Category: techno

Duncan McFadzean talks about micro-financing

I’m editing and listening to the next Something Beautiful Podcast – version 1.10!

Version 1.10 is a great interview that Thomas did with Duncan McFadzean who’s wrapping up his career in the secular finance world to head a start-up ministry – Seven Men. The ministry is based around micro-financing and supporting the marginalized.

From the Seven Men site:

Seven Men Limited is a new vehicle created to launch, invest in, and nurture small businesses for the purpose of bringing freedom, justice and restoration to the city of Edinburgh and around the world.

By launching a series of businesses across a range of sectors, Seven Men Limited will seek to create a sustainable flow of profits that can be used for good.

Great stuff! Thanks to Thomas for getting the interview and sharing Duncan’s story with us.

While surfing Duncan’s site I was also intrigued by his page “Understandings.” Probably the best way to describe the page is a “statement of faith.” Looking over the page I love the ways hes worded his beliefs and written them in a great manor. I may have to sit down and write a similar page…

Today actually marks Duncan’s last day at the Bank of Scottland – so have a listen to the podcast and then drop by his site and wish him luck on his new ministry and outreach.

Interesting too that this podcast will go live the same day I twittered this:

related ::
something beautiful podcast
duncan mcfadzean’s blog
seven men
wikipedia :: microfinance
my twitter feed

An IT communication breakdown

Here’s the situation….

Person X in our office asks Artist X to design a product.
Artist X uses Illustrator CS3 (v13) to design the graphics for the product.
Artist X sends the design file to Person X who then forwards the file to Print Shop X (the printer/manufacturer).
Print Shop X is still using Illustrator 10 (how they stay in business I don’t know).
As you might have guessed, Illustrator 10 will not open the newer CS3 files.
Person X then tries to find someone in our office with Illustrator 10 so they can try to open the CS3 file.

If you followed that – here’s where the breakdown occurs… if Illustrator 10 won’t open an Illustrator CS3 file at one office – why would it open it at another office?

The key to the solution is – open the file in the original CS3 and save it as an Illustrator 10 file instead of the default CS3 file.

Then everyone can be happy again.

So for the two of you who followed that – thanks for letting me vent. 🙂

Related::
Adobe Illustrator CS3
Tech Note :: Unable to export CS2 or CS3 file to previous Illustrator version
Tech Note :: Unable to save CS to previous Illustrator version

Monday Morning

A quick and dirty post before I head out today.

I’ll be attending the Texas Technology Forum in Arlington today. Anyone else going?

I plan to Twitter the event – so if you’re interested you can follow along at www.twitter.com/jdblundell. That also means that if you’re not interested in the event or technology or local government and technology – my Twitter feed may be a bore for you today. Sorry. 🙂

I may also see if I can find some Arlington Geocaches if we get some good breaks and such during the day.

Also, Rick Warren scored a big forum event with both Barak Obama and John McCain. The mega-church pastor and author of The Purpose Driven Church will hold a one hour interview with both men (I wonder which candidate will be the first to come on the Something Beautiful Podcast :-)).

Watch the story from CNN (HT: Monday Morning Insight)

Well I need to find a post office that’s open this early in the morn (geeze – they’re never open on my schedule) and then head to the conference.

Have a great day. Let me know in the comment section what you’re up to and/or reading today.

Twittering in the Old Testament

Thanks to @chadcrawford and @just_pete.

Appears both the prophet Isaiah and the Psalmist both Twittered way back in the day:

Psalm 102 (MSG)

I’m wasting away to nothing,
I’m burning up with fever.
I’m a ghost of my former self,
half-consumed already by terminal illness.
My jaws ache from gritting my teeth;
I’m nothing but skin and bones.
I’m like a buzzard in the desert,
a crow perched on the rubble.
Insomniac, I twitter away,
mournful as a sparrow in the gutter.

Isaiah 38 (NASB)

Like a swallow, like a crane, so I twitter;
I moan like a dove;
My eyes look wistfully to the heights;
O Lord, I am oppressed, be my security.

Related ::
twitter
biblegateway.com

encounter goes living room

Yesterday we had a different Sunday morning experience for encounter. Rather than gathering at the Civic Center, we met in 10 different homes around Ellis County. Each group was given a DVD (video below) and the DVDs were followed up with some discussion questions.

We had a great time yesterday morning!

I keep hearing more and more reports from folks who said they really enjoyed their get togethers which came in all sizes. I think the smallest group was 4 or 5 and the largest group had over 20. At least 100 people participated in encounter goes living room and I think everyone who participated was impacted in some way.

For those of you who missed out… or would just like to watch it again… here’s the video from the DVD we watched ::


encounter goes living room from Jonathan Blundell on Vimeo.

Along with the video, each group discussed the following questions ::

  • what would the experience of church be like if it was less like a presentation, building, or club and more like a spiritual home of people each living to fully serve Christ and others?
  • what would it take for people to get to that level of understanding and living?
  • what would difference would it make to people far from God if the church had the feel of a spiritual home?
  • what difference will these truths mean for you?

For those who couldn’t make it – feel free to watch the video, read the questions and share your own answers and thoughts.

Thanks again to all the host homes and leaders who made yesterday possible! You all did a great job!