Virus2

Only click over to this game at the risk of wasting a little time. It's an addictive little Shockwave strategy board game to infect a whole screen with a single color by choosing which color to use next. The idea is to get the number of turns it takes to sickify the whole "population" as low as possible.

Note: It's stomach flu season, so try not to think of it as a really icky virus. And always wash your hands. Really. And please don't touch my keyboard. In fact, I can't really meet anyone in person until, say, May.

Most Americans Hate Their Jobs

I think the stats in this MSNBC story are worth thinking about -- even if you're a few years away from working a "real job" or starting a career. The fact that almost 40 percent of employees under 25 don't like what they do for a living isn't surprising, but it is revealing. I think part of the problem is that so many of us expect that the career we eventually get (and how much it pays) will define how we turn out and whether we're happy or not.

Two bits of wisdom have helped me with this over the years. From a secular perspective, someone once told me to focus on doing what I like, what I feel passionately about, what really matters to me. Even if you start out making peanuts, at least you'll care about the work you do. And the better you get at the work you do, the more money you'll (probably) make doing it. In other words, don't follow the dollars, follow your passion.

The second, more helpful piece of advice laid on me about job satisfaction has to do with the wisdom of Solomon. The everything-is-meaningless guy made it clear that no job, no career, no lifestyle is ever going to fill the heaven-hungry holes in our hearts. In other words, lower your expectations for jobs and career and focus instead on the mission of living for eternity during the hours, days, and years spent "on the job."

**Bonus still-learning-the-hard-way wisdom: Another reason so many people hate their jobs (I believe) is that they're in debt up to our eyeballs. They get trapped in yucky gigs because they have to pay those credit card bills every month. Stay away from the credit monster (especially when you're young), and you'll have more freedom to move on when a job turns uggo.

Jesus' Remains Discovered?

Apparently, a new documentary from James Cameron (director of The Titanic) and Simcha Jacobovici details the discovery of a Jerusalem burial cave containing the remains of Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and Mary Magdalene, among others. So I guess we were all wrong about this whole Christianity thing. Maybe we'll look into Buddhism.

After all, if Cameron's film is right, our beliefs are just sad. Paul said it: "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men." (1 Corinthians 15:17-19)

Hopefully, it will take more than a slick new doc on the Discovery Channel about an archeologically iffy 15-year-old find to shake the faith of believers. Regis Nicoll over at Break Point's The Point blog offers a few problems with "the evidence" that Jesus' remains are actually in this cave. My favorite is this, but they're all worth checking out.

Amos Kloner, the archaeologist who wrote the official report on the cave ten years ago, concluded that the "'possibility of it being Jesus' family [is] very close to zero.' Motti Neiger, spokesperson for the Israel Antiquities Authority, agreed 'that chances of these being the actual burials of the holy family are almost nil.'"

Smart or Stoopid Quiz

For you quizzers, here's a quick, fun online "IQ test." I put it in quotes because as the site freely admits, it's neither scientific nor a real measure of actual IQ. It's more of a timed, general knowledge test with a couple of math questions thrown in. Enjoy, compare, and let it go.

Obviously, knowing stuff makes you smart and not knowing stuff might get you called "stoopid." Wisdom, though, is a whole other kettle of fish. Wisdom is knowing how to live, how to use what you know make the best choices in the real world. I'm sure you know some smart fools and maybe a few wise guys with less than average book smarts.

I'd like to see someone put together a "wise or foolish" quiz, maybe using Proverbs as a source for the questions. Anyone up for the challenge? Don't miss square one: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." (Proverbs 1:7)

Shutdown Day

Could you live without your computer for one day? The guys at shutdownday.org are asking. They've suggested a Shutdown Day of March 24. Why?

It is obvious that people would find life extremely difficult without computers, maybe even impossible. If they disappeared for just one day, would we be able to cope?

Be a part of one of the biggest global experiments ever to take place on the internet. The idea behind the experiment is to find out how many people can go without a computer for one whole day, and what will happen if we all participate!

Not sure if I can do it, but at least they're having fun with the idea. Check out this Shutdown Day-related YouTube vid of alternative uses for that overworked computer of yours.

Reminds me of the folks who push the TV Turnoff Week. And both groups have a point. Anything we can't live without for a day (or a week) probably owns us. So will your unplug for a day?

Mark Matlock's PlanetWisdom Mobcast

PlanetWisdom has started a Mobcast. To join, use your cell to text "planetwisdom" to 66937 and you will receive news from Mark, as well as an opportunity to give your opinions on several questions Mark will be asking over the next week. You can unsubscribe at anytime so join now! And remember...standard text messaging rates apply.

Human Flight

Amazing images from photographer Denis Darzacq of people caught in the act of defying gravity.

Life After Cars

To decrease dependence on foreign oil, the Japanese are experimenting with low-cost alternatives to automobiles.

World of Warcraft Addiction?

When I wrote a devotional last week mentioning my addictive tendencies with video games, I didn’t realize that World of Warcraft addiction is thisclose to becoming a real-world psychological diagnosis. To be fair, they’re calling it MMO (massively multiplayer online) addiction, but WOW is the biggest MMO world out there.

From a current Yahoo article on the phenom:

Dr. Orzack sees similarities between MMO addiction and more traditional behavior disorders such as compulsive gambling. "The same reward center in the brain is tapped -- the dopamine system. Gambling has all the components that go with these games," she explains.

The story profiles a 20-year-old calling himself Splint who spent his teen years owned by WOW. Before he quit, he was spending one hour out of every four playing the game; that’s eight hours a day, every day, for two years. Why did he do it? In addition to the addictive properties of the game,

"It's an escape from reality," he told us. "When you're a retail jockey, you're nobody. When you're Captain 'Purple Items' with the best gear around, you're looked up to. People ask you for advice, encourage you to 'keep up the good work,' or just gush at your equipment in comparison to theirs."

The article does cop to some positive aspects of the MMO lifestyle -- learning teamwork, principles of economics, and even relationship-building. Lots of people play without giving up work, “real” friends, and other activities. For me, the question comes back to “where’s your head at” when you’re not playing the game. If you can’t get it out of you mind, maybe the game (or sport or relationship or television) is playing you. The challenge for Christians is to get our minds stuck in another world completely.

Social Network of the New Testament

Okay all you Bible, web tech, and social networking geeks. (Yes, I realize that should narrow the readership down to about six people, but those six people are going to dig this.)

Christian publisher Crossway Books used the info visualization site Many Eyes to create a visual social networking map of the New Testament. Even cooler: It's interactive. You can pick any of the people on the map and manipulate the image to see how they're connected to any of the other people on the map. Logically, Jesus is connected to everyone.

Note: This thumbnail is just to give you an idea. You actually have to go to the site to play with the thing. If you're on a Mac, it's best viewed/used with Safari.

Mark's Ignite Column

Did you know Mark has a long-running Q&A column in Ignite Your Faith magazine (the pub formerly known as Campus Life)? It's a media advice column where readers submit questions about movies, TV, music, and the Internet.

Here's a taste from the Jan/Feb '07 issue:

Q. My youth pastor refers to "redeeming" movies a lot. He says that some mainstream movies might be made by non-Christians, but are still redeeming. What does that mean?

A. . . . A recent example: In Akeelah and the Bee, a girl growing up without a dad in the rough part of L.A. is given the unlikely chance to win the national spelling bee. Why? Because one man sacrifices his time, energy, and emotional stability to invest in her training. He isn't shown to be a Christian, but he displays some Christlike attitudes that improve the lives of folks he cares about. . . .

Read more Qs and As here. Then check out the rest of the IYF site and think about hitting the 'rents up for a subscription. It's a fine mag.

Perfect Love Letters

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone. We hope today is exactly as hearts and flowery as your deepest wishes--or as black and brooding as your fondest cynicism. Whether you've got a special someone or not, you'll enjoy Joe Carter's annual advice to guys on how to write a worthy love letter. Here's a sample from his Evangelical Outpost blog:

Don't just write one letter that you photocopy and hand out to all the new girls you meet. That won't get you anywhere. You have to actually go to the trouble of copying the same letter out by hand every time you give it to a different girl.

Don't let his clever title fool you. Joe tells clueless guys everywhere how to craft that perfect arrow of love and fire it straight into her swooning heart. (Sometimes love is violent.) Especially helpful for you guys dating those sensitive, romantic-type girls (i.e., girls). Funny stuff, and some of it even works!

Guess the Logo

You see them all the time, but can you pick out the real web logos from a page of fake ones? It's harder (and slightly more fun) than you might think. Give it shot. I dare you not to yell at the timer.

Too Easy Porn

According to a study in the February issue of Pediatrics (reported in a New York Times blog), more and more "young people" (10- to 17-year-olds) are reporting having seen online porn, either intentionally or unwillingly. The Times blog quotes experts who say this is a real problem and others who say it's not a big deal. I think it's a huge deal.

Of course, Christian students who want to avoid developing wrong ideas about sex or stoking lustful desires have to work harder than ever to avoid seeing pornographic images online. Just staying away from the web isn't going to work, obviously. Too much life takes place online now. And we can't really trust web filters and other blocking software to change our hearts. We'll see what we want to see. (However, those seeking real accountability might benefit from one of those "watch" programs that automatically reports your web habits to a trusted friend.)

Bottom line: We have to choose to stay away from content that causes moral stumbling. That involves being honest with ourselves about what trips us up and avoiding sites and/or pages we know might lead us to content that leads our eyes and hearts away from God. We can join King David in asking God for help: "Turn my eyes from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word." (Psalm 119:37)

Fish 'n Flush

Ever wished you could make your bathroom more homey and colorful by keeping live fish in your toilet? Me neither. But I bet some of your are going to want one of these real bad. And the rest of us are going to laugh at you.

Understanding Darfur

Have you been following the conflict in Darfur in western Sudan where thousands of people are being cruelly and systematically wiped out? If so, you might know that many Christian groups -- including high school students -- have joined others in efforts to step in and stop the raping and killing. MTVu has this "game" on their site to try to help users understand the near hopelessness of the refugees living in camps and under attack there.

Are you a part of a church, youth group, school group, or some other group trying to raise money or awareness and prayer to save the people of Darfur? If so, tell us what you're doing and why.

Shadow Puppets!

My favorite new YouTube video uses old-school special effects. It's plenty cool, but I'm not sure why it would make someone want to buy a car.

Bite Your Tongue!

I mean, don't make it bleed or anything. But if you're going to avoid joining the bandwagon of people using their words to do wrong, it's going to take some kind of radical action.

Just looked at a new Barna survey in which people were asked about how much they help others and how much they help themselves, so to speak. Among many other stats, I found these interesting:

One-third of adults say they have used profanity in public in the last month (33%). One-quarter claims to have said mean things to others about someone else when that person was not present (28%). One out of every eight Americans (13%) admits to having told someone something they knew was not true, while 10% of adults say they have gotten even for something someone did to hurt or offend them.

As you might guess, those percentages go up as the age of the respondents comes down. Apparently, the percentage of 18-22 year olds who swore in public was closer to 66%. And that only counts the people to told the survey-takers the truth!

It is tough to keep our tongues from swearing, talking behind others' backs, lying, and using words to get even. God knows that. Worse, Jesus said the only reason we spew so much garbage is because we've got so much garbage inside of us: "Out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." (Luke 6:45) The more we let God clean up our hearts (and avoid putting new garbage in), the less time we'll have to spend biting our tongues.

Serious Times

If you've only been paying attention to the news for the last few years, you might think the world is always in a state of utter chaos. The truth is that we've had way more "big news" -- catastrophic, history-changing news -- in the last five years than sometimes happens in multiple decades.

In a downloadable PDF chart in the New York Times last fall, Ben Schott breaks down lots of what has gone on (to that point) in the five years since 9/11. In addition to providing a helpful homework source for any papers you might be working on, it's fascinating (and a little scary) to see what the world has been through in half-a-decade.

You can't avoid it. You're not growing up in the more-is-better "Me Generation" of the 80s or the navel-gazing 90s. You're becoming a person of influence in Serious Times. The lack of stability in the world means that you have a better chance than ever to make a real difference in the lives of people, especially if you make yourself available to God to be used wherever you are right now.

When Esther hesitated to use her influence to save her people because it might cost her everything, her uncle suggested that God might have put her exactly where she was at that moment for a specific reason: "And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14)

Pay attention to who God brings into your circle of influence in the next half-a-decade. He might have big plans to impact the world through you in Serious Times.