Telstra Opt Out

I got a marketing email from Telstra and since I’ve had a few lately I clicked the unsubscribe link in the email. Here is the page I was taken to:

Look at all the information they “need” to be able to unsubscribe you. “We require your DOB to be able to identify you”. I mean really?!?!? What happened to just removing your email address from their marketing database? I didn’t bother.

Fluey thoughts

Being sick gives you time and a mind for reflection and rambling thoughts.

I have been feeling miserable and so I have been watching old episodes of the Computer Chronicles from the Internet Archive.

These give me such a feeling of nostalgia, not that I lived through this time, but I just feel so attracted to the late 70s/early 80s silicon valley. The stories are so interesting. The people are so innovative. It feels like the golden age of computing to me. It makes me wish I was a part of that exciting time.

I have also been dreaming of hiking in the Rocky Mountains. That sounds really random I know, I don’t know where the idea came from but it is a nice feeling though. I have this picture in my mind of winding up a narrow trail through the woods, stopping at crystal springs to rest and eat and drink, breaking through the timberline and scrabbling up the rocky peaks. It is such a nice picture.

Returning to thoughts of the computer golden age, I sometimes long for the days when computers were simpler. I love what you can do with them now and they are indeed easier to use, but looking back to when I used to use Windows 95, Mac OS 7 and DOS, just seems much simpler and nicer in some way. I get so nostalgic about the early days of computing.

[Long sigh]

Oh well. I found some pictures to share.

Rocky Mountains

Rocky Mountain Stream

Mac OS 8 Starting up

Windows 95

Finished another site

I have just uploaded my latest web development project: a site for Topshelf Rocks.

I am very happy with this site. Each site I build I get a little bit better, I learn a little bit more about web development and this site is my best work so far I think.

I used the CodeIgniter framework for this site and it really made things much easier.

Joyful about judgement

I have been reading through the Psalms lately and today I came to Psalm 95 and 96. Something interesting struck me about the last few verses of Ps 96. Verses 11-13 go like this:

11 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let the sea resound, and all that is in it;
12 let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them.
Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy;
13 they will sing before the LORD, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his truth.

Verses 11 and 12 talk about how all of creation is joyful, and what are they joyful about? Verse 13 tells us; because God is coming to judge. It may seem a strange thing to be joyful about, coming judgement, but isn’t God’s judgement really a good thing?

We hate to see injustice in the world, innocent victims of crime, exploited people, false accusations, all make us feel a righteous anger. We yearn for the day when all people will be treated fairly and evil doers will be rightly punished.

And that is what it will be like when Jesus returns to judge the peoples of the earth. God’s judgement will be good when it comes because it will be just, “He will judge the world in righteousness…” No wonder all of creation will be joyful at the coming of God’s judgement, because on that day all the injustices of history will be righted, evil will be punished and we can look forward to a future with no injustice.

The only reason NOT to be joyful about God’s coming judgement is if you will be on the wrong side of it.

Development frustration

Sometimes computer programming can be so frustrating. No matter what you try you cannot seem to be able to solve a difficult problem and it just wears you down. In the end though, when you find the solution, it is often something simple and you get one of those “Ah Ha!!!” moments. It feels so good.

I’ve had a problem like that today. Trying to work out some image loading kinks in JavaScript. The problem, in the end I found, was a browser related one. For once (this is very rare ) Internet Explorer worked and Firefox failed to work satisfactorily. This is frustrating because you can’t really do much sometimes and you just have to put in a messy hack that is not very nice but works OK.

This is one of the great frustrations of web development; browser compatibility (or lack thereof).

Keep on digging.

Web development site

Every web developer needs a site of their own, even if it is a simple one with basic contact info and links to sample work. Well I have mine too. It is www.canvasbook.com.au.

I have started out with just something simple and quick so I have something up. I am planning to add to it though (when I have time and am not working on sites for other people). Some of the ideas I have are to add a blog and a lab section where I can play around with things. I have put my base in Sydney though I am not based there yet but I will be in 6 and a bit weeks, I thought it was easier to just put that in now.

Another thing I want to add to the site is to write a few articles regarding web development and information management. Just some short helpful articles to provide advice to small businesses and others as they think about setting up a web presence or developing some information management software.

Keep checking back as I look to updating the new site. I will let you know about updates here until I set up a blog over there.

P.S. Why Canvas Book? Stay tuned in to find out.

Web development

I have been doing a bit of contract web development lately and really enjoying it. I have built about 4 sites and have another one almost finished and another one on the go. I have learnt so much about building good sites with the experience from these sites and each one has been better again than the ones before. It’s amazing how the real experience of making real sites has improved my development skills so much. I know I have a lot more to learn too but I feel I am in a good position to do more of this contract development and so I am going to have a go at this.

If anyone is looking for a site or knows someone who wants one then feel free to contact me. Probably the best way to begin talking is by email, you can contact me here ptaxon@gmail.com. I would love to talk about building a custom site to suit the particular needs of your situation.

I am going to have a site of my own soon, it is currently in development when I have a few spare minutes here and there. More on this later.

OPML editor

Interesting that last post actually worked. I somehow fumbled my way through the OPML editor setup outline to add the settings for this blog and now I can post to this blog from the OPML editor.

I wonder if I can work out how to use this thing. It seems there are not many docs and it looks a bit confusing but it also looks very powerful too. I am going to try and work it out.

test from opml editor

This is a test post from the opml editor

The armour of God

I am doing Ephesians in my PTC studies at the moment and today I have been looking at the section on the armour of God (Eph 6:10-20).

It is a very commonly used passage but I have never really looked closely at it before. I would like to make a few notes of interest on each of the six pieces of armour Paul describes.

1. The belt of truth – This is the truth of God revealed in the gospel. God has revealed the truth to us. Knowing the truth is such a basic important thing like a belt.
2. The breastplate of righteousness – Because of what Jesus has done we have a righteousness from God which brings salvation. Knowing our standing with God, and that it comes from God, can be a great defense against the lies of the evil one.
3. Feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace – I think this is talking about a readiness to proclaim the gospel which brings peace between Jew and Gentile and between Jew, Gentile and God (c.f. Isa 52:7)
4. The shield of faith – When the evil one shoots fiery darts into our lives we fend them off not by our own strength but by our faith in God by which we take hold of God’s resources. Keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, keeping our hearts trusting him, that is what defends us. Christ himself defends us, we should not try to fight for ourselves.
5. The helmet of salvation – Knowing our salvation is assured, because of what Jesus has done, will protect us from attacks which seek to undermine our assurance and cause us to doubt. It is so important to keep our minds fixed on the cross of Christ and what it accomplished.
6. The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God – Steeping ourselves in the truth of God’s word builds our defenses. Also this is the only way we fight back. We go on the offensive by preaching God’s word, through which the Spirit works powerfully to change the lives of others and free them from the power of the evil one.

Notice that all the armour comes from God, not from ourselves, and that the only way we go on the attack is by preaching the truth of God’s word.

We engage in spiritual warfare not by turning and fighting but by turning to God, laying hold of his resources to strengthen our defenses and going on the attack by preaching the gospel through which the Spirit works to attack the power of the evil one.