Author Archive: joe

Nothing dramatic, just looking for some new blog software. I have been using this for almost a year. It was good practice for blogging and free. In the computer world, that’s called “Open Source” and “shareware”. There has been a lot of learning to get this working, and in writing my own “software” to create the new blog items.

However, there comes a time when the need for change comes, and there are some other things that blog software can do without having to write “code” – just type it in and let the software do the work.

Have not settled on any particular software, but since this runs on my web server, don’t want to use “mySpace” or any of the other commercial (read advertising laden) blog services. There are even some businesses who have blogs (one for every employee so it seems) filled with advertising. Yes, I know that there is a need to keep business going, but…

So, here it is Friday and I’m still searching. Also still rebuilding my computer. Who knows what thrills await this weekend. I do know that the new series at church (“Raising G-Rated Children In An X-Rated World”) should prove very interesting. With all that’s around us, how do you keep the bad stuff from impacting you? Worse, how do you keep the bad from becoming a part of your day to day life?

Computers are wonderful things…UNTIL they decide in their own way to strike back. Little things start to happen, and then bigger things go wrong and finally…

Well, that happened with my main computer. Took me most of a weekend (had to find time) to reinstall the Operating System (Windows XP), but not before getting a list of all the programs that were installed on it. It was a pretty hefty list, and that was three weeks ago and I’m still reinstalling as I go.

There is still a list of about twenty or so programs that need to be on this computer, but each program will get installed between everything else that has to be done. A long time ago, I learned the value of having my data on one drive and my OS on another. Also learned the value of keeping copies of my registrations for downloaded software.

In some ways, this is a little like life. We keep things in the “right place” and when a crash occurs, we just have to rebuild the area that was effected. Having a plan helps with rebuilding. Being prepared makes it even easier. Being prepared, to me means knowing where I’m going – what my goals are. What you know is what you know, and it becomes the core or root of how you live and how you recover. Maybe that’s why John in First John keeps repeating “I want you to know.”