The Rant Room

I've moved... again.http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

2006-07-07T14:21:00.000-05:00

Update NOW!

2005-09-18T01:56:00.000-05:00

Here's the link to my new blog: http://josh.xnamedia.com Don't forget to update your links and bookmarks!... because I probably won't be updating this too much. I was going to design my own template before releasing the new site to the public; but I'm not going to have time for that anytime in the near future. So, I'll just go with what I have.

Jumping on the WordPress train.

2005-09-15T12:32:00.000-05:00

Soon my Blogger days will come an end. MattRat has switched over, and I will soon follow suit. I already have my site setup. (You can probably figure out what it is.) But, I want to take a little while to learn it a little better. Blogger has been good to me; but all good things must come to an end... to make room for better things. I will still keep this site; just so nobody takes it over. So be prepared to update your links and bookmarks in the next couple of weeks.

Tools for nOObs.

2005-09-14T14:03:00.000-05:00

Maybe you don't possess the knowledge or finesse to make your blog look good. That's okay. Actually, I don't even know a whole lot about web-design... just enough to get by. Anyway, here are a few links to sites that have some decent blog templates and can help you out. Blogger-Templates Template Generator Firdamatic Beccary Now take what you've learned and CHANGE YOUR BLOG!

A new Henagan.

2005-09-14T13:12:00.000-05:00

Casey and Stacy had their new baby boy yesterday. His name is Harrison Lee Henagan. We haven't seen him yet. But I hear he weighs around 7-pounds.

Home Sweet Home.

2005-09-13T12:54:00.000-05:00

My iMac is finally home. After a week of working on my 12" iBook, I'm finally back to the 20-inches of iMac bliss! All I can say is... WooHoo!

The Boneyard.

2005-09-13T01:15:00.000-05:00

For some reason, I've always wanted to go Tuscon, AZ and vist "The Boneyard". The place where aircraft meet their doom. I don't know why. I suppose it's because of all the history that resides there. I've always loved aviation history. I've grown up around aircraft, and guess it would just be neat to see where they end their lives. They probably give tours and whatever, but I'd just like to go and wander around. Get inside some of the older aircraft, and think about the people that flew them, flew in them, and maintained them.

A couple of cajuns.

2005-09-11T18:41:00.000-05:00

Today at church, we kicked off our fall semester with a brand new series entitled "Get Into The Game". It works out really well, because college football season just started. And, if you live around here those Hogs are the happening thing. Even though they lost yesterday to a cupcake team at home. It was a good time. We had two new families join us today. Actually, there were probably a lot more new faces than that; but these two new families that I'm talking about just recently moved to Northwest Arkansas. They are from New Orleans, LA. They've been told that they won't be able to move back to they're home for a year. So, they relocated to NWA and we're blessed that they will call Keypoint Church their home church for the next year. When Casey intoduced them to our church, they received a round of applause and we were happy to give the wives a $100 gift certificate each to the local mall. Last week, our tiny little church of around 200 took up nearly $5000 by passing the bucket. Above and beyond our regular tithe (we don't pass the bucket for our normal tithe). I am truly grateful that these two families have chosen to come to Keypoint; so we can have an opportunity to represent Christ in a real and practical way to them. In other news... but kinda on the same note. The State of Arkansas has made homes for over 100,000 people from the Gulf Coast. That's nearly 3% of the population of Arkansas. Texas has accepted nearly 250,000 refugees. I don't know what percentage of their population that is.

Sound advice...

2005-09-11T00:08:00.000-05:00

I had posted a reletively lengthly post about creativity in the church. If you subscribe to my blog and receive my posts via RSS, you got it. But, then I went to Joshua's blog and got some sound advice: "A word of advice. Do not feed the trolls. If you feed the trolls, they will begin to think that their bitterness is deserving of attention. You have better things to do with your time. Carry on, and please, use the internets wisely." So, I deleted it.

Something suspicious in the air...

2005-09-10T20:49:00.000-05:00

There's something wierd with James' blog. All of his posts during his entire time in Iraq have been mysteriously deleted. Now, I don't know if James did the deleting or what. But it is bizzare. The latest post on his blog now is from March, just before he left for Iraq. I hope he's not in trouble. Anyone have any insight to this? (Not an anacoenosis, for those who are paying attention.)

It's just me.

2005-09-10T16:19:00.000-05:00

I'm tired of Jaws already. So, look for another new look by the end of the day. Hey, I gave Jaws his fair shake... he didn't get it done... so he gets whacked. Don't give me any lip.

"JAWS" Edition.

2005-09-10T00:40:00.000-05:00

Yet another new look for my blog. This time I'm just having fun with my "JAWS" Edition of the The Rant Room. Notice my not-so-seamless hand-in-wather background. And my bloody flesh colored hyperlinks. Here's to JAWS... the world's most famous flesh-eating great-white shark.

iMac Update

2005-09-09T12:16:00.000-05:00

My iMac G5 is still at MegaByte Computer Center (should be called "MegaSuck"). Turns out, that the problem is the power supply. It has been ordered and we're just waiting for it come in, so they can install it. I can't stand that place. Their service department needs to have someone that knows how to handle customers; and not let those arrogant jerks do that job. Because they really suck at it. I wish that I could order parts from Apple myself, I'd just do it all myself. Oh well. I just miss my iMac. I am happy to say that I've found another place that services Apple products, and it's closer and the people are friendly. I would've taken it to them in the first place, had I known that they repaired them. Meanwhile, I've been drudging along on my 12" iBook G4. Editing videos on Final Cut Express 2. Now I know why I like FCP better. We did buy Adobe CS2 Premium for the low cost of $399. That was helpful. I installed it yesterday. J'yeah.

Video Headstones?

2005-09-09T01:37:00.000-05:00

Video screens have shown up all over in recent years — cell phones, bathrooms, car head rests, subway cars, even elevators. Next up: a solar-powered video panel embedded in a tombstone that plays a clip reminiscent of "This Is Your Life." Here is the entire story. It's kinda weird but innovative. I think it's a good idea; until I thought about someone hacking into it and replacing it with porn or something.

Mr. Incredible

2005-09-08T00:02:00.000-05:00

The real Mr. Incredible. Good stuff.

TV finish.

2005-09-07T12:00:00.000-05:00

Next time you're in your local Electronics retailer, go to the TV section and see if there are any black ones. You'll be hard-pressed to find a simple black television. They are all silver now. Why? Maybe I don't want a silver television. Not that I'm looking to buy a television; but this was just something that I noticed. Remember the days of the wood-veneer finish on TVs? What if we had all of these options in the TV section? It would certainly bring more character to the display section... and I would be curious as to which models would sell better.

Wanted: Movies

2005-09-06T20:51:00.000-05:00

I've never been much a movie "buyer". That is to say that I rent movies and once I've seen them, I more than likely won't ever watch it again. Now then, I do own a few movies... Saving Private Ryan, The Indiana Jones Collection, Bruce Almighty, Brewster's Millions, and Short Circuit. So I was thinking that there are several movies that I would like to own... These are some of the ones that I'd like to own. I know, I know... these aren't very "Christian" movies. But, dog-gone-it, they're good ones! If you're got a problem with it, you're more than welcome to let me know. Will I care? Maybe... maybe not. ***Images from Amazon.com***

Labor Dabor.

2005-09-05T23:21:00.000-05:00

A boring Labor Dabor. For familiar with Homestar Runner, you know what Labor Dabor means. For the rest of you... your loss. I didn't do much of anything today. Played video games, folded underwear, watched television. I really felt like doing something though; but I never got around to it. I got out my Moleskin to write something deep and intellectual in it... but I never got around to it. I think I became involved in "Dirty Jobs" on Discovery Channel. For some reason, I feel the need to write something compelling. I don't know why; and I don't think I'm capable of it right at the moment. I was expecting more people to comment on my crashing Apple story. I was expecting the all the Windows users to say, "See, you use a crappy computer too!". Speaking of that particular crappy computer, I have to take it in tomorrow to get repaired. Hopefully, we'll get it back quick... like in a day. Because I have much work to do. I also hope that they can repair it without messing with my hard drive. I'd hate to lose all my fonts and applications. That's the stuff I DIDN'T backup. I also watched a news special on Wal*Mart today. That was a little wierd. Watching a story on a major network about things that are everyday life to me now. Scenes from the Wal*Mart home office; and how they do things. Interviews with all the "big-whigs"... they all live around here. It was just bizarre... knowing that what they were talking about, the world's largest retailer, was literally right down the street from me. I know that a lot of people don't have a positive image about Wal*Mart, because I was one of them. But living in Northwest Arkansas, and knowing people that work there, has shed a new light on the corporate giant. I've come to understand more about their practices and why they do things that they do. A lot of people complain about them, but they must be doing something right.

"We make companies more efficient. I don't see what's so wrong about that." --- Current Wal*Mart CEO

It doesn't mean anything.

2005-09-05T01:06:00.000-05:00

I've found that even though I have a mouse hooked up to my notebook computer, I still find myself instinctivly using the trackpad.

A first time for everything...

2005-09-04T14:19:00.000-05:00

Mark this day history. An Apple has crashed. That's right folks... my iMac G5 crashed today. Of all days for it to crash... it has to crash today, at church. I don't know what the problem is with it. It was working fine last night and this morning before church. But when I got it all setup and ready to boot-up... I hit the power button... and nothing. This little light flashed... but that's it. No patented "duhhhhh" sound. No little Apple logo on my display. Nothing. Nada. Nyet. Nein. A few days ago, I was playing MOH and it just shutoff... I mean completely shutoff. No errors or anything. Just gone. So, I think that might have had something to do with it. Possibly an overheating problem that could've fried something over the course of 2 or 3 days. After that incident, I was smart enough to back up all my stuff to my external hard drive. Today's service was stressful to say the least. Right off the bat, the guy that generally helps me run our video presentation drops off all the Powerpoint files, and tells me that he can't stay. Great! This sucks because I really needed him to be there today... because I had to shoot some footage during Casey's message. Then, at 8:30AM, we figured out that my iMac has crashed. Outstanding! If only a truss would fall on my head... then this morning would be complete. So anyway, I had to run home and grab my external hard drive; and bring it back to load all the videos for the day. At the end of the day, everything went smoothly. I'm pretty sure nobody knew that I was feeling the need to vomit, because of my stress level. This is what we do though... we adjust... we flow. We make it happen. Today, God was in control.

I must decrease, so that He can increase.

Civil Air Patrol - Part II

2005-09-03T01:36:00.000-05:00

A little more about Civil Air Patrol. It has three missions: 1) Aerospace Education 2) Emergency Services 3) Cadet Programs. My gig for my 11 year stint was Emergency Services. I was a cadet. I joined when I was 12 years old, took my oath, and put on my uniform as a Cadet Basic. The lowest form of a cadet. At this level, you can liken yourself to that of a person in basic training. You have to learn everything... how to march, how to dress, how to speak, how to act, the list goes on and on. And people are yelling at you contantly. I had the privledge of my Flight Commander being a burly girl named Denise Jones. Sgt. Jones was not a fun person to be around. She was, in fact, mean. She was also very large... not in a fat way... but more muscular. I have seen her lift a 220 lbs man. And, my 1st Sgt. was Chris Vournazos. The loudest, most arrogant teenager, you'd ever heard. After several years as a cadet, I would eventually become very good friends with Denise and Chris; and would still trust them to save my life today. In CAP, as a cadet, you are able to get promoted by taking Leadership tests, Aerospace tests, and Physical Fitness tests. Each rank has specific requirements. I made it Airman 1st Class (2 stripes) without too much problem. Then, I stopped for about 2 years. I don't know why... I just did. During this time I became very proficient in Emergency Services (ES). I mean, I was good. Especially with the L-Per... a device used for locating ELTs (Emergency Locating Transmitter), which are activated when an aircraft crashes. My finesse with the L-Per earned me respect among higher ranking cadets. At some point, I decided to become a Sergeant (3-stripes), and that's where the fun begins. Once I got the rank of Sgt., I became Flight Commander. I believe at the time, Chris was our Cadet Commander. Being Flight Commander, I was essentially a Drill Instructor. I had my first taste of power. Which is probably why I joined CAP to begin with... because that's what I thought the military was; and I wanted to join the military someday. So I ate this stuff up! After being Flight Commander for a period of time and being promoted to TSgt. (5-stripes)... I was given the position of First Sergeant. For those that don't know what the First Sergeant is... he/she is the link between the lower ranking cadets and the officers. I was the Cadet Commander's right-hand guy. To the lower ranking cadets... I was the most feared and respected cadet that they knew. The 1st Sgt traditionally has a "diamond" in his rank insignia... and believe me, everyone knows what that diamond means. The 1st Sgt is responsible for maintaining order, discipline, training, customs & courtesies, leadership, drill & ceremonies, all within the cadet section of the squadron. He's a pretty important guy. This position was made for me. I remained the First Sergeant of Squadron 702 for 3 changes of Cadet Commander. I even had more time in CAP than two of my Cadet Commanders. I always wanted to remain an NCO. I never wanted to be an officer. In fact, I never even went to Encampment (a required school to be an officer in CAP) because of that reason. I truly enjoyed being the First Sergeant, and most people that were in with me remember me as the First Sergeant. I remained First Sergeant with the rank of Master Sergeant (6-stripes, the highest ranking NCO at the time) until I had to give it up to become Cadet Commander. I don't remember who took the position of First Sergeant under me... but I remember, very vividly, handing over my diamond. I don't know where my life would be if Civil Air Patrol wasn't a part of it. I wouldn't have met the people I did. I wouldn't have the memories that I have. I probably wouldn't even be on the path that I am right now. I owe allot to CAP... I hope to repay it someday.

Civil Air Patrol - Part I

2005-09-02T02:13:00.000-05:00

This is something that some of my readers may not know. When I was twelve years old. I joined an organization called Civil Air Patrol. It is the official Auxiliary of the United States Air Force. You might say, "Isn't that like the boy scouts?"... NO! It's nothing like the Boy Scouts. The best way I can describe C.A.P. is like this... Take a volunteer fire department, the Boy Scouts, and the Air Force; wrap them all into one... and you've got C.A.P. This was a big part of my life for my years... 11 years to be exact. I was extremely involved in it. I believe that is was very fundamental in molding me into what I am today. In fact, I met two of my best friends in CAP. Joel and Chris. CAP taught me discipline, leadership, teamwork, dedication, responsibility, and management. As well as gave me some hands-on experience at flying. Not many people know about CAP; I wish that were different... because it's one of the best organizations in the world. I will continue this series of posts on Civil Air Patrol; and hope to educate you on a big piece of my personal history. I'll try to dig up some old pictures and post them. Maybe, if Joel has some he can email them to me. One of CAPs functions is disaster relief. You can check out how CAP is helping out in the wake of Hurricane Katrina... HERE.

Hurricane Katrina

2005-08-31T23:04:00.000-05:00

We've all seen the news reports, video footage, and photography. So I will spare you that. Hurrican Katrina has devastated the gulf coast. I cannot begin to know what those people are feeling at this point in time. I cannot imagine the feeling of knowing that one of the most powerful hurricanes in our nation's history is heading for my front door. It's hard for me to think about what those people are dealing with. The flood waters completely devastating their homes and possessions. This is definitely a bad one. Possibly the worst that I've seen. It was definitely the biggest hurricane I've ever seen. I mean, that thing covered the entire Gulf. The physical damage is bad... but not near as bad as the emotional damage. Citizens of the most powerful nation in the world have become refugees. When we think of refugees, we normally think of Haiti or Cuba... people from poor countries... definitely not the people of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. It's a terrible tragedy. One that has even effected us in Northwest Arkansas. Citizens from New Orleans have even traveled all the way up here to seek shelter. If I were one of them; I probably wouldn't go back. I mean, there's really nothing to go back to. But I don't know for sure... I'm not in their shoes... I don't feel what they are feeling. This one has effected even our church... with Casey and Stacy's family living in Baton Rouge, LA (just 45 minutes away from New Orleans); they still don't have power. Also many members of our church have family that live near New Orleans and the Gulf coast. I've already read some reports and people are already turning this into a "political thing". Come on people... a hurricane has destroyed parts of three states! It's nobody's fault... there's no need to point fingers. We did the best we could... now we have to deal with it. So quit trying to stir up "stuff"; and put your work gloves on and help out. All we can do is pray that lives will be saved, workers will be protected, and that somehow God will get the glory out of this situation.

A good thing gone bad.

2005-08-29T22:00:00.000-05:00

As some of (or all of you) may know, we had started up our own company called XNA Media. We had planned on specializing in graphic design and vinyl banners. Mainly providing services to churches and church plants. We were able to provide vinyl banners because we had a great connection with a billboard-size banner printer; that was using us as their experimental company to test whether they should step into smaller banner printing as well. Unfortunately, they've decided that it wasn't working out. Our "small" banners were slowing down their production. So, they won't be printing anything for us that is less than 50 square-feet. Which doesn't really fit the market we were trying to reach. We were able to help a couple new church plants with their vinyl banner needs; but we just can't do it anymore. I don't harness any hard feelings toward the printing company at all... I completely understand their point of view. So, that side of the business is pretty much done... unless there is a need for a banner of great girth... which we will be happy to have printed for you at $5.00 per sq.ft. That's pretty cheap... check around. We will still continue to provide graphic and web design services. But, there are a lot of designers out there; and a lot of competition. And, as of yet, we haven't had any clients in that area. Our "bread and butter" is gone. It's a sad day. What does all this mean for me? Well, I'll probably need to find a job. Or at least some extra freelance stuff to bring in some cash. Sabrina wants me to get a job... so, I'll probably get one. She seems to think that I'm "supposed" to work at Saatchi-X. We'll see about that. I haven't heard from the guy that attended our church... and I didn't see him this past Sunday. I have a meeting on Wednesday with a lady in our church that designs clothing; she has a project that she wants me to work on. That will be something different. I also might check in with another guy in our church that has inquired if I was looking for some work. Indeed, I will.

S-Video cables are an expensive demon...

2005-08-29T00:31:00.000-05:00

Another Sunday come and gone. Before service started, a whole line of problems were running around. First, MattRat dropped the trusses off Casey's truck and bent the crap out of one of the legs. I think he might have done some minor damage to the truck as well. I didn't think that this was too big of a deal... but when I looked at the truss a little later, I saw that the leg had somehow been cut. Secondly, one of the 100' S-Video cables. This was bad, because we didn't have any extras. Luckily, I pulled out one of the "bad" cables and it was just displaying in B/W... and that generally means that it just a bad pin. I checked all the pins... none were bent. So, I pulled back the sheath, and one of the solderings on one of the pins had broke. That's a quick and easy fix. MattRat did the soldering, and we were good to go. Sooooooooo...... with all the S-Video cable breakage. That affords us the opportunity to buy these new S-Vid-to-Cat5 converters. You can download the specs here. Also, we're trying out Basecamp. Trying to get organized... a little project management never hurt anyone. I like it so far. We'll see how it works out though.