Archive for 2006-01

Just finished installing IE7. Installation was interesting. Of course, the Microsoft Genuine Advantage check. Then, an opportunity to make updates to the OS and run the malicious software removal tool. Took a while.

Finally got it installed, then rebooted (ridiculous part of the install), launched the app and perused the interface. There is a tremendous difference between the UI of IE6 and IE7. I say tremendous, not to concern you that it is so vastly different that there is a learning curve, but rather to recognize the fact that Microsoft has obviously spent some real time thinking about how users interact with their browser. They’ve spent some time watching Firefox blaze up the market share. They’ve also spent some time ripping some great ideas off of Mozilla to implement in IE7. It’s actually beneficial to someone like me, though; someone used to Firefox would have no trouble switching to IE7. This might actually be some wise thinking on behalf of Microsoft. (Trying to regain a little market share?)

Let’s talk about the UI. Personally? I like it. It’s intuitive and clean. They really restructured the toolbars and I’m not exactly why they made certain drastic changes, like placing the refresh and stop buttons to the right of the address bar, but it doesn’t matter to me anyway. I use keyboard shortcuts for those commands. Still, the interface has improved aesthetically. The tab and nav buttons have the glassy look going on and no matter how “2005″ that is, it works and I welcome it. The icon side of the menu is toned down slightly, but still fairly option-rich. They also added page zoom, a very nice option, as well as a search box defaulted to MSN. Quick, change that to Google.

Tabbed browsing is a welcome feature. No rearranging though. There is also a quick tab feature that offers a sorted, thumbnail view of all open tabs and offers a drop-down menu for easy tab access. The drop-down option seems a little unnecessary at first glance, but I suppose with many tabs open, it could be handy. RSS support is very nicely done. Hey, there’s that RSS button from Mozilla. IE7 is also extensible, very cool. However, the add-ons are authored by Microsoft, so I’m not expecting the kind of community that surrounds the Firefox camp to develop at Microsoft anytime soon.

CORRECTION: Microsoft does allow third-party add-on development for IE. You may view such options at the Windows Marketplace. This is also accessible in IE7 using the Find More Add-ons command in the Tools menu. My response for further clarity.

I also noticed a feature called the Phishing Filter when I started IE7 for the first time. It’s certainly a good sign that Microsoft is security-conscious and I hope this tool works to thwart phishing attempts. In the IT world, it’s easy to forget how many typical consumers just don’t see the tell-tale signs of a phishing scam. Though I prefer educating the public of these issues, I will never refuse a good tool to use as an extra line of defense.

Overall, I think IE7 is a welcome improvement to IE6. Several of these features are long overdue. Any product that has remain essentially unchanged for five years is going to need a serious overhaul. IE7 is an obvious overhaul. Microsoft will also be competitive again in a market where they have lost significant ground in the past year. Will they regain some of that market share? Possibly. But I still like Firefox. I still like open source. I still love that community. I have a feeling some folks are just “off” the whole Microsoft thing.

I do welcome Microsoft’s response to security, usability and web standards. It’s about time. Thumbs up on IE7… at least until the first major exploit, God forbid.

Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 Beta Preview (Public Release)

Technorati Tags: IE, IE7, beta, Microsoft, UI, development, standards, RSS, security

Footnote: This post authored in IE7.

Word on the street (and in the media) is that Google has been working on an operating system based on Ubuntu, a popular Linux distribution. Called Goobuntu, this project might have the potential to compete with Windows XP and Apple’s Mac OSX. Most of the articles I’ve seen aren’t putting alot of weight on the issue, but they are positive about the project. I think that would also mark the overall sense of the GP. The last few Google products haven’t been worth my time (Google Pack, Google Base, etc.) but it would be very interesting to see a Google OS emerge. I would certainly install it and give it a shot. I love Ubuntu and I think Google has made a wise move into the OS arena by choosing a pre-exisiting, open-source platform on which to develop. Will is replace Windows or OSX? Doubt it, but only time will tell.

Article: Google at work on desktop Linux

via digg

Technorati Tags: google, ubuntu, linux, goobuntu, os

UPDATE: Not gonna happen. Ars Technica posted a follow-up straight from Google PR. Also, via digg.

Well, Captain Pearcy has tagged me for the Four Things meme that’s been floating about. This one has to be one of the most popular I’ve seen in a long time. And contrary to what Matt at 37signals thinks, I like it.

Four Jobs I’ve Had
Guitar Teacher/Music Sales
Commercial Banking (Public Funds)
Web Administration
Creative Pastor

Four Five Movies I can watch over and over
The Bourne Identity
The Bourne Supremacy
Back to the Future I
Back to the Future II
Back to the Future III

Four Places I have lived
Montgomery, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Dothan, Alabama
Washington, D.C. (as of 2/17/06)

Four Shows I like to watch
Red Dwarf
Fawlty Towers
The Apprentice
Andy Griffith
Honorable Mention: MacGyver

Four Foods that I like
Anything that Missy cooks for me (Yum Yum.)
Jim N’ Nicks Turkey Club
Hot Lips (Boneless Wings) from Wings
Jim N’ Nicks Cheddar Biscuits

Four Five Websites I Visit Daily
digg
del.icio.us
Backpack
Google IG
davidblog.com Statistics page It’s just so compelling.

Four things I want to do before I die
Love my wife with every fiber of my being every single moment of my life
Win 10,000 people to Christ
Write a book that people will like
Mentor twelve other people in order to increase their leadership capacity

Four bloggers I’d like to see Four Things from
Missy
Donald Trump
Guy Kawasaki
Tom Peters

If I get a 25% return on that, I’ll be happy.

Technorati Tags: four things, meme

The Creative Church Conference at Fellowship Church was incredible. In fact, incredible doesn’t quite do it justice. To have the opportunity to have four of the brightest minds and boldest hearts in Christianity pour into my life in a 28-hour period is unfathomable. I walked away saturated in the presence of God and humbled by so much vision.

My notes for the conference are handwritten and I’ll take the easy road and leave them that way for now. (If you’re looking for full session notes, check out Evotional.) But I want to sum up my experience at C3 and finalize some of the things I’ve been processing.

Ed Young’s discussion on the right “they” and the wrong “they” was very on-target. I firmly believe that the church is plagued by well-meaning people who absolutely miss the mark when it comes to serving. They don’t get it, nor do they truly have a servant’s heart. These are the folks that are “for you.” I’m with Ed when he says, “I don’t want people for me, I want people with me.” And that’s the bottom line. When God places a vision before a leader, don’t you know the enemy will use the wrong “they” to deter and distract us from fulfilling God’s plan? When we shift that pronoun from they to me to He and we look for the HE in the right tHEy, we lead as God intends us to lead.

Bill Hybels session was fantastic. What an incredible leader! The premise of his message was this: “If I (Hybels) was on my deathbed and had to address church leaders, what would I say?” Here are the four main thoughts:

1. Keep the vision clear.
2. Get the people engaged.
3. Make your gatherings memorable.
4. Pace yourself for the long haul.

Erwin McManus. What can I say? In a single word, wow. This guy flew across my radar at 110 miles per hour several years ago at the Willow Leadership Summit. I knew I’d have to chase him and I have been ever since. This session was the one that I had to really let settle in. I love that McManus approaches leadership intellectually. I think that is a must. Of course we need the creative lessons of Ed Young and the experiential wisdom of Bill Hybels and the spiritual empowering by T.D. Jakes, but we must never forget that in a world that resolves to move forward without God, based on an intellectual standard, we must learn to stimulate our thinking as leaders and remain resolute in that area of our lives. It’s a delicate balance. McManus’ thoughts on leadership vision were absolutely captivating:

The most important part of leadership vision is understanding how to choose…Leadership vision understands that God works through our feelings of uncertainty…Leadership vision sees risk as the equivalent of faith as opposed to security as equivalent of faith…Leadership vision sees risk as a necessary component of life…Leadership vision has an advance mentality.

Bishop T.D. Jakes brought it. Bottom line, he just brought it. Ed Young introduced Bishop Jakes as the single greatest communicator in the church today and after hearing him on Friday, I’m inclined to agree. Bishop Jakes illustrated the ten commandments of leadership. Unfortunately, we were unable to stay for the duration of this message, so I’ll direct you to the Creative Pastors blog for a review.

Because of the incredible insight into Christian leadership that Bishop Jakes divulged, along with the excellence of Bill Hybels, the creativity of Ed Young and the wisdom of Erwin McManus, I will own the DVD to this conference. It was history-making.

Technorati Tags: C3, C3 2006, Fellowship Church

The Atrium at Lunch.

Technorati Tags: C3, C3 2006, Fellowship Church

Sessions 1and 2 are done. Ed Young brought some seriously good game this morning. We’re at a break, downing a sandwich or two. My notes are on paper and I will transcribe them to the blog post-conference.

For live updates, check out Evotional. Some blogger I’m sitting next to has been play-by-playing the whole thing.

Dave and I hit a few vendors after the first session, mainly to stretch our legs a bit.

The Fellowship Church campus is incredible. Every element of the physical and social structure of this event is extremely well-planned and well-executed. As I admired one particular element of the conference, the branding, I began to wonder, “When was this conceived and developed?” Of course, I was looking at the execution of the idea, the product of the concepts and development. While that’s a fairly molecular perspective of what’s happening here at C3, it simply reinforced the idea that we can have the brightest thoughts in the world, but without brilliantly executing our creativity, unleashing as Ed put it this morning, we’d miss the bottom line.

Looking forward to Bill Hybels and Erwin McManus this afternoon. Then, T.D. Jakes will bring it in the early session tomorrow.

Technorati Tags: C3, C3 2006, Fellowship Church

Big weekend ahead. Flying to D.C. with Missy in the morning. She’ll hang out with a friend of ours, Jen, while I fly to Dallas with some teammates for the C3 Conference at Fellowship Church. This is my first C3, so I am stoked out of my mind. Hopefully I’ll get the opportunity to meet some of the fellas who author my favorite blogs. There is an all-star lineup of speakers: Ed Young, T.D. Jakes, Bill Hybels and Erwin McManus. Interesting to note that there are probably going to be several hundred more all-stars perched in the audience at the conference. What a powerful environment of collective creativity, leadership and wisdom!

We’ll be back in D.C. on Friday for a nice weekend chilling with the NCC staff and we’ll head back to ‘Bama Sunday afternoon. Should be a whirlwind.

Technorati Tags: C3, conference, Fellowship Church, C3 2006

Recently, I had the incredible honor of accepting the position of Digital Pastor at National Community Church in Washington, D.C. In a few weeks, Missy and I will move to D.C. to join Pastor Mark Batterson and the staff. Today is my first official day on board and I’m incredibly excited about this new adventure. I’m extremely passionate about all things technology and I love ministry. My primary responsibilities will include managing the existing web presence of the church, partnering with the incredibly sharp creative team and providing additional support in IT-related work. I’ll also handle the ‘casting of the church, including the podcast and webcast.

In the first few months, I’ll assess the current web structure and design to draft a blueprint of v2. The next iteration will have an improved foundation for added scalability and will sport an enhanced user interface. The current framework has served the church well, but some recent advancements in technology have increased the room for growth. We’ll continue the trend that NCC has already set in riding the apex of technology to redeem the medium of the Internet for the Gospel.

Missy and I have had the honor of serving The Church At Silver Springs in Montgomery since its inception in 2003. We love our Silver Springs family and we are excited about the future of this incredible community of believers. The leadership team is gifted in so many areas. The lead pastor, Mark Walker, is truly a visionary. I love our friendship. Mark was a groomsman in my wedding! That’s the kind of relationship we have and I will be friends with Mark for the rest of my life. Thank you, Mark, for your superb leadership, your undying consistency, your fiery passion and your never-ending friendship.

Byron and Jason are my bros. These guys are both extremely brilliant and wildly creative. They set a dynamic on the team that is contagious. They are also renaissance men. Sometimes I think these guys can just do anything. But I love that they serve when they could easily be making big bucks in a big company in a big city driving a big Hummer. Don’t get any ideas fellas.

Montgomery has been a wonderful home for us. We have so many friends here! We bought our first house here. (Thanks again, John!) There are many memories that we will always cherish in our hearts. And we know too many people here, so there’s no doubt we’ll be back now and again for a visit. Just make sure Jim N’ Nicks has a table ready for all of us.

Our prayer is that God continues to pour Himself out over the city of Montgomery.

Thank you for your prayers for us as we make this transition.

National Community Church
Evotional
The Church At Silver Springs

Last year, Fast Company’s Bill Breen published an excellent article, The 6 Myths Of Creativity. Breen answers several looming questions about creativity in the business sector and responds to six myths that often accompany discussions on creativity. Definitely worth revisiting.

“The 6 Myths Of Creativity”, Fast Company

Technorati Tags: fast company, bill breem, creative, creativity, business

In the last three months, I’ve watched the cost of web hosting plummet. Not exactly sure whether the low prices are the result of a shift in supply and demand from an influx of new providers, or if technology is simply rolling forward, getting smaller, and getting cheaper. In either case, we are seeing some real benefit from this new trend.

Take my hosting solution as an example. Six months ago, I paid $10 (USD) per month for my Linux Business hosting plan with 1and1. They provided:

• 2GB of web space
• 50GB of monthly transfer allowance (bandwidth)
• 500 mailboxes
• 1 MySQL database
• 50 subdomains

Today, the story is quite different. I still pay just $10 for the Linux Business plan and yet my feature-set has vastly improved:

• 20GB web space
• 1TB (1,000 GB) of monthly bandwidth
• 2,000 mailboxes (at 2GB storage each)
• 50 MySQL databases
• 250 subdomains

Though I have a few very small gripes with 1and1 (like their POP/IMAP authentication method), I can honestly say I am a happy camper. In fact, I’ve already donated a good chunk of that new bandwidth to a ministry who needed a temporary podcast solution. I couldn’t have done that otherwise. It’s also been very nice to organize my database needs. Imagine using a single MySQL database for more than 10 web applications across multiple sites! Yep. It was a mess.

Surely someone is in the market for a great webhost. I’ll point you to 1and1. They are the world’s number one web hosting provider for a reason. Give them a shot. I’ve also become a sales affiliate with them, so I’ll get some kickback$ if you launch from here.

1and1

Technorati Tags: hosting, 1and1, web, server, bandwidth