Geek Tests

Everyone is taking this Geek test. I rated a 46%, Geek Interpreter, and I wanted a second opinion, so I went here. There I scored 44%, Major Geek. I think the Innergeek test is more comprehensive, but they both seem pretty good.

Posted by: Warren Kelly at 02:03 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Musings Whilst Surfing

Surfing aimlessly through the BlogExplosion links so I can get some more visitors gives me a lot of time to ponder the State of the Blogosphere. Since I AM in the running for the King of the Blogs crown, I figured I'd issue a State of the Blogosphere Address.

Ahem.

My fellow blogospherians (like that word? Me too. Think I'll keep using it.). The blogosphere is a huge place, and each of us is trying to carve out our own little space in it. I have been roaming my (future) kingdom, and several things have attracted my attention...

1. You may enjoy your music. Your friends may enjoy your music. But you do NOT have to inflict your music on the casual surfer. If you MUST put the latest Ashley Simpson MP3 on your blog, have the decency to put the OFF button at the top, so that those of us who HAVE musical taste can turn it off quickly.
2. There is a LOT of whining about BlogExplosion. Hint 1: It doesn't work unless you surf it. Hint 2: If you aren't getting repeat visitors, it MIGHT be because your block is bad, not because BlogExplosion is bad. Many of us ARE getting repeat hits.
3. The business of choice in the blogosphere seems to be Multi-Level Marketing. Been there, done that, didn't have enough upline to buy the T-shirt. Pretty soon, everyone in the blogosphere will be selling, and nobody will be buying.

And now, the State of the Pew:

Actually, I've got some great suggestions out of the KotB competition, so even if I don't win, it's been worth it. I'm going to have to do something about the overall design of the site, and improve my CSS abilities. I was hoping to do it over Christmas, but I don't know if I will or not. Soon, though -- promise.

Next week will be in Florida on the 2004 Kelly Family Christmas Tour, so the blogging will be done through the laptop (not quite Lappy 486 vintage, but close). The Faith - Reason series will continue, as will TWiCH and the Mark study.

Let me know if you know of any worthwhile blogs that should be in the blogroll. I'm about to prune it again, and I don't just want to get rid of stuff -- I want to get some new stuff. I've already added a few from my BlogExplosion roaming (see, it DOES work).

Posted by: Warren Kelly at 10:23 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Merry Whateveryoucallit: A Secular Holiday

I mentioned this in another post, but I wanted to elaborate a little bit. I was inspired by this at Wheat and Chaff and this at the Evangelical Outpost. Both make great points.

I am sick of the commercialization and secularization of Christmas. I worked retail, and spent a LONG time actually dreading the Christmas season, simply because of the long hours, the bad attitudes, and the stress. Now that I'm out of retail, I'm getting better, but it still takes me until December 23 to really get into Christmas. Of course, the Christmas spirit usually lasts me until after my birthday (January 26 -- put it on your calendars now!!), so maybe I should observe the Orthodox Christmas on January 6.

Maybe we all should. All Christians, I mean. Let the secularists and the rest of the world have their holiday in December. They can call it Santaday, or something like that. Even call it Yule -- I don't care. They can celebrate it on December 25. Have their truely secular holiday.

We can still participate in it -- that's the beauty of the idea. We can still, if we want to, go out and spend ourselves into a huge debt buying things for everyone so they can exchange them on the 26th for what they really want. But on January 6, we have Christmas to do what you are supposed to do on Christmas -- celebrate the birth of our Savior.

I found it interesting that Christmas wasn't on December 25 until about 350 AD. Before then, the birth of Christ was supposed to be celebrated by a solemn feast. We've lost the solemnity of the day.

I doubt we'll ever change the day we celebrate Christmas. But maybe we should think seriously about celebrating it our way. Buy presents for people -- but don't blow the budget for the next two years. Decorate -- but don't take out a substation with all the lights you put out. And maybe, when we remember that Christmas celebrates the day when God, in His infinite mercy, sent His Son with the ultimate goal of dying in our place, for our sins, we'll remember the true meaning of Christmas AND of Easter. Because when we look at the manger, we should see the cross as well. And we should never forget that without that baby in the manger, nothing that we can do could ever bring us closer to the goal of reconciliation with God. Not because of what we've done, but because of who He is. And maybe we'll remember what the last words Jesus spoke were:

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
Acts 1:8, ESV

And that's the true meaning of Christmas, Charlie Brown.
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Posted by: Warren Kelly at 06:14 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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