• Nothing brings people together like a hot tub.
• When ordering from a fast-food restaurant, it's worth customizing one thing (i.e. "no mustard, please") ... that way they make your food fresh.
• Do not go to Akron without slippers ever again.
• I miss the Dukes of Hazzard.
• It's called the Humane Society even though they don't help humans.
• It takes a Webel to understand a Webel.
• I was meant to be a drummer, in an allegorical way (perhaps I'll explain this one later).
• It's always worth having an extra pair or two of clean socks.
• It's hard to be inconspicuously generous.
• NPR is horrible on a Friday afternoon.
• Shag carpet makes me happy.
• Objectivity --> Easier Grades --> Less Whiney Parents
• The message trumps the medium.
• I know what I want more than I think I do.

You know those signs you see on street corners that say things like "Make money! Work At Home!"? Apparantly many of those "jobs" involve receiving stolen packages and forwarding them to the Russian mob. Yeah ... crazy stuff.

If you have a few minutes, it's worth reading this article from The Register [ugly design alert] by a technology teacher who had a visit from an FBI agent. This agent, who came to his classroom to instruct his students about his experiences in the computer underground, talks about viruses and trojans, taking over people's computers and webcams, identity theft, extortion of banks, and some interesting info about OSX as well.

"Even very young children can be taught important lessons about the media: that they are produced by people anxious to communicate messages; that these are often messages to do something -- to buy a product, to engage in dubious behavior -- that is not in the child's best interests or in accord with moral truth; that children should not uncritically accept or imitate what they find in the media."

-- Pope John Paul II
   The Media and the Family: A Risk and a Richness

When I make a post about a very interesting article or website, it tends to draw a lot of comments.

When I make a post about a whole list of interesting articles or websites, it rarely draws one comment.

Why is that?

This year our school is reviewing, revamping, and revising our curriculum, so I've been assigned (on the curriculum council) to rewrite our Performance Assessment of Benchmark Learning for Technology in grades 5-8.

So I'm sitting here trying to make sense of Ohio's Technology Academic Content Standards, The Department of Education's Enhancing Education Through Technology and National Education Technology Plan, ISTE's National Educational Technology Standards, and our own CHCA Curriculum Review Process.

And I'm absolutely bewildered. The more I try to understand it, the less it makes sense to me. I'm trying to write curriculum when I don't even know how to read curriculum ... the lingo and thought processes are completely foreign to me. I guess here, in the bowels of the paperwork, I can really see the hardcore reasons why teaching without a degree in education is very difficult.

I don't know why I'm telling you this. Just venting, I guess ... sometimes it's good just to admit your shortcomings in front of others.

There's no day like it.

Winners
   Unladen Swallow
   webel
   mikerowesoft
   Pat Robertson The Passion of the Christ
   (Mike Rowe and microsoft espanol)
   dunk tank stories
* powerpuff girls
   terrarium
   willow creek screens the passion of Christ film
   Papercraft Software
   lee strobel mel gibson

Whiners
   my life camper to Maya Angelou life
* one of the best computer teachers
   what font is used by chicago the musical
   Return To sender Filming
   +hitachi +starboard +software +manual
* my cabin in the woods twin rent
* santaclaus fancy dress
   ginghas kahn
   how to sew messenger bags
   when do nextel weekend minutes start?
   hemmo computers
   deuteronomy 22:5 archery
   ickey shuffle
   Funny Stuff Public Access Blair Peyton
* can people be born without a bellybutton?
* shoe salesman combinatorics

* my favorite searches

Here's to you, Captain Kangaroo. You were old at 24 and young at 76. Thanks for your simple and clean children's entertainment.

• Study: Sleep Essential for Creativity
• N.Y. Burglar Was No Monster in the Closet
• Naked Walker Completes Trek Across U.K.
• Man Gets Diploma 64 Years After School
• Magazine Routes Hikers Off Cliff
• Student Pilot Crashes Into N.M. Jail
• Elephant Makes Daring Escape from Zoo
• Gunmen Steal $14,000 Worth of Gum
• Bush Stops at Diner to Boost U.S. Economy
• Thief Fakes Heart Attack to Outwit Police
• Doctors Remove 175-Pound Tumor from Woman

Today is the 20th anniversary of the Macintosh.

This just gets more and more entertaining ... in 1997 Microsoft tried to take an Australian pillow manufacturer to court for their trademark on the name Microsoft. The company, Purax Feather Holdings, defeated the mighty M$ when it was discovered that [gasp] "The opponent (Microsoft) does not appear from the evidence to have had any reputation for padding, stuffing and filling materials."

Some of us might beg to differ ...

[via relevant]

Last fall, my friend Sarah interned in Washington D.C. with the International Justice Mission (IJM), an international human rights organization. She just sent me this in an email:

NBC Dateline will be airing an hour-long exclusive on IJM's sex-trafficking investigation in Cambodia this Friday, January 23rd. It will give you an up-close view of IJM's role in ushering 37 child victims from commercial sexual exploitation to safety and in bringing the children's perpetrators to justice.

Because of the content of the show, it won't be suitable for children, but it promises to be an eye-opening look at what can be done to fight injustice. I hope you can tune in -- I would love to hear your feedback.

Truly, we as Americans are about as uninvolved and unconcerned with world events as we could be, especially when it comes to issues of justice and human rights. Even though our resources are virtually endless, we're ignorant about the plights and daily catastrophies happenning around the globe.

I couldn't even find Cambodia on a map.

You've got to be kidding me.

A 17-year-old canadian kid decided to start a software company, so he registered his domain name for $10. A month later, software giant Microsoft threatened him with legal action if he didn't give them his domain name. They sent him a 25-page letter to try to intimidate the high school student.

Why would they do this? Well, the kid's name is Mike Rowe. And his software company is called MikeRoweSoft. Yes, MikeRoweSoft. Just say it out loud.

Isn't that absolutely hilarious? In fact, that's even funnier than the name of M$'s canadian lawyers who are threatening Mike ... Smart & Biggar.

obvious --|
february 10th, 1997

why do i fear what is so clear?
    passing love to the one i love,
    sharing light with the sapling in the shadow,
    giving life to a pleading soul ...

they say that familiarity breeds contempt;
or was it contentment?
for the content of contentment is comfort
and the essence of comfort is apathy.

oh, it's anything but apathy
    ... or is it ...

Lord please break this earthen vessel --
    that i may drown familiarity
    and shower the sapling.

A few months ago I won a contest at work (at Apple) and was awarded a really cool prize ... a copy of Carrara Studio Pro. Carrara is a $400 piece of 3D modeling software that allows you to render and animate figures, objects, text, and pretty much anything you can imagine. In short, it looked like I could have a lot of fun with this program.

Then last month I looked in the clearance bin at work (at Apple) and saw a pretty cool piece of software called Axel sitting there. Axel is another 3D rendering application that's geared more towards web content. I bought it for $10 (marked down from $300ish).

Well, this weekend is a three day weekend (yeah, MLK), and I fully intended to take at least one of these days and dig deep into these two programs, picking the one I liked and learning the interface. If I could do that fairly easily, I was even hoping to create some CGI graphics to use in next summer's camp videos. Can't you see a computer-generated pirate going down the zipline, or a huge sailed ship docked in the pond?

To my dismay, however, both programs have disappeared completely. I've looked everywhere the past two days, in every space that I have, and they're nowhere to be found. This is unusual for me ... even if I misplace something, a thorough search will usually turn it up. I'm sure that I took Carrara to school, and I had intended to do the same with Axel. But they're not there.

As of 8pm tonight, I was stumped. Then my roommate suggested that someone must have stolen them. Hmmm ... it would take a real nerd to want to steal something like that ... and to hide it in a bookbag or sneak down the hall with it would be really strange. So I'm still hoping that the disappearance is explained by my own absentmindedness.

Bummer.

It's the only way to live without compromise.

I've got the G4 at home today, cleaning it up and finishing up some old video projects. Here's a collection of old links that I never ended up posting. I hope you find them to be as entertaining as I do!

• Noney: The People's Currency, it's a combination of public art, performance art and printmaking.


• Pop Goes The Bible: If you haven't heard yet, there's a new teenage bible that looks like a beauty mag. I don't think I'd get through the first page.


• Protozoo: Considering plastic surgury? Want to enter the Witness Protection Program? This place might be your first step.


• Bar Code Art: Some obsessions just go too far.


• Papercraft: Oh, the fun you can have with a printer, some scissors, and a lot of time.


• Super Marketing Ads From The Comic Books: I still have fond memories of sea monkeys and x-ray specs ... some of these are absolutely hilarious!


• Guess the Name: I think I posted this before, but I can't quite remember ... either way, see if you can stumpt the machine.


• Let's See How You Like It.: Citygroup tried to pass a senate bill that would prevent states from protecting consumer privacy ... so a privacy group hired a skywriter to write part of Citygroup CEO Charles Prince's social security number in the clouds. That's guerilla politics at its best. Oh, and if you're concerned about this ... just know that it costs $26 to buy your SS# online.

p.s. - I'd still like to have a nice way to display sets of links like this. Something like kottke.org's solution would be swell. But not today. Definitely not today. I'd rather do the robot all day (and night. Late at night).

webeldotnet is the top rated blog on Diarist.net? That website has 9,153 blogs listed from around the world. Granted, webeldotnet only has 10 votes right now, but it's quality over quantity, eh? If you want to cast your vote (and put some perspective on that perfect 10) you can cast your vote here.

This stuff never ceases to amuse amaze me.

I don't know who this Italian guy is, but he's got a totally sweet banner ad at the bottom of the page (the black one). Just click on it and see where it goes. But I don't quite understand what the white text is trying to say ...

naviga pagato = it is annoying paid
iscriviti subito = you enroll yourself endured

Looks like he's into some shady hacking stuff. Or maybe he really just likes pizza.

Mmm. Pizza.

In October, a middle-school girl in Toledo, Ohio was arrested and put in jail for violating her school's dress code (and refusing to cooperate with authorities). She was one of more than 2 dozen students from that school district to receive a similar punishment for breaking the school rules that month.

"I think in the past the threat of getting in touch with a kid's parents was often enough to get a kid to start behaving. Now, kids feel parents will fight on their behalf."

-- Laurence Steinberg
Professor of Psychology, Temple University
Director, MacArthur Foundation's Research Network on Adolescent Development and Juvenile Justice

I don't know what I think about this. One part of me simply says, "Rules are rules." The other is driven by grace, knowing that when you trust kids they gravitate towards the truly important questions (and answers). I think that my opinion probably lies somewhere in the middle ... standards must be set, but once students have proven that they are trustworthy we have a unique opportunity for generosity.

What do you think?

Dude, man. $535.

If you're a college student, you just might be getting scammed by Ralph Nader.

I've noticed that several regular visitors to this site, including Annie, mdog, Bethany, Sarah, Erin, and Angie, all are leaving behind the same IP address, 64.12.96.74. When I look this up on the IP Address Locator, it doesn't turn up any geographical results. On LPSCI, it says the IP address belongs to America Online.

Does anyone know how this could happen? Is it some sort of generic IP address? Is it a weird AOL thing where they mask user locations?

It's time for the regular list of search engine queries that led to webeldotnet. I've left off the Saddam searches (and some other common mistakes ... but there are some pretty entertaining whiners this time around.

Winners
lance webel
webel
sarah pechan
what do people think of dodgeball
mariah carey quotation I wish I were that skinny just not with those flies and death and stuff
autistic boy killed exorcism carpet
austin webel
quality floors by ickey woods
quonsot hut
PVM hot surprise
Nichole Nordeman Every Season
webel.net en espanol

Whiners
boogie man etymology
church photo directories
wedding vowels
huge houses in "bath, ohio"
Psalms 118:8 Powerpoint
bw3's wireless
where is saddom husain right now
red river gorgeous problems
morgue photos "this photo"
my bladder gonna
webel and bob
thialand children's games
light hungry robots
BW3's Chapel Hill
Christian Webel
ipod spoof age
funny song coworker
marijuana tonge rings
2003 Dunk Tank Photo
b-w3's what do the three w's stand for
Middle School girl slang
whybook
Webel +ISP
what font is used by chicago the musical?
link:www.thebilgepumps.com - host:thebilgepumps.com
boxing speedball how to install
feathered suit
dvd romm glg

Mel Gibson will be premiering The Passion of The Christ, his new movie, in two churches (Saddleback Community Church and Willow Creek Community Church) on February 25th (Ash Wednesday). The film will eventually be shown on over 2,000 screens (Braveheart opened on 2,035 screens).

It looks like an amazing and powerful rendition of the last twelve hours of our Lord's life. A friend of a friend has already seen an advanced screening, and commented, "Let me say that the film is very intense. It starts intense, remains intense, and ends intense. It's very accurate and moving and leaves people with the feeling that they've been there. Mel Gibson wasn't sure that folks under 13 should see it. It is rated R for violence. Lee Strobel suggested it is R for realism."

Here are a few things that Mel Gibson himself has said about this movie, a project into which he has put over 13 million of his own dollars:

"I want this movie to affect people on a very profound level and reach them with a message of faith, hope, love and forgiveness. I am telling the story as the Bible tells it. The Gospel is a complete script and that's what we are filming."

"I think we have gotten too used to seeing pretty crosses on the wall, and we forget what really happened. We know that Jesus suffered and died, but we don't really think about what it all means. Hey, I didn't realize this either when I was growing up. The full horror of what Jesus suffered for our redemption didn’t really strike me. But when you finally see it and understand what He went through, it makes you feel, not only compassion, but also a debt. You want to repay Him for the enormity of His sacrifice. You want to love Him in return."

"Today, so many people are searching for meaning in life, asking questions, they are looking for answers. If people's hearts can be changed from this movie, that's a huge thing. I am hoping it will have the power to do that."

"I hope the film raises a lot of questions and makes people search for answers - kind of like, 'You've seen the movie; now read the Book!' That's where the churches can come in - to handle that response. To answer the questions."

"I just wanted to be pleasing to the Almighty. That's all. I think that I was as faithful as I could possibly be to the story as it's told. And hopefully I've done work that's good enough to please Him."

It also seems that this film is making some waves in the Christian community. Here are some quotes from fairly well-known evangelicals who have seen the movie:

"After watching 'The Passion of the Christ,' I feel as if I have actually been there. Every time I preach or speak about the cross, the things I saw on the screen will be on my heart and on my mind."
-- Billy Graham

"It is deeply moving, powerful, and disturbing. A film that must be seen."
-- James Dobson, Chairman, Focus on the Family

"The Passion will stun audiences and create an incredible appetite for people to know more about Jesus. I urge Christians to invite their spiritually seeking friends to see this movie with them."
-- Lee Strobel, author of The Case for Christ

"Without question, this is the finest work that has ever been done on the subject."
-- Pat Robertson, Chairman and CEO, Christian Broadcasting Network

"Focus on the family applauds the Passion of the Christ and it is a film we will heartily recommend to our constituents."
-- Donald Hodel, President and CEO, Focus on the Family

"I believe The Passion of the Christ may be one of the most powerful evangelistic tools of the last 100 years."
-- Greg Laurie, Harvest Crusades

Jim Caviezel, the actor from The Count of Monte Cristo, plays Christ. He recognizes that he could be typecast for the rest of his career as a result of this movie. "Mel actually said to me when I took the role, 'You may never work again,' Caviezel recalls. "But I can go down with the ship. If this is the one that takes me out, that's fine." From what I heard, when Jim Caviezel first met Mel Gibson, Jim handed Mel a Christian tract, before he ever auditioned or was hired for the role.

But it's not about Jim or Mel, or even the movie. It's about a real story, a true, gritty, gruesome tale of betrayal, murder, genocide, politics, sacrifice, miracles, and fulfilled prophecies. I try to emphasize with my kids how incredibly controversial and edgy scripture really is, but they don't get it. We've just gone to too great of lengths to sanitize scripture, to cover it up with harmless and unoffensive "versions" of the stories it contains.

I'm glad someone finally has the gall to show the reality of the greatest event in history. Even if it doesn't live up to the hype, it's a huge step in the right direction. We need to engage in these conversations, we need to address these issues.

And if offended, Christians will be forced to re-examine their view of morality in the media. This is the reality of Jesus' sacrifice, folks, whether you like it or not. He didn't come to make you comfortable. As Simeon said when he saw Jesus as a child in the temple:

"This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed."

Even the prophecies about Jesus talk about the effects of his coming:

"The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread, and he will be a sanctuary; but for both houses of Israel he will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare. Many of them will stumble; they will fall and be broken, they will be snared and captured."
-- Isaiah 8:13-15

Bring that.

Last week Neely had a couple of blog posts about singleness ... she (and her readers) had some interesting perspectives on the whole situation.

Well, I just read an interesting article from ABCnews about how churches are trying to welcome singles in their congregations. It's an awkward thing, that's for sure ... some churches have ministries and small groups exclusively for Christians, while others feel that it would be artificial to segregate their congregation based on marital status (all small groups are mixed). It reminds me of the hot topic of inclusion in special education ... should kids with special needs be in the regular classroom or in their own specialized classrooom? The debate rages on and on, with very valid points on both sides of the argument.

Personally, I am very contentedly single. I have a deep (not urgent, but well-rooted) desire to become a husband, but it's going to be quite an adjustment when that time comes. For now, I'd rather take advantage of the single life.

Specifically, I'm going to revel in the fact that I can still eat or drink right out of my containers without consequence. There's just nothing like taking a carton of orange juice out of the fridge and downing a few gulps right there in the kitchen. And who doesn't like grabbing the ice cream bucket and a spoon and heading to the couch?

Pleasant Vineyard, the camp where I work, is located on the same land that an old Boy Scout Camp (I believe it was called Camp Kahn, named after the guy that started the hot dog company). Some of the remnants of this camp can still be found throughout the woods and trails at PVM ... most notably, there are old outhouses all over the place.

The most formidable, affectonately named Adam and Eve, is located behind the Ministry Center. This outhouse is unique because each side (Adam = men, Eve = women) is a two-seater:



As you can see, there's nothing separating the two seats except for a foot or two, some TP, and a nice little plaque. This makes for some rather memorable trips to the potty (wanna race?). Even better, however, is the "inspirational" message on the plaque in Adam (pictured above):

Fellowship
The oneness of spirit
that is enjoyed
by friends
on the same side
of a struggle.

Try reading that while looking at the photo. Is that not one of the funniest things on earth?

"I was on a mission, darn it, and I was going to complete the mission," he said.

Oh, how romantic ... proposing to your girlfriend while impaled on your motorcycle's handlebars. It just doesn't get any better than that.

[via relevant]

So it's back to school tomorrow. Wow ... I tell ya, this break has been very nice. I've worked a little and travelled a little more, but overall I've just taken ample time to recharge. Over the course of the last three years I think I've drained much of my reserve drive and bottled-up energy. It's just exhausting trying to learn to teach while also trying to step up to the plate at camp.

I've been spending a lot of time thinking about my current role and situation. Honestly, I'm not that good at the things I do. I work my tail off doing the best I can, but when it really comes down to it I'm not cut out to be such a decision-maker or visible leader. It's really hard for me ... I think God has created me to be a helper and enabler. But right now He has me teaching and directing, so I'm just a young man scrapping to use my limited knowledge and talents as best as I can.

I'm starting to find myself running out of creativity, starting to see the juices being sucked dry. I'm seeing my leadership style become harsher and more impersonal, and the depth and passion that once drove everything I tackled has been overrun by deadlines, demands, and crazy expectations. To be honest, I'm starting to wonder how far I should push this "being faithful" thing.

That scares me ... immensely. For a guy whose glass is usually half-full, it's freaky to look down and realize that there's only a few drops left in my cup. I'm starting to consider some other options for my future ... living and working overseas, dropping some major responsibilities, seeking out some different relationships. I don't know what that all looks like, but I could use some prayer.

In the meantime, it's off to the races at school again tomorrow. I expect that my outlook will change immensely once I'm again around the little buggers. It always does ... those kids are absolutely amazing. I know that God'll step in with one little encouragement tomorrow to totally fill my cup. He has a way of doing that sort of thing.

In 2004, I will have resolve.

I've heard that word so many times this last year that I decided to have some of my very own. And I figure that I can't lose ... the mere fact that I have that resolution means that I've already succeeded, right? It's self-fulfilling, with 0% chance of failure. Now that's my kind of commitment.