The God Delusion Debate
This dvd shows a completely civil debate between Richard Dawkins and John Lennox up-close and personal (with a live audience that remains polite) and, even though it’s a debate in the classic sense of intro statement, rebuttal, etc, it is an interesting watch. A lot of the ground covered is of the “this is what I really said” type of banter and the arguments on either side do not come across as very persuasive, but instead a good example of how to communicate in the context of conflicting points of view. Fixed Point has made available an entire series of debates on dvd, including thinkers like Hitchens, Taunton, Berlinski and D’Souza going at it in a live setting. [Fixed Point Foundation] DV
[ Cuss: 0 | Gore: 0 | Sex: 0 | Spiritual Conversations: 100 ]
Power Block Plus Universal
This little device becomes all the more valuable if your new iPod or iPhone purchase doesn’t include the wall socket connection (or if you lose yours). What makes this one ideal is that it features a spare AC power outlet, so when plugged in it doesn’t really hog the outlets. [griffintechnology.com] DV
[ Setup Ease: A+ | Performance: A- | Price: $29 ]
Benny Hill: The Complete Megaset
Bridging the gap between an older generation’s madcap comic (like a Red Skeleton or Jerry Lewis) and Monty Python, this collection of 18 dvds includes loads of episodes (58) from two decades of his televised irreverent and bawdy humor. [A&E] DV
[ Cuss: 00 | Gore: 00 | Sex: 01 | Spiritual Conversations: 30 ]
Vibrato Remote HD metal headphones
I love the tarantula-leg cloth feel and length of these headphone cables. I like the volume/call control switch and the (mostly midrange) sonic clarity, but the overall weight of the headphones are a downer. Overall, these are high-quality earphones. [v-moda.com] DV
[ Setup Ease: A | Performance: B+ | Price: $129 ]
Basic Follow Jesus
Popular speaker and pastor Francis Chan does a great job here of boiling down presuppositions on who the church is, being the church and the simplicity of following Christ in community and individually. Eloquent, mellow and compelling, Chan is good. [David C. Cook] DV
[ Cuss: 00 | Gore: 00 | Sex: 00 | Spiritual Conversations: 100 ]
Flat Aux Cable
If you like having gadgets operate with high-end efficiency, you’ll appreciate this flat auxillary cable. Whether it’s connecting your iPod to your car or home stereo, this cable is already flat, so you could walk or wheel over it without much interference. At $14.99 for the 3′ and 19.99 for a six-footer, it’s worth considering.
[griffintechnology.com] DV
[ Setup Ease: A+ | Performance: A | Price: $14-19 ]
The Collective Journals – Eric Clayton
Without page numbers or proper punctuation, this long-winded vocalist and epic songwriter always seems to go to the extreme of “more is better.” In spite of the excess, Clayton weaves a fascinating tale with his journals chronicling his days with Saviour Machine and the still-incomplete Legend trilogy. [Self-published ] DV
Threadless cover
The Permafrost Pollution design is a killer illustration of a polar bear wading in the water. As mentioned in the Sep/Oct issue, these are the finest iphone cases/covers I’ve seen on the market. Slick, slim and protective. Note how each design is from a corresponding t-shirt design from the threadless folks. There’s some really cool designs available, like a lightning bolt, an astronaut and a turntable. [threadless.com/griffin] DV
[ Setup Ease: A+ | Performance: A+ | Price: $34 ]
Outfit Shade
If you don’t mind the slightly larger style (of most iPhone cases), this one is slick and stylish with a gradient of midnight blue to black. It stays together well, will handle an average impact drop and also comes apart easily. [griffintechnology.com] DV
[ Setup Ease: A | Performance: A | Price: $29 ]
Water Clock
When it comes to saving energy, this clock can’t be beat. No batteries… not even solar energy. This thing has a couple chambers that you fill with water and the negative and positive ions in the h20 do their stuff.
[bedol.com] DV
[ Setup Ease: A | Performance: A+ | Price: $39 ]
WD TV Live Hub
This little device, though not the first, is on the cutting edge of technology and our corresponding lifestyles. Take your HDTV and pull up media (music, pics, videos) from your wireless network – and don’t forget the internet. With a small remote and an aesthetically-nice on-screen menu, it takes the next step to a computerized media center. Bravo! [westerndigital.com] DV
[Setup Ease: B- | Performance: A | Price: $199 ]
Marshall Headphones
This genius move, which includes major style and substance, should’ve happened a long time ago. All black cushioned headphones with one of the most recognizable brands in rock features deliver a killer sound with a major kick. I love the details, like the coiled cable and the gold-plated jack. They fold up for tote-able storage. The only drawback is size. I have to use the largest setting to get them to fit and, even though I’m an ego-maniac, my head ain’t that big!
[marshallheadphones.com] DV
[ Setup Ease: A+ | Performance: A+ | Price: $99 ]
Kung Fu Live
Kung Fu Live for the PS3 brings a whole new level of gaming. Using the Playstation Eye, players are emerged into a side-scrolling Kung Fu world. Using any object found around the house as a Kung Fu butt-kicking weapon to knock out any and every baddie. So players can beat down the thugs with a rolled-up HM…WIN. Every movement is implemented into the game so that the player can pull of some sweet ninja-style flips and powers that Mortal Kombat would be impressed by. Doug Christiansen
[ Setup Ease: B+ | Performance: B | Price: $14 ]
[ Check out Gamechurch’s first look at Kung Fu Live at PAX 2010: http://tiny.cc/Kung-Fu ]
AirCurve
This is the perfect little attention-getter/conversation-starter for your desk at work. A power-less amplification system with channels like an inner ear or seashell that acoustically amplifies your tunes. It doesn’t crank (adding just 10dB), but for a small indoor space, it’s convenient and sufficient. [griffintechnology.com] DV
[ Setup Ease: A- | Performance: B+ | Price: $19 ]
Teach Yourself Acoustic Guitar Pack
Having perfected their self-paced guitar instruction software, eMedia have made learning even easier with all you need: a nice Sequoia beginner’s acoustic guitar; software with chord charts, lessons, a tuner, video and audio lessons to learn on. With an affordable price, it’s easy to get motivated. [emedia.com] DV
[ Setup Ease: A+ | Performance: A | Price: $99 ]
Stronger – Brian Head Welch
Head’s second book is a 40-day devotional with fun and fascinating anecdotes from his life that expound upon a Scripture passage. While not the most brilliant theologian of all time, his matter-of-fact tone and raw style are completely street-level and relatable. [HarperOne] DV
By His Strypes – Brett Christianson
This is a beautiful picture book that was put together with the full cooperation of Stryper, which means it features tons of fantastic photos from its multi-platinum career. Some great iconic moments are shared side-by-side with rare glimpses behind the scenes. [Wisconsin Music ] DV
Closing the Window | Tim Chester
Porn is everywhere, easy to access, easy to become addicted. In Christ we are made new, we are given a desire to be like Jesus. Chester’s book outlines five A’s: abhorence of porn, adoration of God, assurance of grace, avoidance of temptation, and accountability to others. Is is not enough to remove porn from our lives, we must fill our lives with the glory of God. The author deals with the issues that lead to porn: boredom, loneliness, depression: as well as the causes of addiction: desire for power, desire to be worshipped. Porn is the sin of idolatry, a false god. More importantly, he states that trying to kick the habit by ourselves will lead to pride and self-justification. By confessing our sin to God and to each other, we receive forgiveness and grace. By consecrating ourselves, we do the things that we already know: reading the Bible, prayer, fasting, communion, worship, thanksgiving, service. The pleasure of God is more satisfying than pleasure of porn. [IVP] Steve McNulty (CAMPA – Confidential Accountability Ministry for Porn Addiction)
I Am
Take the left-of-center character of God from the book The Shack (also played by a lovable African American) and mix it with the jump-around pace of the movie Crash and you’ll get the delivery of this modern adaptation of The Ten Commandments. Pretty cool, though a little short of the afore-mentioned benchmarks. [Fox Home Entertainment] DV
[ Cuss: 00 | Gore: 00 | Sex: 00 | Spiritual Conversations: 100 ]
Wall Street
Like Stone’s prequel, this film does a brilliant job of pulling us into the cast of characters. While heroes and villains show contradictory sides of each, it’s easy to hate and/or love them. It’s uncanny how current and prophetic the story’s backdrop appears to be. [Fox Home Entertainment] DV
[ Cuss: 16 | Gore: 00 | Sex: 00 | Spiritual Conversations: 70 ]
The Expendables
Loaded with talent, this action film mixes the bullets, laughs, chases and explosions well. While worth multiple viewings, it seems to embrace the genre’s clichés rather than rise above them. There’s a hilarious and all-too-short cameo appearance by California’s governor inside a church sanctuary with Stallone and Willis. [Fox Home Entertainment] DV
[ Cuss: 23 | Gore: 7 | Sex: 00 | Spiritual Conversations: 50 ]
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