You’ve got to love it when some lost soul comes back to the light from darkness, abandoning the shameless pursuit of the forbidden fruit of the technological world (why did Steve Jobs choose that logo again?") and returning to the technology that the rest of the world depends upon for its daily business. But I digress… let me allow you to read it from the convert’s perspective. Here’s the opinion of an 11 year Mac user, who admits that Windows is releasing some amazing products.

“…the experience is incredible, unlike any operating system I’ve ever used. It’s the perfect hybrid of old and new. While Apple attempts slowly to merge its mobile operating system into the desktop with new iPhone-like features, Microsoft made a bold move and jumped ahead to the future where most computing takes place on touch-friendly smartphones and tablets. It’s enough to make an Apple fan like me drool.”

from Steve Kovach, Business Insider

Read the full article here.

This semester is one of capstone projects:

• Writing a research paper that requires an advanced level of research and scholarship
• Teaching a class for 10 weeks on the topic of Small Group Leadership
• Taking a class that discusses the use of the Old Testament in the New Testament, translating both Hebrew and Greek
• Preaching topically: working through the analysis multiple passages to speak to key topics, and then crafting and delivering a compelling message.

It’s been a long couple of months so far, and a few more are yet to come…but I am glad to be able to put the small pieces of my training together to make a coherent set of skills that will help me as a minister.

These days, it seems that the greatest challenge is simply dealing with the stress: wanting to do anything but more schoolwork, and yet being unwilling to balance my time between important non-school things, because the demands of the semester are so heavy upon me.

Oh how I hope that next summer really feels like freedom. People often think of me as a great student, but the truth is, I would much rather have a 40-hour a week job than be here. I am only here because God called me to DTS, and because He has put a passion on my heart to invest in and assist Him in the work of changing lives, 40+ hours a week. Ph.D? Not on your life, and only if God demands it of me!

Anyway, I needed to vent a bit, so there it is.

Pray for me. It’s not easy being a seminary student.

A few months back, I upgraded my existing Windows Phone to the Beta release of the new, enhanced operating system. Last week, AT&T and Microsoft passed along the official version to me, as one of its customers. And I must say, I continue to love the features: custom ringtones, multitasking, better GPS, voice-to-text on everything, and specialized Favorite people lists. If you are up for an upgrade, or considering a switch, I’ve never looked back after leaving the iPhone behind, and I encourage you to do the same. Check out this video to see it for yourself.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OP30F3ZxTmw[/youtube]

Getting tired of all those, “Don’t txt and drive” advertisements? Well, now you can do it safely. Just listen to this conversation I had recently with my phone, via my bluetooth headset. I can now text and drive without ever looking at my phone:

WP: [music pauses]You have a text message from Stacy Fowler. You can say read it or ignore.
Me: Read it.
WP: “When will you be home?” You can say reply, call or I’m done.
Me: Reply.
WP: Say your message.
Me: “In about 20 minutes.”
WP: [The phone transcribes and repeats the message] You can say send, try again, or I’m done.
Me: Send. [music resumes]

My advice: try it for yourself!

Watch a video demonstration here:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmsSk4bYNao[/youtube]

Here’s a prime example of the ways Google fails to protect your privacy: they used the content of your emails to serve advertisements…check out this video ad by Microsoft to portray it in a more contemporary way. One more reason I am VERY hesitant to jump onto their bandwagon.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrkAuwaoFGg[/youtube]

Other reasons:

They no longer discount for “religious” non-profits, just all the others…

Their platforms, like the Android, are notorious for unsafe applications…

They are always in some lawsuit over violation of personal privacy…