their use leads to the release of nitrous oxide, a major atmosphere enemy. Fertilizer use is one reason an estimated seventy-eight percent of America’s nitrous oxide emissions come from agriculture. But scientists have compared those emissions with newly developed fertilizers formulated with “controlled release” polymer-coated…

• Capturing water in sloooow mooootion

  20 Nov 2009 | 3:12 pm

  Some things just look cooler in slow motion. Jell-O? Totally better. A punch to the face? Way more awesome. Photographer Martin Waugh spends his day watching single droplets of water, capturing the tiny and beautiful splashes with super slo-mo video. Check out the video from Discovery and you’ll definitely never look at a leaky sink the same way again. Science geekiness galore. Permalink | Leave a comment  »