RSS Change

28 Sep 2004

I’ve decided to switch the syndication feeds here across to fulltext mode. Just because. It probably doesn’t matter that much, but I prefer fulltext feeds, so meh. Do come and comment still, won’t you?

Dialogue: Linux, the answer to all problems

28 Sep 2004

Inspired by comments made by Dale regarding my use of Linux.

*Josh walks in, appearing to have just been hit by a 16 wheel semi-trailer*
Teacher: Why are you late to school?
You: Linux.
Teacher: *looks sympathetically at Josh*
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh.
*Josh enters room and sits down, with no further questioning*

Design and licensing changes

28 Sep 2004

As regular or semi-regular visitors here would note, there have been various minor quirky design changes in the last several days. Most immediately evident is the new background pattern, sourced from squidfingers most excellent patterns resource. If you’re particularly attentive, you would have also noted the changes to the footer of this website.

Those who aren’t unfortunate enough to be stuck using Internet Explorer would have possibly appreciated the footer for looking kind of snazzy… for the benefit of those poor sods stuck with IE, here are some screenshots of the footer in various browsers.

Firefox 1.0PR

Netscape 7.2

Opera

Konqueror

I’m a fan of the way Opera handles it, personally, but I use Firefox 1.0PR at the minute for day-to-day stuff. Of course, if you’re using Internet Explorer, it should still be perfectly visible, but also boring and generally crap. Switch over! If, of course, you can’t, for one reason or another, then my sympathies to you. If you choose not to, no such apology is forthcoming! (yes, I know, personal preference… Pfft!)

Aside from the purely aesthetic, of course, there is a reason for these changes. Not for my tinkering, but for the display and presentation of content. There’s a new license in effect, you see. Well, actually, it was probably always in effect, I just never got around to making it public — the Creative Commons license this website is now formally under is that which I’d planned to use since the inception of this version of the website. So, there we go. Just for the sake of convenience, I’ve reproduced (in text-only form) the Creative Commons deed human-readable summary here.

You are free:

• to copy, distribute, display, and perform the work
• to make derivative works

Under the following conditions:

• Attribution. You must give the original author credit.

• Noncommercial. You may not use this work for commercial purposes.

• For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to others the license terms of this work.
• Any of these conditions can be waived if you get permission from the copyright holder.

There we go. Please, enjoy my content. You’re free to do whatever you want to it, within those constraints, but it’d be nice if you told me just so I can go take a look. That’s not a requirement of the license, of course, but it’s something I think would be nice.

If you wish to use content here for commercial purposes, or without the requirement of attribution, feel free to get in touch to discuss licensing.

Note that this licensing does not apply to content otherwise marked.

Unattended XP installation

27 Sep 2004

MSFN’s Unattended XP CD website looks useful for those interested in slipstreaming custom XP installs.

Keeping 90%

27 Sep 2004

We started a new series at church last night, on money and how we think about and manage it. In the first of five talks, we looked at the relationship which exists between God and money.

It was… very helpful, I think, in terms of perspective. The thing which struck me most about the talk was a reference made to 1 Chronicles 29:14-16:

1 Chronicles 29

¹⁴ “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. ¹⁵ We are aliens and strangers in your sight, as were all our forefathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope. ¹⁶ O LORD our God, as for all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name, it comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you.

There’s a passage in the Old Testament, before Jesus came along, which instructs the people of Israel to give a tenth of all they get. One reference is Deuteronomy 26:11-13, which instructs them to “set… aside a tenth of all your produce” to give away.

Later on, in the New Testament, Jesus critcises the religious teachers of the day for being hypocritical in the way they’re following God’s law. In Luke 11:42, Jesus says “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.” Obviously, Jesus is critical of the religious teachers (Pharisees) here… so, how much should we give?

The Chronicles passage quoted above puts everything in perspective for me. Contextually, this is being written just after a great temple has been built for God by the Israelites… the Israelites giving so that this could happen. But King David says “Who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you…”

So, everything comes from God. Okay. This is the killer bit: “…we have given only what comes from your hand.” The translation I’m using doesn’t put exclamation marks after that statement, but I think there should be. They’re not really giving anything! Everything they (and, consequently, we) have was given to them by the Lord — it already belonged to him!

This really changes the way that I think about everything… it’s not as though I would be giving 10%; I’d be keeping 90%.

“It comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you.”