Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Thursday, August 09, 2007
I love to Blog
I know, you would never guessed! But I love everything about blogging. I love the writing. Blogging has given me an avenue to vent, joke around, be creative, review, journal, and just ramble on and on. I love the recording aspect, the memorializing. I love the picture part of it, kinda a voyeuristic aspect and it allows you to share family pics with friends and family. I like the idea of having a presence on the web. Blogging is becoming a bit of a passion for me. As it has for millions!
In my pursuit of blogging I have run across some pretty cool stuff, photo sharing (I am not quite finished reviewing all of the photo sharing sites on my list), free space and new blogs.
The latest blog site that I have come across is wordpress.com. Check out
keech17.wordpress.com and thewienerdogblog.wordpress.com.
I really like their blogging format, it is extremely intuitive and easy to use. I actually like it a tad bit better than blogger! I shall try to remain loyal. One of the things that the wordpress blog site can do that say this site cannot do: upload pictures. And their themes have a lot of options and customizations.
I have been trying to think of a way to use all of these cool websites with their unique services, storage, blog formats and various bells and whistles. I have been trying to think of them as tools at my disposal.
I plan on sticking with the photo sharing sites for a few reasons. They can hold a whole lot of pictures. It is a one-stop shop for organizing and backing up pictures. They allow you to put together some pretty cool shows and filmstrips and such. And then easily allow you to share. It makes sense to have one place to store all of our pictures.
I plan to use wikispaces.com for file sharing and if I need a link to a separate page-like what I did with the email correspondence and the PPC software. It makes sense to have one place to store files and host extra external pages.
I also decided to get the family involved.
Kaleb & Keegan created their Keech site; it is dedicated to their adventures with and cheats for Club Penguin.
I also started thewienerdogblog to have another blog to maintain! And of course to chisel out a spot on the web for our Dash and Izzy.
That pretty much covers everyone except for the wife. I am still working on her. She has concerns as to how she will be portrayed to current and prospective employers. Many employers will scour the internet searching for potential employee’s presences on the web.
This is a valid concern. But as long as one isn’t sharing inside secrets, dissing the boss or complaining about students by name, then you should be OK. And so should she.
-Durk-
In my pursuit of blogging I have run across some pretty cool stuff, photo sharing (I am not quite finished reviewing all of the photo sharing sites on my list), free space and new blogs.
The latest blog site that I have come across is wordpress.com. Check out
keech17.wordpress.com and thewienerdogblog.wordpress.com.I really like their blogging format, it is extremely intuitive and easy to use. I actually like it a tad bit better than blogger! I shall try to remain loyal. One of the things that the wordpress blog site can do that say this site cannot do: upload pictures. And their themes have a lot of options and customizations.
Like I mention
ed, one of the limitations of blogger is the inability to upload pictures and files. I ran across another cool, but extremely simple web site that seems to not have too many restrictions on file storage- www.wikispaces.com. Check out Durk’s PPC software site. It is pretty simple and plain; not too many graphics or themes. But one very unique thing, you can create pages super quick and you can upload and link to files with ease and speed.
ed, one of the limitations of blogger is the inability to upload pictures and files. I ran across another cool, but extremely simple web site that seems to not have too many restrictions on file storage- www.wikispaces.com. Check out Durk’s PPC software site. It is pretty simple and plain; not too many graphics or themes. But one very unique thing, you can create pages super quick and you can upload and link to files with ease and speed.I have been trying to think of a way to use all of these cool websites with their unique services, storage, blog formats and various bells and whistles. I have been trying to think of them as tools at my disposal.
I plan on sticking with the photo sharing sites for a few reasons. They can hold a whole lot of pictures. It is a one-stop shop for organizing and backing up pictures. They allow you to put together some pretty cool shows and filmstrips and such. And then easily allow you to share. It makes sense to have one place to store all of our pictures.
I plan to use wikispaces.com for file sharing and if I need a link to a separate page-like what I did with the email correspondence and the PPC software. It makes sense to have one place to store files and host extra external pages.
I also decided to get the family involved.
Kaleb & Keegan created their Keech site; it is dedicated to their adventures with and cheats for Club Penguin.
I also started thewienerdogblog to have another blog to maintain! And of course to chisel out a spot on the web for our Dash and Izzy.
That pretty much covers everyone except for the wife. I am still working on her. She has concerns as to how she will be portrayed to current and prospective employers. Many employers will scour the internet searching for potential employee’s presences on the web.
This is a valid concern. But as long as one isn’t sharing inside secrets, dissing the boss or complaining about students by name, then you should be OK. And so should she.
-Durk-
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
I finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow about a week ago. So I thought it was time to give it my review.
I want to start out by saying that I thought it was a fantastic final chapter to a very entertaining series. It kept my attention and I enjoyed the story very much. There were many "loose ends" that were addressed at the end. I was just thinking yesterday that I would have liked to have known what happened to the house elf Kreatcher and maybe the plight of house elfs in general. But other than that most of my questions were answered. It definitely was an appropriate ending to the series.
So I liked the book and liked the series. But I am still hung up on the whole allegory thing. I still think it just might be JK Rowling's intent for the series to be a complete Christian allegory. But it isn't a perfect allegory by any stretch of the imagination.
There is a scene from CS Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe where the Son of Adam and the Daughters of Eve are walking into Aslan's camp. For me it was one of the first time
s that the allegory was staring me in the face. The younger brother, the other Son of Adam, had betrayed his family and was being held captive by the White Witch. The other 3 traveled to go see Aslan who might be able to help fight against the White Witch. And here they are entering the camp, walking through it to seek Aslan. And there are all of these other creatures, centaurs and such that they are walking by. It was very cool on the big screen. And then all of these creatures recognize that these three are human...and they do the most incredible thing-they bow, they offer respect! It was at that point that I lost it, I just started to cry, and not subtly, but in convulsions. I just kept thinking, "No, you don't understand, stop! We don't deserve that kind of honor and respect! You don't know what kind of evil we are capable of." And I thought of how heaven welcomes us in, these dirty, filthy, rotten sinners, they rejoice when we are gracously accepted by Christ.
And then there is the scene where Aslan lays slain. Suddenly his body disappears. The altar where he had laid is broken in two. Again the allegory smacks you upside the head. The curtain between the Holy of Holies and the priests ripped in two.
I have to say, there are no scenes in any of the Harry Potter books that scream out the allegory. There are things that happen and things that are said that can be taken in an alegorical manner, but nothing that is blatant. And for me that is most disappointing. I thought there may be something at the very end of the final chapter. But the death is nothing too special. There is no parallel of what happens to a Harry while he is dead. The "ressurection" is nothing special. And finally the victory is nothing special. Instead of the story representing the Gospel there are themes that are present: Harry conquers death, is a savior of humanity, overcomes evil with good, and is an example of a good person. In the end though I thought Harry was a p
retty lame representation of Christ. I also thought that the author had a pretty good opportunty to create some pretty amazing final scenes that may be Gospel representations, just his reappearance alone could have defeated Voldermort. Maybe others could have been brought back to life. And as mentioned in the allegory editorial on mugglenet it would have been cool if the Veil of Death room had been destroyed or torn apart or whatever. And finally although there are "things worse than death" that was mentioned, nothing seemed to have come of it too much.
I want to state again that the book and the series are awesome stories! Just not that great of an alegory.
-Durk-
I want to start out by saying that I thought it was a fantastic final chapter to a very entertaining series. It kept my attention and I enjoyed the story very much. There were many "loose ends" that were addressed at the end. I was just thinking yesterday that I would have liked to have known what happened to the house elf Kreatcher and maybe the plight of house elfs in general. But other than that most of my questions were answered. It definitely was an appropriate ending to the series.
So I liked the book and liked the series. But I am still hung up on the whole allegory thing. I still think it just might be JK Rowling's intent for the series to be a complete Christian allegory. But it isn't a perfect allegory by any stretch of the imagination.
There is a scene from CS Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe where the Son of Adam and the Daughters of Eve are walking into Aslan's camp. For me it was one of the first time
s that the allegory was staring me in the face. The younger brother, the other Son of Adam, had betrayed his family and was being held captive by the White Witch. The other 3 traveled to go see Aslan who might be able to help fight against the White Witch. And here they are entering the camp, walking through it to seek Aslan. And there are all of these other creatures, centaurs and such that they are walking by. It was very cool on the big screen. And then all of these creatures recognize that these three are human...and they do the most incredible thing-they bow, they offer respect! It was at that point that I lost it, I just started to cry, and not subtly, but in convulsions. I just kept thinking, "No, you don't understand, stop! We don't deserve that kind of honor and respect! You don't know what kind of evil we are capable of." And I thought of how heaven welcomes us in, these dirty, filthy, rotten sinners, they rejoice when we are gracously accepted by Christ.And then there is the scene where Aslan lays slain. Suddenly his body disappears. The altar where he had laid is broken in two. Again the allegory smacks you upside the head. The curtain between the Holy of Holies and the priests ripped in two.
I have to say, there are no scenes in any of the Harry Potter books that scream out the allegory. There are things that happen and things that are said that can be taken in an alegorical manner, but nothing that is blatant. And for me that is most disappointing. I thought there may be something at the very end of the final chapter. But the death is nothing too special. There is no parallel of what happens to a Harry while he is dead. The "ressurection" is nothing special. And finally the victory is nothing special. Instead of the story representing the Gospel there are themes that are present: Harry conquers death, is a savior of humanity, overcomes evil with good, and is an example of a good person. In the end though I thought Harry was a p
retty lame representation of Christ. I also thought that the author had a pretty good opportunty to create some pretty amazing final scenes that may be Gospel representations, just his reappearance alone could have defeated Voldermort. Maybe others could have been brought back to life. And as mentioned in the allegory editorial on mugglenet it would have been cool if the Veil of Death room had been destroyed or torn apart or whatever. And finally although there are "things worse than death" that was mentioned, nothing seemed to have come of it too much.I want to state again that the book and the series are awesome stories! Just not that great of an alegory.
-Durk-
Monday, July 23, 2007
Music Video-"Jesus Christ" by the group BRAND NEW-
I don't know if this is the original video or not-guessing not. It is what I found on youtube.
BRAND NEW LYRICS
"Jesus Christ"
Jesus Christ, that's a pretty face
The kind you'd find on someone that could save
If they don't put me away
It’ll be a miracle
Do you believe you're missing out?
That everything good is happening somewhere else
With nobody in your bed
The night is hard to get through
And I will die all alone
And when I arrive I won’t know anyone
Well, Jesus Christ, I’m alone again
So what did you do those three days you were dead?
Because this problem is gonna last
More than the weekend
Well, Jesus Christ I’m not scared to die
But I’m a little bit scared of what comes after
Do I get the gold chariot
Do I float through the ceiling
Do I divide and pull apart
Cause my bright is too slight to hold back all my dark
This ship went down in sight of land
And at the gates does Thomas ask to see my hands?
I know you're coming in the night like a thief
But I’ve had some time alone to hone my lying technique
I know you think that I’m someone you can trust
But I’m scared I’ll get scared and I swear I’ll try to nail you back up
So do you think that we could work out a sign
So I’ll know it's you and that it's over so I won't even try
I know you're coming for the people like me
But we all got wood and nails
tongue tied in hate factories
We all got wood and nails
tongue tied in hate factories
We all got wood and nails
And we sleep inside of this machine
------------------------
Finally my thoughts:
I think this song is a powerful look at how a secular world looks at death, Christ's return and their own fearful and evil intentions. I like this song very much. It should speak VOLUMES to those that claim to follow Jesus Christ.
-Durk-
Friday, July 20, 2007
Harry Potter Line Standing Time!
I like to think of myself as a professional line stander. And tonight is yet another line to add to my profession! The final Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, book 7 goes on sale tonight at midnight. This is the 2nd HP book line that I have stood in. I am pretty excited. Not only because of the normal hype, but also because of the "extra" hype with the alleged allegory. I thought "alleged allegory" might sound like an alliteration. Sweet!
I actually have already stood in a Harry Potter line today. This morning at Border's to get a bracelet that has a color (orange) and a number on it (36345-I assume I am was the 45th in line today), securing my place in line at the Potter Party tonight. There was a party of girls at the front of the line who had been there for 11 hours. ROCK ON, dedication! The line was about 70% female, I found that most interesting. The party starts at 9:00 PM. I shall be there right after I see the movie again in the IMAX theater! I will let you know how the movie and the book line goes later! And maybe even review the movie and book much later.
-Durk-
Update: There was no line for the movie, and it was most excellent in 3D!
We journeyed over to the IHOP for some late dinner and then we walked over to the Borders. We were there about 9:00. And so was about half the country. My pastor and his wife were there; I have the coolest pastor in the world. Yes, it was PACKED! But because I had stood in line 12 hours earlier Bill and I were ab
le to line up in the first line for the books to go on sale at midnight! This enabled me to take Bill home and slide into bed before 1:00 am! Some folks bought their copy and rushed to their car to start to read it. A couple of my friends had the book read by Sunday morning. I heard one story of a guy who had it finished in 13 hours-he stopped to eat twice. I found out that Borders closed around 3:00 am. 
Savvy shoppers who hate crowds were able to pick up a copy at Walmart or HyVee at midnight without any kind of wait. Some even had cupcakes set out, very nice touch. BUT, they missed out on the Potter Party! It was a super cool experience!
-D-
I actually have already stood in a Harry Potter line today. This morning at Border's to get a bracelet that has a color (orange) and a number on it (36345-I assume I am was the 45th in line today), securing my place in line at the Potter Party tonight. There was a party of girls at the front of the line who had been there for 11 hours. ROCK ON, dedication! The line was about 70% female, I found that most interesting. The party starts at 9:00 PM. I shall be there right after I see the movie again in the IMAX theater! I will let you know how the movie and the book line goes later! And maybe even review the movie and book much later.
-Durk-
Update: There was no line for the movie, and it was most excellent in 3D!
We journeyed over to the IHOP for some late dinner and then we walked over to the Borders. We were there about 9:00. And so was about half the country. My pastor and his wife were there; I have the coolest pastor in the world. Yes, it was PACKED! But because I had stood in line 12 hours earlier Bill and I were ab
le to line up in the first line for the books to go on sale at midnight! This enabled me to take Bill home and slide into bed before 1:00 am! Some folks bought their copy and rushed to their car to start to read it. A couple of my friends had the book read by Sunday morning. I heard one story of a guy who had it finished in 13 hours-he stopped to eat twice. I found out that Borders closed around 3:00 am. 
Savvy shoppers who hate crowds were able to pick up a copy at Walmart or HyVee at midnight without any kind of wait. Some even had cupcakes set out, very nice touch. BUT, they missed out on the Potter Party! It was a super cool experience! -D-
Kind of A Big Deal
It is kind of a big deal
The unconfirmed news that it has been the intent of JK Rowlings to write a complete (but not perfect) Gospel allegory with the Harry Potter series is kind of a big deal. At least to me. But I also think it will be with many, many others. And that may be understating it a whole lot. I mean this news elevates JK to be in the same categories as CS Lewis & JRR Tolkien! And that is pretty cool. It puts her in categories with pastors, evangelists, maybe the likes of Billy Graham! Maybe.
It also really strikes a cord with me on a weird level of...competitiveness. I mean it is like all of a sudden JK is sneakily bringing Christianity into super pop-culture! It really is like JK has tricked the world! She also tricked many ultra-judgmental and critical Christians. I don't know why but that makes me happy. Really happy. It is like some sort of "win" for Christianity versus the secular (and versus the Christian misguided). And I am not too sure I should be happy about that.
I mean it is like handing out all this kind of uber delicious candy that tastes way too good to have any benefits and then it becomes addictive only to find out much later that it is incredibly healthy for you! It is like someone jumping from behind a corner and yelling "HA!, GOTHCA" It is like stealth Christianity. I don't know what all of the witches are going to do with this knowledge. I doubt they will all suddenly convert and change their ways.
I felt something similar when the first CS Lewis Narnia movie, The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe was released. It was like tricking Evil Hollywood into making something that was of spiritual worth, something that was Holy, something that was for the good of Jesus Christ. It is like some sort of massive covert alter call!
But Christianity should never be sprung on someone, it should never be forced or coerced or manipulative. And many times well-meaning people do really dumb and counterproductive things.
Although I don't think that is what is happening here with the Harry Potter series (nor do I think that is what happened with The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe). I think some could feel that way.
I am kind of a big deal
I don't know how to put this...but...I'm kind of a big deal. I wrote to Ms. Abigail BeauSeigneur-the author of the article presenting her premise that the HP books are indeed JK Rowling's creation of a Gospel allegory-and she wrote me back! In the email I invited her to read the rest of my thoughts on my blog. And she read it! That puts my readership up to like 5 people! Including me of course. If you would like to read the correspondence then click here: http://durkniblick.wikispaces.com/durkandabby
-Durk-
The unconfirmed news that it has been the intent of JK Rowlings to write a complete (but not perfect) Gospel allegory with the Harry Potter series is kind of a big deal. At least to me. But I also think it will be with many, many others. And that may be understating it a whole lot. I mean this news elevates JK to be in the same categories as CS Lewis & JRR Tolkien! And that is pretty cool. It puts her in categories with pastors, evangelists, maybe the likes of Billy Graham! Maybe.
It also really strikes a cord with me on a weird level of...competitiveness. I mean it is like all of a sudden JK is sneakily bringing Christianity into super pop-culture! It really is like JK has tricked the world! She also tricked many ultra-judgmental and critical Christians. I don't know why but that makes me happy. Really happy. It is like some sort of "win" for Christianity versus the secular (and versus the Christian misguided). And I am not too sure I should be happy about that.
I mean it is like handing out all this kind of uber delicious candy that tastes way too good to have any benefits and then it becomes addictive only to find out much later that it is incredibly healthy for you! It is like someone jumping from behind a corner and yelling "HA!, GOTHCA" It is like stealth Christianity. I don't know what all of the witches are going to do with this knowledge. I doubt they will all suddenly convert and change their ways.
I felt something similar when the first CS Lewis Narnia movie, The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe was released. It was like tricking Evil Hollywood into making something that was of spiritual worth, something that was Holy, something that was for the good of Jesus Christ. It is like some sort of massive covert alter call!
But Christianity should never be sprung on someone, it should never be forced or coerced or manipulative. And many times well-meaning people do really dumb and counterproductive things.
Although I don't think that is what is happening here with the Harry Potter series (nor do I think that is what happened with The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe). I think some could feel that way.
I am kind of a big deal
I don't know how to put this...but...I'm kind of a big deal. I wrote to Ms. Abigail BeauSeigneur-the author of the article presenting her premise that the HP books are indeed JK Rowling's creation of a Gospel allegory-and she wrote me back! In the email I invited her to read the rest of my thoughts on my blog. And she read it! That puts my readership up to like 5 people! Including me of course. If you would like to read the correspondence then click here: http://durkniblick.wikispaces.com/durkandabby
-Durk-
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
