mountain masala

MoviesforMyPod

Well Typepad have been doing another all too often upgrade so things have been offline and they've been running from backups. I guess it's good that they're growing fast, but...

I had a few things to post but now they've passed me by.

since we're off on 4 weeks holiday tomorrow I've been making video clips for grace's video ipod using MoviesForMyPod by Digigami, who make high end MPEG compression software.

BUT this program is free and doesnt require Quicktime Pro. And I'd have to say that it's speed is fine compared to Quicktime. iPod uses the best MP4 compression so the encoding is fairly slow. But stunning results. WELL worth a look if you have a video ipod.

Now back to the packing. Off to sunny Queensland to see the relly's and drop in ona few friends. You might get the occasional post....

"all I want for Christmas is a new iPod....."

OTIS Productions

I'm enjoying looking at short films, commercials and music videos at OTIS Productions.

With Quicktime Pro you can download them.

can a man put food on his family

Thanks to Chris, here's a great movie mash of George Bush. Watch a film about Harlan McCraney, Bush's speech writer.

See more of the Otis Films here.

John McCutcheon has a wonderful song written entirely from Bush's sayings - Hail to the Chief.

sheep revisited

finally, after numerous visits to Sanity where a different person apparently took my order each time, and several weeks of waiting, Lamb's Remixed double album has arrived!!

At least the price was down to $22.

cluetrain and the church

Try reading these 95 theses from The ClueTrain Manifesto, a 1999 book about the WWW and marketing, and insert the word "church" instead of "company" or "corporation" ....

eg.

Companies that don't realize their markets are now networked person-to-person, getting smarter as a result and deeply joined in conversation are missing their best opportunity.

Companies can now communicate with their markets directly. If they blow it, it could be their last chance.

Companies need to realize their markets are often laughing. At them.

Companies need to lighten up and take themselves less seriously. They need to get a sense of humor.

You can read the whole book online.

Flickr and SMS

The latest Desktop magazine has an interesting article about interactivity by Ben Cooper from The One Centre in Sydney. In it he talks about a recent installation by the Dutch cultural institution Mediamatic.

People were invited to submit a keyword via SMS. Images from Flickr that matched the keyword were then projected onto a surface and viewable through peepholes.

The same proces was used in a more public display at a restaurant.

Read about it here.

Great possibilities.

baywatch bonanza

who would have thought that Saddam and the Magi were cohorts??? it was like a Dr. Who episode. we sent the twins to Melbourne for a belated birthday present and had a weekend at Glenelg (courtesy of steve). beach front unit. sensational weather.

there were two large tents set up on the foreshore. on the second night, they were hosting a couple of Christmas parties, probably corporate. One was fancy dress, and a number of folk were in "biblical" garb. they even had beach camel rides. such a great Christmas invasion.

I took a few quick snaps and suddenly there was Saddam talking to a wise dude and a wise woman.

what can you say. all very Middle Eastern. just joking, but it was very surreal.

and a snap of the guests snapping the camels. a great weekend. we had dreadful fish and chips, cooked spag bol, went Christmas shopping at the salubrious Harbourtown, slept in, read books and watched DVDs.

yawn. burp. aah.
snore. spend. sigh.

(I should write Apple ads.)

god today has a human face

song in progress...

god today has a human face
blanket wrapping grubby grace
heaven's child in earth's embrace
god today has a human face

hope today has a human face
new life born in dusty shed
promise crying to be fed
hope today has a human face

peace today has a human face
war zone pierced by infant's sigh
from Baghdad and Palestine
peace today has a human face

joy today has a human face
angels pointing down our street
heaven swirling at my feet
joy today has a human face

love today has a human face
prodigals are welcomed here
refugees no longer fear
love today has a human face

earth today sees heaven's face
mystery present in this place
turning point of time and space
earth today sees heaven's face

ta to darren and roddy for comments
more verses, bridge, chorus and "lai lai lai" circle dance thing on the way.

books & music

popped into the Open Book closing down sale today (and got an online order in the mail). I could have spent squillions, but I was very disciplined. Among the haul
- "The Child in Christian Thought"
- "When Kumbaya Is not Enought" (I always thought this must be a dreadul book since it has a dreadful title and cover, but its supposedly good)
-" The (Magic) Kingdom of God: Christianity and Global Culture Industries"
- "Screening Scripture: Intertextual Connections between Scripture and Film"
- "Practicing Religion in the Age of the Media"
- "The New Era in Religious Communication" (which i have but its out of print) (darren, do you want it in return for the ikon CD??)
- Malina's "Social Science Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels" (I ordered some others too but they're sold out.
I nearly ordered N.T. Wright's trilogy but I suspect they're sold out too.

And "Helium" by Urban Myth Club arrived from the UK. Having heard both jonny and cheryl mention they'd used bits, I thought I'd track it down. I always appreciate people telling me what music they've been playing in worship.

No Bruce, not you. I'll never play Dolly Parton in worship.

walk a mile in his shoes

at lunch yesterday I told then that the family had given me Billy Conolly's biography and the Monty Python's autobiography as two of my presents (not sure what that says!)

phil (who alsways has a joke) said that Billy Connolly says "If you don't like a guy, trying walking a mile in his shoes.

Then you'll be a mile away from the bastard.

And you'll have his shoes!"

thanks phil. ha.

(today a Peter Sellers DVD arrived from my parents! hmmm... what's next the Goons? the Goodies - who've just been in town....)