Bless the High-tech churches

For they know exactly what they are doing:

Last year, churches spent $8.1 billion on audio and projection equipment, according to Texas-based TFCinfo, an audiovisual market research firm. Today, 80 percent of churches integrate elaborate video and audio systems as well as an array of online materials into their worship services, and at least a dozen magazines cater to the high-tech pious.

Like ordinary businesses we can expect cults and scam artists to try to maximize their take utilizing available tools.


Do You Love These Google Services Enough?

This fellow thinks there are at least 10 Google services that you do not love enough.
The good news: there are some excellent tools on the list. For instance, I’ve been using Google Alerts (#9 on the list) for a few years now with regular useful results.
The bad news: there is no mention of the criteria the list maker used. I suspect he wanted to make a list of 10 items.
Via The Presurfer.


Just Say No!

It is time for congress to just say no to the misadministration’s request:

The Bush administration has earlier this year said it would need $147.5 billion for fiscal 2008, but the estimates have been raised by another $47 billion. This request is in addition to the Pentagon’s nearly half-trillion annual budget, which omits war spending but covers routine costs, including training, payrolls and weapons procurement.

If congress doesn’t do its job then, as we fire the congress critters, we should petition the bushies Chinese financiers to put an end to the waste.


Friday Ark #157

We’ll post links to sites that have Friday (plus or minus a few days) photos of their chosen animals (photoshops at our discretion and humans only in supporting roles). Watch the Exception category for rocks, beer, coffee cups, and….?

Visit all the boarders, Link to the Ark and check back for updates through Sunday afternoon!

You can find out how to board the Friday Ark at the Arkive page.

Cats

Invertebrates

Other Vertebrates

Birds

Dogs

In Memoriam

Didn’t Make It

  • x

Exceptions (inclusion not guaranteed)

  • x

Extra, Extra: All Ark boarders are invited to shout out at the Friday Ark Frapper Map.

Dog folks: remember to submit your links to the Carnival of the Dogs hosted by Mickey’s Musings. Also, there are more doggies at Weekend Dog Blogging hosted this weekend by Sweetnicks.

Cat folks: remember to submit your links to the Carnival of the Cats which goes up every Sunday and the 182nd edition, 9/16, is up at The House of (Mostly) Black Cats . The 183rd edition will be hosted on 9/23 by This that and The Other Thing. There are more weekly cats at Weekend Cat Blogging #120 hosted on 9/22-23 by A Byootaful Life. Do go shout out at The Catbloggers Frappr Map.

Birders: I and the Bird: A Blog Carnival for Bird Lovers is published every 2 weeks. The 58th edition is up and hosted by The Nightjar. The 59th edition will be hosted on 10/4 by the Naturalist Notebook.

For the spineless: Circus of the Spineless. A monthly celebration of Insects, Arachnids, Molluscs, Crustaceans, Worms and most anything else that wiggles. The 24th edition is up and hosted by Naturalist Notebook. The 25th edition will be hosted at the end of September by The annotated budak.

For other current carnivals check out The Blog Carnival and The TTLB Uber Carnival

Note for Haloscan Users:

Over the past month or so Haloscan started (the end of July) handling of trackbacks has improved though it is still pretty broken for carnival type posts. Now, instead of rejecting every attempt to ping it accepts single pings for a while and then will start rejecting them. I will keep trying to track back to Haloscan boarders but can make no guarantees for any particular week.

Note for Typepad Users:

Typepad continues to behave similar to Haloscan for trackbacks. I been able to get trackbacks to most, if not all, Typepad based boarders. I have to do it one at a time and wait a while in between pings but Typepad does not go into semi-permanent rejection mode like Haloscan.