Month: May 2008

Credits for the Emperor

Pull up a chair. Get comfortable. Listen carefully. Think thoughtfully.

I have a little story to tell you, a little tale to spin, a little lesson to convey.

Once upon a time there was an emperor who loved being emperor. And who loved having The Latest Thing. But he also struggled with guilt over being the emperor and over having the latest thing.

But he certainly didn’t feel so guilty as to give up his emperorship and all his stuff.

No, not that guilty.

Then along came two people with a grand solution to his dilema, at least as it concerned his clothing.

“Sir, in a kingdom not your own, many people have no clothes and little wealth. They would like to sell you some of the points they have earned for not having clothes. When you buy some of their points, you are putting on clothes (very important clothes, at that, and the latest trendy styles, too).

“When people ask why you are running around without any clothes on, just tell them you most certainly are not. Tell them you have purchased Clothing Credits. Tell them you have become Clothing Neutral. You can even tell them you have purchased Conscience Credits.

“(Tell them whatever you want. Just give us the money.)”

So that’s what he did.

And he ran around stark naked, pretending he was fully clothed.

He felt good.

And the people in his kingdom, wanting to keep their heads though he had lost his, admired his sensitivity. And his conscientiousness. And his Cutting Edge-iness. And his social consciousness. And his leadership. And his Never Mind Old-Time Common Sense.

Until a child innocently ruined it all: “Daddy, why does the emperor not have any clothes on? And why is he so proud of it? And why doesn’t anybody tell him?”

Disclaimer: I didn’t spend much time with the story concept nor with the writing thereof. Furthermore, if you think I was writing about carbon credits and being carbon neutral, I decline responsibility for the events in your head.

LifeLock Finally Loses One

For several weeks now, I’ve been meaning to sign up with LifeLock. (After all, Rush and Sean and Mike have. 🙄 )

Security Boss Tempts Fate, Pays Price

A criminal has successfully answered a security firm chief’s challenge to steal his identity — and it could be a particularly costly defeat. Todd Davis of Californian company LifeLock was so confident of his fraud prevention service that he published billboards and filmed TV adverts displaying his own social security number. (It’s 457-55-5462 in case you were wondering.)

[…]

However, Davis recently admitted that one criminal succeeded. Davis doesn’t appear to have lost out financially, but beyond the obvious corporate embarrassment, he could now pay a hefty price in civil court. Customers in at least three states are suing the company, saying that Davis should not have continued guaranteeing they’d be safe from identity theft after he knew — from personal experience, no less — that the system was fallible.

It’s not known for certain how the Texas-based hacker stole Davis’ identity, but he used his social security number to borrow $500 from an online payday loan site. Davis didn’t get the alert that LifeLock is supposed to produce because the lenders didn’t run the application through one of the three leading credit bureaus. The first he knew of it was when the firm approached him to demand repayment.

The case backs up criticism that the protection offered by firms such as LifeLock is limited. It doesn’t cover incidents such as a job applicant using a stolen social security number, or an arrested criminal using someone else’s details to keep their own identity secret.

That problem is at the heart of a separate lawsuit against LifeLock which argues the firm’s much-publicized $1 million guarantee against losses is misleading. The guarantee only covers failures in LifeLock’s service and doesn’t cover all types of identity theft, even though customers may have signed up under the impression they do.

I still plan to get LifeLock, even so.

The Vista from this View Point

Maybe XP stands for eXtra Precious?

New Study Reveals Developers Prefer XP

In a market where software developers are always looking for the cutting edge, a recent survey revealed that newer is not always better. It turns out that developers prefer writing programs for older Windows operating systems, such as XP, to the newer Vista.

[…]

In the second section, a whopping 49% of developers indicated that they wrote for XP, while only 8% focused their energies on Microsoft’s much-hyped Vista.

[…]

What this study seems to suggest is that if developers are reluctant to write for Vista, consumers should take note. An operating system that gives developers pause may indicate dark clouds on the horizon for Vista.

Before buying a new computer (Dell, Lenovo, and others), ask for XP instead of the pre-installed Vista.

Is Faith Worth It?

New Christians Face Ultimatum

A Christian family in Jharkhand, India, is facing an ultimatum from the people of their village. On May 25, Boykin Raj and his family were told to either leave Christ or leave their village.

Boykin and his family, which includes his parents and sister, are part of a church where Gospel for Asia missionary Kijor Bune ministers. They are the only Christians in their community and just recently chose to follow Jesus. But things have not been easy for them since their decision.

“Since the time they came to faith, they have been threatened constantly by their relatives as well as the villagers,” GFA’s field correspondent wrote.

When the villagers gathered together on May 25 to decide what to do with the Christians, Boykin and his family chose to trust the Lord, whatever the outcome.

“Boykin and his family resolutely told them that they would not leave their Christian faith,” the correspondent wrote, “and they were ready to pay any price.”

They ask for prayer for the family, as the police have refused to protect them in this “religious matter.”

I Agree

The Price of Oil Is Too High

Meanwhile, the world’s leading producers say oil is too expensive and they plan to increase supplies.

A source at Opec said its 13 members were uncomfortable with the current price of crude, which last week hit a record $135 a barrel.

Based on present supply and demand, he said it should be fetching $60-$70 a barrel.

May they feel less “uncomfortable” soon! 😉

A Working Toilet Is a Top Priority

“Clearly, having a working toilet is a priority for us, so some of these things that we didn’t need for the next six months or so could wait,” said payload manager Scott Higginbotham.

You really do have to prioritize. Oh, and the shuttle commander for this mission had to weigh in on the subject with an interesting play on words:

“As soon as we get a couple more spare parts that I’m sure some of you guys have heard about … we’re going to be all ready to go.”

Was that pun intentional? 😯

Sincere Whistleblowers Don’t Wait

“Well, why, all of a sudden, if he had all these grave concerns, did he not raise these sooner?”

Yeah, Scott. You tell ’em all! 🙄

Don’t Count on the Powers That Be

The powers that be, they’ve determined, will be largely powerless to stop what is to come.

If it is to come, of course it can’t be stopped. And from the same story, this jewel:

Women will always be having babies, she notes . . . .

If she’s wrong, the powers that be will be powerless. Which means they will no longer be the powers that be. In which case, women do indeed rule the planet.

Free Slurpee?

I’m wary of pranks and hoaxes — I don’t want to be gullible, you know.

So I wonder about the legitimacy of this coupon:

http://7eleven.eprize.net/guitarhero/images/coupon.gif

But neither do I want to be paranoid, so I figure I’ll test it at the Woodburn 7-11 sometime in the next month.

Meanwhile, maybe you will have an opportunity to test it sooner.

If so, tell us the results here, please.

(As a community service, you know.)

Above all, love God!