Happy Mother's Day!

I hope you will enjoy this non-denominational video about mothers.  Why are you grateful for your mother?  What could you do to show her?

What's your take on Blogger/G+ comments integration?

(Largely) cross-posted from my Google+ account.  See Alex Chitu's breakdown on Google Operating System for an in-depth look.

Photo credit:  Google Operating System.

I'm very interested and also see what +Dan Jones said about his concern for restricting this to Google+ users:

Only allowing comments from people with Google+ accounts is a terrible idea. I want as much discussion on my blog as possible. I would never want to limit comments to only people who happen to use my favorite social network.
Thank goodness this new commenting system isn't mandatory for Blogger (yet), because the whole idea is awful.

Maybe Google really wants to get people onto G+.  How do you feel about the development?

He is risen! Tell it out with joyful voice!!

(Well, it looks like I had this in "Draft" until just now.  Whoops!)

Watch this brief musical celebration, first, then read the following poem:



"The linen which once held Him is empty.
It lies there,
Fresh and white and clean.
The door stands opened.
The stone is rolled away,
And I can almost hear the angels singing His praises.
Linen cannot hold Him.
Stone cannot hold Him.
The words echo through the empty limestone chamber,
'He is not here.'
The linen which once held Him is now empty.
It lies there,
Fresh and white and clean
And oh, hallelujah, it is empty."

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2011/04/at-parting?lang=eng

Could you hear the angels singing his praises?  I felt like I could!

Because He lives, we all will live!  1 Cor. 15:19-22

Visit http://www.lds.org/topics/easter?lang=eng for more.

Cross-posted from my Google+ account.

It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live

Cross-posted from my Google+ account.


As you might imagine, I love the Hairless (Harry Potter) series.  I particularly relish listening to Hairless, as read by Jim Dale.  The other night, I was listening to the first book, again, and heard the part where Harry is met by Dumbledore, standing in front of the Mirror of Erised, gazing longingly at his deceased family.  Dumbledore encourages Harry to live in the present, giving the quote of this post's title:  "It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."

I love what a modern-day prophet had to say on this subject, as well:  "We shouldn’t wait to be happy until we reach some future point, only to discover that happiness was already available—all the time! Life is not meant to be appreciated only in retrospect. 'This is the day which the Lord hath made … ,' the Psalmist wrote. 'Rejoice and be glad in it.'"  http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/of-regrets-and-resolutions?lang=eng

Or, as another modern-day prophet quoted from The Music Man, a few years ago, “You pile up enough tomorrows, and you’ll find you’ve collected a lot of empty yesterdays.”  https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2008/10/finding-joy-in-the-journey?lang=eng

I hope we can all find and accept happiness and joy in life, now, rather than consistently telling ourselves, as Harry does, when tiredly searching for a solution to breathing under water in the Goblet of Fire, "In the next book . . . the next one, . . . the next one."  We can choose to be happy, now!

MORE Gmail shortcuts!

Crossposted from my Google+ account.


Okay, now I'm thinking these must have came out in bulk and I missed the release.  Most, or maybe all, are new to me . . .

I especially value ones like Shift+Esc that affect the compose window.

Gmail Send keyboard shortcut in new compose interface

Crossposted from my Google+ account.


As many of you know, I venerate and basically worship keyboard shortcuts.  Here's one that may be new to you in the "new" Gmail compose interface:  Ctrl+Enter to send.

Provecho!

How will I measure my life?

Cross-posted from my Google+ account.

People who value influential business theories almost by definition value what Prof. Clayton Christensen has to say.  Ever heard of "disruptive innovation"?  The man essentially invented the theory:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disruptive_innovation

In short, the take away from his message (and I strongly suggest investing the whole 19 minutes and 31 seconds) is essentially that, as finite human beings, we often want to achieve profitability here and now, yet that's frequently how great companies fall - they fail to plan long term.  See Lucent, Xerox (re: GUI), AOL, IBM (as a computer maker), etc.  Next, he points out that, as finite humans, we necessarily measure success in aggregate terms (profitability, ROI, how many people someone manages, his "net worth," etc.), yet God, who knows and comprehends all things, measures success in individual terms.  Thus, how we interact with and impact individuals will matter most to God and, consequently (if we accept God as perfectly good), ourselves.

Prof. Christensen's theory is in perfect harmony with what the religious leaders, prophets and apostles, of his church, +The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints  (or +Mormon.org) have declared for generations (since Adam, really):

"No other success can compensate for failure in the home" and "the most important . . . work that you will ever do will be the work you do within the walls of your own home."

Promoting "Shared with me" items in Google Drive to regular status

Okay, as an upfront disclaimer, I'm sure +François Beaufort, +Dinsan Francis, +GOS Blog or someone else I generally follow like stink on a monkey has pointed this out, before; I stumbled upon it for the first time, today.

If you're like me, you might have a spouse or someone else with whom you share a lot of files and or folders.  Today, I wanted to add a file I created on my wife's computer (a scanned pdf) to one of the Google Drive folders I shared with her from my account.  I failed to locate my shared folder, when I went to "organize" (or put a label) on the file . . .

"Where are those blasted 'Shared with me' items, anyway??!!"

Thankfully, with a little elbow grease and Google research, I figured out "Shared with me" items will remain in their lowly and unobtrusive nook, unless I promote them to my regular scenery, such as in "My Drive."

Select the files/folders you want to "promote" (my words) to your regular files/folders area and click "Add to My Drive"

Now, my "Shared with me" items can live with my [created by me] items, happily ever after.

Cue the non-bird-exploding-and-rice-replacing celebration substance!

Mountains to Climb: How to overcome monumental trials

I hope you enjoy this 5-6 minute video, particularly if you're struggling with a loss or difficult time in your life.

Cross-posted from my Google+ account.

What's the only thing we can give to God He doesn't already own?

Our will.  How will we give it?  Watch this address by the late Elder Neal A. Maxwell to find out how we can.

Of all the titles God enjoys and exemplifies, He asks us to call Him Father

This is now one of my favorite Mormon Messages, probably because, as a father, it hits so close to home for me:  I feel like I understand my relationship with our Heavenly Father so much better, now I have an opportunity to raise "children of my own."

Although I'm often oblivious to video-graphic elements, I loved the angles, effects, and symbolism running throughout this video and really hope you watch it.  I'm confident you'll love it.



Cross-posted from my Google+ account.

To "go no more out": A textual analysis of a catchy prhase from the Book of Mormon

This morning, I was reading in 3 Nephi 28 and came across the concluding verse, 40, where prophet-historian Mormon describes the translated status of the "Three Nephites," who are previously discussed throughout the chapter:

And in this [translated] state they were to remain until the judgment day of Christ; and at that day they were to receive a greater change, and to be received into the kingdom of the Father to go no more out, but to dwell with God eternally in the heavens.  3 Nephi 28:40

Occasionally, I read certain phrases in the Book of Mormon that really stick with me, like "the way of all the earth," which is used twice in the Old Testament, five times in the Book of Mormon, is preceded in each instance by some form of the verb "go," and refers to upcoming physical death.  Consider this death-bed rejoinder from Lehi to his wayward sons in 2 Nephi 1, for example:

Awake! and arise from the dust, and hear the words of a trembling parent, whose limbs ye must soon lay down in the cold and silent grave, from whence no traveler can return; a few more days and I go the way of all the earth.  2 Nephi 1:14

Returning to what I read this morning, I seemed to remember hearing and reading, on occasion, the first bolded phrase:  "go no more out."  It's another one of those phrases I smile about and like to throw out, myself, every now and again.  For example, perhaps after a long day I've quipped to my wife, "Honey, I'm heading home, to go no more out."

So what does the phrase mean and why am I writing about it, other than because I think it sounds cool?  Well, as with "[going] the way of all the earth," I'm convinced the phrase has a set meaning and context and gives strong circumstantial evidence of the Book of Mormon's veracity.  First, as "going the way of all the earth" is invariably associated with an impending departure from mortality (which all men and creatures experience -- "all the earth"), I believe "to go no more out" subtly refers to our pre-mortal existence with God (or Heavenly Father) and that, once reunited with Him, those who receive this gift of permanent or eternal reunion, which is "the greatest of all the gifts of God," will forever retain it, always remain with Him, never leave Him, or "go no more out" from His presence, again (as we did by coming here, to earth).

When and how is the phrase "go no more out" used in the Scriptures?  It is found five times in the Book of Mormon and only twice in the Bible, once in the Old Testament (as a brief reference to war), and once in the New Testament.  In Revelation, John writes the following about overcoming sins, trials, etc. and then living with God:

Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.  Revelation 3:12

Visual of scenes from the book of Revelation.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (or "Mormons") often refer to the temple as "God's house" or dwelling, such as is indicated on Latter-day Saint temples, "Holiness to the LORD, the House of the LORD" and referenced by the Lord, Himself:  "And [He] said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house [the Jerusalem temple] an house of merchandise."  John 2:16

The temple - a recurring symbol of God's "house" and "kingdom."

A closer look at a representation of the inscription, shown in the temple picture, above.

Members of the Church and, I believe I can accurately state, believers in a Muslim-Judeo-Christian God everywhere, all refer to him as "King."  Where does a king dwell but in his house (or castle)?  Thus, the temple (which John references in Revelation) or house of God is an appropriate symbol for His dwelling, castle, and kingdom.  Unsurprisingly, the phrase "go no more out," as employed in the five distinct instances in the Book of Mormon, is always connected with God's "kingdom," which is also, as discussed, where he lives and dwells.  (Use this link for a quick overview of the five verses.)  Thus, once we return to live with God, if eligible, we will then, again, live with Him forever or "eternally," to "go no more out," as we did upon leaving His presence to come to earth.

Finally, as I set out previously (and as I have made similar submissions, in the past), I view this textual and substantive correlation to Revelation, the unique nature and consistency of the phrase, its invariable meaning (as I interpret it), and its scattering throughout the Book of Mormon as strong circumstantial evidence Joseph Smith translated a book of Scripture, revealed by God, rather than fabricating the work out of whole cloth.  The phrase "go no more out" is used twice by Alma, once by Amulek, and twice by Mormon, all sprinkled across 237 pages of text (pg. 226 - 463 in my hard copy of the Book of Mormon).

The plates of the Book of Mormon and other objects Joseph Smith found with them.

Many reject Joseph Smith's story of receiving and translating the Book of Mormon as too fantastical or whimsical.  They insist he or someone else authored the book and that his claims of receiving plates of gold, containing the scriptures he translated, are raving or, worse, fraudulent.  Given my experience of the Book of Mormon's power and immense textual richness, I conclude, by echoing the words of Elder Jeffery R. Holland (a modern-day Apostle):  "[T]hat any writer—Joseph Smith or anyone else—could create the Book of Mormon out of whole cloth would be an infinitely greater miracle than that young Joseph translated it from an ancient record ‘by the gift and power of God.’”  Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1997), 349.  (I also highly recommend these two talks (or sermons) by Elder Holland, relating to the Book of Mormon:  Safety for the Soul and My Words Never Cease.)

Let me add my personal witness that the Book of Mormon is true.  Beyond mere neat or intriguing textual richness, I have received a witness of its truthfulness by the power of the Holy Spirit and know it is the word of God.  My ultimate purpose for writing this post is to inform you that you, also, can know this truth for yourself (see Moroni 10:3-5).

Broncos, Seahawks, and Perspective

In the words of Anton Ego, "After reading a lot of overheated puffery about your [teams], you know what I'm craving? A little perspective. That's it. I'd like some fresh, clear, well seasoned perspective."

In light of the Broncos' and Seahawks' losses, I have very little I want to say, other than I appreciate this time to remember what really matters and who is truly trustworthy.  (For a pretty solid and depressing breakdown of the Broncos' losses, see this article from Woody Paige.)

Yes, Peyton Manning is an awesome quarterback, yet even he can create devastating turnovers.  Yes, the Broncos' defense is tremendous (is it still?), yet even it can be embarrassed and humiliated in a huge game.

Can sports be gratifying?  Certainly.  Where would we do best to put our trust (and our happiness)?  "O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm."  2 Nephi 4:34.

May Peyton Manning's throwing arm retain its strength . . .

Receiving comfort at Christmas

Thinking of the beauty and love inherent in the Christmas season, imagine what it would feel like for your spouse to tell you, a day or two before Christmas, he or she had cheated on you and wanted a divorce.  Next, imagine how this would impact your two or three children.  Now, I invite you to watch this short video and witness what happened to a woman going through that very circumstance.  I'm confident you'll be touched.

I know Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of mankind.  He can heal and comfort anyone who stands in need of comfort, who reaches out to Him.  God bless you, and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The Cougars Disembowel the Aztecs

Seriously.  Three words for you:  KYLE VAN NOY.

Photo credit to the F-Word and wherever he scored this; apologies to Adam Sandler.

W00t!!

I also suggest you read this enlightening (and somewhat related) post by the F-Word on domesticated cat viciousness, as well as the BYU website bowl game recap.

Finally, I insist you read the F-Word's review and analysis of the game.  It might fail to win him any points at home, yet I relished nearly every word.

Ahh.  I'm so proud of my namesake Cougars, today.  (Even if the offense was awful.)  RISE AND SHOUT!

Active Chrome Extensions with Keyboard Shortcuts

This tip is thanks to François Beaufort.

If you're like me, you love just about all things keyboard shortcut.  I present you with customizable Chrome extension shortcuts!

Go to chrome://extensions, and find the "Configure commands" link at the very bottom of the page.  (By the way, I think the shortcuts must start with Ctrl+ or Alt+.)

Behold:

Use your Chrome extensions with a keyboard shortcut of your choice.

I hope you enjoy it!

An Obvious (Once Learned) Gmail Secret: Quick Quotes

Have you ever wanted to (quickly) quote only a select portion of an email to include with a response in Gmail?

Well, simply select the desired text and then click "reply" or, if you have keyboard shortcuts enabled, press r.

Observe:

It is so choice.

Provecho!

Via Gizmodo.

Is public interest in Chromebooks taking off?

If standalone 2012 October and November Google search data for "Chromebook" are any indication, Chromebooks might be on their way up.

On the other hand, if comparisons with "macbook" and "windows 8" are any indication, they have a long way to go . . .

Cross-posted from my Google+ account.

Gmail/Drive/Google Search Field Test: JUST DO IT!

For all you CA readers who love Gmail and Google search, you will love, love, love the Gmail Search Field Trial.

Put simply, the forthcoming search change allows users to seamlessly search for contacts, specific emails, Google+ posts, and files from Drive, all in the beautiful blink of an eye, across Gmail and, at least, Google Search.

Seriously.  Go sign up for it.  Right now:  https://www.google.com/experimental/gmailfieldtrial  (You can thank me later.)

Did Romney Under-perform McCain? Blame CA/NY

Part of this year's post-presidential election conventional wisdom is that Mitt Romney blew it because he did worse than John McCain.  Let's consider that conclusion.

As of November 14, 2012, Mitt Romney received 58,937,514 votes nationwide for the presidential election (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Presidential_election_(United_States)), compared with John McCain's 59,934,814 in 2008 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_2008).  How could this possibly happen when everything was expected to look up for Republicans?  It's actually quite simple:  California and New York.

Romney received 1,902,301 fewer votes than McCain in CA/NY combined, yet he received 905,001 more votes, nationwide.  He did 24.50% worse in CA/NY combined and did 1.73% better nationwide.  Hmmm . . .

How did the President do against himself?  He received a whopping 7,149,999 fewer votes nationwide or 10.29% off his 2008 landslide.  Excluding CA/NY, he did 6.24% worse.  In other words, President Obama did almost ten times worse against himself than Romney did against McCain (10.29% decrease vs. 1.66% decrease).  Excluding CA/NY, President Obama did about eight times worse against himself than Romney did against McCain (6.24% decrease vs. 1.73% increase).

See my numbers, here:  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ApAMwTvwL4rWdEVYLTV1TlB6SEpBQUMtLVRjTHdEQ1E#gid=0

As the title indicates, blame CA/NY for Romney's slide in his vote total.  After all, how many people really expected him to carry either state?

As for other states, the only one I've found where Romney actually under-performed McCain is, I am sad and embarrassed to admit, Ohio.  The humanity!!  Why did Romney lose Ohio?  See here:  http://washingtonexaminer.com/in-ohio-the-gop-puzzles-over-missing-white-voters/article/2513293

Why did Romney lose the election?  Per Michael Medved, President Obama's nuclear warfare (his "dirty little secret"):  http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/11/12/obama-s-dirty-little-secret-to-winning-the-2012-presidential-election.html

I got the idea for the CA/NY/nation difference from http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/11/the_real_lesson_of_the_election.html