According to their recent testing  “we can’t recommend the iPhone 4” because of the issues with the reception and the potential dropped calls… sure we know Apple tried to blame a flaw in the algorithm, but seriously why didn’t they just take the MAcGyver approach and fix it with duct tape…. see the video below on how you can fix your iphone 4 with duct tape..

now 1,000,001 ways duct tape saves the day!..

Windows has long been an “also ran” in the Ruby community… but no more! With a proper setup, Windows is a robust and stable platform for Ruby development and Tim will guide us through a live install of Ruby, Rubygems, and some popular gems. In addition, Windows IDEs (integrated development environments) will be covered. Wrapping up, we’ll put our new Ruby environment to the test developing a simple Rails application.

Whether you’re a one-person-shop, a full-service IT department or a managed service provider – Spiceworks 4.5 has you covered. Our 17th release in just 3 years, 4.5 delivers a slew of new and improved features that’ll increase speed and performance (up to 40% faster in IE 7 & 8!), deliver more robust multi-site support and security…and more!

* Access secure HTTPS/SSL Support for Multiple Networks
* Schedule customizable & controllable network scans
* Automate and organize your help desk with routing & queueing
* Use Spiceworks in more than 11 different languages such as: Deutsch, Español, Francais, Italiano, Portugues do Brasil, and more.
* Monitor your SQL Servers round the clock
* Create customizable and editable network maps

See all the ways you can use Spiceworks to simplify your IT day.

He talked about “… You know Virus’s.  We recognize them by their symptoms.  Take the common cold.  We treat symptoms rather than attacking the source, which often masks itself as remain ever illusive!..”

but what is a virus?
“a software program capable of reproducing itself and usually capable of causing great harm ”

Ok i get it.. reproduction of something.. like my sin.. falling over and over again..

“…causing great harm…” YEA…. sin does that.. whether we like it or not… sin does cause great harm..

let’s take it a bit further..

Computer viruses do not arise spontaneously; they are made, intentionally by people and then turned loose on computer users via the internet/shared networks and THUMB drive (cough cough)..

so can SIN be created intentionally?
Matt 18:7 (International Standard Version)
How terrible it will be for the world due to its temptations to sin! Temptations to sin are bound to happen, but how terrible it will be for that person who causes someone to sin!

can it be imposed/turned loose on others?
Matt 5:28 tells us.. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery WITH HER in his heart…

can sin spread?
Rom 5:12
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned

ok so this isn’t looking good for us!!!! Now how about them WMVD’s..
if I was as good at combating SIN as I am at computer infections this section of my thoughts would be a breeze but let me try to apply the same troubleshooting

Step 1: detection.. do I really have sin in my life..? where is it?
Well we can do like Job did and just ask…or keep digging…
Job 13:23 (NIV) How many wrongs and sins have I committed? Show me my offense and my sin.
1 john 1:8 If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth.

Step 2: acknowledgement.. then what types of sins? We know the 7 “deadly ones” but what about the rest.. sins of the flesh, spirit, against neighbors..
Psalm 79:4 We are objects of reproach to our neighbors, of scorn and derision to those around us.
1 John 1:10 If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts

Step 3: confession.. well yeah! i know I got them so let’s get the out in the open
James 5:16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.
Daniel-9: 4-5 4 I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: “O Lord, you are a great and awesome God! You always fulfill your promises of unfailing love to those who love you and keep your commands. 5 But we have sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled against you and scorned your commands and regulations.

Step 4: eradication.. (virus removal)
1 John 3:9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.
John 5:14 Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.”
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Step 5: protection..like a good antivirus program
1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it…
John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
John 17:15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.
2 Thessalonians 3:3
But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.

So there are many ways we can find the virus (sin) in our life.. and God shows us there are ways to protect us from them… in all Jesus is the ultimate ANTI-Virus.. for our sins….

This slidedeck will help explain what Spiceworks is .. a nutshell.. it’s the best free way to monitor your network.. we have over 8 offices/subnets over 200 devices and 1500+ software apps that SpiceWorks manages..i also used SpiceWorks to help with our Security Controls for Federal Information Systems Accreditation process for  NITS 800-53,

oh best of all IT’S FREE

However I’m heading out on a mission trip this week with 27 people from our church and I wanted to allow certain people to post entries without all the baloney of the laptops, internet, etc.. The built-in wordpress plugin limited me to just one user, and I wanted to have multiple users post to the blog since there are a bunch of us going on this trip. I also wanted to insure that not just anyone could post incase somehow the posting email address got spammed.

I came across the Postie Plugin http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/postie/

There are many features this plugin offers.. like the ability to add images to posts as well as video.

But the best feature was the limiting of posting by email addresses.. this would cover the spammers as well as only allowing certain people to post..

The 1st test was successful… and now I’m testing the ability to add images, links and filtering out email footers

Although they may have missed the boat since Anthony Coppedge has been bolgging about it for a while now at http://twitterforchurches.com

Should we be twittering in church? Is this the new way to connect to the congregation? What are your thoughts?

Please take some time to read my 1st post on Casting Vision & Growing Teams and leave a comment so I know you stopped by.. God Bless..

CTM was founded in October of 2004 as the weblog of Jim Walton. Over time, the site grew to become a valuable resource for both church staff and volunteers, looking at both technical and non-technical topics. Church Tech Matters has been the generous outflow of Jim’s experience, passion and observations as he has served as a volunteer technical leader in 2 churches, as well as a consultant to churches seeking to use technology effectively.

After four years of outreach and growth, Jim has opened the doors of Church Tech Matters, to broaden the site’s reach, and increase its effectiveness. Jim is now leading a core team of dedicated, talented and passionate tech volunteers from around the world as they write about their experiences and reach out to an even larger audience.

The site’s purpose remains unchanged: To equip the church to effectively use technology to reach people for Christ. What changes is how that purpose will be realized. Church Tech Matters is now a site dedicated to church tech volunteers, written by church tech volunteers, and the people who lead them.

Please join us as we begin this next chapter of the journey Church Tech Matters. New features and resources are on the way, as we seek to build a community for the volunteers who make technology in the church sing. The newest addition to the site is a forum, a place for you to ask questions, answer questions, interact with the Church Tech Matters authors and more.

Jim’s involvement with Church Tech Matters continues, but he has stepped back and let go of the reins, so to speak, to allow this site to become more than it ever has been.

You’re invited to join this experiment, by subscribing via RSS, or via Email. You should also join the site forum at http://forum.churchtechmatters.com/. You can also join the CTM Facebook group, our LinkedIn group (coming soon) or follow us on Twitter @church_tech.

Please join us as we kick off this site for church tech volunteers written by church tech volunteers.

Once the DTV transition is completed, some television channels will be turned over to fire and police departments for emergency communication and others are being auctioned to companies to provide new wireless services.

The guys over at Sweet Water have done an outstanding job putting together some great info and resources on the DTV/ Wireless transition.

2009 will bring big changes to the way some wireless systems operate.

If you need assistance or have questions check out Sweet Water’s site for more info…

Find local TV and radio stations wireless towers in your area ; check out the antenna locator