Here's a really cool music video by Anberlin.

Charis

So, I took my trip out to Milligan with Alli-oop on Friday, and that was a good trip. We made it in time to grab something to eat quick and then go to the last Celebration service for Christ In Youth (CIY). It was very enjoyable; it's been awhile since I have been able to participate in a teen service (especially now that I am in college!). Jon and Kayla joined Alli and I on the balcony in Seeger. It was good to see them again. But the balconied position was a unique place to be, for you could hear all of the voices of the audience raising to the roof, celebrating their harmony, power, and love they have through Christ Jesus. It was interesting, because in the background on the stage, there was a setup that spelled out a word in 11 x 5 blocks, but it was difficult to make out the first two letters of the five character word because of the angle I was positioned at, and the video screen blocked the topmost portions of the letters. So, I kept going through the alphabet, determining what letters they could be. Eventually, I got it. It spelled out "unity." Yes, this is unity.

After the praise and worship, Robin came on stage to give his message. This was the message of "Prayer is the second offensive weapon in the Armor of God" post on Jon's Xanga. He did a good job, though his focus wasn't totally on prayer as a weapon, he mentioned it, but he focused more on how we as Christians should be weeping and praying for our friends, our community, our town to bring them to God. Jon said afterwards that it was quite different from last week.

I have to say, CIY makes some awesome videos. I wish I could learn more about and be involved in the production of such convicting, stirring, and encouraging forms of media.

After the message, another round of worship ensued, with more shouts of exclamation and dancing. Of course, we had to sing the CIY favorite, "Dance in the River." I made Alli dance with me during the song even though she thinks it's the stupidest song ever ("We're gonna dance in the River, Yeah" ad nausem), though I think she enjoyed it as much as I did. The music died down, and prayers were said through the laying on of hands of those who had made decisions throughout the past week.

After the service, we went down and talked to some of the CIY staff about internship opportunities, and that's were we met up with Joe. From there, Jon, Joe, Alli and I went to Applebees. Alli had the audacity to bring in a brown paper bag from Burger King to throw away our earlier dinner trash. She just left it in the seat when we left! While we were there, we saw Annie Simpson, and she asked Alli if she had a ring (thinking engagement…that's for another time). Of course, that embarrassed her a bit, and Annie had to give me a bit of a hard time.

Anyways, we went back and crashed, and the next day went to work on the yearbook stuff. Around 12:45pm, a married Milligan alumni couple came in to the Communications building to show some friends around. Yeah, and his name is Brian as well, Brian White if I recall correctly. They seem like cool people.

Dahlman came and picked us up to take us to lunch as a way to say thanks for all the work. We went to Poor Richard's, a pub-type restaurant near ETSU, and I got a sub that was pretty darn good. As we were finishing eating, Brian White and his wife Beth came over (fancy meeting you here again!) and talked to Dahlman for a little while. That was pretty cool.

So, we went back and finished working on yearbook corrections, and had dinner made by Jon at Joe's apartment. It was pretty good Italian chicken. The girls left to go to Kohls, and Joe left soon afterwards as well, leaving Jon and I to our political conversations and cleaning the dishes. Fun fun.

I went back to work on finishing up the corrections, and getting everything ready to be sent out. Then I tried to do what I could with a portrait section that we are having extreme issues with. During this time, a girl that I made fun of on Joe's Xanga IMed me, asking why she was weird and all. A very strange conversation ensued, with both me and Alli typing to her. Alli claimed that I was pretending to be a stalker. Somehow, the idea of stalkers came up in the IM conversation, and the girl was like, I hardly know anything about you, and you hardly know anything about me. Contrary to her statement and assumptions, I did know enough about her that I could stalk her if I wanted to. She gave me her name, age, location, church, and school, along with all of the pictures she posted of her and her friends. I revealed to her exactly how I could be a stalker if I wanted to, and that she needed to be more careful about what she told to strangers. Yeah, so I don't think she took it as well as others might have, but I do suspect that it made her think.

By the time we were ready to leave, it was 11pm, and so Alli and I drove back home. It was long and I was tired. Alli kept changing up the air flow and vents to help keep me awake, but eventually I had to stop and take a twenty minute power nap. We eventually got home just before 3am.

Church was great, though we were both tired. We had a good Sunday school class, and one of the teachers gave me a copy of a certain CD that will not be released for a few months yet (sorry I can't reveal on the internet which one it is, so if you really want to know, ask me in person). That was cool.

Back home, Alli and I worked on scrapbooking and all. Later that night we double-dated with my parents and went to go see Cars, which was extremely funny. Ya'll should see it.

Then I wet back to the apartment where the Crappy Clearwire (Wireless Internet) and the Riotous Router have joined forces to ensure no digital connection to the outside world for an undetermined amount of time. Basically, my roommate Phil and I are exiled from the internet.

Alright, that was my weekend. It was long, yet tiring. I don't think I had enough sleep.

Charis,

So, we still don’t have a winner of the Cipher contest (yeah, Matt, you had a good guess, however, it wasn’t quite acurate. Sorry). So, I shall post another activity for you.

Recently I came across a couple of grass roots movement websites devoted to “saving the internet.” Currently there is a big debate about something called “net neutrality”–the attempts to maintain a free and open enterprizing internet where the little man can show his stuff and compete against the giant corporations in their own market…or at least get his name out and his individual voice heard. However, things have escalated so much that now the government is involved, and is considering some new legislation to give or take away (however you see it) rights to Internet consumers.

The debate all consists of one’s definition of “net neutrality” and how to ensure its survival:

Save the Internet insists that

Net Neutrality ensures that all users can access the content or run the applications and devices of their choice. With Net Neutrality, the network’s only job is to move data — not choose which data to privilege with higher quality service.

and

This is about Internet freedom. “Network Neutrality” — the First Amendment of the Internet — ensures that the public can view the smallest blog just as easily as the largest corporate Web site by preventing Internet companies like AT&T from rigging the playing field for only the highest-paying sites.

Their FAQ Page gives more detailed information, but essentially they desire

the Senate to save the free and open Internet. Fortunately, Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Byron Dorgan (R-N.D.) have introduced a bipartisan measure, the “Internet Freedom Preservation Act of 2006″ (S. 2917), that would provide meaningful protection for Net Neutrality. This excellent bill may be introduced as an amendment when the Senate takes up its own rewrite of the Telecommunications Act later this summer. The next key hearing of the Senate Commerce Committee is scheduled for June 20.

On the other side of the spectrum however is

Hands Off the Internet, another grass roots movement that describes themselves as

a nationwide coalition of Internet users united together in the belief that the Net’s phenomenal growth over the past decade stems from the ability of entrepreneurs to expand consumer choices and opportunities without worrying about government regulation. We believe consumers across America see the results of this “hands off” approach – through such benefits as expanded distance education opportunities, improved access and speed to almost any information, on-line commerce, and an easier and inexpensive way to communicate with family and colleagues.

Their goals include

Support for an unregulated approach to Internet access in which consumers, not government, choose the method that is best for them; and Opposition to government attempts at regulating and/or taxing Net content or commerce.

More information about this group can be found at their About Us page.

This issue will be determined by the Senate’s approval or rejection of this bill in eight (8) days. Both sides seem to have some merit to what they are saying. Which side is the best?

I encourage each of you to dig into this a little bit deeper. This is a serious issue that will impact how the internet continues to progress and evolve or decay and devolve.

It won’t take much more time, you will just need to read through the two websites. Compare, contrast them. Determine which is the lesser of two evils. Make a choice, and play your part to encourage your state leader to maintain a free internet.

http://www.savetheinternet.com/
http://handsoff.org/

Charis,

I like this song.

_start(FALSE, ‘order=1′)< --Click To Play the Song While You Read the Lyrics

I’m as eloquent as an elephant

About as headstrong as the Mighty King Kong
On a rampage throwing airplanes
I can’t believe you haven’t gone away, gone away

I’m difficult, argumentative
About as thick skulled as the dinosaur bones
On a display…in a glass case
I can’t believe you haven’t run away, run away

It must be different through your eyes
Because you look at me like it’s the first time
That you’ve ever seen my face

I’m preoccupied with a crowded mind
I get off track like a train rolling back to the future
Never too sure who’ll be here when I come back around
But I’m finding out 

Sanctus Real – "Eloquent" 

So, I almost got my computer fixed. Currently it has a new brain/heart (motherboard), new epidermis (a nifty new case with fans and lights), and a new video card in it (couldn't think of an adequate analogy for this one).

 The only problem is that I had to do a repair installation of Windows XP Pro…and now its asking for Activation again. So I called Microsoft and they said that the code that it told me to give was invalid. So they had me reinput the Product Key again and it generated the same number again! They told me I had to contact Dell to get what I needed. So I spent hours yesterday on the phone with both Microsoft and Dell trying to get answers, but I just kept getiing bounced around. Finally I was able to talk to a supervisor who told me that I needed to call back tomorrow because the people that I really needed to talk to had the day off (Memorial Day!). He gave me the "direct" number, and so this morning I called it. No luck. They told me that they could not give me any new keys whatsoever and recommened that I do a fresh install because my system must have "become corrupted"! Yeah frickin' right. The just want me to spend more money their way.

So, I can't get ahold of a Code of Activation to let me run XP. Microsoft and Dell are bogus!

Therefore, as soon as I can get ahold of a Code of Activation I should be able to get it back up and running.

Then, YaY!

 Charis