Where's my Starbucks?

If you've ever asked that question when you're scared, tired and cold, grab your mobile phone and text your present zipcode to MYSBUX (697289)*, and they�ll send you three store matches in the neighborhood with links to maps.

*your carrier's text plan applies

Or...if you want to be able to find any business nearby, you have to try 1-800-GOOG411.

Check out the demo.



Cheers...

Beatles Day!

Book your travel plans to Liverpool now to prepare for the city's first ever "Beatles Day" to be celebrated on July 10. What's the occasion? Why, the 44th anniversary of the Fab Four's homecoming after conquering America in 1964 of course.

And how does one celebrate "Beatles Day"? According to this article, here are some suggestions:

• Shave your head for charity and cover it up until it grows back with a mop-top wig.
• Cook a �Beatle meal�. How about onion Ringos followed by Sgt Peppered steak and Strawberry fool?
• All You Need is Love - propose to your other half dressed as the Beatle of your choice.
• Keep fit. You and three friends do a Band on the Run from the Beatles Story at the Albert Dock to the Cavern Club.
• Spring clean your house using your wig as a duster.

I wish I was making this up - sadly, it's true.

Cheerio...

Everyday Synchronicity

It's not everyday that I stumble across a word I've never seen before. Today, however, I stumbled on the word "quotidian", a word I swear I've never seen or heard, twice in totally unrelated readings. I know some will say, "After you read it once, you were sensitive to recognizing it the next time, like when you buy an orange car and then all you see on the road are orange cars." Others will just say, "Cool."

I like this definition from Wikipedia best:

Quotidian

The term "quotidian" derives from the Latin word for "daily" and refers to repetitive daily actions, events or routines - yet in typical usage carries a vaguely negative overtone. "Quotidian" is generally used to convey a sense of the mundane; that is, there is an implication of the 'commonplace' � often in the disparaging sense, and at the very least to indicate that there is nothing unexpected or surprising to be found in things quotidian.
In art criticism, "quotidian" refers to art works which reference mundane aspects of everyday life. When used in a negative sense, however, the word denotes art or any creative work that, while reflecting or incorporating everyday life, references something that is a very temporary phenomenon that will date the work. For example, the Train song "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)" incorporates a classic rock sound, but references Tae Bo, an exercise trend that was only popular for a short period in the late 1990s.

Cheers...

SimChurch

So I was part of a discussion the other night where the idea of applying Systems Theory to church was presented. I couldn't help but think of one of my favorite PC games, SimCity. Most people are familiar with the hit series The Sims which it spawned or maybe some of the other simulations like SimEarth, SimAnt, SimCoaster, etc., but I was considering the prospect of a version of a SimChurch.

Here's how I imagined it:

You start off with choosing the basics; Deity, Religion, Size, Location.

From there, you start customizing your church with options such as:

Elements:
o Red wine and bread
o Red juice and crackers
o Grape soda and tortilla chips

Baptism:
o Infant sprinkling
o Adult immersion
o Running through the sprinkler in t-shirt and gym shorts

Musical Instruments:
o Organ
o Piano
o Guitar -Electric -Acoustic
o Drums
o Bells
o Zither

Musical Style:
o Traditional Hymns
o Contemporary Music
o Gospel Choir
o Ska Band
o Jazz Fusion

Number of Services:
o 1 Sunday, 1 mid-week
o 2 Sunday, 1 mid-week
o 3 Sunday, 1 mid-week, 1 Saturday night
o 2 Sunday in winter, 1 in summer

Welcoming of:
o Everyone that God created
o Most everyone (with obvious exceptions)
o Everyone who looks and/or acts just like us

Once you start the simulation and people start showing up, you can introduce "scenarios" like:

o Nursery volunteers give toddlers cases of Twinkies and Red Bull
o Pancakes and Porn breakfast runs out of pancakes
o Motorcyle club takes over the chapel for their hangout
o Senior pastor gives sermon entirely in Gaelic gibberish
o Deacons strike oil on the property digging up dead bushes

I really didn't think this was an original idea of mine and I found a few examples on the net where people have had some fun with this concept:

Amazon sells MegaChurch PC Game

SimChurch Beta

Fantasy Church

Cheers...