Everything Under The Sun

A test post for Joe’s Benefit

brianackermann — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 14:34:00 +0000

He’s actually really really sick, and we need to have a benefit for him.

<< edit :: actually, I was just demo-ing microsoft’s Windows Live Writer software to Joe @ http://incongruouscircumspection.blogspot.com/. I’m rather surprised with how well that bit of msft software works! >>

To blog, or not to blog; that is the question

brianackermann — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 14:53:00 +0000

Recently, a friend of mine has started blogging, and its somewhat re-kindled in me the desire to blog. I really enjoy the process of writing out my thoughts, molding the misty concepts into a concrete, and (hopefully) well-written, post.

The problem is, though, what should I write about? I have so many interests and hobbies, many in odd juxtaposition to each other, that, other than myself, and people close to me, I really can’t see anyone following what I’ve got to say, even if they should happen to stumble upon me and my blog. It just seems really unlikely that someone who might be interested in one of my programming posts would also be interested in a worship music post too. Or that someone interested in my fusion power posts would care to hear about the latest discovery of a great Irish folk/rock band.

You see what I’m saying here. I need to pare down what I write about. I can’t really blog about “everything under the sun.” Its just too wide a gulf. So, what should I write about? Of course, nobody’s listening to me right now anyhow, so this is really more of a rhetorical sort of question, but, hey, if you’re out there, listening to my ravings, feel free to let me know what you’re thinking. I’d love to hear from you.

The Forgotten Verses to The Star Spangled Banner

brianackermann — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 05:01:06 +0000

The Star Spangled Banner (the National Anthem of the United States of America), written by Francis Scott Key in 1814,

Oh, say can you see by the dawn’s early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
‘Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps’ pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war’s desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav’n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust.”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

(thanks to http://blog.worship.com/worship/2010/06/the-star-spangled-banner-by-francis-scott-key-in-1814-the-national-anthem-of-the-united-states-of-am.html )

Flex 4 — Reusable Icon Button Skins

brianackermann — Thu, 06 May 2010 21:41:22 +0000

So, for the last day or so, I’ve been on a quest. I’ve recently begun to program in flex (and am eagerly awaiting the day when I can finally put my Classic ASP days behind me!) for a new project. After mocking up the first module of the application, it was finally time to begin actual work.

Right off the bat, I found a need for an Icon Button (a button, with an icon placed on it). Unfortunately, while this was quite trivial in Flex3, it has become rather complicated with the advent of Flex4. Now, I’d like to take a moment aside to say that I rather like Flex4′s way of doing this. It’s very powerful and inherently flexible. Unfortunately, as a novice Flex programmer, I found the waters a bit tricky to navigate. This post is my attempt to catalog my thoughts and my solution.

The first thing I tried was to google up a bunch of examples. I quickly found many references:

I’m sorry to say that I had no luck whatsoever with the above methods. I don’t for one minute think its the fault of the posters above, but rather, I think that my inexperience, combined with changes to the underlying Flex SDK between now and the time their articles were originally posted, is to blame.

Eventually, as I started to get a feel for how each of the above (and any others I might have stumbled across in my research) were trying to accomplish the task. I settled for making Ben’s solution my own(ie: the first link above). As it turned out in that particular case, after I’d done the work of mapping the classes to my package layout, renaming files and classes, etc., that the only thing I was really missing was a typo, just a simple mistake left over from the 50-odd experiments I’d done previously!

Once I had that down, I then proceeded to extend his example a bit, adding in bits of things that I’d seen and liked from some of the other resources.

Unfortunately, this blog doesn’t have a great way for me to display code, so, I’ll have to settle for some pastebin links, to show you how I did it. Here’s a link to download the whole project, if that would be more convenient for you: http://www.mediafire.com/file/b2jmzwi5duu/ReusableIconButtonSkins.7z .

This is the main application. I’m just setting up all the Icons (for possible reuse at another time), and then I set up a tileGroup to render out the new IconButtons. You can see how the configuration is. Each button has many properties that can be set, in particular, we have new ‘icon_____’ properties, to set particular icons for button states (up, down, over, disabled), as well as some sizing properties, to coerce the images to be of a nice size.
```
	
		
	
	
	
		
		
			
		
		
		
		
		
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
			
		
		
		
	
```

This is where I sub-classed the spark.components.Button. You can see all the ‘new’ properties that we’ve added to the IconButton class (as compared with the Button class).

package Components
{

	import spark.components.Button;
	
	//icons
	[Style(name="iconUp",type="*")]
	[Style(name="iconOver",type="*")]
	[Style(name="iconDown",type="*")]
	[Style(name="iconDisabled",type="*")]
	
	[Style(name="iconWidth",type="Number")]
	[Style(name="iconHeight",type="Number")]
	
	
	
	//paddings
	[Style(name="paddingLeft",type="Number")]
	[Style(name="paddingRight",type="Number")]
	[Style(name="paddingTop",type="Number")]
	[Style(name="paddingBottom",type="Number")]
	public class IconButton extends Button
	{
		public function IconButton()
		{
			super();
		}
	}
	
}

This is the Skin code. All the fun stuff happens in here. Its not substantially different from the one Ben lists on his site, but I’ve added some extra bits in, like changing to a vertical layout, adding the ‘standard’ spark skin look&feel, image size coersion.


	
		[HostComponent("Components.IconButton")]

All things considered, I’ve learned a great deal, and hopefully, my efforts here will help some other soul following in my footsteps learn these lessons a bit more quickly than I did.

Pregnancy Emotions

brianackermann — Mon, 03 May 2010 14:34:15 +0000

Today I learned something new and interesting…

“pregnancy emotions don’t allow for logic”

Do you have any experience with this? Any amusing anecdotes? I’d love to hear about it.

The Necessity of Prayer :: 06 & 07

brianackermann — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 05:00:46 +0000

Welcome back to part 6 (and 7, really) in my series on E.M. Bounds’ book about “The Necessity of Prayer.”

This time, we’ll be looking at the topic “Prayer and Importunity”

Importunity basically means ‘overly persistent.’ Irritatingly persistent might also be a good way to describe it.

In these two chapters, we look at a number of examples in scripture, describing importunate prayer or conduct, and how that kind of persistence paid dividends in the end. Abraham asking God to spare Gomorrah, over and over again. Jacob wrestling through the night, refusing to let go until he’d been blessed. Moses prayed for 40 days to stay the hand of God against the Israelites. Elijah prayed seven times for the rains to come. Jesus himself in the garden of Gethsemane,prayed the same prayer three separate times.

Nowhere, however is it made as clear to us as with the “Parable of the Importunate Widow”. This is the story where the widow brings her case to the judge again and again, and each time he turns her away. Until, at some point, he realizes that the only way to be rid of her is to give her what she asks for, and he commits himself to avenging her.

Jesus is telling it to us plainly. Come to me. Come again. And come again and again and again. Why, do you suppose this is so? In Bound’s words :

“He teaches, moreover, that an answer to prayer is conditional upon the amount of faith that goes to the petition. To test this, he delays the answer. The superficial pray-er subsides into silence, when the answer is delayed. But the man of prayer hand on and on. The Lord recognizes and honors his faith, and gives him a rich and abundant answer to his faith-evidencing, importunate prayer.“

The key to all of this, then, is to recognize that when you pray, you should anticipate a delay. That your faith may be tested (and, as a curious consequence, strengthened!) by delay and what can only be perceived as failure. But the correct response is to redouble your efforts, to become even more fervent in your petitions, and to not give up praying until your prayers have prevailed.

Am I the only one that is bothered by this notion? It seems so….disrespectful…of God. Doesn’t he have better things to do than to listen to me belly-ache about my needs and problems? God seems to allow us to sway him. When Israel had created for themselves the Golden Calf, God was in a terrible anger over it, and was set to destroy them wholly. Moses set himself to pray for His hand to be stayed. God said to him, “Leave me alone!” But Moses would not, and because Moses refused to give up until his prayers had prevailed, Israel was delivered.

It seems that God gives us an ear whenever we choose to take it. Even when He may have set his will on a particular course, perhaps our prayers actually can influence Him in some way?

The Necessity of Prayer :: 05

brianackermann — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 02:15:31 +0000

Welcome back to part 5 in my series on E.M. Bounds’ book about “The Necessity of Prayer.”

This week, the chapter of study was on “Prayer and Fervency.” Fervency could also be thought of as intensity, passion, or fire. A couple of the key points from the text that I thought were particularly poignant were “fervency helps prayer by creating the right atmosphere for prayer to flourish in” and “Coldness of spirit hinders praying”. Throughout the chapter, Bounds kept hammering on fire, fire, fire, fire, fire. It was clear that he believed that prayer without fire was the next best thing to a waste of time.

I think that fire is a particularly interesting word to compare something with. To me, fire is associated with heat, and that brings to mind a (hopefully) illuminating (forgive the pun) illustration. Physically speaking, coldness is simply a lack of heat. Its not an entity of its own. We always discuss temperature as if it sort of hovers around the zones we’re comfortable in, generally, around 50 degrees Fahrenheit, plus or minus 60. But, did you know that the lowest temperature physically possible is just a few hundred degrees below our comfort level (around -459.67 degrees Fahrenheit). I know that sounds like quite a bit, but, compared with the surface of the sun (around 9,940F), we can see that we’ve got it quite nice. Then, finally, the interior of the sun is around 24,479,540.3 degrees Fahrenheit. Yes, thats right…I double checked…nearly 25 MILLION degrees Fahrenheit.

What I’m trying to point out here, is that fervency, like temperature, has no real upper bound. You can always get more on fire for the Lord. You can always draw nearer to him. Similar to what Bounds said, Coldness of spirit is likely to indicate the lack of prayer. I’m convinced now that the more we pray, the more we will find ourselves in possession of these many facets of prayer, regardless of whether we started with them. If commit to prayer, you will find that you have more faith, that you begin to trust, that you find your desires in line with his, and that you begin to have fire and passion.

What more will come? What else will we learn?

I don’t know, but I’m beginning to get excited about the possibilities!

The Necessity of Prayer :: 04

brianackermann — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 02:59:57 +0000

Welcome back to part 4 in my series on E.M. Bounds’ book about “The Necessity of Prayer.”

This part gets takes us away from the consideration of faith and trust, and focuses us instead on the idea of “Desire.”

The chapter starts out: “Desire is not merely a simple wish; it is a deep seated craving; an intense longing, for attainment.” From here, he goes on give more examples of desire, of what it is, and what it isn’t. But I think the opening lines covered it quite well. To desire something is to want it more than you want other things. It is not a passing fancy, something to which you’d shrug your shoulders and think “oh, well. I guess I can deal without it.”

No, the difference between want and desire is the simple matter of need. If you stand in need of a thing, you’re desire will not diminish over time. You will not suddenly decide that you don’t really mind going without food, or clothing and shelter to protect you from the elements. And, at this need, you will have a strong desire to see the need fulfilled.

Out of this need, this desperation, then, comes intensity of prayer. And, conversely, a lack of intensity was suggested to be a sign of coldness, or worse, lukewarmness! “Lack of heart, and lack of heat are two things he loathes…” I found this idea personally troubling at first. I was thinking, “I have no real desires. I don’t NEED anything at all. I am well provided for. All my family is healthy. I have a job. I have a home. My bills are paid.” And yet, when I pray, I find that, for the most part, my prayers are matter-of-fact, and if not devoid of passion, they are characterized by a lack of passion.

Now, I want to take a moment aside, to relate to any readers who are along with me on this journey. I am learning to “Pray”, where previously, I had only “prayed.” Its arbitrary, perhaps, but the distinction in my own mind is quite clear. Before, I prayed as most do. I would offer up a quick thought, of desire or gratitude, and that would be it. If you were to ask me if I prayed, I’d certainly have said “yes”. But, in the greater context, where a Prayer is supposed to be able to tell a mountain to cast itself into the sea, would I say I “Prayed” ? No. And that is the journey I am now on. I am actively cultivating my prayer life. I have set aside time for it, at the expense of much enjoyed sleep. I have begun to read, and, to write, about the subject. I am also running a ‘study’ concurrent with this series. Everything about what I am doing is pointing the way forward to a different, empowered, future. So, when I mention things about “where I am right now”, I beg you to take them with a grain of salt. I’m not teaching you what I know, but rather, what I myself am yet learning. In time, hopefully, you’ll be able to ask me about my prayers, and I will respond, “they are deeply passionate and modestly effective”, and still be able to look you square in the eye.

So, I was concerned about the lack of need in my life, which might drive that passion. What I realize was that there is another side. I HAVE been blessed with (presently) no needs, at least as far as my physical being goes. But, there is another side to me! I have a spiritual being as well, and that part of me does have needs, and, consequently, desires. I am not yet where I sense that I am supposed to be. I am still too much a prisoner of my flesh. I still do the things I don’t wish to do, while letting the ones I do wish, to lay un-touched.

This then, is my source of desire. I can at least have something to ask for.

Finally, on to practical matters of prayer and praying. This week I found two nuggets. With the first, I begin to detect a pattern. Bounds suggests that if we haven’t the desire, we should still pray, but that our prayer ought to be for DESIRE! The second one was this: Pray for things individually and specifically, don’t glom them all into a single hurried utterance.

Until next time….

The Necessity of Prayer :: 03

brianackermann — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 02:56:29 +0000

Prayer and Trust

In our previous two chapters we’ve been dealing with the idea of Prayer and Faith. This weeks chapter takes us one step further, and extends from faith, the notion of Trust. ”Trust is faith become absolute…trust is firm belief, faith in full flower.”

As the idea of trust is an extension of faith, so is this chapters ideas and concepts an extension of the previous ones as well. I didn’t find much in terms of new ground here, but, rather I found re-iterations and emphasizing of thoughts hinted at earlier. We see again the wheel that is prayer and faith, each one getting strength from the previous turning, and providing increase to those that follow.

However, we also see E.M. Bounds suggests to us that this wheel turns both ways. Weakness in our faith will spread to weakness in our prayers, and so on. We read that neglect of a prayer-life is the cause behind most spiritual failures. When the disciples had failed to cast the devil from an afflicted child, they failed. Later on, when asked why they had failed, Jesus explained that “This kind can come out only by prayer and fasting.” They had not yet cultivated their faith deeply enough.

“Trust grows nowhere so readily and richly as in the prayer chamber.” To grow your faith, and eventually, your trust, you must spend time in prayer. You must believe with out doubt that what you pray for now is given to you now, and not in the future. We must continually pray that our faith would be increased, and after many failures, much waiting, much praying, and many trials, our doubts will vanish, leaving implicit trust in its stead.

My practical application point for this week is to pray, “Lord, increase my faith,” as I continue to cultivate a prayer-life for myself. I am motivated to become a ‘great’ pray-er, and for that, I need not only to develop the habit of daily, consistent prayer times, but also to grow in faith, in depth as well as in breadth!

The Necessity of Prayer :: 02

brianackermann — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 01:54:15 +0000

Where exactly did the time go? I’m not sure how I got so far behind in this already! Anyhow, on to chapter 2, “Prayer and Faith (Continued)”.

This weeks’ reading I found to be much more difficult than the previous weeks. It is not that there was little to glean from the text, but rather that it was harder to identify the significant bits. Part of that seemed to be due to the semi-random flow of the main points of the chapter, and some, I think, just from the general difficulty of the text itself.

The main points of this chapter were:

Faith and Fear & Doubt
Faith Clarified
Growing Your Faith
Main Purpose of Ministry
Prayer and Rewards

In chapter 1, I’d found that prayer is a starting point for faith. As the week went on, and I began to apply what I’d read, I found that my own faith was growing. In chapter 2, we read that strong faith is the root of strong praying. We end up with a sort of chicken-or-the-egg dilemma. To have faith, you must pray, but to pray well and strongly, you must have great faith.

How can we overcome this? Our prayers are weak, because we do not REALLY believe. We don’t have an expectation that God is really going to move on our behalf. Why shouldn’t he, if our prayers are already in line with his will?

What then, of our prayers when we are out of touch with the Fathers’ will? Allow me to suggest a few things to keep us away from that. First, pray. Second, pray. Third, pray. When you pray, ask God for more faith. Ask the Holy Spirit to impress divine thoughts on your heart. Ask to be drawn closer to Him. But, most of all, just pray.

In time, as our faith is cultivated, and we see that our prayers are being answered, our faith will continue to deepen. This deepening will continue to reveal more and more of His character to us, which will, in turn, cause our prayers to take on more strength and efficacy! We find, in the end, that faith and prayer (when practiced together with diligence) grow hand in hand. And without one or the other, neither can reach much past the hope from which they spring.

Finally, I am finding (so far) that each week has shown me a specific idea, concept, or method that I can apply directly and personally to my own prayer life. In chapter 1, I found that the idea of praying for today’s needs had taken hold of me. In chapter 2, it was that we should pray deliberately, for specific things. As we ask, so shall our answer be. If we ask God for things in specific, rather than in the general sense, he will reward our prayers with specific answers!