Category: Miscellaneous

Or lack thereof. The BBC reports that a recent study shows patients undergoing heart operations were no more likely to survive if they were prayed for than if they weren’t.

“[The] study found those who were prayed for were as likely to have a setback in hospital, be re-admitted, or die within six months as those not prayed for.

I can already hear the apologist viewpoint that of course the study isn’t going to prove the power of prayer – God wouldn’t allow THAT to happen because it would throw faith right out the window. To which I might reply, “that God person sure is tricky.”

Of course previous smaller studies have had different conclusions which evidentally God wasn’t worried about allowing our faith to be tampered with. (unrelated note: I find it interesting that the BBC uses the same stock photo for both articles).

Vlogging: like regular blogging but with more video. Check out Rocketboom.com for some great (if irreverent) video blog news.

Video blogs can be downloaded with podcasts! Wired has an article about the budding technology.

Google now lets your have a personalized google homepage. Some of the options available to personalize the page are:

• Your Gmail Messages
• The Stock Market
• The New York Times
• The BBC News
• Google News
• Your Weather
• Wired News
• Slashdot
• Movies
• Driving Directions
• Quote of the Day
• Word of the Day

You have to be logged in to Google to see the page, and I haven’t had much time to try it out, but at first glance I think it’s kind of neat.

Here is a list of interesting links I’ve stumbled upon lately (in no particular order):

• UBUWEB::365 Days Project (an MP3 for every day of the year)
• Tetris Final in Japan (video)
• Goggle Maps Globetrotting (photos)
• Sheep Dash! (reflex game)
• Watermelon Carvings (photos)
• BBC’s Step-by-Step Guide to Charisma (article)
• Chaos Theory (game)
• Good Experience Games (list of games)
• Crazy Ebay Mom (personal story w/ photos)
• Steve Jobs 2005 Commencement Address
• Will Ferrell: Class Day Speech
• Jon Stewart’s Commencement Address

I hope you enjoy some of these links.

I’m heading back to the Hat to visit with my family before my brother and his wife take off to Australia for a year. They are leaving in about 9 days. My sister and her baby, Ryker, will also be in Medicine Hat.

All I can say is what a great week I’ve been having. Today has been especially good because I ran into someone that I’ve been admiring from afar since my first year of University. Obviously I’ve been unavailable up until now so things were a little different when I talked to her today. I was happily surprised when she remembered my name from the one time we had talked previously (way back last fall). We’ll all have to wait and see how things turn out.

I was just reading about the terrorist attacks in London and just have to say how pissed off it makes me. Other than that, there isn’t much to say.

Apparently the attacks are being claimed by an Al Qaida group. Here is a news report with information from some of the people near the explosions.

I’m teaching the New Media Movie Making Camp at the University again this summer. (The photo displayed in the link is of a student silk screening a shirt in the Art Camp – looks like they have a lot of fun in that camp too).

I will be teaching four one week camps that run each week in July. During each camp my students write their own scripts, film, edit, add special effects, and burn their movies to DVD. On Friday, the students’ families are invited for a screening. It’s been two days so far, but so far the students have been fun as usual and I’m really enjoying it again this year.

I came across a neat tool that lets you search Flickr tags visually. Give it a try.

Today is Canada Day! I had lunch with a huge extended family at my Aunt Lois’ house. We chatted, we ate, and we took some photos – it was a good time.

Afterwards, Corry, Aaron, and I went kayaking down the Belly River. I love the 1st of July.

I would have more kayaking photos, but as we were playing in the hole where Aaron usually takes his camera out I got flipped and although I was able to right myself, somehow the seal on my skirt came undone and my kayak filled up with water. I was up-side-down, completely submerged with a kayak that was completely full of water but I still flipped myself up and paddled to shore. It looked more like a submarine than a boat. Anyway I drifted pretty far downstream and didn’t feel like taking my kayak back up to the hole, hence no pictures.

Update: Oh, and I forgot to mention this at the time of posting. Happy Anniversary to my sister and her husband Glen!

I stumbled upon a site about a building in Paris that has its lighting setup like a display for images, short animations, and even video games. Using a cell phone you can play Tetris, pong, or other games live while everyone around watches you play.