Livin' the life...

"Torres ends Spain's long wait for glory"

That's the headline of the official Euro 2008 UEFA website! Below is a photo of the Liverpool striker who sealed the deal for Spain and in doing so, earned a well-deserved Man-of-the-Match award.

In general, I must say that Germany didn't play well, only a few of their players shone in that final. Whereas in Spain, everyone seemed to turn up, fully ready to end their 44 -year award-drought. Regarding Germany, from what I've heard they didn't "deserve" to be in the final anyway! However I'm just glad that on the day the better team one.

Congrats Espana! Woohoo!

Read more on the Euro final at the following sites: UEFA Euro 2008, Yahoo! Sports and ESPN Soccernet. And see these links for photos: UEFA and Yahoo!.

Every time I look back
And every time I think back
On all the stuff I've been through
I've prayed through I cried through
And then I tried you and just
When I was about to fall
Your love caught me when your name I called
Jesus you keep on lookin' out for me!

Those are the some of the lyrics from a rather popular song by gospel artist Kirk Franklin called Lookin' Out For Me. The reason I've included them in the preamble to this TFTW is because I think it's extremely important for us to remember that Jesus is looking out for us, in whatever situation we manage to entangle ourselves, and wherever we venture on this little earth.

To give you a brief true story of my experience with this fact, I recall when I started my current course in jolly ol' England. For the first few months, it was a bit testing academic-wise, but it was especially testing at times, because this course is very individual- as opposed to group- or class-based. The tough time here was getting used to working largely alone and in a climate where I didn't know anyone, and there were NO Bajan (Barbadian), furthermore Caribbean people in sight! As one can imagine, this also meant that I had some serious work to do if there was to be any hope for Christian fellowship.

That is until one rosy day, I heard a familiar accent, from behind me in a university-held seminar. To be honest, until that moment, I really did not know or readily accept, that Bajans had "an accent"! Anyway, through that lovely lady, I met another lovely lady and from her, I met a few other lovely people. Now, I'm sure you're wondering, what's the link with Christianity, how is Jesus involved? Well, it turns out that those two initial ladies are Christians, and us three regularly meet and for casual discussion which usually entails chats about Christianity and other relevant and related issues.

To be honest, it's great! And whenever I think about it all I can do is smile (). To meet people: (a) from Barbados; (b) who share the faith; and (c) who are actually doing the same course (different fields of study though) and have been here for a bit so can "show me the ropes" whenever need be.

Now tell me, considering that reality, can't I shout to the top of my lungs,

JESUS YOU KEEP ON LOOKIN' OUT FOR ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have a great week all! And of course, "Me" really means "Us", I just wanted to keep Kirk's line. :-)

PS. This post is dedicated to those two ladies, you both know who you are and I IMAGINE you know that I appreciate you.

For a few hours today I've been fighting with a java problem so in the interest of goodwill I've documented it and the solution below. I think for someone new to java (or someone who hasn't used it in ages aka me) this will be rather useful.

The problem: I wanted to run a Java file 'he.java', which is in a Java package (and Windows directory) called 'her'. Below you can see that when I compiled everything went fine, however when I tried to run the file that became somewhat of a problem! ..

R:\tech\her>javac he.java
R:\tech\her>java he
Exception in thread "main" java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: he (wrong name: her/he)
        at java.lang.ClassLoader.defineClass1(Native Method)
        at java.lang.ClassLoader.defineClass(Unknown Source)
        at java.security.SecureClassLoader.defineClass(Unknown Source)
        at java.net.URLClassLoader.defineClass(Unknown Source)
        at java.net.URLClassLoader.access$000(Unknown Source)
        at java.net.URLClassLoader$1.run(Unknown Source)
        at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method)
        at java.net.URLClassLoader.findClass(Unknown Source)
        at java.lang.ClassLoader.loadClass(Unknown Source)
        at sun.misc.Launcher$AppClassLoader.loadClass(Unknown Source)
        at java.lang.ClassLoader.loadClass(Unknown Source)
        at java.lang.ClassLoader.loadClassInternal(Unknown Source)

The solution:
1. Because of the package the command will actually be "java her.he"
2. With that command alone, Java will look for "her.he.class" in "her" directory. However, because you are already in the "her" directory, you'll likely get the same error again, so you need to go up a directory i.e. "cd .."
3. Now try "java her.he"
R:\tech\>java he
Hello Jason!

I thank this article for enlightening me on this exception. It also has more detail, therefore I recommend it if you're interested.

The saturated fat "binge culture" enjoyed by Britons every weekend is leading to potentially serious health problems, according to experts.

A survey of 11,000 households including about 25,000 people found their typical weekend diets contained saturated fat at levels well above recommended guidelines, the study for Unilever found.

A weekend fry-up with buttered toast and a cappuccino contains 33.7g of saturated fat. The recommended daily limit of saturated fat is 30g for men and 20g for women.

The study found consumption of saturated fat could increase to 61g for men and 33g for women on weekend days.

High levels of saturated fat can raise blood cholesterol, particularly low density lipoprotein cholesterol, which is a risk factor for coronary heart disease.

Coronary heart disease is the UK's biggest killer, with one in every four men, and one in every six women dying from the disease. Approximately 300,000 people have a heart attack in the UK each year.

Source

Ohh nooo, not the "classic British breakfast"!! I look forward to that stuff on weekends! :$

If you've ever spoken to me for any extended period of time, you would know that I love to mix in other languages in my speech. Other languages meaning French and Spanish! Well just now, I've stumbled across a rather worthwhile article listing 8 FREE online resources for learning languages. I must say that some of these are anything but extensive, but they provide a reasonable foundation. And, let's be honest, if you really want to learn a new language, you'll probably do a course!

So enjoy the article! I know I will. Adios amigos! Y, hasta la vista! Or.. En Francais; Au revoir, a bientot!

I stumbled across the following USB stick lately, I could help but come to the conclusion that this is strictly created for soldiers or well, forest dwellers!

Here's the photo of another more snazzy looking one! It's amazing what USB sticks are being combined with these days. Then again, I guess that follows on quite nicely from the weird USB devices that are available in general!

For this week, I thought I would do something rather different (variety is the spice of life right?), so, I've chosen some light Christian humour to portray this week's TFTW! I hope you enjoy, and of course, grasp the meaning!

Now to the story...

Jesus and Satan were having an on-going argument about who was better on the computer. They had been going at it for days, and frankly God was tired of hearing all the bickering.
Finally fed up, God said, 'THAT'S IT! I have had enough. I am going to set up a test that will run for two hours, and from those results, I will judge who does the better job.'
So Satan and Jesus sat down at the keyboards and typed away.
They moused.
They faxed.
They e-mailed.
They e-mailed with attachments.
They downloaded.
They did spreadsheets!
They wrote reports.
They created labels and cards.
They created charts and graphs.
They did some genealogy reports
They did every job known to man.
Jesus worked with heavenly efficiency and Satan was faster than hell.
Then, ten minutes before their time was up, lightning suddenly flashed across the sky, thunder rolled, rain poured, and, of course, the power went off..
Satan stared at his blank screen and screamed every curse word known in the underworld.
Jesus just sighed.
Finally the electricity came back on, and each of them restarted their computers. Satan started searching frantically, screaming:
'It's gone! It's all GONE! 'I lost everything when the power went out!'
Meanwhile, Jesus quietly started printing out all of his files from the past two hours of work..
Satan observed this and became irate.
'Wait!' he screamed. 'That's not fair! He cheated! How come he has all his work and I don't have any?'
God just shrugged and said,

JESUS SAVES

ha! Have a great week all!! And thanks for this K.!

Goo foxy!

Awesome work - we’re almost there!

Thanks to the support of the always amazing Mozilla community, we got more than 8 million Firefox 3 downloads in 24 hours. That’s more Firefox downloads than we’ve ever had in a single day -- an impressive feat indeed!

Please be patient while the good people of Guinness review our World Record attempt. This might take a few days so please check back here. And, a huge thanks for all of your support! (Ref)

Below is my certificate. :-)

I helped!

Woo hoo! The University of Warwick (i.e. my uni) moves one place up the ladder to number 6 in the UK, in the very reputable and well-known Times Online: Good University Guide 2009!

Probably this would go well on Twitter, but for now...

Right now, I'm downloading Firefox 3.0!

"MySpace generation, yes. Camera phones at the ready, yes. But, when it came time to actually execute their farewell salute to Principal Dan Costello, the Killingly High School Class of 2008 went decidedly low-tech -- as in plastic wrap and post-it notes." [Ref]

Lol. Luckily the principal seems to have taken it as "all done in good fun", so in the end I guess everyone went away happy. I do like the end of his post though:

3 Rolls of Saran Wrap.......$6.47.

3,386 Post It Notes.......$21.55.

Pranking your Principal (and NOT getting expelled!).......priceless.

lol. Nice!

For the last two weeks I've been trying to compile a list of favourite Bible verses, based on submissions from my readers. The purpose of this was to give you the opportunity to share your favourite verse with others. What I would like each of us to do this week therefore, is to chose another person's verse and meditate on it. If possible, I suggest picking one that you are not too familiar with, I think this will prove more fruitful. Below, I list all the verses I received (and the initials of the respective contributors).

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. - Hebrews 11:1
K.H.

Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. - Philippians 4:5-6
M.C.

... You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.” - John 8:57-58 (NRSV)
A.K.

Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. - James 5:13
D.C.

Commit thy way unto the Lord: trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. - Psalms 37:5
J.R.

For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. - Philippians 2:13
N.G.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. - Psalms 23
K.R.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. - Jeremiah 29:11-12
K.B.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. - Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)
J.N.

Remember, chose one that is unfamiliar, and research it if you must. Have a blessed week. :-)

Lastly, many thanks to the contributors and readers alike.

Very thought provoking, albeit aged video, discussing the Internet, net neutrality, and the scary perspective or 'fact' that our Internet is under attack. This video is NOT meant for 'techies' but rather, for anyone that uses the Internet. [See savetheinternet.com for more info.]

I also recommend this video response. It's a few minutes longer but it is worth it, as it is about twice as comprehensive and descriptive.

"Remember, growing Older is mandatory. Growing UP is optional. We make a Living by what we get. We make a Life but what we give." - Anonymous

Surprise wins, current world and Euro champions demolished, this is shaping up to be a great contest! (Excerpt from official Euro site.)

Does, or would Mario do this to you? (Click image to enlarge.)

Beautifully illustrated. Enough said!

Have a great week!

Woopie!

I must say however, it is a real shame England got eliminated.. the atmosphere over here just isn't the same! It lacks that sense of joy, and patriotism that was so prevalent during the World Cup in 2006. England was so alive then! Well, that's before Portugal eliminated them. eek!

[Image above sourced from the Official UEFA Euro 2008 website. You can get a PDF, pin-up version of the matches from UEFA here.]

"You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions." - Naguib Mahfouz

Ah I remember my short stint using Ubuntu.. definitely the best part of that time was the flexibility I had in customising my desktop and making it as "tricked out" as humanly possible. Actually, to the right you can see a screenshot of what it had looked like (note that I'm actually rotating the desktop - aka switching screens - in the photo)! Nice huh?

Anyway! I just came across this post - 10 Most Beautiful Looking Linux Desktop - that presents some exquisite desktop photos that depict how impressive a well-customised Linux setup can look - Apple, eat your heart out!

Remember folks, Linux distros are generally FREE, and if you have Microsoft Windows installed, you can easily dual boot and switch between OSs in a matter of minutes. Why not have a look?

Even though a friend informed me that the trailer trumps the movie, because it was on my list of movies to watch for 2008 I decided to follow up on my post and watch Iron Man anyway.

My result? A wee bit too unbelievable. I think I would believe the Spiderman story, or even the Batman or Joker story of how they came to be, before I swallow the one purported in Iron Man. I must admit that I have no clue of if this is how he came to be in the comics, but regardless, I find it a little unbelievable. Being able to make an "Iron Man" prototype in a cave? Largely by yourself? That has a flame thrower? Probably I'm getting too old for this stuff to be accepted so easily!

Objectively however, it was an OK movie, but I would say one definitely for the teens or anyone who treasures any comic-gone-movie title from Marvel. In this right, I would give it 6/10.

Last week I attended a social gathering to celebrate the birthday of a colleague. Whilst there, I spoke to a few people briefly, and eventually settled into a steady conversation with two other persons. After exchanging general questions for a couple minutes, I was shocked by one of the ladies there, as out of nowhere she asked, "Are you a Christian?" Normally.. to be honest, this would not shock me because as most of you would know, I usually wear a wooden cross outside my shirt, so naturally, she could make that deduction. Today however - and for no particular reason - my cross was under my shirt and completely hidden from view!

As her question had me rather intrigued, I replied and then asked what prompted her question. I honestly can not remember all that she said but two things I do recall that she mentioned was that, (a) she had not seen me drink (alcohol) and (b) I didn't at any point pop away for a smoke. She may have also commented on my mannerisms but I am not quite sure.

The point of this little story is that regardless of where you are or what you are doing, persons should be able identify us as Christians, and showpieces of our Lord. That night I don't remember doing anything religious at all, not even the slightest comment, however somehow that girl made the connection!

We must always be cognisant of the FACT that we are God's ambassadors! And trust me - as we have seen from my little example above - people (non-Christians in particular) ARE watching us. They want to see what's the difference between us and them, they are interested in what's so good about our God! When I ponder on this topic, I always remember a nice, albeit childish phrase that states, "God has no hands but our hands, God has no feet but our feet..", i.e. we are God's tools!

So please, this week let's remember that we are ambassadors for our God in everything that we do, from driving, to going out of your way to help someone in need. Below I leave you with the more official, and adult version of the phrase included above..

"God has no hands but our hands to do his work today;
God has no feet but our feet to lead others in his way;
God has no voice but our voice to tell others how he died;
and, God has no help but our help to lead them to his side."

(Some attribute this to Saint Teresa of Avila)

Have a great week and God bless!