The Reign of Consumption

I just came across this article in the newest addition of Willow, Willow Creek's magazine. Since we're preparing to join with The Advent Conspiracy plan this Christmas season, I thought it might be appropriate. You be the judge.

from The Reign of Consumption by Dick Towner
If biblical principles were followed, many of us wouldn't have to work extra hard and extra long to make extra money to buy extra things which take extra time to maintain, worry about, fight over, and store.

There is another, counter-cultural way to live. It's not rocket science — just a few basic principles to be followed. Have a plan, spend less than you make, avoid consumer debt, b e generous, save a little on a regular basis, learn contentment with what you have. There's some discipline on this side of the equation and a ton of freedom and pace and joy on the other side.

AppleTV Thoughts

A while back I picked up an AppleTV that was on closeout at Costco. It was way underpriced — a casualty of the crazy way new tech products are rolled out and old products are put on closeout. It is essentially identical to any of the new units and just needed to be updated from the older 1.0 software to the newer version via a no-brainer update utilizing the unit itself.

The main reason I picked up the unit was because I am tired of spending money on DVDs for the kids only to discover that they have been scratched or exposed to strawberry jam to the point of uselessness. So I rip the DVDs through my computer, put the file on the AppleTV, and store the DVD far away from tiny fingers.

What I also discovered was that the AppleTV is one of many devices on the market today that has a cult following of hackers that are home-brewing software to make it do things that the original manufacturer has not. I soon hacked the unit so that it was able to run video file formats other then those compatible with iTunes.

Meanwhile, I have been evaluating the device for its potential use as a digital signage box. It is ideal in its size and form factor. It also is high-def. When it is hacked, you can pretty easily get it to run on video file (or several) in a loop. So it would see that for under $300 you have a digital media player to run your display of choice as digital signage. The problem that remains is that there I have been unable to find an easy way to get files onto the AppleTV. You have to use Terminal and manually type in commands in order to copy files onto the system. This is an important factor because unless you have a fairly high geek quotient the thought of typing

scp -1 -r /Users/pbg4550/Desktop/nameyourfileofchoice.avi frontrow@appletv.local:~

everytime you want to get a new version of your digital file onto the unit, it probably a little daunting.

What is needed is the ability to ftp in to the box so that files can be put on their remotely. Or alternately, an easy way to either pull files off of a usb stick or play them while they are on said stick.

One of the more fun recent developments in the AppleTV world is the continued development of Boxee. Boxee is a kind of media social network player that is based off of XBMC. More interesting then the particular way that Boxee works is that it is the only piece of software out there that lets you play Hulu videos on the AppleTV. Now this is something worthwhile!

I don't really care to watch tv or movies on my computer. It's just not my thing. Hulu has quite a bit of great content that is growing all the time. You can watch entire episodes of network shows that are currently on the air as well as a growing collection of older shows and previous seasons of current shows. Before now you had to sit in front of your computer (or plug your computer into your tv) in order to watch stuff on Hulu. Now, it accessible right through your AppleTV. Pretty cool.

Way to go Boxee!

Building Trust in God

I'm preparing a sermon for this weekend on the topic of how to breakthrough fear in our lives. One of the points I want to make is that fear and faith are always opposed to one another. When we are fearful, it is very difficult for us to be full of faith. Jesus said to the disciples in the boat when they became afraid of the storm and the raging sea, "O you of little faith."

When we have an experience in our lives that makes us fearful, it is not an easy thing simply to turn it off and once again have faith — or once again to trust. I was reminded of a story Mark Buchanan tells in his very excellent book The Holy Wild, about how one summer a momma snake slithered into the house undetected and hatched a brood under the couch in the basement. Even long after the snakes were gone, Mark recounts that he still doesn't trust the room (and even less the couch). The faith that was once there regarding the rooms safety and security is now damaged, perhaps forever.

I think we must be intentional about building our trust/faith in God because life (and maybe even Father God Himself) continues to throw us experiences that shake our confidence in His goodness. We can easily become like Mark, unable to trust the couch again lest little snakelings come slithering out into the lap.