Using Idle Time For Good
The first part of this TED talk surprised me.
It's amazing to think that some of the reCaptchas I have filled in have helped digitize books.
To know that information is not only captured from print media and stored for future reference in a different format is great, but the fact that everyday people are participating in that effort unknowingly is amazing.
Oh, and someday I hope to learn Spanish while translating the web.
Why I Run / When I Run
Today I am sore.
Why?
Because yesterday I ran.
I didn't run from the police.
I didn't run to evade getting tackled by a large man in a helmet.
I didn't run up and down a court to throw a ball in a basket or back and forth across a pitch to kick a ball in a goal.
I didn't run as a part of any team sport.
While all of these things would definitely wear me out, they had nothing to do with my running.
Why?
Because yesterday I ran.
I didn't run from the police.
I didn't run to evade getting tackled by a large man in a helmet.
I didn't run up and down a court to throw a ball in a basket or back and forth across a pitch to kick a ball in a goal.
I didn't run as a part of any team sport.
While all of these things would definitely wear me out, they had nothing to do with my running.
Questions About the KONY 2012 Campaign
A couple of brief thoughts on the KONY 2012 campaign:
- If people (myself included) proclaimed the Gospel as vocally as they promote a viral campaign, it would truly change the world.
- Social awareness may grow through social media, but it doesn't change the situation unless people actually put hands and feet to the problem.
- A well produced video can create a lot of noise on the web, but can it really bring about change?
- If an organization is willing to promote certain things as fact in such a way that is misleading, do you really want to give them your money?
- What happens if all these people donate to the charity and later find out that their money never impacted the life of a child in Uganda/Africa/anywhere?
- It is appropriate and responsible to question the motives behind such a movement and to use the past history of that organization to determine your involvement in promoting or donating to an organization.
If you want to help children in Africa, there are plenty of ways through various charities that are more efficient at getting the money to impact children, more transparent in their operation and more Bible-based in their approach.
A few charities worth considering:
WorldVision
Compassion International
Save the Children
Blood Water Mission
If you want to know why I think some of these things, do some research. Below are a few articles I found helpful.
Challies: KONY 2012
KONY 2012: A Survivor's Perspective
The REDDIT comments are quite intriguing
- If people (myself included) proclaimed the Gospel as vocally as they promote a viral campaign, it would truly change the world.
- Social awareness may grow through social media, but it doesn't change the situation unless people actually put hands and feet to the problem.
- A well produced video can create a lot of noise on the web, but can it really bring about change?
- If an organization is willing to promote certain things as fact in such a way that is misleading, do you really want to give them your money?
- What happens if all these people donate to the charity and later find out that their money never impacted the life of a child in Uganda/Africa/anywhere?
- It is appropriate and responsible to question the motives behind such a movement and to use the past history of that organization to determine your involvement in promoting or donating to an organization.
If you want to help children in Africa, there are plenty of ways through various charities that are more efficient at getting the money to impact children, more transparent in their operation and more Bible-based in their approach.
A few charities worth considering:
WorldVision
Compassion International
Save the Children
Blood Water Mission
If you want to know why I think some of these things, do some research. Below are a few articles I found helpful.
Challies: KONY 2012
KONY 2012: A Survivor's Perspective
Kony 2012: Why I’m Opposed To The Campaign
Joseph Kony is not in Uganda (and other complicated things)
On KONY 2012: I wanted to stay as far away as possible...The REDDIT comments are quite intriguing
Anthony Evans and The Voice
My wife and I have watched several episodes of The Voice so far this season and have found them quite enjoyable. Last night we caught "the battles" episode that featured Anthony Evans up against Jesse Campbell. I briefly met Anthony Evans one Sunday after our church service. He was in town for a songwriters seminar and sang a couple of his songs in the service. He was/is a very likeable guy, with an incredible heart for God and some seriously amazing talent.
Last night, Anthony "lost" his battle and exited the show. It's hard to say he "lost" when he sang better than most people can sing in their dreams. Jesse did an amazing job as well. In my opinion, these two could have easily been the final two on the show. America will miss out on some incredibly talented performances now that Anthony is gone.
Enjoy this amazing 2 and a half minutes of live vocal awesomeness.
Last night, Anthony "lost" his battle and exited the show. It's hard to say he "lost" when he sang better than most people can sing in their dreams. Jesse did an amazing job as well. In my opinion, these two could have easily been the final two on the show. America will miss out on some incredibly talented performances now that Anthony is gone.
Enjoy this amazing 2 and a half minutes of live vocal awesomeness.
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