Best Web Junk (January 27)

It’s hard to believe this could actually happen.  Somebody really needs to invent that red squiggly underline in real life.

It is a tragedy that some of these products are no longer available.  I have tried at least 11 of these 25 products.  If I could only restore one of them it would be Butterfinger BBs.  They had a much better ratio of chocolate to candy than a whole candy bar.

Awkward this is

Best Web Junk (January 20)

I am always amazed by amateur animation that is well-done, because I can hardly fathom the investment of time it would take.  This is amazing.  Although I’ll admit it makes me want to watch the original.

Best Web Junk (January 13)

Best picture ever? (Here is just the image)
This is a little bit too long.  It makes it’s point pretty quick.  But it is clever

Best Web Junk (Jan 6)

What a great concept for a movie. (I know I almost never post things with swearing. This has a few curses but it’s still great.)

Reading List 2011

Each year I post a list of the books I have read.  This year I decided to take a sabbatical from reading anything serious.  So, with only a few exceptions, I read only the Wheel of Time series.  Wheel of Time is without question my favorite fantasy series ever, even the slow books (7-10) are good.

I got a Kindle last Christmas, so not all the books I read are in this picture

1. Love Wins – Rob Bell: I wrote two reviews of this book.  A snarky one and a serious one.
2. Rescuing Ambition – Dave Harvey: This was a wonderful book, The thesis is that God has placed a desire for greatness into our hearts.  Ambition comes from God and should not lead us away from God or from church.  It deals with failure and success and I highly recommend it.
3. The Pursuit of Holiness – Jerry Bridges: Simply one of the best books I have ever read
4. Don’t Waste Your Life – John Piper: This book is very John Piper-y. If you like his writing, you will like this.
5. The Weight of Glory – C.S. Lewis: A collection of essays, some are quite good, but overall I’d give this book a hearty meh.
6. Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families & Churches – Russell Moore:  I loved this book and reviewed it here
7. The Great Hunt (The Wheel of Time, Book 2) – Robert Jordan
8. The Dragon Reborn (The Wheel of Time Book 3) – Robert Jordan
9. The Shadow Rising (The Wheel of Time, Book 4) – Robert Jordan
10. The Fires of Heaven (The Wheel of Time, Book 5) – Robert Jordan
11. Lord of Chaos (The Wheel of Time, Book 6) – Robert Jordan
12. A Crown of Swords (The Wheel of Time, Book 7) – Robert Jordan
13. The Path of Daggers (The Wheel of Time, Book 8 ) – Robert Jordan
14. Winter’s Heart (The Wheel of Time, Book 9) – Robert Jordan
15. Crossroads of Twilight (Wheel of Time, Book 10) – Robert Jordan
16. Knife of Dreams (Wheel of Time, Book 11) – Robert Jordan
17. The Gathering Storm (Wheel of Time Book 12) – Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson
18. Towers of Midnight (Wheel of Time, Book 13) – Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson

Predictions 2012

Each year on my blog I like to predict what will happen in the coming year.  I’m breaking my predictions into categories, just so I don’t overload on one type.
I Invite my readers to make predictions in the comments.  Next year I’ll check how we did.

Sports:
UK basketball wins their 8^th NCAA championship
The UK football team will be no better than 7-5 and Joker Phillips will be fired

World News:
Even though this is 2012, the world will still be here to make predictions about late next December
I will go on a date this year (It is a rare enough occurrence that if it happens it will be headline news)

Technology:
A passive 3-D TV comes out from a major brand (i.e. one with cheap glasses). Even so, nobody cares about a 3-D TV and they sell only because you can’t buy non-3-D TVs
Google+ remains irrelevant but doesn’t get shut down

Entertainment:
The Hobbit will be the number one movie next year.  Battleship (Yes, a movie about a board game), The Bourne Legacy, The Hunger Games, Spiderman (Again?) will all be in the top 10.

Politics:
Republicans will make gains everywhere, but…
Barack Obama is reelected president

My Personal life:
By year’s end I will derive more than 20% of my income from speaking. (Invite me to speak in your church please.)
I will weigh less when writing 2013 predictions than I do today

Your turn. Predict the future in the comments.

Prediction Results 2011

On the last week of each year on this blog I make predictions about the coming year.  I invite my readers to do the same.  This is a recap of those predictions and how accurate I turned out to be.

• The number 1 movie will be Pirates of the Caribbean.  Green Hornet in the top 5. The usual suspects like Harry Potter, Transformers, and Twilight will all be in the top 10
  Pirates was #4, Green Hornet was #24, the other three were in the top 5.  I’ll give myself half credit for this one
• Facebook will go crazy with 11:11:11 11/11/11 stuff
  I’m the only person I saw make a post about it, so I guess that one is wrong
• Some tablet computer running Android will be a genuine alternative to the iPad
  I’m tempted to give myself credit for the Kindle Fire, but it’s way too early to tell, so I’ll call this one another loss
• The iPhone will move to an additional carrier but Andriod will have greater market share at year’s end
  Bingo
• The ratings for American Idol will be off by at least 25%.  It won’t be canceled but will not return with the same judges in 2012.
  I could not have been more wrong about this one.  Idol ratings were only off about 11% and people who actually watch like the judges.
•  There will be at least 10 announced Republican candidates for president.  No democrat will run against Obama
  Yep
• Kentucky will not be in the Final 4
  I am exceedingly happy that I was wrong about this one
• Bret Favre will actually retire…probably…maybe…maybe not…yeah he will.
  Yes finally, but the media keeps trying to drag him back
• The world will not end on May 21 no matter what the billboards say
  I’m typing, so I guess the world didn’t end
• I will catch a 7 lb. bass
  

  I also caught this monster in 2011

  I caught the biggest bass of my life, but it was only about 5 lbs

• I will not still be working at the Wood Shed at the end of 2011
  Wrong
• I will weigh less at the end of 2011 than at the beginning
  Wrong

A couple of my regular readers made predictions about the coming year

Roland predicted:

• Cats make the Elite 8
  Yes, and good news
•  Reds finish higher than Cardinals in NL Central in 2011
  Cardinals finished second, to the Brewers. Still won the World Series
•  Mathis still lives in KY on 12-31-2011
  Not only do I live here, but I bought a house.  I think they call that putting down roots
•  Mathis doesn’t complete his goal of visiting all 50 states in 2011 but does add to his total number of states he has visited
  No new states, so this one is Yes and No
• I will finish higher than Mathis in fantasy football in 2011
  Socialist Tortillas 10-6, Titletown Tailgaters 7-9. The season is not over, but I have this one sewn up.
• One of the following 3 teams – the Cowboys, Globetrotters, or Kisha and Jen, will finish in the top 3 of the All-Star Amazing Race Season 18
  Kisha & Jen won

Ryan predicted:

• UNC will make it to the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament (Basketball)
  The evil Tar Heels lost to my beloved University of Kentucky Wildcats in the round of 8
• Panthers will win at least 4 games.
  Panthers are currently 6-9
• I will get a girlfriend.
  Just like last year, I’m saying if so you are being awfully secretive about her
• I agree that Pirates will be the #1 movie.
  Pirates was 4
• A full size (30″+), glasses-less 3D tv will hit the market. It will cost more than $2k.
  Nope
• Chuck will be renewed for a 5th season.
  The 5^th and final season is currently airing

Looks like the final tally is that I was 4-6-1,  Roland was 4-3, Ryan was 3-3

The lesson you should learn is this.  If you are looking for solid predictions about the future, go somewhere else.  Cause really we are just guessing around here.

Best Web Junk (December 2)

Yep, this is the best junk I’ve seen on the web this week

Thankful

We tend to take for granted the many things that we usually consider the providence of God.  Providence is the way that God cares for and holds together His universe.   Since it is Thanksgiving, I’d like to pause a minute and thank God for some of those things.

1. Oxygen to breathe
2. The fact the ice floats so all the fish don’t die in the winter
3. Gravity to hold us down, but not so strong we are crushed
4. A heart that beats without having to concentrate on it

Feel free to add to this list in the comments

Best Web Junk (November 18)

Remember Marcel the Shell with Shoes on?  Well He’s back  It’s more of the same which is a good thing.  This video is completely cute and fun

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