Archive for September, 2008

5 (or 7) Things The Emerging Church Got Wrong

Tuesday, September 16th, 2008

Just read this post on Andrew Jones’ Tall Skinny Kiwi. I think you should go check it out. Andrew took a poll a couple of weeks ago and decided to stop using the term “Emerging Church”. Now he’s discussing some things that the movement can use to improve itself, and I think he (and the article he’s referencing) bring up some good points.

So check it out:

5 Things We Got Wrong

First Impression of iTunes 8

Tuesday, September 9th, 2008

Real quick, I wanted to give some first impressions that I’ve had about iTunes 8. If you haven’t heard, Steve Jobs and Apple held a special event today to announce new iPod Nanos and iPod Touches. One of the more exciting things in my opinion is the iTunes 8 update. This version comes with lots of minor updates, but perhaps the most significant thing is the Genius feature. Here are some things I noticed:

1. The set-up of Genius is very simple. iTunes does most everything for you.
2. The playlists are actually good. I have most of my songs rated and stuff, and I’ve tried several songs out as tests and have found that the songs Genius recommended have been very similar to the selected songs.
3. The right sidebar is pretty straightforward, although I’d like it if you could create that playlist in that right sidebar rather than in a new tab on the left sidebar.
4. Graphically, everything looks good and clean.

Just some initial observations. Take it for what it’s worth.

The Essential College Student Application

Monday, September 1st, 2008

Last semester I stumbled upon the application Schoolhouse and have never looked back. The author brands the app with the idea that it is a homework management application, and I find that it is very successful at doing that. Schoolhouse has a number of great features that allow users to add assignments, keep track of upcoming due dates, and even calculate grades in a class based on inputted data. The author even claims that the next version will have iCal support, but it’s been a while since he has made any mention of his intent to finish the next version of the app. I’m hopeful, but regardless you should check it out.