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…

One month from now, Prestonwood Dallas will host its first official live service at Hillcrest and Arapaho. It’s a very intimidating thought, because we are expecting quite a crowd on our first Sunday and have only had a short amount of time to prepare. Since we purchased the property in May, we’ve had crews busy painting, fixing, and praying over our new building. Signs have been up for over a month now outside the church, in neighborhood yards, and in the hands of our members all across the Metroplex…and there’s no shortage of unchurched people in that part of Dallas!

With a core group of a few hundred members, we are preparing to host a crowd of a thousand or more: parking them, caring for their children, welcoming and directing them, and producing a dynamic worship service intended to do one main thing: share the gospel and compel them to join us in following Christ. Its exciting, a little scary, and a huge step of faith for our small crew of staff and volunteers, but we’re trusting the God who has led us to this step of ministry, and depending on Him for great results.

You only get one first impression, and we’re hoping we allow God’s people and presence make a HUGE one in the lives of those who join us on August 21st.

What your about to see is a short video about how a single virus changed the face of nuclear energy in one of the more dangerous countries in the world, and potentially stopped the development of nuclear weapons in an area that would have allowed terrorists to gain access to them.

Do geeks have a role to play in warfare? Yes, they do.

Do viruses go beyond the annoying ones that mess up your personal computer? Yes, they do.

Do viruses go undetected and active on computers without your knowing? Yes, they do.

Do Mac’s get viruses too? Yes, they do…and they are more easily corrupted than PC’s. They are just not as big a target for virus creations (market share is not comparable to Microsoft).

[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/25118844[/vimeo]

For the past few years the mac users and critics have all had the same banter, “Windows is just copying Mac”. Well, those days are fading fast. The giant who was said to always be behind the times, is starting to set the pace of computing once again. The Windows Phone is anything but an iPhone copy…its unique, user-friendly, and a lot more privacy-focused than either Apples phone or the Android devices.

And now, Windows 8 is going to blow the world away by bringing the personal computer and the tablet device together. Imagine, loose the $2000 Macbook and the $1000 iPad and the frustration of trying to share information between them, and do it all with one device.

More than that, think about the implications: Windows is business-ready, and fully integrated with the office systems, its the perfect, robust corporate appliance for the new age.

Watch this first official look, and be impressed…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p92QfWOw88I[/youtube]

I love my Windows Phone…it has made life much, much easier than my old iPhone ever did, and now I am excited to see that it is getting even more enhancements. It looks like it took Microsoft a while to catch up to the Android and iPhone devices, and this fall, they will greatly surpass both devices with a much more integrated mobile device. I can’t wait.

Here area few new features I am excited about…

• Organizing people into contact groups
• Integrated messaging that shows me email, txt, Twitter, and Facebook messages on the same screen.
• Built in voice-to-text
• more languages for more countries

and here are a few of the enhancements I look forward to using…

• Faster browsing than any of the other mobile devices via Internet Explorer 9
• multitasking applications, saving my current progress while I switch over to work on another program.
• Better integration with my online storage at Microsoft
• different colors within the conversation window, so my messages are distinct from my friends
• custom ringtones

and here are a few things I hope the new OS gives me…

• improved turn-by-turn voice navigation for free
• visual voicemail

If you have time, watch this video describing some of the new features, or read more online via this post.