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Discerning Media

Some Guy — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:35:05 +0000

I’m writing about censorship today.

A couple weeks ago the internet was ablaze with SOPA and PIPA and other acronyms. Everyone rallied together and defeated the big bad bills that would have let government direct who can say what.

I’m not talking about that kind of censorship.

I censor what comes into my house, what my kids see and hear.

Maybe a better word would be filter.

Or discern.

It is important for parents to protect their children.

People use the term shelter like it is a bad thing. Shelter is like anything else – too much of it is bad, and too little of it is bad too. Kids need to be sheltered for a while, until they are strong enough to withstand that from which the shelter was protecting them.

I like the analogy of the greenhouse. Why do seedlings need to be in a greenhouse? The greenhouse is there to protect them from the elements until they have grown enough to handle them.

You wouldn’t put young plants in the ground before the danger of frost is gone. Similarly, you shouldn’t let inappropriate material get to your children before they have a solid foundation. Children are impressionable. Their minds, emotions, and morals are being formed. Let those aspects solidify before being tested.

We will be watching the Super Bowl. My children will enjoy the game, and I don’t worry about the content of the show because NFL announcers limit their conversation to the game.

As soon as NBC cuts to commercial though, I will have my thumb on the remote, ready to switch to another channel should anything improper appear. And we won’t be watching any of the halftime show, because the kids will need a break from the TV for a few minutes.

It’s nice having extra hype about the Super Bowl commercials, because I have already seen some previews and descriptions of what will air. From what I hear, the second quarter will be the worst.

As in years past, a web hosting company will be airing an ad that degrades women. I will be sure to skip that one. In fact, I skip that one even if I’m the only one watching the TV because nothing good can come from watching their commercials. And if you buy your web hosting from a company that spends millions of dollars on Super Bowl commercials each year, contact me and I will help you switch to a host that will not embarrass you.

I also hear that a car company will be featuring scary creatures. As an adult, I would probably chuckle at that commercial because of the element of humor. But have a 3- or 6-year-old watch that before bedtime and then try explaining that those monsters don’t really exist even though we just watched them on TV.

When my children are 13 and 16, instead of 3 and 6, maybe I won’t be so quick to flip the channel. But to get to that point, I need to discuss with them why I change the channel.

They need training and guidance, and I don’t trust the television to provide that.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Preparing children to guard their hearts and minds is a lot easier than trying to fix them after being corrupted.

but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

Matthew 18:6

Thoughts to Start the Year

Some Guy — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 04:34:41 +0000

True to the subtitle of this blog, I am providing some random thoughts to start 2012.

If you give a million monkeys a million typewriters, you’ll end up with rough approximation of the internet. But nothing close to Shakespeare.
Some say the dishwasher is half empty. Others say the dishwasher is half full. I say that either way there’s a chore that needs to be done.
It seems like everyone has a breakfast nook, but nobody has a breakfast cranny. My next house is going to have a breakfast cranny

The LORD knows the thoughts of man, That they are a mere breath.

Psalm 94:11

The Three Best Days at Work

Some Guy — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 23:30:12 +0000

In the course of a calendar year, there will be good days at work and bad days at work.

Sometimes, which is which is random – you won’t know ahead of time if it’s going to be a good day or a bad day.

Other times, you know what it’s going to be, based on what is due or which meeting is scheduled for that day.

Over the course of many years in the workplace, I know I can count on these 3 days to be enjoyable.

Before or after July 4th

Depending on what day of the week this holiday falls, people take either the day before or the day after the 4th off. That means a bunch of people are not at work. And that means that you can get done the things that you think are important to get done, without interrupts or re-prioritizations.
After Halloween

The reason this day is good is not because of fewer people. The usual number of people still show up to work this day. No, what makes me look forward to this day is the amount of chocolate that enters the building.

This year, a co-worker brought bags and bags of chocolate because he overestimated the number of trick-or-treaters that would visit his new house. He didn’t want to have to eat all of the extra candy, so he brought it into work. I was glad to help him get rid of it.
Before Christmas

We get a full week off work between Christmas and New Year’s, so everyone is winding things down before the start of Christmas break. That means no one is going to ask you to start anything significant. It’s a relaxing time.

And if you have a good boss, like I had my first year in this job, he will come around some time between lunch and normal quitting time to wish you a merry Christmas. The exchange went a little something like this:
Boss: Are you doing actual work, or are you just filling time until the end of the day?
Underling: I’ve finished all the assigned tasks…
Boss: Go home then, and have a good break.
Underling: Thanks!

It doesn’t happen every year, but being dismissed early is a nice touch of the holiday spirit.

Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to his inheritance.

Joshua 24:28

Murmuration T. Cornpone

Some Guy — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 11:22:32 +0000

My wife posted a this on Facebook, so a couple of you might have already seen this. Since I’m not on Facebook I figured I would share it with the general internet audience.

Here is what the sky in front of our house looked like a week or two ago:

Thanks to our almost-neightbor Erin, we now know that such an occurrence is called a murmuration of starlings.

And since Gamma likes chasing birds, he was excited to see them.

Here is what our front lawn looks like when the birds land:

I stitched two photos together for that one. Click on it to enlarge it.

They don’t stay for long though, especially when we open the front door and Gamma runs out to get them.

Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, “ Come, assemble for the great supper of God,

Revelation 19:17

Life with Kids

Some Guy — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 11:30:51 +0000

Just a few random thoughts this morning, related to some aspects of parenthood.

It’s fun to go out in the yard with the kids and play catch. But to get to that point, you have to play many games of throw.
For many people, daylight saving time is a chance for an extra hour of sleep. But for parents of small children, DST is a chance for an extra hour of playtime in the morning. Those kids don’t care what the clock says. Whether that’s good or bad depends on your attitude.
Once you’ve successfully completed the task of clipping an infant’s pinkie toenails, you can try something less stressful – like open-heart surgery.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one’s youth.
How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; They will not be ashamed When they speak with their enemies in the gate.

Psalm 127:4-5

Can You Find the Pattern?

Some Guy — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 22:23:11 +0000

Here’s some more schoolwork. They asked for a pattern, and Alpha found one.

That’s my boy!

Tip: If you’re putting together a classroom assignment, aim for directions that are more specific rather than vague. Ask the question that you really want answered. “Describe a numerical pattern that you see.” might have been better than “What patterns do you see in the chart?”

If I were me, I would have gone with “All the numbers end in 0″.

All this,” said David, “the LORD made me understand in writing by His hand upon me, all the details of this pattern.

1 Chronicles 28:19

Autumn at the Beach

Some Guy — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 10:57:13 +0000

We’ve been having a nice fall here. There was a chilly spell of about a week or so, but it’s been on the warm side since then.

One of the nice days was the day of the half-marathon. It was right near Lake Michigan, so we stopped by the beach after the expo the afternoon before the race. The weather in general was nice, but the beach was a bit windy.

To get to the beach, you have to go over a sand dune. It’s a moderately-sized dune, but big enough to be impressive to young kids. This is the view after climbing from the parking lot to the top of the hill:

And this is the view looking down. The park is nice in that you can climb up plain ol’ sand or you can use the stairs.

(On the way out, we used the tunnel that lets you avoid changes in elevation.)

When we got to the sand, the kids took off their footwear and then took off down the beach.

I like seeing kids who can enjoy being outside. Not to say my kids are always this agreeable about experiencing nature, but I want them to be able to appreciate this world that God has given us. To be able to walk through a trail in the woods without displays or signs to read or electronics to distract them. To roll down a hill without worries. To sit and just watch the waves.

I suppose I wasn’t fully participating in the moment because I had my camera and was trying to capture this slice of life. But I did capture a glimmer of it, and later in life the kids can flip through the photos (on their phones or laptops) and remember.

Last shot. This one is looking to the right (north), before we headed out the tunnel.

Now God gave Solomon wisdom and very great discernment and breadth of mind, like the sand that is on the seashore.

1 Kings 4:29

September Schoolwork

Some Guy — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 10:08:39 +0000

This is one of the first papers that Alpha brought home from school this year. I’m guessing it was when the teacher was reviewing the rules for the classroom.

I’m glad they start with the basics, although I wonder what rules 1-23 are.

But we discussed this rule at home and we had to amend it, or modify it. Because there are more things on which to stand that aren’t chairs. Like tables, or siblings.

Now in our home, the rule is no standing on anything that’s not the floor.

I reserve the right to update that rule as needed. Because I’m sure they’ll find a way around it (such as “I’m not standing – I’m jumping!”).

Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.

1 Corinthians 10:12

Is the Tub Supposed to be Orange?

Some Guy — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 22:26:23 +0000

Or, How to Clean Your Tub Without Scrubbing

Some of you may recall that we had an iron filter installed.

In case you’re wondering how bad our iron was, you can peruse this photo of our bathtub.

I tried CLR without much success. Soft Scrub seemed to do a little better. No matter what I used, I had to do a lot of scrubbing and it removed much of the staining but not all of it. You may be wondering what the best product is for cleaning rust stains, not only from bathtub but also from sinks and other porcelain fixtures. The answer?

Toilet Bowl Cleaner

But not just any toilet bowl cleaner – it has to have the right ingredients.

Wrong Ingredients

For example, here is before using Clorox T.B.C.

And here is after using Clorox T.B.C.

Note that those two pictures were taken 4 minutes apart, with no scrubbing. The second picture might not look like I did anything, but the Clorox is almost clear, so it’s hard to see. Look hard, and you can tell on the right side where it is, or bottom middle.

Clorox has the active ingredient of sodium hypochlorite. Do not use anything with sodium hypochlorite as it just ignores rust stains. I’m sure there are no germs on our bathtub after cleaning it with Clorox, but the stains are still there.

Right Ingredients

For example, here is 1 second after using Lysol T.B.C.

And here is 2 minutes after using Lysol T.B.C.

And here is 6 minutes after using Lysol T.B.C.

Note that there was no scrubbing involved in those photos – just squirting on the T.B.C. and letting it sit. Well, not sit – it ran down the side of the tub a bit.

Lysol has the active ingredient of hydrogen chloride. You don’t have to use Lysol-brand T.B.C. – anything with hydrogen chloride should work.

Conclusion

Here is the final product, after some more cleaner and a little bit of scrubbing.

She has wearied Me with toil, Yet her great rust has not gone from her; Let her rust be in the fire!

Ezekiel 24:12

Husbands and Wives: Royalty

Some Guy — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 10:23:51 +0000

It’s time for another quiz. Follow the conversation below, then answer the question after. Yes, I realize the topic of the conversation is several months old; just pretend you’re back in March of 2011.

W: Kate Middleton and Prince William have been together for 8 years and they’re getting married in April.
H: How’d they meet?
W: Art class or something
H: Let me guess – she would love him even if he weren’t a prince?
W: Yep.
H: And would you love me even if I weren’t a prince?

Quiz:
What answer should the wife give?
A. Well you’re certainly no prince.
B. I love you no matter what.
C. You’ll always be my prince.
D. Would I what?

The correct answer depends:

if you’re a husband, it’s whatever you picked.
if you’re a wife, check with your husband.
if you’re not in a relationship, check the comments for the most popular answer.

Bonus points if you connected answer D to Fiddler on the Roof

The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son.

Matthew 22:2