EricNentrup.com

I was talking with Bill Reid via email this week, and told him I promised to write on my blog about the pitch I was sellin’ him.

Podcasts. You know I’m into them. I dig listening to “audio on demand.” It’s like Tivo for Radio. BUT you get the selection of like, Satellite Radio.

It’s SO great to be able to turn on some thought provoking content while out for a walk or ride.

I listen mostly to sermons which are delivered live before the local crowd, then the recordings are uploaded to a server where I can subscribe to them to have them automagically appear on my iPod a day or two after they’re delivered.

I realized something in the midst of my listening that I think is crucial. Never before in the history of the world, has an individual had so much access to current, relevant preaching for so little effort and expense, relatively speaking. I know that an iPod costs more than the annual per capita of some developing country households. But in our culture, and especially for our generation and younger , it’s seeming like more people have an iPod than don’t.

For the record, you don’t even HAVE to have an iPod to listen to Podcasts. You can listen on your computer, or even burn a CD of the content to take with you in the car or pop into your home stereo. Also, realize that Podcasts are more about the “delivery system” than the content itself. It’s about your computer KNOWING to go looking for updates to that “title” and automatically copying them off of that remote server to your local computer. That’s the convenience that has led to a phenomenon.

Now, back to the content and it’s potential. I’ve been listening to at least 1 sometimes 3 or 4 sermons a weeks by way of podcast, BEYOND what I hear on Sunday at our church.

You couldn’t have done that so easily a few years ago. I’m hearing from preachers all over the country and it’s really impacting my thinking, my yearning for God, how I actually live my life.

So, I wanted to put a post up on my website that could encourage you to get in on the sweet preachin’ action, even if you don’t have an iPod. The only real requisite is that you have a decent internet connection.

And there are MANY ways to accomplish this, but I’m taking the tried and true route here to explain to you how to get listening even yet today for that drive home.

Your Computer.

1. Download and install iTunes from Apple.
2. Open iTunes and click on “iTunes Store” in the left hand pane
3. With the iTunes Store open in the main window of iTunes, look for “Podcasts” on the left.
4. Browse the selections that iTunes has put up front, or if nothing catches your fancy, try clicking ‘Browse’ on the right, or searching for a particular church or personality by typing in the name in the search field in the upper right corner of iTunes itself.
5. You SHOULD see the “Downloads” icon pop up under “iTunes Store” in the left hand pane of iTunes.

Also, if you look above that under “Library” you’ll see the “Podcasts” category. This will reveal any subscriptions that you have chosen. Also, when they’re done downloading , you’ll be able to select the title and listen to it right here, on your computer (if you have speakers or headphones).

1. IF YOU HAVE AN iPod, but haven’t been using it to listen to Podcasts, you’ll have to configure the preferences for it in iTunes>Preferences, and also on the iPod itself, which you can do from iTunes if you have it plugged in.
2. If you DON’T have an iPod, but you DO have a blank CD, you can create a playlist in iTunes with your newly downloaded Podcasts, and burn away…I’m presuming you know how to do that or can figure it out on your own.

The Goods.

Okay…now that the geeky stuff is over with, let me make a few suggestions for your listening pleasure:

Mars Hill Bible Church – Grand Rapids, Michigan

Featuring the teaching of Rob Bell, this is definitely my favorite Podcast. If you haven’t read Rob’s “Velvet Elvis,” I emplore you to do so…it’s a wonderful book.

Imago Dei

Featuring Rick McKinley, pastor to Don Miller

Mosaic

Featuring Erwin McManus, author of The Barbarian Way. I don’t listen to this one all that often, but I’m going to give you several options for solid infectious teaching from the Word, and this definitely qualifies…but only if I get through the above two first.

Pathways CHurch

Lastly…I have to plug our own church. The bulk of the teaching is split between our teaching team, and I figured you just might be curious to learn more about where we go to church now.

Well, I hope that’s helpful. Leave a comment if I’ve forgotten something or left you in the middle, confused and bewildered. And write back so perhaps if we’re listening to the same content, we can start some discussion. OR if you have some Podcasts to share, please let me know!

Jake’s reply to yesterday’s rant spurred me. I griped but offered no alternative to my media criticism. And he was right, technology (and motivation) is the answer to the crummy stuff we see from the Network News. And I didn’t even make the connection that I and many others involved with reading and writing blogs are already adopting it!

As I’ve mentioned in a recent email to the ENdC mailing list, conventional blogs (more formally known as Content Management Systems) use a neat form of code called RSS. It’s related to a bigger standard, XML. Well, folks have realized that the consistency of the STRUCTURE of these frequently updated blogs makes it easy to AGGREGATE the stories from the pretty looking website into a program that looks a lot like your email app. This “News Reader” is the MOST EFFICIENT WAY for one to sift through MORE content whether it’s sports, general blogging, headline news, finances, geek stuff, etc. TONS of conventional sites out there are offering links to their RSS Feed that you can plug into your News Reader and get new articles/posts/scores/updates in much the same way you get new email. It’s fantastic and you’re all going to be doing it by the end of the year anyway. Might as well take a few minutes, go to the appropriate download site for your OS and get a News Reader! Most come with some feeds already to get you started. And BTW, my link to my feed is at the bottom of this page!

Geek Speak over.

In this age of media piracy and other labels TRYING to compete with the runaway success of the iTunes Music Store for both mac AND window’s users, it’s easy to get excited about music again.

But if you’re a bit thirsty for content, spending $0.99 per song at the iTMS can get expensive quickly. Wil Wheaton mentioned Comfort Stand in a recent blog and I have to give it a nod as well. It’s CHOCK FULL of songs to download. Lots of dance/trance stuff, but I’ve learned that’s kind of nice when you’re just in need of something to drone to while doing housework or other busy stuff in your office.

I especially liked “Wakka Chikka” (devilish smile)

Music can be downloaded as individual tracks or as a HUGE album file. My mac readin’ buddies need to make sure they have the LATEST version of Stuffit Expander if they want to open these files.

And oh yeah….the music’s free.

Well, the things I didn’t expect when launching this site were malicious spammers flooding my comments with ads for Poker. It may even happen again tonight for all I know.

Anyhow, in process of setting up defenses against such stuff, I screwed up my site this week. It’s intact again tonight, yet I’m sort of back to square one with some of the geeky stuff.

So. That said, I know some of you have NOT been receiving updates from the plug-in I was using. I’ll get a better one.

Sleep well, rise happy, and give it your all.

Eric

Well, I’ve basically taken a hiatus from most things during the holidays, and now that it is officially New Year’s Eve, and I’d like to get a bit ahead, I thought it was time to throw a new post up on the old blog.

How do you feel about email messages? I mean, are you an email person? I certainly am. I HATE the phone. I get calls and roll my eyes. Yes, I’ve rolled my eyes at YOU. Well, a few of you. But don’t get strung out about it. It’s the medium, not the message or the messenger. The damn phone drives me crazy because it’s PURE Pavlovian conditioning. The bell rings, we react. I feel email’s different because I can ignore it until I’m READY to respond to it. But, I’ve also learned that email can get my butt in trouble. I’ve pulled the trigger on an email in the not too distant past that I wrote late at night, didn’t re-read, and unintentionally offended someone I wouldn’t have had I been a bit more careful. Bad news. But it’s all fixed now.

So, Check this out…

Happy new year and I’ll catch up with you in the near future.

So I saw the Trailer for Episode III, Revenge of the Sith. The first half is footage culled from the previous FIVE films, and the second half of the trailer delivers the tease of new footage from the May 2005 release.

I have to say I like what I see. From what I’ve read online, folks are pretty much losing faith in George to deliver the goods. And I side with them on issue of writing and directing (what else is there?!?!?!). Well, the mogul-like stature of such Lucas offspring as Lucas Arts, Lucasfilm, Skywalker Sound, and the biggest–Industrial Light & Magic, have paved the way for these films, as I’ll discuss below, and more so, occupied George’s creative side in a significant amount compared to his writing and directing. I wonder why he didn’t just STAY competitive with his colleagues (Spielberg, Scorcese, Coppola) instead of becoming a service provider to THEIR films.

I’ll take a moment to confess that NOT having cable, I missed the Comedy Central airing of “The Clone Wars” cartoon. But thanks to peer-to-peer networks and the client software available (unnamed here to not indict the innocent), I was able to snag a good many of the episodes and run them out of my PowerBook to my TV and Stereo, enjoying them just as I would’ve on TV. Sans the commercials.

Confession over.

This recent article on Box Office Mojo shows the disdain that true blue fans have for the versions of the film found in last month’s DVD box set of Ep’s 4,5, & 6. The author makes a good note that such fans are nearing fascism with demanding that Lucas REVERT to the ORIGINAL THEATRICAL versions of the film for DVD release. I give George a bit more grace than that.

It’s so funny. I can remember growing up, the occasional Entertainment Tonight story, or something similar, where George would pop back up in the headlines. Maybe for Indy Jones Chronicles or something. And they’d ask when they could expect MORE Star Wars movies. And George would always answer to the effect that he was waiting for technology to catch up with his ideas. And kudos to George for putting his money where his mouth was and building the de facto visual fx company two which all other VFX houses bow their greenscreens in unison curtsy. But I think that when that occured back in the late nineties as he “polished” the workflow for Ep. 1’s production, the technology arrived to find his ideas a dry pile of dust, instead of the more vibrant prequels we all would’ve savored had he just made the damn series in sequence. It’s pretty obvious to most that Ep’s 1 & II have eye candy filling chasms where story belonged.

The outrage of fans underscored in Holleran’s article reminds me of several recent and relevant encounters I have had with others (primarily from older generations) where I see a HUGE chasm between value of intelllectual property (a fairly new term) and the object or container of that property. Stay tuned for that delicious essay.

Nonetheless, my heartrate quickened when I saw the teaser trailer. We ALL want to see the transformation of Darth Vader. We all deserve another wookie moment, and there is no such thing as too many lightsaber fights, at least in my book. So, more power to George as he presses on towards next May’s release.

By the way…the title of this entry. It’s the TRUE dividing factor between men and women. I have YET to meet a fella who wouldn’t give his right android hand for an actual working lightsaber. Next time you’re with a few, just ask. In the meanwhile check out these fine replicas at a web retailer near you.

Okay…

So, I’ve read through some of my posts from awhile back and compared with them now, they were a whole lot more interesting. I apologize for that. This post will conclude the recent trend of geeky-ness.

I’m writing this post on MarsEdit, which is made by Ranchero Software and one of MANY cool tools for Mac Users (check ‘em out Chris, Rob, Johnny, Mel, etc.). So…In summary, I’ve reserved ericnentrup.com, downloaded and installed WordPress on my HOSTING service at CrashProne.com, and am locally writing my blogs on my PowerBook using Ranchero’s MarsEdit as my “blogprocessor” if you will. I guess I’m telling you this so that you mac user’s out there will follow suit, and geek out with me!

Alright. I’m about to go hang a new door in the kitchen (leading to the garage). Did you know that in Indiana, to be incompliance with state code, you MUST use an exterior door? Well, that’s what the guy at Menard’s said. Nonetheless, I’ve gotta go do that. It’s funny how home improvement tasks have ONE CORE task and then a trickle down effect throughout the house. So…”trickle down task” for the day, secure the home from criminals and the elements with a sturdy, yet economical steel door. Check.

I’s my birthday, and I feel I’ve little to celebrate…

Yup. I’m 28 today. But I feel like I have little to celebrate today. It was a whacky weekend (and week) full of discouraging discoveries. First and foremost in terms of shock value, I’ve learned that I’m NOT going to be getting my new 12″ PowerBook anytime soon. Why? I’ve been a victim of internet fraud. Yeah, I rolled the dice on a deal that seemed too good to be true and it WAS. I realized this on Friday night, exactly one month after I sent payment for the laptop. I was SICK SICK SICK. Kim was very understanding the following morning, in that remarkably forgiving way she responds to my screw-ups. That eased me. But after previous situations where I’ve lost a piece of equipment (though not to fraud but to UPS incompetence) and wasn’t aggressive enough about my recovery, I decided to grab the bull by the horns and quickly built a rather thick file on the whole situation. I received a call from the police about my situation, and they weren’t surprised go figure. In fact, they’ve been trying to capture this guy for a while, but he’s caught wind and closed accounts and laid low for a spell. So, perhaps my situation will be instrumental in capturing this guy, thus preventing this guy from ripping off anybody else. The investigator was very friendly, and confident about nabbing him. Though he made no promises of recovering my money. We’ll see. I’ve decided to take this as a wake up call about the slop in my life. I’ve felt like I’ve been getting what I deserve in some ways. Not that I’ve frauded anybody! No, I mean, I’ve been trying to take short cuts to success, or being lazy with the business. Just lack of discipline and ethics. Not towards my clients, but just sort of cheating myself with not being careful with purchases and bookkeeping, and budgeting and planning. That sort of thing. And if I can get my butt in gear in these ways and be motivated to go find the necessary business to cover my losses, then everybody wins.

Well, I best get to what I just described. I have a lot of work to do.

I’m driving down a familiar route in my hometown, and I confess, I’m a danger to other drivers. I’m watching the road mostly with my peripheral vision. My prey is too important and I can’t afford to let it by. Afterall, this prey is quite diminutive. It’s less than one cubic inch, yellow, and usually attached to a 20 oz. Pepsi bottle. Fortunately for me, empty beverage containers are a plenty along most of my jaunts. I scour the roadside, not for recyclables, God Save the Earth, but for the elusive Pepsi cap with a winning iTunes Code. My wife has enjoyed me “bagging” my prey, a successful hunter, tossing a cap a day or so in her lap to redeem at the iTunes music store via her iBook. I’m admittedly addicted. I’m obsessed with finding more.

Granted, I enjoyed following the lead of the well-published “hack” and even tried the old bottle-tilt for one purchase of a diet Pepsi last week, but there’s MUCH more fun in finding treasure that most folks deem to be trash. I bet I’ve picked up more than a half-dozen in the past 10 days or so. I’ve found plenty along the road, but also in the shopping cart corral at the grocery store…I pilfered 2 off of the gal who takes my order at the pharmacy, and of course others have brought them to me after downing a week’s worth of sugar water.

The best is finding them discarded in full-public view. I can’t wait for a friend or family member to see me off the road, with my hazard lights on, doubling back on foot to pick up a bottle I passed.

I love the irony of the whole situation. Let me paint an exaggerated, and somewhat snooty picture to illustrated said irony:

Average Joe finishes a long shift working the assembly line, then treats himself to a fizzy Pepsi. He opens it, sees the cryptic 10-digit code inside the cap, and doesn’t know how that will grant him herein promised “ONE FREE SONG.” After finishing the bottle, he screws the cap back on the bottle, and tosses it out the passenger window since he’s not eco-conscious (like me). He MIGHT have a computer at home….might even be aware that iTunes is available as a Windows download. Regardless, it’s still Greek to him. After a couple of days, I venture down the same road and have the ultimate “I Spy” moment when that little dot of yellow catches my eye. A quick check of the rear-view and I’m on the brakes, and digging into the shoulder. the hazard lights come on, and I’m out as fast as traffic allows. I pounce. A quick twist of the cap, and my prey is rendered lifeless. Inside, I have found the code and I know I have enough credits that I can now download an ENTIRE album of my choice. I must be an excellent hunter….every cap I’ve severed from the bottle has been a winner.

I was dropping off the recycling with my wife this afternoon and it dawned on me…Oh. There may be PLENTY of those yellow caps in the dumpster!!! My wife shall shake her head and roll her eyes.