<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<rss version="2.0" 
    xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
    xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
    xmlns:admin="http://webns.net/mvcb/"
    xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#"
    xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd">
	<channel>
<title>THIS LAMP</title><link>http://homepage.mac.com/rmansfield/thislamp/index.html</link><description>Religion&#x2c; Technology&#x2c; Books&#x2c; Movies &#x26; Politics &#x3e;&#x3e; thislamp.com</description><dc:language>en</dc:language><dc:creator>rmansfield@mac.com</dc:creator><dc:rights>&#xa9; 2003-2007 Rick Mansfield</dc:rights><dc:date>2008-07-24T00:16:10-04:00</dc:date><admin:generatorAgent rdf:resource="http://www.realmacsoftware.com/" />
<admin:errorReportsTo rdf:resource="mailto:rmansfield@mac.com" /><sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
<sy:updateBase>2000-01-01T12:00+00:00</sy:updateBase>
<lastBuildDate>Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:16:10 -0400</lastBuildDate><item><title>Wisdom (??) from My Fortune Cookie #6</title><dc:creator>rmansfield@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Dining</category><dc:date>2008-07-24T00:16:10-04:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/rmansfield/thislamp/files/f647b7e3cd2a6d6d15b2f79643a1bcf7-694.html#unique-entry-id-694</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/rmansfield/thislamp/files/f647b7e3cd2a6d6d15b2f79643a1bcf7-694.html#unique-entry-id-694</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[So today, I met Tim Chance for lunch, and we went to one of those generic Chinese buffets that are found in every other shopping center.   You know, they all have a two-word name with either &ldquo;China,&rdquo; &ldquo;Asian,&rdquo; &ldquo;Jade&rdquo; or &ldquo;Emperor&rsquo;s&rdquo; for the first word and &ldquo;Buffet,&rdquo; &ldquo;Palace,&rdquo; &ldquo;Express&rdquo; or &ldquo;Inn&rdquo; for the second. 

...This one was a bit different in that they had a few more &ldquo;authentic&rdquo; items on the buffet such as chicken feet, which they called &ldquo;Phoenix Claws.&rdquo; 

...As we&rsquo;re walking out, Tim&rsquo;s reading his fortune to me, adding the words &ldquo;in bed&rdquo; at the end and laughing. 

...But if this blog suddenly receives no more new content, and you don&rsquo;t see a &ldquo;Technical Difficulties&rdquo; disclaimer, like last time, well... you know what really happened.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Rise of the New Living Translation</title><dc:creator>rmansfield@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Faith &#x26; Reason</category><dc:date>2008-07-23T00:34:13-04:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/rmansfield/thislamp/files/20080723_rise_of_the_NLT.html#unique-entry-id-693</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/rmansfield/thislamp/files/20080723_rise_of_the_NLT.html#unique-entry-id-693</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The TNIV suffers on two fronts: (1) It was the target of a major disinformation campaign that has led to its rejection by many of those who should have been in its target audience; and (2) neither the TNIV&rsquo;s copyright owner, the International Bible Society, or its major United States distributor, Zondervan, have ever given it precedence over the original NIV in terms of promotion and emphasis. 


...Also, keep in mind that as I have already pointed out, roughly 50% of CBA stores refuse to carry the TNIV, so although it does not show well here, that doesn&rsquo;t mean that it&rsquo;s not selling elsewhere. 

...I do not yet have a full 2007 text of the NLT, but when I received the Genesis sampler of the NLT Study Bible, one of the first things I did was to compare the changes in the text from the 2004 edition. 

...If Christian readers have a true choice to purchase a Bible--and don't have to follow the dictates of some ideology--they will often purchase a Bible with good English, at least as a supplement to one that has worse English and is used as their church's pew Bible.&rdquo;


...In my own use, the TNIV has been my primary Bible over the last two years, although when I give a Bible to someone who tells me the Bible is difficult to understand, I find that most often I give the NLT. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Still Looking for a Decent iPhone Bible App</title><dc:creator>rmansfield@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Technology</category><dc:date>2008-07-20T08:34:26-04:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/rmansfield/thislamp/files/7126cca030d09dd8b1356667ebd0f654-692.html#unique-entry-id-692</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/rmansfield/thislamp/files/7126cca030d09dd8b1356667ebd0f654-692.html#unique-entry-id-692</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Not a big deal to me; I knew the issues would be worked out. but I&rsquo;m nevertheless amazed at how impatient and immature some people are when there are technical problems of this kind. 

...Initially, I was reviewing a number of the original iPhone web-based Bible apps here on This Lamp, but I finally lost interest in it because although some were some apps better than others, none of them really satisfied my needs. 


...On my Treo I had installed the Greek New Testament, the NET Bible including its 60 kazillion notes (which I had to keep on a sim card), and the NASB with Greek and Hebrew dictionaries. 


...Speaking of enetbible.com, I noticed that with the iPhone 2.0 software upgrade, we finally have Hebrew text on the iPhone as seen at the top of this note from Exodus 2:2 in the NET Bible:


...Finally, another good thing about the new iPhone software is that we can finally make decent screen captures as seen above unlike with the original software in which I had to take photographs of the screen with my camera.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>The Kind of Stuff I Find Nowhere Else II</title><dc:creator>rmansfield@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2008-07-20T08:27:15-04:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/rmansfield/thislamp/files/214ef90866c19b469becbca16f0437ed-691.html#unique-entry-id-691</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/rmansfield/thislamp/files/214ef90866c19b469becbca16f0437ed-691.html#unique-entry-id-691</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[You may remember that last year while in Louisiana, I actually saw a jar of pickle pigs&rsquo; LIPS in a jar (again, NO, I didn&rsquo;t partake) while shopping in a grocery store. ...  But this year we took another picture of the kind of stuff you just don&rsquo;t seem to find in grocery stores outside of Louisiana very often:


...I did look at the packages of pre-cooked and shelled crawfish meat, but it was just as pricey as what I can get here in Kentucky.


...This was in the regular frozen seafood section: &ldquo;wild caught, head-on&rdquo; bait shrimp--the kind of stuff you can go fishing with. 

...I didn&rsquo;t buy any of the food pictured above. but I did fill up the ice chest with Natchitoches meat pies, crawfish pies, andouille sausage, boudin (regular and jalape&ntilde;o), purple hull peas, and Albert&rsquo;s Hot Sauce.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Why eBay Insurance Is Important</title><dc:creator>rmansfield@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Personal</category><dc:date>2008-07-20T08:26:12-04:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/rmansfield/thislamp/files/e2d719c8e9b38568036c634314f31ae0-690.html#unique-entry-id-690</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/rmansfield/thislamp/files/e2d719c8e9b38568036c634314f31ae0-690.html#unique-entry-id-690</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In the &ldquo;THIS IS WHY YOU SHOULD ALWAYS GET INSURANCE ON EBAY ITEMS&rdquo; department:


I was doing a bit of early Christmas shopping for Kathy, and I had won an eBay auction for a &ldquo;Sango Sangria Vegetable or Relish Tray&rdquo; (she likes the Sango Sangria stuff).   As you can see above, it didn&rsquo;t survive the journey.   So now, I&rsquo;m out about $30 after paying for shipping, too, and nothing but  a broken tray to show for it. 


...I was simply being cheap--trying to save less than two bucks. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Recommend: The New Living Translation Blog</title><dc:creator>rmansfield@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Faith &#x26; Reason</category><dc:date>2008-07-11T01:26:51-04:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/rmansfield/thislamp/files/20080711_NLT_Blog.html#unique-entry-id-689</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/rmansfield/thislamp/files/20080711_NLT_Blog.html#unique-entry-id-689</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I had actually missed it as we&rsquo;ve been traveling since July 2, but from reading all the new posts (six in less than a week) in one sitting, the blog looks as if it&rsquo;s off to a strong start. 


...I found it interesting that Challies would quote from the 1994 edition of the NLT when the translation has seen a significant revision in 2004 and then another minor revision last year. ...  I don&rsquo;t see why ESV readers can&rsquo;t simply applaud their favorite Bible without attempting to knock other versions down, but the internet is full of such posts. 

...There is no &ldquo;one size fits all&rdquo; translation, but the NLT communicates in a style that is more in keeping with contemporary, conversational English than any major translation I know of. 


...While I assume they will highlight specific editions of the NLT, I would hope also to see much discussion about the uniqueness of the NLT itself and further discourse on translation method.<hr>
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Starbucks and &#x22;Free&#x22; WiFi: They Just Don&#x27;t Get It</title><dc:creator>rmansfield@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Dining</category><dc:date>2008-07-08T22:42:15-04:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/rmansfield/thislamp/files/20080708_starbucks_free_wifi.html#unique-entry-id-688</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/rmansfield/thislamp/files/20080708_starbucks_free_wifi.html#unique-entry-id-688</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Okay, that seemed like a short amount of time, but it was better than nothing, so I made sure one of the gift cards loitering in my wallet was registered.


...Since I wanted to upload a video podcast for the cast iron site while we talked, I got to Starbucks a few minutes early so that I could go ahead and connect and begin the upload. 


...Not knowing what to do next, and since there&rsquo;s no Internet access beyond the login screen, it&rsquo;s not like I could have my login name and password emailed to me, so I approached one of the baristas at the counter. ...  Now, consider that this is one of the employees at Starbucks and he has no idea how to get on to his own store&rsquo;s wireless network.   After poking around on the screen for a few minutes, he looked at me and said, &ldquo;Well, if you sit in the front corner of the store, you can pick up Subway&rsquo;s internet.&rdquo;
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>This Lamp Will Be Down on Wednesday</title><dc:creator>rmansfield@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Miscellaneous</category><dc:date>2008-07-08T19:34:54-04:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/rmansfield/thislamp/files/fbd215dd09ecab03c4546f385ffd87c1-685.html#unique-entry-id-685</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/rmansfield/thislamp/files/fbd215dd09ecab03c4546f385ffd87c1-685.html#unique-entry-id-685</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Mac services except email will be down on Wednesday as ....  Mac server space, will be unavailable from 3 PM to 9 PM EST (6 PM to midnight PST).


...Apple says that both will still work, so I&rsquo;m not changing my email or web address just yet, but I have to wonder if two or three years down the road they might announce that all mac.com addresses will be no more. 


I&rsquo;ve thought about moving This Lamp to its own dedicated server space with a real thislamp.com address (right now, it only forwards to what you see in your URL line above), but that would also entail a lot of resetting internal links, so right now, I&rsquo;m undecided.  


Regardless, if you drop by on Wednesday and don&rsquo;t find This Lamp, don&rsquo;t panic, it should be back within a few hours.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Zondervan &#x26; This Lamp to Give Away TEN Renaissance Fine Leather TNIV Reference Bibles</title><dc:creator>rmansfield@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Faith &#x26; Reason</category><dc:date>2008-07-01T11:31:38-04:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/rmansfield/thislamp/files/20080701_TNIVRB_Giveaway.html#unique-entry-id-684</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/rmansfield/thislamp/files/20080701_TNIVRB_Giveaway.html#unique-entry-id-684</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[That&rsquo;s right--Zondervan has offered to give away ten copies of the Renaissance Fine Leather TNIV Reference Bible (a combined retail value of nearly $1,000) to ten qualifying individuals. 

...For the purposes of this giveaway, if you are a pastor, other minister or teacher of adults and you instruct from the Bible on at least a weekly basis, you are considered a gatekeeper. 

...This is a really nice edition of the TNIV Reference Bible, and Zondervan is being very generous to give these away through This Lamp. 

...If you think you&rsquo;re the right person to preach or teach from one of these high-quality TNIV Bibles, by all means leave your post in the comments. ...  Be certain to leave your email address when you post your comment so that I can email you for your mailing address later and then pass it on to Zondervan.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Preview: TNIV Reference Bible&#x2c; Renaissance Leather Edition (with photos) &#x5b;UPDATED&#x5d;</title><dc:creator>rmansfield@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Faith &#x26; Reason</category><dc:date>2008-07-01T00:57:09-04:00</dc:date><link>http://homepage.mac.com/rmansfield/thislamp/files/20080701_Preview_TNIV_Reference_Bible_Renaissance_Leather_Edition.html#unique-entry-id-683</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://homepage.mac.com/rmansfield/thislamp/files/20080701_Preview_TNIV_Reference_Bible_Renaissance_Leather_Edition.html#unique-entry-id-683</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[It had a higher quality binding than many of Zondervan Bibles, and it was very affordable--at the time it could be obtained through many outlets for less than $20. ...  Although the TNIVRB laid flat when held open (which any Bible with a stitched binding should), the cover itself was bonded leather and there were a few folks who simply wanted something a bit higher in quality. 


...There&rsquo;s a movement in publishing circles away from naming the animals from which the leather is obtained [I&rsquo;m still waiting for &ldquo;genuine dairy cow&rdquo;], but the new &ldquo;Renaissance Fine Leather&rdquo; is probably calf. 

...So instead of using a thin bookbinding leather and then attaching it to a stiff board (like 99% of Bibles), we use a thicker leather and let the material itself become the cover.&rdquo;]


...t=rickmansfiels-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0310941261&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>This does, indeed, look to be a very fine Bible. ]]></content:encoded></item></channel>
</rss>