I love the rain.
Now, I’ll confess to having some depressive tendencies, but my love for the rain isn’t tied up in that. It’s a genuine joy. I love the sound, the visual effect, the way it’s a reminder of God’s grace to everyone. I love the rain.
I love the dark skies, the power they reflect. I love the reality that a little rain is a blessing but a lot of rain is a tragedy. It’s a reminder that moderation is important.
I love the rain. So, next time you’re frustrated by it, remember, some where out there, there are people like me. And we’re all excited to see that rain cloud building in over the horizon.
Archives for July 2013
Credit Markets
I know, I know… these titles keep getting worse.
I’ve been watching mobile phone providers roll out new plans geared around helping people upgrade their phones more frequently. It’s been interesting. It seems like they’re taking what is already a bad deal and making it worse.
The dirty secret of the mobile market is that they work hard to hide exactly what your money is paying for. Your phone? Yeah, some of that is rolled into your monthly payment. How much? They won’t say. But some, for sure. Your service? Yeah, you’re paying for that. Network expansion? Yeah, some of that too.
The thing is, they don’t do it this way in other countries. Well, they do in Canada, but they don’t in Europe or Asia. Over there, you commonly buy your device outright and then pay a much lower monthly cost for service.
The benefit to that is that you know what you’re paying for and when.
It doesn’t work in North America. Why? “Cause, we want stuff we can’t afford. We’re unwilling to wait. So mobile phone providers give us what we want. And we massively overpay for it. But, since we do it in monthly installments, we don’t mind. That’s dumb.
Did David Suffer from Depression?
O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger,
nor discipline me in your wrath.
Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing;
heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled.
My soul also is greatly troubled.
But you, O Lord—how long?
Turn, O Lord, deliver my life;
save me for the sake of your steadfast love.
For in death there is no remembrance of you;
in Sheol who will give you praise?
I am weary with my moaning;
every night I flood my bed with tears;
I drench my couch with my weeping.
My eye wastes away because of grief;
it grows weak because of all my foes.
Depart from me, all you workers of evil,
for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.
The Lord has heard my plea;
the Lord accepts my prayer.
All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled;
they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment. (Psalm 6, ESV)
If he didn’t… he at least flirts with it?
Privacy Matters
I usually talk about life or writing or productivity or things to read or things to think about. I try to avoid anything overtly political. But I just can’t help myself on this one.
Privacy matters. It’s important. Politicians on both side of the artificial dividing line they’ve drawn here in the United States don’t believe that privacy matters. Here’s how I know… I wrote my senators and congressman. I got pathetic responses. They endeavored to reassure me that all surveillance conducted was legal.
I knew that. That was never the issue. The issue isn’t “Are they interpreting laws in such a way that a massive surveillance effort is considered to be within the bounds of the law?” The issue is “SHOULD they be?”
Declaring something to be legal and then assuring us that it’s okay is not the way it works. You have to convince me that it should be legal. I know every one is in a hurry to argue that you can’t have security and privacy at the same. I’m not even certain they’re wrong. The thing is, I have yet to see anything that is a convincing argument that we should choose security at the absolute cost of privacy.
It’s a question we have to ask.
Lightning
That was quite the thunderstorm that just blew through. Not bad from a rain / wind perspective, but visually stunning, impressively loud, and fun to stand on the porch and watch.
God still paints the night sky better than anyone in the world.