Month: June 2008

  • Adam McLane, tech dork

    As if it were not official already. Last week I totally proved my tech dorkiness repeatedly. From randomly fixing computers to picking up the new MacBook to whimsically talking about PHP code and fixing a blog. Of course, this was on top of my normal compulsions to Twitpic all over the place, post to Twitter while driving, and some other things.

    We even joked about my starting a weekly “Tech Tip from Adam” for folks looking to get a little more dorky.

    But my dorkiness was confirmed forever on Friday. Going through the security screening at San Diego I popped open my bag and pulled out 2 MacBooks and my Smartphone. The Homeland Security guy just kind of stared at me.

    It’s true, I love technology. I love gadgets. I love being connected and learning new ways to connect. I guess that means I love being a dork. Wait until July 11th when I pick up the new iPhone.

  • 2 Weekend Retail Annoyances

    Just thought I would share two annoying things that happened to us over the weekend from local retailers.

    1. Ritz Camera I’ve not been shy on Twitter about my desire to buy Kristen a killer camera. We finally decided on a lens/body package and headed over to the mall to pick it up. This wasn’t a small purchase and I expected the clerk at the store to treat it that way. What we ended up with was a gum chewing mall rat. She was very nonchalant about the whole thing and a little snobbish. I kept thinking to myself, “We’re spending more in 15 minutes than she’ll make in 2 months.” When we were checking out she repeatedly tried to upsell me. An extra couple memory cards? An extra battery? An extra lens thing? A bag? And my personal favorite… a 3 year replacement plan which costs 75% of the item! So I was annoyed already and ready to leave. Then we went to pay. And then she asked for my drivers license. I thought, “Kind of odd, but whatever.” Then she pulled our some 1995 looking binder and proceeded to start calling the bank. My blood pressure shot up as my blood boiled. We were spending some money, but not THAT MUCH money. After about five minutes of announcing to the small store all sorts of personal information like my bank account numbers, drivers license numbers, home address, phone number… you know, everything someone would need to open a credit card in my name. I was annoyed enough that I had wandered to the front of the store to calm down. Then she hung up the phone and loudly said from the back of the store, “Mr. McLane, you’ve been declined. Do you have another form of payment?” Right in that second I had to make a decision. Lose it or let it go? I chose to let it go and we left the store. The account we were drawing from had 3x’s the amount of cash needed to cover the cost… she was just a twit that couldn’t complete a simple transaction. Want my advice on buying a nice camera? Ebay. I came home, went on Ebay and got a better package deal for $200 less. Forget Ritz. They will be out of business soon anyway.
    2. There is a gas station in Romeo deserves some exposure. They’ve been running a little scam for a couple of months and it’s time someone says something. They very intentionally advertise their prices at $.10 lower than the gas station across the street. So right now the new station (with the Tim Hortons going in) is $3.99. The offending station has advertised $3.89. The trick is simple… they are actually charging $3.99 but you won’t know that until you put your card in the pump. It’s a scam. It’s stupid. And I hope they get fined for it.

    I don’t wish ill-will on anyone or any company. But I just can’t stand bad customer service or false advertising. In the end, the consumer will not be deceived. They may get a sale or two… but business in retail is about repeat business and not single transactions.

    There are a lot of businesses going out lately. The difference between winners and losers right now is obvious. And these are two companies that don’t stand a chance.

    p.s. For those whining about gas prices. Gas is over $11/gallon in Northern Ireland. And I paid $4.88 in San Diego.

  • Saturday Tunes

    Here we are with this weeks edition of the tunes. Kristen and I are holding a garage sale today. So far we’ve made about $30. So in our ample spare time, here are the next 10 tunes on tap. As always, totally random shuffle, no cheating, ratings included.

    1. Glorious One by Steve Fee *****
    2. Here With Me by Mercy Me ****
    3. Island in the Sun by Weezer *****
    4. He is the Love by David Crowder Band ****
    5. The Warrior by Patty Smith ****
    6. One Day at a Time by Jeremy Camp ****
    7. Anyone Else But You by Michael Sera & Ellen Page *****
    8. Filled With Your Glory by Starfield ****
    9. Everything Glorious by David Crowder Band *****
    10. Dirty and Left Out by The Almost ****

    Looks like some good times are ahead. What are you listening to this morning?

  • Favorite things: Internet Archive

    I thought I’d start sharing some of my favorite things. Some will be on the internet, some will be places to eat and stuff like that, and some of it will be my favorite causes.

    Let’s start here. Internet Archive

    Yes ladies and gentlemen, you can download full length movies for free. This is especially helpful for my “over 32 years old” audience who loves old movies. How it works is that once a movie goes into the public domain, Internet Archive converts it to a digital format. It’s cool for more than just movie buffs too. There is all sorts of awesome stuff available. Totally legal. Totally legit.

    At the very least, check out these 4 episodes of The Three Stooges.

  • Drag and drop world

    For those of you who like to think of the world in computer terms, you will love this. I love this style of animation!

  • Cardboard Testimonies: What is yours?

    Check out this powerful video from Hillside Christian Church in Texas.

    If you were to write your testimony on a cardboard cut-out, what would you write?

  • Newspapers are Dinosaurs

    This morning I opened my hotel room to discover today’s edition of USA Today. My first thought was, “I’ll put it on the pile next to the Monday edition” since I never opened it or ever read the headline.

    It wasn’t very long ago that I loved the newspaper. Each morning I would head to the grocery store and pick up some juice and the Chicago Tribune. I’d sit in the break room and read the entire thing from cover to cover. But picking up the paper this morning I realized that its been several years since I had done that. 

    Here are a few reasons I think the age of the newspaper is rapidly ending:

    • Newspapers are about yesterdays news in a world that demands up to the second news. 
    • Other than the “Letter to the editor” there is no way to respond to the news.
    • A blogger has nearly the same credibility as his/her local newspaper, maybe much more if they live where the news is happening. (I can attest to that)
    • People are suspicious of media sources as more and more people understand the spin that happens. 
    • Our attention spans are shorter. I remember in high school my english teacher I had “maybe” the first paragraph to win someone’s attention. Now, you better have a great headline and a picture or I’m scanning right by.
    • It’s printed on paper. Why would I want a newspaper when I can read the news on my mobile phone? Heck, I want them to start pushing the nightly news to my phone so I won’t need a TV!
    • Craigslist is killing the need or classifieds.
    • Why do they even print the weather in the paper?
    I’ve got a lot more reasons I think newspapers are headed to the land of dinosaurs. But here’s the thing. People like dinosaurs. There will always be room in our hearts for the nostalgia of the newspaper. 

    Question: Do you still get a local newspaper? If so, which one?

  • Travel Day

    It’s after breakfast in Romeo and I’m wide awake here in San Diego. (4:00 am) The last 24 hours have been a blur as I commuted about 3000 miles to work yesterday. (Going home Friday) Besides the travel I did get some stuff done yesterday and I’m looking forward to getting more settled today.

    The first thing on my mind about yesterday is that people on early morning flights are boring. I’m not one who would like to talk for 4 hours to a stranger on a plane, but at the same time both flights I took yesterday morning were nearly silent. If it weren’t for the guy in 6C asking me about switching to Mac somewhere over Arizona I wouldn’t have said a word to anyone all morning. I’m all for keeping to ones self but lets all acknowledge one another as humans, OK?

    The second thing on my mind is that I have a really cool job ahead of me. Like any job my new role as “communitymeister” has a lot of things to do which are really important and will occupy my mind for more hours than I’ll admit. But there are two different aspects of my new job that have me jazzed.

    Over the last few Sunday’s numerous people at church have asked me, “So what is this new job all about?” I’ve always translated that to “I want to know if this new job is worth losing a pastor over at my church.” And people from the greater youth ministry community have been asking me to give a little more insight into my new role as well. (One friend even asked me, “Can I see your full job description?” Um, no.) So here they are… two aspects of my new job I totally dig.

    • I get to help youth workers from all over the place. It’s awesome that folks can write or call YS and get practical help and encouragement. And it’s fun to be that first connection these new volunteers and paid staffers have to the greater community of youth workers out there. I love listening to them and helping them with a couple of pointers from my experiences in the trenches… but I really, really love pointing them to places online where they can learn my most favoritestist word in all of church leadership… “Collaboration.” There’s nothing like the moment when the light bulb goes off, “You mean I’m not the only one who has a parent issue like this?”
    • I get to help tell my friends about Youth Specialties. Literally, I’ve had one day in the office and my mind is already racing with ways I can help connect this amazing staff of people with the greater community of youth workers.

    Just like at Romeo, it’s not going to be my habit to talk about work very often on my blog. Sure I will talk about things that are going on in my life or things that I’m excited about. But my purpose in blogging has never been to expose the inner workings of my job… because lets face it, that’s boring for all of us. It’s not like I’m one of those early 2000s bloggers who would rant on and on about the inner workings of their jobs. I’ve been blogging a long time. And I have rules to follow.

    My purpose in blogging has always been to expose the inner workings of my mind. And for those brave/stupid enough to want to know all about that I suggest you subscribe to my RSS feed (or email) and get ready to laugh a lot.

  • New sidewalk

    This isn’t the greatest picture, but it does show something very cool here at la casa de McLane. Our front walkway was a bit of a hazard. The concrete had shifted and was more of a hill than a nice entry point. 

    Well, some friends from church came over and hooked us up. I got to be the “unskilled labor” and mix concrete while they expertly poured us a new sidewalk. It looks 1000 times better now. Looks better and is safer… I only wish we’d done it before. 

    Last night I took Stoney (our 4 year old yellow lab) for a walk. Since I had our walkway on my mind I started noticing that we were one of the few houses in our neighborhood making improvements. It could be that people just haven’t started yet… but it could also be that people just aren’t going to be making many improvements in 2008. 

    Speaking of the house. Here’s our listing. 

  • How Safe are Mobile Phones?

    It seems like we all have one attached to our ears. Check this video out and think about this… is that thing really safe?

    HT to Seth