Tuesday 23 September 2008

heroes

All my favourite tv shows are returning after the writers strike in America e.g. prison break, chuck, heroes (and 4 in January!) and I'm very excited! Back on my recent theme of heroes (see this.) I loved the first 2 seasons and the first new episode was great with....

The show makes it seem real and very possible to have such seemingly super human powers. It is also good and making the heroes seem very human. This series has opened really well, completely shattering what you initially think about some of the characters. I think deep down inside of everyone there is a desire to be the hero. To have something extra-ordinary about themselves, to be the person that everyone looks to, and someone who leaves a legacy, where times has no bounds.

The problem with all these characters, Hiro, Peter, Superman is that they are all fictional, but the good news is, we have actually had some super human heroes in our time. People like Paul the apostle, the twelve disciples. More recently Martin Luther King and Mother Theresa. But the most important of all, someone who does actually transcend through time. He's our Maker, He's our Lover, He is Jesus. He has defied death and Hell, He heals the sick, He has defeated principalities and powers. He is the one true real Hero for mankind. Why should we be star-studded by the likes of David Beckham, when we have met the maker of the universe! The amazing thing is He asks us to be heroes with Him and work together, and all we have to do is believe that He died to save us. Man that is such amazing grace.

Monday 15 September 2008

my first nerd project

Over the summer I have been coding a record storing database for the SOS bus charity. The system inputs data through the use of forms and stores them in a record base format. It stores information about visitors, volunteers and night shifts. It can perform statistical analysis and search queries based on pretty much an critieria you want and it also has nifty import/export and password systems that I am particularly proud of.

One problem was that I programmed in Visual Basic and had to use Microsoft Excel as a front-end, as this was a user specification. Personally for this kind of system Access would have been much easier to use, but Excel does provide some nifty statistics functions. Other alternatives would have simply hard coding with Java/SQL. See below for a pic! I also recently completed a simple record input form, with sort & search functions for the Northern Bank to make it easier for them to enter mortgage data. So if anyone out there is needing a records or office based solution or just any other minor programming why not give me a shout.


Look out for the possibility of bringing one of these bad boys to lurgan!

Saturday 13 September 2008

my foot take two

Some people may remember the horrific picture of my left ankle after going over it when I was climing slieve commedagh a few years back. For those who have not yet seen it, or would like to be reminded, check the links below to see what I mean...

http://file010a.bebo.com/large/2006/04/11/00/250301291a575657356b667010685l.jpg


Well today it was the turn of my right ankle. I was bitten on Thursday by some repugnant little creature whilst playing tennis in the park during the twilight of the evening. I didn't think much of it, because I seem to get bitten regularly these days (although up until a few years back I never used to!), but today I felt a discomfort that can only be described like old woman ankles. So I rolled back my trouser-leg, pulled off my socks and lo and behold, my foot & ankle were the size of a cricket bat! I have no idea how such a little bite could cause such an angry reaction but there you have it. Just as a warning, if you are squeamish, you may just want to look away now...


On a philisophical note, apparently I have an above average number of feet.

Saturday 6 September 2008

Anyone for a cone of credit crunch?

Melanie made a funny point the other day, that the term "credit crunch" sounds like a flavour of ice-cream, and I guess it does, wouldn't you agree? It seems all we ever hear on the news these days is fuel & energy crisis, cost-of-living increases (since when does living have a price?!), food prices rise, economy at record low, recession, credit crunch. The thing is no one is doing anything about it. For example we are still not building houses with standardised solar panelled rooftops. Oil prices are going down, yet the consumer sees nothing of it. The Reason? Same reason as it has been throughout the ages, people are making money from others suffering. Frankly, I am so sick of hearing about rising costs and didn't the Bible predict it anyway? And on that note that's all I am gonna say on the matter, so here's what I think a credit crunch ice-cream would look like!

Friday 5 September 2008

my first wee car


Six years, nine months and two days since my 17th birthday, and I have finally hit the road. I passed my driving test in August 2007, after a year of lessons (with a massive break in the middle). Now more than a year on from that I finally have got myself on the road.

I have a 2003 cyan renault clio billabong that I bought from my dad (who was purchasing a rather nice Ford Focus), and I was able to ensure for about a grand - not bad for a first time young driver I guess. I'm trying to think of a name, something dog-like perhaps because the window wiper looks like a dogs tail. So far I have come up with Sam-bo. Anyone got any suggestions?

Monday 1 September 2008

knife culture

Today's News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7590862.stm

This is something that really scares me in the UK at the moment. The idea that you could be walking down a busy city centre and get stabbed (or beaten) for just looking at someone the wrong way even in daylight!

There has been many prevention programs and tv adverts. These are great and I wouldnt want to give comment on any of them unless I had a better idea which I don't. However one thing that strikes me as odd is how can the government expect socially deprived young people to not hurt/stab/kill each other, when that very same government leads by the example of waging war and using violence on other countries that they don't like to get what they want.

Perhaps what we need is more for young people to do in these areas, such as community centres, parks etc, something to give them purpose. But I think we need to be more creative than that, to understand the culture that they live in. Also I truly believe that violence and sex in movies and video games that kids as young as 3 can easily watch is peverting their minds. Afterall whatever we take in through our eyes is what goes into our heart.

There's something very wrong about that and we need to do MORE. Perhaps showing a little bit of God's grace to our countries enemies, could be part of the way to diffuse the whole problem