Congregation Builder can help with church management software needs
Aug 30th
Web Based Church Management Software From Congregation Builder Lets You Sample The Goods!
Have you ever purchased new software applications or uploaded a new program only to find that it wasn’t at all what you expected? Congregation Builder, a developer of web based church management software, understands this dilemma and believes you should know what you are getting before you purchase the product. Congregation Builder provides sample pages for all of its software applications, which include web based church management software, web based event registration software, and web based room reservation software.
Web Based Church Management Software
By providing sample pages of its web based church management software application, Congregation Builder allows you to:
? get a feel for the church management software members’ list;
? view how Congregation Builder’s web based church management software printable directory would look;
? simulate the ease of creating small group lists; and,
? see how easy it is to send an email to the congregation or smaller internal groups.
Web Based Event Registration Software
With Congregation Builder’s sample pages you can:
? see the procedure for creating an online sign-up form for your event, using Congregation Builder’s web based event registration software;
? peruse where you would view your previously created sign-up forms and edit them for another similar event;
? view attendee and waiting lists;
? for your pay-to-attend events: see how easy it is for your members to use PayPal for payments;
? and see how easy it is for you to email members an invoice and keep track of payments.
Web Based Room Reservation Software
If you are interested in web based room reservation software that can organize and detail all of your room reservation needs, then you should view the sample pages of Congregation Builder’s church management software to see:
? how useful the administrative calendar would be for your staff;
? the ease with which you would be able to add, view, and edit entries;
? options for printing your administrative and public calendars; and,
? a page which outlines your church’s room schedules and related information.
It all comes down to this…if you want to simplify your church’s important and necessary tasks, Congregation Builder‘s church management software, which includes web based church management software, web based event registration software, and web based room reservation software, then go to Congregation Builder’s website at www.congregationbuilder.com and check out the sample pages for each application available. You’ll be glad you did!
CCTV Imports
Aug 17th
The robber stealthily creeps up to the porch, and looks around the door. He intends to break it right off its hinges, break in, and steal everything he can. Unarmed, but noticing that the lights are off, he is about to kick the door in when he realizes that there is a camera mounted right on your porch ceiling.
Security cameras and CCTVs can serve to detain criminals at best, or record them in the act at worst. They can be used to keep an eye on entrances, different rooms, so on.
I’m profiling CCTVimports.com today, a website that sells systems to capture, amongst other things, robbers in the act. These systems will serve to help keep peace of mind and track unwanted activities at home or at the office.
If you are in need of security cameras CCTV, CCTVimports.com is definitely a place to browse. They are assuring a lifetime warranty on their home page, and similar to Future Shop and Best Buy, offer price matching and an additional 10% off between the difference.
CCTVimports.com looks like an all-stop-shop for systems, as they sell monitors, DVR security cameras, digital recorders, network recorders, and even more advanced spy cameras and other peripherals. They also offer services for installation, marked by different packages (their gold bundle looks like a good middle ground between the two packages).
They also offer live support, which I have really grown to appreciate — my hosting offers live support, and I have often had to contact them when things went wrong. Although many companies offer telephone support, chatting is much more convenient and also a lot faster…and recordable (no more “Can you say that again?”).
Can you be too safe? With cameras and an eye in the sky keeping watch over your things, robbers are deterred and can be caught on camera. Preventative action is often the best method of action in this case.
Check out CCTVimports.com!
How to keep those Light Bulbs Alive!
Jul 26th
You might have just bought (or are looking into buying) those swirly Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs. (Shame on you if you haven’t already! Just kidding, of course.) They are supposed to last around ten times longer than an ordinary incandescent lightbulb, and because they don’t use heat to produce light, they are all the more efficient.
photo credit: Velo Steve
This is good for the environment. This is good for your wallet. And it means you don’t have to go through the work of throwing out as many bulbs! But, you may notice them dying, or having some bizarre quirks. Here are some tips to make them as normal as possible.
After you first install your CFL bulb, make sure you keep it on for at least twenty minutes. I would explain it, but I’m afraid that I wouldn’t be technically correct, and I hate geeks pointing these trivial things out: leaving it on for twenty minutes allows the ions in the gas to charge fully. This means that subsequently, you won’t have to wait to have the lightbulb charge to full power.
Secondly, on-off cycles kill CFL bulbs — so leave them on for at least fifteen minutes! This might seem counter-intuitive, but they’re super-efficient anyway — keeping them on for another extra ten minutes won’t cost you as much as replacing the bulb! (These bulbs are quite heavy on the wallet initially, but they do pay themselves off — if you can make them last.)
So make them last! Enjoy your CFL bulbs.
Augmented Reality and Gaming
Jul 6th
Just stumbled across this link on the Interwebz today, as I was taking a prolonged study break. Augmented Reality is still relatively new to the world, but there have already been a myriad of applications — tagging restaurants and other services, but now — gaming.
The following video shows two guys playing Rock Em Sock Em Robots on their restaurant table through their mobile devices. While they look kind of goofy, I think that this new method of gaming is going to encourage mainstream gamers to get more social. (While also sparking outrage from hardcore gamers, probably.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXtq1qBMLIw&feature=player_embedded#!
Check it out, tell me what you think! All this Augmented Reality stuff gets quite disturbing though…pretty soon it might seem normal to wear glasses and see the world only through a pair rather than using our natural eyes. (I mean glasses as in AR glasses, not normal people glasses — I sometimes forget that I wear glasses, haha. Proof of technology being ubiquitous?)
iPod Worth Deafness?
Jul 4th
A couple of days ago, I was listening to music in the shower (California Gurls! Omg!) as per usual, because — let’s be honest, I like to sing along and pretend that I’m a rock star. I’ll admit it. It’s a pleasure of mine (I don’t even feel too guilty, truth be told). A bit later, I had my dad tell me that he was worried about my hearing, because there have been a lot of news reports about how iPods and loud music can result in hearing loss.
photo credit: seanmcmenemy
Now I’m not an old guy, I’m almost 19. I’ve never seriously considered losing my hearing, but the thought of it is quite dreadful. Also, after watch the UFC 116 pre-show last night and seeing Brock Lesnar come to the recognition that his body had failed him once (he had holes in his stomach, as he put it — I’m not really sure what happened, I was only half-paying attention until that point), I realized that if a dude like him could have holes in his stomach then I could probably, very easily, lose my hearing if I kept listening to music too loudly.
I’m not an anti-iPod guy; in fact, ever since I lost my iPod Nano 4G a month ago, I’ve been quite saddened and adjusting to a life of no-Pod. (I’ve been trying to live in silence while walking, seems a bit more natural and I pay more attention to things, like cars and whatnot…can be important sometimes.)
So I decided to Google it, and apparently the safe threshold is at around 80-85 decibels for earbuds. For more information, here’s an ABC News report: http://abcnews.go.com/health/video/health-insurance-premiums-jump-10977894&tab=9482931§ion=1206835&playlist=1363742
I think that I’m going to do without an iPod for a while, but it is dead useful at a gym certainly, or in the shower, or on really long walks. The report indicated that volume and duration are the biggest criteria; thus, I think one change I will recommend is listening only to really high-volume songs when you have no choice. (Trust me, concerts and clubs will be filled with them.)
Also, in-ear earbuds usually have headphones at 5 decibels louder, the news report indicated. I’d recommend buying sound isolating headphones; thus, the background noise will be blocked out and music can be listened to at lower volumes without background interference. The V-Moda Vibe IIs were excellent, as were the Able Planet NC200s.
But go easy on the ears, they might come in handy in the future. Haha. 
Zelda: Skyward Sword
Jun 15th
I’m watching E3 right now, and it looks absolutely interesting to see Zelda: Skyward Sword. Asides from this nervous guy presenting the…
WOW that guy just popped in from the screen. That’s pretty interesting! I think this presentation is absolutely sick, much more interesting than anything I’ve seen yesterday hahaha. Hate to sound like a fanboy.
So, apparently, we have to hold the controller like a sword, and the nunchuk like a shield. They are currently demo-ing it on G4 Tech TV, (apparently a live can also be found online) a must-watch.
Update: Live stream: http://e3.nintendo.com/
Free Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver Emulation on Windows
Apr 10th
We all have our fond memories of Pokemon. Gold and Silver were my personal favourite versions, because the game is technically twice as long (in Pokemon Geekspeak, I’m referring to the Johto and Kanto regions.
photo credit: mattjerome_88
A lot of us don’t have a Nintendo DS. That said, I’m all for paying over $200 for the full-blown version of Pokemon Soulsilver and a new Nintendo DS. However, for those that don’t have access to electronics stores or the budget for it, I’ve got the solution for you.
For Windows users, you can simply download No$GBA 2.6a and the No$Zoomer 2.3. Simply open the No$Zoomer, and then open thecartridge (.nds file) with the emulator. The key here is to find Pokemon Soulsilver (U) nds download, which I unfortunately can not link to (besides, the most obvious link is broken).
Asides from that, the game is sweet. Fans of Pokemon will definitely not be disappointed, as this version is the most graphically polished and mechanically streamlined. I found the walking Pokemon to be a welcome and very refreshing addition to the game; I don’t know why they didn’t do that sooner!
Wish I could say more, but I’m probably around two hours into the game and not too far. However, I will say this — beware as the game does crash on occasion, and do not be afraid to adjust the settings (I found that changing the speed settings to “Unlimited Mhz – 100%” really gave my game an extra boost). Have fun!
Image Source: http://www.legendarypokemon.net/images/upimages/johtopreview_1.png
An Important Development: How to get Starcraft 2 without a Beta Key
Apr 9th
In 1998, Blizzard unleashed their secret weapon for taking over the world: Starcraft. Making an absolutely huge splash in the gaming and RTS community, Starcraft still has a huge fanbase and is still one of the most popular games in the world.
When Starcraft 2 was announced, followers (including myself) shed tears of joy as Tychus Findlay uttered the fateful words: “Hell, it’s about time.” And when you found out about the opportunity to sign up for the open beta you jumped at the opportunity.
Jimmy Raynor, Heaven's Devils.
Like myself, you didn’t get into the beta. (If you did, congratulations and you should be proud.) So you watched videos that HD Starcraft and Husky post onto the Youtube channels, and that kept your fix in check.
Now, I am proud to announce that even you can play the Starcraft 2 beta on your computer. I’ll tell you the catch straight up front — you can’t play against other players online, only against AI bots. But what the hell, that made no difference for me and probably wouldn’t for you.
You need, of course, the Starcraft 2 beta. You can probably find it on some Torrenting sites, but I’m not going to point them out. Do your own dirty work. Haha. Or, if you’re in university, you can get it off your DC++ network! 
It’s approximately 1.68GB in size, shouldn’t take anymore than a night to download.
Once downloaded, head over to the Teknogods forums using this link: http://teknogods.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=2229 and download the launcher (but follow the instructions on the page, please). This launcher allows you to directly start a SC2 game without going through SC2. And that’s basically it, you can now play SC2.
With that said, you will probably run into an issue. There will be an antivirus warning claiming that the launcher is a piece of spyware or a trojan. This is because it is a piece of third-party software that illegitimately accesses SC2 and forces it to start the game. So it is kind of malicious. But it shouldn’t harm you.*
So, fellow Starcraft 2 lovers, game on and enjoy. Tell me what you think of SC2!
Image source: http://us.starcraft2.com/screenshots.xml
*I am not responsible for what happens to your computer, use at your own risk. But for what it’s worth, it hasn’t harmed me yet. The juice is definitely worth the squeeze.
Look out: Lucid Lynx
Mar 23rd
I’ve been expecting great things from Ubuntu. Here is the down-low: Ubuntu is a distribution of Linux that can be downloaded for free. It is open-source, meaning that it is designed to be greater with every additional user that contributes to coding, application development, etc. Not to mention there are no limits with what you can do — no secret processes running (ahem, “Trusted” Computing and Microsoft). The main thing holding me back from using it with my daily activities would be the hideous GUI (compared to OS X and Windows 7).
Not any longer. Lifehacker‘s recent post on Lucid Lynx contains screenshots that are mindblowing; they feature a new “Zune-themed” GUI, with a combination of purple, black, and orange touches. I really dig it.
Other than that, there a ton of features that should not be overlooked; new applications, new social networking capabilities, etc. I’ve only gotten a minor chance to look at this news, so by all means check it out! And download the VirtualBox image and test it for yourself (it can be found in the Lifehacker link).
For the cause.
Dan Buettner: How to Live to be 100
Jan 16th
So, I was surfing around the Web today when I found a very interesting video on the TED.com homepage. “How to Live to be 100“. Basically, we have a speaker that’s explored several ‘blue zones’, and noticed patterns for longevity in healthy human living.
Dan Buettner (born 1960 in St. Paul, Minnesota) is an American explorer, educator, author, public speaker and co-producer of an Emmy Award-winning documentary who also holds three world records for endurance bicycling.[1][2][3] He is the founder of the online Quest Network, Inc., which provides opportunities for students to interactively engage with explorers on expedition.[3] In February 2007, an expedition led by Buettner to Nicoya, Costa Rica uncovered the longest-lived people known in the Western Hemisphere
There are a couple of ideas that jumped out at me:
A vegetable-based diet.
One of my best friends is a vegetarian, so I notice the differences in diet — and I can’t imagine myself going through it! Giving up chicken, and beef (I’ve generally given up pork) seems to be a huge step. With that said, if there were progress made in vegetarian substitutes for traditional food, and if this progress were widely available and convenient, then I might consider trying it. “Easy vegetarianism.” For now, this is my train of thought.
A close group of friends.
The Japanese woman that Buettner mentions has a ring of five women that she’s known for 97 years. That’s a long time — with bonds so tight, it’s like an amplified family — when one gets rich, the bounty is shared, and when one gets poor, the poor is helped out. I really like this idea, but I find it hard to imagine, especially in the modern world. Not to say I don’t have close friends, but to the extent where we share our fortunes and misfortunes? Can this even be applied to the developed world?
A reason to wake up.
The most prominent characteristic of these golden-aged people was the reason to wake up in the mornings. I don’t think I have one yet. But I think that it’s important for me to find one, real soon. This is, in many ways, similar to a ‘purpose of life’, which I believe to be very important to a human being.
Check the video out, if you haven’t already. 20 minutes well spent.
http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_buettner_how_to_live_to_be_100.html
Image: Soylentgreen23