The future of mobile computing

I wish this weren’t just Vista being special!

Reflections on an exciting and terrifying letter

This evening I received a letter of nomination from my university supporting my exchange application. My heart is greatly torn at this news. God is not without a sense of irony! Tori and I both pray for a future serving God together, but the process to attaining this is not, it seems, one without pain or difficulty. We anticipate more long months apart, and I face leaving Sydney, its comforts and securities.

In Sydney, there is security in so many things. I trust in family, in friends, in personal and professional networks, in job security and my own abilities. I trust in credit cards, Internet providers, newspapers and mobile phones. All of these things come to nothing, dissolving in the face of studying a language so radically different from my own first language. Yet, were I to achieve any degree of comfortableness in this language, at least some of the things in which I falsely find security would, without sound reason, assume that position of trust in my life once more.

The one true thing to trust in is common to all languages, all people, and every place on earth. There’s just one sure and certain hope that is unfailing. When every thing and person on earth gives way, Jesus alone is our hope and stay. (So thankful to God for Tori’s reminder of that in the midst of my freaking out about all of this tonight – you are a wise and godly woman Tori!)

Business strategy, internet development, and the exciting insanity of startup work in an amazing industry with the best colleagues will transform into, near-exclusively, the well-trodden path of laborious language study, learning through humbling failure and the necessity of constant correction by even the closest of friends. Yet language learning opens doors, communicates truths, and, similarly to the insanity of startups, is spurred along by necessity and an urgent need for improvement.

For my part, I’m learning to trust God more and having the false objects of my hope called out in front of me by even the suggestion of having to leave them behind. It’s funny, because I thought I’d thought about this — I guess as things become concrete problems get harder to ignore! Strangely, the things I had thought will be difficult to let go and live without – a car, a great IT setup, books, purchasing power due to constrained exchange budget, etc. – hadn’t even come up in my mind yet (though they may later).

Perhaps the issue for me is less materialism, as I had thought, and more pride and an overdependence on the things that don’t satisfy and give life to the full! The absurdity of this situation is perhaps best encapsulated in the observation that I am torn at the spectacular breadth, depth and width of opportunities provided. It is ridiculous to think that I, such a mediocre student, should be given the chance to study at a top-5 university as well as the remarkably well-regarded University of Sydney. The ridiculousness of this is, perhaps, only surpassed by the fact that I then proceed to complain about it!

And both these privileges are like rubbish compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing the Lord Jesus Christ – this is the most absurd opportunity of all. To be loved by the Creator, whose creation (of which I am part) destroyed Him, though death could not hold Him down, such that death promises eternal life through Christ’s victory: it is beyond comprehension! 感谢主！

Darwin Convention Centre vs Google Maps

I’m heading up to Darwin next month to an education conference we’re sponsoring and I stumbled across something vastly amusing when researching the event.

Here’s something that probably falls outside the bounds of what you’d think to run due diligence on: checking the venue an event is being hosted in has completed construction and is actually operational! Thankfully, the Darwin Convention Centre does, and Google is just a few months behind on the imaging.

It opened on July 1st and is part of a broader reinvigoration master plan for Darwin’s waterfront precinct. If you’ll be in Darwin between September 26-28 this year, check out the ACEL conference “Tipping Points” or get in touch.

Breathtaking sunset & crowds of photographers

Bizarre experience yesterday afternoon just before the sun went down at Sydney Uni — the photo above was one of a bunch I snapped with my phone, and it really doesn’t do it any justice.

As I paused to take a few photos, I realised that no fewer than 15 people were doing exactly the same thing!

I was reminded of the truth of Romans 1, which explains how God reveals himself to everyone in creation but how so many have turned to serve creation, not the creator. This doesn’t detract from the beauty or experience of creation at all — instead, it frames everything within the beauty of a God who is intimately involved with and deeply cares for the world He created and sustains. Thank God for sunsets.

The view from TG office yesterday

Friday was a pretty insane day, but I snapped this photo (cameraphone, dunno what happened top right!) arriving at our office in the morning before getting into it. We’ve got a pretty incredible view over Coogee, which is fantastic… except for when the sea and sky are such amazing colours and you know there’s not a chance of actually getting outside to it!

There were some sheets of light rain and these incredible clouds that cleared off to perfect skies and an ocean that even I, someone who doesn’t particularly rate swimming and has never learnt to surf despite living within 5km of the coast his whole life, wished I was free to head over to.

It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night,
to the music of the lute and the harp,
to the melody of the lyre.
For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;
at the works of your hands I sing for joy.

– Psalm 92

We were made to work even before sin entered the world, but I reckon work/time-outside-on-a-beautiful-day balance would’ve been better then! For those trust Jesus, a future is coming where every day all are freed to give thanks to Him forever…  even those stuck in beige office towers!