Ben Stewart

There are some good posts from Shaun’s recent trip to the Dominican Republic over at Shlog.

I don’t know how he keeps from going crazy living in American culture after these trips. There has to be a period of transition or immersion back into our sense of normal (or maybe the idea is to forget our sense of normal).

It’s been almost a month and a half plus too many eye drops to count since Rebekah’s PRK surgery. She has been feeling fine for quite a while, but her vision is still far from 20/20. Clear vision comes and goes and distance is always blurry. At Panera this afternoon she had to get out of line and walk closer to the counter to read the menu while I could read it with no problem.

We still have hope that this is all just part of a slow recovery process, but Rebekah is honestly a little worried. We have another appointment in a little over a week. We will have to wait and see what the doctors say at that time.

UPDATE: You can read more about Rebekah’s recovery here:

• Week of Procedures
• PRK Recovery Update
• PRK Recovery: A Year Later

Get the whole story here.

1 Loud worship band + 3 gymnasiums + 4 days = sound guy’s nightmare.

Despite the less than ideal venues, IM‘s trip to Fayetteville, NC, was a great time. Good people, good worship, and changed lives.

I haven’t really said much lately. Sorry. I’ll try to make up for it with a little audio that I borrowed stole from a friend’s blog a long time ago. Enjoy!

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I am a bad blogger. I guess since I don’t really even blog regularly (yet!) I am not really a blogger at all. What makes someone a blogger anyway?

Is being called a “blogger” a matter of consistency? If I don’t blog at least once a day then I cannot call myself a blogger. Or maybe you don’t consider me a blogger unless I post on a regular schedule.

Is is a matter of quantity? As long as I put up a bunch of stuff whenever I decide to blog then I can blog however erratically I want. Or, as long as my posts are all long then that makes up for my lack of consistency (I know that one isn’t true).

Is is quality? What if I don’t say much, and I don’t say it often, but when I do post it is quality? Would that make me a blogger?

Is it just “owning” a blog? Do the posts even matter? I mean, I have a blog and I could blog whenever I want (even though I don’t).

What does make someone a blogger? Is it just a label? Is it a group that people try to belong to?

What makes someone a “Christian?” Is it just a label? Is it a consistent following of Christ? Is it about the quantity of “good” we have done? Is it just about attending a church or telling people you are a Christian? Is it doing or being?

If we have a good definition do we consistently follow it when looking at our own lives? What about when looking at others’ lives?

The MacHeist crew is at it again. This time they have put together a nice “retail bundle” of Mac applications for only $49. Some of these are apps that were in the last MacHeist bundle over Christmas, but (if things are setup the same) you can always “gift” a serial number when you register your bundle with MacHeist.

Although some people have questioned how bundles affect the software development community as a whole, and the MacHeist team has definitely used some questionable means of advertising, I still like the idea of being able to purchase a bunch of apps that I might not normally buy (or even know about) for an enticing price. If I like the apps then I will probably upgrade them in the future and even tell my friends about them. While the upgrade amount is definitely less than what a developer would have received from a regular purchase, these are apps that I probably would not have purchased under normal circumstances anyway. I don’t mean to diminish the other concerns that have been raised on this topic and I definitely think that people should support the developers of the software they like and use. But I also think that bundles such as these have a place in the software development universe.

So, go check out the MacHeist Retail Bundle and spread the word!

I love a good free web service that is actually useful. There are a lot of times that I need to send people files that are just too big for email. I have used several online services in the past (with varying results) such as DropSend, YouSendIt and senduit but none of them quite compare to Drop.io.

Drop.io calls itself “simple private exchange.” Basically it is an easy way to share files online. On the surface it’s as simple as choosing a name for your “drop” (or using the random default name provided for you) and then choosing a file to upload to your “drop.” Then all you have to do is email anyone in the world the URL to your newly created “drop” and they have access to whatever file(s) you uploaded.

However, Drop.io goes beyond simple file uploading. First of all, it allows you to configure some basic settings while creating your drop. If you want everything in your drop to stay private and you want more security than just the randomness of your chosen URL then you can set a password for your drop. With a password set, anyone who wants to view your drop must know the password to gain access. You can also select how long your drop should be available to the world. You can even select what you want other to be able to do with the contents of your drop. People can either view files, view and add files, or view, add and delete files.

But it doesn’t stop there. Once your drop has been created you are asked if you want to create an admin password. You do. This password allows you to “administrate” your drop after it has been created. In the “admin” panel you can do things like destroy the drop, change the URL, extend the life, change passwords, change the logo, or upgrade to a “premium drop” (more on that later). It also tells you how many times your drop has been viewed.

But I know what you are thinking. You are wondering, “Whatever can I add to my drop? Is it only for file uploads?” Well, no it’s not. You can add any kind of file, links, or even text (notes) to your drop. Drop.io will even help make your files/content more web-friendly by automatically create thumbnails for images, flash versions of videos, etc. It also allows you to view your drop in any of three different ways. The “Blog” view is reverse chronological order just like a blog would be (newest on top). This means you can use your drop as a simple tumblelog (people can even subscribe to your drop via RSS). You can also view your content by media type using the “Media” view. This separates your pictures from your documents, etc. Finally you have an “Interactive” view that is perfect for displaying photos as a photo gallery.

Drop.io even allows you several different ways to add content to your drop. You can always login as the administrator and add content via the drop itself. But you can also email or MMS files to your drop, you can call a special number/extension and leave a voicemail for your drop (which gets converted to an audio file), you can use the drop’s “conference call” number to talk to a group of people, or even fax documents to your drop using a special cover sheet.

Drop.io graciously gives out 100MB drops for free, but once you start adding things to your drop you may find yourself running out of space. No problem. For $10 you can upgrade your drop to a “premium” drop and get 1GB of space for one year. You can even make your drop’s URL shorter with a “premium” drop.

So, whether you are looking for a quick and easy way to get that big file to a client or you need a place for your friends to share their photos from last weekends adventures, I am sure you can find a great use for Drop.io.