working on tech

working on tech

Mission Statement

This blog should be a safe place for anyone who wants to talk, read, listen, and experience technology in safe GOD fearing way. I am a believer and follower of JESUS CHRIST MY LORD AND SAVIOR WHO I BELIEVE CAME DOWN AS GOD IN THE FLESH TO SHED BLOOD SO WE MAY BE MADE RIGHT WITH GOD AND HE WILL ACT AS WITNESS ON OUR BEHALF BECAUSE NO MAN CAN GET TO THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN BUT THROUGH JESUS CHRIST and it is those who believe mission to spread this message of love to all people for GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD! I strive to live righteously and I pray you do to and understand that we should do that in all that we do even when we are enjoying my favorite hobby, all things tech! that's why I am a techie in CHRIST I am a tech nerd that is grounded in the LORD. GOD BLESS !
Showing posts with label atechieinchrist. Show all posts
Showing posts with label atechieinchrist. Show all posts

Friday, April 18, 2014

Sermon reflection 4/13/14 and my spiritual journey to JESUS!

This past sermon talked about JESUS triumphal entry into Jerusalem to die for our sins being the final sacrifice. We were filled with excitement and praise as our pastor talked about how blessed we are that we have a reason to praise because JESUS sacrificed for us! HE was blameless, sinless, yet HE died for sin, Our sin! That alone is reason to praise knowing that JESUS CHRIST died for us, but  the grave didn't hold him. HE is RISEN!
I was crying in the pew as I was reflecting on GOD's mercy. I grew up without much religion and was exposed to Islam. I considered myself wise and a forwarded thinker so I looked at religion as a science or a case study but I was curious. GOD placed people in my life to drop seeds like my sister , and grandmother. I was still questioning and wondering until my father had me read the Quran. As I was reading GOD began talking to me , he began making me pull JESUS out of what I was reading. Ironically I was given the task of helping to translate the Quran for an English speaking audience so that I can learn more about Islam. But GOD decided to let me pull out hints that Islam was missing the true beauty and answer to life. JESUS! I began praying more and more and asking GOD to forgive me for my confusion. I never really reflected until the sermon a special moment. ..
By the time I met my wife I have accepted that Christianity was the path GOD wanted me to take and it was JESUS that will be the only path to get into heaven. I was still not understanding the true essence of JESUS CHRIST. I was standing in Church on New Years Eve when JESUS Finally put the last piece in me! The HOLY SPIRIT entered me as I realized, JESUS is GOD in the Flesh. JESUS came down as the SON of GOD to model for us to do GOD's word and dying for our sins so we are Forgiven. Only because of JESUS CHRIST I have a place in Heaven and since I am Saved I am filled with the HOLY SPIRIT which is the true essence of the TRINITY of GOD. I went from a unbeliever, to a believer in GOD , to knowing I needed help, to a believer that JESUS was the way to Heaven , to understanding the TRINITY and only being saved by GRACE!
My plan for writing this sermon reflection during Resurrection week wanted me to reflect on Good Friday! The way every believer should celebrate is by sharing a testimony! Sharing who JESUS CHRIST is is true love and true worship the Easter Resurrection weekend. Testify so much there is no room for bunnies and egss,,,,, GOD BLESS!

Friday, April 4, 2014

Why Windows 8.1 update 1 is a good move for Microsoft.

I was reading about the Windows 8.1 update 1 and I am pretty excited for the changes. I want to start by saying that my gripes with windows are gripes I always had about windows in general so the update is not a game changer for me personally, but it is a game changer for the general public. When I think about those changes I think its a major step in the right direction for Microsoft. This is why I think non techies will be excited about Windows 8.1 update 1. 

Power Button and time on Modern Start Screen 
It was so jarring to have to swipe in just to check the time. I know many of us working on our computer also use the computer for our watch. I did not notice how much I do this until I was working on my surface, and I am thinking "what time is it?" That is one of those little UI things that gets the fan boys defending the Apple Tax.
The bigger plus of this U addition of this UI improvement is an easy way to log off/shut down the computer. I was so happy with 8.1 when I was able to right click the windows button (quasi start button) that made shutting down the computer much quicker. I hated the original procedure of having to go through several swipes and clicks before shutting down the computer. That procedure made me downgrade to windows 7 a week after the initial Windows 8 beta. Now I know even my mother can feel comfortable shutting the computer down in the Modern Start screen. 

Taskbar added to Modern Apps 
Now the Modern Apps will have a close minimize button to it. It will also have the traditional menu buttons that will enable you to access,,,,menu items
, haha seriously a file menu will be extremely helpful and clear to someone who is using keyboard and mouse just like its been for 20 years. The best thing that Windows has going for it, especially in light of the rise of the macbook, is that most of us are familiar with the windows interface, specifically the file menu. That is open of the most jarring thing about Mac OS. The menu is much different. 

Modern Apps back in windows mode.
This is Awesome. I no longer have to commit to a full screen. In today's society, commitment is scary in a multitasking world! I like that I can do the cool apps in multiple windows. With a touch screen we can scroll through 4 windows randomly on once. More importantly, with a keyboard and mouse, we can use the mail app and keep it open while working other items on the desktop. Once again, non techies will be used to apps in a window and being able to do multiple things at once instead of yelling "uh oh what I do?" 


Windows store on desktop 
This is another thing that I was greatly interested in. Windows store currently seems like a metro , I mean modern interface.,,,,,ooops I tried hard not to do that ;).
Now that your woke again, like I was saying, I think the store will be used more often now that it will be part of the desktop. People shy away from that because its almost buried. Now we can see it from anywhere on the computer. The modern apps as well will be able to be pinned to the desktop so we are free to use the apps as we wish, once again not having to commit to the app.  


Summation 
If you are paying attention you will see that Microsoft has gone great efforts to create a user interface that supports the mouse and keyboard. This is well done because they did this while retaining the touch niceties that they focused on in the beginning when creating this radical Windows 8. I love that Microsoft has listened to the frustration of the non techies and UI focused fans alike. The biggest complaint from co workers, family members is the unfriendly touch interface. I'm excited to see the results! 

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Sermon Reflection 3/30/14 John 6:70-71 "Little Devils in Church"

This past Sermon addressed John 6:70-71 Titled "little Devils in the Church". In the Sermon the pastor talked about Judas and why he truly went to hell. He spoke about how in fact even though Judas performed Miracles and was their with JESUS he was still not a believer therefore he still went to hell. I know I have been confronted with misinformation with the thought he was saved but went to hell for betraying JESUS. This is wrong because its arguing that you can loose salvation, but JESUS guarantees everlasting life. We also know that its not what we do that save us but its GODS grace so if GOD chose Judas to be saved he would have been. He contrasted this with Peter, tho he was arrogant and cowardly, he was saved and therefore repented and continued to serve GOD through his life time. We must understand Judas to gain a understanding of our Church today and GOD's grace. Pastor brought up how JESUS said many people will call HIS name and do miracles in HIS name but JESUS will say they don't know HIM ,, ,Judas did these things but he will go to the place where JESUS will send those who he don't know. Those he didn't call to heaven .
Applying this to life I was thinking when I myself fall into the trap of assuming someone knows the LORD. Saying things like " they know better they grew up in church!" We know the world learned from this with that wretched term, "PK's" this is because there are a ton of little devils that do good things. Jim Jones come to mind but it can be on a much smaller scale!
It is more important to think about who we share the Gospel to. We know that dude on the corner need to hear about JESUS and living the world according to GOD's will but what about that kid in the choir. We don't take time to talk to them about the LORD. Do we know whats in their heart. I know its no way to fully know but do we even ask? I don't... MY pastor talked about how he was 17 when he was saved but been in church since 3!
This also gave me more reason to be sure to depend on my personal relationship with GOD... Of course you have to fellowship with other Christians not forsaking the assembly of GOD, but you should also let the HOLY SPIRIT guide you and take advantage of today's society with the ability to read the Scripture for yourself. If what your pastor or spiritual leader is going outside of GOD's will or sharing a word out of alignment, you need to address it! I was thinking about the people that went with Jim Jones may have had warning signs from the HOLY SPIRIT before taking his lead, for those who were truly saved! You must also learn from this that Humans can be flawed so trust in GOD and understand only he is flawless.
This was a valuable lesson especially for those who belong to a church home like All those who are saved should be!!! I pray its a Blessing for you as well. GOD BLESS!

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Sunday sermon reflection 3/23/14 "AWOL Christians"

Sermon Reflection John 6:66-69 AWOL Christians. This sermon was talking about sticking to JESUS through thick and thin in ALL that we do. The pastor cleverly used the term AWOL Christians to describe how tho we have the position of heaven as GOD's children, we find ourselves missing when JESUS call upon us or when its term to put our testimony of faith to work. We was reminded by the feeling we had when we where first saved. Then we where on fire and ready to conquer the world with GOD as our shield but after a while we begin to lack up and let the world dictate our life to the point in which we find ourselves leaving the will of GOD in our life to please the world and our flesh.
I think about this often for I all to often think about this world and the pleasures of it. I remember when the pastor asked what was really missing out on in the "good ole days before I was saved:". The thing I think I missed out on the most was the laughter that came from raunchy mean spirited humor, This could come in the form of a movie, my peers or the particular jokes I tended to excel at! I know we all have a vice but all to often we look at it as ok since we all have one. JESUS called upon us to be the light of the world. Him am I shining GODS light on if I am acting just like them. How can a soldier show the presence of our military without his uniform ? I struggle also for the world provides the easy way out at times when you are making the foolish mistake of thinking short term. in verse 68 Peter asked JESUS of where he should go basically as if he had no better place to be than with JESUS. Same standard should be with us I shouldn't want to go outside my GOD to get what I want! I don't wan to stand before GOD in heaven and have his knowingly asking,, ,why wasn't you doing what I ordered? I am called to be a soldier of GOD I don't want to be absent without leave! AMEN

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Moto 360 smartwatch, NOW I'm excited.

I am sitting here watching this hangout about the Moto 360 smart watch and NOW im excited!...see what I did there?,,,,
When I look at the Moto 360 I am reminded of my brothers Fossil collection. He is know around our parts for having the most fashionable watches so I know I can now be fashionable too while maintaining my commitment to being a techy! Many people are turned off of the pebble, galaxy gear, and Google glass because you basically are yelling to everyone "hey im a geek!" This reminds me of when the Iphone came about. I was a Pocket PC user and many people felt I was this nerd spending a ton of money on a little computer. The Ipone was a computer too but it was smooth and round and sexy looking like a fashion accessory. The Pebble and Gear 2 looks like a computer on your wrist but the Moto 360 looks like a fashion accessory. This is where Motorola has hit a home run! Not only that, you can even change the bands which will make it even more amazing. I can picture women and fly guys buying extra bands to match their effort.
Now that the fashion stuff is out the way, lets talk about the tech stuff! I immediately stopped what I was doing at work to read more when I got an Cnet email telling me about Google Wear. I was amazed as I looked at the demo video of the interface. We are finally going to be able to see the game changing feature of Google Now. You hear more and more about how Google Now has become part of the lives of those with Android Phones. I haven't seen people this happy about a phone feature since visual voice mail. I love being able to use Google now to do a quick check on the weather, tell me the score of my favorite teams, and even update me on news I often search for. Its kinda creepy but its like my personal secretary. Now lets take it to the watch. We don't need much room to check the weather and appointments. That's a quick answer that you would like to just glance to check without having to take your phone out the pocket. I mentioned a plus with all smart watches, the ability to see who is calling or texting you without taking your phone out the pocket. With a mic built in I can dictate messages while on the go without having to pull out my phone. This is especially useful to me because I have a 6.3 inch screen which I love for browsing , but honestly its cumbersome pulling it out for the quick notifications. Google Now is always listening so you can just say , "ok Google" and began your conversation. Even when driving (don't text and drive). But I grew up in the 80s and 90s watching old Night Rider episodes, Michael staring out the window talking to "KITT". My dodge pickup wont be talking but this would be the next best thing. Google has used our voice, and been working on improving Google Now for this pivotal moment, placing a awesome feature in a perfect form factor. A interface that necessitates minimum touch, and maximum use of voice input.
oh yeah , Did you even see the watch face? The home screen was like a divers watch! Wow!
 
Now Google being the operating system makes this even sweeter. Android was one of the best thing to happen to a consumer and smartphones because its cheep enough to free so that anyone can develop for it. This will create a pricing war in which the consumer will win. For instance we have LG and Moto seemingly going head to head and I am assuming with the recent trends for Motorola, the watch will be low price. This will help us avoid the proprietary OS of Tizen for Samsung because that usually leads to higher prices.
Even cooler, there is no usb plug. This means there has to be an alternative way of charging. I'm wondering will it be that kinetic charge that you see on some niche devices, or it cold be wireless charging.
Now the only thing I'm disappointed in so far is that it doesn't have a camera. They claim they didn't think customers would want it but I would love to be able to conduct video calls from my wrist, (my previous post I always talk about inspector gadget.) All in all I can say I'm saving up for Moto 360 which from my understanding , will be debuting this summer. GOD BLESS

Friday, March 14, 2014

Sermon reflection 3/9/14 A pursuit of Holiness

Sermon Reflection
1 Peter 1:13-16 "Pursuit of Holiness"
This past Sunday one of the elders of our Church delivered the sermon because my pastor was out on vacation. The pastor spoke about living your life pure. The pastor talked about how we must protect our mind before it leads to sin and how we should protect what we are allowing our mind to dwell on. He challenged us to take a look at what we watch , laugh at , and listen to because we are filled with the HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD, Since we have GOD with us, we must ask ourselves would GOD feel comfortable with the thought inside us. The pastor pointed to the scripture calling us to strive to be Holy for GOD is Holy. The Church was deafly quiet!
I was sitting staring at the pastor but my mind was with GOD thinking about the thoughts that is inside my head. When I watch tv and a scantly clad women grace the screen, do JESUS want to be bothered with the thoughts that may fleet through my mind. When I was thinking of the songs I recite from my childhood in the 90's rehearsing gangster rap lyrics filled with sin, and so called love songs filled with lustful ideas. I became ashamed and repented knowing that at those times , I am not holding my thoughts captive protecting myself from sin, instead I was sinning! I shouldn't dance around the issue of sin I need to flee from it before those thoughts have a chance to manifest itself in my head.
So I have to be proactive on my spiritual walk. I need to run from sin. I have taken some proper steps on fleeing from sinful language and concepts by abstaining from certain secular music but I know I have to refrain from "Holy Vacations" so that I am Holy at all times. I have to continue to change the channel when confronted with sin on tv. I have  reduced most of my television programming to sports and wrestling and I know I have to be proactive in changing the channel when sinful scenes come about.
The greatest challenge of the sermon was daring us to strive to be known as "Holy"! We have to strive to it, I hear people criticize people from being a "holy roller" or hollier than though" . Now I know it should not be my goal to condemn anyone else, actually that is a sin for me to turn my nose on others as if I am above reproach. But I must strive wholeheartedly to be Holy so when I come short I gave it my all.... How close are you magnifying your Christian life? Are you ok with just being saved or are you trying to create a environment in your soul that GOD is comfortable with dwelling in. I challenge you and especially myself, to tidy it up for GOD! AMEN


Monday, March 3, 2014

Why I am excited about Samsung Gear 2!

I want a Samsung Gear 2! There I said it, what of it?! To be honest I thought the first one was pretty cool but the second one seems to be even better. Mobile World Congress was mostly a snore seemingly relegated to midrange smartphones for developing markets. The introduction of the Samsung Gear 2 was the one bright spot and this is why I think it will be an awesome new gadget for me!

Taking calls: From my understanding it will be capable of taking calls and serving as a go between to me and my phone,. I would love being able to drive , glance to my wrist and see its my wife calling. Many times I dont answer the phone if I dont have easy access to my phone because if I just tap my earpiece I might get someone I dont want to talk to. This will make things much more easy for me.

Text: I also love to be able to get a quick glance at a text while still on the move. I have a Samsung Mega phone (pun intended) and I don't want to pull it out to read a text. When I'm out getting groceries I often find myself stopping the cart, and pulling my phone out to remind myself of what was on the list. I can now take note and have it pushed to my phone or my wife can send me a text on what to get while I am on the move.

Camera: many people poo pooed this but what about that quick documenting you need to do. The greatest turn off of the last generation was the way the camera bulged out the wrist band but that is no longer an issue because its now part of the watch face. Many times when you just need to take a quick pic of something before you forget is so much easier just taking a snapshot than pulling out your phone pulling up the program and focusing the camera.

Water resistant and rugged- I was nervous about the first version of the gear because I could imagine me washing my hands and ruining the product, I don't know detail but it seems as though Sammy made a effort to make the watch more durable. Haha I was just laughing at my wife rolling her eyes at my commitment to be connected at all times by checking email in the shower! That's multitasking baby!

Freedom from my phone : While I am at the park with my kids I would love to leave my phone in the car so I can jump and swing while staying connected through blue tooth. I would love to be connected running on the treadmill with the phone set up in a safe place. Its hard to play tag while protecting a large phone in my shorts pocket!

Voice dictation I would love to take a quick note by voice using Samsung services while Im moving about. I often find myself thinking of things at red lights or in line at the grocery store. I can picture myself setting reminders like " type up a reaction to mwc" .  Oh and I can be the Jetsons,,,,Ok I'm starting to reach now haha so its your turn, tell me if you agree, or want to add, we know how team android do it! (I left fitness stuff off on purpose,,,,) GOD BLESS


Saturday, March 1, 2014

Sunday Sermon 2/23/14 Faithful means to be counted on

Lamentations 3:19-25
This past sermon was about being faithful. Our pastor challenged us by explaining the difference between having faith and being faithful. He pointed out that when the Bible points out how GOD is always faithful to us, it is not saying GOD always believe, it is saying we can always depend on GOD! In turn , GOD expects us to be faithful as being saints that can be counted on! This where the challenge for me came in.
I felt that this was something I definitely needed to hear as I continue my service to GOD. I was placed in charge of the mens ministry for a season and I started very strongly wanting to the best job possible. I later allowed life to get me be busy when I should have continued to put my best foot forward. While I try to push forth and pray for improvement, I got the extra boost from reflecting that the job I do is for GOD so therefore I need to be faithful to GOD on anything he commissions me to do. That's including being someone who can be counted on  respecting my actions serve as a reflection of GOD! In the past I even made conscious attempts to let people down so that I can avoid responsibility but this is the exact opposite of what GOD wants from us! I have to make sure that I try hard in all my tasks so that I can hear well done my good and faithful servant! Over the weekend I went to a mens conference in which a speaker pointed out in Colosians in which Paul was praying for the people because they where faithful. When we are serving GOD faithfully we are the people that are prayed over because GOD sends people are way to pray blessings upon us. I want to gain that reputation but not for my glory,,, for GOD's glory! That includes this blog, I have to be faithful in the direction GOD sends me to give HIM the glory and honor. For I am forever in HIS debt for the un-repayable gift of Salvation! Thank GOD that He is Always Faithful!  GOD BLESS!

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Samsung S5 released and sadly , i don't care: Samsung Copied Apple in a bad way this time

Scroll to the next paragraph if you are tired of the specs. I am sure you have seen it before, but if you haven't I am going to just take the facts from androidcentral
+Alex Dobie is awesome please check that site before you keep reading (not a thief I want to give them props) .. ..

Galaxy S5

Full hardware specifications for Samsung's latest

The Samsung Galaxy S5 is official, and we've just posted our hands-on impressions of the device. But if you want to dig down into the nitty-gritty details and examine the GS5's hardware specs, we've also got you covered. Head on past the break for the complete Samsung Galaxy S5 spec listing.

Samsung Galaxy S5 Specifications

NetworkLTE Cat.4 (150/50Mbps)
Display5.1" FHD Super AMOLED (1920 x 1080)
Processor2.5GHz quad-core application processor
OSAndroid 4.4.2 (KitKat)
Camera16MP (rear), 2.0MP (front)
VideoUHD@30fps, HDR, video stabilizationVideo Codec : H.263, H.264(AVC), MPEG4, VC-1, Sorenson Spark, MP43, WMV7, WMV8, VP8
Video Format: MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2, WMV, ASF, AVI, FLV, MKV, WEBM
AudioAudio Codec : MP3, AMR-NB/WB, AAC/ AAC+/ eAAC+, WMA, Vorbis, FLAC
Audio Format: MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID, MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA
Camera FeaturesHDR (Rich tone), Selective Focus, Virtual Tour Shot, Shot & More
Additional FeaturesIP67 Dust- and water-resistant
Ultra Power Saving Mode
Download Booster
S Health 3.0
Quick Connect
Private Mode
Kids Mode
Google Mobile ServicesChrome, Drive, Photos, Gmail, Google, Google+, Google Settings, Hangouts, Maps, Play Books, Play Games, Play Newsstand, Play Movie & TV, Play Music, Play Store, Voice Search, YouTube
ConnectivityWiFi: 802.11a/b/g/n/ac HT80, MIMO(2x2),
Bluetooth: 4.0 BLE / ANT+
USB 3.0
NFC
IR Remote
SensorsAccelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, Hall, RGB ambient light, Gesture(IR), Finger Scanner, Heart rate sensor
MemoryRAM: 2GB
Internal Memory: 16/32GB
microSD slot up to 128GB
Dimensions142.0 x 72.5 x 8.1mm, 145g
Battery2800mAh
Standby time: 390 hrs / Talk time: 21 hrs

Ok now that that's out the way,, ,WHO CARES!!! 

I say this in jest of course but there is a string of truth , I was just thinking that once again Samsung did its best iPhone impression using android and many people will love it! I personally run cm mod and just downloaded the watch-on app for the remote but Im a a true techie. Ripping Apple has proved to be very successful for Samsung but this time I believe that Samsung stole the good ; fingerprint scanner i guess, with the bad; small iteration. This announcement eerily reminded me of the s generation of iPhone. Iphone 4 and 5 was newsworthy and 4s and 5s ,,,,,not so much. I am now fearful that Samsung will now go to a on and off cycle! 
The waterproof case, fingerprint, and heart rate scanner is a cool plus but nothing that demands an upgrade! Maybe its the trend now for phones now that we have reached that point in phone tech in which we are only going to have tweaks and polishes, liken to what we have now with pc's. No one is lining up for the new pc even macs,, OK maybe mac pros but that was years in the making! 
I thank GOD I don't feel the temptation to upgrade I guess my wife don't have to put me on the couch for spending to much haha. GOD BLESS 

Monday, February 17, 2014

Sermon Reflection 2/16/2014 say Mercy

Lamentations 3:19-25 "Lord have Mercy on Me"
This sermon talked about the Lamentations of Jeremiah. How he felt broken in spirit and finally reached the point of despair and hopelessness due to the captivity and slaughter of Israel. In the midst of his sulking he prayed for mercy and realize that it was something in him that stopped to give praise to GOD recognizing that GOD will still lift him up and he can depend on GODs mercy.
The Pastor brought up a good point about how sometimes GOD allows us to go through pain and feel so broken so we have no other place to go but to him! It seems as though if you have been a believer long enough , you have reached a point sometime in your life that you felt a little hopeless or if things are as low as I can get. That's when you forced to just cry out to GOD asking him for forgiveness and mercy and praising him for his comfort.
The next major point was the contrast between Grace and Mercy.
1. Grace is a gift to someone who doesn't deserve it. Like a ticket out of hell even though we don't deserve it!
2. Mercy is not giving someone something they DO deserve. Like not giving us hell like we deserve and comforting us every day!
JESUS blood on the cross is the ultimate grace, and our daily bread is partly our daily mercy. For our continued fleshly mistakes GOD gives us a chance to repent and turn away.
He finished with an important lesson , if we are going to ask for mercy from GOD we must also show mercy to others. How many people hold back from what people deserve!

I was taken aback thinking about how GOD has repeatedly shown mercy to me. I was given grace because GOD chose me to be with HIM in heaven as I pass this earth but he also had shown mercy on me for the countless mess ups I did in life. I deserve to be lonely and poor because of the poor choices I made towards women in my past. I deserve to have a record for the reckless things I did while drinking in college. I deserve to be dead for risky things I participated in or did but I am still here and I give GOD all the glory for he is so merciful to me! I am still able to praise him because GOD didn't give me what I deserve!
So I must remember that when , that parent says something to me rude, my sons realize their errors and repented for it, I see the guy walking down the street who robbed me , I have to be willing to be the "punk, the pushover" when I know GOD is saying , Move On. I know we shouldn't live in a world when we have pervasive acceptance of sin, but holding that grudge especially against the repented,,clearly one must pray , brokenly.
I brokenly bow my head to GOD thanking him from the affliction I have been for days, weeks, maybe years, asking for GOD to take away. Instead those infliction's shall lead me to GOD knowing he is the only refuge, bringing peace in my soul, despite the circumstances. Thank you GOD for YOUR Mercy! Amen!

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Why I am excited about Asus Chromebox!

I was so excited when I came across the latest beauty from ASUS. The Chromebox asus chromebox frontangle feb 2014
This baby is beatiful. IT has a Apple like design. I rember marveling at the Mac Mini but this little hockey puck is like a souped up apple tv. Well just in appearance. From what I read like at PC WORLD , It will have 2 gig of ram (maybe 4 ) and intel haswell processor with built in graphics. This is becoming typical of the current generation of chromebooks. The thing that stands out is the 4 USB 3.0, Bluetooth 4.0, display port, and usual hdmi and sd slot.
This thing is amazing. Premium io connections on a chromebox! It doesn't look cheap at all and that brings me to the greatest source of excitement...wait for it ,, ,its $179! Why not buy a couple of these hook it up to a 20 something inch tv or monitor around the house and be connected. You can hook up wire free keyboard and mouse and your good to go! 
Many people have talked about the specs but I wanted to express my excitement. I know the rest of my family use the computer straight for email , social networking, and browsing, in other words, they just use the browser. I can take care of the needs of my family and visitors for $179, and I can one more sense of comfort than I had with a chromebook. I sometimes watched my guess hoping they didn't drop my laptop off their lap. This chromebox is stationary. The chromebox is black and it will always be updated so it will remain looking fresh and feeling fresh. 
Today you can get a keyboard and mouse for $20 , and Im sure most people have a monitor stored somewhere. I plan to have one hooked up and tabbed in my kitchen area so I can pull up Netflix, hulu, network sites, quickly and cleanly, later coming to the basement and continuing from the tabbed browser that syncs with chrome on all my machines. 
We live in an age that tech companies are shaking up the industry by drifting away from the old artificial price gouging of tech! I had 4 gigs of ram in my pc for 10 years now, of course the price should be lower! Why $1000 for a Facebook machine?  With a sub $200 pc its almost an impulse buy! Do you plan to get one? 

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Is iphone the phone version of facebook

Is iphone the phone version of facebook?
I work in a high school and more and more I have been hearing clamoring from my students that they cant wait to get the new galaxy. I grind my teeth when I heard that because Galaxy is just one brand and android purist cringe at touch wiz but Samsung has did the unthinkable just a few years ago. They took over as the cool phone. Galaxy has became more than a model, it has became a bonafied brand! Samsung was the first since apple to unify its brand name on all carriers. That gave customers a reason to recognize it. Next step was commercials and a great endorsement. As the youth watch tv every 8 minutes they are force fed images of Lebron James using his watch and note 3. They flip the channel and run into hipsters to cool to care about apple but Samsung accompany their more interesting lives. But this is not about why Samsung is cool this is about why iPhone isn't.
I hear more and more of my teenagers poking fun at their parents because they think they are so cool now that they have an iPhone. "All she does it post pictures on Facebook using her iPhone". I was walking out the building yesterday sending a text with two hands on my galaxy mega, and my student says, "See that's the phone I wanted my mom brought me a stupid iPhone I don't want that little thing! " I let out a nerdish victory laugh as what I predicted came true, iPhone is for parents! This is the same reason why youth are dropping from Facebook. Most people are on Facebook to stay in touch with family. My grandmother looks for pictures of my children on Facebook. Kids are flocking in droves to instagram (making Zuckerburg a genius for buying it). I had a class discussion last year asking about Facebook and the kids smirked "facebook played, that's for my mama n them". Translation (Facebook doesn't appeal to my demographic". All I see is S4, S3 , Notes, etc around the school with kids using social networks, YouTube, two hand testing..
Yes Facebook by far has the largest amount of subscribers because its many more "old " people with access to Facebook, and there is by far much more iPhone sold because "old " people are the ones that can afford it. I am not saying Samsung or Instagram will replace the aforementioned, after all, CBS is still the number one network.. I am just saying its not cool dude! Voice of let the flames ignite!     GOD BLESS

Tmobile Uncarrier initiative, a symbol of capitalism effect in tech

Allow me to think out loud about techs effect on capitalism. At&t recently allowed its customers to drop their contract for another plan. This new plan will be $15 less than the current contract it offers. Many people say this is a response to Tmobiles uncarrier push offering to pay the ETF if you drop At&T for Tmobile. I don't think this is a good deal still and I would rather opt for smart talk or something similar but there is something  more to this story that is much more important. At&t and Verizon changing their plan means Tmobile is a true source of disruption! That's whats important for the market place. Consumers depend on disruption to low prices and provide better services for the consumer. I guess the backing of Deutsche Telecom affords Tmobile the opportunity to pay off ETF's, offer $30 non contract plans, and allow multiple subsidies. This type of shaking up the industry threatens the status quo when we feel we must put up with blatantly unfair telecom services.
In that same vein we have Disney doing it in offering online video, Netflix  with streaming, and Spotify with music, google drive  with office utilities. The stalwarts of capitalism are smiling, The true effect of the tech revolution. ,,,,,just my thoughts
GOD BLESS

Sermon reflection 1/26/14 Moving on when things don't go your way

Samuel 12:15-20 "When Death Comes Knocking"Sermon reflection

This past sermon talked about David fasting mourning and praying for his son to stay alive. He prayed unceasingly hoping GOD will show mercy and not take away his son but then his son died. When David heard the news he washed up and ate , basically moving on with his life and continued to praise GOD in his life anyway. The Pastor used this story to illustrate how we shouldn't harp on the death. How we must pick up and move on and keep up the good fight even when things do not go our way. We must not get stuck in a rut when things don't go our way, we need to rejoice in the LORD anyway and continue to serve him. We shouldn't embrace death like the ones who don't know the LORD. That person is not the end all be all, we can live without you haha.

I have never had a death of someone I see everyday. So I didn't connect emotionally with that but I did connect with the idea of moving on when something does not go my way! I know that is something we all go through in life. We all think that we really want something and our flesh convince us that something is much more important than it really is. I recalled how I was humbled in my profession. I was thinking I was the Golden teacher who taught what he wanted when he wanted but I was put in my place a year ago. It turns out that I did not have the credentials I should have held to teach AP level classes. I blew it off at first thinking my performance will override the rules but in the end the rules prevailed and my AP class that I achieved success in was taken away and I was regulated to teaching "General ed" . .I prayed and prayed for a loophole but the rules prevailed. I was angry didn't think it was fair but then I began to think about what GOD was telling me. I was big headed and boastful. I needed to be humble. I needed to see that it was more of the students not me because my success in grades and achievement is much less in the classes I am teaching now. I know now that I didn't have this perfect method I was just blessed with results and talent to work with. I also realized that I was thinking to much of the glory and not what GOD want me to do. I have been talking and mentoring more and more to the kids who do not get a man'ly Christian presence like me any where else. GOD is using me in different aspects like this blog now that I am not busy preparing for AP all the time. GOD is also grooming me for more knowledge because now I am back to college to take some classes to get the credentials. Most importantly I am now able to use this story and triumph to be able to share with my other brothers and sisters in CHRIST to bring honor and glory to GOD!
In the US , when you are introduced to people by stating your career, phrased as  "what yo do for a living", or " who are you". Now I humbly answer the question of "so who are you?" with the answer "Im Rashad a Christian , I earn money as a teacher" vs "I'm Rashad, Im a teacher".. In other words, teaching densest define me, that's not what I need to boast about, it can be taken away with a blink of eye! My position in heaven cant be taken away because JESUS guarantees everlasting life! ,,,,GOD is what I boast about, I am always a child of GOD so when things go wrong , I pick up and move on knowing that I am HIS ! AMEN!

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Sermon reflection 1/19/14

2 Samuel 12:10-14 Constipated Saints 
This past Sunday talked about unconfessed sin in our life. It causers poison and gives us discomfort when we don't confess to GOD our sin. The pastor used the story of Davids cover up sending him into a spiraling effect into deeper sin and troubles. That is what happens when we find ourselves caught up into unrepentant sin. The pastor finished with an important lesson on the effects of sin. Making note that just because GOD forgives us when we repent of our sin, we still must deal with the damages while we are here on earth. He pointed at Samuel in which because of Davids sin with Bathsheba, there was violence and drama in his family including death of his sons.We have to realize that just because it doesn't hurt our position in heaven because GOD has already given us that through JESUS CHRIST, we still leave scars in our life. I have to try to paraphrase a very good story; 
{a father puts a nail in the wall every time his son sinned, when the son does a good thing, the father pulled the nail out. The son was later left with a scared wall and cried to his father, "I have scars all over my room, " }

This sermon was important for every Christian to hear. I took time after the sermon to examine my life on the sin that I may have not confessed. It was a very taxing experience as the wells of my eyes filled thinking of things and thoughts I have been have doing/feeling that goes against GOD. I know my laziness was the easy one, cutting corners on every aspect of my life when I know GOD wants me to do more! Tithing like I should, how dare I pray for financial balance when I am not trusting GOD with what I have now! One of the hardest things for people to do is look at the bad within themselves, but its even harder trying to come up with ways to have peace with unrepented sin! Impossible even. 

The last part of the Sermon is what hit me in the gut! My stomach actually began to ache at the thought of my sin leaving scars. I began thinking about the harmful effects of the sin I know GOD forgave me for. The times when I shown my wife anger when she needed me to help with the kids because "I GOT TO WAKE UP IN THE MORNING!!" Months later my wife  was rubbing her head in frustration telling me about how she wish she had time to take care of something but she is to busy with the boys. Of course I responded with "that's not a problem , just tell me you need help" while rolling my eyes ... As I type I think about that young 20 something with a kid out of wedlock because his 22 year old teacher out of college told him , "hey you better get them girls while you young but don't love em" ,, What if I told him different? Even simple things, like a higher than normal interest rate because of the greed , buying electronics on credit, a car without saving up for a down payment because "im bored with this car I need a truck"! ........What am I going to tell my kids when I advise them to wait until marriage for sex and they ask if that's what I did? Yes GOD forgave me for my sins and is forgiving the ones to come but my finances, kids, student, credit,  is still effected! You look at sin differently when you look at it as leaving scars on your life , and on the people around you life! 
GOD BLESS!! 

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Im No Apologetic But I Know JESUS !

I was enthrawled with a commenter to a post I wrote about Psalms 22. I am running late for Church but I felt the LORD wanted me to write this below, I wanted to give an opurtunity for my brothers and sisters around the world to read it too. Please take time to read and reflect. GOD BLESS 


im no apologetic, I had many years trying to break down the Bible in technicalities, (my grandfather is a imean of sorts, most of the males in my fathers side is as well including him) I came to the conclusion that I cant use facts, that was the basis of the argument against (the people of the book) but I know JESUS is the stumbling block, I simply know that the greatest folly of men is to measure worthiness for heaven , I know Islam preaches that heaven depends on Allah mercy but miss the point that point that GOD has already shown mercy if you just lean on faith and not human understanding, thats the beauty of the GOSPEL, thats the beauty of Faith, as I was helping to relate the Quran to english readers in a book for a job in my younger years, GOD began revealing JESUS to me  as I read we in the Quran. I began much prayer and it all began to make sense to me, trying to achieve heaven is a endless journey in which leads to utter failure, but accepting that it has already been done give me a sense of peace, and then being filled with the HOLY SPIRIT (the true helper JESUS was referring to) give me guidance through my day including the decision to reply before going to Church today. Satan has made a small difference like "recognizing JESUS as GOD in the flesh and key to salvation" a small difference, which is the greatest lie because that difference is all that matters. On a side note, David is poetic, JESUS was treated as a warm as he was spit on , beaten , mocked and laughed at , hung from a cross to be mocked further while experiencing a slow gruesome death, no way to treat a king , yet alone the KING of Kings. Thank you for inspiring me to write this, I pray you read more of my Biblical reflection.  GOD BLESS 

Friday, January 17, 2014

A day in the life of a teacher using Surface Pro 2

Winter Vacation is now over and it has come time for me to really find the Pro in the my Surface Pro 2! When I went to the class I logged into my chrome browser to pull up my google drive that held all of my old files. I snapped in Explorer in order to pull up schoology.com. This is a online web classroom. Excellent. I browsed around to add some last minute questions to my online test. As my students walked in I used my display to vga cable to hook my surface to the projector. I had to click on the volume to switch from vga to internal audio. I pulled up one note turned the lights off and the real magic happened!
I typed in the title for the notes as my students began to copy on their paper. I no longer had my back turned as I began to write out the notes. I was reviewing latitude and longitude coordinates so I whipped out my pen to draw out a graph.

Never mind the sloppiness it was my fault not the surface pen. I then had my students come to my computer and write out the examples on my surface. Once I got done I uploaded a pdf copy of my notes to the class website so the students can revist what they missed later. Wow , as the bell rang , I switched apps back to my chrome browser to pull up a desktop java app called Powerteacher. I used this to enter the grades, something I couldnt to smoothly on my ios and android devices. I later heard a whistle, it was my exchange email. I switched apps again to read a request for a 12 slide powerpoint by my administrator. Quickly responding to the email with an attachment, I thought to myself "I better print this email just in case she says she didnt get it." I sent the job to a networked printer using an ip address. Nice , I have some more time, I went to pearsonsuccessnet to view my class text book that is only available by hardcover or online flash. Until the next class,,
How is that for a real world teaching experience using a Microsoft Surface Pro 2 ?  GOD BLESS

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

4 things im most excited about from CES so far, CES skimmer

I was looking art the plethora of CES news and if you like me your fingers are going numb from all the scrolling though the webpages for things you actually care about. I decided to post what I am excited about, and more importantly why I am excited about it.

1. Samsung pro tablets - Particularly The 13 in pro tablet caught my eye. The specs are not that unheard of with the quad core processor and 3 gigs of ram, and of course the pen but wow the ui is nice. I am not happy with touch, in fact thats one reason why im running cynogen on my phone but the pro tablet has the magazine style. The pages look like a fliboard almost with productivity page, social networking, and ummmm ok thats not important but it looks good!! What I like the most is the 4 multi screens! Since the screen is huge but the tablet is light, the tablet will be nice for doing work. I like that you can do two instances of the same app. That means I can do two chrome windows up browsing two websites! I do that the most on my pc so this is cool for a tablet.

2. Dish Hopper and Joey - I hate that this is getting more attention. Dish is basically becoming the geeks cable.I strongly want to cut the cord but with offers from Dish they same like a worthy alternative. I heard you can have a virtual joey on the playstation! The most compelling part of the Xbox One is the cable box integration but the Xbox One has pass through, but the PS4 can be that single box that's already smaller than the xbox and giving us a 2 for 1. Playstation can have a sneaky way of being the box to rule them all! Now on a smaller note , I can record 8 shows on the hopper instead of the 4 on Att Uverse.
Wow I actually do run into the problem of recording everything at once because I sometimes record shows so I can show my wife "just this one part" like the old spice commercial with the overprotective moms. The more tech the better,. Oh yeah and the siri like voice remote! wow to much to type!

3. Playstation Now - I am not totally convinced but the potential is awesome. Supposedly you will be able to play legacy sony games over the cloud using the ps4 , Vita , and any other device (i doubt it). Jeff Baklar from cnet claims he felt some lag and it seemed to be tough playing games that need trigger buttons on like the vita. I am excited thinking you can get a ps4 and still be able to play the classics that came out this past year until the Library builds up.
I mean Im not one to hype on the amount of games because we only play one game or maybe 2 at once but I think after buying Last of Us , Tomb Raider, Bioshock , etc.. you don't feel a rush to get ps4 but now gives you the best of both worlds but , then bout time "playstation now" comes out it will be "later"  and more games will be out making the previous statement a mute point. ..

4. The K1 chip. I know this getting blown up to be the best thing since slice bread but this is pretty cool. I have noticed that there has been a plethora of controllers for ios and android devices. Now that it is reasonably expected that customers have a desire to play games with make shift "portable consoles" we just need the hardware to back it up! Nvidia introduced the K1 as an answer. Its a new mobile chip with 192 cuda cores and optional 2 dual core chips included.

The chip will also be able to use the unreal 4 engine. The demo of the face reminded me of a graphical demonstration given by sony at e3. Nvidia claims that chip was much more powerful than its current Tegra 4 and in fact, its capable of being graphically more powerful than the ps3 and xbox 360! Can you imagine playing games like Last of us on your nexus 7 2014 after pulling out your controller from your cargo pants ...
.ooh wait what happen?
GOD BLESS


Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Sermon Reflection: Praising at Midnight: Acts 16:25-35

Acts 16:25-34
Today Sermon talked about Paul and Silas singing praises to GOD while being locked up in prison after being thrown in by a guard. As they sang praises the other prisoners came to discover their faith in GOD and then an earthquake struck letting the prisoners free and the guard awoke fearing they left and was about to kill himself. Paul told him to stop because no one left. This prompted the guard to ask Paul about Salvation, Paul answered with that beautiful answer.. Believe that JESUS is our Lord and Savior and the guard with his family will be blessed. Paul and Silas was invited to the guards home where they continued to share the word.
The pastor talked about Paul and Silas praise at midnight in prison was used as a tool to reach the other prisoners. Their faith and obedience to GOD which led to them staying put in jail instead of doing the instinctual running when they had the chance.led to the guard wanting to hear the Good News. The pastor talked about how our reaction during the dark times can serve as evangelism to others. People are watching us when we are in the midst of tribulation. We reveal our theology at midnight, the dark times. He point out how people see if we really believe what we are saying when things are hard. We also touched on how sometimes we need to stay put in "jail" if GOD wants us there . All too often we jump to do what we want to do and go where we want to go but GOD puts us in places for a reason and GOD tells us to leave at times that may not be convenient to us.
This is very relevant to my life as I go through the pains and motions of life. We had a ton of transition and drama at work and I don't know if people know, but teachers have a tendency to complain a lot. I like that I can use the teachers lounge and the teachers office as a avenue to praise GOD, to walk around with a smile on my face so people can ask, "what gives you so much joy? " I can say "because JESUS saved me from sins! Would you like to know about him? " It's those little things we do that are the greatest of all!. Digging out the 6 inches of the snow in -25 midwest weather can make me share on social network, "I'm so blessed I have such a large driveway to shovel" rather than " I'm tired of this stupid weather".
The pastor talked about how people discover your theology in times of adversity. I will never forget about when I found out my Elder of the Church lost his job, I was nervous for him and praying that he remained faithful. I was watching... He shown up to Bible Study that Wednesday not missing a step. He led the worship service praising GOD smiling and sweating in praise as he talked about how GOD IS GOOD ! I seen so much passion in his face as if he received news of a new job! But he got better news than that. GOD continued to speak to him letting him know that he is blessed, he is loved,  he is a Child of GOD! He didn't get a job for another month but GOD used him to teach me to be faithful, even when I thought my son was sick be faithful, even when my grandfather was dying be faithful. Remember to praise GOD during the midnight!
The next thing is moving when GOD tells you too. I wept at the thought that I felt GOD was leading me to another positron but I feared the change. Teaching the classes I teach was easy for me. I knew the book like the back of my hand and in my free time I absorbed more knowledge on the subject making me feel like a true scholar of the subject. I was thinking I am in the safe zone but GOD gave me opportunity to move up. I didn't. I have been feeling a bad feeling going back to the safe zone ever since. I try to ignore it. I try to compromise my way through it. I try to say I got to pray about it more. The more I pray the more I see I need to move. I have finally been brave enough to express that feeling to others. Since then I have been getting clues on the next step! GOD is good, he has been merciful to me as he continues to push me where he wants me! I don't see the path but I must remain faithful and take the inconvenient path to serve my GOD!  Amen.

Friday, January 3, 2014

I spent the day doing real work on my Surface Pro 2 and it was GLORIOUS !

Ouch my fingers hurt! I have been on my surface pro 2 all day (12pm - 4:55) ! I still have 2 hours left! This is what I did

  • I  created a 6 page manual for using schoology in the classroom while actually going through each step in split screen. 
  • I then went to screencastomatic. com which works on my surface pro 2 because I have java unlike having to install crouton on my chromebook. 
  • I then posted on you tube and linked it to my schoology account. 
  • After I got done I wrote a sermon reflection on my blog. 
  • I later added a blog post about CES and decided to write here. 
  • The sun has went down in wintertime Chicago and my keyboard lit up in typing glory!
But wait there is more ,,,,,
  •  I didn't get my surface pro 2 off a charger this morning. I spent an hour and half loading ODIN and all the root and rom packages I needed to load CynogenMod 11 on my Samsung Galaxy Mega that was plugged into my ....USB PORT of my Surface Pro 2! I can run programs (not a web app like my chromebook) like Odin I got from a website (not in a app store) I miss traditional mobile computing.
  • My wife woke up to complain about my typing, so I detached the keyboard, placed the tablet in my lap and read through XDA for an hour and posting to google+ using onscreen keyboard
  • I just remembered I didn't send an email to my coworker so I pulled up exchange to mail it off and got back to this post. 
To sum it up, I spent my day using my Surface Pro 2 doing real work and it was GLORIOUS! I see the magic, I am sure this is what the Microsoft engineers was thinking about when designing this beauty. Wow am I becoming a surface fanboy? Is it a such thing?   GOD BLESS