All good things must…err…might come to an end

From CNN.com…

Ex-Googlers launch rival search engine

Developers of new engine say it offers a more comprehensive way to search the Internet.

Anna Patterson’s last Internet search engine was so impressive that industry leader Google Inc. bought the technology in 2004 to upgrade its own system.

She believes her latest invention is even more valuable – only this time it’s not for sale.

Patterson instead intends to upstage Google, which she quit in 2006 to develop a more comprehensive and efficient way to scour the Internet.

The end result is Cuil, pronounced “cool.” Backed by $33 million in venture capital, the search engine plans to begin processing requests for the first time Monday.

Cuil had kept a low profile while Patterson, her husband, Tom Costello, and two other former Google engineers – Russell Power and Louis Monier – searched for better ways to search.

Now, it’s boasting time.

Web index:For starters, Cuil’s search index spans 120 billion Web pages.

Patterson believes that’s at least three times the size of Google’s index, although there is no way to know for certain. Google stopped publicly quantifying its index’s breadth nearly three years ago when the catalog spanned 8.2 billion Web pages.

Cuil won’t divulge the formula it has developed to cover a wider swath of the Web with far fewer computers than Google. And Google isn’t ceding the point: Spokeswoman Katie Watson said her company still believes its index is the largest.

After getting inquiries about Cuil, Google asserted on its blog Friday that it regularly scans through 1 trillion unique Web links. But Google said it doesn’t index them all because they either point to similar content or would diminish the quality of its search results in some other way. The posting didn’t quantify the size of Google’s index.

A search index’s scope is important because information, pictures and content can’t be found unless they’re stored in a database. But Cuil believes it will outshine Google in several other ways, including its method for identifying and displaying pertinent results.

Content analysis:Rather than trying to mimic Google’s method of ranking the quantity and quality of links to Web sites, Patterson says Cuil’s technology drills into the actual content of a page. And Cuil’s results will be presented in a more magazine-like format instead of just a vertical stack of Web links. Cuil’s results are displayed with more photos spread horizontally across the page and include sidebars that can be clicked on to learn more about topics related to the original search request.

Finally, Cuil is hoping to attract traffic by promising not to retain information about its users’ search histories or surfing patterns – something that Google does, much to the consternation of privacy watchdogs.

Cuil is just the latest in a long line of Google challengers.

For the full article you can go to: CNN Article.

Crown Short Film Update

Ok, so I wanted to give everyone an update on where we are with the short film project Crown is doing and that I mentioned a couple of weeks ago.

We are on the 4th edit of Abraham and Isaac and the music is almost done and laid to the film.  I tell you what, everytime I see this film it just gets better and better.  Talk about an emotional impact.  All I can say is “WOW!”

We did the first test screening of Rich Man & Lazarus this week.  It went very well.  This is an interesting film.  We are actually dealing with portraying Heaven and Hell in the film through CGI.  It is much more of an intellectual film instead of an emotional film.  But, it will stir up emotions.  It is not one of those that you will walk away from feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, but you will walk away thinking about your life and what you are doing for the Lord.  It is powerful, but in a different way from Abraham and Isaac.  That is the neat thing with these films, each one of them will speak to you in different way.  The next item on the list is to show Rich Man & Lazarus to to of our international VP’s (India and South Africa) and get their input on it.

The next film up will be Abram’s Reward.  This film will overview the call of Abraham by the Lord, his rescue of Lot and tithing to Melchizedek, who is a representation of Christ in the Old Testament.  This one will speak to people in another way than the first two films we have screened. 

We still have two more films to view and edit after these three.  The first one is Hope and a Future based on Jeremiah 29.  This one will be cool from an action standpoint, as there is an epic battle scene.  The second one will be Lifted Up, which will be the presentation of the Gospel.  This one is going to be very neat as it will bridge the gap between the Old Testament and the New Testament.

You can keep up with the short films and the process by checking our Short Film Blog weekly at www.crown.org/shortfilms.

WorldVision Clean Water Campaign

WorldVision has always held a special place in my heart.  What they do has a tremendous effect on so many lives.  This video was put together by their UK division.  It really hits the message home to us that do not deal with this on a daily basis like others in third world countries.

This is another sponsorship video, that hits it home also.

Visit www.WorldVision.org.

22 Days and Counting…

That’s right, only 22 days left until the greatest of all sports conglumurations begins…the 2008 Beijing Olympics!

If you have been around me much in years past, you will know that I am a HUGE Olympics fan.  I love everything the games stand for and what they mean.

Peace…Hard Work…Unity…Strength…Determination…

It is bound to be an interesting one this time around with Beijing pushing the level of preparation and presentation.  I cannot wait for the Opening Ceremonies.  I know they will be out of this world. 

There are so many stories to follow this year from the extreme political unrest with Tibet to the heartwarming storie of Dana Torres, the oldest Olympic swimmer in the history of the games at age 40, and then you have the gut wrenching story of Eric Shanteau, a local guy who just days after making the Olympic swim team found out he had cancer and decided to continue to compete.  And I know there are many more stories out there leading up to the games, and many more that will embrace our hearts during the games.  From the underdogs taking on the champions, to the good will and nature of mankind becoming evident between competing countrymen.

So, it all begins August 8th.

“Citius, Altius, Fortius”

(Faster, Higher, Stronger)

iPhone Bible

If you have an iPhone this would be a great tool!

You can now have the Bible on your iPhone for free. YouVersion, the online Bible and social community, has released a free iPhone application. It includes:

• 15 different Bible translations
• Keyword search
• One-year reading plan
• Ability to add and share sermon notes in text, audio, video, images, and images

Visit the iTunes store to download your copy of the free iPhone Bible app.

Helpful Money Saving Tips…

Ok, so we are all being majorly affected by the economy right now, whether it is gas prices, groceries or what ever the “item”.  In today’s time everyone could use a little good money saving tip advice.  Chuck Bentley, our CEO at Crown, did a couple of shows on our My MoneyLife show about some helpful money saving tips.

I have included the link below.  Some good stuff in there and it is in bullet point format which is straight and to the point.

This link will take you to the complete archives, but some of the ones to listen to are:

My MoneyLife Show Archives <-Click here

• 7/2/08: Money-saving ideas around the home
• 7/7/08: More ways to save money
• 7/9/08: Boosting your gas mileage
• 7/10/08: Saving money on groceries
• 7/14/08: Spending money to save money

Common Sense

I saw this on a forum and thought it was hilarious! And so true…

The 10 Commandments of Web Design

Thought this was a great article…

The Internet is constantly changing. BusinessWeek.com spoke to a bevy of experts and distilled the must-follow rules top online designers live by in 2008

1. Thou shalt not abuse Flash.

Adobe’s popular Web animation technology powers everything from the much-vaunted Nike Plus Web site for running diehards to many humdrum banner advertisements. But the technology can easily be abused—excessive, extemporaneous animations confuse usability and bog down users’ Web browsers.

2. Thou shalt not hide content.

Advertisements may be necessary for a site’s continued existence, but usability researchers say pop-ups and full-page ads that obscure content hurt functionality—and test a reader’s willingness to revisit. Elective banners—that expand or play audio when a user clicks on them—are much less intrusive.

3. Thou shalt not clutter.

The Web may be the greatest archive of all time, but sites that lack a coherent structure make it impossible to wade through information. Amazon.com and others put their sites’ information hierarchy at the top of their list of design priorities.

4. Thou shalt not overuse glassy reflections.

Apple often sets the standard for slick and cool—in all forms of design. But some experts say the company’s habit of creating glassy reflections under photos of its products has been far too commonly copied, turning the style element into a cliché.

5. Thou shalt not name your Web 2.0 company with an unnecessary surplus or dearth of vowels.

The Web has brought with it a strange nomenclature that’s only got weirder over time. Hip, smart Web sites have been named either with a superfluous number of vowels or strategically deleted ones. Cases in point: Flickr, Smibs, and Meebo. These names are memorable but destined to sound dated.

6. Thou shalt worship at the altar of typography.

Designers say that despite the increase in broadband penetration, plain text has gotten a second wind in cutting-edge Web design. Mainstream sites such as Craigslist have led the way, while designer-oriented sites such as Coudal Partners and John Gruber’s popular Daring Fireball blog represent the cutting edge.

7. Thou shalt create immersive experiences.

Merely looking good doesn’t cut it anymore. Sites like Facebook and YouTube draw in users with compelling content and functionality. Creating Web sites that can capture and hold users’ attention is what matters most.

8. Thou shalt be social.

Web 2.0 is everywhere. MySpace and similar sites only launched the trend of having users communicate and interact—sometimes obsessively—on browser-based sites. Designers are now filtering those same elements into diverse sites, from smart advertising to online office productivity.

9. Thou shalt embrace proven technologies.

Wikipedia, YouTube, Facebook, and their cohorts have become a part of daily life. Sites that can incorporate these elements into their design will connect with users in a meaningful way by providing functionality and an interface with which they’re already familiar.

10. Thou shalt make content king.

Though the slogan is old, it still stands. Aesthetic design can only go so far in making a site successful. Beautiful can’t make up for empty.

 

For the full article click the link below:

Business Week Article Link

Feast or famine…

Wow…have you ever had a time in your life were you really did not have much going on then suddenly out of the blue…BOOM…you have so much going on your head is spinning.  I call it the feast or famine syndrom.

That is where I am right now.  For months, I didn’t really have much going on.  Work was kind of slow, life was kind of slow, in fact everythign was kind of slow.  I was just kind of going through the motions day in day out waiting on a couple of things to happen.  Now, things are finally possibly in motion and boy let me tell ya, it is crazy!  Don’t get me wrong I prefer the feast over the famine anyday.  In fact I am very excited abotu what is going on, but I just had to step back and say, “Wow!”

Well, by now you are probably thinking, “Jason, ok you are busy, what is going on??” 

Well, after playing the waiting game at work for about a year, the possibility of a promotion is on the very near horizon.  I actually have my interview this coming Friday (7/11) at 1:00pm.  So, you can all join in with me and be praying for that.  I am very excited about the possibility of what the job holds and what I would be doing.  I will go into that more later.  But, on top of that possible doorway being opened, the flood gates have opened up in my current job and I have been slammed this past week with meetings and stuff…it was great!  I am just glad to be doing something again where I can see a tangible impact on people.  (For more on this, you can visit the Crown Short Film Website on the right hand side of my blog.)  

Being the crazy person I am, I have begun looking to move south and buy another house.  My current place is nice, but I would like a place a little bit bigger and with a garage.  There are a couple of places I am interested in and went and looked at a couple of other places today.  There are some very nice places out there at really good deals right now.  But, I kind of dread going through the process of getting my place ready to sell and going through the process of buying a new place.  Plus, on top of everything will be the whole moving part (Of which, I will gladly except help from those who might be feeling generous when that happens.)

Those are just a few things going on, although those are the biggest.  I welcome the change of pace lately and look forward to what God has in store for me during both of these adventures (job & house).  God has blessed me so much lately and I know He will continue to guide my steps through both of these things.  I am praying that he will continue to show me favor with my job and this interview and that He will lead me to the house I am supposed to buy and make it an easy process.  I know with Him in the process (beginning to the end) everything will go smoothly and He will be glorified through it all.

Hopefully, I will have some very good news, very soon, that I will be posting on here.  stay tuned…it is bound to be interesting!

Anyone can be famous…

This is one of the weirdest ideas I think anyone possibly could have, but look at this guy.  This is spreading through the internet like a wild fire.

 

 

 

Here is some info about Matt from his website. www.wherethehellismatt.com

Matt is a 31-year-old deadbeat from Connecticut who used to think that all he ever wanted to do in life was make and play videogames. Matt achieved this goal pretty early and enjoyed it for a while, but eventually realized there might be other stuff he was missing out on. In February of 2003, he quit his job in Brisbane, Australia and used the money he’d saved to wander around Asia until it ran out. He made this site so he could keep his family and friends updated about where he is.

A few months into his trip, a travel buddy gave Matt an idea. They were standing around taking pictures in Hanoi, and his friend said “Hey, why don’t you stand over there and do that dance. I’ll record it.” He was referring to a particular dance Matt does. It’s actually the only dance Matt does. He does it badly. Anyway, this turned out to be a very good idea.

A couple years later, someone found the video online and passed it to someone else, who passed it to someone else, and so on. Now Matt is quasi-famous as “That guy who dances on the internet. No, not that guy. The other one. No, not him either. I’ll send you the link. It’s funny.”

The response to the first video brought Matt to the attention of the nice people at Stride gum. They asked Matt if he’d be interested in taking another trip around the world to make a new video. Matt asked if they’d be paying for it. They said yes. Matt thought this sounded like another very good idea.

In 2006, Matt took a 6 month trip through 39 countries on all 7 continents. In that time, he danced a great deal.