Vacation...Slow Blogging

Back when I can...

Some favorite Bookmarks

I am finding that I use only a handful of bookmarks on a daily/regular basis. They include:

Netvibes, a customized home page that offers RSS feeds and more. This is my default place to go when I check in

Instapundit, one of the more heavily read bloggers with a conservative perspective and some good links to a wide variety of other sites

Hugh Hewitt, another major conservative voice and a radio talk show host

Dealmac, a handy and very reliable site for discount deals on Macs and other tech equipment

Google News, for a nice summary of current happenings at a glance

Woot, which is a lot more than it seems (One Deal Per Day). Sheer entertainment value is high!

Technology and Stolen Phones

Fascinating tale of a lost cell phone, attempts to retrieve it and lost concepts of honesty, justice and shame.

Opening lines from the NYTimes story:

The tale began when Mr. Guttman's best friend Ivanna left her cellphone in a taxicab, like thousands of others before her. After Ivanna got a new Sidekick, she logged on to her account — and was confronted by pictures of an unfamiliar young woman and her family, along with the young woman's America Online screen name.

The 16-year-old, Sasha Gomez, of Corona, Queens, had been using the Sidekick to take pictures and send instant messages. She apparently did not know that the company that provided the phone's service, T-Mobile, automatically backs up such information on its remote servers. So when Ivanna got back on, there was Sasha.

Using instant messages, Mr. Guttman tracked down Sasha and asked her to return it. "Basically, she told me to get lost," Mr. Guttman recalled. "That was it."

So he set up a no-frills Web page with a brief account of what happened, and posted the pictures of the girl and her family.

Now, as a parent, I want to talk this little matter through with my kids. In this real-life account, Sasha was not honest enough to return the phone when asked. She had her reasons, and her supporters. A lot here to consider.

Give it a read, and some thought.

Passages: Family Merger

Congrats to Jeff and Anne Jacobsen on their wedding last weekend! A lovely time, and we wish gthem the best as they begin their new life together.

Kudos to Sharing Life Together Team!

Monday's memo from Jim Daly, as noted on ImIn, is right on target. Congrats to all who touch Sharing Life Together! There are literallly a couple of dozen folks who help prepare, promote, distribute and expand the project. Thanks to each and every one of you.

Josh Broadcast Feedback - Keep It Up!

Some choice listener feedback from last week's program, The Vital Role of Fathering, featuring Mr. Josh McDowell (airdate June 15-16):

Mr. S heard that maybe not enough people listen to Focus on WCGW 970AM and wanted to say that he listens everyday and doesn't want us to go off the air. (Not sure what that is about, but nice to see the fan support!)

Ms. L called to say she saw Dr. Dobson's picture on the back of a bus billboard. Broadcast heard on WAVA - ad was for the radio station. She was very happy and excited to see the billboard. She also called WAVA to thank them and let them know she had seen it! (WAVA is in Washington, DC - a major voice for us in the nation's capitol!)

"I am a daily listener to the program via Podcast and I always enjoy it. However, yesterday and today's message by Mr. McDowell seemed to hit the bottom of my soul. This broadcast should be put in the hands of every individual worldwide. Thank you for all you do for the family." (Score one for that podcast effort!)

Everyday folks colntact us to say that our work with FOF audio is touching their lives. Thanks to YOU for all you do to impact peeople for Christ!

Online Teens

Last weekend I noticed my oldest son online quite a bit. Throughout the day, I observed him at the computer (which we keep in the living room, for safety reasons) numerous times. "Whatch doing?" "Killing time." "Oh, yeah, I've done that, too."

A new study from Forrester Research shows teens are using the web a lot (not a newsflash, eh?), and offers insights into their online habits.

Older teens had spending power of about $193 per month.

They spend an average of more than 15 hours online each week and have been using the Internet for an average of nearly seven years, according to the study.

The majority of online teens also have access to broadband—86% of younger teens and 90% of older teens, Forrester said. Studies have shown that consumers who use broadband spend more online.

The items teens purchased most often online included computer hardware, software, music, DVDs and books.

Full story here.

Question for parents: What is your teen doing on the Internet? What is he or she looking at? Buying? Might be a good dinner-time question for discussion.

Text Messaging Opportunities

While I am currently in the minority, most cell phone users use their text message capabilities.

From a post at Radio Ink, info about how listeners of select radio formats use their phones:

Jacobs Media President Fred Jacobs points out, "It is the most frequent cell phone utility – aside from talking."

Of the nine in ten who own a cell phone, three-fourths (74%) say they text.

More than one-third (35%) now text at least weekly, while nearly one-fourth (22%) do so on a daily basis.

18-29 year-olds are especially likely to use cell phone text messaging every day.

Women are also more likely to text often.

Jacobs believes that there are ample opportunities for radio to take advantage of communicating with their audience via text messaging.

Audio delivery to cell phones is a growing trend, and text messaging allows for some unique content-delivery options. Look for FOF to start working on this developing channel soon!

iPod Beats Beer

You probably saw the headlines in the past week or so, touting the findings that the iPod has a new status on college campuses: Number One In Item For The Culturally Relevant Student.

One such report:

Apple Computer Inc.'s iconic iPod music player surpassed beer drinking as the most "in" thing among undergraduate college students, according to the latest biannual market research study by Ridgewood, N.J.-based Student Monitor.

Nearly three quarters, or 73 percent, of 1,200 students surveyed said iPods were "in" - more than any other item in a list that also included text messaging, bar hopping and downloading music.

The only other time beer was temporarily dethroned in the 18 years of the survey was in 1997 - by the Internet, said Eric Weil, a managing partner at Student Monitor.

There you go. Another indicator that the iPod will likely remain the top music player for some time. Although, fads do come and go rather quickly. Remember the popularity of streaking back in the 70s? Yikes.

OT: D-Day Remembered

Remembering the heroes of that incredible invasion. Here's a site that aggregates perspectives and points to some great links.

I am privileged to know a number of WWII veterans. Our deepest appreciation and gratitude to those who served, and to their families.

This is history that our children must know about. I fear that the coming generation is woefully uniformed. Let's change that!