Codex Sinaiticus

This just in! A really old book has just been published on the internet. Not cool enough for you? OK, well the book is actually the oldest known copy of the Christian Bible, the Codex Sinaiticus. 1600 years old.

Why is this cool? Well, it just might have serious implications in the Christian realms. In the past, Christian theologians, scholars, and religious leaders were only as good as the materials they had available. They fed the masses what was agreed upon as the definitive works, a collection of books selected at the Council of Nicaea long ago (subject to debate).

The Codex Sinaiticus includes those books and a few more. So what is in the new books being introduced to EVERYBODY? Will the information bring age old teachings into question? Will religious leaders accept the data now available to their followers? What of the general understanding of the Christian Bible, could men have cut out entire books throughout history in order to fit their own credence? How does one go about changing a religion, even if it is a very small change?

Besides the modern day debates that may ensue, the history of the actual manuscript is fairly interesting as well. Check out the articles:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/07/24/online.bible/
http://www.thestar.com/living/religion/article/661728

And the website: http://www.codex-sinaiticus.net/en/ (english translations coming soon...)

On a lighter note, people in California like to moon passenger trains: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124718939724920855.html

Matt & Kim - Grand

I stumbled across a sweet little album this week and feel the need to share. Yes, I listen to music while I work. So what? I don't have to deal with Milton in the next cubicle. The bliss of working at home is still fresh in my mind.

Oh yeah, the album... Grand by Matt & Kim. I heard the song, Daylight, in a Bacardi commercial. Super catchy, but unfortunately (for Bacardi) I didn't succumb to buying any alchie. Sorry guys, my ears were more stimulated by your commercial than anything else.

As I’m sure all of my friends have known about them for years, I simply pride myself on finding this album all by myself. I take what credit I can. Matt & Kim is apparently an indie rock group that seems to be on the verge of hitting it big-time. If you like keyboards and simple, upbeat tunes, check em out! I like I'll Take Us Home and Daylight quite a bit.

Their website: http://www.mattandkimmusic.com/

YouTube Video of Daylight:

Old School Cryptography

The Wall Street Journal ran an article this week about a letter written to President Thomas Jefferson from Robert Patterson. The letter contained a cipher that hasn't been cracked in over 200 years! Pretty dang impressive if you ask me! (Yes, I know that we probably could have cracked it years ago if we stuck the intelligence agencies on it, but we didn't so it remains cool)

Check out the article: http://online.wsj.com/wsjgate?subURI=%2Farticle%2FSB124648494429082661-email.html&nonsubURI=%2Farticle_email%2FSB124648494429082661-lMyQjAxMDI5NDA2MjQwODI0Wj.html

What I really found humorous was imagining the look on the poor guy's face when he figured out what it said. He probably had weeks of sheer excitement leading up to one climactic moment, all the while thinking of the movie National Treasure, dreaming of the riches that were on the other side of those pages... only to find a joke. Sorry dude.

Here's one of the pages:

My first step to decode this would be relearning how to read "proper" cursive. That must have taken hours to write!

It's Electric!

When I was in the fifth grade, or so, I did a report on photovoltaic cells. I was and am still fascinated with them. How cool is it that we can harness the energy of sunlight!?! Back when I did the report, the going industry standard was that 10% of sunlight's energy could be converted into electricity; the current standard varies from 10% to 31%.

The reason I'm writing would be the latter figure, 31%!!! I just read an article about the use of solar thermal energy, mirrors, and sterling engines to achieve that impressive statistic. Sterling engines were originally built in the 1800's and SES has just brought them to the next level by focusing sunlight on them to provide the needed heat run the thing. Awesome! Each one has 82 mirrors, 1 stirling engine, and produces 25-kilowatts.

The article: http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/research/4288743.html?page=1
SES's site: http://www.stirlingenergy.com/about-us.htm
A couple pictures of the beast:
On a sidenote, there' s a pretty cool idea that IST Energy has been marketing to large business locations. The idea: melt your trash and use it as fuel to power a generator. Long term savings seem astronomical! Bonus to boot: it reduces pollution caused by garbage removal/disposal. I'm a fan.
The company's site: http://www.istenergy.com/
An article: http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10140500-54.html

10 Stupid Mistakes Made by the Newly Self-Employed

I stumbled upon a cool article written by Steve Pavlina, 10 Stupid Mistakes Made by the Newly Self-Employed, and was happy to relate to several of his opinions. I even learned a thing or two... or three. Seeing an article like this one lifts my spirits b/c it gave me a figurative slap to the back of the head and it gives me a sense of camaraderie with the thousands of other folks out there on their own trying to be their own bosses. With a little common sense, we can get a lot further!

Tinkering w/ Technology

After a few switchovers, I finally settled on a template for the blog (you're looking at it now). There is soooo much content on the web these days feeding the blogging masses! I had to sift through dozens of websites claiming to have great templates and widgets, only to discover it's a lot like finding a good "work at home" solution that wastes gigabytes of traffic every hour! I spent way too much time pursuing this.

Fortunately, a few sites did deliver:
http://buzz.blogger.com/2009/06/spruce-up-your-blog.html
http://www.deluxetemplates.net/
http://www.bloganol.com/

For whatever reason, I couldn't settle for an easily provided design from blogger.com. I had to get something more complex and refresh my xml skills. I will say that the nice thing about my obsessions is that they all seem to be fairly short lived. To all of those blogging sites: Veni, vidi, vici.

No more templates. No more processing rebates at home.

Captive vs. Independant Agency

When it comes to insurance agencies, there are many different forms/sizes/types... but I’d love to rant about one distinction: captive and independent insurance agencies. When an insurance company has captive agents, they work strictly with that company and its products. An independent agent works with multiple companies and does not have any allegiances.

So, is one better than another? Nope. I say this confidently b/c there are many different situations that afford each type the advantage.

For instance, captive agencies naturally have more interest in their agents' individual success. This may be the best way to get into the insurance industry as fresh meat (over 90% of ppl fail in their 1st year… you better find somebody who’s willing to hold your hand through the beginning). I began as a captive agent and was given free training, coaching, office materials, and best of all… free leads! As a captive agent, however, you have a limited line of products to meet clients’ needs and may not beat out the competition.

Insurance companies working with independent agents have an interest in the success of their product b/c their producers are actively shopping around. Because of this, an independent agent won’t always be afforded a huge support system/free training/free resources/free leads. You must come up with these things yourself as a producer, but you gain a competitive edge when dealing with customers. You are an expert in the industry who can find the best deal for your clients… take that you competitors! (err, yeah, something like that)

So, if you can see the general trend of my logic, I started off as a captive agent, grew, and have now “graduated” to being independent. Let’s see if I’m up to the task.

Here’s a better article that expands on my little rant: http://www.agentssalesjournal.com/content/view/670/108/