Wednesday, April 15. 2009Sometimes the best (and easiest things) in life are free…
Recently, I’ve started listening to audio Bibles in the morning as I get ready for class and then at night as I’m drifting off to sleep. The Bible says we should meditate as we rise up, walk along the way, and as we fall asleep, so I’m trying to do that.
I found the NIV Audio Bible Dramatized which looked like an awesome audio Bible. So, I scoured the Internet trying to find a place where I could purchase a mp3 version. Zondervan has an mp3 CD version but that’s not what I’m looking for. Since I’m currently in China anything involving shipping is a bad idea. Of course there where tons of places that I could download it via torrents, but I decided to be good and press on looking for a place to purchase it.
Finally, I saw that Audible was a incensed reseller of Zondervan material and had the audio Bible. It was normally $41.99, but Audible had a special deal where if you signed up for the Gold membership of $7.99/month you got one free audio book/month. So I plunked down my $7.99 and then used my one free audio book purchase to get the audio Bible.
With Audible, you can’t just download the audio books, you have to use their special downloader (which of course there is no Linux version). No problem, says I, WINE comes to the rescue!! After fighting with wine, I finally get the Audible downloader installed and happily add the first audio book. Problem #1 was that it was in an encrypted format that Linux couldn’t play. I could have used the Audible downloader to export to an mp3 or burn it to a virtual CD and then rip it, or try to find some kind of converter. But, there are like 4 books of the Bible per audio file, which is rather dumb. I like to listen to one chapter at a time, not 4 books of the Bible / time. I could have fired up Audacity and then cut the file into chapters … but that would have taken FOREVER.
So what did I do? I did what I was tempted to do in the first place: download them from bittorrent. Not only did they come in MP3 format, but also every chapter had its own mp3 file and they were nicely grouped together in folders by book of the Bible. Some people might frown at the “illegal” activity. However, I payed for the book, they make it impossibly complicated, I dumped them and did it my own way. It made me wonder, though… why I even bothered to give them money since I just wasted a lot of time and ended up just download it on bittorrent.
When will company’s learn DRM kills? Just let me use the data I bought, for crying out loud.
~Peter
Recently, I’ve started listening to audio Bibles in the morning as I get ready for class and then at night as I’m drifting off to sleep. The Bible says we should meditate as we rise up, walk along the way, and as we fall asleep, so I’m trying to do that.
I found the NIV Audio Bible Dramatized which looked like an awesome audio Bible. So, I scoured the Internet trying to find a place where I could purchase a mp3 version. Zondervan has an mp3 CD version but that’s not what I’m looking for. Since I’m currently in China anything involving shipping is a bad idea. Of course there where tons of places that I could download it via torrents, but I decided to be good and press on looking for a place to purchase it.
Finally, I saw that Audible was a incensed reseller of Zondervan material and had the audio Bible. It was normally $41.99, but Audible had a special deal where if you signed up for the Gold membership of $7.99/month you got one free audio book/month. So I plunked down my $7.99 and then used my one free audio book purchase to get the audio Bible.
With Audible, you can’t just download the audio books, you have to use their special downloader (which of course there is no Linux version). No problem, says I, WINE comes to the rescue!! After fighting with wine, I finally get the Audible downloader installed and happily add the first audio book. Problem #1 was that it was in an encrypted format that Linux couldn’t play. I could have used the Audible downloader to export to an mp3 or burn it to a virtual CD and then rip it, or try to find some kind of converter. But, there are like 4 books of the Bible per audio file, which is rather dumb. I like to listen to one chapter at a time, not 4 books of the Bible / time. I could have fired up Audacity and then cut the file into chapters … but that would have taken FOREVER.
So what did I do? I did what I was tempted to do in the first place: download them from bittorrent. Not only did they come in MP3 format, but also every chapter had its own mp3 file and they were nicely grouped together in folders by book of the Bible. Some people might frown at the “illegal” activity. However, I payed for the book, they make it impossibly complicated, I dumped them and did it my own way. It made me wonder, though… why I even bothered to give them money since I just wasted a lot of time and ended up just download it on bittorrent.
When will company’s learn DRM kills? Just let me use the data I bought, for crying out loud.
~Peter
Wednesday, December 5. 2007Idea For a Book
I just got an idea for a book! After finals, hopefully I will have some time to start writing.
I’ve wanted to write a book for quite a while. However, it has been centered around fiction. I enjoy reading and have often been intrigued with the possibility of writing a novel. I’ve started countless ideas, but they usually end up in some dead end where my characters are rather unbelievable and the plot even more so. So, I put the ideas away until I see something that sparks my imagination which I attempt to work into my plot, but nevertheless it results in yet another paradox which I am unable to resolve.
However, I got an idea for a non-fiction book, which I am really excited about. I watched a video on youtube presented by an atheist and septic. He didn’t present any arguments against Christianity, but rather demonstrated how he, as an atheist, was able to convince people that there was a God by playing on their emotions and manipulating them psychologically. This really opened my eyes and revealed to me the problems in today’s church and our society as a whole.
In this sensationalist and individualist society, feelings are valued very highly and are often taken advantage of. When people in the Church are asked how they know God exists, they often respond by referencing a feeling. In addition, people today widely accept debunct theories such a global warming and evolution which uses shady evidence at best and contrived stories at worst. They accept such things due to feelings of peer pressure and intimidation from scholars. However, people simply do not research and find out facts for themselves. Rather they allow themselves to be manipulated by others.
It is a ironic that in this individualist society we are allowing our minds and emotions to be controlled by others instead of seeking out truth for ourselves.
They book that I plan on writing will be dealing with these issues and strive to motivate Christians and non-Christians alike to roll up their sleeves and find out the facts for themselves, instead of checking their minds in a the door.
NOTE: Obviously there might be some flaws in the logic that I’m using in this entry. Once I write this out formally, it will be given much more thought. 2AM is not condusive to thinking 
I’m thinking about titling the book “Trusting Echos”
I just got an idea for a book! After finals, hopefully I will have some time to start writing.
I’ve wanted to write a book for quite a while. However, it has been centered around fiction. I enjoy reading and have often been intrigued with the possibility of writing a novel. I’ve started countless ideas, but they usually end up in some dead end where my characters are rather unbelievable and the plot even more so. So, I put the ideas away until I see something that sparks my imagination which I attempt to work into my plot, but nevertheless it results in yet another paradox which I am unable to resolve.
However, I got an idea for a non-fiction book, which I am really excited about. I watched a video on youtube presented by an atheist and septic. He didn’t present any arguments against Christianity, but rather demonstrated how he, as an atheist, was able to convince people that there was a God by playing on their emotions and manipulating them psychologically. This really opened my eyes and revealed to me the problems in today’s church and our society as a whole.
In this sensationalist and individualist society, feelings are valued very highly and are often taken advantage of. When people in the Church are asked how they know God exists, they often respond by referencing a feeling. In addition, people today widely accept debunct theories such a global warming and evolution which uses shady evidence at best and contrived stories at worst. They accept such things due to feelings of peer pressure and intimidation from scholars. However, people simply do not research and find out facts for themselves. Rather they allow themselves to be manipulated by others.
It is a ironic that in this individualist society we are allowing our minds and emotions to be controlled by others instead of seeking out truth for ourselves.
They book that I plan on writing will be dealing with these issues and strive to motivate Christians and non-Christians alike to roll up their sleeves and find out the facts for themselves, instead of checking their minds in a the door.
NOTE: Obviously there might be some flaws in the logic that I’m using in this entry. Once I write this out formally, it will be given much more thought. 2AM is not condusive to thinking
I’m thinking about titling the book “Trusting Echos”
Friday, January 19. 2007Great Vacation!
This past week, our family was at Lake Harmony, PA. Personally, I think that this has been the best vacation that our family has taken. There were numerous little “best” things which, when summed together, made this the “best” vacation.
Akeelah and the Bee
At the resort, there was a daily free video which was shown in the theater. Upon hearing that Akeelah and the Bee was playing, I was quite reluctant to go as I assumed it was an animated kid’s video about some animal named Akeelah and a friendly bee. On the contrary, it turned out to be a very touching movie, most possible the best I have ever watched. Akeelah is a young black girl who has a knack spelling. She is encouraged to enter a spelling bee and must overcome her own fears, the mocking of her peers, and racial prejudices. Akeelah ends up entering the bee and training with an older black gentleman. She ends up doing well in the bee, and in the process, her trainer and her help each other through personal struggles and past griefs. It is a wonderful movie and definitely worth the watch if you get a chance!
High Calling
Hands down, this is best book I have ever read. It is the biography of Rick Husband, written by his wife, Evelyn. Rick was the commander of the final Columbia space mission in which the spacecraft fell apart and killed all the crew upon re-entry in early 2003. Rick was a very strong christian and has become one of my heroes. We was a model father, husband, and lived his faith. One thing that he did so well was to praise and encourage others. His life has really motivated me to firstly, do everything for Christ, and secondly, to become an encouragement to others.
Skiing
This has been the forth time that we have been skiing and it had definitely been our best. We started out on the green (easiest) slopes to warm up and then quickly moved to the blue (intermediate) slopes where we spent most of our time. Towards the end of the day, we were going down the terrain park! There are all kinds of railings for grinding and jumps to provide airtime. None of us tried grinding, but Philip went off and landed several jumps. At the end of the day, Philip and I even went down a black diamond (hardest) slope a couple of times. I’m still a little sore from the skiing!
Family relations
The family has been working really well with each other. Philip, Natalie and I almost always get along well with each other, but often there is tension with the two smaller kids and with the parents. Since we spend all day together coupled with the stress of packing, traveling, and unpacking, the family will often quarrel and exchange some sharp words. However, in general, the family really worked well together. We talked a lot, worked through, and resolved some problems. Hopefully we will continue to work well with one another.
So, this has been one of our best vacations! I saw a great movie, read a great book, had an awesome time skiing, worked well with the family and had an all-around super time!
This past week, our family was at Lake Harmony, PA. Personally, I think that this has been the best vacation that our family has taken. There were numerous little “best” things which, when summed together, made this the “best” vacation.
Akeelah and the Bee
At the resort, there was a daily free video which was shown in the theater. Upon hearing that Akeelah and the Bee was playing, I was quite reluctant to go as I assumed it was an animated kid’s video about some animal named Akeelah and a friendly bee. On the contrary, it turned out to be a very touching movie, most possible the best I have ever watched. Akeelah is a young black girl who has a knack spelling. She is encouraged to enter a spelling bee and must overcome her own fears, the mocking of her peers, and racial prejudices. Akeelah ends up entering the bee and training with an older black gentleman. She ends up doing well in the bee, and in the process, her trainer and her help each other through personal struggles and past griefs. It is a wonderful movie and definitely worth the watch if you get a chance!
High Calling
Hands down, this is best book I have ever read. It is the biography of Rick Husband, written by his wife, Evelyn. Rick was the commander of the final Columbia space mission in which the spacecraft fell apart and killed all the crew upon re-entry in early 2003. Rick was a very strong christian and has become one of my heroes. We was a model father, husband, and lived his faith. One thing that he did so well was to praise and encourage others. His life has really motivated me to firstly, do everything for Christ, and secondly, to become an encouragement to others.
Skiing
This has been the forth time that we have been skiing and it had definitely been our best. We started out on the green (easiest) slopes to warm up and then quickly moved to the blue (intermediate) slopes where we spent most of our time. Towards the end of the day, we were going down the terrain park! There are all kinds of railings for grinding and jumps to provide airtime. None of us tried grinding, but Philip went off and landed several jumps. At the end of the day, Philip and I even went down a black diamond (hardest) slope a couple of times. I’m still a little sore from the skiing!
Family relations
The family has been working really well with each other. Philip, Natalie and I almost always get along well with each other, but often there is tension with the two smaller kids and with the parents. Since we spend all day together coupled with the stress of packing, traveling, and unpacking, the family will often quarrel and exchange some sharp words. However, in general, the family really worked well together. We talked a lot, worked through, and resolved some problems. Hopefully we will continue to work well with one another.
So, this has been one of our best vacations! I saw a great movie, read a great book, had an awesome time skiing, worked well with the family and had an all-around super time!
