Last week was the start of the Fall Semester and I’ve been buzzing around with setting up a server with a Windows/Red Hat dual boot. Also, I have to make up some mnemonic for the OSI Model. I could include profanity in my mnemonic, but I doubt that the prof would approve. 
As Red Hat is installing, I came across this MST3K clip ripping on Gumby. A good dose of snark helps kill the time between installations.
What if you combine The Rocky Horror Picture Show with Star Trek? They really do fit quite well in this “Time Warp” clip. Both Rocky Horror and Star Trek has a dedicated cult fandom and copious amounts of sci-fi camp. Most of all, they are part and parcel of geek culture.
Via Fark, an article from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
I know that this is a support group (as there is no formal rite of confession in that church body), but the gravitas of ecclesiastical confidentiality is there. I wonder whether the legal ramifications that applies to the Catholic Church applies to other Protestant bodies.
Here at the Annexe, there is a little blurb under the blog title: Friend of the Predigtamt. In German, Predigtamt means “The Office of the Holy Ministry” and called and ordained pastors are in this office. As one who has studied classical Lutheran theology, had wonderful friendships with seminarians and their families, and has been married to a pastor, I have to be a good friend of the Holy Office. Christ has instituted it and these pastors from St Peter on are called to preach the Word, administer the Sacrament, and announce the good news of forgiveness through Jesus. They are here to “comfort the disturbed and to disturb the comfortable.”
One of the things that the Predigtamt was entrusted with is Confession and Absolution. (John 20:23, for reference.) In fact, Luther’s Small Catechism has a section dedicated to Confession and Absolution. It is for troubled and disturbed souls who wanted to be reassured that God has forgiven them. It is for all the Church. That is why Luther encouraged private confession. Going to private confession assures the repentant and ashamed heart that whatever sin was committed is paid in full on the Cross. Confessional Lutherans should emphasize this security so that no one should be afraid. The set-up of private confession is like a very effective firewall: As Port 80 only picks up and sends HTTP (Web) data, the pastor *only* sees and hears the penitent and conversely, the penitent *only* discloses to the pastor. What the poor pastor has found out is that the support group is like an unsecured Wi-Fi hotspot: anyone can crack their way in and wreck havoc.
As a pastor’s wife, I can tell you that not once did my Prediger reveal anything of that nature to me. In his 40 years in the ministry, I will say that when he dies, all these secrets between his ears will die with him. I dare not ask, because I have no right to do so. The wives of their respective pastors would say the same thing.
Some guy has given me a 6-month sub to TotalFark. I want to say thank you for doing this. I do not know why you did this, but I appreciate this kind gesture and will pass it on.
Mattel has announced another recall of Chinese-made toys today, and I’ve been thinking about the toys I used to play with. Barbies? I had one whom I named Journey Petroflame. Journey had one neat trait: Her plastic hair changes color in the sun. I wished that her feet would be flat instead of molded for high heels. Also, I had a teddy bear named Columbus, and a Cabbage Patch Kid named Abner Gordon. I wanted a GI Joe, but the parents thought it was not for girls.
But there are other toys that took center stage. I think about the cardboard boxen that you can make a TV, a space ship, or a playhouse. Throw in a set of markers and crayons with the box and you got fun. The neighborhood kids played with Chinese Jump Rope– one huge elastic band that you can buy for 99 cents:
Another toy I remember: LEGO bricks! Want a house with a wall of doors and windows that rivals Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In? How about a robot or a helicopter? Build it yourself! Another DIY project was the candy maker and I made chocolate treats with them.
All of these items invited creativity and community. You do not need the soccer moms to drive you to organized sports. You do not have to be frustrated about the toy having one use. But you do need imagination to enjoy them.
What type of toys you remember in your lives that made a difference?
Another part of my childhood in the San Fernando Valley has passed away today. Hal Fishman, the longest-running anchor in television history and an icon of Los Angeles culture, died this morning after a bout with cancer.
I remember our family watching the nightly news on Channel 5, and Hal was there with the stories. He spoke with authority and professionalism, something that is lacking in today’s news. Consider what he said in his 1985 interview in the LA Times:
“When I was a professor, I used to tell my students, ‘You can’t have a properly functioning democracy without an enlightened electorate.’ It’s our job as newscasters to enlighten the electorate. We are the conduits of information.”
There is a huge difference between enlightenment and entertainment. News as Enlightenment informs people; News as Entertainment sensationalizes and trivializes issues. Hal Fishman knew the difference. He will be sorely missed.
Mozilla is doing alpha testing of Firefox 3, and I’ve been using it for field testing. Yesterday they have released 7th build. I’ve been using Gran Paradiso since its 6th build, and so far, so good. I figure that I should use build 7 to test it out on my own lappy. In fact, I’m writing this post via Gran Paradiso to see whether it would hiccup when I press the “Publish” button. If you are reading this without any bugs, this means that it’s going well.