Kicking at the Darkness: www.MichealFelker.com

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Wed
31
May '06

A Bottle of Shasta and My All RUSH Mix Tape

One of my friends happens to be huge Rush fan. Huge. Rush. Fan.

While we loaded up the moving truck he threw some Rush tunes on the CD player and proceeded to freak out all the old people in the neighborhood with Getty Lee’s high falsetto voice. I have always thought that they were an ok band. Of course they’re no U2 but, they’re ok. I’ll admit though that I was rockin’ out pretty heavy while moving all those boxes.

Once we moved in, I went over to Best Buy and picked up the R30 DVD concert set. Not only is this a great concert but the set also comes with a 2 disc CD of the audio of the concert. Score! The set also contains a patch and two guitar picks.

Rush is fully alive in concert. You have to check them out! Their huge sound is overwhelming. I think I’m being won over.

Tue
30
May '06

Moved

Well, we have officially moved into our new home. A big thank you to everyone who helped load and unload our truck. We couldn’t have done it with out you. The move went smoothely except that I lost my cell phone. Argh! Other than that it went very well and very quickly. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.

Peace,
Micheal

Tue
23
May '06

Things I Go Geek For

I am a minister, a technophile, and a Mac user so naturally I have the premiere Bible software available for the Mac (read: only Bible software available for the Mac), Accordance.

My wife can’t understand why I get so excited about this stuff. When she asked me what I wanted for my 24th birthday I didn’t hesitate. “Oooooh, can I please get this really awesome Bible software,” I said enthusiastically. After she relized that I wasn’t kidding, she looked real disappointed that I asked for something so practical. However, that April she bought me the Library 6 collection and I have since added a module here or there. In fact I added a level this past weekend. I installed the new Personal Growth Suite by Zondervan. The suite includes the TNIV Bible and quite a few tools for Bible study (Discipleship, Fruits of the Spirit, and Men/Women of the Bible studies).

I love Accardance. I have roughly twenty Bibles at my fingertips, not to mention all the comentaries, Greek lexicons, and historical texts a guy could ask for. The program really has hellped me become a better lover of scripture. Someday, I’ll get the Essential IVP Reference Collection. Right now though I’m excited about the next official update.

Library 7 is a few weeks away from being released. The official blog has been posting some screencaps and secret goodies to whet our appetites. For the one or two of you who care, check out the new features.

Accordance Bible Software: Something I Go Geek Over

Mon
22
May '06

The RIAA is on a Roll

I have never made my feelings for the Recording Industry Association of America a secret. I have always been pretty honest with my belief that the record execs do not have the public’s best interests at heart. We have seen their true colors through the recent payola scandals and their squabbles over the 99 cent price point for the iTunes music store.

This morning I received the following email from XM Radio.

Everything we’ve done at XM since our first minute on the air is about giving you more choices. We provide more channels and music programming than any other network. We play all the music you want to hear including the artists you want to hear but can’t find on traditional FM radio. And we offer the best radios with the features you want for your cars, homes, and all places in between.

We’ve developed new radios — the Inno, Helix and NeXus — that take innovation to the next level in a totally legal way. Like TiVo, these devices give you the ability to enjoy the sports, talk and music programming whenever you want. And because they are portable, you can enjoy XM wherever you want.

The music industry wants to stop your ability to choose when and where you can listen. Their lawyers have filed a meritless lawsuit to try and stop you from enjoying these radios.

They don’t get it. These devices are clearly legal. Consumers have enjoyed the right to tape off the air for their personal use for decades, from reel-to-reel and the cassette to the VCR and TiVo.

Our new radios complement download services, they don’t replace them. If you want a copy of a song to transfer to other players or burn onto CDs, we make it easy for you to buy them through XM + Napster.

Satellite radio subscribers like you are law-abiding music consumers; a portion of your subscriber fee pays royalties directly to artists. Instead of going after pirates who don’t pay a cent, the record labels are attacking the radios used for the enjoyment of music by consumers like you. It’s misguided and wrong.

We will vigorously defend these radios and your right to enjoy them in court and before Congress, and we expect to win.

Thank you for your support.

I heard rumblings about this lawsuit over the weekend but didn’t think much about it at the time. Now, the more I think about it the more frustrated I get.

It isn’t that I am against the RIAA. I am not rooting for piracy or for blatant disregard for the artists. No, what I am for is an industry that seeks innovation and creativity instead of complaints and lawsuits. The RIAA has circled the wagons and has been fighting technology instead of working with it for the better part of a decade now. True, the industry was hemorrhaging money due to online piracy. However, instead of looking for innovative ways to meet the demand for online music they went looking for lawyers and congressman to haul the offenders in front of the public in order to scare us into submitting to their old form. While the music industry was in court, tech companies were we busy in the labs creating. They created the iPod and the iTunes store. These products changed the listening habits of music fans all over the world. The RIAA was begging and pleading to be a part of iTunes. That is until they wanted a bigger slice. Today is no different.

It’s the same old song and dance: An innovated product and company that will allow consumers to get the music they want when the want it is being sued by the RIAA.

I am incensed by this industry embracing litigation over innovation. Get your heads out of the sand: Music on demand is here to stay. Like it or not. The RIAA has two choices. They can keep suing and complaining and crying and wasting tax dollars through litigation or they can begin to look ahead to the future through creative marketing and innovated products and begin to be on the forefront of technology. The industry could look like a stallion: Muscular, strong, beautiful, and running at full stride. Instead, they look more like a little kindergartner on the playground screaming at the top of his lungs to the 12th graders:

“Stop! I can’t keep up. Teacher! They won’t stop! I’m telling! Please, stop!”

Pathetic.

Google News
FOX News
Bit-tech.net

Fri
19
May '06

Guilty Pleasure of the Week

All right, I have a confession to make.

For the past few weeks I have been causing quite a stir at the bookstores that I frequent. I haven’t been doing anything destructive or mean-spirited. Nothing like that. It’s just…well…

I’ve been asking the sales people if they have ever heard of some book called The DaVinci Code.

Sometimes I’ve asked them this while standing near the giant pro-DaVinci/anti-DaVinci sales displays. And to be honest, I never get tired of the looks that people give me. Sometimes I let on that I’m kidding and sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I just act fascinated by the number of different books at the tables.

I’ve done this at Books-a-Million, Barns and Noble, Borders, Lifeway, and Family Christian.

I can probably only get away with this for a few more days. It’s been quite a ride.

'

State of the Blog

My fellow Bloggians,

We are entering into a time of change and transition here at Kicking at the Darkness. This past Wednesday, we sold our house and we are, right now, on our way to purchase a new one. We will begin moving a week from today. A week from this coming Thursday I will begin my new position as a youth minister in the Dallas/ Ft Worth area. Things have progressed very quickly and we only have God to thank. The entire process from begining to end has been blanketed in prayer and the Lord has been faithful. At no time have we felt any anxiety about moving or selling our house or purchasing a new one. It has been as if everything has already been taken care of. Praise God.

Kicking at the Darkness has been a wonderful escape (ess-CA-pe) and hobby for me over the past year. It has allowed me to connect with people all over the world and work on my writing and web skills. Although I am long way from being the next Thomas Friedman or Malcolm Gladwell, I have enjoyed this space on Web 2.0 immensely.

Over the next few weeks thare will be some subtle changes to the blog that I think will help enhance our time together. First, I will begin posting a Micheal Recommends section under both the On My Desk and On My iPod tabs. I will be writing about the books and albums that have made big differences in my life. I have a bit of an ecclectic taste so hopefully you can find something that you can connect with. Maybe we could even start on online reading cohort. Maybe? Secondly, I will finally update my links page and the about page. Thirdly, we are going to just plain have fun.

Thank you for spending time with me here.

Peace,
Micheal

'

Irish Hospitality?

Bono, lead singer for U2, gave the president an iPod and the book “The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language” by Eugene H. Peterson valued at $440.

Bono, who has met with Bush at the White House, has campaigned for erasing the debts of poor countries to help fight poverty.

link

Mon
15
May '06

(RED) Hot


'

Nobody Knows Where They Might End Up

The last two minutes of last night’s Grey’s Anatomy were the best two minutes on television all season.

Here’s a quick recap:

Izzie lost her ever lovin’ mind!
George’s new haircut is still goofy.
Mrs. Dr. Shephard played the fool in front on the entire hospital.
Christina was upset about something (shocker)
Dr. McDreamy and Merideth’s dog, Doc, is dying.

but the big shocker was that…
Burke got shot and he’s the only one who can save Izzie’s boyfriend who she killed so that the boyfriend could get the new heart that Burke went to pick up at Mercy West!

Wow. Did I mention that Izzie went off the deep end?

Catch the 2hr Finale tonight on ABC.

Fri
12
May '06

Meet the New Boss… Update

Meet the New Boss… Same as the old boss!

In Daughtry, America had the opportunity to choose distinctiveness, confidence and cool. Instead, it chose bland and boring.

My personal opinion on this whole American Idol phenom can be summed up from one of my top 10 favorite movies. In Almost Famous, Lester Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman) warns young William that the people who manipulate popular opinion of music don’t care about anything but money and that “they will ruin Rock ‘n Roll and strangle everything we love about it. They are trying to buy respectability for a form that is gloriously and righteously dumb. And the day that it ceases to be dumb is the day that it ceases to be real. Right? And then it just becomes an… industry of cool. This is a very dangerous time for rock ‘n roll. They won. The war is over. I mean 99% of what passes for music today… Silence is more compelling.

Quit watching American Karaoke American Idol people!!! For a great education on real music check out the following…

The Theme Time Radio Hour w/ Bob Dylan
iTunes School of Rock: Lesson 1- Roots and Blues (iTunes Only)
Roots of Rock ‘n Roll Study Guide (iTunes Only)

'

No Commentary Today, Just Read

A girl is to become Britain’s youngest mother after becoming pregnant at 11.

The girl smokes 20 cigarettes a day despite being eight months’ pregnant. She conceived aged 11 when she lost her virginity to a boy of 15 on a drunken night out with friends.

The 15-year-old has since been charged with rape by police, and is due to appear again at Edinburgh sheriff court on July 10.

Her 34-year-old mother, who gave birth to her youngest child eight months ago, said she was ‘proud’ of her daughter.

She will be 12 years and 8 months when she has the child next month. Jenny Teague, Britain’s youngest mother until now, was a month older when she gave birth in 1997.

The youngster, who lives near Edinburgh, says looking after her younger brothers has prepared her for motherhood.

But the girl admits she “panics and cries” when babies are unwell and does not feel able to bathe them.

The mother-to-be, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had unprotected sex with the teenage boy, who also cannot be identified, while drunk last August.

She told the Sun: “I didn’t think I’d get pregnant because it was my first time. But I’m really excited and looking forward to being a mum.

“I can’t wait to take the baby swimming and out for walks in the pram. I think I’ll be able to cope as I’ve had lots of practice looking after my brothers. I know how to feed a baby its bottle and I can change nappies. But I panic and cry if they’re sick and I don’t like giving them a bath because I’m a bit frightened. It’s good to know I’ll have my mum here to help me if I need her.”

Concerned she might be pregnant, the girl visited a GP three times but tests proved negative. She learned the truth after buying a home-testing kit from a supermarket.

After the device displayed two blue lines, indicating she was pregnant, she pleaded with a female relative to break the news to her mother. The girl, who has been suspended from her first year of secondary school for fighting, said: “I was paranoid about what my mum was going to say and just frightened about being pregnant too.

I knew straight away that I couldn’t have an abortion because that’s something I don’t believe in. I was upset and so was my mum, especially as she’d just had my wee brother. We had a big argument and I ended up locking myself in my room and running away to a friend’s. It was really hard but it’s brought me and my mum closer, which is good. I knew my mum would stand by me no matter what, but I told her straight away I was going to keep the baby. The social worker suggested I got rid of it but I’d never do that.”

The girl, who has shoulder-length dark hair, began smoking at nine and started drinking tonic wine and vodka cocktails at ten. She claimed her cigarette habit was not harming the health of her unborn child.

She said: “I can give up smoking at any time, but I don’t find it affects my pregnancy.”

The girl, whose parents split up several years ago, said she would like a baby boy - and may call him Leo.

She is currently being educated at a local community centre but knows she must return to school.

She told the Sun: “My mum has said she will look after the baby so I can go to school. I don’t know what I want to do with my life when I leave. I used to want to be a nursery nurse, but now I’m not so sure.”

Her mum said: “I’m not ashamed of my daughter at all - in fact, I’m proud of her for keeping the baby. I know she’s worried what other people will say but she can walk out there with her head held high. At first I wasn’t too happy about becoming a gran. But now I’m used to the idea. I’m really looking forward to having another baby in the house.”

link

Wed
10
May '06

As It Stands Today, Microsoft Wins

I believe that a death blow was dealt yesterday in the battle between Microsoft and Sony for hearts, minds, and opposable thumbs of the world’s gaming community. Microsoft came out hard last holiday season weilding its brand new weapon, XBOX 360. Sony faltered and delayed the release of the much anticipated Playstation 3 until later this year. Sony had been the clear champion with the PS2 and was poised to again soundly trumb the XBOX with their upcoming console.

That is until yesterday when Sony came out and cut its own head off.

Sony Computer Entertainment’s PlayStation 3 will be the most expensive game system on the market when it debuts Nov. 17 in North America.

The much anticipated video game console will sell for $499 for a system that has a 20-gigabyte hard drive or $599 for a system with three times the storage, the company said at a news conference Monday night. Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox 360 starts at $299.

I will tell you what I am not. I am not a gaming expert. I will never have a show on G4 and I will never win any awards for my gaming abilities.

However, I am a male, age 18-34, who derives a good deal of pleasure from playing video games during some of my free time. I am your average video game player. I was born during the heyday of the arcade, played Pitfall with my dad on our Atari, grew up with my little grey friend the NES, played too much Goldeneye in college, got married and fell in love with my PS2.

The Playstation 3’s price point is astronomically high. Let’s say you buy the basic PS3 and one game. You are out $560. That’s without tax. I live in a city that has a 10% sales tax. That would bring the price for a basic system and one game to $616. I think I threw up in my mouth a little.

I predict that come this November, Microsoft will drop the price of the XBOX 360 for holiday shoppers and the battle will be over. Even something as small as a $50 dollar price cut would entice more mothers and fathers to choose the XBOX over the PS3.

Sony, you priced yourselves right out of the game.

link

Tue
9
May '06

A Change of Perspective

Dill: I think I’ll be a clown when I get grown. Yes sir, a clown. There ain’t one thing in this world I can do about folks except laugh, so I’m gonna join the circus and laugh my head off.
Jem: You got it backwards, Dill. Clowns are sad; it’s folks that laugh at them.
Dill: Well I’m gonna be a new kinda clown. I’m gonna stand in the middle of the ring and laugh at folks.

Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird has had a profound influence on me since the first time that I read it. I remember wanting to be as good of a man as Atticus Finch was: A man who stood up for those who are forced to sit down. However, I often find myself more like Dill, throwing my hands up in the air and making a cynical comment about life.

As I have prepared to move I have been thinking about the pain and frustrations, joys and triumphs, great people and the not-so great, patterns of conflicts, organizational habits and overal ministry ethos that I have experienced in my first full time ministry. What am I going to take with me to Texas?

No doubt I will take the memories of the students who have shared their lives with me but what else will make that 10hr journey?

I Corinthians 9:24-27
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

In the long marathon that is ministry the wisdom, resolve, discernment, and courage of someone like Atticus Finch will keep you in the race. Dill’s cynasism in a recipe for burnout.

Mon
8
May '06

Beatles’ Apple Corps loses trademark suit against Apple Computer’s iTunes

I had no doubt.

LONDON (AP) — Apple Computer (AAPL) is entitled to use the apple logo on its iTunes Music Store, a judge ruled Monday, rejecting a suit filed by Apple Corps, the guardian of the Beatles’ commercial interests.
Apple Corps, which contended that the U.S. company had broken a 1991 agreement in which each side agreed not to enter into the other’s field of business, said it would appeal.

Judge Edward Mann ruled that Apple Computer used the fruit logo in association with the store, not the music, and thus did not breach the agreement.

“I conclude that the use of the apple logo … does not suggest a relevant connection with the creative work,” Mann said in his written judgment. “I think that the use of the apple logo is a fair and reasonable use of the mark in connection with the service, which does not go further and unfairly or unreasonably suggest an additional association with the creative works themselves.”

link

Sat
6
May '06

Public Service Announcement

This Just In…

I just found out that the David Crowder Band is releasing a companion album to A Collision. This offering is titled B Collision and it looks to be an acoustic version of A.

The album will collide with your ear drums on June 27th. Until then, you can get aquainted with the David Crowder Band through the following recordings. Enjoy.

David Crowder Band
Can You Hear Us?
Illuminate
A Collision

Passion
Hymns: Ancient and Modern
Everything Glorious

Off the Beaten Path
Sunsets and Sushi