https://alexbilson.dev/ Recent content on Of Chaos and Order Hugo -- gohugo.io en-us Sat, 17 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2024/02/20240217-114219/ Sat, 17 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2024/02/20240217-114219/ In the space of a few hours I’ve done work across at least three technical domains that are usually each their own jobs. First, I’ve used the Python Django Framework to model a menu and location admin service. Second, I’ve designed a responsive, themed website for one of my favorite food trucks. Third, I’ve established an Ansible deployment service to send my latest creation to the Internet. On the one hand, I’m proud of myself for gaining all the proficiencies required to do the jobs of three people. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2024/02/20240201-170532/ Thu, 01 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2024/02/20240201-170532/ Today is Amie and Amanda’s first women’s DBS since the holiday break. They’ll be meeting weekly this round. The details of what they’ll study are still to be decided, either a theme or a continuation of Mark. So excited for them! I learned that another person at my work is interested in moving to another team. This means that, when I start the next project for another team, I may have a place to remain on that team instead of returning to the Portal team. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2024/01/20240127-073435/ Sat, 27 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2024/01/20240127-073435/ The Order of the Common Life #ocl postulancy began this week and the week prior I began to meet with Westminster staff to discuss chapters of the book “God In My Everything.” We’re getting started by noticing our existing habits and where the Father may be inviting a change. Skyler demonstrated his #BulletJournal approach to tracking his #RuleOfLife and, inspired, I started a #bujo yesterday. I’m excited to have a system to integrate what I’m learning and doing. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2024/01/20240125-123011/ Thu, 25 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2024/01/20240125-123011/ I’m struggling with feelings of incompetence and humiliation. Nearly two months of wrestling on this tedious and demotivating work project and I couldn’t figure out even the basics of what was affecting my capacity to be productive. Twenty minutes explaining myself to one of my colleagues and a difficult conversation with my manager and now my struggle is much more clear. I feel like an incompetent fool and humiliated that, after years of counseling and training I’m still this blind to myself and have grown so little in my awareness of the times I need to seek out help from others. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2024/01/20240115-133131/ Mon, 15 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2024/01/20240115-133131/ Meditating today on some of the injustices which MLK Jr sought to overthrow, I’ve felt ashamed that my whole life hasn’t been swallowed up in the fight as I feel it ought to be for the cause of #justice. In prayer to the Lord I’ve been comforted by the certainty that the Lord’s justice will neither sleep nor be silent. He shall surely judge the nations and their rulers, and not only if I pray and fight hard enough. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/katherine-paterson/god-made-february-short-so-we-do-not-die/ Fri, 12 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/katherine-paterson/god-made-february-short-so-we-do-not-die/ The reason God made February short a few days was because he knew that by the time people came to the end of it they would die if they had to stand one more blasted day. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2024/01/20240110-081350/ Wed, 10 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2024/01/20240110-081350/ I’ve begun to slowly add a few rhythms in January as a precursor for the start of the postulancy. Exercise and journaling to be exact. I realized while talking to Ben Tennant, my spiritual director, that I don’t always have a clear reason why I want to integrate more practices into my daily habits. I mean, I know the right answers but sometimes I can neither remember them nor feel that they are my true motive. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2024/01/20240110-172115/ Wed, 10 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2024/01/20240110-172115/ Two days I’ve had lunchtime commitments: #SpiritualDirection and lunch with a friend. In both cases I’ve noticed that the exercise and #meditation that would be slotted into this time gets dropped when it’s replaced. Even if I have some room, I don’t fill it in with these #habits. I’m learning that, even after I’ve established a rhythm it’s so tied to a time and place that deviation upsets it. That’s okay, there’s tomorrow. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2024/01/20240103-072644/ Wed, 03 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2024/01/20240103-072644/ My office had become a dumping ground for all the odds-and-ends that float around our home. Yesterday I cleared it out. I’m hoping that decluttering my environment will reduce my stress. In one corner I have my work desk with the printer on a side table. Beside it is a rectangular space for exercise with 5lb dumbbells and a yoga mat. In the opposite corner I’ve placed another desk for hobbies and paper filing with a bookshelf next to it. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2024/01/20240103-072841/ Wed, 03 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2024/01/20240103-072841/ Royal has been attending a ninja class for a few months. His awards ceremony was on the 14h of December. The instructor said that he hasn’t spoken a word to her all this time, but he always has a smile on his face. Look at our shy guy! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2024/01/20240103-073537/ Wed, 03 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2024/01/20240103-073537/ This year Amie convinced me to get a smaller Christmas tree, but the process was equally fun (and less back-breaking). The boys were so excited to decorate the tree that we had it completely decorated the next day. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2024/01/20240103-075043/ Wed, 03 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2024/01/20240103-075043/ We rode the 1880 Christmas train again this year. The boy’s stamina has grown in a year so they did not become nearly so squirrely as the ride progressed. This year the boys answered Santa’s question, “And what would you like for Christmas?” with the same answer - lightsabers and dragons. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2024/01/20240103-075834/ Wed, 03 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2024/01/20240103-075834/ On Christmas Eve we joined Westminster’s nativity skit. The boys were silent but I think they loved wearing the panther and lion outfits. That evening we went out to Japanese stirfry. The boys had a blast watching the chef prepare their food. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2024/01/20240103-081331/ Wed, 03 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2024/01/20240103-081331/ Christmas was another wonderful, exciting and exhausting day. Well, more like week. On Christmas morning we opened Christmas stockings with my grandparents. We left my grandparents to rest and prepare for the afternoon shrimp boil and drove over to Grandpa’s house for brunch and gifts. Then it was back to the house to prepare for the shrimp boil (or as Royal calls them, “shimp”. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2024/01/20240103-084458/ Wed, 03 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2024/01/20240103-084458/ We’ve managed the twelve days of Christmas in our household again this year. Amie found a candelabra that’ll fit the whole set. We light another candle for each day and sing a Christmas hymn. She made candied crandberries and pitzels. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2024/01/20240101-201144/ Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2024/01/20240101-201144/ I’m grateful that Amie and I spent a little time last night talking about goals for 2024. We have a few categories that guide our thoughts. Here are some potentials for the list: Love Jesus by spending more time noticing His activity with the Order of the Common Life. Love one another by celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary, maybe with an adventurous trip. Inviting the kingdom of God into our city by meeting for strategic conversations with leaders. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/12/20231231-122620/ Sun, 31 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/12/20231231-122620/ I’ve enjoyed this holiday season more than last year by a wide margin. However, I’m still weary of being tired for days with little to show for it. I am daunted by this new year and unsure of myself as I enter it. Tonight we’ll do some goal setting which usually helps; putting it all in the table and sorting out the best from the good often relieves the burden of over-the-limit dreams. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/12/20231225-183127/ Mon, 25 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/12/20231225-183127/ Christmas accomplished. Whew! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/12/20231222-123022/ Fri, 22 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/12/20231222-123022/ Christmas is almost here! Yesterday I installed the stair railings and blinds so that the guest room is finally complete; just in time for my grandparent’s arrival. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/12/20231221-213737/ Thu, 21 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/12/20231221-213737/ Today I used two skills from high school. Two! First, geometry. Using the Pythagorean Theorem and SOACATOA (remember that?) I calculated the necessary height of a screw to install a rail. Second, checking my work. I had to look up all the stuff about cosines and such because I didn’t remember any of it. Even when I applied it, I wasn’t sure that I had it right. So I created a couple control problems and validated my results. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/12/20231220-145420/ Wed, 20 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/12/20231220-145420/ I hit a milestone today. My 500th post on my website! To mark the occasion I’ve written a meta-post to celebrate the achievement. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/meta/the-500th-post/#jump https://alexbilson.dev/plants/meta/the-500th-post/ Wed, 20 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/meta/the-500th-post/ This is my 500th post! Let’s celebrate… Writing Diversity Tags show broad categories that I’ve written more about than others. It won’t expose everything, but here are some of my most prolific tags. The first number is the count of unique posts I’ve written and the second is the count of quotes from others. apostolic(3/19) business(33/0) children(15/3) cli(21/0) communication(17/2) culture(22/0) design(13/1) discipleship(4/8) entrepreneurship(48/0) evangelism(13/1) faith(9/8) fear(3/11) formation(17/18) identity(6/9) interpretation(11/1) javascript(21/0) justice(11/3) kingdom(13/8) leadership(42/5) love(4/8) prayer(7/11) scripture(12/4) snippet(20/0) software(14/1) trust(9/8) wisdom(7/6) writing(12/3) (note to self: it’d be really cool to graph these on a timeline to show how my interests have pivoted over time. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/deconstruction-with-larry-wall/ Wed, 20 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/deconstruction-with-larry-wall/ Below is the full response from Larry Wall, the creator of the Perl programming language, to a question about faith in God. I’ve taken it wholesale from butnotlost.blogspot since ya never know when it’ll disappear. I’ve put italics around my favorite parts. Q: I remember reading at some point that you are a Christian, and there have been suggestions that some of your early missionary impulses (a desire to do good, help others) are perhaps part of the zeal you have put into Perl over the years. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/12/20231218-085300/ Mon, 18 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/12/20231218-085300/ One week until Christmas! Amie and I wrapped the stocking-stuffers last night. The boys will be thrilled. With Amie’s dad’s help we’ve finished the bed in the guest bedroom. Our task list is dwindling, although our Christmas cards are doomed to arrive late again this year. I’m enjoying this season way more than last; there’s lots to do but it doesn’t feel like work is all there is. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/12/20231218-093945/ Mon, 18 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/12/20231218-093945/ I’ve been reading the book “Evicted” by Matthew Desmond. You know, some light holiday reading 🙄. The dissonance between my life of relative comfort and ease and the inhuman treatment of the city’s poor strains my credulity in the justice of God. Mostly I feel shame to be treated well without reason when my brothers and sisters are abused without reason. In my more balanced frames of mind I recognize that, despite the dramatic differences in circumstance, neither the poor nor the rich are liberated. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/12/20231218-100716/ Mon, 18 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/12/20231218-100716/ “Evicted” by Matthew Desmond calls to mind a frustration I’ve had for many years. Our society manufactures barriers between us across so many strata: economic, racial, gender, expertise. James enjoins us to care for the needy among us and to show no partiality towards the rich, but we’ve so segregated ourselves, both inside and outside church buildings, that it’s rare even to be in the positions that James describes. Even when the church community has diversity, interior walls compound our separation further: pride, shame, fear. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/12/20231208-154428/ Fri, 08 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/12/20231208-154428/ https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/12/20231208-154645/ Fri, 08 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/12/20231208-154645/ It’s been awhile since I posted any pictures. Here are a few from the last months which I especially enjoy. This is the first feature-length film to which I've taken the boys. We watched the movie 'Open Season'. Starting Graham young. Believe it or not, he chose to look at this book without coersion! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/12/20231208-203648/ Fri, 08 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/12/20231208-203648/ Graham and Royal sang in a little choir production from their school tonight. Graham had been stressed that he didn’t know all the words to “Jingle Bells,” but he did great - he even had hand motions! Royal looked exhausted and just waited awkwardly for the show to end. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/12/20231208-204356/ Fri, 08 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/12/20231208-204356/ My second day off was spent with my sons, and that’s made these some of my favorite days. Today, Royal and I spent the afternoon together. We visited the Geology museum on the School of Mines campus and saw some spectacular rocks and fossils. Then we went ice skating for the first time. Doing things with both boys can be fun, but my favorite is when we’re one-on-one. I’m hoping to do something similar with Graham soon; he’ll love the museum and might like ice skating. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/12/20231203-035001/ Sun, 03 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/12/20231203-035001/ Amie and her parents treated us to a date at the symphony last night. And it was glorious! For me, the symphony is nostalgic. Many of my best memories as a young person were in the symphonic and marching band. I feel the trepidation and excitement when the xylophone rings out, cutting through the whole orchestra. I remember the joy of harmony. I recall marveling at the range and power of each instrument from the backstage view of the percussion section. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/12/20231203-035805/ Sun, 03 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/12/20231203-035805/ The symphony is nostalgic, and it’s also prophetic. The Spirit flows with the music, calling images and memories to my mind’s eye in a way that’s often surprising. That is, in ways I cannot anticipate or control. Those movements in which I expect to receive the strongest impressions can be lifeless to me, and others can bring me to tears with their resonance and imagery. I think that I learned to hear the Spirit’s voice first through music, then recognized the speaker in the Bible. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/12/20231203-040805/ Sun, 03 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/12/20231203-040805/ Lastly, the symphony is nostalgic, prophetic and FUN. At times I struggle to be “proper” because I want to dance and mourn, in all my ungainly, unskilled movements, along with the music. I don’t (in the concert hall at least 😉), but I allow my body to move with the music in my seat. Sometimes I feel self-conscious when I realize that almost no one else is doing the same 😨, but bucking conformity brings it’s own satisfaction. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/12/20231203-040835/ Sun, 03 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/12/20231203-040835/ A big part of what made this symphony especially fun was the Davis Sisters: Dee+Shapeera, Kandra and LaDreeva. Their joy and comfort singing together and the astounding range of their talents is a blessing. My only gripe is that none of the vocals speakers were pointed towards the balcony! We may be becoming part-time groupies of Kandra and LaDreeva if we keep showing up to their local gigs ♥️. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/what-i-love-about-the-symphony/ Sun, 03 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/what-i-love-about-the-symphony/ Thought I’d collect these thoughts from my logs of last night’s symphony. For me, the symphony is nostalgic. Many of my best memories as a young person were in the symphonic and marching band. I feel the trepidation and excitement when the xylophone rings out, cutting through the whole orchestra. I remember the joy of harmony. I recall marveling at the range and power of each instrument from the backstage view of the percussion section. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peter-scazzero/defining-emotional-health-and-contemplative-spirituality/ Wed, 29 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peter-scazzero/defining-emotional-health-and-contemplative-spirituality/ Emotional Health naming, recognizing, and managing our own feelings identifying with and having active compassion for others initiating and maintaining close and meaningful relationships breaking free from self-destructive patterns being aware of how our past impacts our present developing the capacity to express our thoughts and feelings clearly, both verbally and nonverbally respecting and loving others without having to change them asking for what we need, want, or prefer clearly, directly, and respectfully accurately self-assessing our strengths, limits, and weaknesses and freely sharing them with others learning the capacity to resolve conflict maturely and negotiate solutions that consider the perspectives of others distinguishing and appropriately expressing our sexuality and sensuality grieving well Contemplative Spirituality awakening and surrendering to God’s love in any and every situation positioning ourselves to hear God and remember his presence in all we do communing with God, allowing him to fully indwell the depth of our being practicing silence, solitude, and a life of unceasing prayer resting attentively in the presence of God understanding our earthly life as a journey of transformation toward ever-increasing union with God finding the true essence of who we are in God loving others out of a life of love for God developing a balanced, harmonious rhythm of life that enables us to be aware of the sacred in all of life adapting historic practices of spirituality that are applicable today allowing our Christian lives to be shaped by the rhythms of the Christian calendar rather than the culture living in committed community that passionately loves Jesus above all else https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peter-scazzero/discipleship-models-often-protect-against-growing-up-emotionally/ Wed, 29 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peter-scazzero/discipleship-models-often-protect-against-growing-up-emotionally/ The spirituality of most current discipleship models often only adds an additional protective layer against people growing up emotionally. Because people are having real, and helpful, spiritual experiences in certain areas of their lives–such as worship, prayer, Bible studies, and fellowship–they mistakenly believe they are doing fine, even if their relational life and interior world is not in order. This apparent “progress” then provides a spiritual reason for not doing the hard work of maturing. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peter-scazzero/emotional-health-and-spiritual-maturity-are-inseparable/ Wed, 29 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peter-scazzero/emotional-health-and-spiritual-maturity-are-inseparable/ Emotional health and spiritual maturity are inseparable. It is not possible to be spiritually mature while remaining emotionally immature. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peter-scazzero/head-east-into-the-darkness/ Wed, 29 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peter-scazzero/head-east-into-the-darkness/ Gerald Sittser, in his book A Grace Disguised, reflects on the loss of his mother, wife, and young daughter from a horrific car accident. He chose not to run from his loss but to walk directly into the darkness, letting the experience of that overwhelming tragedy transform his life. Le learned that the quickest way to reach the sun and the light of day is not to run west chasing after it, but to head east into the darkness until you finally reach the sunrise. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peter-scazzero/jesus-was-not-selfless/ Wed, 29 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peter-scazzero/jesus-was-not-selfless/ Jesus was not selfless. He did not live as if only other people counted. He knew his value and worth. He had friends. He asked people to help him. At the same time Jesus was not selfish. He did not live as if nobody else counted. He gave his life out of love for others. From a place of loving union with his Father, Jesus had a mature, healthy “true self. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peter-scazzero/space-to-explore-my-feelings/ Wed, 29 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peter-scazzero/space-to-explore-my-feelings/ Beyond my times of reading the Bible, I now needed time to pay attention to what was happening within me each day so that I could bring that to God also. Rather than keeping busy to avoid my inner pain and disappointments, I needed space to explore my feelings and wrestle with anger, shame, bitterness, grief, jealousy, fear, or depression–in an open, contemplative way before God. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peter-scazzero/top-ten-symptoms-of-emotionally-unhealthy-spirituality/ Wed, 29 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peter-scazzero/top-ten-symptoms-of-emotionally-unhealthy-spirituality/ The top ten symptoms of emotionally unhealthy spirituality: Using God to run from God Ignoring the emotions of anger, sadness, and fear Dying to the wrong things Denying the past’s impact on the present Dividing our lives into “secular” and “sacred” compartments Doing for God instead of being with God Spiritualizing away conflict Covering over brokenness, weakness, and failure Living without limits Judging other people’s spiritual journey https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peter-scazzero/we-need-to-stop-so-we-might-create-familiarity-at-all-times/ Wed, 29 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peter-scazzero/we-need-to-stop-so-we-might-create-familiarity-at-all-times/ The reason we need to stop and be with God is so we might create a continual and easy familiarity with God’s presence at all times–while working, playing, cooking, taking out the garbage, driving, visiting friends, as well as during worship, prayer, and Bible study. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peter-scazzero/we-underestimate-the-power-of-evil/ Wed, 29 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peter-scazzero/we-underestimate-the-power-of-evil/ Revelation, one of the most badly interpreted and misunderstood books of the Bible, contains the key to why most present-day Christians are overwhelmed by the culture and the world around us: we underestimate the intensity and power of evil–both outside and inside of us. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peter-scazzero/conflict-and-trouble-were-central-to-the-mission-of-jesus/ Wed, 29 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peter-scazzero/conflict-and-trouble-were-central-to-the-mission-of-jesus/ Conflict and trouble were central to the mission of Jesus. He disrupted the false peace all around him–in the lives of his disciples, the crowds, the religious leaders, the Romans, those buying and selling in the temple. He taught that true peacemaking disrupts false peace even in families: “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peter-scazzero/when-we-create-a-counterfeit-reality-we-exclude-god-from-our-lives/ Wed, 29 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peter-scazzero/when-we-create-a-counterfeit-reality-we-exclude-god-from-our-lives/ When we leave reality for a mental creation of our own doing (hidden assumptions), we create a counterfeit world. When we do this, it can properly be said that we exclude God from our lives because God does not exist outside of reality and truth. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/11/20231128-074059/ Tue, 28 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/11/20231128-074059/ This weekend we pulled out all the carpet in the house, two rooms and four half-stairs, in preparation for the new carpet installation. The contractors installed it all yesterday! I’d moved our books out of the bookshelves so I could move them downstairs. I found Graham and Royal sitting on a pile of them and let out a yell so loud Graham immediately started crying. I apologized for scaring Graham. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/11/20231124-133532/ Fri, 24 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/11/20231124-133532/ Amie and I enjoyed a relaxed planning session last night. There’s so much, if the Lord wills, that we anticipate in the new year. Our downstairs bedroom will finally be complete. Just in time to use as an office for Amie’s counseling work in January. I’ll be starting a postulancy with the Order of the Common Life. I’m learning to let go in order to pursue further Kingdom work. And we’ll be hosting a Christmas party. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/11/20231116-103318/ Thu, 16 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/11/20231116-103318/ While passing the boy’s bathroom this morning I witnessed a horrifying sight. Royal was holding a plastic bag over the toilet with two inches of yellow liquid inside. The bag was dripping and there were several puddles on the floor. #parenting https://alexbilson.dev/plants/science/motivation-management/ Thu, 16 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/science/motivation-management/ Having a conversation with ChatGPT 4.0 about setting 2024 goals yielded this article about motivation. A couple points stand out. First, that motivation is highest at the beginning and end of a goal. This matches exactly with my 2023 exercise and memorization goals. I sustained motivation for the first three months until I was sidelined with a bout of sickness and the scheduling challenges of regular summer visitors. As the summer has waned and our visitors slow, my desire to return to these habits has increased. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/thoughts-on-ai/ Thu, 16 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/thoughts-on-ai/ In Software Development James Somers writes a thoughful piece about the effect that models like ChatGPT are having on his work and perception of future programming. He delves into the fears associated with this “tsunami” change but ends with a hopeful note by comparing the effect of LLMs on chess. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/11/20231112-093044/ Sun, 12 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/11/20231112-093044/ The ebb and flow of my life can be abrasive, wearing me down like sand upon the smooth stones of the sea shore. My perspective has softened towards myself in the ebb, but I am not fully free of the surges of shame that accompany ebbs or the bursts of unceasing energy that mark flows. I am either an ideal or a poor candidate for a monastic order. It depends on one’s goal. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/11/20231112-093704/ Sun, 12 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/11/20231112-093704/ Yesterday was well spent for an ebb day. I had zero accomplishments but, by simply being a warm body, I could drive Graham and Royal to Heather’s birthday party and handle bedtime so Amie could go to dinner and a play with her father. What a strange tangle are my priorities at times that kindness and service can be discounted while intellectual pursuit is sought. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/monastic-rule-of-life/ Tue, 07 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/monastic-rule-of-life/ The Order of the Common Life has four rhythms and twelve commitments that comprise their Rule of Life. I still have my reservations. Yes, I think these are good things, but I’m not sure that this expression of spiritual disciplines is right for me. It feels like something could be missing, and a few of these are values that I’m not likely to follow through with, like lectio divina or shared work. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/10/20231021-094035/ Sat, 21 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/10/20231021-094035/ Royal has for months now been telling us about his kids. Sometimes there are more than two, but Ellie and Eva have been there since the beginning. They’re both five years old and live down the street (usually). They have a knack for arriving wherever we’re talking about, which means they’re often world travelers. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/10/20231019-134434/ Thu, 19 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/10/20231019-134434/ Thanks to Amie buying “Joyful Journey,” I’ve begun to experiment with interactive gratitude. The purpose is two-fold: 1) to multiply the number of positive experiences with the Father in recent memory and 2) to help re-connect me with those I love when my relational circuits have shut down. I’ve copied the basic instructions to my website at the link below. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/james-wilder/steps-to-interactive-gratitude/#jump https://alexbilson.dev/stones/james-wilder/steps-to-interactive-gratitude/ Thu, 19 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/james-wilder/steps-to-interactive-gratitude/ Step 1) Gratitude from me to God Take a moment right now and prayerfully ask the Spirit to help you remember a moment of gratitude. This memory can be anything that comes to your mind. It can be something simple that happened during the day or a theme you have encountered many times. When something comes to mind, take time to write down what you are thankful for in a conversational manner with God. https://alexbilson.dev/gardens/business/consulting-manifesto/ Thu, 19 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/gardens/business/consulting-manifesto/ (intro here) Favor Strategic Work There are two flavors of consultant: the expert and the strategist. The expert consultant is hired to solve a pre-defined problem with which their skills match. An Azure on-prem-to-cloud database admin consultant has mastered the transition from local SQL instances to the Azure cloud database suite. When expertise is minimal in the company or there is a tight deadline the expert is called to save the day. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/james-wilder/doing-right-things-can-lead-to-wrong-things-when-our-relational-circuits-are-off/ Tue, 10 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/james-wilder/doing-right-things-can-lead-to-wrong-things-when-our-relational-circuits-are-off/ Our solution to solving problems with our [relational circuits] off is to do the right thing rather than restore relationships. Doing many right things with your [relational circuits] off can lead to doing very wrong things when it comes to restoring relationships in the Kingdom of God. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/james-wilder/relational-circuits-checklist/ Tue, 10 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/james-wilder/relational-circuits-checklist/ Relational Circuits Checklist (Are our RCs on or off?) I just want to make a problem, person or feeling go away. I don’t want to listen to what others feel or say. My mind is “locked onto” something upsetting. I don’t want to be connected to [blank]. (Someone I usually like) I just want to get away, fight, or freeze. (verses Calm + Connect) I more aggressively interrogate, judge and fix others. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/james-wilder/thought-rhyming-sequence/ Tue, 10 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/james-wilder/thought-rhyming-sequence/ Thought rhyming takes participants through five steps from God’s perspective as God offers attunement to His children. In distress, God helps us restore our [relational circuits] and peace. Through the Immanuel journaling process, God brings healing to the broken interactions (misattunements) we experienced in life. Suppose we need to start our thought rhyming while we are feeling upset about something; we can use the following sequence. I can see you I can hear you I can understand how hard this is for you I am glad to be with you I can do something about what you are going through (steps and order borrowed from Exodus 3:7-8a) https://alexbilson.dev/stones/james-wilder/when-we-do-not-expect-god-to-listen-we-treat-him-as-though-he-is-an-idol/ Tue, 10 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/james-wilder/when-we-do-not-expect-god-to-listen-we-treat-him-as-though-he-is-an-idol/ When we do not expect God to listen to us, we are inadvertently treating the Living God as though He was an idol made by our human hands. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/james-wilder/without-interaction-we-become-hardened-or-indifferent/ Tue, 10 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/james-wilder/without-interaction-we-become-hardened-or-indifferent/ Without interaction, many of us become hardened or indifferent to God altogether. After all, God seems indifferent to our suffering or incompetent or even cruel. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/james-wilder/memories-of-gods-goodness-give-us-a-sense-of-being-loved/ Tue, 10 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/james-wilder/memories-of-gods-goodness-give-us-a-sense-of-being-loved/ We tend to spend a lot of energy focusing on resolving traumas in the hope that we will be free from the pain trauma brings. What we often miss or overlook is the power of building memories of God’s goodness that give us a sense of being loved. Noticing God’s goodness and appreciating His gifts can be viewed as depositing money in our “Immanuel” savings accounts, whereas focusing on painful evens in life can be like withdrawing money! https://alexbilson.dev/stones/james-wilder/our-thoughts-can-rhyme-with-our-heavenly-fathers/ Tue, 10 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/james-wilder/our-thoughts-can-rhyme-with-our-heavenly-fathers/ In Ephesians 2:10, Paul uses the Greek word poiema, which literally means God’s poetry. When poiema is translated as “handiwork” or “workmanship” it misses the following important point. Poetry in scripture does not rhyme sounds; it follows the Hebrew pattern and rhymes thoughts. This means that as God’s poetry, our thoughts can rhyme with our Heavenly Father’s. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/10/20231007-132201/ Sat, 07 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/10/20231007-132201/ Amie renewed my New Yorker subscription this week. She loves me so well 🙂 ❤️ https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/10/20231002-083600/ Mon, 02 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/10/20231002-083600/ For the first time this year a person joined me on one of my Centennial Trail hikes! Skyler and I managed a 7-mile hike from Brush Creek to Sheridan Lake. It was actually closer to nine miles after we lost the trail and backtracked. My hamstrings are still tight. Since all my hikes have been alone, I wasn’t sure how to behave. Should we talk, or hike in silence? It turned out to be a mix of both. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/10/20231002-084017/ Mon, 02 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/10/20231002-084017/ Amie and Amanda (Skyler’s wife) launched their first DBS group last Thursday. There’s an energizing mix of women, from the well-versed Bible nerds to those with almost no experience in the texts. We’re stoked to watch what the Spirit does with these wonderful people and are praying that their obedience will plant Kingdom seeds to grow through and beyond the MOPS community and the women of Westminster. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/10/20231002-143548/ Mon, 02 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/10/20231002-143548/ On the 13th of September, right before we left for Chicago, Skyler launched this year’s youth ministry at Westminster. I had the joy of collaborating with him on the design and the privilege of helping with the launch. Skyler’s taken the ministry over from Andrew after he followed the Spirit’s leading to pivot towards the Basecamp Climbing Gym community full-time. We’re equipping Middle School and High School kids to discover the Biblical Jesus in the book of Mark by reading the Bible in community, responding to what we’ve learned and sharing our discoveries with those we know. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/conversation-about-the-bible/ Tue, 26 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/conversation-about-the-bible/ What follows is a thread copied from a lovely Mastodon conversation across the past two days between my account @acbilson, @corbden, and @Shobeck). Visit the start of the thread here to read in full. @acbilson One rejection of the #bible I’ve witnessed is that it contains horrendous evil, even evil in which God’s actions get enmeshed. Case in point: Abraham’s nephew, Lot, offers his virgin daughters to be gang raped by his neighbors to protect his male guests. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/09/20230925-075853/ Mon, 25 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/09/20230925-075853/ I’ve been reflecting on how to communicate my own mortality to my boys. It’s had the unexpected affect of turning my view towards those I’ve lost and what I trust has happened to our relationship. I will see them again at the resurrection of the living and the dead, yet their absence from my life pains Jesus as it does myself. Together we will bear the suffering while the Father supplies what I need. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/09/20230925-101615/ Mon, 25 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/09/20230925-101615/ We consider great literature those books which honor the ambiguously complex nature of life on earth and give room in our hearts to learn from their wisdom. Why should we afford the #Bible any less honor, though we must read with patience a book written by authors from a time and culture distant to our own, writing to an audience distinct from us. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/what-i-must-say/ Mon, 25 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/what-i-must-say/ There’s a fear which keeps surfacing in my psyche. It’s the fear that I will be taken away from my children by a society increasingly free to exercise violence towards nonconformity. This fear arises most often when I read articles about the narrow edge our society balances upon with the upcoming presidential election. On a political level, I do not care whether one votes for a Republican or a Democratic candidate. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/09/20230924-103422/ Sun, 24 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/09/20230924-103422/ While visiting the Ellos in Arlington Heights David gave us a word. He said our family is like a tornado. While it can seem quiet inside, all those around are getting tossed around and stirred up. That’s a good word brother. Bring the wind, Spirit, bring the change. Give us the endurance to live inside the storm. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/prompt-engineering-for-developers/ Wed, 20 Sep 2023 09:18:18 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/prompt-engineering-for-developers/ (these notes originate from Jeff Mitchell’s presentation at Performance Trust). Prompt Engineering Tips use delimiters to instruct the model which text to work upon (and which to ignore). request structured output (JSON, CSV, Markdown, etc). offer a way out if the input does not meet certain criteria. give the model more context and supply steps. Reduces errors, especially in deductive reasoning. Specify how the output should look. request that the model complete the solution before supplying an answer. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/09/20230920-085616/ Wed, 20 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/09/20230920-085616/ What is it about arriving in Chicago that stirs up so much resistance? We were hanging out with the Ellos, reflecting on our family’s sudden illness that just happened to coincide with our drive to Chicago, when we realized that all our crazy stories occur, not on the way out of Chicago, but on the way back. This realization stirs up my rebel side. I wanna move back just to send a message, “You can’t push me around. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/09/20230920-115900/ Wed, 20 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/09/20230920-115900/ I want to read this paper in-depth. Ethan Mollick has been instrumental to my growing understanding of the introduction of generic AI to all, and specifically how it affects education. Navigating the Jagged Technological Frontier: Field Experimental Evidence of the Effects of AI on Knowledge Worker Productivity and Quality https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/09/20230906-083547/ Wed, 06 Sep 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/09/20230906-083547/ Amie and Royal have horrific poison ivy rashes. Royal on his left cheek, but it’s spread to his left hand and maybe his legs. Amie on her chest, but now her face, both arms, her neck and belly. Amie thinks her case may have gotten into her blood stream; how else do we explain how it pops up in disparate parts of her body without further exposure? She’s on her way to urgent care… again. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/08/20230825-090129/ Fri, 25 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/08/20230825-090129/ “Write about what interests you.” What interests me right now are video games and the TV show Suits. I wouldn’t write about them because they’re not important enough. They’re entertainment. Except that I’m an analyst. Where others watch a show or play a game and happily move on, I must master it. If it’s a game: memorize the tactics and devise the perfect strategy. If it’s a show, ascertain the characters next moves and the writer’s plot structure. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/08/20230825-091932/ Fri, 25 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/08/20230825-091932/ Our September will be packed. It begins with Amie traveling to the East Coast for a wedding. Then I train a group of adults and high schoolers in the Discovery Bible Study method (I’m really excited about this). After that we drive to Chicago for a week of visiting and a work conference. And I might try to squeeze in a day hike. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/08/20230814-123152/ Mon, 14 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/08/20230814-123152/ For our ninth anniversary Amie and I returned to Skogen Kitchen and, for the first time in our lives, we tried foie gras. We’d wondered about this dish ever since reading about it in one of Ruth Reichl’s books, but rarely see it on the menu. This is also likely the last time I will ever eat it. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/08/20230814-124503/ Mon, 14 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/08/20230814-124503/ My dad and Shawna visited the second weekend in July. One lunch we spent at a firehouse restaurant up in the Black Hills. Graham and Royal climbed all over every firetruck they had parked outside and into every compartment. We visited the candy store afterward. To our surprise, not only did we find candy, but also this enormous moth! Royal insisted we take it home. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/08/20230814-125200/ Mon, 14 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/08/20230814-125200/ In Amie’s Present Play cohort (now called Hi Fam! I believe) she’s chosen a three-month project to hold a special weekly meal called “family feast.” It’s a meal that, more than any other, is for connection and tradition. We had our fourth meal yesterday. We’ve made adjustments every week since we began, trying to find a time, food, and location that’s conducive to mutual enjoyment. I don’t think we’ve quite figured it out yet. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/08/20230814-125942/ Mon, 14 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/08/20230814-125942/ Amie is growing a number of edible plants in pots on our front porch, such as jalapeños. Yesterday, Royal had found a plucked jalapeño and mistakenly bit a swallowed a chunk. He was in agony while we tried to figure out what had happened until Amie noticed the half-eaten jalapeño on the floor. Once we knew what was going on I rubbed ice on Royal’s lips for almost a half hour until the oily burn finally subsided. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/08/20230814-130326/ Mon, 14 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/08/20230814-130326/ Amie and I have finished Trenton Lee Stewart’s “The Mysterious Benedict Society” boxed set. I’m sorry to see it go; we really enjoyed them. We’ve begun a trilogy about a family’s life on the island of Corfu. Although we’re only a chapter in, there’s an exceptional quality to the writing. And it’s funny. Gerald Durrell has keen perception to say the least. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/trenton-lee-stewart/wickedness-is-more-noticable-than-goodness/ Mon, 14 Aug 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/trenton-lee-stewart/wickedness-is-more-noticable-than-goodness/ [Reynie said] “I see things differently now, and it’s… bothering me, I suppose.” Mr. Benedict gazed at Reynie, stroking a bristly patch on his chin that he’d missed with his razor. He exhaled through his lumpy nose. “Since your mission, you mean?” Reynie nodded. “You mean to say,” said Mr. Benedict after reflecting a moment, “That you’re disturbed by the wickedness of which so many people seem capable. My brother, for example, but also his Executives, his henchmen, the other students at the Institute–” https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/07/20230720-092553/ Thu, 20 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/07/20230720-092553/ I’ve been at a low ebb with writing for the last month or two. It’s a normal fluctuation for me, and all my previous writing is still available (and free of charge, woot!), but I still find it discouraging when it happens. Mostly because I can’t tell when or how writing returns. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/07/20230720-101654/ Thu, 20 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/07/20230720-101654/ The first week of July Amie, Graham, Royal and I went on our first ever family camp! It was at Camp Rimrock. Amie grew up attending camps like this one, but it was a first for the rest of us. Everyone got a name tag, but I mostly kept the boy's tags in my pocket. We stayed in a rustic cabin. We’d heard that, because we had almost fifty families attending, we might have to share cabins. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/07/20230720-123557/ Thu, 20 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/07/20230720-123557/ David Ello gave me a recommendation for a new book series, Peter and the Starcatchers. Looks like my kind of book! We’re hoping to start the first book of the Corfu Trilogy by Gerald Durrell once we’ve finished The Extraordinary Education of Nicolas Benedict by Trenton Lee Stewart… and as soon as the order returns the correct book. We hastily attempted to use Walmart. They sent us Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway instead. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/07/20230703-084110/ Mon, 03 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/07/20230703-084110/ We were delighted to host Jeremy, Bethany, Zeke and Rosie Elston at our home on the 12th! Their on a cross-country trip and dropped by for food, fellowship and a better place to sleep than a KOA between a truck depot and an airport. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/07/20230703-084512/ Mon, 03 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/07/20230703-084512/ Another leg of the Centennial Trail complete! It was actually a couple weeks ago but I’m just getting around to writing about it. I’ve added it to the first journey, episode 2. #hiking #BlackHills #CentennialTrail https://alexbilson.dev/gardens/hiking/centennial-trail https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/06/20230630-084535/ Fri, 30 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/06/20230630-084535/ Amie and I went to our first play of the year at Black Hills Playhouse. What an enchanting venue, nestled deep in the Ponderosa pine, a tinkling creek winding between the campus buildings, and the cabin smell of the impressively professional stage room. The play was outstanding. Funny, thought-provoking, and engrossing. When it travels, see it where you are. https://www.blackhillsplayhouse.com/thelifespanofafact https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/06/20230630-100652/ Fri, 30 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/06/20230630-100652/ On this day in 2020 I wrote, How does one stand in a line that wraps the DMV for two hours without growing irritable? It helps a lot to be reading about the suffering of six million Black Americans. “The Warmth of Other Suns” by Isabel Wilkerson. Wilkerson’s #book was on my mind last night, as was Derek Bell’s “Faces At the Bottom of the Well”. My #conversion is ongoing, but I’m deeper than I was. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/06/20230614-133442/ Wed, 14 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/06/20230614-133442/ I hiked my first leg of the #CentennialTrail last week! I had to lower the entry barrier from a two-day hike to one, but an unexpected detour still made for a nine mile hike. More to come, but here’s my write-up of the journey. Centennial Trail Episode #1 https://alexbilson.dev/gardens/hiking/centennial-trail/ Wed, 14 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/gardens/hiking/centennial-trail/ This is a personal journal of my hikes along the South Dakota Centennial Trail, but it may also serve as a growing resource for the trail, especially GPS coordinates. Episode #1 - Just Getting Started Amie, Graham and Royal drove me to the start of my first leg of the Centennial Trail and went a little ways down the path. We said our goodbyes (the boys stayed for a while to splash in the creek) and I headed for where I estimated I would run into the official trail, near Sheridan Lake. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/how-to-pray-for-my-family/ Wed, 07 Jun 2023 13:22:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/how-to-pray-for-my-family/ It’s my sense that many Christians in the United States are confused about our social location. We believe that we’re living in Israel. As Israel’s prophets confronted the kings of Judah with a call for Torah living, so we are convinced that the American Church’s role is to call for a national return to Torah. We’re mistaken. We do not live in Israel, we live in Babylon. We are not Isaiah, we are Esther. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/06/20230607-103000/ Wed, 07 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/06/20230607-103000/ I’ve been on an unscheduled hiatus in May. We began to host visitors and I was battling some discouragement from some ministry opportunities that may be delayed. I’ll catch you up on the highlights soon! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/06/20230607-104339/ Wed, 07 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/06/20230607-104339/ We purchased a swing for the boys at the start of May. There’s been so much laughter since. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/06/20230607-110422/ Wed, 07 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/06/20230607-110422/ Our good friend, and Royal’s godmother, Kati Ray, came to visit us in early May! Kati brought gifts… Kati brought Graham and Royal sensory bin gifts. We went hiking… We went hiking... Visited Crazy Horse Memorial… And dropped by cousin Sarah’s Keystone convenience store for some Sarsaparilla! It’d be impossible to overemphasize how happy we were to see Kati. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/06/20230607-110920/ Wed, 07 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/06/20230607-110920/ As of mid-May Royal is officially potty trained! Guess how many diapers I changed this week? Go ahead, I’ll wait. Zero? ZERO? YES!!!!! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/06/20230607-112858/ Wed, 07 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/06/20230607-112858/ Graham’s birthday party was a space theme this year. We held it at a nearby park. So many people showed up. Comically, I don’t have many pictures of the birthday boy himself. He spent most of the time playing far from the action. A rare sighting of Graham. He dropped in to open presents. Amie received well-deserved praise for her incredible cake. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/06/20230607-113316/ Wed, 07 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/06/20230607-113316/ Basement renovations are well on their way thanks to our friend and local contractor Steve and his family. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/06/20230607-114645/ Wed, 07 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/06/20230607-114645/ And some funny pictures, just for a laugh. Graham's hard at work on his forensic skills. We discovered a walk-in cave not far from our home thanks to our neighbor Nicole. I wish there were a poo fairy... Those in the Black Hills are on the lookout for the elusive Royal bear. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/06/20230607-115138/ Wed, 07 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/06/20230607-115138/ We were amazed to discover that a friend of Amie’s, Jim Walker, from her days in Pittsburgh was riding the bus to Crazy Horse Memorial with us! He’s suffered terribly in the intervening years since the Hot Metal church plant, but Holy Spirit sent Amie and I to encourage him that his work has not been in vain. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/06/20230607-144533/ Wed, 07 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/06/20230607-144533/ For Graham’s birthday he and I went on our first camping trip together! We set up the tent, explored the area, started a campfire, and roasted hot dogs and s’mores. Graham was so excited the first night that he couldn’t stop moving until nearly nine o’clock. Since we had to reserve at least two nights, we picked up Amie and Royal and all of us stayed overnight for the second evening. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/06/20230607-145230/ Wed, 07 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/06/20230607-145230/ The day after our camping trip Royal tripped and smashed his forehead into a wall corner, knocking a gouge almost a half-inch long into his forehead. Blood everywhere. Shouting, cursing, and crying galore. Gratefully we were able to get Royal in to see his regular doctor instead of the ER. It was a simple steri-strip and glue job. It took awhile for the adrenaline to run down. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/05/20230506-083554/ Sat, 06 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/05/20230506-083554/ My energy levels have been low for almost two weeks now. The same amount of time we’ve been assaulted by #allergies. Whether it’s the allergies or the allergy medication, it’s not great. We have about three months a year without allergy symptoms, January through March, and then it’s back to it. Ugh. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/04/20230427-154544/ Thu, 27 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/04/20230427-154544/ The term ‘accountability’ is frequently thrown around Christian circles. It fills me with unease because I think of it as giving another authority to punish me for failure. Which is why Dr. Cruickshank’s definition in her book, Ordinary Discipleship, is so helpful to me. “But accountability is merely the ability to ask for an account of [my] actions.” (pg 143) #trust #accountability #formation #discipleship #leadership https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/04/20230426-103240/ Wed, 26 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/04/20230426-103240/ Just hours before our neighbors were coming over for tacos and fellowship they came down with a violent illness. We ran the tacos over to them anyways, but I’m annoyed when it seems our adversary has gotten the upper hand. The spiteful, petty resistance is wearisome. It reminds me of the behavior of the Unman in C.S. Lewis' Perelandra. “What chilled and almost cowed him was the union of malice with something nearly childish… this petty, indefatigable nagging…” https://alexbilson.dev/stones/clive-staples-lewis/all-his-biddings-are-joys/ Wed, 26 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/clive-staples-lewis/all-his-biddings-are-joys/ “That also is a strange thing to say,” replied the Lady. “Who thought of its being hard? The beasts would not think it hard if I told them to walk on their heads. It would become their delight to walk on their heads. I am His beast, and all His biddings are joys. (in reply to Ransom’s conflicting thoughts about how difficult it is to receive God’s commands on the Earth compared to their reception on Perelandra). https://alexbilson.dev/stones/clive-staples-lewis/what-hatred-was-made-for/ Wed, 26 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/clive-staples-lewis/what-hatred-was-made-for/ Then an experience that perhaps no good man can ever have in our world came over him–a torrent of perfectly unmixed and lawful hatred. The energy of hating, never before felt without some guilt, without some dim knowledge that he was failing fully to distinguish the sinner from the sin, rose into his arms and legs till he felt that they were pillars of burning blood. What was before him appeared no longer a creature of corrupted will. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/04/20230425-151634/ Tue, 25 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/04/20230425-151634/ Today is ultra-full. Finished up a project to pull holding company data into our system and demoed the results to our DBA. Quick win. Consulted with a board director about a global software project. May have the honor of assisting with the design of the project on a data committee. Really exciting. A bunch of calls with various people in my work and neighborhood. Doing some trail maintenance with the family on Saturday and playing Sleeping Gods with a friend on Thursday. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/meditate-day-and-night/ Mon, 24 Apr 2023 15:56:10 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/meditate-day-and-night/ Psalm 1 describes the ideal, flourishing human in this way: [H]is delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. I feel inadequate to the task whenever I read this song. The ancients had the entire Torah memorized and their culture infused with Yahweh’s instruction. My culture, even at home, is infused with much besides the words of Yahweh and my brain is not up to that monumental task (and I’m better equipped for mass memorization than most). https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/04/20230424-105425/ Mon, 24 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/04/20230424-105425/ I was stoked when a #missionary family presented their call at #church yesterday. I went up to the husband afterward with hopes of learning from him about their successes/failures in their work in Rapid City (before they’ve moved to another country). My hope sank level-by-level as I realized that he had no framework for #MakingDisciples and a view of #evangelism in the “build it and they will come” mentality 😭. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/04/20230424-143950/ Mon, 24 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/04/20230424-143950/ Loving this song. All hail King Jesus! If you ever wonder, what heaven looks like, it’s lookin' like me it’s lookin' like me and you (and I’m wearin' blue) If you ever question, what heaven sounds like Just let it fill, just let it fill the room. Kingdom by Maverick City Music https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/04/20230423-164526/ Sun, 23 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/04/20230423-164526/ I’m grateful for the music of #CommonHymnal and #MaverickCityMusic. The Praise & Protest album strikes at the heart of so much struggle in the U.S. for #truth and #justice (It’s been my demolition music-one needs to break something when listening). Kingdom Book One is a triumphant reprieve in the struggle for justice through remembrance of the live and victory through Jesus the Christ. #recommendation #music https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/04/20230420-131802/ Thu, 20 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/04/20230420-131802/ Ran a truck full of sheetrock, tires, baseboard and wall insulation to the dump today. Ah the memories… https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/04/20230419-111132/ Wed, 19 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/04/20230419-111132/ Graham built this great white shark lego entirely by himself. It’s rated for seven-year-olds! Gotta be one of the coolest legos I’ve seen. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/04/20230419-150950/ Wed, 19 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/04/20230419-150950/ This is the most rational and persuasive plea to read the Bible I’ve ever read. My favorite quote: “…the majority of [Christians] aren’t actually familiar with what the Bible says. Too many use the Bible as a self-help book that they read whenever they need a pick-me-up, while others use it mainly as a tool to manipulate others or make more money.” https://perell.com/essay/the-book-you-need-to-read/ https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/what-is-a-modern-apostle/ Wed, 19 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/what-is-a-modern-apostle/ I want to more deeply investigate the gift and identity of the apostle. For examples I have Jesus, Paul, Peter, and others. But I don’t know where to begin, so here’s an outline: Apostles and Entrepreneurs (partially written) Apostles and Priorities Apostles and the other gifts (why no one is apostle-only, and what the other gifts mean for it) https://alexbilson.dev/stones/david-perell/go-to-the-source/ Wed, 19 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/david-perell/go-to-the-source/ Whatever you do, don’t take the shortcut of only looking at how Christians act. Doing so is lazy because every Christian falls short of the teachings of Christ, and the majority of them aren’t actually familiar with what the Bible says. Too many use the Bible as a self-help book that they read whenever they need a pick-me-up, while others use it mainly as a tool to manipulate others or make more money. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/04/20230414-100851/ Fri, 14 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/04/20230414-100851/ I mentioned yesterday how happy I was using native #html, #css and #WebComponents to create a web interface for a service at work. Here’s my write-up of the project for those interested in more detail. https://alexbilson.dev/resume/call-report-parser-visualized/ https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/04/20230414-102740/ Fri, 14 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/04/20230414-102740/ I was explaining prompt engineering to Amie yesterday by sharing that AI can be trained to generate representations of character dialog, say Bart Simpson for example. Instead of getting into the mind of Bart and writing all the new dialog for another episode, a writer could instead dialog with an AI to hone it’s impersonation of a character. Teach it to BE Bart Simpson. I think a lot of the creativity remains, but now via computer dialog. https://alexbilson.dev/resume/call-report-parser-visualized/ Fri, 14 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/resume/call-report-parser-visualized/ The call report parser is a project I’ve exclusively worked on for about a year. On more than one occasion I found that I had to dig through its internals to answer a question about how it worked or pulled up the Swagger documentation page to run an adhoc query. When I mentioned that it’d be helpful to build a web interface for the parser my colleagues felt it wasn’t worth the time. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/04/20230413-155345/ Thu, 13 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/04/20230413-155345/ If I wasn’t already sold on vanilla #webcomponents when I began adding them to my personal #website, I am now that I’ve built an interactive frontend for a web service at work in 1,000 lines of vanilla #JavaScript, #HTML, and #CSS in only two days! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/04/20230409-140842/ Sun, 09 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/04/20230409-140842/ May it always draw my wonder and devotion that the rightful King of Creation uses his eternal authority to adopt and restore me, a privileged descendant of racists. Like a colonizing Roman centurion among Israel, I have no right to share in the blessing of Abraham and the children of the oppressed. But his mercy extends, scandalously, even to me. And now my life is not my own, but for him and his kingdom. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/science/practice-embryonic-breathing/ Fri, 07 Apr 2023 08:38:41 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/science/practice-embryonic-breathing/ Embryonic breathing is a Qigong practice: Qi (chi/energy) and gong (kung/practice which takes great energy and time to master). Was originally two characters translated “no heat” and “water rice” because first “no heat” describes peace (where to have heat was to be out-of-balance) and second “water rice” describes the sources of energy to the human body. The practice of Taiji (Tai Chi) and Qigong have similar aims. While Qigong can span from intense physical activity to motionless meditation, it typically falls in the middle, as does Taiji. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/04/20230406-155710/ Thu, 06 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/04/20230406-155710/ Trying to see... https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/send-files-safely-to-anyone-in-the-world/ Wed, 05 Apr 2023 11:27:58 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/send-files-safely-to-anyone-in-the-world/ What if you need to send sensitive information to a person on the other side of the planet? What if they need to send something to you? Here we’ll explore a simple options available to you. Email Many email providers, such as Outlook and Gmail, encrypt sent email traffic by default. If both the sender and receiver email providers support TLS (Transport-Level Security), such as when one Outlook account emails another, then your message cannot be read if intercepted in-transit. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/04/20230404-082040/ Tue, 04 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/04/20230404-082040/ It’s my birthday! Amie and the boys made me the traditional deep dish apple pie - eight years running! To celebrate, here’s the recipe: how to make an apple pie. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/how-to-make-an-apple-pie/ Mon, 03 Apr 2023 15:38:22 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/how-to-make-an-apple-pie/ In distress that I might have lost this recipe trifecta I’m publishing our apple pie recipe. It’s the loving combination of many recipes over the years, all combined into one incredible, deep-dish masterpiece. It’s my birthday pie. Deep Dish Apple Pie This recipe is a combination of three recipes. The pie crust is from Hoosier Mama in Evanston, IL, the crumb topping source has been lost to posterity, and the filling instructions are Amie and I’s mutual invention. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/04/20230403-125005/ Mon, 03 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/04/20230403-125005/ Yesterday we brought over an ice cream cake to celebrate grandpa’s 70th birthday. Then we came home and tore down a wall. Graham managed almost three spaces at his height! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/04/20230403-151217/ Mon, 03 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/04/20230403-151217/ “A mark of maturity is surrendering to the person you actually are instead of the one you wish you were… Hate to break it to you, but the vision you’ve always had for your future won’t come true because that vision was predicated on the person you wish you were, not the person you actually are.” Thank you David Perrell. I need to hear this. https://perell.com/note/surrendering-to-your-nature/ https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/offer-local-user-comment-interaction/ Fri, 31 Mar 2023 15:30:18 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/offer-local-user-comment-interaction/ I’m wondering if it would be nice for users to take comments on my pages? Or for myself even? Here’s a self-contained example of a simple page that lets the user highlight a bit of text, make a short comment, and append it to the page. I’m not interested in wiring this up to a service or anything, but it’s pretty cool just to have this kind of local interaction with the content. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/03/20230329-082405/ Wed, 29 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/03/20230329-082405/ For my 35th birthday Amie planned a three-day trip to Bighorn National Forest, about three hours west of us in Wyoming. The two of us haven’t been away on a trip together without the kiddos since Graham was born; five years! But just two days before our departure there was a severe storm warning all across Bighorn with a no-travel recommendation. Oh no! Together we tossed together a local itinerary. First, a restful day in Rapid with a downtown hotel. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/03/20230320-075425/ Mon, 20 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/03/20230320-075425/ Graham started with a cough a few days ago and Royal had croup-style breathing all last night. Amie’s next, then after her, me. It helps to look at prior logs to see when we were last sick. Mid-February as it turns out. So almost five weeks well! That’s a record in the Bilson family household. Of course, this happens a few days before the special birthday trip Amie planned for me 😩. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/03/20230320-085506/ Mon, 20 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/03/20230320-085506/ Here are a few highlights from Royal’s birthday celebration last Saturday. In the morning Royal opened our gift. Our gift philosophy tends towards longevity and versatility. Royal’s imagination has exploded in the last three months and we wanted to either get him a dollhouse or a cooking station. We ended up with the dollhouse because I thought it’d be more fun for we adults 😜. The family get-together was lunch at Texas Roadhouse. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/conservative-descriptions-tend-to-domesticate-the-more-offensive-gifts/ Mon, 20 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/conservative-descriptions-tend-to-domesticate-the-more-offensive-gifts/ Conservatives [i.e. Shepherds and Teachers] would rather talk about “abiding,” discipleship, and community–all low-risk activities–and would rather describe the work of evangelists as simply being excellent neighbors who throw good barbeques. This is the domesticated version of what shepherds and teachers think evangelists should be. In truth, evangelists cause offense with frontline preaching of the gospel in public. If your evangelists don’t cause your leadership team occasional embarrassment, they are not evangelists. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/the-apostle-sees-wasted-mission-potential/ Mon, 20 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/the-apostle-sees-wasted-mission-potential/ Whereas the apostle sees wasted mission potential when the church is sick, the prophet sees a stubborn bride refusing to listen. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/the-apostles-burden-is-kingdom-expansion/ Mon, 20 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/the-apostles-burden-is-kingdom-expansion/ One might think that the apostle is burdened for the lost, but that’s only a part of it. Apostles are dominated by a burden for the expansion of the kingdom of God and are passionate to see the glory of God cover the earth like the seas. The first order of business, therefore, is kingdom expansion–not just geographically, but crossing societal frontiers into marginalized groups where Christ is not named. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/memorize-the-book-of-hebrews/ Fri, 17 Mar 2023 08:10:43 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/memorize-the-book-of-hebrews/ Below is a ChatGPT prompt response to help with my memorization (with a little formatting). I was five prompts deep into training ChatGPT to help me scaffold my memorization of the book of Hebrews. It explained space repetition and mind palaces fairly accurately, but it wasn’t personally helpful until I started asking for examples. For creative exploration, it’s great. I needed the motivation to tackle this project, and applying ChatGPT is helping to keep me going. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/use-the-default-tools/ Thu, 16 Mar 2023 11:58:02 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/use-the-default-tools/ I know this will be controversial, but it’s best to learn and use the most basic tool for a given task. I’m thinking specifically of technology. Let me give you some examples: In web development, learn to write websites in HTML/CSS with only a text editor. In sysadmin work, use systemd and crontab from a terminal CLI. Here are a few reasons why: Ubiquity TODO: add more Knowledge is Power TODO: add more https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/human-motivation-is-a-moving-continuum/ Wed, 15 Mar 2023 09:33:46 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/human-motivation-is-a-moving-continuum/ A question on every parent’s mind is, “how do I motivate my child to do what is good?” Self-Determination Theory, or SDT, uses scientific methods to explore factors that both enhance and detract from human motivation. Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation Many parents have heard about intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, but let’s define them. Intrinsic motivation is when a person wants to do a task purely for the pleasure of it. The reward is in the doing, so to speak, and not tied to anything outside the person’s own curiosity and interest. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/science/what-is-a-latent-growth-model/ Wed, 15 Mar 2023 09:24:16 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/science/what-is-a-latent-growth-model/ Quasi-Simplex Pattern I received the following answer from ChatGPT: Explain quasi-simplex patterns in latent growth models to an amateur. HAL 9000: Just what do you think you're doing, Dave? Processing (whirr…) In the context of latent growth modeling, a quasi-simplex pattern refers to a specific type of change over time that is characterized by a relatively linear increase or decrease followed by a plateau or leveling off in the later stages of the observed time period. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/03/20230315-120942/ Wed, 15 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/03/20230315-120942/ Amie shares with me the best discoveries from her continuing education requirements. Here’s a write-up from a fascinating research article on the subject of #motivation. I’m thinking of motivation from a #parenting lens, but the findings are equally important for #coaching or #employment. Enjoy! https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/human-motivation-is-a-moving-continuum/#jump https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/03/20230314-160057/ Tue, 14 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/03/20230314-160057/ Since he was born, Royal has never shown any hesitation to jump. Never. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/03/20230313-165434/ Mon, 13 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/03/20230313-165434/ My #exercise #habit has been slowly paying off. I began on January 3rd aiming for exercise there times a week. In reality, I’ve only exercised 8 times in January, 2 times in February (sick), and 6 times in March (so far). Even with such inconsistencies I’ve at least doubled my capacity in every set. It’s a great competence builder, this little bit of exercise. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/03/20230312-205638/ Sun, 12 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/03/20230312-205638/ When you are spent, how do you #rest with others? For several years now the main tools Amie and I have for rest together are, in order of frequency, television, books, and board games. We need more options that require little mental or physical effort to compete with the temptation of drowning our exhaustion in a tv show. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/03/20230311-080817/ Sat, 11 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/03/20230311-080817/ Last Thursday our neighbors came over for a last-minute #DiscoveryBibleStudy. We read Jesus’ kingdom parable where the farmer plants wheat but an enemy sows weeds. We sped through with only an hour for a group of six. Had a slightly heated discussion about interpreting since Jesus actually does explain this one later. It was personally fruitful to realize that the farmhands’ question was central to understanding the parable, but Jesus curiously leaves them out of his explanation. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/03/20230311-082147/ Sat, 11 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/03/20230311-082147/ My obedience from our last #DiscoveryBibleStudy is talk with the Father about his plan to let the weeds grow alongside the wheat. Like the farmhands, who questioned the farmer’s seed and his farming wisdom, I share their confusion that the kingdom on earth is fraught with weeds. Instead of advancing in victory and moving to the next place, each success is mixed with defeat. The weeds choke out the wheat so that they do not reach full potential. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/03/20230309-130007/ Thu, 09 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/03/20230309-130007/ #prayer Father, give Andrew and Laura courage to speak openly about what you are teaching them of your love and presence. Draw the members of the rock-climbing community to your delightful love and call them to follow your Son. Bring repentance to team members who have become more concerned about behavior than right relationship and form a vulnerable, committed apostolic team at Basecamp. For the kingdom eternal, do it. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/the-responsibilities-of-an-apostle/ Thu, 09 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/the-responsibilities-of-an-apostle/ Because of their function, the bulk of the apostles' contribution to the team and area of responsibility will be: Discipling their replacements Mobilizing every believer on mission Strategizing the gifts of others and planning how to match those gifts to needs Analyzing culture Penetrating culture Developing strategies to engage the church in risky maneuvers Working with prophetic leaders to hear God’s collective voice on the team Prioritizing prayer in advance of mission Calling attention to the marginalized Gifts commonly associated with apostolic functioning are faith, administration, wisdom, and knowledge. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/03/20230307-080222/ Tue, 07 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/03/20230307-080222/ Our dojo time has been mostly pillow fights. There’s something very, very satisfying about hearing “stop talking, Papa!” and “Leave me alone!” all day, then getting to wallop Royal with a pillow 😄. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/03/20230307-080543/ Tue, 07 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/03/20230307-080543/ Oh how the boys love gymnastics courses! Both managed to land on the pillows, for the most part. Graham hit the pillows then did a somersault and bumped his head against the wall. So we put more pillows along the wall 😊. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/03/2023037-133345/ Tue, 07 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/03/2023037-133345/ This song gets me every time. “I pray you catch a wave that doesn’t subside this for the nappy heads in heaven with a nappy head Christ by they side.” Do it, Lord. https://music.apple.com/us/album/make-it-home-pandemic-experience-feat-david-michael/1539245364?i=1539245582 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/03/2023037-140756/ Tue, 07 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/03/2023037-140756/ Dr. Cruickshank is writing a book on disciple-making?! Woohoo! And now I’ve got it on pre-order. What a stellar surprise awaits me in May! https://www.whoology.co/extraordinarydiscipleshipbook https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/web-development-is-both-imperative-and-declarative/ Mon, 06 Mar 2023 13:11:49 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/web-development-is-both-imperative-and-declarative/ Jeremy Keith explores Imperative/Declarative web development and how team culture defines the paradigm a project chooses more than the language itself in this Youtube Video. It’s insightful and short: only 22 minutes. Jeremy defines imperative programming in terms of control. Imperative programs stipulate each step (instantiate this array, iterate over this collection, put items that meet this criteria into the instantiated array). Side-effects are minimized, but the code must also describe everything that must be accomplished. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/03/2023032-104010/ Thu, 02 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/03/2023032-104010/ Amie and I have been reading The Mysterious Benedict Society series by Trenton Lee Stewart. We’re almost through the second #book. The characters are so great. Milligan’s monologue in the first book is captivating. Constance is a riot (and very like a toddler - I should know), and Kate is my favorite. The boys will probably love this series when they can read. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/dotnet-snippets-in-justfile/ Thu, 02 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/dotnet-snippets-in-justfile/ In a recent project there were a few dotnet and Docker snippets that I wrapped into Justfile commands which saved me many headaches. ℹ️ All of these commands are executed in PowerShell. You'll need to add this line to the top of your Justfile for it to use PowerShell as its default interpreter. set windows-powershell := true The first runs the project locally. Nothing special. But it also runs a pre-requisite check function which ensures that another service that my project depends on is running. https://alexbilson.dev/resume/call-report-parser/ Thu, 02 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/resume/call-report-parser/ Purpose Our team advises banks and credit unions based on hundreds of public data points and ratios. For the best advice, we need the most accurate, current data. The regulatory bodies that publish this data operate on a quarterly schedule, pushing out massive volumes of numbers every three months. Banks and Credit Unions, however, publish corrections to their reports, called call reports, throughout the quarter which are not reflected in the bulk quarterly data. https://alexbilson.dev/resume/regulatory-crawler/ Thu, 02 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/resume/regulatory-crawler/ Purpose Our advisors regularly scan three websites for new regulatory information that’s relevant to the banks and credit unions that we serve. There are thousands of regulatory articles, so it’s a lot to dig through. Relevant articles are manually added to our system for clients to review. But it’s a tedious process that prevents our advisors from more valuable work. The regulatory crawler project’s aim is to find new regulatory information and load it into our system so that our advisors merely need to approve articles for them to be highlighted to our clients. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/03/2023031-141800/ Wed, 01 Mar 2023 14:18:19 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/03/2023031-141800/ Amie’s been sharing lots of crafts with the boys in the last week. I’m so impressed by her thoughtfulness and creativity. She’d say that the ideas came from others, but it’s her inspiration that implements them for our boys. One such project was swirling color into a pan full of shaving cream. In the first try, the color never made it to the pan. But in the second, when Amie smoothed the shaving cream herself, they added some color! https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/visualizations-inspire-united-prayer/ Wed, 01 Mar 2023 13:44:33 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/visualizations-inspire-united-prayer/ In what ways can an individual mobilize prayer among his friends and neighbors for their community? One powerful means are visualizations. A simple map opens the mind to the shape of one’s community and inspires creative ways to engage within the boundaries of a neighborhood. It can easily be shared and further layers can be added to track any number of topics you may be praying towards. The blue markers are neighbors with whom I've had at least one conversation and know their names. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/surrender-is-an-act-of-defiance/ Wed, 01 Mar 2023 13:21:50 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/surrender-is-an-act-of-defiance/ I tend to be allergic to the word “surrender.” I don’t think I’ve ever joined in singing that old hymn “I Surrender All.” It’s my own hang-up–whatever–but I’ve been meditating on Jesus' victory over the powers of darkness through his surrender unto death and it occurred to me that surrender isn’t always a passive thing. Perhaps sometimes it’s passive, but it’s also sometimes militant. Surrender of myself to the Lord is an act of defiance. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/03/2023031-131422/ Wed, 01 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/03/2023031-131422/ After the #dmm summit, two priorities were impressed upon me: to focus on my family as my primary team of disciple-makers, and to lean into warfare #prayer. Amie and I have enjoyed several conversations about team Bilson. Amie and I are praying together more than ever, and I’m praying with the boys some too. Last Saturday the Spirit offered me an awesome chance to inspire a men’s meeting towards prayer, and tomorrow my friend who owns a rock-climbing gym will be over to pray. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/03/2023031-131940/ Wed, 01 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/03/2023031-131940/ Since we were sick with the flu the first two weeks of February the habits of exercise, meditation and memorization that started so well in January need a jumpstart. I’ve found that since the flu, #qigong breathing exercises have required more focus than before. My body is still distressed even though flu symptoms have faded. In #exercise, I’d just started two sets before illness and it’s kicking my butt now. Slowly starting to build up motivation. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/03/2023031-135546/ Wed, 01 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/03/2023031-135546/ I’m proud of Graham’s structural design skill. See what he can build! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/02/20230223-211221/ Thu, 23 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/02/20230223-211221/ In my early 20’s guilt followed any “unproductive” time. As a parent in my early 30’s the guilt is less pronounced. I’ve come to realize that true down time pays for itself in more energy tomorrow. What has not ceased to bother me, however, are those times when I am unproductive, not for resting, but to hide from my feelings. Anyways, time to read The Farthest Shore by Ursula K Le Guin. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/02/20230223-212318/ Thu, 23 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/02/20230223-212318/ I’ve heard about the #Asbury #revival from multiple sources. Today I discovered that similar revivals have started in further universities, some hundreds of miles apart. This is joyous news, but it feels far away and irrelevant for our lives. I find myself hoping this renewal among Christians will be more than a momentary response to the close presence of the Holy Spirit. May He spark a movement of obedient disciples who make disciples to the hundredth generation. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/slim-your-dotnet-dockerfile/ Wed, 22 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/slim-your-dotnet-dockerfile/ After discovering ways to shrink your python dockerfile, I immediately cringed when I saw my baseline dotnet Docker image was about 200MB. How can this be slimmed? Thanks to Brandon Atkinson for the ideas. The base Microsoft runtime image is a startling 190MB, so the first thing we’ll need to do is replace this image with something a bit more slim. Alpine Linux anyone? Let’s look at the minimum setup you’ll need to produce a single executable for an Alpine distro. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/test-a-dotnet-web-service/ Wed, 22 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/test-a-dotnet-web-service/ Here are the basic steps to configure a service that uses HttpClient to make HTTP calls which can be unit tested. ⚠️ This was developed for a dotnet 7 console app. You may find that your code is more/less verbose. The Service Under Test First, here’s a basic template for a dependency-injected service. You can use these examples to refactor an existing service to inject an IHttpClientFactory so we have an interface to mock in our tests. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/02/20230221-073038/ Tue, 21 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/02/20230221-073038/ I’m grateful that yesterday was a bank holiday. It was good to have an extra day off after illness to remember what’s important. Amie and I enjoyed a date morning at a local Australian coffee shop that almost felt like we were back in Chicago. In the afternoon I met up with Andrew at Westminster for a chat about work, #dmm, and prayer. We’ve got an evening of prayer for his rock-climbing business on the calendar in a couple weeks. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/02/20230221-073801/ Tue, 21 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/02/20230221-073801/ I refer to #dmm in my log entries, but I don’t know that a web search does the acronym justice. It stands for #DiscipleMakingMovements. This video by Harry Brown from New Generations explains the ethos, though not the practices, that comprise this yet-another-three-letter-acronym. https://youtu.be/MEj4wgRb-AE https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/02/20230221-160624/ Tue, 21 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/02/20230221-160624/ The DMM Summit in Mesa, AZ three weeks back was inspiring and life-giving. I’m so happy to have met others in the region who share our passion! Many of the talks have been uploaded to the DMM YouTube channel; I’m sending links to friends and re-watching them with Amie. There were a couple key take-aways. First, our team is primary and foremost the four of us (me, Amie, Graham and Royal). https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/02/20230219-080606/ Sun, 19 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/02/20230219-080606/ I no longer have flu symptoms, but was still fatigued when we hosted our friends yesterday. I’m so glad we did. The boys and Skyler’s kids had a great time for the most part. Skyler and I talked about #qigong, #evolution, stages of #faith development, out of body experiences, dreams and visions, invisible spiritual #evil and more. It’s validating to my conviction that I must learn more effectively to fight spiritual battles. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/02/20230217-192654/ Fri, 17 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/02/20230217-192654/ I built a local demo site with the #11ty static-site generator (#SSG). I was particularly interested in the #WebC template for vanilla #WebComponents. It was a cinch to write web components that are integrated into another template language like Nunjucks. Win! The documentation is poor. I needed an overview of the build steps and configuration options, but that’s not forthcoming. However, I have enough experience with the tools to get stuff working, along with example sites on GitHub. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/02/20230216-143645/ Thu, 16 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/02/20230216-143645/ I had read my first Ursula K Le Guin a couple months ago, A Wizard of Earthsea. It was so good I felt it was worth getting the rest of the series. It’s a big book! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/02/20230214-152106/ Tue, 14 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/02/20230214-152106/ OneDrive has done it again. The image embed feature has disappeared for new photos. That’s the last straw. You may notice my images will slowly be replaced with WebP versions. These are much smaller in file size while looking good for the Web. Rotation might be wonky while I figure out which need to be flipped. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/02/20230212-121429/ Sun, 12 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/02/20230212-121429/ The DMM Summit was wonderful, but I’ve had no time to write about it since our family came down with the flu the day I returned. A week later and we’re only just recovering a little. More to come. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/seeking-a-job-change/ Fri, 10 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/seeking-a-job-change/ The Fear That Won’t Let Me Sleep I’ve been sick all week, but that’s not why I can’t sleep. Fear keeps my mind running long past my body’s need for rest. I fear losing my job. Many technology companies, from Microsoft to Google, have laid off thousands of employees. Speculation is rampant, ranging from poor management to union busting to recession planning. But whether blame is laid on the economy or the CEO, the effect on my own security is the same. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/01/20230130-143856/ Mon, 30 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/01/20230130-143856/ The DMM Summit is almost here! There are many topics running through my head and thus little time to build anticipation, but that’ll change when I’m on the plane bound southward. Highlights: wearing sandals in February, visiting old friends, hiking in Tonto National, and the opportunity to start new friendships with those who seek movements in North America. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/science/do-not-mix-truth-and-beauty/ Fri, 27 Jan 2023 11:24:16 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/science/do-not-mix-truth-and-beauty/ We humans are tempted to equate beauty with truth. If something is beautiful, we reason, then it’s more than likely true, right? Wrong. Dr. Sollereder makes a solid argument that beauty is not a reliable indicator for truth. She writes, 💬 Historically, many beautiful, simple, and elegant ideas in science were wrong. Johannes Kepler thought the orbital distance of the six (known) planets were related to the Platonic solids. It is a lovely, attractive idea, but wrong. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/01/20230127-154327/ Fri, 27 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/01/20230127-154327/ This page an incredible feat. Not only for its history and wit, but that it describes, in a way, itself. https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2015-paul-ford-what-is-code/ https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/01/20230126-160621/ Thu, 26 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/01/20230126-160621/ Good progress so far. Have the first three chapters of Hebrews memorized, and starting on the first portion of the next. 🥳 Now that I have a good chunk in my cranium I’ll need more organization to keep from losing my place. Currently I’m seeing a strong relationship between the first two chapters, then 3:1-4:14. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/01/20230126-161252/ Thu, 26 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/01/20230126-161252/ I’ve also hit my January exercise goal. Started with a baseline of 10 push-ups, 30 sit-ups, 25 squats and 20 military presses. Today I did 15, 50, 40, and 30. Yes! 🙌🏻 Next month will be fewer repetitions, but two sets instead of one. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/01/20230125-155503/ Wed, 25 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/01/20230125-155503/ One of our favorite places to hike is the Flume Trail. We’ve been up to the tunnels on several occasions, but this this our first time when the river’s frozen over. At this extreme latitude the sun makes a low arc over the horizon rather than an overhead crossing which produces hills brown on one half and white on the other. Magical. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/01/20230125-164902/ Wed, 25 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/01/20230125-164902/ Sometimes I’m exasperated with Graham because he‘ll fixate on his work and forget about bodily needs then have a meltdown when he becomes aware of himself again. Which is something I do on a weekly basis. You get it from me Graham, you get it from me… #parenting https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/list-of-systemic-evils/ Mon, 23 Jan 2023 10:03:38 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/list-of-systemic-evils/ I’ve run into so many examples of systemic evil in the last couple years, from racism to poverty, that I don’t want to forget. So this is where I’ll store them. Financial Inequality Tax Evasion - Trusts 💬 Thanks to Janklow, Citibank and other major companies came to South Dakota to dodge the restrictions imposed by the other 49 states. And so followed the explosion in consumer finance that has transformed the US and the world. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/choose-your-analogy-carefully/ Mon, 23 Jan 2023 09:34:49 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/choose-your-analogy-carefully/ The analogies one uses to describe their work disclose important aspects about how they view one’s craft. These analogies then shape the tools which are created and dangle on one’s toolbelt. Two of my favorite analogies, teaching and pottery share the same goal of undermining the development-as-bricklaying mindset around which many development tools have organized. The brick-laying analogy (and the managerial mindset that software is “built”) has created tools which don’t fit the work. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/prayer-from-2022/ Mon, 23 Jan 2023 09:12:17 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/prayer-from-2022/ ℹ️ On rare occasions I'll write out a prayer, such as when it's hard to figure out my own heart. This was one of those times, here recorded in memoriam. Jesus, I feel dead inside. The passions that sometimes take me are like that quote, “all sound and fury, signifying nothing.” There are stories of pastors and businesspeople who burnt out and discovered something better, but I haven’t even done anything yet. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/01/20230123-124015/ Mon, 23 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/01/20230123-124015/ I attempted something unusual today. I’ve been reading about Qi (pronounced ‘chi’) and pondering the breathing and movement principles in #qigong and #taiji. I’m so ignorant, but curiosity will cure that in time. Anyways, so I (poorly) attempted to emulate forms I’ve seen in an act of both internal regulation and external worship. Now I wonder: what’s been written about #qi/#chi and Christian #worship? This is all in service of developing personal spiritual disciplines for my season of life. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/01/20230122-130829/ Sun, 22 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/01/20230122-130829/ I’ve not had this degree of doubt about my capacity to keep to any habit for some time. But I’m convinced it’s crucial to find a way. Nearing the end of January, #memorization is holding. Almost through Hebrews 3. #Exercise is spotty, but progress is still evident with only four tries (and I was sick for a bit). Unexpectedly, I may also add something from #Qigong/#Taiji. I’m having more success in part, I believe, because I’m working on #habits with at least one other. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/science/what-is-electromagnetic-energy/ Fri, 20 Jan 2023 14:16:10 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/science/what-is-electromagnetic-energy/ I had not considered that heat radiance, such as that put forth by my space heater, is a form of energy in exactly the same way as light and Wi-Fi. I seem to have the same view of the world which existed before the 1980’s. 💬 For a long time, people were confused about just what type of energy was circulating in our bodies. Many people believed that it was heat, others considered it to be electricity, and many others assumed it was a mixture of heat, electricity, and light. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/01/20230120-104440/ Fri, 20 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/01/20230120-104440/ I’m trying out the Arc browser today. I have some hesitancy about using another browser than Safari; what if I like it and it goes away? But experiencing new ways to explore the Web is worth it. What intrigues me most is the note and easel integration. I think these, combined with split panes, could make research feel more fluid. https://arc.net/ https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/words-for-spirit-across-cultures/ Fri, 20 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/words-for-spirit-across-cultures/ Much of what is true has its echo in many cultures. It’s been an ageless wonder that, despite the struggles to identify the origins of various people groups, nearly every one shares a story of a devastating flood (e.g. Noah’s flood). The subject of spirit in other cultures is one which I am wholly ignorant. Thankfully, Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming has helpfully connected words across a few major cultures. 💬 You should understand that this natural Qi has not only been studied by the Chinese spiritual Qigong practitioners but also by other human cultures. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/j-r-r-tolkien/evil-seems-fair-and-feels-foul/ Fri, 20 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/j-r-r-tolkien/evil-seems-fair-and-feels-foul/ You have frightened me several times tonight, but never in the way that servants of the Enemy would, or so I imagine. I think of of his spies would–well, seem fairer and feel fouler, if you understand. (Frodo speaking with Strider about trusting him, though they’ve only just met.) https://alexbilson.dev/stones/j-r-r-tolkien/his-power-is-shown-in-the-division-of-all-who-oppose-him/ Fri, 20 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/j-r-r-tolkien/his-power-is-shown-in-the-division-of-all-who-oppose-him/ Indeed in nothing is the power of the Dark Lord more clearly shown than in the estrangement that divides all those who still oppose him. (Haldir in explanation to Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli why they are treated with distrust in Lothlórien.) https://alexbilson.dev/stones/j-r-r-tolkien/in-darkness-and-loneliness-they-are-strongest/ Fri, 20 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/j-r-r-tolkien/in-darkness-and-loneliness-they-are-strongest/ And in any case that is not their way. In dark and loneliness they are strongest; they will not openly attack a house where there are lights and many people–not until they are desperate, not while all the long leagues of Eriador still lie before us. But their power is in terror, and already some in Bree are in their clutch. They will drive these wretches to some evil work: Ferny, and some of the strangers, and, maybe, the gatekeeper too. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/j-r-r-tolkien/treason-has-ever-been-our-greatest-foe/ Fri, 20 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/j-r-r-tolkien/treason-has-ever-been-our-greatest-foe/ In all the long wars with the Dark Tower treason has ever been our greatest foe. (Gandalf explaining to the Council why he closely held his dread that Bilbo had found the Ring of Power, that the news might slip into the Enemy’s hand.) https://alexbilson.dev/stones/j-r-r-tolkien/we-have-fought-the-long-defeat/ Fri, 20 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/j-r-r-tolkien/we-have-fought-the-long-defeat/ I have dwelt with [Celeborn] years uncounted; for ere the fall of Nargothrond or Gondolin I passed over the mountains, and together through ages of the world we have fought the long defeat. (Galadriel describing she and Celeborn’s activity in the land of Middle-Earth: i.e. the long defeat) https://alexbilson.dev/stones/kathleen-norris/heaven-is-where-you-love-everyone-there/ Fri, 20 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/kathleen-norris/heaven-is-where-you-love-everyone-there/ A monastery is cohesive; it is not a schismatic society that survives by expelling those who don’t fit into a mold. This difference might be summed up in two versions of heaven I once heard from a Benedictine nun: in one, heaven is full of people you love, and in the other, heaven is where you love everyone who is there. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/yang-jwing-ming/the-east-has-developed-spiritual-science-beyond-the-west/ Fri, 20 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/yang-jwing-ming/the-east-has-developed-spiritual-science-beyond-the-west/ Compared with the Western spiritual science and understanding, in my personal opinion, the East has developed far beyond the West. The reason for this is simply because of the involvement of politics in Western religion. Glory, dignity, power, and wealth have become the major concerns in Western religious societies. Although of course, there have been examples of the same thing in Eastern religions, this has been more of an exception. For this reason, in Europe and in the Americas, it was more common for those people who had natural inborn spiritual capabilities to be accused as witches and burned to death. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/restoration-demands-both-justice-and-purification/ Tue, 17 Jan 2023 15:59:13 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/restoration-demands-both-justice-and-purification/ It didn’t occur to me until reading Matt Webb’s musings, but sometimes direct restitution is insufficient for true justice. Webb quotes a 1917 paper by Walter W. Hyde called The Prosecution of Lifeless Things and Animals in Greek Law: Part I to make his case that Greeks felt that, even if the perpetrator of a crime could not be brougt to justice, the community still required purification from the offense. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/science/personhood-is-a-spectrum/ Tue, 17 Jan 2023 15:35:43 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/science/personhood-is-a-spectrum/ Thanks to the musings of Matt Webb I discovered a February 14th, 2022 study with the awesome name of Corporate Insecthood. As Matt suggests, the chart on page 6 is of particular interest. It’s an intuitive idea, that personhood is on a spectrum. I notice every time I meet a person who would treat their dog or cat more human-ly than I would (or, sometimes, even more human-ly than other humans). https://alexbilson.dev/plants/science/trade-is-not-swapping-fixed-value-objects/ Tue, 17 Jan 2023 15:35:43 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/science/trade-is-not-swapping-fixed-value-objects/ TODO: find a good definition for what trade IS, then rename this post. 💬 the classic cognitive error of imagining that trade is about swapping fixed-value objects, rather than creating new value from a confluence of one’s needs and the other’s affordances. It’s only in the imaginary zero-sum world that you can generally replace trade with stealing the other party’s stuff, if the other party is weak enough. Katja Grace https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/how-to-be-an-adult/ Tue, 17 Jan 2023 14:58:26 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/how-to-be-an-adult/ Artur Piszek describes the situation of many adults in the United States, 💬 We are all sure everybody else has [adulting] figured out while being too ashamed to admit we could use a few pointers ourselves. Artur Piszek Are We Cursed By Specialization? His heading, “Modernity Likes the Helpless You” is partly true but, while I admit that “greas[ing] the wheels of commerce” is a factor, the modern shift to specialization is driven by more than capitalism. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/01/20230117-161723/ Tue, 17 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/01/20230117-161723/ In honor of Martin Luther King Jr., Amie and I watched Descendant last night. One of the unanswered questions about the horror of Clotilda’s theft of one-hundred and ten people from Africa to slavery in Mobile, Alabama in 1859 is the question of justice. How does one make right such a grevious wrong? There was no satisfactory answer. Somehow the transfer of assets from the Meaher estate to his captives feels insufficient. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/01/20230112-130714/ Thu, 12 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/01/20230112-130714/ I’m registered for the DMM Summit! https://newgenerations.givevirtuous.org/Event/dmm-summit---phoenix https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/01/20230112-155640/ Thu, 12 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/01/20230112-155640/ We’re sick. Again. It’s been a little while since we were all sick, but the time feels truncated. It’s probably because activity between is fast-paced then illness slows everything to a crawl. The turmoil of fears and worries boils to the surface when we’re ill. It’s both insightful, since it reveals what hides beneath the surface, but distorted and amplified by fatigue. My post from three years ago still holds true: https://alexbilson. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/01/2023019-141024/ Mon, 09 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/01/2023019-141024/ Had a lovely conversation with Chris Boette today about digital gardens, note-gathering and note-taking, and parenting. I am freshly grateful for tools like Calendly that hold space in my calendar for unexpected conversation with total strangers. We’ve both been impressed by Matt Webb and also too intimidated to schedule a call with him! https://newschematic.org/ https://alexbilson.dev/stones/kathleen-norris/conspiracies-are-products-of-the-loss-of-curiosity-and-ability-to-cope-with-change/ Mon, 09 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/kathleen-norris/conspiracies-are-products-of-the-loss-of-curiosity-and-ability-to-cope-with-change/ More than ever, I’ve come to see conspiracy theories as the refuge of those who have lost their natural curiosity and ability to cope with change. Is it any wonder that the world seems full of strange and implacable forces to someone who doesn’t know how to look up a Zip Code, use a computerized card catalog, or even make a long-distance phone call? https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/01/2023015-062044/ Thu, 05 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/01/2023015-062044/ It was a rough night for our almost-three-year-old, Royal. Reason: undetermined. I don’t usually notice, but today he woke me at 4:00 a.m. It’s going to be a caffeine-drowned day. #parenting #coffee https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/01/2023014-152021/ Wed, 04 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/01/2023014-152021/ Sometimes I have a vague sense of danger and unease about my life. Parenthood, work and friendship are all good, but their gravity pulls all my attention into their orbit. Be a better parent, make my next career move, form new friendships… it never stops. But how often am I among the desperate? When do I rub shoulders with the outcast, or befriend the poor? My social and physical location seems a hundred miles from where I’d expect to find Jesus, and thus where I must be. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/artifacts-from-my-single-life/ Wed, 04 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/artifacts-from-my-single-life/ Inspired by Joshua Steele’s review of the exercises in What Color Is Your Parachute?, I dug up some ancient artifacts from my own exercises when I was a single man. ⚠️ These documents were written a LONG time ago. I was single and had almost zero responsibilities. My life has changed in so, so many ways since I wrote all this down, but these documents were guides and regular exercises for a number of years. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/01/20230103-101703/ Tue, 03 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/01/20230103-101703/ Yesterday was one of the most consistently fun days in recent memory. It started with a miracle; the boys slept until 8:15! We had an easy breakfast, then headed to the premier sledding hill around 11:00. We left for lunch well before any meltdown could happen (we were also well stocked on snacks) and went to Sheels to purchase Graham a pair of new gloves. Amie and I picked up Noodles & Co. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/01/2023011-072419/ Sun, 01 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2023/01/2023011-072419/ Realized afresh how fearful and necessary is vulnerability. I wish it’d get easier, but it might take more courage as I age. Amie suggested a vulnerability goal this year. Gonna read Brené Brown’s Daring Greatly again for ideas. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/20221229-073645/ Thu, 29 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/20221229-073645/ What’s going on with lenders? For the second time in six months a buyer for our condo with a pre-approval letter for 50k more than our asking price was suddenly denied a mortgage at the last stage. I thought maybe the lender was sketchy in the first denial, but the second is a multi-billion-dollar bank. Our condo is under rental contract, so there is almost zero financial risk for nearly a year, and it’s prime Evanston real estate. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/20221228-160026/ Wed, 28 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/20221228-160026/ Drafting the family December newsletter today, I wondered how long I’ve been at it. Since May 2021! That’s worth a celebration. Where’s the hot buttered rum… https://alexbilson.dev/gardens/faith/what-i-have-learned-about-trust/ Tue, 27 Dec 2022 14:27:30 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/gardens/faith/what-i-have-learned-about-trust/ Trust Trust is the foundation of all relationships, divine and human. A breach of trust is one of the most severe betrayals imaginable, and the damage is grievious. To show no trust in Jesus is fatal. But what is trust? Cognitive & Affective Trust can be broadly categorized into cognitive and affective. Cognitive trust depends on a person’s performance over time. If they’ve shown themselves trustworthy by regularly doing what they’ve promised, we put our cognitive trust in them. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/20221227-081547/ Tue, 27 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/20221227-081547/ We did it! Thanks Jaynne’s help with setup while we were celebrating with Amie’s dad and to the help of Tom and Julie during the event, the largest party we’ve ever hosted was a roaring success! We started boiling the potatoes just 30 minutes before we were scheduled to eat. Though it ended up taking 45 minutes, that’s not too shabby for a Christmas meal for 20 guests. Amie led everyone through pulling their English Christmas poppers while they waited. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/20221227-155409/ Tue, 27 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/20221227-155409/ Every week I attempt to synthesize my writing. I find the activity enjoyable and sometimes discover new insights in the process. Eventually there’s enough to warrant its own major category, what I call a “garden”. Here’s some of what I’ve written about trust. Comments, references and quotes welcome. https://alexbilson.dev/gardens/faith/what-i-have-learned-about-trust/ https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/20221227-171439/ Tue, 27 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/20221227-171439/ #7BooksToKnowMe The Holy Bible The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien Perelandra by C.S. Lewis A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle The Company: A Short History of a Revolutionary Idea by John Micklethwait Faces at the Bottom of the Well by Derrick Bell Church Plantology by Peyton Jones (Off the cuff. I could keep going all night) https://alexbilson.dev/stones/wendell-berry/questionnaire/ Thu, 22 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/wendell-berry/questionnaire/ 1. How much poison are you willing to eat for the success of the free market and global trade? Please name your preferred poisons. 2. For the sake of goodness, how much evil are you willing to do? Fill in the following blanks with the names of your favorite evils and acts of hatred. 3. What sacrifices are you prepared to make for culture and civilization? Please list the monuments, shrines, and works of art you would most willingly destroy. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/20221221-102123/ Wed, 21 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/20221221-102123/ I’ve tried three different approaches to fit a board into this doorway, but I can’t lay it at the right angle to slip into the existing flooring. It requires a positive 10° incline to set, but there’s no room under the door jam for that amount of lift. I’ve ruined a couple boards in the attempt. Isn't it the way projects go, that the last 10% takes 90% of the effort? https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/20221221-104447/ Wed, 21 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/20221221-104447/ We cut down our Christmas tree last weekend! There weren’t nearly enough lights in our bin for such a massive tree, so Amie picked up five boxes at discount. But they only had one plug each! With Jaynne’s help we got the lights on the behemoth. Since we couldn’t string them together without a plug on each end, we went with a vertical alignment. Found the tree near Rochford. Thanks for the recommendation Dick! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/20221221-145907/ Wed, 21 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/20221221-145907/ What does it say about the Christmas season that my favorite song right now is Surface Pressure by Jessica Darrow? https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/20221221-152253/ Wed, 21 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/20221221-152253/ We began to add ornaments to our tree today. The flood of happy memories are definitely the best part of decorating a Christmas tree. I stumbled on last year’s ornament memorial; I wonder what new memories I could add? https://alexbilson.dev/stones/jay-perry/fatherhood-boils-down-to-watching-my-own-childhood/ Wed, 21 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/jay-perry/fatherhood-boils-down-to-watching-my-own-childhood/ I watch [my daughter’s actions] from above, and this, I’m realizing, is what fatherhood seems to boil down to: watching my own childhood a second time, from a different vantage point. It’s a chance to remember and a chance, perhaps, to see that my mistakes and fears were not so unique. This other person is having them right now, all over again. In that sense, it’s also a chance to forgive myself. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/jay-perry/more-rituals/ Wed, 21 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/jay-perry/more-rituals/ I often feel overwhelmed by the scope of work. Sequestering myself, say, in a remote cabin on some months-long writing retreat is a pipe dream — albeit a very, very seductive one. I have commitments that can’t wait: a kid who needs to get to school and a house that needs renovation and clients who need to get their projects printed/published/launched. If I want to tell bigger stories, I have to find a way to finish them, bit by bit, in the daily mix with the rest of my life. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/jay-perry/there-is-a-fear-most-parents-share/ Wed, 21 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/jay-perry/there-is-a-fear-most-parents-share/ There’s a fear I presume most parents share: that your child will be so different from you that you’ll never truly connect. You’ll love them no matter what; you know that to be true. But a part of you — perhaps the more selfish part — also wants to find common ground. You want a shared interest, something to talk about, some private ritual, some inside joke, something to reinforce the genetic lifeline between you. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/20221213-102835/ Tue, 13 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/20221213-102835/ I’ve been waiting all year, and now it’s here! Renée is an exceptional leader, preacher, storyteller and coach, and the cohorts she’s forming have enormous potential for the development and encouragement of female leadership in the global Church. If you’re a #preacher or #church leader, sign up for a January or April 2023 cohort quickly! And if you know a female leader in your church, this is the best Christmas gift. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/becoming-a-father/ Mon, 12 Dec 2022 09:27:59 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/becoming-a-father/ The process of becoming a father is more lonely and ambiguous than I anticipated. In the early days of fatherhood I believed, if I could apply some universal parenting principles, adjust for blind spots in our sociey, and add a few father-specific principles, I’d be a great dad. However, the daily practice of being a father is only marginally informed by principles. It’s much, much more informed by the traits of my own parents. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/the-loneliness-of-the-parent/ Mon, 12 Dec 2022 09:27:59 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/the-loneliness-of-the-parent/ Parenting can be lonely. Despite our best efforts to understand and support one another, Amie and I still cannot fully grasp the experience of the other. I suspect this is common, just the process of becoming a father can be lonely. When Royal trips and hurts himself, it’s right for a parent to comfort him. But he will only accept comfort from Amie. Even if she is not at home and I’m right before him, he will wait as long as it takes for Amie to return and violently reject empathy and comfort from anyone else. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/20221212-081239/ Mon, 12 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/20221212-081239/ Thanks to Wes and Tom, we’ve laid 2/3 of the engineered hardwood across our master bedroom! It took a lot to smooth the floors in preparation for underlayment. So. Many. Staples. The final cuts and settings in the closet takes 90% of the time. But it's looking good! https://alexbilson.dev/stones/thomas-merton/to-be-a-saint-is-to-be-myself/ Mon, 12 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/thomas-merton/to-be-a-saint-is-to-be-myself/ For me to be a saint means to be myself. Therefore the problem of sanctity and salvation is in fact the problem of finding out who I am and of discovering my true self. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/thomas-merton/becoming-is-a-secret-known-only-to-god/ Mon, 12 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/thomas-merton/becoming-is-a-secret-known-only-to-god/ The secret of my full identity is hidden in Him. He alone can make me who I am, or rather who I will be when at last I fully begin to be. But unless I desire this identity and work to find it with Him and in Him, the work will never be done. The way of doing it is a secret I can learn from no one else but Him. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/2022129-103311/ Fri, 09 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/2022129-103311/ I’ve landed on memorizing the scroll of #Hebrews in 2023. One way I get the words into my heart is to write it out. A written copy also lets me proofread my memory for errors. You can find the current chunk I’m memorizing at this link on my site. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/bible/hebrews/ https://alexbilson.dev/stones/madeleine-lengle/the-risk-of-birth/ Fri, 09 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/madeleine-lengle/the-risk-of-birth/ This is no time for a child to be born, With the earth betrayed by war & hate And a comet slashing the sky to warn That time runs out & the sun burns late. That was no time for a child to be born, In a land in the crushing grip of Rome; Honour & truth were trampled by scorn- Yet here did the Saviour make his home. When is the time for love to be born? https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/2022128-135112/ Thu, 08 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/2022128-135112/ So thankful for my manager (Mike Hartmann) and the rest of the IT leadership at Performance Trust. A friend of Amie’s mom is a contractor and we learned last-minute that he could come by with his table saw tomorrow afternoon to help me lay flooring in our bedroom. Needed to take a half-day, approved to take a half-day. 🙏🏻 https://alexbilson.dev/quips/20221208-135338/ Thu, 08 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/quips/20221208-135338/ Sometimes I need web-available scratch paper. Until I have a better idea, this is it. 2023 Emphases My goals broadly fall into three categories. Health Health has been on the goal list for multiple years. It’s certainly one of the least successful projects of the year. But the obstacles have been excessive, so let’s try again this year. Broadly, there is bodily health, mental health, and spiritual health. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/quotes-without-context-invite-misunderstanding/ Tue, 06 Dec 2022 11:19:07 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/quotes-without-context-invite-misunderstanding/ Out-of-context quoting is a practice weaponized to deface people, but I don’t want to address that here. Instead, I will consider the practice of well-meaning Christians to publish Bible verses to a mass audience. Some Christians like to publish verses on social media, or put verses on their windows, binders, walls, etc for others to see. The intent is good–to share the words that give you life–but the consequences aren’t. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/when-to-build-your-own-software/ Tue, 06 Dec 2022 11:13:07 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/when-to-build-your-own-software/ Mike outlines the transition between a custom-build workflow using proprietary software and the building of custom software. He calls it The Spreadsheet Gap. This is exactly the same gap I’ve witnessed where I currently work; a financial services firm. My customers request Excel features be built into our non-Excel website. Sometimes this is simple, but more frequently there is disappointment when they find that a “simple” Excel feature translates into months of development time. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/interpreting-the-sermon-on-the-mount/ Tue, 06 Dec 2022 10:47:26 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/interpreting-the-sermon-on-the-mount/ Interpretation of the Bible can vary widely. Joshua Steele quotes NINE approaches to interpreting Matthew 5:1-7:29, commonly called Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. This passage starts and ends with two nearly identical bookends. 💬 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. Matthew 4:23 (ESV) (A long stretch of teachings, followed by numerous stories) https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/prefer-light-dom-to-shadow-dom/ Tue, 06 Dec 2022 10:12:12 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/prefer-light-dom-to-shadow-dom/ While there are legitimate uses for Shadow DOM, light DOM ought to be preferred until it is absolutely necessary to place your component’s element tree outside the main document. One common use-case which does not require shadow DOM is a custom element that does something special with events. Light DOM Use-Case Let’s say you have a custom element called <chaos-filter>. It has a form with a <select> dropdown and a filter <button> which applies the selected option to a list of children. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/2022126-085600/ Tue, 06 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/2022126-085600/ I’m making good progress defining hikes along the #CentennialTrail for next year. There are perhaps five two-day legs, though I’m not sure about #hiking Bear Butte. Each leg is in the ~24 mile range. That’s not a rigorous two-day, but some have more elevation changes than others and will be more strenuous. The next big question is tent accommodations at the mid-way points. It’ll be fun by myself, but even better if those I’m inviting do a leg with me! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/2022126-090225/ Tue, 06 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/2022126-090225/ I’ve missed memorizing larger chunks of the #Bible. Haven’t done any new stories or passages for years. Thinking this will be the year for a new attempt. The largest segments I’ve memorized are the Sermon on the Mount, Romans 1-8, most of Ephesians, and 31 proverbs. Don’t quiz me though-it’s been many years. “I’m torn between a section of the #Torah and the scroll of Hebrews. Who wants to join me? https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/2022126-153216/ Tue, 06 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/2022126-153216/ I’d first met Jamie on a #pray4sd call a couple weeks ago. Amie and I had the pleasure of hosting he and his wife Alicia for coffee just now! They’re the first folks I’ve met who are moving towards principles of disciple-making movements (#dmm) with zero formal training. It’s like the Holy Spirit is up to something… 🤔🥰 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/2022125-103223/ Mon, 05 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/2022125-103223/ This color picker is a work of art. I could use this to let users create their own theme for my website. Heck, I could use it myself to create themes in real-time. https://iamkulykov.com/vanilla-colorful/ https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/2022125-123739/ Mon, 05 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/2022125-123739/ Location: In the car, driving to the library. Royal singing to himself. Royal: Yes. No? Yes! No… Yes? No! Alex: Are you Sméagol? Royal (emphatically): No! I’m Royal! (a pause) Royal (in a British accent): Murder! 🤣 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/2022125-123826/ Mon, 05 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/2022125-123826/ The boys have turned a major corner in the last couple weeks. Previously, they would rarely play together without supervision for more than fifteen minutes. Suddenly they’re playing well with one another for hours. Who are these little people?! It’s been a welcome and much-needed reprieve. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/2022125-154353/ Mon, 05 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/2022125-154353/ Remember this? A Day in the Life - February 2022. I should write another one of these in February 2023… https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/2022125-160440/ Mon, 05 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/2022125-160440/ Enjoyed a conversation with Aaron Myers today. Most of the hour I shared about Amie and my journey with Jesus, but I did get to hear a little about the digital relationships Aaron and team are bridging between Christians and Muslims. It’s so encouraging to discover others called by Jesus to international work who live in tiny towns of South Dakota. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/2022124-202119/ Sun, 04 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/2022124-202119/ This week I overworked and under-rested. As a natural result, my weekend has been pessimistic, critical and overly analytical. I am grateful for the reset that comes from attending a church service. I can remember again that I am in a cosmic story, that the Author is kinder than I am, and that I am not alone. So let us (again) throw off the weight of foolish shame and run with endurance the race set before us. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/2022124-203730/ Sun, 04 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/2022124-203730/ I’ve been happily amazed at the science and beauty of the Artemis space expedition and the images from the Webb telescope and meditative about ”what ifs”. What if humans had not abdicated our role as regents of Yahweh and had, in fact, lived forever? As recipients of the Divine blessing to “be fruitful and multiply,” we would certainly have overfilled the earth within a few centuries. Would we not have become space-travelers by necessity? https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/implement-an-oath2-authorization-flow/ Sat, 03 Dec 2022 15:00:47 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/implement-an-oath2-authorization-flow/ TODO: finish this article Add disclaimer about my example: may not need private server, etc. Steps GET authorization route from service with redirect to current page open route in new window (snippet, link to article about enabling popups on iOS) gather code from redirected url on same page send code to origin window and close new window. (snippet) send code to my server’s token endpoint server requests token with code. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/2022123-074227/ Sat, 03 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/2022123-074227/ I’ve begun planning one of my most anticipated activities next year; #hiking the #CentennialTrail. It’s 124 miles from the south to the north of the Black Hills. At a pace of 12 miles per day, it will take 10 days. Or five weekends. That’s mileage evenly split, but I’m considering a collection of one, two, and three-day hikes. The trip itself is exciting, but I’m equally excited to invite friends, and some may not want to hike 24 miles… https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/2022123-183017/ Sat, 03 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/2022123-183017/ It’s the time of year for #NewYearResolutions. But let’s be honest. Do I wake up and read the Bible? Listen to a podcast? Meditate? No, I look at my RSS feed. Then email. And now, Mastodon. Do I exercise regularly? 30 min a day? No. Some days I don’t walk further than the bed to the kitchen. Sometimes I don’t even step outside. Do I eat healthy foods? Cut back on sweets, eat more veges? https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/2022122-122704/ Fri, 02 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/2022122-122704/ don’t work please https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/2022122-151728/ Fri, 02 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/2022122-151728/ Made good progress on interesting software problems at work, tore carpet and staples out of our master bedroom, and managed a heating emergency for our Evanston tenants. Feels like it’s been a long week! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/2022122-192709/ Fri, 02 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/2022122-192709/ What drives us and many of our friends to fill every day in December with activity? Are we anxious to squeeze the last from the year, rushing to complete what we’d hoped to accomplish? Do we feel obligated to spend the remains of the year among people? I’m exhausted and pessimistic, yet I still sense pressure to invite and visit. More than half the stuff on our calendar I scheduled in the last two weeks. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/2022121-154015/ Thu, 01 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/12/2022121-154015/ please, please, pretty please work? https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/stage-hunks-in-git/ Wed, 30 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/stage-hunks-in-git/ Like Pawel I’ve been tethered to source control GUIs because I didn’t know how to stage code hunks in the same file into different commits. But no longer! The answer is so simple I can’t believe I didn’t search for it earlier. git add -p name_of_file.txt How easy is that? https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/the-suffering-and-the-patience/ Tue, 22 Nov 2022 13:38:27 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/the-suffering-and-the-patience/ Current favorite Greek words? θλῖψις and ὑπομονή The first is translated “tribulation” in the KJV, but that translation doesn’t do much good for me who, after all these years, still can’t get the claws of dispensationalism totally out of my head. Seeing the word “tribulation”, I still envision either some future period of intense suffering or an exceptionally intense personal struggle. What I am discovering; however, is that the etymology of the word is a metaphor taken from intense pressure, as in the pressing of grapes to produce wine. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/meta/christmas-wish-list/ Tue, 22 Nov 2022 10:58:10 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/meta/christmas-wish-list/ Graham & Royal Graham and Royal’s lists are easiest to manage on Amazon, but you don’t have to buy them from Amazon. Graham Amazon Wish List Royal Amazon Wish List Amie Poster by Charles Mackesy Baking Rack Set No Drama Discipline by Daniel Siegel Influence is Your Superpower by Zoe Chance Beeswax Hand Cream Beeswax Body Butter Wingspan Board Game Alex Posters and/or cards from The Thinking Shop. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/elizabeth-peabody/the-perilous-season-is-middle-age/ Tue, 22 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/elizabeth-peabody/the-perilous-season-is-middle-age/ The perilous time for the most highly gifted is not youth. The holy sensibilities of genius — for all the sensibilities of genius are holy — keep their possessor essentially unhurt as long as animal spirits and the idea of being young last; but the perilous season is middle age, when a false wisdom tempts them to doubt the divine origin of the dreams of their youth; when the world comes to them, not with the song of the siren, against which all books warn us, but as a wise old man counselling acquiescence in what is below them. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/inject-web-component-dependencies/ Mon, 21 Nov 2022 14:14:02 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/inject-web-component-dependencies/ If you’re transitioning from a framework like Angular to native web components it feel natural to inject services into your components. When you discover it’s not possible via the constructor, you may give up and use a framework after all. Or you might engineer your own dependency injection decorators. But there’s another lightweight option. Let me show you. ℹ️ These instructions are perfect for small, private use-cases. If you're building dozens of services with interlocking dependencies, there's no decent option besides a framework. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/11/20221121-152312/ Mon, 21 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/11/20221121-152312/ We had a great time with the Cossi’s. Sadly, their kiddos stayed home sick and didn’t get to enjoy Betrayal at House on the Hill with us. And the pizza oven is so, so awesome. I ate two whole (small) pizzas by myself! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/11/20221121-152933/ Mon, 21 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/11/20221121-152933/ Thankfully Microsoft has decided to return the option to publish pictures via links. Thank you! Have you had this stuff? It's called snow. Delicious. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/11/20221121-154232/ Mon, 21 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/11/20221121-154232/ A couple of weeks ago Amie flew to Vancouver, British Columbia, for Val’s wedding. It was rainy for almost the entire trip, but Amie did capture a few lovely moments. This is near the university, I believe. Friends forever. Percentage of Amie selfies with this face? 95.7%, lol! And here are the newlyweds. Val and David's wedding reception was at a posh hotel. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/11/20221119-080254/ Sat, 19 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/11/20221119-080254/ Excited for #BoardGame night at our place! Our neighbors are bringing their pizza oven. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/11/20221118-094600/ Fri, 18 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/11/20221118-094600/ Awhile back, Amie suggested I only write log updates for stuff that family cares about (life updates, pictures of the kiddos). But my posts to Mastodon integrate my technology, business and faith interests. If I merge them all together in this timeline, then what? I’m fairly certain most family don’t actually visit the website, they just read my monthly newsletter (except for you Mom, and you Papaw; many hugs to ya both). https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/test-web-components-with-playwright/ Thu, 17 Nov 2022 12:39:27 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/test-web-components-with-playwright/ So you’ve created a native web component or two. How do you test them in popular browsers? Packages There are a few tools to install. First, test-runner to find and execute our tests. It comes with the Mocha test framework by default, and we won’t change it. Might as well install chai too for test assertions and expectations. Second, the browser runner Playwright plugin. Playwright integrates headless browser testing into the mix, allowing us to run our code inside a browser context for every one of the major browser binaries (chromium, firefox, webkit). https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/11/20221116-162257/ Wed, 16 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/11/20221116-162257/ I’ve been posting more over on Mastodon. You can find me under the handle @acbilson@indieweb.social. I plan to syndicate logs from this site to Mastodon in future, but for now this feed and my Mastodon feed will be somewhat separate. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/11/20221116-172727/ Wed, 16 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/11/20221116-172727/ I notice logical fallacies from time-to-time, but it’s hard to remember them all. Which is why Your Logical Fallacy is so cool. I wonder if I could add their icons to my posts? https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/11/20221110-081103/ Thu, 10 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/11/20221110-081103/ I’m excited to host our first Discovery Bible Study in our new home. These are the highlight of my week and I’m stoked to facilitate them again. Now just have to choose what to read… https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/build-web-components-for-forms/ Wed, 09 Nov 2022 15:00:23 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/build-web-components-for-forms/ Forms are an obvious web component, but there are a few gotchas. Stephen solves a common problem when writing my own web components: How to communicate with a form tag. I’m curious to try his approach for myself. I recently took a different approach: don’t use the shadow DOM at all. Then the browser has no trouble connecting the input tags with the form. See my chaos-filter, which is used on this page. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/11/20221109-065943/ Wed, 09 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/11/20221109-065943/ Folks with similar interests, like Ben, made me aware that Mastodon is growing fast. I’d tried it a couple years back, but now that I have an established habit of writing online, I’m thinking of giving it another shot. If they’ll have me on the server, you can find me at @acbilson@indieweb.social. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/what-is-sin/ Tue, 08 Nov 2022 11:55:50 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/what-is-sin/ I’ve heard that the common definition of sin is “to miss the mark.” There’s a target, a perfect legal standard, and when we fail to live up to the standard we’ve committed sin. But is that accurate? There are two strikes against this definition. First, the word is introduced in Genesis 4:7, not as a legal requirement, but on analogy to a wild animal crouching before Cain, ready to pounce and kill him. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/11/20221108-075120/ Tue, 08 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/11/20221108-075120/ I hate this house. If there was any question whether we’d succeeded in cleaning this place, the answer is unequivocally no. Amie’s return confirms it. She was breathing fine in Vancouver and on the drive home. But after just a couple hours in the house, especially in the bedroom, and she was coughing and wheezing. I don’t know where we’re going to put our bed, but we need to move it elsewhere so we can tear out the carpet and prime the walls of our bedroom. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/humanity-is-created-in-the-image-of-god/ Wed, 02 Nov 2022 10:16:40 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/humanity-is-created-in-the-image-of-god/ 💬 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." Humanity is created in God’s image. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/writing/writing-reminders/ Wed, 02 Nov 2022 09:56:03 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/writing/writing-reminders/ Sometimes I just need a few words of encouragement to keep writing online. Here’s my collection. Duplication is welcome; there’s plenty of room 💬 The internet isn't like a crowded room. When you're saying something, it's not like you're talking over someone else. There is actually room for everyone to say however much they want. Sam Borick Don’t repeat yourself, write it down and share it It’s part of unix philosophy to write a function once and share it across the project instead of duplicating it. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/writing/stick-to-the-basics/ Wed, 02 Nov 2022 09:19:51 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/writing/stick-to-the-basics/ To write consistently, you must remove obstacles to putting words down. Most of those barriers will be internal, but don’t let the writing tools get in your way. The best writing tools of the Internet age bring the simplicity of a pencil and paper to the screen. MacWright recommends that you never change the technology. His recommendation stems from a danger many technologist face; spending our time tinkering instead of writing (guilty ✋). https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/11/20221102-145013/ Wed, 02 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/11/20221102-145013/ I’m full of gratitude for the joyful opportunity to demonstrate Discovery Bible Study (DBS) with folks at Westminster. Invitations like these to partner with others makes the suffering feel light compared to the reward. Am I starting to understand Hebrews 12:1-6 a little? Worth further investigation. Father, thank you for inviting me to participate in your Son’s kingdom. It’s seemed like participation would always be a war of attrition, and I’m grateful for these breakthroughs which have arrived outside my power. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/lucille-clifton/the-birth-of-language/ Wed, 02 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/lucille-clifton/the-birth-of-language/ and adam rose fearful in the garden without words for the grass his fingers plucked without a tongue to name the taste shimmering in his mouth did they draw blood the blades did it become his early lunge toward language did his astonishment surround him did he shudder did he whisper eve (discovered on The Red Hand Files - Issue #179) https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/10/20221031-083623/ Mon, 31 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/10/20221031-083623/ Through the challenges of moving to Rapid City, one of the best experiences has been finding ministry partners and friends. Joel & Lori have been praying for us almost since we’ve arrived. We’ve been adopted into their family before we’d even shown commitment to the church. They’ve come by for a campfire, and I expect to start prayer walks with Joel in November and host a Discovery Bible Study (DBS) with him soon. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/fleming-rutledge/great-teaching-helps-a-people-to-see-a-wider-horizon/ Mon, 31 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/fleming-rutledge/great-teaching-helps-a-people-to-see-a-wider-horizon/ Great teaching helps a people to take a long view, to see a wider horizon. Boromir sees only Minas Tirith; he is representative of the great majority of people who are staunchly committed to their own tribe but have little capacity for understanding the bigger picture. If an advantage for their own group appears, it must be a gift from God; so goes the logic. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/fleming-rutledge/real-life-is-an-endurance-test/ Mon, 31 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/fleming-rutledge/real-life-is-an-endurance-test/ Real life–as distinguished from romanticized, sentimentalized life–is largely an endurance test, a “long defeat.” Hope based on empirical evidence of human goodness or human perfectibility is not true hope; it is only optimism or “positive thinking” and cannot stand up to the actual situation. True hope is the hope-against-hope of which Paul speaks in Romans 4:18; that is to say, it is based on a promise from a sphere beyond this one. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/fleming-rutledge/suffering-undertaken-for-a-higher-cause/ Mon, 31 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/fleming-rutledge/suffering-undertaken-for-a-higher-cause/ θλῖψις can be translated “apocalypic suffering” because it refers to the affliction suffered by the servants of God in the ongoing conflict with the “world rulers of this present darkness” as Ephesians calls them (6:12). This is not ordinary suffering that comes willy-nilly to everyone. This is suffering that is voluntarily undertaken for the sake of a higher cause. The entire Ring saga could be described as a tale of apocalyptic affliction endured so that the united kingdom [βασιλεία] of Arnor and Gondor can be restored to its rightful ruler. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/fleming-rutledge/the-forces-of-evil-work-from-within-and-without/ Mon, 31 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/fleming-rutledge/the-forces-of-evil-work-from-within-and-without/ The forces of evil are able to work from within as well as without. There is much misunderstanding about this in the Church as well as in the world; it is widely believed and taught that through various spiritual practices one can gain access to an untainted center at the core of being. This is not orthodox Christian belief and it certainly is not Tolkien’s belief; hence his emphasis on the demonic element within. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/10/20221025-103412/ Tue, 25 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/10/20221025-103412/ We were host to a neighborhood Fall event last Sunday. Of the thirty invitations Graham and I had delivered, nearly ten households dropped by at some point during our two hour event - a great turnout! It was remarked multiple times how good it was to see neighbors, some of whom hadn’t talked for years, and to reminisce about times when there were more public gatherings in the neighborhood. Some who I’d only waved at in passing came by to introduce themselves. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/biblical-movements-in-the-torah/ Thu, 20 Oct 2022 13:20:38 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/biblical-movements-in-the-torah/ Thanks to The Bible Project I’ve gotten a better feel for the shape of the Torah. Here’s the general outline by movement, as Tim and Jon would put it. There is also sub-structures which I hope to fill in. Genesis - Four Movements Adam to Noah 1:1-11:26 Abraham 11:27-25:18 Isaac and Jacob 25:19-37:1 Jacob’s Sons 37:2-50:26 Exodus - Three Movements The Exodus from Egypt 1:1-13:16 Israel at Mount Sinai 13:17-24:18 The Tabernacle Constructed 25:1-40:38 Leviticus - Three Movements https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/10/20221020-102701/ Thu, 20 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/10/20221020-102701/ Reminder: you must always restart your proxy after renewing SSL certs. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/10/20221020-103442/ Thu, 20 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/10/20221020-103442/ It’s disappointing that books about Disciple-Making Movements are often tarnished with critiques in the first few chapters. Whether the critiques are valid or not isn’t particularly important if it puts the reader who’d most benefit, the leader of a local church, on the defensive from page 1. Illustrations of a better way are far more persuasive than critiques of the existing model, but pastors are unlikely to get to the latter illustrations when the former critiques are so scathing. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/david-watson/the-inconvenience-of-the-obedient-individual-is-an-advantage-for-the-body/ Thu, 20 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/david-watson/the-inconvenience-of-the-obedient-individual-is-an-advantage-for-the-body/ Obedience requires us to do what is right even if we do not personally benefit or would be put at a disadvantage by obeying. The inconvenience of the individual believer when living in obedience is an advantage for the corporate body of believers, resulting in fear of the Lord, long life for the body, and increase in the number of members composing the body. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/david-watson/we-want-to-see-four-or-more-generations-of-leaders/ Thu, 20 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/david-watson/we-want-to-see-four-or-more-generations-of-leaders/ [At a leadership gathering] we want to see four or more generations of leaders present, or we have failed. So, we say to leaders we work with, “Tell me about the people you are mentoring, and tell me about the people your mentees are mentoring.” There is always an expectation of four generations, minimum. All good leaders are intimately aware of the two generations below them and the generation above them. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/david-watson/true-dmm-methodology-is-about-discipling-people-to-obey-jesus/ Thu, 20 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/david-watson/true-dmm-methodology-is-about-discipling-people-to-obey-jesus/ True DMM methodology is about being disciplined in educating, training, and mentoring people to obey all the commands of Jesus, regardless of consequences. The results are not quick. They only appear to be so because of exponential growth. When we truly engage in the process that leads to an observable DMM, we typically spend two to four years discipling and developing leaders. But because of the replication process due to leaders being taught to obey God’s Word by making disciples and teaching them to obey, in this same two to four years as many as five more leaders emerge. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/test-your-namecheap-api/ Wed, 19 Oct 2022 15:02:12 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/test-your-namecheap-api/ My Let’s Encrypt SSL cert was accidentally expired. It’d been updated, but certbot created a new cert instead of updating the existing one. I don’t know why. Anyways. This led me to explore how I might automate this and viola, trwnh has done it! Before you plug in trwnh’s Python script, however, maybe you just want to check out the API for yourself? Here’s a fish script to do it. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/document-your-api/ Thu, 13 Oct 2022 12:14:03 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/document-your-api/ Turns out that the UK has great advice for Documenting APIs. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/a-prayer-for-my-children/ Thu, 13 Oct 2022 12:04:14 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/a-prayer-for-my-children/ If my boys live to old age, they will see the dawn of 2100. What will they need? Above all, they’ll need the same that I need - Jesus. But how can I transmit to them all the anguish, the rage, the weeping and groaning that has driven me towards the cloud of fire and smoke? Or the joy, the beauty, the longing and the passion that has beckoned me into the courts of Yahweh? https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/crisis-demands-shared-leadership/ Thu, 13 Oct 2022 12:02:41 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/crisis-demands-shared-leadership/ The shape of our two primary political party’s response to COVID demonstrates the great need we have for multiple dominant parties. In the early stages of the pandemic, it was the Democratic party’s response that proved most human. Most Democrats were swift to listen to scientific guidance and protect the vulnerable, to release funds and organize a coherent response. The Republican party, in contrast, quibbled with the scientific community, claimed moral superiority in upholding freedom at the expense of the vulnerable, and balked at even modest capital expenditure. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/evidence-based-decisions-reduce-stress/ Thu, 13 Oct 2022 11:44:15 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/evidence-based-decisions-reduce-stress/ Every parent knows the overwhelming feeling of making a decision that could affect the health of their baby. One of the first such experiences is about where they sleep. Before you leave the hospital with your newborn you’re likely to be warned about SIDS. Horrifying images of walking up to your baby’s bed to find they’re not breathing will terrify you into doing whatever the doctor says. But usually there’s a cost, and the doctor doesn’t tell you. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/run-cli-commands-in-python/ Thu, 13 Oct 2022 10:31:26 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/run-cli-commands-in-python/ Python is a great language. Sometimes, however, you need to interact directly with the operating system. Like in this case, when I needed to run a few Git commands, or if I’d written a Rustlang CLI. Turns out, a pretty simple problem to solve. def try_run_cmd(cmds: List[str], cwd: str) -> Tuple[str, str]: output = None try: output = subprocess.run(cmds, capture_output=True, check=True, cwd=cwd) except CalledProcessError as e: return None, f"{e} : {e. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/conditional-and-union-types-are-better/ Thu, 13 Oct 2022 09:54:17 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/conditional-and-union-types-are-better/ Elsewhere I advocate for that developers use http response objects. TypeScript has a couple nifty improvements that can really make these response objects simple: Union and Conditional types. Let’s say you have an Author object returned from your API. Now you want to add response properties. Type Union to the rescue! export interface Response { success: boolean; message?: string; } export interface Author { id: number; name: string; age: number; } // the union is an ampersand type AuthorResponse = Author & Response; // and a typed example const x = <AuthorResponse>{ success: true, name: 'Alex', age: 34 }; That worked great for your /artist GET request, but now you need an /artist PUT. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/matt-webb/keep-notes-for-longer-than-reasonable/ Thu, 13 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/matt-webb/keep-notes-for-longer-than-reasonable/ I don’t have to be smart about a topic, I just have to have been keeping notes for longer than most people would think reasonable. (Reminds me of Bob Goldmann) https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/choose-a-static-site-host/ Wed, 12 Oct 2022 14:54:22 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/choose-a-static-site-host/ Kev Q has written a detailed Comparison of Static Site Hosts. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/recurse-tree-nodes/ Wed, 12 Oct 2022 14:30:31 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/recurse-tree-nodes/ Reasons to build recursive functions happen infrequently enough that I often forget how to do it. Here’s an example I wrote recently to retrieve a flat array of nodes in a tree which meet a certain requirement. Essentially it’s a recursive filter. It’s been made generic so that any object which implements the Node interface can use it. export interface Node { public parent?: Node; public children?: Node[]; } export function getNodesBy<T>(propFunc: (Node) => boolean, tree: Node[]): T[] { const getNodes = (items: Node[]) => { const matches = items. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/10/2022109-085714/ Sun, 09 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/10/2022109-085714/ There’s not been a day like yesterday in some time. In the morning, Amie, Graham, Royal and I joined a team from Westminster Presbyterian on a hiking trail repair project at Camp Rimrock. The best part for me was getting to know Skyler a little better. He and his wife moved to Rapid City from Oregon about a year ago. We share some similarities, not least of which is the long-term tension between what’s best for the stability and growth of our children (though he’s got a few more than we), and our own aspirations as individuals and couples. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/40-questions-for-the-year/ Fri, 07 Oct 2022 13:20:49 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/40-questions-for-the-year/ Inspired by Stephan, here’s an in-progress list of questions to answer once per year. I don’t know that I’ll ever hit forty of them, but who knows? What did you do this year that you’d never done before? Did anyone close to you give birth? Die? What was your biggest achievement of the year? What was your biggest failure? What hardships did you face? What help did you receive? What was the best thing you spent money on? https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/hilarious-bilson-family-quotes/ Fri, 07 Oct 2022 13:20:49 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/hilarious-bilson-family-quotes/ This is a tear-inducing, hilarious list of quotes and circumstances with our boys Graham and Royal. Enjoy! Sept 25, 2021 Graham: "Sorry mama." (in regards to some very minor infraction). Amie: "It's ok Graham, I forgive you." Graham: "I forgive you too." Amie: "Oh, what do you forgive me for?" Graham: (turns and starts playing with his trucks, and quietly under his breath) "So much...so so much." Sept 26, 2021 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/writing/how-to-write-a-thesis/ Fri, 07 Oct 2022 10:17:22 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/writing/how-to-write-a-thesis/ Umberto Eco wrote a seminal book on the subject, How to Writa a Thesis. In it he offers the benefits of writing a doctoral thesis and also the criteria for a doctoral thesis. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/umberto-eco/benefits-of-writing-a-doctoral-thesis/ Fri, 07 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/umberto-eco/benefits-of-writing-a-doctoral-thesis/ Umberto Eco suggests writing a thesis will benefit a person who has completed a doctorate thesis because they will have: Identified a precise topic Collected documents on that topic Ordered these documents Reexamined the topic in light of the documents collected Organized all this work into an organic form Ensured that his readers have understood him Provided the necessary documentation so that readers may reexamine the topic through his sources. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/umberto-eco/criteria-for-a-doctoral-thesis/ Fri, 07 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/umberto-eco/criteria-for-a-doctoral-thesis/ Umberto Eco defines criteria for a scientific thesis: The research deals with a specific object, defined so that others can identify it. The research says things that have not yet been said about this object, or it revises the things that have already been said from a different perspective. The research is useful to others. The research provides the elements required to verify or disprove the hypotheses it presents, and therefore it provides a foundation for future research. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/10/2022106-153621/ Thu, 06 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/10/2022106-153621/ Graham saw a double-rainbow yesterday! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/10/2022106-154635/ Thu, 06 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/10/2022106-154635/ A trip down memory lane… One year ago. Two years ago. Three years ago. Four years ago. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/capitalism-may-encourage-poverty/ Wed, 05 Oct 2022 22:11:22 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/capitalism-may-encourage-poverty/ This paper written about Capitalism and Extreme Poverty shows that a common narrative, that one of Capitalism’s greatest achievements has been to raise people out of poverty, is patently false. It’s very detailed, but the abstract is easy enough to read and the charts help a lot. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/10/2022105-163321/ Wed, 05 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/10/2022105-163321/ It’s a full week. I had a lovely call with Brad Wathen on Monday and Amie had MOPS Tuesday. Tomorrow Royal has his first day at his new “school,” then a show-and-tell at Graham’s school in the evening. On Friday Amie and I are helping to watch the kids in Graham’s classroom so their parents can have a kid-free evening, then on Saturday we’re helping to repair a trail near Camp Rimrock. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/from-solitude-through-surrender-to-compassion/ Tue, 04 Oct 2022 13:26:34 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/from-solitude-through-surrender-to-compassion/ The Desert Fathers and Mothers of the fourth and fifth centuries A.D. exited common Roman society to live in the Egyptian desert. According to Henri Nouwen, 💬 They escaped from the sinking ship [of Roman society] and swam for their lives. And the place of salvation is called desert, the place of solitude. Henri Nouwen, The Way of the Heart, pg. 7 Nouwen’s premise is that, without transformation, Christians are conformed to the mores of their society like passengers sailing ignorantly aboard a sinking ship (metaphor from Merton). https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/generosity-evidences-faith-in-gods-provision/ Mon, 03 Oct 2022 15:27:26 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/generosity-evidences-faith-in-gods-provision/ Those who place their trust in Jesus to pardon them on the day of judgment must place that same trust in him to provide for their basic needs today. It won’t do to say, “Jesus will rescue me from future judgment,” while one’s current attitude is “I must rescue myself from poverty and need.” Might it be possible that those who will not rely upon Jesus to save them in the present age demonstrate that they have no real faith in Jesus' salvation at the judgment? https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/how-to-be-hot-or-cold/ Mon, 03 Oct 2022 13:32:48 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/how-to-be-hot-or-cold/ 💬 ‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. Revelation 3:15-17 (ESV) This excerpt starts Jesus' rebuke of the Laodicieans. On its surface, it’s a vivid rebuke of a church community that has lost its way. But what does this mean, “cold or hot”? https://alexbilson.dev/stones/henri-nouwen/dependence-on-worldly-perception-produces-anger-and-greed/ Mon, 03 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/henri-nouwen/dependence-on-worldly-perception-produces-anger-and-greed/ Whether I am a pianist, a businessman or a minister, what matters is how I am perceived by my world. If being busy is a good thing, then I must be busy. If having money is a sign of real freedom, then I must claim my money. If knowing many people proves my importance, I will have to make the necessary contacts. [Social] compulsion manifests itself in the lurking fear of failing and the steady urge to prevent this by gathering more of the same–more work, more money, more friends. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/henri-nouwen/only-in-the-context-of-grace-can-we-face-our-sin/ Mon, 03 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/henri-nouwen/only-in-the-context-of-grace-can-we-face-our-sin/ The wisdom of the desert is that the confrontation with our own frightening nothingness forces us to surrender ourselves totally and unconditionally to the Lord Jesus Christ… We enter into solitude first of all to meet our Lord and to be with him and him alone. Our primary task in solitude, therefore, is not to pay undue attention to the many faces which assail us, but to keep the eyes of our mind and heart on him who is our divine savior. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/henri-nouwen/solitude-bears-compassion/ Mon, 03 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/henri-nouwen/solitude-bears-compassion/ Compassion is the fruit of solitude and the basis for all ministry. The purification and transformation that take place in solitude manifest themselves in compassion… In solitude we realize that nothing human is alien to us, that the roots of all conflict, war, injustice, cruelty, hatred, jealousy, and envy are deeply anchored in our own heart. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/henri-nouwen/solitude-exposes-our-false-selves/ Mon, 03 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/henri-nouwen/solitude-exposes-our-false-selves/ In solitude I get rid of my scaffolding: no friends to talk with, no telephone calls to make, no meetings to attend, no music to entertain, no books to distract, just me–naked, vulnerable, weak, sinful, deprived, broken–nothing. It is this nothingness that I have to face in my solitude, a nothingness so dreadful that everything in me wants to run to my friends, my work, and my distractions so that I can forget my nothingness and make myself believe that I am worth something. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/henri-nouwen/solitude-is-the-furnace-of-transformation/ Mon, 03 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/henri-nouwen/solitude-is-the-furnace-of-transformation/ Solitude is the furnace of transformation. Without solitude we remain victims of our society and continue to be entangled in the illusions of the false self. .. Solitude is the place of the great struggle and the great encounter–the struggle against the compulsions of the false self, and the encounter with the loving God who offers himself as the substance of the new self. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/henri-nouwen/solitude-is-the-place-of-conversion/ Mon, 03 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/henri-nouwen/solitude-is-the-place-of-conversion/ We think of solitude as a place where we gather new strength to continue the ongoing competition in life. But that is not the solitude of St. John the Baptist, of St. Anthony or St. Benedict, of Charles de Foucauld or the brothers of Taizé. For them solitude is not a private therapeutic place. Rather, it is the place of conversion, the place where the old self dies and the new self is born, the place where the emergence of the new man and the new woman occurs. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/the-desert-fathers-arose-when-persecution-ended/ Fri, 30 Sep 2022 14:57:24 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/the-desert-fathers-arose-when-persecution-ended/ According to Henri Nouwen, the Desert Mothers and Fathers came into being as a response to the end of physical persecution. They sought a new form of witness in a world where it was no longer dangerous to claim the name of Christ. And they sought to separate themselves from a society that they felt was poisonous to Christian faith and practice. 💬 But if the world was no longer the enemy of the Christian, then the Christian had to become the enemy of the dark world. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/corporations-can-oppress-millions/ Fri, 30 Sep 2022 14:25:38 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/corporations-can-oppress-millions/ While I lean towards a positive view of business, I don’t need to look far to discover countless ways that corporations oppress humans. For every piece of software that improves human life there are ten that degrade it. A visit to the grocery store is a weekly reminder that most grocery stores are dehumanizing. Americans have an odd relationship to this reality. Our history textbooks generally associate corporations with progress, innovation, and growth, while most of the negative features: slavery, colonialism, and war, are associated with governments, often just a leader. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/most-grocery-stores-are-dehumanizing/ Fri, 30 Sep 2022 13:54:47 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/most-grocery-stores-are-dehumanizing/ One of the worst experiences I have on a weekly basis is buying food at the local Safeway. A gloomy pall sits on everyone inside. From the staff to the customers, no one wants to be there. But neither is there an alternative. The first weeks at an unfamiliar grocery store I’m condemned to re-walking re-walking corridors of boxes and cans in search of a few items I can’t seem to find. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/09/20220929-213622/ Fri, 30 Sep 2022 03:36:22 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/09/20220929-213622/ Thanks to the tireless labor of Amie’s parents and my grandparents, we completely renovated Graham and Royal’s bedroom! Every surface was coated with Kilz primer, then at least one coat of paint. Even the downstairs bedroom got a primer coat. We began to replace all the outlets, switches, and box light fixtures, added track lighting in the kitchen, and moved the refrigerator. Thank you Tom, Debbie, Jaynne, Skip, and Carol!!! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/09/20220929-143526/ Thu, 29 Sep 2022 20:35:26 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/09/20220929-143526/ I asked for help on a work project and I am grateful to have received it. Even more grateful for Amie since she instigated the idea. But the help turned into more of the helper doing it all and me watching sometimes. Not the most fun approach to getting help. It is the fastest though, so good for the business I guess? https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/create-developer-setups-with-tmux-and-justfile/ Thu, 29 Sep 2022 15:06:19 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/create-developer-setups-with-tmux-and-justfile/ After learning how to save and restore a tmux session, I began to wonder if I couldn’t leverage tmux for a more project-specific use. To my joyful surprise, that’s even simpler than using the plugin. All the pieces of a tmux session can be generated from the command line, complete with options to configure them just so. To organize the command list I use my favorite command runner, Justfile. Here’s an example taken from my chaos-theme repository: https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/09/20220919-235649/ Mon, 19 Sep 2022 23:56:49 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/09/20220919-235649/ How is it that asking for help is still such a barrier? I will struggle alone for hours, days even, before asking for the fifteen minutes of help that carries me over my current hurdle. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/09/20220918-193730/ Sun, 18 Sep 2022 19:37:30 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/09/20220918-193730/ Not long after we arrived in Rapid City (so I’m a little behind), Graham and Royal participated in Strider Fest. It’s a race hosted by the company that makes their Strider bikes. Rapid City is their home base as it turns out. Royal was at the top of his race and got to ride in the finals of his age bracket. His secret? Slow and steady. Determined. The race itself went over all kinds of terrain. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/09/20220918-192719/ Sun, 18 Sep 2022 19:27:19 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/09/20220918-192719/ Amie’s mom received a load of unspilt logs from a friend named Wes. We were over there last Saturday and split some of it for her. She even let us take some of it home for our campfires! This electric splitter is awesome. It makes me so happy to split wood again! Our own woodpile, sigh. It's beautiful! Enjoying the fruits of our labor. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/09/20220918-191956/ Sun, 18 Sep 2022 19:19:56 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/09/20220918-191956/ Graham, Royal and I went on our longest hike ever - a big chunk of the Flume Trail! I didn’t think it would be too much longer after the tunnel, but it turned out to be about a 2.5 mile hike. I only had to carry them a little bit of the way towards the end to give their legs a break. So proud of them for sticking it out! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/09/20220917-155841/ Sat, 17 Sep 2022 15:58:41 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/09/20220917-155841/ Have you ever skim coated a wall to replace the texture? Except for applying a layer of Kilz primer (do we have to do this before the skim coat?), we’re ready to give it a shot on the walls of our basement bedroom. What’s the worst that could happen? https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/09/20220917-155338/ Sat, 17 Sep 2022 15:53:38 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/09/20220917-155338/ Oh wait, found the most provocative. What if this was American history? Let’s Talk About Race Series - Slavery https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/09/20220917-155104/ Sat, 17 Sep 2022 15:51:04 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/09/20220917-155104/ Amie showed me a few of Chris Buck’s photographs on Facebook today. I couldn’t find links to the most provocative, but this is an example. That this photo looks unusual is the whole point. Why? Let’s Talk About Race Part 2 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/publish-npm-package-to-local-repository/ Wed, 14 Sep 2022 15:08:59 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/publish-npm-package-to-local-repository/ I wanted to share a set of authentication web components from chaos-auth so I could use them in my website’s static build. Keeping these components close to the authentication server lets me keep the responsibilities close, since these components will be heavily tied to my authentication implementation. Step 1: Publish Locally To publish a package you’ll simply need a name and version value in your package.json file. Here’s a paired-down example: https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/save-and-restore-a-tmux-session/ Wed, 14 Sep 2022 08:49:34 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/save-and-restore-a-tmux-session/ As the number of running commands has increased from one to four, I’ve needed a better way to manage all the running terminals. I’ve always wanted to give tmux a try, and this was the perfect opportunity. But it takes a little time to run all the commands across different Git repositories so that my entire environment is ready for local development. What I needed was a way to save my session, and that’s exactly what the tmux-resurrect plugin does. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/thomas-merton/contemplation-is-no-escape-from-anguish/ Tue, 06 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/thomas-merton/contemplation-is-no-escape-from-anguish/ Let no one hope to find in contemplation an escape from conflict, from anguish or from doubt. On the contrary, the deep, inexpressible certitude of the contemplative experience awakens a tragic anguish and opens many questions in the depths of the heart like wounds that cannot stop bleeding. For every gain in deep certitude there is a corresponding growth of superficial “doubt.” https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/embed-web-components-into-static-html/ Thu, 01 Sep 2022 14:07:24 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/embed-web-components-into-static-html/ I’ve successfully published hundreds of articles using only a static site generator. Sometimes though, I itch to create reactive elements like I build at work with Angular. What is a developer to do? My needs are tiny, so here is a tiny way to get started. ℹ️ My intended goal is to supply a small number of custom web components for most pages on my website that I can inject via Hugo shortcodes. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/08/20220831-014510/ Wed, 31 Aug 2022 01:45:10 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/08/20220831-014510/ After hearing my story, you decide if you’d like to work with Xpert Mortgage of Illinois. Our condo was under contract with a buyer with a $150k pre-approval through Xpert for three months. First, they wanted “just one more paycheck” from our buyer, so we delayed closing for three weeks. Then they were unresponsive and our lawyer nearly exploded with frustration. After weeks of back-and-forth, our lawyer called the president of the company because she’d never seen such abysmal service. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/the-verge-of-new-parenthood/ Mon, 29 Aug 2022 13:36:07 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/the-verge-of-new-parenthood/ I’ve enjoyed reading Ben’s work for more than a year now, and his recent thoughts on the verge of parenthood have particularly resonated with me since it was only five years ago that I searched for answer to similar questions. As a means to reflect on my own experience and to give Ben another perspective, here are my responses to his ten questions. Do go read his own answers here, they’re enlightening. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/08/20220827-013426/ Sat, 27 Aug 2022 01:34:26 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/08/20220827-013426/ After a rocky landing, worse than I could have imagined, our lives are getting a little better. There are now homes for a few essentials-I can find a cup for tea or a screwdriver for a project-and we’re starting to find life rhythms again. After bouts of sickness Amie has been able to visit more family which has helped tremendously to manage full days with the two hooligans. We’re still cleaning and launching projects every other day, but the regular progress has staved off most of the sense that we live in a hopeless shithole. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/08/20220827-011803/ Sat, 27 Aug 2022 01:18:03 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/08/20220827-011803/ Some inspiration for writing online, The Ultimate Guide to Writing Online. It’s a long one I’ll visit again next week. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/08/20220823-015248/ Tue, 23 Aug 2022 01:52:48 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/08/20220823-015248/ I’ve had the pleasure of meeting more neighbors here in Rapid City than anywhere else. Just tonight a couple, Scott & Andra, came by to introduce themselves tonight. When the boys and I go for rides around the neighborhood we often at least say hi to someone, and sometimes even chat for a bit like Dock & Jane down the street. Now that we have a fire pit (maybe need some chairs…) I’m excited to start having neighbors over to hear their stories. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/08/20220819-135849/ Fri, 19 Aug 2022 13:58:49 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/08/20220819-135849/ Only two weeks in Rapid City and I’m already back to Chicago. Flying into O’Hare still feels like coming home. David Ello graciously picked me up from the airport and we spent all afternoon chatting on their back porch. Such a joy to hang with David, Sharon and Charlotte. No travel to Downtown Chicago is complete without going out to eat, and I did enjoy returning to the land of food excellence. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/08/20220813-032207/ Sat, 13 Aug 2022 03:22:07 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/08/20220813-032207/ We can get Palisade peaches here 🥲. What’s a Palisade peach, you ask? Only the most heavenly peach on earth, grown only in Palisade, Colorado. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/08/20220811-123246/ Thu, 11 Aug 2022 12:32:46 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/08/20220811-123246/ We can come out of COVID quarantine today. I should wear a mask in public but, since I’ll be in my office most of the day anyway, this hardly matters. Under these circumstances it’s just as painful here as in Evanston, even worse after I factor in the unpacked boxes and dozens of incomplete projects. Hoping things will improve soon now that we’re out of quarantine. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/annie-dillard/self-consciousness-is-the-curse-of-the-city/ Thu, 11 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/annie-dillard/self-consciousness-is-the-curse-of-the-city/ Self-consciousness is the curse of the city and all that sophistication implies. It is the glimpse of oneself in a storefront window, the unbidden awareness of reactions on the faces of other people–the novelist’s world, not the poet’s. I’ve lived there. I remember what the city has to offer: human companionship, major-league baseball, and a clatter of quickening stimulus like a rush from strong drugs that leaves you drained. I remember how you bide your time in the city, and think, if you stop to think, ‘next year… I’ll start living; next year… I’ll start my life. https://alexbilson.dev/quips/20220810-144834/ Wed, 10 Aug 2022 14:48:34 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/quips/20220810-144834/ Politics I’d like to do some more research on the factual claims Charlie O’Donnell makes, but this is a compelling explanation for the confusing decisions of the Republican Party in the past few years. Also in the political vein, this article by KK Ottesen is a compelling argument for the rise of an American insurgency. Also read Barbara Walter’s Is the US heading towards a civil war? One more. What is this book, The Turner Diaries? https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/08/20220810-134413/ Wed, 10 Aug 2022 13:44:13 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/08/20220810-134413/ I’ve written a longer update about our Arrival to Rapid City. It’s funny; when I write it down, it doesn’t sound that bad. But living through it: the bone-tiredness, the sneezing and aching, the numbing disappointment; our arrival was terrible. But I’ll forget most of that. That’s how memory works. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/embed-a-onedrive-video/ Wed, 10 Aug 2022 07:49:26 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/embed-a-onedrive-video/ To embed a OneDrive video I follow these steps: Step 1: Convert If it is a MOV file (almost certainly), I’ll need to convert it to MP4. Download it to my laptop. Convert the file to an MP4 with ffmpeg. ffmpeg -i video.mov video.mp4 TODO: May be worth considering compression options. Videos are humongous. Step 2: Upload Upload the MP4 version to the Videos folder. Step 3: Embed Thanks to Omar I was able to figure out how to instruct the browser to download and play the video. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/move-to-rapid-city/ Wed, 10 Aug 2022 06:45:12 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/move-to-rapid-city/ When we vacationed in Rapid City last summer, I didn’t expect we’d be living in Rapid City the next year. But that’s what has happened. Let's go to Rapid City! The Preparation The trip began a day earlier for Amie and the boys. Amie picked up her mom at O’Hare around 1:00 p.m. and they immediately drove to the Wisconsin Dells. I’d meet them there the following evening. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/teach-the-computer-with-tests/ Mon, 08 Aug 2022 10:02:58 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/teach-the-computer-with-tests/ Thanks to Mikel Evins' post Programming as teaching I realized that my favored programming style is at odds with common practice. I knew something was off from the kinds of conflict I’d have with other developers, but Mikel made the difference stand out to me. Early in my corporate programming career I became enamoured with testing. Unit tests, integration tests, component tests, you name it. It was strange to me at that time that I hadn’t cared much about testing until I joined a corporation. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/configure-fish-shell-for-python/ Wed, 20 Jul 2022 09:52:47 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/configure-fish-shell-for-python/ In software tools I gravitate towards simplicity, then ubiquity. The fish shell has those priorities in the perfect order. But if you use it for working with Python virtualenvs, you’ll find it’s not ready. This is probably because virtualenv has poor support for anything but bash, but I don’t know for sure. The problem lies in the activation script. While you’re average shell can just run venv/bin/activate and you’re in, fish has two obstacles. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/07/20220719-212106/ Tue, 19 Jul 2022 21:21:06 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/07/20220719-212106/ There are so many we’ll miss. Here’s a few we’ve gotten pictures with recently, though by no means everyone. Douglas and his wife Cara are Graham's godparents. Graham was thrilled to learn that he has a godfather. Anne was Graham's teacher and now Royal's at Devonshire Montessori. Kati Ray (and Tommy Smith, not featured) are Royal's godparents. Carter is Graham's best friend. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/07/20220719-210435/ Tue, 19 Jul 2022 21:04:35 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/07/20220719-210435/ My grandparents were in town for my cousin Colby’s boot camp graduation at Great Lakes Naval Center. It was great to see them, and especially to introduce Royal to his great-grandfather (Papaw). A visit to the Chicago Botanic Gardens with the boys is a must. Royal takes a short time to warm up, but then he'll snuggle right in! While my grandparents played with the boys, Amie and I toured the Oak Park Frank Lloyd Wright buildings. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/07/20220719-204455/ Tue, 19 Jul 2022 20:44:55 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/07/20220719-204455/ Apologies for the site downtime. I’ve hosted this site on a Raspberry Pi sitting next to me on my desk for two years, but I’ll be shutting the Pi off for our move to Rapid City. That doesn’t mean the site will be gone; I am a developer after all! I’ve migrated everything to Vultr. My Vultr server runs in Chicago, so you probably won’t notice the change. If you live on the other side of planet Earth; however, I could deploy a second instance nearer to you. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/07/20220708-011319/ Fri, 08 Jul 2022 01:13:19 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/07/20220708-011319/ A little late, but on June 25th Amie and I watched Un Ballo In Maschera (A Masked Ball) conducted by Riccardo Muti with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Choir. It was magical. Stunning. Breathtaking. I’ve not been to many operas but I suspect this one was unusual among them. To watch Muti conduct, feeling each movement’s passions: love, fear, anger; is spellbinding. And the opera singers… I did not until this event realize that a world-class opera singer is gifted, not only with a stellar voice, but also the capacity to act. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/07/20220707-124532/ Thu, 07 Jul 2022 12:45:32 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/07/20220707-124532/ Amie’s birthday surprise began with a Graeter’s ice cream cake, vanilla bean with chocolate. Royal’s pick. Maya, our upstairs neighbor and babysitter for the evening, came down at 6:00, and we were out the door before 6:10. Amie didn’t know where we were going, though she had an inkling. We parked in a private back alley (thanks SpotHero!) and walked down Broadway looking for a dinner spot. Amie chose Cere’s Table. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/07/20220705-172714/ Tue, 05 Jul 2022 17:27:14 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/07/20220705-172714/ I received the message from Kati while making lunch for the boys. While we’d been playing at a playground, a shooter murdered several people at a parade thirty minutes north of us. First came the shock, then the anger and the tears. Several children were shot by a man who evaded the police for the entire day. All public events were cancelled. Friends were at a similar parade in a nearby township. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/manage-your-dotfiles/ Fri, 01 Jul 2022 10:31:39 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/manage-your-dotfiles/ Thanks to Evan Hahn for his Decade of Dotfiles, I was inspired to clean up my own dotfiles. His suggestion for stow was particularly helpful. You can review my dotfile configurations here. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/06/20220628-134732/ Tue, 28 Jun 2022 13:47:32 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/06/20220628-134732/ These days are flying by! The last two weeks I’ve been totally absorbed in securing a mortgage for our prospective home. Our relationship with the first mortgage broker began well, but when we filled out the loan application we were shocked to find a $9,200 origination fee! The discovery was for the best since it forced me to shop around-a wise practice for any major purchase-but I still wish we’d been able to negotiate with the first broker. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/nick-cave/hopefulness-is-adversarial/ Tue, 28 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/nick-cave/hopefulness-is-adversarial/ Unlike cynicism, hopefulness is hard-earned, makes demands upon us, and can often feel like the most indefensible and lonely place on Earth. Hopefulness is not a neutral position either. It is adversarial. It is the warrior emotion that can lay waste to cynicism. Issue #190 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/06/20220622-144705/ Wed, 22 Jun 2022 14:47:05 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/06/20220622-144705/ Ice cream at Homer’s. Do ya think Graham and Royal had a good time? https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/06/20220613-195128/ Mon, 13 Jun 2022 19:51:28 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/06/20220613-195128/ A dear friend of ours, Ted Burham, speaks before the leadership of Dearborn, MI in this reasoned presentation. I do not know many who speak with candor and without hedging before authorities as Ted does. I too have experienced what is evident in Ted’s presentation; that the Holy Spirit gives words at the appointed time, just as Jesus promised in Mark 13:11. You may be uncomfortable, as I am, by Ted’s boldness. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/06/20220610-214735/ Fri, 10 Jun 2022 21:47:35 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/06/20220610-214735/ I’m stunned. We’re under contract for a mansion! 3909 Brookside Dr., Rapid City, SD https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/06/20220609-195207/ Thu, 09 Jun 2022 19:52:07 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/06/20220609-195207/ I’ve tinkered with it for a while now, but finally I can show videos on my log! Because videos are HUGE, I’ve configured them to download only when clicked. Let me know if video makes the site hard to use and I’ll take it down. Your browser does not support the video tag. This video is Graham and Royal sitting on the window ledge waiting for Mama to come home. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/06/20220608-200602/ Wed, 08 Jun 2022 20:06:02 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/06/20220608-200602/ The boys transferred asleep from the car straight into bed, hallelujah! We weren’t totally worn out, so we played Terraforming Mars. Amie's so feisty when it comes to board games. Good thing you can't see MY face. I won 😆 https://alexbilson.dev/gardens/parenting/parenting-scribbles/ Fri, 03 Jun 2022 14:13:05 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/gardens/parenting/parenting-scribbles/ Our Family Values Our family values are both descriptive and aspirational. They’re a contradictory mixture of idealism and authentic personality. Love & Intimacy To receive and to offer love is core to our family, as it is to all humanity made in the image of our loving Creator. We value our limited deeply intimate and committed relationships to dozens of shallow connections. The essential ingredient without which none of the other values will be realized are faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of all is love. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/benchmark-your-web-service-with-ab/ Fri, 03 Jun 2022 10:40:03 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/benchmark-your-web-service-with-ab/ Time to test your web service with more than a single request? Let’s use ab! Here’s a silly example. ab -n 1000 -c 100 localhost:3000/healthcheck This runs 1,000 requests at a rate of approx. 100 at a time. It runs on a single thread so it’s not technically 100 at the same time, but rather in bursts of 100. You’ll get a nifty breakdown of requests success/failure and the distribution of response times in milliseconds. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/writing/note-taking-answers-three-questions/ Thu, 02 Jun 2022 18:07:27 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/writing/note-taking-answers-three-questions/ Baldur sees note-taking as answering one of three questions: How do I manage my creativity? Generate ideas in a structured way through research and sketching. Preserve those ideas. Explore the ideas until they have gelled into a cohesive plan or solved a problem. How do I manage my knowledge? Extend your memory to help you keep track of useful information (client data, meeting notes, references). Connect that information to your current tasks or projects so that you can find it when you need it. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/writing/notes-are-a-means-to-an-end/ Thu, 02 Jun 2022 18:07:27 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/writing/notes-are-a-means-to-an-end/ Notes are a means to an end, or telos. The ‘end’ might be visualized by either a concrete object or a formative experience. Concrete Telos Most note-taking is for the purpose of a deliverable. A thesis perhaps, or some other concrete project. Note-taking that has no end in mind lacks a context and is in danger of what Baldur calls “an intimidating database of opaque words and alien ideas” (The Different Kinds of Notes). https://alexbilson.dev/plants/writing/note-taking-process-towards-an-end/ Thu, 02 Jun 2022 11:57:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/writing/note-taking-process-towards-an-end/ Purpose is one perspective you might take when researching note-taking and the tools at your disposal. Another is process. Baldur reduces all note-taking into three steps: Collect, Contextualize, and Map. Collect The first step is simply to get the note into your repository. Whether it’s a cardboard box or a digital Kanban board, the priority is speed and reference. Contextualize This step will have different needs depending on the writer’s purpose. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/writing/note-taking-tools-and-strategies/ Thu, 02 Jun 2022 11:57:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/writing/note-taking-tools-and-strategies/ A broad review of note-taking strategies for long-form writing was conducted by Baldur Bjarnason in a three-part series as part of his Colophon Cards project. Before reading Baldur’s excellent research, you should know that notes are a means to an end. Much of note-taking is a form of idea-hoarding, but Baldur’s research is sourced from writers who use note-taking for something, whether a thesis, a book, or some other project. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/writing/notes-as-maps-or-boxes/ Thu, 02 Jun 2022 11:57:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/writing/notes-as-maps-or-boxes/ In The Different Kinds of Notes, Baldur concludes that there are essentially two organizational strategies, Boxes and Maps. Baldur deduces the two strategies differ only in what must be internalized. Boxes A box is a context-external organizational unit. A cardboard box, a digital folder, a binder and a desk drawer might all qualify. Anything which matches the context label of the box can be found inside. In my system, tags are a type of box. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/06/20220601-214700/ Wed, 01 Jun 2022 21:47:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/06/20220601-214700/ Recently it seems like the happiest bits of our lives, like Graham’s birthday or Val and Elda’s visit, aren’t getting the writing time they deserve. Alas, not much about that is liable to change until this transition’s over, but here are a couple pictures. Graham had a wonderful birthday party last Saturday. He wasn’t feeling great and ended up opening presents and staying on the blanket the whole time while all his friends ran about Indian Boundary Park. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/henri-nouwen/confrontation-with-suffering-does-not-lead-to-compassion/ Wed, 01 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/henri-nouwen/confrontation-with-suffering-does-not-lead-to-compassion/ Confrontation with human suffering does not lead to compassion. It leads to anger, numbness, irritation, and rejection, because we don’t know how to deal with it all. It is too much. It is a heavy burden–more than we can carry… A burden becomes a heavy burden when it doesn’t feel connected to anything else. It is a burden that we have to carry by ourselves and is not shared. It is not part of anything larger. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/henri-nouwen/the-great-secret-of-the-spiritual-life-is-that-you-already-know-the-little-steps/ Wed, 01 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/henri-nouwen/the-great-secret-of-the-spiritual-life-is-that-you-already-know-the-little-steps/ The great secret of the spiritual life is that you already know the little steps, even if you don’t know the big ones. You don’t need to know the big steps to take the little steps. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/thomas-merton/to-become-myself-i-must-cease-to-be-what-i-thought-i-wanted-to-be/ Wed, 01 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/thomas-merton/to-become-myself-i-must-cease-to-be-what-i-thought-i-wanted-to-be/ In order to become myself I must cease to be what I always thought I wanted to be, and in order to find myself I must go out of myself, and in order to live I have to die. The reason for this is that I am born in selfishness and therefore my natural efforts to make myself more real and more myself, make me less real and less myself, because they revolve around a lie. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/05/20220531-211445/ Tue, 31 May 2022 21:14:45 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/05/20220531-211445/ Chris Gow’s analysis of the Parable of the Sower was worth a re-listen and a long ponder. On my walk with Jesus this afternoon the unfairness of grace was used by the Spirit to expose why I’m resistant to pray for a beautiful home for our family in Rapid City, SD. In the world I live in, the world Ben so poignantly describes, I am so aware of my littleness and unworthiness against the backdrop of human agony that I am offended that the King of History would give us any kind of preferential treatment. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/understand-kubernetes/ Tue, 31 May 2022 15:24:30 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/understand-kubernetes/ Because I often do research into the subject of containerization and Kubernetes, maybe it’s time to collect my notes here. Kubernetes Resources Learn Kubernetes with Ivan https://alexbilson.dev/plants/science/learning-methodologies/ Tue, 31 May 2022 15:19:32 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/science/learning-methodologies/ Influenced by my own interests and the needs of my two boys, learning methodologies are becoming an important subject. Not sure where this’ll lead, but it’s a start. Note-taking Research https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/advice-for-my-children/ Tue, 31 May 2022 15:11:13 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/advice-for-my-children/ Honestly, not sure whether this’ll take off or not, but it’s a fun idea I discovered from Kevin Kelly, 103 Bits of Advice. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/host-a-social-site/ Tue, 31 May 2022 15:05:54 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/host-a-social-site/ As my desire to form multi-cultural, local/international communities grows, tutorials like Run Your Own Social Site are increasingly appealing. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/05/20220527-192228/ Fri, 27 May 2022 19:22:28 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/05/20220527-192228/ Amie, Graham and Royal have been sick for a month. Never in my life have I seen such persistent sickness as I have in the past year. Royal wakes two or three times most nights, Amie coughs and hacks all day long, and Graham is tired and sniffly. Even though I haven’t had symptoms, I’ve been especially tired, probably from fighting it off. After a failed hearing test we discovered that Royal has had fluid in his ears for months. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/get-published-today-feed/ Fri, 20 May 2022 20:55:54 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/get-published-today-feed/ This JavaScript snippet reads multiple RSS/XML feeds on my site and adds a list of the items published on this day to the bottom of my page. I may use this in future to add a “Published On This Day” feed to my site, kind of like how OneDrive will pop up a picture from last year. const parser = new DOMParser(); const today = new Date(); const lastYear = new Date(today. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/05/20220520-150730/ Fri, 20 May 2022 15:07:30 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/05/20220520-150730/ Watchout world, Graham's got a bat! https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/read-logs-with-journalctl/ Fri, 20 May 2022 12:37:04 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/read-logs-with-journalctl/ journalctl is one of the best tools I’ve learned to use often when debugging my set of chaos services running Podman via systemd on my Raspberry Pi. Lots still to learn, but here are a few tidbits. Find out what your options are If you print out the journalctl results with no filters it can be way overwhelming. But figuring out what field to filter can seem impossible. For example, specific services will include their own fields. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/backup-vps-preparations/ Thu, 19 May 2022 14:26:51 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/backup-vps-preparations/ Before I can run my Ansible scripts on a backup server there are a few preparations to get it ready to connect. Step 1: Add a user I’ll add a user for Ansible to use. This command will prompt for a name and password. adduser abilson My user will need sudo permissions so Ansible can run root privileged commands like chown. echo 'abilson ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD:ALL' > /etc/sudoers.d/010_abilson_nopasswd The user should also be given an ssh key. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/05/20220517-180112/ Tue, 17 May 2022 18:01:12 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/05/20220517-180112/ Just for fun, a photo of Royal. The water is back on at the Chicago Botanic Gardens! https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/reduce-development-friction/ Tue, 17 May 2022 15:20:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/reduce-development-friction/ Victoria Drake has a must-read article about Technical Ergonomics. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/eternal-life-is-deliverance-from-spacetime/ Tue, 17 May 2022 09:59:24 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/eternal-life-is-deliverance-from-spacetime/ This image is encouraging to me at this time because I’ve also been meditating on eternal life. While we live in this temporal life, friendship and camaraderie are haunted by fear of loss. The older I become, the more friendships I enjoy, the more barbs of sadness I seem to carry in the friendships that have grown dim by distance and time. But humans aren’t meant to be pincushions of sadness and loss. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/we-find-our-true-selves-via-death/ Tue, 17 May 2022 09:59:24 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/we-find-our-true-selves-via-death/ Merton speaks of a true self that only God knows, a self formed by the person and God in union together. But (every one of us is shadowed by a false self), masks we wear that can’t be real for God does not recognize them. That’s why Merton claims that if i am true to the thought of him i shall find him everywhere in myself. However, the presence of God is fearful to us because, as a consuming fire, he burns up false selves and leaves only what’s true. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/05/20220516-134714/ Mon, 16 May 2022 13:47:14 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/05/20220516-134714/ This letter is the least I can do for Devonshire Montessori and the parents who learned on their way to drop their children at school that their trip was in vain. This is just the kind of bullshit that has crushed parents for years now. TRANSCRIPT I am a father of two boys age 4 and 2. This morning I learned that my youngest’s class will be closed all week for a positive COVID case. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/05/20220516-122337/ Mon, 16 May 2022 12:23:37 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/05/20220516-122337/ This painting is encouraging to me at this time because I’ve also been meditating on eternal life. While we live in this temporal life friendship and camaraderie are haunted by fear of loss. The older I become, the more friendships I enjoy, the more barbs of sadness I seem to carry in the friendships that have grown dim by distance and time. But humans aren’t meant to be pincushions of sadness and loss. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/05/20220514-013739/ Sat, 14 May 2022 01:37:39 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/05/20220514-013739/ Graham and I were getting special drinks to celebrate the start of the Sabbath when we were approached by a camera crew who wanted to hear how we felt about the rising COVID risk. Since I’ve spent many hours thinking about this subject, I foolishly thought I should offer my opinion. Not that the interviewer did anything to make me feel a fool; they were professional. No, as I walked away I replayed the quips I’d made about danger, vaccination, and precautions. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/write-systemd-unit-files/ Thu, 12 May 2022 11:10:31 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/write-systemd-unit-files/ I don’t fully understand it’s history, but there was a wave of conflict when Debian choose to standardize service initialization on systemd. I’m not here to argue for or against it; only to suggest that, if you’re running a Linux machine that uses this as its core initialization, you’ll benefit from using the same. Don’t tack on another service manager if you can help it because, as I argue elsewhere, it’s best to use the default tools. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/pick-a-software-language-for-your-project/ Thu, 12 May 2022 08:25:34 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/pick-a-software-language-for-your-project/ I’ve read many articles from software developers about the value of learning multiple software languages. It may not be for everyone, but that’s been a good path for me. I enjoy the challenge of learning new idioms, solving challenges in new ways, and reading the codebases of my favorite tools. One problem these suggestions don’t address is how to make choices after you’ve learned a half-dozen languages. If your employer runs a MSSQL/. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/deploy-nonroot-containers/ Thu, 12 May 2022 08:05:34 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/deploy-nonroot-containers/ One of the advantages touted by the Podman team over Docker is that you can choose to run containers as a user other than root. This is a security feature since, if a container were compromised by a malicious user and broke out of its container process, they would not have root privileges. Actually running containers as non-root users, however, adds a surprising complexity. Most container images, including those I’ve created myself, were drafted in Docker. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/05/20220512-075509/ Thu, 12 May 2022 07:59:33 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/05/20220512-075509/ Yesterday morning I went out to look for a delivered package. Royal, who is turning out to be quite the morning person, went with me. Instead of looking and returning to our apartment, he walked out the door and down the street in his pajamas. He was so happy to be out, singing and skipping, that we walked all the way around the block, smelling flowers, noticing trucks, and chasing squirrels. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/shirley-jackson/four-reactions-to-a-shattered-bowl/ Thu, 12 May 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/shirley-jackson/four-reactions-to-a-shattered-bowl/ I was playing bridge one evening with a musician, a chemistry teacher, and a painter when, during a particularly tense hand, a large porcelain bowl that we kept on the piano suddenly shattered. After we had all calmed ourselves down, we found four completely individual reactions. Looking at all the tiny scattered pieces, I thought that I had never realized before how final a metaphor a broken bowl could be. The chemistry teacher pointed out that someone had emptied an ashtray into the bowl with a cigarette still burning, and of course the heat had shattered the bowl. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/set-remote-fish-prompt/ Fri, 06 May 2022 08:12:29 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/set-remote-fish-prompt/ I enjoy using the fish prompt, and fish_config is brilliant. But if I want to swap my remote terminal to another prompt but don’t want to open a hole in my firewall to run the config web page, it’s not obvious how I can do that. So, for posterity, here’s what you do. All the starter prompts are located at the following path. Execute them as a script and, boom, now your prompt will be set to that default. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/build-your-own-ci-cd-pipeline/ Thu, 05 May 2022 08:52:40 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/build-your-own-ci-cd-pipeline/ The Journey Ends My journey towards a self-hosted devops pipeline began a few years ago with steps to architect a personal devops pipeline. The system grew into the Podman era when I wrote how to host your services with podman. Inspired by Christian Ştefănescu’s brilliant design for a Tiny CI System and motivated by the need to redeploy my entire web stack to a cloud server while we move, I’ve crafted my own minimal deployment system that may be the last step in my devops saga for a while. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/05/20220504-004729/ Wed, 04 May 2022 00:47:29 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/05/20220504-004729/ Every day gets us closer to our South Dakota move. Our condo was put on the market a couple days ago. We thought that we’d find a home to purchase before the end of May, but that’s not looking likely so we may rent after all. We’ve had a lovely stretch without much sickness, but somehow it still finds us every couple weeks or so. It was about three weeks that Amie had a fever, aches, dizziness and chills. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/disable-startup-programs-with-launchctl/ Tue, 19 Apr 2022 07:24:56 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/disable-startup-programs-with-launchctl/ From time to time on MacOS I end up with a program that decides it’s so important that it deserves to open a GUI every time I log in. Annoying. These programs seem to deliberately enjoy keeping their settings out of the normal setup so that I cannot uncheck “Open at Login” in the right-click menu and disable it. But there’s a CLI for that. To see all the programs (and there’s a lot), you can run the launchctl tool. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/04/20220415-150133/ Fri, 15 Apr 2022 15:01:33 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/04/20220415-150133/ I’ve had engrossing, timely projects at work recently and haven’t spent a much time writing. Overall a good thing, though it feels like a lapse. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/04/20220413-234947/ Wed, 13 Apr 2022 23:49:47 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/04/20220413-234947/ The days are blurry. This might sound like a bad thing, but I think it’s actually good. There haven’t been as many crises to punctuate time. Amie and I celebrated my birthday last week. Besides baking my annual deep-dish apple pie, she got us Broadway tickets for Moulin Rouge. The show was lovely and absorbing. We’re always amazed at the artistry that goes into every Broadway show: the music, the movement, the story and the set were all spectacular. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/roger-ebert/in-sketching-i-observed-it/ Thu, 07 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/roger-ebert/in-sketching-i-observed-it/ Oh, I “remember” places I’ve been and things I’ve seen. I could tell you about sitting in a pub on Kings' Road and seeing a table of spike-haired kids starting a little fire in an ash tray with some lighter fluid. I could tell you, and you would be told, and that would be that. But in sketching it I preserved it. I had observed it. I found this was a benefit that rendered the quality of my drawings irrelevant. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/04/20220403-164300/ Sun, 03 Apr 2022 16:43:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/04/20220403-164300/ Since his Nanny (translation: great-grandmother) left for home Thursday, Royal looks every morning for her. He puts up his hands in a shrug and says, “Nanny?” with a confused look on his face. He’s also been searching for her bag in which he’d found many treasures. At church, Royal took off searching the whole building top-to-bottom. Amie followed him and asked, “Are you looking for Kati?” to which he responded exuberant, “And Nanny! https://alexbilson.dev/stones/adelaide-proctor/per-pacem-ad-lucem/ Thu, 31 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/adelaide-proctor/per-pacem-ad-lucem/ I do not ask, O Lord, that life may be A pleasant road; I do not ask that thou would'st take from me Aught of this load; I do not ask that flowers should always spring Beneath my feet; I know too well the poison and the sting Of things too sweet; For one thing only, Lord, dear Lord, I plead Lead me aright– Though strength should falter, and though heart should bleed– Through peace to light. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/hike-the-centennial-trail/ Wed, 30 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/hike-the-centennial-trail/ To hike the Colorado Trail, 486 miles across the entire Rocky Mountain range, has been my aspiration from childhood. I vividly remember as a child daydreaming on our drives along I-70 of crossing the entire Rockies with nothing more than a pack mule. But I’m out of shape. Badly. So maybe let’s aim for a more achievable goal first? The Centennial Trail, a 124 mile trip through the Black Hills of South Dakota. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/read-books-across-domains/ Wed, 30 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/read-books-across-domains/ Found this book list from a university in Naperville, IL. There are recommendations in many subjects, most of which I know little about, but the authors are recognizable. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/vscode-tips/ Wed, 30 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/vscode-tips/ ℹ️ Use `CTRL-SHIFT-SPACE` to show constructor arguments while creating a class. Extremely useful when your trying to wire properties to the correct argument. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/writing/reply-to-others/ Wed, 30 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/writing/reply-to-others/ I’d really like to write responses to the most interesting articles that I read. Maybe in agreement, maybe in dissent. Until that project takes off, here’s a list I’ll build. Grandpa Has Different Rules. A short business insight related to customer service from this quote: 💬 Jean-Louis Gassée, who used to run Apple France, describes this situation as the choice of the two tokens. When you deal with people who have trouble, you can either choose to taken the token that says “it’s no big deal” or the token that says “it’s the end of the world”. https://alexbilson.dev/resume/ratio-sorting-page/ Wed, 30 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/resume/ratio-sorting-page/ Purpose Our team serves banks and credit unions by supplying keen analysis and timely advice. We do this in many ways across the firm, but our team focuses exclusively on the analysis of public data, such as balance sheets and income statements, and drills down from the basic numbers into a wealth of ratios. Users of our software have numerous pages to review aspects of their business. They can review the health and risk-aversion of their assets under our Asset Quality tab, or jump over to Earnings for a breakdown of many relevant data points and ratios. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/parent-with-a-plan/ Mon, 28 Mar 2022 14:45:37 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/parent-with-a-plan/ Amie, my grandmother and I watched the story of Richard Williams a couple evenings ago and I haven’t been able to get my mind off of it. Richard pulled two approaches together I didn’t think could be merged. First, he had a thorough, specific and overarching plan for his daughter’s lives. Second, he sought to build into them the independence and skill to choose their own path. His 85-page plan for his daughters might have provoked resentment had he pressured his daughters to achieve without the family’s investment. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/03/20220328-133040/ Mon, 28 Mar 2022 13:30:40 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/03/20220328-133040/ Royal’s birthday was the most impressive party we’ve thrown yet. It was hosted at the Chandler-Newberger Center. They gave us a room with tables and half the gym. The gym was pre-configured with two courses and an instructor showed the kids how to stretch and then how run the course. For the most part the kids didn’t bother to follow a certain path but went to the places that most interested them for the next half-minute. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/oliver-burkeman/any-attempt-to-bring-out-ideas-into-reality-must-fall-short/ Mon, 28 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/oliver-burkeman/any-attempt-to-bring-out-ideas-into-reality-must-fall-short/ We fail to see, or refuse to accept, that any attempt to bring our ideas into concrete reality must inevitably fall short of our dreams, no matter how brilliantly we succeed in carrying things off–because reality, unlike fantasy, is a realm in which we don’t have limitless control, and can’t possibly hope to meet our perfectionist standards. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/oliver-burkeman/embrace-your-limits-to-sap-distraction/ Mon, 28 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/oliver-burkeman/embrace-your-limits-to-sap-distraction/ When you focus on something you deem important, you’re forced to face your limits, an experience that feels especially uncomfortable precisely because the task at hand is one you value so much… Killing time on the internet often doesn’t feel especially fun, these days. But it doesn’t need to feel fun. In order to dull the pain of finitude, it just needs to make you feel unconstrained… The overarching point is that what we think of as “distractions” aren’t the ultimate cause of our being distracted. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/oliver-burkeman/everything-worth-doing-depends-on-cooperating-with-others/ Mon, 28 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/oliver-burkeman/everything-worth-doing-depends-on-cooperating-with-others/ Our culture’s ideal is that you alone should control your schedule, doing whatever you prefer, whenever you want–because it’s scary to confront the truth that almost everything worth doing, from marriage and parenting to business or politics, depends on cooperating with others, and therefore on exposing yourself to the emotional uncertainties of relationships. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/oliver-burkeman/it-is-the-effort-that-counts/ Mon, 28 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/oliver-burkeman/it-is-the-effort-that-counts/ Contrary to the cliché, it isn’t really the thought that counts, but the effort–which is to say, the inconvenience. When you render the process more convenient, you drain it of its meaning. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/oliver-burkeman/my-actual-life-will-inevitably-prove-disappointing-by-comparision-with-the-fantasy/ Mon, 28 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/oliver-burkeman/my-actual-life-will-inevitably-prove-disappointing-by-comparision-with-the-fantasy/ It’s easy for me to fantasize about, say, a life spent achieving stellar professional success, while also excelling as a parent and partner, while also dedicating myself to training for marathons or lengthy meditation retreats or volunteering in my community–because so long as I’m only fantasizing, I get to imagine all of them unfolding simultaneously and flawlessly. As soon as I start trying to live any of those lives, though, I’ll be forced to make trade-offs–to put less time than I’d like into one of those domains, so as to make space for another–and to accept that nothing I do will go perfectly anyway, with the result that my actual life will inevitably prove disappointing by comparison with the fantasy. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/oliver-burkeman/neglect-the-right-things/ Mon, 28 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/oliver-burkeman/neglect-the-right-things/ The real measure of any time management technique is whether or not it helps you neglect the right things. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/oliver-burkeman/second-tier-priorities-are-the-most-seductive/ Mon, 28 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/oliver-burkeman/second-tier-priorities-are-the-most-seductive/ [Warren Buffett] tells the [pilot] to make a list of the top twenty-five things he wants out of life and then to arrange them in order, from the most important to the least. The top five, Buffett says, should be those around which he organizes his time. But contrary to what the pilot might have been expecting to hear, the remaining twenty, Buffett allegedly explains, aren’t the second-tier priorities to which he should turn when he gets the chance. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/03/20220322-184203/ Tue, 22 Mar 2022 18:42:03 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/03/20220322-184203/ YES!!! Official Tolkien Website. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/the-now-and-not-yet/ Mon, 21 Mar 2022 21:01:37 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/the-now-and-not-yet/ Life in the now-and-not-yet-kingdom can be an emotional teeter-totter between the “now” and the “not yet.” When I review world history from the past 2,000 years, there’s little evidence for a triumphalist view of the Kingdom’s spread throughout the earth. Cycles of violence and oppression continue without abatement from the days of Noah to the hour of Ukraine’s invasion. The United State’s self-image of type of Promised Land is unmistakably stained with the blood of Native Americans and Africans alike. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/03/20220321-201151/ Mon, 21 Mar 2022 20:11:51 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/03/20220321-201151/ I finished Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro yesterday. Ishiguro’s capacity to enflesh an android and perceive through its eyes a complex web of human relationships and the beauty, and fearfulness, of nature is astounding. I shall certainly read more from this exceptional contemporary author and heartily recommend Ishiguro’s work. I have not even begun to absorb the implications of the story for modern humans and their creations or fully appreciated the author’s visual subtleties. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/03/20220321-200040/ Mon, 21 Mar 2022 20:00:40 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/03/20220321-200040/ A smattering of pictures from the last few weeks. Often the best way to gaze above is to lay upon the floor. Royal's first haircut! A visit to the beach. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/choosing-a-tech-stack/ Fri, 18 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/choosing-a-tech-stack/ Software projects often get postponed while I decide on the tech stack. What kind of data storage? What programming language? Which framework, if any? My abundant choices sometimes paralyze me from actual building. There are many stories one might approach software development, but one that I might benefit from goes, “code is cheap. Build it with what you know and, if it needs to be improved, rebuild it.” Julia Evan’s three points from Ines Sombra explores this in the reverse; what motivates a system change: https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/front-end-development-checklist/ Thu, 17 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/front-end-development-checklist/ In other fields than software development, checklists ensure a series of complex steps are correctly completed. I wonder why that hasn’t caught on in my domain? Anyways, here’s my first attempt at a front-end pull request checklist. Code is descriptively named or commented A few useful logs are added. Unused import statements and console logs are removed. Memory leaks are resolved. Examples include: hanging subscriptions, etc. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/files-are-loosely-coupled-interfaces/ Wed, 16 Mar 2022 12:30:37 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/files-are-loosely-coupled-interfaces/ How does one build an interoperable ecosystem of personal (or communal) applications? Impressed by Linus Lee’s enormous ecosystem, I emailed him with my own questions about underlying data structures. He pointed me to an invaluable article by Gordon Brander, if headers did not exist, it would be necessary to invent them. Linus summarizes: 💬 The basic idea is that documents and entities are key-value pairs, with a few "blessed" keys that are universal and an open space for other keys to become used by specific use cases. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/bell-labs/unix-philosophy/ Wed, 16 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/bell-labs/unix-philosophy/ A number of maxims have gained currency among the builders and users of the UNIX system to explain and promote its characteristic style: Make each program do one thing well. To do a new job, build afresh rather than complicate old programs by adding new “features.” Expect the output of every program to become the input to another, as yet unknown, program. Don’t clutter output with extraneous information. Avoid stringently columnar or binary input formats. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/03/20220315-220848/ Tue, 15 Mar 2022 22:08:48 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/03/20220315-220848/ The Pockit is unbelievable, the most incredible microcomputer I’ve ever seen. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/03/20220315-201045/ Tue, 15 Mar 2022 20:10:45 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/03/20220315-201045/ Fun fact: a bad case of the hand, foot and mouth virus has a delayed side-effect. You lose finger and toe nails. 😭 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/03/20220315-200644/ Tue, 15 Mar 2022 20:06:44 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/03/20220315-200644/ The boys have enjoyed visiting Little Beans on Mondays. It’s worked great for Amie too; not only does it occupy our busy munchkins on a day I’m working and they’re not in school, but it’s also been a space to invite other parents to join. And a basketball court with hockey sticks! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/03/20220315-193332/ Tue, 15 Mar 2022 19:33:32 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/03/20220315-193332/ I wonder how life will be different after this season ends? The closest corollary to this experience in my own life was my year in Afghanistan. But Afghanistan irrevocably changes how I perceive this present season. I suppose it’s impossible to have two identical seasons, since the first will always transform the next. Like Afghanistan, day-to-day survival is the only available option. Deliberate change requires some margin in the messy transition. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/donald-miller/the-basic-structure-of-a-good-story/ Tue, 08 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/donald-miller/the-basic-structure-of-a-good-story/ A character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it is the basic structure of a good story. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/donald-miller/the-point-of-life-is-character-transformation/ Tue, 08 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/donald-miller/the-point-of-life-is-character-transformation/ If the point of life is the same as the point of a story, the point of life is character transformation. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/donald-miller/without-an-inciting-incident-they-wont-enter-a-story/ Tue, 08 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/donald-miller/without-an-inciting-incident-they-wont-enter-a-story/ Robert McKee says humans naturally seek comfort and stability. Without an inciting incident that disrupts their comfort, they won’t enter into a story. They have to get fired from their job or be forced to sign up for a marathon. A ring has to be purchased. A home has to be sold. The character has to jump into the story, into the discomfort and fear, otherwise the story will never happen. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/03/20220307-144404/ Mon, 07 Mar 2022 14:44:04 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/03/20220307-144404/ Amie’s still sick. It’s almost more than I can do to sign in and work. This is not the story I thought we’d lead, and I’m angry. Angry and disappointed. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/kazuo-ishiguro/humans-wish-to-escape-loneliness/ Mon, 07 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/kazuo-ishiguro/humans-wish-to-escape-loneliness/ What was becoming clear to me was the extent to which humans, in their wish to escape loneliness, made maneuvers that were very complex and hard to fathom, and I saw it was possible that the consequences of Morgan’s Falls had at no stage been within my control. Klara the AF ponders how accepting an invitation from Josie’s mother to visit a beautiful place put coldness between her and Josie, the sick girl she sought to befriend. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/kazuo-ishiguro/what-was-special-about-her-was-in-those-who-loved-her/ Mon, 07 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/kazuo-ishiguro/what-was-special-about-her-was-in-those-who-loved-her/ Mr Capaldi believed there was nothing special inside Josie that coudn’t be continued. He told the Mother he’d searched and searched and found nothing like that. But I believe now he was searching in the wrong place. There was something very special, but it wasn’t inside Josie. It was inside those who loved her. That’s why I think now Mr Capaldi was wrong and I wouldn’t have succeeded. So I’m glad I decided as I did. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/kazuo-ishiguro/the-suns-special-help-did-not-come/ Mon, 07 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/kazuo-ishiguro/the-suns-special-help-did-not-come/ It occurred to me this was the ideal time for the Sun to send his special help, and whenever his pattern in the bedroom altered suddenly, or when he burst our in the sky following an overcast spell, I’d watch with particular keenness. But though he continued unfailingly to send his normal nourishment, his special help didn’t come. Klara the AF wonders that the Sun, her source of life, has not brought healing to her sick friend Josie when her health begins to fail. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/03/20220305-144111/ Sat, 05 Mar 2022 14:41:11 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/03/20220305-144111/ I need a break. Amie and Graham are sick, again, and Royal is daily the worst version of a raging toddler. The days go by in an angry haze, reacting to the latest crisis worse than the last. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/meta/chaos-suite-architecture/ Fri, 04 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/meta/chaos-suite-architecture/ Re-inspired by Linus Lee, I’m thinking about what’s left to fill out the chaos architecture. Authentication First, I require infrastructure to authenticate parts of my chaos services, preferably without implementing authentication for each individually. I am inspired by Vouch Proxy, but I have not presently been able to install it on a 32-bit ARM architecture. However, implementing the Auth Request Module interface doesn’t seem impossibly hard; here is an example in Golang. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/02/20220222-170838/ Tue, 22 Feb 2022 17:08:38 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/02/20220222-170838/ Sick, again. The school called Amie at 2:00 p.m. to ask if she could pick Royal up early. He hadn’t slept over nap time and was wheezing. Royal was agitated in the car and his cough, that horrible, barky croup cough, became so intense that he vomited multiple times on the ride home. Even though it’s the fourth time he’s had croup, it’s never been so violent, and in the middle of the day. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/02/20220211-204504/ Fri, 11 Feb 2022 20:45:04 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/02/20220211-204504/ The family spent a short weekend up at Lake Geneva, WI. We didn’t know it was gonna be packed with tourists to the ice sculpture competitions! It wasn’t as restful as I’d have preferred, but we all still had a good time. This better be important, I'm eating my icicle! Graham really enjoyed the ice slides. Together! Despite his face, Royal was happiest after he was out of the ice, lounging by a warm fire. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/02/20220211-203235/ Fri, 11 Feb 2022 20:32:35 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/02/20220211-203235/ Graham and Royal are happy to be Valentine partners this year! Their short memories are sometimes a wonderful gift. Royal got a bite, forgot about it, and now it's gone. Phew! Such a happy boy :) https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/02/20220211-200005/ Fri, 11 Feb 2022 20:00:05 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/02/20220211-200005/ Our bible study began yesterday so, as one might expect, something unexpected happened. Amie had just picked up the boys and was walking to the door when her back ceased up in excruciating pain. She just managed to half-drag Royal through the door and make it to our apartment. I was in the middle of a call, but it wasn’t crucial and my workday ended there. We carefully hobbled Amie to the bed, gave her some Tylenol and propped her up on pillows to ease the pain. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/02/20220210-140415/ Thu, 10 Feb 2022 14:04:15 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/02/20220210-140415/ Yesterday was one of the greatest milestones our family has ever achieved. The last remaining fertilized embryo from IVF treatment over three years ago was transferred. In a couple weeks we’ll know if it is the LORD’s pleasure to bless us with a third child. In the stillness of faith I rejoice at the thought of a third. At other times I feel anxious, even fearful. Generally, I feel gratitude that soon we’ll never again have to work with our IVF clinic. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/lois-tverberg/for-the-most-part-rabbis-hailed-from-the-ranks-of-ordinary-folk/ Tue, 08 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/lois-tverberg/for-the-most-part-rabbis-hailed-from-the-ranks-of-ordinary-folk/ In the centuries prior to Jesus’s time, certain men distinguished themselves by their earnest desire to study and teach the Torah. In Jesus’s day, a person would honor one of these learned men by addressing him as “my master,” which in Hebrew is rabbi. Some decades after Jesus’s time, this became a formal title, and these teachers became known as “the rabbis.” For the most part these teachers did not hail from wealthy or priestly classes, but from the ranks of ordinary folk. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/lois-tverberg/lifes-supreme-achievement-is-to-be-a-scholar-of-the-scriptures/ Tue, 08 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/lois-tverberg/lifes-supreme-achievement-is-to-be-a-scholar-of-the-scriptures/ In Jesus’s time and throughout the ages, the Jewish people believed that becoming a great scholar of the Scriptures represented life’s supreme achievement. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/02/20220204-214106/ Fri, 04 Feb 2022 21:41:06 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/02/20220204-214106/ Nolan’s piece about technology is like reading my own thoughts, creepy and satisfying to not be the only anti-tech nerd in the world. Amie would say the same thing about the tech in our home (my PiHole blocks most of her email links). I too wonder if fighting this losing battle against technology has any purpose, given that I have to constantly compromise to work and operate in our environment. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/why-specialize-as-a-software-developer/ Fri, 04 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/why-specialize-as-a-software-developer/ Specialization for role advancement Listening to my colleagues chat about a recent interviewee, I came to a realization about obtaining the ‘senior’ bit of ‘senior software engineer.’ Longevity in the domain or breadth of knowledge will never achieve a promotion because ‘senior’ means someone who is exceptionally well versed at [pick your language or framework]. Sure, a senior needs to have high-quality communication skills, but that won’t get them hired if they can’t demonstrate an esoteric level of knowledge in [pick your language or framework]. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/stages-of-faith-development/ Thu, 03 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/stages-of-faith-development/ How does a person’s faith develop over the course of their lives? In broad categories, what distinct stages might a person move through in their development? These are the kinds of questions that Faith Development Theory tries to answer. Jessie Cruickshank offers a three-part video series (Part 1 here) where she explains the six stages of faith development. She does a ton of work making James W. Fowler’s research coherent and applicable to disciple-making. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/02/20220202-165838/ Wed, 02 Feb 2022 16:58:38 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/02/20220202-165838/ I was recently gasped at when it was revealed that I contribute to the spread of Jesus' kingdom AND keep full-time employment. Not having a ‘full-time’ ministry puts me in an unusual category for Americans - the tent-making disciple. This is not unusual elsewhere in the world, where many pastors must work to support their families, but it’s expected in America that, if you’re like me, you’re on staff at a church or parachurch organization. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/what-is-the-five-fold-ministry/ Wed, 02 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/what-is-the-five-fold-ministry/ The acronym APEST describes five spiritual gifts that Christ embodied and distributed to humanity. It’s not the only list of spiritual gifts, but it’s the one that seems most to describe the architecture of a church community, since these are given for the building up of the Church. But what are they exactly? 5Q Central describes the five gifts by the question, “What would this gift do with a bar of chocolate? https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/apostles-co-create-with-god/ Wed, 02 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/apostles-co-create-with-god/ When I ponder the spiritual gifts listed in Ephesians, APEST, I think about function. What does an apostle do? How is it different/similar to the evangelist’s gift? Rarely do I consider the experience of using the gift with God. Jessie Cruickshank offers a beautiful homily on the parental feeling inherent in giving birth to God’s kingdom in the world. She meditates on Mary's experience as the God-bearer, the prophets of the LORD, and the artisans of the Tabernacle. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/jessie-cruickshank/it-is-a-deeply-intimate-way-of-knowing-god-to-co-create/ Wed, 02 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/jessie-cruickshank/it-is-a-deeply-intimate-way-of-knowing-god-to-co-create/ Sometimes I think about Mary, the mother of Jesus. I think about the mystery of her co-creating Jesus with God. I believe in the immaculate conception, but that does not mean Jesus was an alien. He was not carried in Mary’s womb as foreign object. Mary was not an incubator hatching an egg. Jesus was flesh of her flesh, bone of her bone. Jesus’ DNA was part Mary’s DNA. His cells carried her mitochondria. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/brennan-manning/the-way-of-trust-is-a-movement-into-ambiguity/ Tue, 01 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/brennan-manning/the-way-of-trust-is-a-movement-into-ambiguity/ The way of trust is a movement into obscurity, into the undefined, into ambiguity, not into some predetermined, clearly delineated plan for the future. The next step discloses itself only out of a discernment of God acting in the desert of the present moment. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/charlie-mackesy/asking-for-help-is-refusing-to-give-up/ Tue, 01 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/charlie-mackesy/asking-for-help-is-refusing-to-give-up/ https://alexbilson.dev/stones/charlie-mackesy/asking-for-help-is-the-bravest-thing/ Tue, 01 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/charlie-mackesy/asking-for-help-is-the-bravest-thing/ https://alexbilson.dev/stones/charlie-mackesy/comparison-is-the-biggest-waste-of-time/ Tue, 01 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/charlie-mackesy/comparison-is-the-biggest-waste-of-time/ https://alexbilson.dev/stones/charlie-mackesy/dont-measure-your-value-by-how-youre-treated/ Tue, 01 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/charlie-mackesy/dont-measure-your-value-by-how-youre-treated/ https://alexbilson.dev/stones/charlie-mackesy/imagine-how-we-would-be-if-we-were-less-afraid/ Tue, 01 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/charlie-mackesy/imagine-how-we-would-be-if-we-were-less-afraid/ https://alexbilson.dev/stones/clive-staples-lewis/prayer/ Tue, 01 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/clive-staples-lewis/prayer/ Master, they say that when I seem To be in speech with you, Since you make no replies, it's all a dream ––One talker aping two. They are half right, but not as they Imagine; rather, I Seek in myself the things I meant to say, And lo! the wells are dry. Then, seeing me empty, you forsake The Listener's role, and through My dead lips breathe and into utterance wake The thoughts I never knew. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/denise-levertov/oblique-prayer/ Tue, 01 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/denise-levertov/oblique-prayer/ Not the profound dark night of the soul and not the austere desert to scorch the heart at noon, grip the mind in teeth of ice at evening. but gray, a place without clear outlines, the air heavy and thick the soft ground clogging my feet if I walk, sucking them downwards if I stand, Have you been here? is it a part of human-ness to enter no man's land? https://alexbilson.dev/stones/george-macdonald/what-christ-said/ Tue, 01 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/george-macdonald/what-christ-said/ I said, "Let me walk in the fields." He said, "No; walk in the town." I said, "There are no flowers there." He said, "No flowers, but a crown." ---- I said, "But the skies are black, There is nothing but noise and din." And he wept as he sent me back; "There is more," he said, "there is sin." ---- I said, "But the air is thick, and fogs are veiling the sun. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/01/20220131-232908/ Mon, 31 Jan 2022 23:29:08 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/01/20220131-232908/ Yesterday I spent lunch with Dorren, Fareet, Neda, Elias, John and Yen at Pita Inn. Fareet shared a couple stories I’ll try to share here. Gary Ministry Over the course of five months he’d traveled to Gary, IN to purchase cigarettes. Each time he prayed for the vacant buildings on his walk to the gas station. On one trip the weather was so stormy Fareet could barely see the buildings. He was sad that he couldn’t make it to the gas station for his cigarettes, but the Holy Spirit inspired him to ask. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/01/20220128-185136/ Fri, 28 Jan 2022 18:51:36 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/01/20220128-185136/ Bummed that I couldn’t go sledding over lunch break, but it was for a good cause - some high school students created a snowboard drop and pipe. So, even though I’m disappointed, it’s the respectful kind. I'm standing on two picnic tables stacked on top of each other to form the drop. Genius. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/01/20220128-153055/ Fri, 28 Jan 2022 15:30:55 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/01/20220128-153055/ Graham’s latest foray is the “op’opal karse”. He’s built about a half-dozen obstacle courses in the last couple weeks, below is one of his most elaborate. He and Royal have a fabulous time running the course and, surprisingly, neither have been seriously hurt. Design by Graham https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/use-the-minimum-number-of-machines/ Fri, 28 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/use-the-minimum-number-of-machines/ Whether hosting a personal web service or launching entrepreneurial software, use the least number of machines to achieve your goal. Because of the prevalence of cluster software like Kubernetes, you may conclude that the way of the future for any software is to run inside a geographically dispersed, distributed set of Kubernetes clusters. Talk of the power of microservices and the incredible feats of engineering that Google, Facebook, and Amazon have achieved with these power tools builds a lot of FOMO in our industry. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/01/20220127-214215/ Thu, 27 Jan 2022 21:42:15 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/01/20220127-214215/ January has been an excruciating slog. Starting Christmas Eve, both Royal and Graham incurred hand-foot-and-mouth. Then we had less than a week of semi-wellness before they both developed new coughs and runny noses that have lasted to this present hour. Royal’s sleep has been hit-or-miss, and the combination of sickness and sleeplessness has made him the crabbiest toddler-terrorist I’ve ever witnessed. He’s hit, bitten and slapped Graham and Amie, thrown full cups of hot chocolate on the kitchen floor, and cried incessantly for hours with no means of satisfaction. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/01/20220119-225145/ Wed, 19 Jan 2022 22:51:45 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/01/20220119-225145/ Where are the public online forums where people explore disciple-making principles and share ideas? Or entrepreneurial four-fold bottom line startup concepts and examples? Or leadership perspectives and personas? Or their convergence? Are they private, or do they not exist at all? https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/maintenance-requires-a-single-owner/ Wed, 19 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/maintenance-requires-a-single-owner/ 💬 If two men feed a horse, it will lose weight; if two men keep a boat, it will soon leak. Church Plantology by Peyton Jones, pg. 79 TODO: Use household maintenance as an example. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/humans-find-meaning-in-community/ Wed, 19 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/humans-find-meaning-in-community/ TODO: Refer to hosting friends over the weekend. Talk about how covid affects meaning. I wonder what I might learn from Linus' thinking about communities? Much of what he explores fits with my present quandry in finding a place, not only to write, but also to engage others. It’s not that I want to build a community per se, but I do want to interact with others via some means other than Twitter and Facebook. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/tools-for-building-community/ Wed, 19 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/tools-for-building-community/ Linus Lee laments that tools aren’t built to assist community leaders in the formation of lively communities and suggests that we have a long ways to go. Here are a few tools I’ve found that might help. 💬 I think there’s a wide-open space for us to build much, much better tools for community leaders. A community leader’s most important job is to be the model community member and contributor – all other concerns should fade into the background of their work, and we are far from it today. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/01/20220118-230700/ Tue, 18 Jan 2022 23:07:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/01/20220118-230700/ So, Graham is moving. To a firetruck-red house. With a Christmas tree that we can help decorate. And a big cake with candles so high you need a crane truck to put them on. A giraffe named Lanky is his neighbor. He’s going to have a BIG party for all his friends. He sleeps on the roof with his pillow (the tree is on the roof too). And his train set is inside where Royal can’t boom it. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/01/20220118-154951/ Tue, 18 Jan 2022 15:49:51 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/01/20220118-154951/ Yesterday was one of the most deeply disappointing days on record. Amie and I had anticipated a Tuesday morning spent at brunch to enjoy one another’s company and consider our goals for 2022. But when Royal woke on Monday with a cough it sent us into a tailspin of disappointment. Perhaps if it were the first time sickness had killed our hopes, it wouldn’t have been so discouraging. But that coal-black chain has abruptly jerked us back into the gloom of survival-mode living until our neck bleeds and our bones ache. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/martin-luther-king-jr/any-law-that-degrades-human-personality-is-unjust/ Tue, 18 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/martin-luther-king-jr/any-law-that-degrades-human-personality-is-unjust/ How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/martin-luther-king-jr/nonviolent-direct-action-seeks-to-create-a-crisis-that-can-no-longer-be-ignored/ Tue, 18 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/martin-luther-king-jr/nonviolent-direct-action-seeks-to-create-a-crisis-that-can-no-longer-be-ignored/ Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/martin-luther-king-jr/we-are-caught-in-an-inescapable-network-of-mutuality/ Tue, 18 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/martin-luther-king-jr/we-are-caught-in-an-inescapable-network-of-mutuality/ I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial “outside agitator” idea. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/01/20220112-191057/ Wed, 12 Jan 2022 19:10:57 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/01/20220112-191057/ Tried out my new Wacom Tablet over lunch today. Thanks Tom, Julie & Ty! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/01/20220107-201555/ Fri, 07 Jan 2022 20:15:55 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/01/20220107-201555/ In case you’re wondering what happened to your car’s clock on January 1st… Signed 32 bit overflow https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/birmingham-epistle/ Fri, 07 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/birmingham-epistle/ Letter From Jail is a beautifully typeset rendition of Martin Luther King Jr’s epistle from Birmingham jail, with a crucial and timeless analysis of justice, oppression, love and race. It is also a stunning example of a modern day epistle in the same vein as Galatians. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/install-firacode-font/ Fri, 07 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/install-firacode-font/ Every once in a while I discover a visual tweak to my software programming work that makes me wonder how I ever lived without it. For example, Victoria’s post on technical ergonomics is a great source for delightful tools. In the same vein, the FiraCode font is an aesthetic masterpiece. While it’s hard to measure, my sense is that the intuitive gliphs have reduced my mistakes by making my code easier to read. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/render-essential-content-server-side/ Fri, 07 Jan 2022 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/render-essential-content-server-side/ Modern Angular and React SPAs compose entire websites from the client. Components construct the HTML, fetch all the data, and render the site from a bare HTML page and a JavaScript bundle. It’s efficient for the programmer, but can be unnecessary or even harmful. One of the stalwart benefits of the Internet is the ability to share what you’ve discovered. After all, URL stands for “Universal Resource Locator.” But 100% client-side rendering collapses all states into a single resource location. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/01/20220106-003216/ Thu, 06 Jan 2022 00:32:16 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/01/20220106-003216/ My mom returned to Salina a couple days ago. It was great having her, though it seems like it was only a few hours! Her return flight was canceled just hours before takeoff, but we drove partway there while we verified that it was truly ended. Rather than wait for the airlines to select an alternative, she bought an Amtrak ticket. Amie took her to Union Station in the afternoon and she was traveling the countryside shortly thereafter. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/01/20220102-234930/ Sun, 02 Jan 2022 23:49:30 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/01/20220102-234930/ We’ve had a glorious time sledding and having snowball fights yesterday evening and today. Yesterday was our first try with the new intertube sled. It worked way better than most I’ve used, and it was fun to share with Danilo, Andrea, Evan and Nike. Andrea started the snow fight, and soon there were snowballs flying everywhere. Ok, I may have egged it on a bit. When Amie and Memaw brought Royal out, even he joined in! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/01/20220101-173227/ Sat, 01 Jan 2022 17:32:27 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2022/01/20220101-173227/ My mom’s here! Royal and I picked her up from O’Hare yesterday morning around 10:00 a.m. The news has been full of cancelled flights because critical numbers of flight crew are quarantined with the omicron coronavirus variant, so I’m grateful that didn’t happen to hers. The past two weeks have been an exhausted blur as Amie and I have been caring for Royal and Graham in their hand-foot-and-mouth illness. We’re less prepared for guests than the last visit, but Amie did a magical job preparing our home while we picked up my mom. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/hide-nodes-by-sum-of-attribute/ Thu, 30 Dec 2021 14:46:02 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/hide-nodes-by-sum-of-attribute/ My tags list has 195 tags with a single entry. One of the primary purposes for tags is to compare writing with the same tag to discover similarities, so these entries achieve little. A simple button to the tags list with the following JavaScript will hide all tags with a plant and stone sum of less than two. document.querySelectorAll("div.terms-page__terms>div").forEach((el) => { var txt = el.childNodes[0].childNodes[1].innerText; var txtSum = txt.slice(1,-1).split('/').reduce((p,c) => Number(p) + Number(c)); if (txtSum < 2) { el. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/the-vaccine-mandate-is-illogical-and-illegal/ Thu, 30 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/the-vaccine-mandate-is-illogical-and-illegal/ .indented { margin-left: 24px; } This is an open letter for Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss and Evanston DHHS Director Ike C. Ogbo. Dear Mayor Biss and Director Ogbo, I am writing to you today to ask that you recall today’s Vaccination Mandate Public Health Order. Today’s Evanston DHHS Vaccination Mandate public health order is illegal. It is also incoherent with published health facts. Before we consult our U. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/evangelism-is-making-disciples/ Thu, 30 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/evangelism-is-making-disciples/ In our attempts to define evangelism, sometimes we can make it so narrow that it’s no longer connected with the holistic mission of the Church. Overnarrowing has affected both evangelists and “regulars”. Evangelists have decided that their sole focus is to scatter seeds of the gospel far-and-wide but leave discipleship to whatever church community an interested person happens to walk into. Much of their work is misspent because they don’t get close enough to their hearers to understand their pain or misconceptions. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/look-everywhere-for-the-spiritually-open/ Thu, 30 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/look-everywhere-for-the-spiritually-open/ When we think of evangelism, it’s often stuck in some particular venue or approach. While our sense to get out and look is spot-on, we shouldn’t limit ourselves to a single place in our search to find the peaceful people. When jesus modeled taking the gospel to the people, he didn’t limit the message to any venue. He was ready to tell people about himself in the streets and on trial, alongside a well and in the synagogue. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/thomas-merton/the-monastery-is-a-school-in-which-we-learn-from-god-how-to-be-happy/ Wed, 29 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/thomas-merton/the-monastery-is-a-school-in-which-we-learn-from-god-how-to-be-happy/ The monastery is a school—a school in which we learn from God how to be happy. Our happiness consists in sharing the happiness of God, the perfection of His unlimited freedom, the perfection of His love. What has to be healed in us is our true nature, made in the likeness of God. What we have to learn is love. The healing and the learning are the same thing, for at the very core of our essence we are constituted in God’s likeness by our freedom, and the exercise of that freedom is nothing else but the exercise of disinterested love—the love of God for His own sake, because He is God. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/12/20211227-203838/ Mon, 27 Dec 2021 20:38:38 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/12/20211227-203838/ Amie found it! I've been saying that I needed a shirt exactly like this since Graham hit 18 months old. Best Christmas ever! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/12/20211227-203618/ Mon, 27 Dec 2021 20:36:18 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/12/20211227-203618/ Despite our boy’s horrific sickness and a sleepless night, Christmas day was marvelously executed. On Christmas Eve, Amie and I decorated the ceiling with stars, the table with cloth and candles, the bookshelf with stockings, and the tree with presents; one for each person. I attempted to install a swing clasp to the ceiling but, after three holes drilled without hitting wood, we chose another Christmas gift until we could request help. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/a-master-has-failed-more-times-than-a-beginner-has-tried/ Mon, 27 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/a-master-has-failed-more-times-than-a-beginner-has-tried/ The difference between a master and a rookie is that a master has failed more times than the beginner has ever tried. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/a-strong-team-will-mitigate-nearly-every-disaster-that-can-befall-a-planter/ Mon, 27 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/a-strong-team-will-mitigate-nearly-every-disaster-that-can-befall-a-planter/ A strong team will help mitigate nearly every disaster that can befall a planter, yet few planters are intentional about it on their first try. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/acts-was-written-to-trace-the-expansion-of-the-kingdom/ Mon, 27 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/acts-was-written-to-trace-the-expansion-of-the-kingdom/ Acts wasn’t written to demonstrate how to plant a church. Rather, the book of Acts was written to trace the expansion of the Kingdom: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (NIV, Acts 1:8) https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/apostolic-planters-have-a-wildness-that-doesnt-function-in-the-domesticated-church-system/ Mon, 27 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/apostolic-planters-have-a-wildness-that-doesnt-function-in-the-domesticated-church-system/ Apostolic planters have a sense of wildness in them that doesn’t function in the domesticated church system. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/jesus-modeled-taking-the-gospel-to-the-people/ Mon, 27 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/jesus-modeled-taking-the-gospel-to-the-people/ Paul’s methodology was to proclaim Christ in the synagogue, home, workshop, city square, hall, and even when publicly on trial. Jesus had primarily preached, too, but about himself. Jesus modeled taking the gospel to the people, rather than expecting them to come to him. Schabel points out that Jesus says that gospel proclamation must take place in palaces (Luke 7:25), marketplaces (Luke 7:32; 11:43), roads and streets (Luke 10:10; 13:26; 14:21), law courts and prisons (Luke 12:57-59; 18:2), and city gates (Luke 13:24). https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/pauls-first-missionary-journey-was-chalked-up-as-mistakes/ Mon, 27 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/pauls-first-missionary-journey-was-chalked-up-as-mistakes/ Much of what occurred on Paul’s first missionary journey was chalked up as mistakes Paul chose not to replicate in his later ministry, nor should we. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/pauls-genius-was-church-planting-networks/ Mon, 27 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/pauls-genius-was-church-planting-networks/ If Paul had merely planted solitary churches, his speed alone would be enough to impress us at an average of one plant every three or four months. But Paul’s true stroke of genius on his serial missionary journeys was his creation of multiple church planting networks that geographically spanned a continent in just over a decade. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/planters-who-embark-with-wisdom-are-afraid-and-unsure/ Mon, 27 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/planters-who-embark-with-wisdom-are-afraid-and-unsure/ A failure to learn from the expertise of a builder like Paul will most likely result in building an unhealthy church to the detriment of all, including the planter. Arrogant planters (and there are many) start out with a refusal to learn from anyone, convinced that they have much to teach. They learn in the end, but they learn the hard way. In contrast, most successful planters who embark on their first voyage with wisdom are afraid, unsure, and doubt they are up to the task. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/the-new-testament-was-written-by-practitioners/ Mon, 27 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/the-new-testament-was-written-by-practitioners/ The entire New Testament was written exclusively by missionary practitioners. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/the-test-of-a-church-plant-is-how-it-fares-once-the-planter-departs/ Mon, 27 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/the-test-of-a-church-plant-is-how-it-fares-once-the-planter-departs/ The true test of any church plant is how it fares once the planter departs. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/the-way-to-practice-dependence-on-the-spirit-was-to-need-him/ Mon, 27 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/the-way-to-practice-dependence-on-the-spirit-was-to-need-him/ The instructions of Matthew 10 indicate that the key objective of this trip was to foster the missionaries' dependence upon the Holy Spirit. As Steve Addison says in What Jesus Started, “This was not a classroom approach to learning.” The only way they could practice dependence upon the Holy Spirit was to place themselves in situations where they’d need him. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/train-your-team-for-your-absence-by-taking-them-everywhere/ Mon, 27 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/train-your-team-for-your-absence-by-taking-them-everywhere/ The key to training your team for your absence is to take them with you wherever you go, having them shadow you like a disciple would a rabbi. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/wise-planters-learn-everything-they-can-about-leadership/ Mon, 27 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/wise-planters-learn-everything-they-can-about-leadership/ Once a planter recruits a team, it takes constant communication to maintain the bond of working together. In the same way that a modern soldier must clean his gun, so the planter must regularly look after the team. Many planters have not been taught basic leadership principles and know little about managing teams. Therefore, wise planters learn everything they can about interpersonal communication, team leadership, conflict resolution, and Christlike leadership. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/christ-never-commanded-his-disciples-to-plant-churches/ Mon, 27 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/christ-never-commanded-his-disciples-to-plant-churches/ Christ never commanded his disciples to plant churches, because it’s not what He wanted them to focus on. Focusing on the church to be planted leads to church starting, whereas focusing on the Great Commission itself leads to church planting. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/planters-sent-by-god-are-nearly-impossible-to-stop/ Mon, 27 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/planters-sent-by-god-are-nearly-impossible-to-stop/ Planters who are sent by God are nearly impossible to stop. The only way to slow the apostle Paul was to lock him up, and the only way to stop him was to separate his head from his shoulders. Eventually, as an apostolic planter, you will wrestle with every kind of argument and excuse throughout the process of your calling; but, in the end, that call to sent-ness will defy logic, haunt you in bed at night, and keep you awake when the rest of the house is sleeping. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/12/20211224-145625/ Fri, 24 Dec 2021 14:56:25 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/12/20211224-145625/ Royal woke last night at 11:00 pm with croup. The stridor was so bad he vomited all over Amie. He slept in our room and woke us every hour with a coughing fit. Graham woke at 4:00 am with hand-foot-and-mouth. So yeah, that’s an awesome way to start Christmas Eve… https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/12/20211222-164111/ Wed, 22 Dec 2021 16:41:11 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/12/20211222-164111/ It’s been over a year since the spark of desire to introduce the nations to Jesus was rekindled in our hearts. We’d thought an open door was before us to share our gifts alongside like-minded believers for the sake of the many nations in Chicago, but it’s not as we’d hoped. Ted Kim shares with Jared Boyd a beautiful vision of spiritual formation through communal spiritual practices, but the missional emphasis is left to the individual’s growth with Jesus. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/12/20211222-150140/ Wed, 22 Dec 2021 15:01:40 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/12/20211222-150140/ We couldn’t secure babysitting for Royal, so yesterday Amie and I split up and took the boys in a special trip separately. Graham and Amie rode the Metra train downtown. He was so excited! They walked over to see the Macy’s Christmas windows, then back to the station. They had planned to visit Kriskindlemarket, but the line wrapped the block. Royal and I drove to the Lincoln Park Zoo. We saw all sorts of animals: giraffe, zebra and meercat in the Africa exhibit; snake, lizard, bat, and armadillo in the mammal/reptile exhibit, many birds in the bird exhibit, and monkey, seal, camel and squirrel outside. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/we-give-more-than-we-have/ Wed, 22 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/we-give-more-than-we-have/ Strict adherence to the adage that we can give others only what we have - a Biblical concept (see Matthew 12:35) - has overpowered two equal realities. First, our treasure is external to us. His words and presence are not limited by the vessel’s spiritual vitality. We are not batteries that must be charged in order to emit light. Though spiritual practices are essential to all disciples, mission is not contingent or subsequent to our personal growth. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/12/20211221-154303/ Tue, 21 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/12/20211221-154303/ When we couldn’t find a babysitter, Amie and I improvised and split up. Graham went with Amie to downtown while Royal went with me to the Lincoln Park Zoo. Amie’d hoped to take Graham to the Chriskindlemarket, but the lines were around the block! Amie and Graham Graham loves riding the train. This was his favorite part of the whole trip. The Macy building had trumpets around the entire circumference. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/12/20211210-192721/ Fri, 10 Dec 2021 19:27:21 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/12/20211210-192721/ Gorgeous three-minute meditation on Genesis 1 and God’s relationship with humanity. Thanks Matthew! What God Thinks Of You https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/12/20211209-174349/ Thu, 09 Dec 2021 17:43:49 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/12/20211209-174349/ Royal’s toddering hard these days. Resistant to changing clothes, walking to the car and sitting in his car seat; the mornings are a wrestling match to move him out the door. He doesn’t give me the same resistance that he gives Amie, probably because I’ll just man-handle him, so it’s even more frustrating when she’s trying to contain his flailing body. Reminds me that I still need to get that custom shirt made, the one with crossed AK-47s that reads, “I don’t negotiate with toddlers. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/the-good-news-begins-with-the-back-story/ Tue, 07 Dec 2021 14:05:24 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/the-good-news-begins-with-the-back-story/ Christopher Wright notes that nearly all Christmas renditions skip Matthew’s first sixteen verses; the geneaology of Jesus the Messiah. Maybe we’re missing something since Matthew wants to start with the geneaology? Matthew uploads the whole backstory of the Hebrew scriptures with a crafted geneaology that spans three covenantal arcs: from Abram to David, from David to the Exile, and from the Exile to Jesus. We’re supposed to have the promise to Abram that he would be the father of many nations in our mind, and that through him all the families of the world would be blessed. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/sabbath-is-a-social-imperative/ Tue, 07 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/sabbath-is-a-social-imperative/ 💬 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. Exodus 20:8-10 (ESV) The Sabbath commandment in Exodus is corporate. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/i-had-a-lifecycle-in-a-place/ Tue, 07 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/peyton-jones/i-had-a-lifecycle-in-a-place/ If I were to go back, I would tell that young man that he was apostolic; before it was cool. Because, I didn’t understand I had a lifecycle in a place. It still to this day doesn’t matter. You put me in a position, you give me a job, you pay me a bunch of money, you give me an executive card, and I’ve been there in different roles. I don’t stay. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/thomas-merton/every-one-of-us-is-shadowed-by-a-false-self/ Tue, 07 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/thomas-merton/every-one-of-us-is-shadowed-by-a-false-self/ Every one of us is shadowed by an illusory person: a false self. This is the man that I want myself to be but who cannot exist, because God does not know anything about him. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/thomas-merton/humans-are-words-meant-to-respond/ Tue, 07 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/thomas-merton/humans-are-words-meant-to-respond/ [Humans] are words that are meant to respond to Him, to answer to Him, to echo Him, and even in some way to contain Him and signify Him. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/thomas-merton/the-intellect-is-only-theoretically-independent-of-desire/ Tue, 07 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/thomas-merton/the-intellect-is-only-theoretically-independent-of-desire/ I think that if there is one truth that people need to learn, in the world, especially today, it is this: the intellect is only theoretically independent of desire and appetite in ordinary, actual practice. It is constantly being blinded and perverted by the ends and aims of passion, and the evidence it presents to us with such a show of impartiality and objectivity is fraught with interest and propaganda. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/thomas-merton/the-more-you-try-to-avoid-suffering-the-more-you-suffer/ Tue, 07 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/thomas-merton/the-more-you-try-to-avoid-suffering-the-more-you-suffer/ Indeed, the truth that many people never understand, until it is too late, is that the more you try to avoid suffering, the more you suffer, because smaller and more insignificant things begin to torture you, in proportion to your fear of being hurt. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/thomas-merton/there-is-only-one-vocation/ Tue, 07 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/thomas-merton/there-is-only-one-vocation/ This means, in practice, that there is only one vocation. Whether you teach or live in the cloister or nurse the sick, whether you are in religion or out of it, married or single, no matter who you are or what you are, you are called to the summit of perfection: you are called to a deep interior life perhaps even to mystical prayer, and to pass the fruits of your contemplation on to others. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/thomas-merton/god-makes-the-works-of-his-wisdom-more-beautiful-through-contrast/ Tue, 07 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/thomas-merton/god-makes-the-works-of-his-wisdom-more-beautiful-through-contrast/ if Adam had never fallen, the whole human race would have been a series of magnificently different and splendid images of God, each one of all the millions of men showing forth His glories and perfections in an astonishing new way, and each one shining with his own particular sanctity, a sanctity destined for him from all eternity as the most complete and unimaginable supernatural perfection of his human personality. If, since the fall, this plan will never be realized in millions of souls, and millions will frustrate that glorious destiny of theirs, and hide their personality in an eternal corruption of disfigurement, nevertheless, in re-forming His image in souls distorted and half destroyed by evil and disorder, God makes the works of His wisdom and love all the more strikingly beautiful by reason of the contrast with the surroundings in which He does not disdain to operate. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/thomas-merton/if-i-am-true-to-the-thought-of-him-i-shall-find-him-everywhere-in-myself/ Tue, 07 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/thomas-merton/if-i-am-true-to-the-thought-of-him-i-shall-find-him-everywhere-in-myself/ [If] I am true to the concept that God utters in me, if I am true to the thought of Him I was meant to embody, I shall be full of His actuality and find Him everywhere in myself, and find myself nowhere. I shall be lost in Him: that is, I shall find myself. I shall be ‘saved’. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/thomas-merton/our-vocation-is-not-simply-to-be-but-to-work-together-with-god/ Tue, 07 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/thomas-merton/our-vocation-is-not-simply-to-be-but-to-work-together-with-god/ Our vocation is not simply to be, but to work together with God in the creation of our own life, our own identity, our own destiny. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/thomas-merton/the-rebellion-of-the-saints-is-the-love-of-god/ Tue, 07 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/thomas-merton/the-rebellion-of-the-saints-is-the-love-of-god/ [The rebellion of the saints is] the rebellion of the lover of the living God, the rebellion of one whose desire of God was so intense and irresistible that it condemned, with all its might, all the hypocrisy and petty sensuality and skepticism and materialism which cold and trivial minds set up as unpassable barriers between God and the souls of men. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/12/20211206-210029/ Mon, 06 Dec 2021 21:00:29 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/12/20211206-210029/ My first opportunity to meet my Performance Trust colleagues occurred over a year after I started at the company! The IT department hosted a party at Topgolf. It was a delightful three hours spent with great colleagues, delicious food and swinging entertainment. Since people had only seen me on Zoom, no one knew my height. Multiple people said they expected someone shorter! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/12/20211206-205257/ Mon, 06 Dec 2021 20:52:57 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/12/20211206-205257/ Inspired by the pleasure of sharing stories with Graham as we put Christmas ornaments on our pine tree, I’ve crafted an ornament memorial from a selection of our ornaments. Enjoy! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/12/20211206-201621/ Mon, 06 Dec 2021 20:16:21 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/12/20211206-201621/ We had a lovely double-date with David and Sharon Ello at Lady Gregory’s last Friday. Not only was it a miracle that we both found babysitters on short notice (thank you Kati Ray!), but we were able to get a seat in less than five minutes when we were told it’d take a half-hour. We’ve spent the last few months praying with them and listening for God’s direction for our households. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/12/20211206-200928/ Mon, 06 Dec 2021 20:09:28 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/12/20211206-200928/ Amie, Graham, Royal and I spent a lovely visit with my Uncle Mark, Aunt Steph and Viktoria in Grand Rapids; our Thanksgiving tradition for the past seven years! This year was more restful than we’ve experienced since Graham was born. In part because none of us was under a year old, and also sleeping in the same room seemed to help. We also made record time on the drive over, arriving almost an hour earlier than we expected. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/ornament-memorial/ Mon, 06 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/ornament-memorial/ This is a family memorial represented in the ornaments adorning our Christmas tree. This ornament is a gift from Bronson Weston and Alexis Hruby. The Spirit enriched our lives in first year of the coronavirus pandemic with their fellowship and the joy of introducing them to Mark's gospel about Jesus. My heart overflows with gratitude every time I remember them for the joy of their obedience to our Lord and faithful God. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/integrity-is-more-valuable-than-competency/ Mon, 06 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/integrity-is-more-valuable-than-competency/ While applicants are assessed for competency, employees prefer integrity over skill in their colleagues. This insight is evident from personal experience, but research into the use of challenging and supportive voice conducted at Binghampton University may shed more light. Challenging voice - communication that challenges the status quo and focuses on new ideas and efficiency. Supportive voice - communication that strengthens social ties and trust and builds the friendly cohesion of a team. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/shrink-your-python-dockerfile/ Mon, 06 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/shrink-your-python-dockerfile/ A discovery I made when moving services to Docker containers was the sheer size of a Python container! If you only pull down the latest Python base image and install your dependencies, your image can be upwards of 200Mb. Fortunately, there’s at least one multi-stage Dockerfile build tip that can save you lots of space. Local Package Install The command pip install -r requirements installs your package dependencies under the root python library. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/where-i-see-myself-in-2024/ Fri, 03 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/where-i-see-myself-in-2024/ Mike, my manager, asked me to produce a three-year-plan and a five-year-plan as a means for him to understand the trajectory of my career and know how he can help me arrive. Thoughtful question, even if it does feel a little like homework coming from my boss. The past few years we’ve barely managed to make yearly goals. The chaos of early childhood has given me a renewed sense of how little is truly under my control. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/12/20211202-182512/ Thu, 02 Dec 2021 18:25:12 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/12/20211202-182512/ My December website update is complete! I figured it’d take half the month, but there were fewer mobile bugs to fix than I expected. If you run into any glaring problems, feel free to shoot me an email. Done is better than perfect, and I wanted to get this out before my November newsletter since all the links would have broken. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/alan-hirsch/discipleship-done-biblically-is-always-in-community/ Thu, 02 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/alan-hirsch/discipleship-done-biblically-is-always-in-community/ I think a lot of these things rest in the issue of discipleship… Discipleship done biblically is always in community. It’s never just one-on-one. I think that’s a big mistake that Western individualists make. I’m sure that Jesus did one-on-one with his people, but you never get a view of it anywhere in the scriptures. It’s always in groups. (in answer this question from Josh Johnson, “Can we as people caught in the walls of the church, can we reorient ourselves into a place where we can have true, authentic community that’s not just a Sunday gathering? https://alexbilson.dev/resume/jordan-field-support/ Wed, 01 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/resume/jordan-field-support/ I wanted to equip the Jordan team with solid preparation, on-field support, and a smooth re-entry so that they would be effective, unified, and ready to move forward. I’d never been in the situation they would experience nor would I be present with them. Also, I didn’t have sufficient man-power to receive them back well. I decided to participate in all their meetings to remain connected to their needs. I spent time each day praying for individual members and taking action to meet their needs. https://alexbilson.dev/resume/one-man-wedding-planner/ Wed, 01 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/resume/one-man-wedding-planner/ I wanted to visit India with my fiancée and plan our wedding during our five month engagement. The timeline was tight, most resources were designed to span a year of wedding planning, she would be out of the country for a month, and the location was in another state at a place we’d never been. First, we planned out our trip to India. We organized the trip with our host and defined our expectations in detail. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/11/20211130-195824/ Tue, 30 Nov 2021 19:58:24 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/11/20211130-195824/ In December I will make a change to the structure of my website that will break nearly every existing link. If you’re curious, read reasons to migrate to a digital garden. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/meta/reasons-to-migrate-to-a-digital-garden/ Tue, 30 Nov 2021 19:58:24 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/meta/reasons-to-migrate-to-a-digital-garden/ In December I will make a change to the structure of my website that will break nearly every existing link. Here’s why. My website has evolved out of my own emerging needs. By now it’s become a small ecosystem of web pages and services, only a portion of which are used by my Internet buddies. It began in 2019 for two purposes: an outlet to continue a writing habit started in my MBA program, and a place to share our family’s experiences for posterity. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/ed-caesar/how-happy-i-was-to-know-the-word/ Mon, 29 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/ed-caesar/how-happy-i-was-to-know-the-word/ Every time I rounded a corner, I’d encounter a sublime new gorge or escarpment. In the haze, the horizons of distant peaks braided together. The nature writer Robert MacFarlane observes, in his book “Landmarks,” that a Scottish painter once described this phenomenon to him as landskein. “Skein” can mean either a coil of yarn or a flock of birds in a V formation. Landskein, a neologism, uses both ,knitting the V’s of mountaintops together. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/christopher-wright/the-father-kept-his-promise/ Tue, 23 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/christopher-wright/the-father-kept-his-promise/ Just because the gift turns out to be a motorcar doesn’t mean we should try to argue that the original promise of a horse was only meant figuratively. A horse was meant, a horse was what the child understood, and a horse was expected. But the changed circumstances and the progress of history enabled the promises to be fulfilled in a different and far superior way, without emptying the promise either of its purpose (to give a means of transport) or of its basis in a relationship of fatherly love. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/christopher-wright/these-are-the-words-he-read/ Tue, 23 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/christopher-wright/these-are-the-words-he-read/ I find myself aware that in reading the Hebrew Scriptures I am handling something that gives me a closer common link with Jesus than any archaeological artifact could do. For these are the words he read. These were the stories he knew. These were the songs he sang. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/11/20211120-215437/ Sat, 20 Nov 2021 21:54:37 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/11/20211120-215437/ Random thought: freedom from spiritual enslavers https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/freedom-from-spiritual-enslavers/ Sat, 20 Nov 2021 21:54:37 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/freedom-from-spiritual-enslavers/ In both the Exodus story and Jesus' resurrection there was a defeat of the spirit powers; the gods of Egypt and the prince of this world. Jesus' victory changes no geopolitical boundaries and produces no visible earthly dominion, but it is on analogy with Israel’s flight from Egypt as the ultimate redemption from oppression. One implication of this news is that the invisible powers are the truest enslavers and root source of humanity’s failure to live as image bearers (not that we bear no responsibility, but as those who are coerced, not “free agents”). https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/javascript-build-tooling-is-a-mess/ Thu, 18 Nov 2021 15:38:37 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/javascript-build-tooling-is-a-mess/ It’s refreshing to read Julia’s article about esbuild. I’ve found the JavaScript build tooling to be an obtuse, obscure mess ever since I first began to use it years ago. When that’s all a person knows, like many front-end developers I’ve met, then it’s taken for granted that this is a necessary evil. But when you’ve used clean, simple back-end CLI’s like dotnet or scaffolded your project’s pipeline with a Makefile, the wreckage that is JavaScript bundling and transpiling feels gross. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/learn-webassembly-with-blazor/ Wed, 17 Nov 2021 19:01:16 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/learn-webassembly-with-blazor/ My manager asked me today what technology I’d like to explore. Could be anything, just have to bring back something for my team to learn. The first topic that came to mind was browser-native web components, but he suggested I look into WebAssembly. Since wasm has greater implications for my day-to-day work, I agreed to take it on. These are my scratch notes and I learn how it’s done by building a POC called fire-tables. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/madeleine-lengle/all-art-is-cosmos/ Mon, 15 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/madeleine-lengle/all-art-is-cosmos/ All art is cosmos, cosmos found within chaos. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/madeleine-lengle/being-time-is-never-wasted-time/ Mon, 15 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/madeleine-lengle/being-time-is-never-wasted-time/ Being time is never wasted time. When we are being, not only are we collaborating with chronological time, but we are touching on kairos, and are freed from the normal restrictions of time. In moments of mystical illumination we may experience, in a few chronological seconds, years of transfigured love. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/madeleine-lengle/caiaphas-asked-no-whys/ Mon, 15 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/madeleine-lengle/caiaphas-asked-no-whys/ Caiaphas asked no Whys. He was frozen into the rigidity of the religious establishment of Jesus' day, and because of this frozenness, he feared Jesus as a blasphemer. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/madeleine-lengle/few-serious-artists-are-able-to-live-lives-which-are-without-interruption/ Mon, 15 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/madeleine-lengle/few-serious-artists-are-able-to-live-lives-which-are-without-interruption/ Many people in walks of life which do not involve creation, are completely unaware of the necessity for discipline. It is not only that few serious artists who live lives of debauchery produce a large body of work, but that few serious artists are able to live lives which are without interruption. We do not shed all obligations when the children leave home. I am working on this section of this manuscript while teaching an intensive four and a half hour credit course, and neither may be skimped. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/madeleine-lengle/in-art-we-are-helped-to-remember/ Mon, 15 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/madeleine-lengle/in-art-we-are-helped-to-remember/ In art, either as creators or participators, we are helped to remember some of the glorious things we have forgotten, and some of the terrible things we are asked to endure, we who are children of God by adoption and grace. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/madeleine-lengle/lack-of-trust-is-a-wound-as-grievous-as-whatever-caused-it/ Mon, 15 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/madeleine-lengle/lack-of-trust-is-a-wound-as-grievous-as-whatever-caused-it/ Creative scientists and saints expect revelation and do not fear it. Neither do children. But as we grow up and we are hurt, we learn not to trust, and that lack of trust is a wound as grievous as whatever caused it. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/madeleine-lengle/the-greatest-moments-of-prayer-come-in-the-midst-of-fumbling/ Mon, 15 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/madeleine-lengle/the-greatest-moments-of-prayer-come-in-the-midst-of-fumbling/ To work on a book is for me very much the same thing as to pray. Both involve discipline. If the artist works only when he feels like it, he’s not apt to build up much of a body of work. Inspiration far more often comes during the work than before it, because the largest part of the job of the artist is to listen to the work, and to go where it tells him to go. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/madeleine-lengle/the-opposite-of-sin-can-only-be-faith-and-never-virtue/ Mon, 15 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/madeleine-lengle/the-opposite-of-sin-can-only-be-faith-and-never-virtue/ The opposite of sin can only be faith, and never virtue. (Quoting H.A. Williams) https://alexbilson.dev/stones/madeleine-lengle/unless-we-are-creators-we-are-not-fully-alive/ Mon, 15 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/madeleine-lengle/unless-we-are-creators-we-are-not-fully-alive/ Unless we are creators, we are not fully alive. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/madeleine-lengle/we-are-afraid-of-this-kind-of-prayer/ Mon, 15 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/madeleine-lengle/we-are-afraid-of-this-kind-of-prayer/ To serve a work of art is almost identical with adoring the Master of the Universe in contemplative prayer. In contemplative prayer the saint (who knows himself to be a sinner, for none of us is whole, healed and holy twenty-four hours a day) turns inwards in what is called “the prayer of the heart,” not to find self, but to lose self in order to be found. We are afraid of this kind of prayer, we of the twentieth century Judeo-Christian tradition. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/madeleine-lengle/we-have-to-be-braver-than-we-think-we-can-be/ Mon, 15 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/madeleine-lengle/we-have-to-be-braver-than-we-think-we-can-be/ We have to be braver than we think we can be, because God is constantly calling us to be more than we are, to see through plastic sham to living, breathing reality, and to break down our defenses of self-protection in order to be free to receive and give love. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/madeleine-lengle/when-the-artist-is-truly-the-servant-of-the-work-the-work-is-better-than-the-artist/ Mon, 15 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/madeleine-lengle/when-the-artist-is-truly-the-servant-of-the-work-the-work-is-better-than-the-artist/ When the artist is truly the servant of the work, the work is better than the artist. Shakespeare knew how to listen to his work, and so he often wrote better than he could write; Bach composed more deeply, more truly than he knew; Rembrant’s brush put more of the human spirit on canvas than Rembrandt could comprehend. When the work takes over, then the artist is enabled to get out of the way, not to interfere. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/madeleine-lengle/anything-jesus-did-in-his-lifetime-is-available-to-us-too/ Mon, 15 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/madeleine-lengle/anything-jesus-did-in-his-lifetime-is-available-to-us-too/ We were not meant to be any more restricted than Jesus was during his sojourn with us here on this earth. If we take seriously that during the time of his Incarnation he was truly man, truly human as we are, than anything he did in his lifetime is available for us, too. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/madeleine-lengle/before-i-can-listen-to-god-in-prayer-i-must-fumble-through-the-prayers-of-words/ Mon, 15 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/madeleine-lengle/before-i-can-listen-to-god-in-prayer-i-must-fumble-through-the-prayers-of-words/ Before I can listen to God in prayer, I must fumble through the prayers of words, of willful demands, the prayers of childish “Gimmes”, of “Help mes,” of “I want…” Until I tell God what I want, I have no way of knowing whether or not I truly want it. Unless I ask God for something, I do not know whether or not it is something for which I ought to ask, and I cannot add, “But if this is not your will for me, then your will is what I want, not mine. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/madeleine-lengle/i-didnt-understand-it-but-i-knew-what-it-was-about/ Mon, 15 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/madeleine-lengle/i-didnt-understand-it-but-i-knew-what-it-was-about/ A yound woman said to me, during the question-and-answer period after a lecture, “I read A Wrinkle in Time when I was eight or nine. I didn’t understand it, but I knew what it was about.” https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/11/20211114-200737/ Sun, 14 Nov 2021 20:07:37 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/11/20211114-200737/ We made the mistake of visiting the Kohl Children’s Museum on a weekend. So many people… But we managed to get a few photos that’ll serve as better memories than the press of crowds, the noise of a hundred toddlers, and the price of admission. This little boy pushed Royal right after this photo, but he took it well. Life with Graham has built his resiliency. There were three train tables where Graham spent most of his time. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/11/20211114-195930/ Sun, 14 Nov 2021 19:59:30 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/11/20211114-195930/ Amie and I took a date night last Friday at the Botanic Garden’s Lightscape event. Here are a selection of photos. It snowed the entire time, but you could hardly tell. The effect that the snow had on the colors, however, was beyond description. It was the most awesome worship service I’ve attended in a long time. Near the entrance to the event is a light-tunnel. Brilliant! A rubic cube kaleidoscope made this astonishing effect in this courtyard. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/the-horse-35/ Fri, 12 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/the-horse-35/ For a season of my childhood there were horses. Chief among them was Thirty-five, the ancient dappled-grey mare whose size and demeanor frightened me least of the three. She was purchased with the name ‘Thirty-five’ but no explanation for the numerical designation. We inferred that Thirty-five must have been the count of circles she’d turn if you attempted to ride out beyond the barn alone. She was a pack animal and no more, comfortable in the world only if behind another. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/meta/define-fluid-and-stable-content/ Wed, 10 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/meta/define-fluid-and-stable-content/ There are two elemental types of content in any digital garden: fluid and stable. Gardeners will make their own distinctions about the two, but a distinction is necessary because of the differing approaches one might take with entry and upkeep. To merge these types into the same workflow invites confusion. Fluid content is in-progress. It’s unpolished, uncategorized raw material. It might comprise a bookmark to an online article, a wild thought jotted down while walking, a journal entry, or a project status update. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/meta/gardens-as-networks-of-private-insight/ Wed, 10 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/meta/gardens-as-networks-of-private-insight/ Andy’s site, referred to as “working notes”, construct a “thinking environment” that Andy uses to generate his own content About these notes. He does encorporate external resources, but these are secondary to his own writing and typically consist of links rather than unique objects. Subjects are explores in sections, marked with a ‘§’. The way Andy organizes these into collections is by section (or MOC). The relationships become a network, not by accidental inclusion into the same tag group, but by deliberate referencing and backreferencing. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/define-fluid-and-stable-content/ Wed, 10 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/define-fluid-and-stable-content/ There are two elemental types of content in any digital garden: fluid and stable. Gardeners will make their own distinctions about the two, but a distinction is necessary because of the differing approaches one might take with entry and upkeep. To merge these types into the same workflow invites confusion. Fluid content is in-progress. It’s unpolished, uncategorized raw material. It might comprise a bookmark to an online article, a wild thought jotted down while walking, a journal entry, or a project status update. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/meta/gardens-as-museums-of-others-content/ Wed, 10 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/meta/gardens-as-museums-of-others-content/ Nick Trombly organizes his content by tag and author. There are nuances, but a typical page shows all the content he’s collected on the subject, such as anxiety. By contrast, Andy Matuschak organizes his notes by hyperlink reference. The typical page shows a single note, with the option to display references to and references from side-by-side, such as Evergreen notes. Nick’s site, identified as a commonplace book, contains little of his own writing. https://alexbilson.dev/gardens/meta/digital-gardens/ Mon, 08 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/gardens/meta/digital-gardens/ This is a meta garden; a garden full of ideas, dreams, and sketches for my “digital garden” - the site you’re on right now. There’s not an official definition for the term, “digital garden,” but the best overview of the concept is Maggie Appleton’s History of the Digital Garden. You might also glean insight into the differences between a digital garden and a blog by reviewing Shawn’s Digital Garden Terms of Service, or by Tom Critchlow’s analysis of three forms of digital communication in Streams, Campfires and Gardens. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/leadership-failures/ Fri, 05 Nov 2021 17:39:13 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/leadership-failures/ Since having my own run-in with a notably horrific manager I’ve made new discoveries about the nature of my manager’s faults. Let’s catalog them here, starting with this link: Disrespectful Employee https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/11/20211102-225653/ Tue, 02 Nov 2021 22:56:53 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/11/20211102-225653/ Amie had an endoscopy today because she’d had trouble choking awhile back. When the doctor was looking around, however, the doctor didn’t find the customary scarring, just some swelling, and so didn’t do anything. They took a biopsy, but otherwise that’s it. Amie’s been hurting the rest of the evening from bloating caused by the anesthesia. You don’t know till you know, you know? https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/11/20211101-002640/ Mon, 01 Nov 2021 00:26:40 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/11/20211101-002640/ It was our best Halloween excursion yet! Graham, Royal and I dressed up as old men, Amie and Kati Ray were the photographers. We made it back to the apartment with a stash of candy and loads of compliments. Victory! Amie did the face paint. Graham wasn't sure about it, but he went through with it after watching her put face paint on Papa. Royal went straight from naptime to face-paint. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/10/20211028-212246/ Thu, 28 Oct 2021 21:22:46 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/10/20211028-212246/ I’ve logged few new observations from meditating during the watches of the night, one of which is that god wants more humans. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/god-favors-mercy-over-judgment/ Thu, 28 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/god-favors-mercy-over-judgment/ Even in the midst of judgment the LORD shows mercy to individuals who repent. Joshua’s conquest begins with the story of a Canaanite woman, Rahab, who’s faith gave Israel courage and delivered, not only her own life, but the life of her father, mother, and all her siblings (see rahab preserves israelite spies). This stands in juxtaposition to the Canaanite kings who, upon hearing of Israel’s military victories, banned together to destroy them. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/god-is-slow-to-judge-but-swift-to-execute/ Thu, 28 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/god-is-slow-to-judge-but-swift-to-execute/ It’s a pattern in the LORD’s judgment to be long in coming but swift and complete in execution. The wickedness of those dwelling in Canaan did not bring destruction upon their heads for over four centuries, but when it was full, retribution was like the days of Noah or Sodom and Gomorrah. He offers each generation, from the time Abram walked the land until Joshua began to deliver cities over to destruction, the opportunity to repent. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/god-promises-humans-deliver-retribution/ Thu, 28 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/god-promises-humans-deliver-retribution/ Israel’s destruction of the nations who inhabit Canaan matches the pattern of the flood narrative as a consequence for filling the land with violence, but I’ve wondered why, this time, it was Israel who delivered the consequence. I mean, Noah was a passive observer when God let creation collapse upon his generation. It didn’t bother me too much that the LORD uses people to deliver retribution since the LORD uses Babylon later to do the same thing to Israel, but recently I realized that’s what the LORD had promised to do. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/god-wants-more-humans/ Thu, 28 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/god-wants-more-humans/ Sometimes it’s thought that the Hebrew Bible is more judgment-focused while the Greek Bible is grace-focused, but it just takes more pondering to see it in the first 3/4 of the Bible. For example, in the Noah story, the LORD reflects on the human condition and determines that humans from Noah’s generation will be no better than those wiped out in the flood for filling the earth with violence. Nevertheless, He promises to never again destroy all living things with a deluge. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/the-bible-is-for-wisdom-and-pleasure/ Thu, 28 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/the-bible-is-for-wisdom-and-pleasure/ While reflecting on one of the Psalms, I thought, “Wow, this song is so generic; I’m not getting anything out of it.” Then I noticed in the textual notes that the Psalm and the one to follow were an acrostic, and the Holy Spirit reminded me of a verse out of Genesis. God’s words both supply nourishment and delight. 💬 And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/10/20211027-130846/ Wed, 27 Oct 2021 13:08:46 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/10/20211027-130846/ I’m launching a new effort to read through the Hebrew Bible. My Bible intake has waned in recent years, dipping at times to essentially zero. The Bible Project has been a source of inspiration and delight for months now, and I’m grateful for it, but I’ve begun to use it as a crutch. In a desire to read the Bible with the rich layers that Tim and John reveal, I’ve hoped that I’ll learn how to explore the Bible that way by listening to many, many examples. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/10/20211026-210359/ Tue, 26 Oct 2021 16:04:35 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/10/20211026-210359/ Amie’s back! Graham, Royal and I picked her up after school yesterday. The flight was delayed by weather so we ended up circling the airport for a bit. Graham slept through it and Royal was only mildly agitated. Amie had a fabulous time in Maine. I won’t spoil her stories, but you should ask her about the time Olivia gave her a “treatment.” BFFs forever! Amie brought home special lobster suckers. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/technology-pendulum-observation/ Tue, 26 Oct 2021 15:36:01 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/technology-pendulum-observation/ There’s a pendulum I’ve observed in the world of technology. It may be a law that extends beyond software developers, but it’s evident from individual technologies in software development. I suspect it’s a broad business principal that is more easily observed in technology because of the rapid pace of innovation. The general shape of the pendulum is this. First, a pressing need forces software developers to implement a non-standard fix. The fix becomes so ubiquitous that soon there are libraries, sometimes even frameworks, devoted to solving that need for a mass audience. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/10/20211024-032202/ Sun, 24 Oct 2021 03:22:02 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/10/20211024-032202/ Amie flew to Maine this morning. Graham, Royal and I woke early to drive her to the airport. We went straight to the skate park in Niles afterward. The boys have done extremely well today, even though at times they miss their mama. Graham has his moments but for the most part he’s very helpful. We spent almost two hours at the skate park with no meltdowns or crazy-making. We ate lunch a half-hour early because Royal was sleepy. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/10/20211017-002855/ Sun, 17 Oct 2021 00:28:55 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/10/20211017-002855/ Royal and I picked up 264" of PVC pipe for Halloween costumes today. You’ll have to wait to see why. Graham and I found a fun use for them in the meantime - rolling tiny plastic balls! This might be a fun strategy for a homemade Christmas gift this year… https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/interpretive-replacements-sometimes-erase-context/ Fri, 15 Oct 2021 12:39:15 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/interpretive-replacements-sometimes-erase-context/ There’s a practice I’ve encountered in Biblical interpretation which often leaves me with some unease. Not because I haven’t done it myself, I have. Maybe it’s because the practice feels too close to interpretation by mystic symbology. The practice is finding a term or phrase in the New Testament that gets applied to Jesus, then interpreting that term as a pseudonym for Jesus in the Old Testament. The example I run into most regularly is the transformation of “Angel of the LORD” to “Jesus pre-incarnate”. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/10/20211014-222903/ Thu, 14 Oct 2021 22:29:03 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/10/20211014-222903/ As though we had enough, Amie’s taking Royal to the ER. Why, you ask? He shoved a black bean up his nose. 🙄 Can you see it? Right nostril. Amie was able to get right in without a wait. But while Royal was happily playing in the ER bay, the bean fell out! Looks like it was starting to sprout. Royal's earned a new moniker, the Bilson bean. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/10/20211014-184455/ Thu, 14 Oct 2021 18:44:55 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/10/20211014-184455/ No, we didn’t move to Arizona (sadly 😩). This was taken in one of the Chicago Botanic Garden’s greenhouses. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/replace-facebook/ Thu, 14 Oct 2021 18:43:40 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/replace-facebook/ While I appreciate Heather Kelly’s piece, Apps To Use If Leaving Facebook, for her suggestion that it might be possible to find alternatives by transitioning to multiple services, it doesn’t go far enough. It’s a major step forward when a single corporation doesn’t entirely rule one’s online use, but Kelly’s alternatives aren’t appreciably different than Facebook. Each offers free service by progressively converting users into products. The only reason her alternatives don’t receive our disdain is that they’re not popular enough to turn the public’s critical eye. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/10/20211013-184714/ Wed, 13 Oct 2021 18:47:14 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/10/20211013-184714/ Today I upgraded my Raspberry Pi to Bullseye! The latest Debian main distribution, Bullseye, was released on August 14th. I’ve been nervous about making the upgrade lest it take down the services I use on a daily basis, but it was surprisingly simple. Thanks to all those who contribute to Debian releases! The best part is that Podman is now officially supported. Commands like podman stats now work as expected, and I can reliably pull new updates when they’re released. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/how-does-the-holy-spirit-change-humanity/ Wed, 13 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/how-does-the-holy-spirit-change-humanity/ The first two-thirds of the Bible’s storyline is waiting breathlessly for the human who will finally be the true image of God, defeat the serpent and deal with the wake of destruction caused by human failure and foolishness. But after Jesus, the story’s culminating point, the wait for a new human is over. However, the new humanity inaugurated by Jesus has many mysteries. One of these mysteries is how it will be any better than its forebears. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/10/20211012-224757/ Tue, 12 Oct 2021 22:47:57 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/10/20211012-224757/ After many months of dodging the bullet, Graham tested positive for COVID. He and Royal will be home for the next two weeks. Symptom-wise, nothing more than a low-grade fever presents itself. Even without symptoms, still a crushing blow to over-stressed parents (weeps pitiously in the corner next to the train set and children’s books). https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/10/20211012-025908/ Tue, 12 Oct 2021 02:59:08 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/10/20211012-025908/ Since Friday I’ve been too overwhelmed with disappointment and anxiety to do more than the bare minimum; clean, eat, watch. A three-day weekend spent in a daze, the anxiety only worsening as the hours slip away. The worst of it may finally be passing but to be this derailed doesn’t speak well of my emotional reserves. Let’s practice a little gratitude. I’m thankful for: About fifteen years of life with Jesus. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/10/20211007-221521/ Thu, 07 Oct 2021 22:15:21 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/10/20211007-221521/ Inspired by blog writers I follow and a need to upgrade my CSS skills for work, I’ve released a major revamp of my site. My themes have expanded from a binary selection to a dropdown list (thanks Amie for the Fall theme). There’s a fair amount of under-the-covers refactoring to make each piece its own component. Not using any framework gives me a better idea of what’s possible with code alone. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/10/20211004-002042/ Mon, 04 Oct 2021 00:20:42 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/10/20211004-002042/ Last night the tenant above us held a bachelor’s party. The music was loud enough at 11:00 pm that we could understand it from our living room below. At 1:00 am he knocked loudly on our kitchen window to ask that I let him inside the building because he’d forgotten his key. At 1:45 he again knocked loudly to let him inside a second time. He works night shift at St. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/10/20211002-185914/ Sat, 02 Oct 2021 18:59:14 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/10/20211002-185914/ I was once honest and vulnerable at work. But at a company I’d rather forget, I was hated for my vulnerability, which is my strength, and my honesty was shaped into a dagger and plunged into my exposed heart. Will I ever be safe to entrust myself to anyone with authority over my livelihood? Or am I consigned to live forever behind a partial mask among those who have power to hurt me? https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/learning-to-trust-authority-again/ Sat, 02 Oct 2021 18:59:14 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/learning-to-trust-authority-again/ I was once honest and vulnerable at work. But at a company I’d rather forget, I was hated for my vulnerability, which is my strength, and my honesty was shaped into a dagger and plunged into my exposed heart. Will I ever be safe to entrust myself to anyone with authority over my livelihood? Or am I consigned to live forever behind a partial mask among those who have power to hurt me? https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/10/20211002-151148/ Sat, 02 Oct 2021 15:11:48 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/10/20211002-151148/ Amie left to visit her parents in Madison yesterday afternoon. We ought to know by now that travel without prayer protection is a severe risk, but we’re still learning this lesson. She drove off at the start of Royal’s nap time. At Dempster and Crawford, about twenty minutes into the trip, a warning light flashed on. Low oil pressure. She called me. We started to troubleshoot by checking the dipstick and discovered the oil reservoir was bone dry! https://alexbilson.dev/plants/writing/short-stories-are-modern-parables/ Tue, 28 Sep 2021 15:14:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/writing/short-stories-are-modern-parables/ While reading The Space Traders by Derrick Bell it struck me that short stories are the modern world’s parables. The genre’s are different: parables are bare-bones and have one main point, while short stories can expand beyond a single point and include details which don’t develop the message directly. This was a fascinating discovery, since I’ve been pondering what it’d be like to develop my own parables. Would it be possible, like Jesus, to craft a short message in a cryptic parable that I could share with friends and family that wouldn’t be immediately understood but might later produce a light-bulb moment. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/moms-first-chicago-visit/ Tue, 28 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/moms-first-chicago-visit/ My mom, who will henceforth be called “Mema” in honor of her ol' grandma name, came to visit! Here are some pics; it was a lovely time. At The Beach Mema twirling Royal in Lake Michigan. She spun both Royal and Graham, then needed a break! At The Shedd Aquarium The tank's full of sting rays you can touch. Royal and Graham both managed to touch one, but Graham would have stayed all day while Royal was ready to move on in fifteen minutes. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/09/20210927-220554/ Mon, 27 Sep 2021 22:05:54 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/09/20210927-220554/ Last Thursday, I dropped Amie off at the Urgent Care with severe abdominal pain before picking up the boys from school. To our surprise, the doctor recommended Amie head to the ER so, instead of picking her up to take her home, we picked her up to drop her at the hospital. Amie spent the whole night in the ER undergoing various tests to discover why her gallbladder was inflamed. By the morning she was expected to have it removed, but the day-shift contradicted the night crew and decided it wouldn’t be necessary. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/09/20210927-210730/ Mon, 27 Sep 2021 21:07:30 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/09/20210927-210730/ I’ve recently finished Derrick Bell’s short story series, Faces At The Bottom Of The Well. He was a civil rights lawyer who lived between 1930-2011, taught at Harvard Law, and wrote some of the most thought-provoking ideas about race in America I’ve encountered yet. The series ends with The Space Traders, Bell’s most famous short story. Curious to see if economic conditions have improved since Bell’s writing, I looked it up on Pew Research Center and found 6 Facts About Economic Inequality. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/09/20210927-135319/ Mon, 27 Sep 2021 13:53:19 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/09/20210927-135319/ This weekend I spent a couple hours mapping all the tasks, goals, and ideas in my head onto paper. There are so many projects going at the same time it’s impossible to keep them straight in my head. When my life gets this chaotic I live in a perpetual state of anxious dread. De-cluttering my mind by dumping everything on a paper reduces my anxiety by quieting the looping list in my head and ordering their priorities. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/09/20210926-155046/ Sun, 26 Sep 2021 15:50:46 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/09/20210926-155046/ Today the city of Evanston blocks off much of Ridge Ave (a busy thoroughfare) for bikers to ride along. There are charities along the sidewalk and a live band in Ridgeville Park. Graham’s a little on edge and sensitive to all the people, but he’s enjoying the novelty of all the roads blocked off and police cars everywhere. Royal squeals with delight every time he sees a baloon. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/jesus-fulfills-the-roles-and-gifts/ Sat, 25 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/jesus-fulfills-the-roles-and-gifts/ I’m often struck by the upside-down way that Jesus represents the roles of prophet, priest and king and the gifts: apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd and teacher (APEST). He is a king, but he does not use his authority to wage war upon Rome as the insurrectionists planned or as King David did against the surrounding nations. Instead He used the kingly authority to deliver and serve. He is a prophet, and… well, actually, His prophetic acts seem identical to the prophets of old. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/design-patterns/ Wed, 22 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/design-patterns/ These are design patterns that I’ve either learned from the Bible Project or are developing on my own. These topics develop from Genesis to Revelation and find their culmination in Jesus. Design Patterns design pattern light design pattern tree of life design pattern judgment Thoughts/Questions There’s a complex thread of ideas around light, judgment, and life from the beginning of John’s Gospel to the end. I wonder if light, judgment, and life are intertwined because each refers to a design pattern around the Imago Dei? https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/design-pattern-judgment/ Wed, 22 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/design-pattern-judgment/ This is an overarching note that explores the theme of judgment as it exists from Genesis to Revelation. Judgment in John’s Gospel The first use of the word ‘judgment’ is in John 3:19, when the author says that people’s rejection of the light that has entered the world is their judgment. Then in John 5:22-24 Jesus says that the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son so that people honor him equally. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/design-pattern-light/ Wed, 22 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/design-pattern-light/ This is an overarching note that explores the theme of light as it exists from Genesis to Revelation. Light is a pattern that begins with the first page in Genesis in reference, first to spiritual beings (and by implication, the one God), but later to humans acting as image bearers (see Moses' glowing face and the high priest’s white garb). Light applies to all humans, to be sons of light, lights of the world, etc. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/design-pattern-tree-of-life/ Wed, 22 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/design-pattern-tree-of-life/ This is an overarching note that explores the theme of trees and life as they exist from Genesis to Revelation. Life is another pattern that begins in Genesis with the tree of life. Humans are mapped onto trees throughout the Bible, sometimes as trees of life (that is, those who transfer God’s own life) and also trees of knowing good and bad. Life is closely connected with light, such that Jesus can say that he is the light of life (John 8:12), probably because life emminates from the source of life, Yahweh. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/to-listen-and-obey-jesus-word-brings-life/ Wed, 22 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/to-listen-and-obey-jesus-word-brings-life/ In the story where jesus heals a crippled man near the sheep gate, Jesus sees a crippled man. He notes this man has been waiting many years for healing, thirty-eight years to be precise, and he asks the man if he wants to be made well. The man explains that there’s no means to heal him because no one will assist him into the healing pool. Jesus tells him to stand up, take his bed and walk. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/09/20210916-230849/ Thu, 16 Sep 2021 23:08:49 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/09/20210916-230849/ We’ve been in such a fast-paced season, for so long, that I wonder if I’ve become addicted to the rush. I don’t ache for solitude as I once did. Silence has become more uncomfortable than before. It would be nice to separate myself for a time, to rest and remember that the world does not require me nearly so much as I may grow to believe. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/launch-a-dmm/ Thu, 16 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/launch-a-dmm/ How does one launch a DMM? Or a MDM? Well, I don’t know the answer to that, but this is our approach. First, apparently it starts with seven years of failed attempts. Not gonna get into this, but we’ve been seeking this for the entirety of our time in Chicago, seven years, and perhaps am only beginning to see the idea spread. Second, form a cadre of like-minded followers. We’re looking for a few individuals who, like the twelve disciples, are willing to live this out in community. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/09/20210915-175400/ Wed, 15 Sep 2021 17:54:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/09/20210915-175400/ A colleague of mine recommended this list as a refresher of what NOT to do in software development. It’s a good overview of the common temptations developers can succumb to as they write code. Seven Deadly Sins of Programming https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/09/20210914-010430/ Tue, 14 Sep 2021 01:04:30 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/09/20210914-010430/ I’ve been wondering if an IRC channel would be a suitable way to enable real-time conversation with family and friends on the subjects I write about. Comments have been a bonus, but maybe it could be more? I’ve been enjoying a foray into Discord groups and wonder if a similar platform would be a useful addition. What do you think? https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/09/20210914-010050/ Tue, 14 Sep 2021 01:00:50 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/09/20210914-010050/ I’ve been listening to a Bible Project podcast about the theme of trees. They recommend a book on the subject called Reforesting Faith that I’d enjoy. Maybe I’ll come back to it… https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/09/20210914-004937/ Tue, 14 Sep 2021 00:49:37 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/09/20210914-004937/ I had first heard about OBS Studio from Scott Hanselman a few months back, but I guessed it’d have a learning curve if I didn’t already understand video and audio editing. Turns out, it’s simple enough that I could make a video in 15 minutes! Don’t let the lack of screenshots deter you from checking it out. I think I’ll try it for a bible study soon, and for my September family update. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/09/20210911-145152/ Sat, 11 Sep 2021 14:51:52 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/09/20210911-145152/ This bout of sickness may be the longest we’ve had yet. I’ve been sick now for nine days and have taken four sick days from work. Most nights I’m up multiple times with my coughing or Royal’s; last night for two hours between 0000 and 0200. Royal was finally getting better, then on Wednesday he spiked a fever and appears to have a second viral infection. Graham and Amie are doing well enough, but not 100%. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/09/20210907-171955/ Tue, 07 Sep 2021 17:19:55 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/09/20210907-171955/ We’ve been sick for weeks now. First Graham and Royal, which entailed waking multiple times a night and rising for the day between 5:00 and 6:30. Then Amie and I. Currently I’ve lost my voice, have fatigue, a wretched cough, and congestion since Thursday. Today is the second day I’ve taken sick time from work to recover. I’ve slept all night and through half the day. At least being sick at different times that’ll the boys has made their care easier. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/create-animations-with-imagemagick/ Fri, 03 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/create-animations-with-imagemagick/ I’ve considered the tool imagemagick on multiple occasions (it does practically anything you could imagine with images), but finally downloaded and tested it out. Here’s how I created a useless gif animation. First, generate two gifs. convert -pointsize 20 -page 50x20 label:Open -append open.gif; \ convert -pointsize 20 -page 50x20 label:Close -append close.gif Next, combine them together into an animation. convert -delay 100 -page 50x20 open.gif -page 50x20 close.gif -loop 0 animation. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/distinguish-series-and-one-time-observables/ Fri, 03 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/distinguish-series-and-one-time-observables/ Observables are extremely helpful; however, the observable.subscribe() pattern hides whether the call is expected to return once or multiple times. It’s important to distinguish when there will be a single update and when there will be a series. Series observables usually belong in the onInit() method and drive component behavior when they receive dispatches. One-time observables are merely getting data. The methods to interact with each are different. For example, one-time uses Ramda’s forkJoin to resolve all observables, but combineLatest when updates are expected. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/09/20210901-210135/ Wed, 01 Sep 2021 21:01:35 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/09/20210901-210135/ What is this?! Bret Victor's Website https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/09/20210901-192848/ Wed, 01 Sep 2021 19:28:48 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/09/20210901-192848/ Looking for dinner table conversation tonight? Look no further than The Dinner Table. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/09/20210901-192516/ Wed, 01 Sep 2021 19:25:16 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/09/20210901-192516/ The Tail End is a sobering post I discovered while perusing Matthew Kudija’s reading notes, specifically this book. It’d be worth creating a few of my own graphics to represent what’s left on my timeline. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/09/20210901-191406/ Wed, 01 Sep 2021 19:14:06 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/09/20210901-191406/ Matthew Kudija has written notes for a list of books, astonishing for both its prodigious length and breadth of subject matter. Here are a few book notes that revealed books I’d love to read. The Bitcoin Standard I know little about Bitcoin but am interested in economics and curious about this upstart monetary system. How To Talk About Books You Haven't Read The title drew me in. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/09/20210901-190855/ Wed, 01 Sep 2021 19:08:55 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/09/20210901-190855/ A story from yesterday: In the morning, Graham came looking for Amie to tell her there was dog poop on the kitchen floor. Confused, Amie came over to look. Sure enough there lay a big turd, half-squished, in the center of the kitchen floor. She shrieked in horror. The source was verified when we found the rest of the poo on Royal’s left foot. It must have fallen out of his diaper. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/08/20210826-121941/ Thu, 26 Aug 2021 12:19:41 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/08/20210826-121941/ Who knew the human blood-suckers only account for 3% of the mosquito genus? The Secret Lives of Mosquitos https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/08/20210825-214907/ Wed, 25 Aug 2021 21:49:07 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/08/20210825-214907/ Royal has been putting random stuff off the ground for months now. We figured he’d outgrow the habit, but it’s not looking promising. Now it’s part of his mode of independent resistance. But I got him today, he he. He popped a dry pinto bean in his mouth and looked over at me with gleeful defiance. Usually, I’d tell him to take it out. But this time he chomped down on it and split the bean in two. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/08/20210825-214440/ Wed, 25 Aug 2021 21:44:40 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/08/20210825-214440/ Royal may be starting the terrible twos. Sickness only explains part of his immense and random resistance to all parental suggestion. He’s INTENSE. It’ll serve him well in the future, but we bear the brunt of it today. Oye. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/all-biblical-roles-and-gifts-express-imago-dei/ Wed, 25 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/all-biblical-roles-and-gifts-express-imago-dei/ The three dominant roles in the Hebrew Bible, prophet, priest, and king, are fulfilled in Jesus. I had originally thought because the Hebrew Bible used these roles to point towards Him (which it does), but had not realized that these three roles are subsets of the original Image of God role from Genesis 1. That’s so helpful to realize that humans are created to reflect, not only simply one of these roles, but all three combined, and that each demonstrate, albeit incompletely, what we are as Icons of God. https://alexbilson.dev/gardens/faith/church-for-a-new-generation/ Wed, 25 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/gardens/faith/church-for-a-new-generation/ The American Church is in the midst of a slow-burning crisis. Because I love the Body and long for its renewal, and because I’m apostolically gifted, I spend many hours agonizing over Her health and future. Broadly, this garden is where I plant thoughts related to the renovation of the Church of the United States. I can’t think of anything better for the revival of the Church of the United States than the ignition of disciple-making movements. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/writing/parable-and-poetry-hit-harder-than-prose/ Mon, 23 Aug 2021 19:39:48 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/writing/parable-and-poetry-hit-harder-than-prose/ The lyrical imagery of poetry communicates more powerfully than any fact. Parables have a similar quality. Perhaps poetry shares the parable’s delay of the facts in favor of the story image. When the facts emerge, during or after the poem (or perhaps hours later), they hit the reader all at once. Prose tends to lay facts like bricks, one on top of the next, which distributes the truth’s weight over time; poetry piles all the bricks atop a board over the reader’s head, then removes the board at poem’s end to let them fall in a crushing cascade. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/08/20210823-192659/ Mon, 23 Aug 2021 19:26:59 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/08/20210823-192659/ I have never read poetry translated from Chinese nor any from factory-workers but, thanks to Matt Webb I’ve been introduced to dagong shige. It appears to be translatable to either “battler’s poetry” or “labor poetry.” I Swallowed an Iron Moon I swallowed an iron moon they called it a screw I swallowed industrial wastewater and unemployment forms bent over machines, our youth died young I swallowed labour, I swallowed poverty swallowed pedestrian bridges, swallowed this rusted-out life I can’t swallow any more everything I’ve swallowed roils up in my throat I spread across my country a poem of shame - (Xu Lizhi) https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/apostolic-gifts-focus-on-one-mission-in-two-directions/ Sat, 21 Aug 2021 19:25:08 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/apostolic-gifts-focus-on-one-mission-in-two-directions/ There are at least two flavors of apostle focus in Acts. The first mobilizes the existing faith community towards multiplicative disciple- making. The second catalyzes networks outside the faith community for the same purpose. Jesus spends most of his life on earth on mission to Israel. He invests in 3-12-72 disciples, equipping them with everything they needed to go and do likewise. Peter follows his footsteps by staying in Jerusalem and mobilizing fellow Israelites in a disciple-making explosion that expands throughout the region. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/08/20210820-220810/ Fri, 20 Aug 2021 22:08:10 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/08/20210820-220810/ Another week past. Work took half the week to calm down from last week’s fiasco, but all has finally normalized. I’m grateful for the time spent with others this week. We’ve had numerous conversations about seeing a movement in Chicago and several chances to encourage and exhort others. It’s likely that we’ll host a DBS group this Fall with some we’ve met, which is an exciting prospect. The question, “how can I help? https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/models-must-be-refreshed/ Tue, 17 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/models-must-be-refreshed/ I was in Amman, Jordan at the launch of my MBA program when I first encountered the Business Model Canvas. Bob Goldmann had a revised version that added spiritual and environmental concerns to the canvas. TODO: insert canvas image here Not only did Bob manage to make it look more balanced than the original, he also established the necessity for entrepreneurs to customize their business tools to fit their priorities and circumstances. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/embracing-my-polymath-identity/ Tue, 17 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/embracing-my-polymath-identity/ It’s a wearisome struggle to be myself. To be who I am requires that I must constantly fit my octagonal personality into the square holes the world affords. In the past year I’ve begun to reconcile that my path will not lead to expertise. I will never be an expert by any measurement, for I am incapable of remaining entirely in one field for 10,000 hours. Perhaps all my interests will converge in expertise across many domains around my eightieth birthday, but not before. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/08/20210816-194423/ Mon, 16 Aug 2021 19:44:23 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/08/20210816-194423/ Sometimes there’s just so much going on it’s hard to keep up. I end up with 50+ tabs on my phone’s browser from all the articles I hope to read in greater depth. Only that never happens. Here’s a few thoughts I wanted to get down so I can close some tabs! Half of American's Can't Afford a One-Room Rental My eyes perk up whenever I see articles like this because I keep trying to make sense of my own experience. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/08/20210816-191845/ Mon, 16 Aug 2021 19:18:45 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/08/20210816-191845/ Royal and I look alike in these photos don’tcha think? https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/08/20210814-173225/ Sat, 14 Aug 2021 17:32:25 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/08/20210814-173225/ I think that there is a shared belief that the world is a lot fairer and more complex than it is because it’s easier to see it that way. We want to perceive the world and the people that live in it as a machine that can be tuned, improved on and fixed, that is predictable and malleable, because the alternative - that it is uncaring and chaotic - runs contrary to our educational system and the supposed “hard work gets you success” mentality we have drilled into us as kids. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/08/20210813-210843/ Fri, 13 Aug 2021 21:08:43 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/08/20210813-210843/ This week has been insane. Since Tuesday I’ve worked nine or more hours a day, releasing new code almost every night to resolve critical issues with our software. Today I was indirectly threatened with being laid off if any other problems arose. Mayhem. If it were my boss making those kind of threats, it’d be time to start looking for another company. But it’s not. It’s a firm partner, and the IT department has little recourse. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/science/what-is-a-vaccine/ Tue, 10 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/science/what-is-a-vaccine/ There are numerous resources on the subject of vaccinology, but I learn best when I write it down for myself. Constructive criticism welcome; I’m figuring this out as I go! What is a Virus Before we look at vaccines, let’s consider the problem: viruses. What is a virus? No virus has received more recent attention than SARS-CoV-2, so let’s focus on it. A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/08/20210809-134115/ Mon, 09 Aug 2021 13:41:15 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/08/20210809-134115/ It’s been so great to have Val in town for a few days! She stopped by on Monday to hang out with Amie while I worked, then we visited Dick Ryan’s place for a party in her honor. The boys happily played chase all over the living room, filling his house with laughter. Amie connected with Christine and we’re both ecstatic to discover that she’s hooked on DBS! It seems like trips to Mafraq, Jordan and Dorren’s influence has borne unsuspected fruit across the Evanston Vineyard. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/08/20210806-172146/ Fri, 06 Aug 2021 17:21:46 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/08/20210806-172146/ Graham watched the Tokyo 2020 Olympic BMX qualifiers (first year at the Olympics!) and afterward was like, “meh”. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/favorite-cli-tools/ Fri, 06 Aug 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/favorite-cli-tools/ Inspired by Ibraheem Ahmed’s modern Unix commands, here’s a list of my favorite CLI tools. There’s a lot of cross-over with Ibraheem’s list. Bat While navigating the file system I often want to look at the contents of a file but don’t need to open it in an editor. The traditional tool cat achieves this by printing the contents to the console. bat improves the experience with line numbers, spacing, syntax highlighting and even git symbols. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/08/20210804-205538/ Wed, 04 Aug 2021 20:55:38 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/08/20210804-205538/ There’s so many cool cinematography tricks going on with Matthew’s “Day 222 of the Pandemic.” Check it out! Your browser does not support the video tag. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/08/20210802-190200/ Mon, 02 Aug 2021 19:02:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/08/20210802-190200/ My first unoffice hours today was so joyful. My mom scheduled our call today literally minutes after the invite had been sent. It’s a sunny day and there’s not much traffic, so I walked around the neighborhood while we spoke on the phone. You won’t find a more tenacious woman than my mom. I may get my great hair from my dad (thanks Dad ;) ), but my endurance and my children’s endurance is her gift to us. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/08/20210802-141736/ Mon, 02 Aug 2021 14:17:36 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/08/20210802-141736/ What’s it like to hear the voice of God? This is a life-long question that’s so helpful to have the wisdom of those who’ve been listening long. Brother Vryhof has many insights; these are the most helpful to me today. It is as if God speaks a word to us in the deepest place of our heart, and that word is gently but persistently repeated over and over again until we finally wake up to its full meaning and impact­­. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/install-a-friendly-terminal-shell/ Thu, 29 Jul 2021 16:52:25 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/install-a-friendly-terminal-shell/ If you’re unfamiliar with a terminal command line or tired of using bash, you’ll benefit from installing another shell. There are a number of options, but the fish shell is the simplest to install and use. Simple doesn’t mean basic - it’s elegant and wonderful. Install Fish First, install fish. On MacOs the command is: brew install fish ℹ️ For an exhaustive install manual, see this cookbook. Jorge's cookbook https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/07/20210729-131206/ Thu, 29 Jul 2021 13:12:06 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/07/20210729-131206/ My Papaw sent this picture of us when I was about the age of my boys today. What a sweet photo! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/07/20210728-220126/ Wed, 28 Jul 2021 22:01:26 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/07/20210728-220126/ So many sparks today around obedience! the story of Saul. “To obey is better than sacrifice; to listen than the fat of rams.” the development of consequences in David’s life. He chose between three consequences in his later years. Also, consequences turned him towards, but away from, the Lord. the more God’s covenant people fail, the more he presses into his covenant promises. disobedience doesn’t equate to a total loss. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/how-to-enforce-obedience/ Wed, 28 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/how-to-enforce-obedience/ I received this thoughtful question in response to a log about obedience and independence. 💬 Since God places such a high value on children learning to be obedient to their parents, why would parents, especially Christian parents, want to deprive their kids of this in their upbringing? The idea that this will somehow stunt a child's development into adulthood would mean that God doesn't know what's best for kids. Anonymous https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/verify-your-rss-feed/ Tue, 27 Jul 2021 17:04:15 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/verify-your-rss-feed/ If you have an RSS feed, you can use this snippet as a starting place to review the output. I’m printing the titles of each RSS item to the console, but go as deep as necessary to ensure the right information ends up in your feed. fetch('https://my-url-here.com') .then(res => res.text()) .then(text => { const domParser = new DOMParser(); const doc = domParser.parseFromString(text, 'text/html'); var feedURL = doc.querySelector('link[type="application/rss+xml"]'); return fetch(feedURL.href); }) . https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/actions-in-human-wisdom-lead-to-death/ Tue, 27 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/actions-in-human-wisdom-lead-to-death/ The first time Abram is given a chance to rely upon God’s promise instead of his own wisdom, he leaves the promised land and sojourns in egypt. Despite the LORD’s promise to make him a great nation, Abram leaves the land he’d been promised when a famine makes staying hard. When he approached Egypt, he ignored God’s promise to protect his family and used deception to protect himself. He achieved his own protection at the price of Sarai; the very woman through which God was going to fulfill His promise! https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/the-church-must-learn-new-forms/ Tue, 27 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/the-church-must-learn-new-forms/ The American Church is not growing. The new people in the pews are almost exclusively either transplants from another church or people returning after a period of separation. When churches close their doors in your neighborhood, it’s too late. Closures are the inevitable result of our failure to add any unchurched people to our community for many years, not just the past one or two. As with business, danger signals are outside customer base. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/07/20210726-195117/ Mon, 26 Jul 2021 19:51:17 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/07/20210726-195117/ It is remarkable that, despite driving half-way across the country, meeting all sorts of new people and putting so many new things in his mouth, Royal was never seriously sick on our vacation. A week back and he’s got something that kept him coughing all night. He and I slept on the couch; a better option than rising to cuddle him every half-hour when a cough woke him. So I’m tired, sore, and ready for bed. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/replace-text-across-all-content/ Fri, 23 Jul 2021 12:49:13 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/replace-text-across-all-content/ As my content grows, so does my need to make adjustments across dozens of files. I’m familiar with grep and it’s successor, ripgrep, and I’m familiar with sed, but I can never quite remember how to make replacements in-place. Here’s how: rg -il '< backref' | xargs sed -i "" -e 's/backref "\(.*\)"/backref src="\1"/g' First, you retrieve the relative file path of the files you want to change. Technically, you could run the command against every file and it would only operate on content that matches, but there’s no reason to be so inefficient. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/07/20210722-035545/ Thu, 22 Jul 2021 03:55:45 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/07/20210722-035545/ Amie and I enjoyed a lovely evening of prayer and pie with the Ellos tonight. All of us are seeking to be quiet and listen for the Father’s voice as we ponder next steps for our families in this tumultuous season. For the Ellos, we heard integration, provision and home. May the Father unite the Ello’s many gifts and passions to breathtaking display of God’s character. May the Father supply all their needs without fretting, as the birds have their needs met without harvest labor. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/god-shares-the-sustaining-of-creation-with-others/ Wed, 21 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/god-shares-the-sustaining-of-creation-with-others/ When god creates the heavens and the earth, He separates the light from the darkness on the first day of creation but, on day four, He delegates this task to the heavenly lights. It’s assumed that these creative acts are not once-and-for-all events but also need to be sustained, and that God wishes to share the responsibility of sustaining creation with others. If it happened a single time, it might be coincidence but later God grants authority over all creatures to humanity. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/meta/epistemic-notes-reveal-growth/ Wed, 21 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/meta/epistemic-notes-reveal-growth/ Of the many cool features of Maggie Appleton’s personal site, one of my favorite is the use of plants as epistemological indicators. I’ve adopted my own slightly modified version. Here’s how it works: If my content is new, it gets a 🌱 (seedling). This communicates that, not only is the content unfinished, it’s also not fully conceived. It could grow into a substantial idea, I may prune the note entirely, or I may later contradict the core idea. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/choosing-a-cms/ Wed, 21 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/choosing-a-cms/ How hard is it to choose a CMS? Turns out, nigh impossible. I have a client who wants to write content on the Internet. My client values ownership of their writing and videos but doesn’t want to get lost in the jungle of technology and never actually publish their work. The software plumbing should be hidden from view because it’s overwhelming; there should be an easy way to write, edit, and publish. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/07/20210720-131300/ Tue, 20 Jul 2021 13:13:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/07/20210720-131300/ It’s Royal’s first day at school! Doesn’t he look cute wearing this monkey backpack from Ty? Graham’s only been in his new classroom for a couple days, so this is also a big day for him. Will you pray for them today? https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/spiritual-rituals/ Mon, 19 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/spiritual-rituals/ Elsewhere these are referred to as practices, but we prefer the term ‘ritual’. It better matches the concept of family life, like a ritual of prayer before a meal, where practices feels more like individual work. Everyone doesn’t hear it this way, but it’s helpful for us. Bridgeport Church breaks their rituals into three headings. These don’t encompass everything they’ve published on the spiritual life, but nearly all. Be With Jesus Become Like Jesus Do What Jesus Did These notes are taken verbatim from Bridgeport’s subsidiary website, Practicing the Way, on July 19th, 2021. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/07/20210716-203109/ Fri, 16 Jul 2021 20:31:09 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/07/20210716-203109/ In the spirit of intentional change, what if I implemented unoffice hours? My purpose is three-fold. First, for years my family has stated that they never know when to call. That’s partially true; a full-time job, two young children, and my human need for rest absorb nearly every waking moment. When the responsibility to contact family is entirely in my hands, however, no one’s happy because I (almost) never think about it. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/07/20210716-195641/ Fri, 16 Jul 2021 19:56:41 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/07/20210716-195641/ What gives life meaning? Is it the fulfillment of our dreams? The result of our vision and the labor to bring that vision to reality? For there is a sense of meaning after a project ends and the results are before me. Then is it in reflection? With or without a preceding dream, is meaning formed in the review of one’s mundane life, when all the highs and lows flatten by distance and the whole is in view? https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/what-i-love-about-jesus/ Fri, 16 Jul 2021 19:55:03 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/what-i-love-about-jesus/ There’s so much to love about Jesus. Here’s my endlessly growing list of loves, along with curiosities, questions, and otherwise. Loves He meets us anywhere, anytime because he’s in the past, present, and future. Actually there, not just by memory. See prayer transcends spacetime obedience is not jesus first priority Jesus has such an unexpected way of fulfilling the roles and gifts. See jesus fulfills the roles and gifts. Jesus' leadership upends the authority structures the world prefers. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/evangelism-models/ Fri, 16 Jul 2021 17:35:58 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/evangelism-models/ Healing Prayer Many people’s first introduction to Jesus was news about the people who were healed by him. The leper who approaches Jesus saying that, if he is willing, Jesus can make him clean is a classic example (Mark 1:40-44). When I see a person in distress because of an illness, I remember that Jesus heals and wonder if he might heal this person. But uncertainty usually takes hold of me. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/bible-discoveries/ Fri, 16 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/bible-discoveries/ TODO: organize this garden into broad categories (bible-meta, imago dei, God, etc.) In hopes that themes will emerge and understanding deepen, here is all the content from discoveries I’ve made in the Bible. Idol creation and worship was forbidden because we’re God’s icons. catholic devotion to the blessed virgin has this reality in mind when it elevates Mary’s godliness. Biblical sacrifice isn’t only about cost A better definition of biblical sacrifice is so helpful when thinking about the relationship between the Old Testament sacrifices and references to sacrifice in the New Testament. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/liken-digital-privacy-to-physical/ Fri, 16 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/liken-digital-privacy-to-physical/ It’s notoriously difficult to grasp what’s at stake in digital privacy. Most Americans have no concept of the ways they’re being monitored and monetized unless it impedes on their freedom. One way I’ve made sense of the loss is to liken the actions of online companies to a physical model. How would I feel if a stranger followed me everywhere I went, taking notes of my position at every stop and publishing the results for his friends to review? https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/07/20210715-202127/ Thu, 15 Jul 2021 20:21:27 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/07/20210715-202127/ I’ve written hundreds of business insights, but few are polished for the web. I’ve started to migrate them to notes so I can at least reference them more easily and slowly, possibly, transform them into a worthwhile resource. You could start with Entrepreneurial Insights. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/07/20210713-162945/ Tue, 13 Jul 2021 16:29:45 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/07/20210713-162945/ For our 7th anniversary Amie and I went out to dinner at Big Jones. We don’t often get out after bedtime but Amie’s mom stayed with the kiddos so we could have a relaxed evening. If we ever leave Chicago we’ll sure miss the world-class dining. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/07/20210712-211702/ Mon, 12 Jul 2021 21:17:02 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/07/20210712-211702/ Today is Amie and I’s 7th wedding anniversary! We arrived back in Evanston from our summer vacation yesterday morning (really? Yes, Alex, really…), so I’m not in the best state for a celebration, being sleep-deprived and driven to catch up, but we’re still going to celebrate! https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/organize-subscription-chains-with-pipes/ Mon, 12 Jul 2021 21:06:30 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/organize-subscription-chains-with-pipes/ Often, two or more observables depend upon one another for execution. This can lead to chained subscriptions. Take this real-world example: this.openInvalidPeriodDialog$(dialog).subscribe(dialog => { dialog.afterClosed().subscribe(jumpToLatestPeriod => { if (jumpToLatestPeriod) { this.periodService.getLatestPeriod().subscribe(latestPeriod => { this.analysisService.getPreliminaryPeriodId$(federalReserveId, analysisId, latestPeriod.id) .subscribe(periodId => this.sessionService.setQualitativePeriod(periodId ?? latestPeriod.id)) }); } }); }); The multiple subscribes() might be written in a more descriptive chain with a pipe and use of switchMap() and filter(). this.openInvalidPeriodDialog$(rejectionDialog) .pipe( switchMap(invalidPeriodDialog => invalidPeriodDialog.afterClosed()), filter(jumpToLatestPeriod => jumpToLatestPeriod), switchMap(() => this. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/summer-vacation/ Mon, 12 Jul 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/summer-vacation/ With the arrival of our second child, Amie and I began to consider whether Christmas is still the best time to visit family. Four plane tickets, crowded airports, and weather delays were a few reasons why summertime was beginning to be a more attractive option. So we purchased a cross-country-travel-friendly vehicle, packed up our bags and kids, and headed to South Dakota at the end of June. The Drive To Rapid City We spaced the 16-hour drive from Evanston, IL to Rapid City, SD over three days in hopes of surviving our children. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/simplify-loop-with-iterator-swap/ Wed, 23 Jun 2021 21:06:30 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/simplify-loop-with-iterator-swap/ When operating on two or more collections you may encounter loops that filter one collection by another. Say we have a collection of dinners and a collection of ingredients. We want to find out, given our ingredients, which dinners are using at least one ingredient. We might write our filter like this: const dinners = this.getDinnerRecipes(); const ingredients = this.getIngredients(); const dinnerIds = ingredients.map(i => i.dinnerId); const dinnerOptions = dinners.filter(dinner => { if (dinnerIds. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/06/20210621-211439/ Mon, 21 Jun 2021 21:14:39 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/06/20210621-211439/ I’ve added a new feature to the site, backlink previews! What if you could see, not only to what places an article pointed, but also what other articles pointed to the current one? And what if, instead of opening an article from either direction, you could preview a snippet of its contents? That’s what display backlink preview on hover is all about. https://alexbilson.dev/gardens/technology/craft-your-own-site/ Fri, 18 Jun 2021 19:39:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/gardens/technology/craft-your-own-site/ This garden is a sprawling mess of sofware development, self-hosting, build tools, practices and more. I’ll try to tame the garden by sectioning off sub-gardens in its midst. Web development tools are the most comprehensive and flexible set of Lego blocks any adult might desire. These are all the fun things I’ve thought to try recently. Some of them you may find implemented on this site, others are only ideas or proof-of-concepts. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/navigate-source-backlinks-in-vim/ Fri, 18 Jun 2021 19:32:11 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/navigate-source-backlinks-in-vim/ If you’ve begun to use backlinks on your static site and you also use Vim as your primary text editor then you’ll appreciate how cool it is to configure Vim’s gf command to navigate via backlinks. My files aren’t referenced relative to my current directory so I need to take more steps to configure gf, but if the files are sourced relative to one another then you won’t even need these steps. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/06/20210618-013118/ Fri, 18 Jun 2021 01:31:18 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/06/20210618-013118/ I started Strange Rites by Tara Isabella Burton last night over ice cream. She writes like a sociologist by exploring the history of religious affiliation and syncretism in the United States. Her sweeping review of a US which began pluralistic and intuitional, became more uniform and institutional after two world wars, then is shifting back to pluralistic intuition was novel and insightful. Spirituality remixed is a fitting description of our day, both what I see in the world and my own inclinations, but a threat beyond our collective power, like a world war, will draw us back into the security and necessity of compromised individuality for the sake of peace and community. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/06/20210616-211750/ Wed, 16 Jun 2021 21:17:50 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/06/20210616-211750/ Tim and John’s discussion about how the three major biblical roles (prophet, priest and king) are parts of the Genesis mandate was really helpful as I wrestle with what being the image of God means for life, work and rest. The relevant parts are about halfway through Priests of Eden. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/06/20210615-152604/ Tue, 15 Jun 2021 15:26:04 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/06/20210615-152604/ Last weekend Amie and I hosted a board game night for our upstairs neighbors, Maya and Mo! They brought a couple expansions to Dominion, a deck-building card game, and we had a blast. Amie crushed us the first round; particularly remarkable since neither of us had any experience with the expansion cards. We played a second round then decided to try one of the games we’d offered: Robo Rally. It’s a board game where you program robots to drive through checkpoints. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/06/20210615-130322/ Tue, 15 Jun 2021 13:03:22 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/06/20210615-130322/ Kati Ray’s cousin Bronson and girlfriend Alexis were in town for a wedding over the weekend, so we met them in person for the first time! Since COVID we’ve been meeting on Zoom for DBS, but they live in Virginia so, even if we wanted to include them in our bubble, it wasn’t possible given their distance. Sunday morning at the Evanston Vineyard we crept in and sat behind them. It was the first time we’d been in a service in over a year, so it was almost as new for our family to be in the church as it was for them. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/save-unfinished-notes-in-local-storage/ Fri, 11 Jun 2021 21:19:26 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/save-unfinished-notes-in-local-storage/ When I publish content to my site I sometimes get nervous that the work I’ve written into the publish form will be lost. Jan-Lukas has written a straightforward Javascript snippet to store my work locally so it will not be lost. Thanks! Simply cache form fields in localStorage https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/display-backlink-preview-on-hover/ Fri, 11 Jun 2021 20:43:55 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/display-backlink-preview-on-hover/ The combination of microformat2 h-entry and backlinks is potent. Each note page that’s marked up with a e-content microformat2 property can be retrieved via fetch() and displayed as a preview elsewhere on the site. No database required; the website is the API. With these two snippets you can implement dynamic backlink functionality on pretty much any webpage. With a little standardization (mostly complete by the microformat2 standard), one could support backlinks across websites. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/add-snippets-to-your-text-input/ Fri, 11 Jun 2021 20:05:50 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/add-snippets-to-your-text-input/ If you have a textarea where you enter content on a regular basis and want to implement snippets to help with certain constructs, this JavaScript example might be just your style. I may use it in my publishing service so I can easily enter Hugo shortcodes I’ve developed for my site. document.querySelector('textarea.content').addEventListener('keyup', (event) => { var txt = event.target.value; if (txt.length < 7) { return; } var lastWord = txt.split(' ')? https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/create-a-search-engine-with-sqlite/ Fri, 11 Jun 2021 20:05:50 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/create-a-search-engine-with-sqlite/ When I was searching for a search engine I might integrate into my website, most options felt enormously heavy. I didn’t want to run a database-and-service sidecar to my site just so that I could find things. Eventually, I discovered Lunr from Victoria Drake and had search on my website in an afternoon! If all I needed was to search the ~500 posts on my website, Lunr would still be a perfect fit. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/custom-container-queries-with-resize-observer/ Fri, 11 Jun 2021 20:05:50 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/custom-container-queries-with-resize-observer/ Until CSS container queries are baked into every browser, ResizeObserver fills the gap. Here’s an example of an observer that switches the CSS Flex from row to column based on the container’s width. This is used on my Plants and Stones pages. ℹ️ I use a Store object to share observable state across my application. This vastly simplifies communication between components; in this case, with my filter component. When my filter results change, I want to re-calculate the possible list width. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/legal-dangers-of-self-hosted-services/ Fri, 11 Jun 2021 20:05:50 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/legal-dangers-of-self-hosted-services/ Denise has a very thorough review of the liability pitfalls for running a Mastodon instance. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/one-subscription-per-resource/ Fri, 11 Jun 2021 20:05:50 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/one-subscription-per-resource/ Here’s my subscription progression for the qrm-category-container root component. Let me know if this is headed in the right direction. Stage One - Current Code The root container creates a subscription in onInit() that fires whenever fedId or QRM periodId changes, like so: combineLatest([this.sessionQuery.federalReserveId$, this.sessionQuery.qualitativePeriodId$]) .subscribe(([fedId, qualitativePeriodId]) => { this.qualitativePeriodId = qualitativePeriodId; this.refreshViewModel(fedId, qualitativePeriodId, this.viewCustomerData, this.categoryId); }); That’s not too bad, right? Consider what happens in refreshViewModel()… refreshViewModel(federalReserveId: number, periodId: number, viewCustomerData: boolean, categoryId): void { this. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/smart-components-observe-state-over-input/ Fri, 11 Jun 2021 20:05:50 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/smart-components-observe-state-over-input/ In component design there are two buckets, smart and dumb components. Smart components are keepers of data models and reactive to changes. Dumb components render explicit data models to views. Dumb components benefit from the explicit interface created by a clear set of inputs. Smart components, however, can get into a lot of trouble if they depend on mutable inputs for their data models. While it seems easy to add an onChanges() function to child smart components to re-render based on changes to their inputs, this dependency can have unexpected consequences. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/keep-the-sabbath-remix/ Fri, 11 Jun 2021 16:27:53 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/keep-the-sabbath-remix/ The first renewed concept of the Sabbath for the present day came from a sermon I’d heard in Turkey from a pastor in Minnesota. He talked about drinking craft beer and cooking dinner for friends because these things brought him joy and rest. He referred to Isaiah 58:13 and called out that the Sabbath isn’t only a rule about not working; it’s a delight. 💬 If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and **call the Sabbath a delight** and the holy day of the LORD honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; Isaiah 58:13 (ESV) https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/raising-independent-adults/ Fri, 11 Jun 2021 16:04:51 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/raising-independent-adults/ Our approach to raising children has closely aligned with the traditional Montessori value for children’s independence. We’ve been shaped by working with Graham’s Montessori teachers, by reading Cline and Fay’s Love & Logic, and by our own desperation to reduce fear and incessant help. I’m still wrestling with the emphasis on independence on a philosophical level, even as I’m convinced of its practical importance. I believe healthy humans are never independent. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/06/20210611-160129/ Fri, 11 Jun 2021 16:01:29 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/06/20210611-160129/ Totally stealing Sarah’s mission statement: My goal is to raise independent adults, not obedient children https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/06/20210611-123447/ Fri, 11 Jun 2021 12:34:47 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/06/20210611-123447/ At long last, everyone’s mostly healthy! The worst streak was Royal. He drank pond scum a couple Sundays back and hardly slept that night. As the week progressed, he became worse. Intermittent fever, constant crying, and unable to sleep without being held. On Friday I took him to the Immediate Care - a double ear infection and croup! Graham’s had a dry cough for even longer. It started with three days of coughing and boogers, but the cough hung on for weeks. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/06/20210611-034836/ Fri, 11 Jun 2021 03:48:36 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/06/20210611-034836/ I attended the 20’s and 30’s gathering at the Evanston Vineyard tonight. We ate Pita Inn and got to know one another. I met Andrew Teague (spelling?). He’s a college student who enjoys comic books and video games and wants to try doing User Experience (UX) design. His older brother was also at the event. His father is probably Jim Teague. Anna Herning is taking a year after graduation to serve in Palestine. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/definition-of-biblical-sacrifice/ Thu, 10 Jun 2021 16:41:22 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/definition-of-biblical-sacrifice/ Many Christians associate the value of a sacrifice with its cost. An act or decision isn’t a real sacrifice unless it’s painfully costly. But is that how the Bible treats the word? The dissonance I’ve felt equating sacrifice with cost is that it doesn’t match the Levitical sacrifices. The LORD’s directions about sacrifice seem to prioritize participation and significance over price. Some sacrifices have alternatives for the poor. I have not found a reference to sacrifice as a painful, costly decision anywhere. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/catholic-devotion-to-the-blessed-virgin/ Thu, 10 Jun 2021 15:07:06 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/catholic-devotion-to-the-blessed-virgin/ Protestants are uncomfortable about several doctrines of the Catholic Church and even willing to renounce the entire organization as heretical. The way that Mary, and to a lesser extent any saint, is spoken of has been most uncomfortable in my experience. The language used for the Blessed Virgin often matches biblical language used to describe Jesus. The sum result is that most Protestants believe the Catholic Church holds Mary in equal standing with Jesus, as though they’re two divinely equal beings. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/06/20210610-145639/ Thu, 10 Jun 2021 14:56:39 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/06/20210610-145639/ What a privilege it was to meet with Neighborhood leaders last Tuesday in Reneé’s backyard. On the drive down I thanked God that I was invited to share in this community. As we shared our stories and thanksgivings with one another my hope in the future of our community ballooned. Even as we’re being scattered by the closure of the Neighborhood Campus, the kingdom potential is stronger than ever. I was reminded by Jesus' words about His death bearing much fruit and the growth of the early church after persecution in Jerusalem scattered the new Christians in the early chapters of Acts. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/evangelism-is-a-team-sport/ Thu, 10 Jun 2021 09:02:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/evangelism-is-a-team-sport/ Evangelism isn’t done by yourself. Jesus sent folks out by pairs. It’s not enough to say we’re doing it together just because the entire congregation has a commitment to evangelism; we actually need to do evangelism together. a strong team will mitigate nearly every disaster that can befall a planter train your team for your absence by taking them everywhere discipleship done biblically is always in community https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/evangelism-is-not-a-winners-game/ Thu, 10 Jun 2021 09:02:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/evangelism-is-not-a-winners-game/ Some Christian circles say the goal of evangelism is to “win” people to Jesus. There are two concepts floating below this word. First, the evangelism usage of “win” refers to persuasion. It’s related to the adjective “winsome,” which describes a person who excels at convincing others. In this way, “win” is a sales term. You might hear the term used in the same way in your local sales department who are “winning” customers/contracts. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/find-the-peaceful-people/ Thu, 10 Jun 2021 09:02:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/find-the-peaceful-people/ There’s a subtle mantra that underlies sharing Jesus. It goes something like, “If you love someone, you won’t stop trying until they trust in Jesus.” Joy in Jesus is a gift worth sharing, and you’re love for others will produce sadness when they disregard the chance to share your joy. But more often this mantra bears guilt that you haven’t done enough. Enough sharing the gospel; “Do they understand my message? https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/lone-converts-are-a-liability/ Thu, 10 Jun 2021 09:02:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/lone-converts-are-a-liability/ The mission to share with individuals reflects our cultural value for autonomy, but this is a weakness. To be introduced to Jesus, even to be swayed enough to give some allegiance to Him, then to leave the individual to figure out the rest is wrong. Better evangelists follow up with interested folks and may meet with them or take them to a church, but they tend to see their work as complete once the person professes faith in Jesus. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/allegiance-to-jesus-is-communal/ Thu, 10 Jun 2021 09:02:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/allegiance-to-jesus-is-communal/ Christians, even those in a highly individualistic culture, recognize the communal nature of our allegiance to Jesus when we advocate for church attendance. When we don’t see a friend in church for a month, we become concerned for their faith. We understand that intentionally meeting together strengthens our allegiance and the loss of community weakens us. But individualistic cultures like the United States underrepresent how crucial community is to our allegiance to Jesus. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/angular-maxims/ Wed, 09 Jun 2021 21:06:30 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/angular-maxims/ This is an incomplete list of maxims I’ve gleaned while working on Angular/RxJS development. favor identifier over index simplify loop with iterator swap smart components observe state over input organize subscription chains with pipes one subscription per resource distinguish series and one time observables 💬 RxJS has a reputation for being complex, hard to understand, and hard to use. A deserved reputation, to be honest. I’ve used RxJS in a project to great effect, it made an impossible problem possible, but getting your head around it isn’t trivial. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/favor-identifier-over-index/ Wed, 09 Jun 2021 21:06:30 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/favor-identifier-over-index/ If there are several arrays of data retrieved from different service calls it can be tempting to iterate over them all by index. const columnsFirst = this.dataService.getFirstData(); const columnsSecond = this.dataService.getSecondData(); columnsTotal = []; for (var i = 0; i < columnsFirst.length(); i++) { const total = columnsFirst[i].value + columnsSecond[i].value; columnsTotal.append(total); } return columnsTotal; Iteration by index is prone to many errors, however. The order of each column array must match, their lengths must equal (although this can be overcome with a null check), and it’s not clear to other developers why there’s a hard dependency between these arrays without further investigation. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/06/20210608-192942/ Tue, 08 Jun 2021 19:29:42 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/06/20210608-192942/ Inspired by Maggie’s digital garden directory and the ideals represented by this eclectic group of digital gardeners, I have made a separation between Evergreen notes and family logs. I’ve also bucketed posts by type rather than category which may help visitors find what they’re looking for without reference to categories. This is a significant update and, while I’ve attempted to redirect every broken link to its new home, I may have missed a few. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/becoming-a-christian-is-a-process/ Tue, 08 Jun 2021 02:37:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/becoming-a-christian-is-a-process/ Gospel-tract evangelism is a typical example of a single-event approach to sharing one’s faith. Get the basics of the message out, maybe ask for a response, and you’re done. Case closed. But is that how you changed your mind about Jesus? Or was it a process of engagement with one or more Christians, the Bible, maybe direct prayer with God, before you took any concrete action that might qualify as a conversion? https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/aversions-to-the-word-evangelism/ Tue, 08 Jun 2021 02:37:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/aversions-to-the-word-evangelism/ There is a range of aversions to the word “evangelism,” and it’s not only among Christians. Some hear the term and remember an embarrassing moment. Perhaps they had been pressured into telling a stranger about Jesus and were ridiculed. Or they’d observed another Christian awkwardly share their faith in public and hoped no one asked what they thought. Others equate evangelism with military crusades, forced conversions, and abusive persuasion tactics. The term is abhorrent and relegated to a pre-Enlightement mindset. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/what-is-the-gospel/ Tue, 08 Jun 2021 02:37:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/what-is-the-gospel/ It’s common American practice to reduce complex concepts into byte-sized marketing messages. Many Christians think of a verse or two written by Paul when they hear the word “gospel.” A few hear gospel hallelujahs. Even fewer think of the first four books in the New Testament. The word “gospel” translates the Greek word εὐαγγελίου. Transliterate the Greek and you get the English word “evangel”; the root of “evangelist” and “evangelism”. Literally the word translates “good news. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/when-are-they-converted/ Tue, 08 Jun 2021 02:37:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/when-are-they-converted/ Certain theological systems define conversion at a single point in an individual’s life when they were saved. Identifying this moment is a crucial piece of a person’s testimony. The moment is marked by inward experience in some traditions, or an outward ritual in others. Depending on the system, the authenticity of this moment can be brought into question if the converted’s life exhibits little or temporary change. In these cases, the conversion moment is nullified and must actually happen in order to truly be saved. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/writing/thoughts-on-online-note-taking/ Sat, 05 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/writing/thoughts-on-online-note-taking/ There’s a magic in Andy Matuschak’s Digital Garden. The glory of it’s deeply-linked organization is greatly aided by his custom viewport. Navigation happens like this: To browse the contents of a linked note, hover over for a snapshot. To review the full note, click the link and it’ll appear to the right as though it’s been added to a stack of notecards. One can follow links down a thought-path, viewing the last note and the present note side-by-side, or peruse several nodes off the same note without ever using the browser’s Back button. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/06/20210601-182136/ Tue, 01 Jun 2021 18:21:36 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/06/20210601-182136/ I don’t remotely have time to peruse Brendan Schlagel’s canon, but I want to. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/06/20210601-181924/ Tue, 01 Jun 2021 18:19:24 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/06/20210601-181924/ David Cole’s description of his childhood experience with video games, his insight into the hopes it stirred for his children, and the discoveries he’s made of his children via Minecraft is both enjoyable to read and very close to my own unexplored thoughts. Read it here. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/06/20210601-130910/ Tue, 01 Jun 2021 13:09:10 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/06/20210601-130910/ That was the worst four-day weekend I’ve survived in ages. I was stuck with my second COVID vaccine shot on Thursday and within hours was feeling all the worst symptoms of a fever: body aches, chills, sinus pressure. I went to bed early, hoping to jump-start the recovery, and took a Friday sick-day. Friday was worse. All the pain, all day. The kids were miraculously good for Amie, so I was able to get hours of extra sleep, but there was no change. https://alexbilson.dev/resume/angular-architecture/ Tue, 01 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/resume/angular-architecture/ It’s a strange and unfortunate pattern that my day-to-day work rarely makes it into my writing. This article rectifies that pattern by exploring a large project I recently completed. One of my strengths is the design of systems and architecture. I don’t claim to always make the best choice, but I am more likely than my peers to make a thoughtful, comprehensive review of our available designs, weigh the pros/cons, and diagram an architecture that makes the most business sense. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210530-125343/ Sun, 30 May 2021 12:53:43 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210530-125343/ Liturgies of Empire reminds me of Smith’s Desiring the Kingdom. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210529-170858/ Sat, 29 May 2021 17:08:58 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210529-170858/ I found this article about motherhood and art while perusing Tom’s parenting wiki. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210529-032514/ Sat, 29 May 2021 03:25:14 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210529-032514/ It never occurred to me before that WebMention technology might be used to communicate between pages on my own site and not only others. But it is a bi-directional link; a feature I’d love for my own site. Now I have good motivation to implement WebMentions. I’ll keep the static vibe by running a WebMention aggregation post-build, then will read them onto the site just like Remark42 does with comments. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210528-232013/ Fri, 28 May 2021 23:20:13 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210528-232013/ “Digital garden” is where I want my site to head. I’m anticipating reading the other sources Maggie Appleton references. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210527-174705/ Thu, 27 May 2021 17:47:05 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210527-174705/ Finished my second COVID jab. After Amie’s three-day fever symptoms I’m nervous how it’ll affect me. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210525-152034/ Tue, 25 May 2021 15:20:34 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210525-152034/ After a review of my existing tags, I wonder if it’d be better to create two tag groups to make it more zettelkasten. The first would describe content and would remain a tag. The second would describe type. For example, a comment might have tags software,python but it would have type recommendation. Alternatively, I could re-work the category system. Decisions, decisions… https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210524-212614/ Mon, 24 May 2021 21:26:14 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210524-212614/ There’s something to the digital note-taking approaches Edwin highlights here. I love Vim and could easily imagine using a similar system. I’ve found my own website achieves the same purpose and let’s me write notes even on a mobile phone! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210524-011216/ Mon, 24 May 2021 01:12:16 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210524-011216/ A prayer from Graham’s godparents the Beans on his third birthday: 🎉HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR GRAHAMY BOY 🎊 (a nighttime blessing from your GodBeans:) We hope you’ve had a sweet celebration day full of joy and the hope that you bring, giggles and tasty things. May God bless you every day, shine his loving face on yours. May you find kind playmates, clean puddles to splash, lots of laughs with your Royal brother. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/writing/ruminations-on-existence/ Mon, 24 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/writing/ruminations-on-existence/ In prayerful meditation over my lunch walk, the Spirit and I ruminated over Thomas Merton’s words in the opening fifty pages of New Seeds of Contemplation. The waters are very deep and I am at great risk of misinterpretation, but this is what light I seem to have gained: The eternal I AM, who is no “thing” but creates all things and therefore defines reality, sustains all. Yet “sustain” is poor language, for it isn’t that He made it and then keeps it going. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/relativity-inspirational-talk/ Fri, 21 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/relativity-inspirational-talk/ (This was a paper written as an example of a speech meant to inspire action) I propose we make available our core product, Relativity, as a resource to obtain justice, not only to those who can afford our software, but to those who will never afford it. Before we look at my proposal, let’s spend a couple minutes reviewing current pro bono work and its relation to electronic discovery so we can grasp the weight of this opportunity. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/merton-seven-storey-mountain/ Fri, 21 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/merton-seven-storey-mountain/ It’s an uncomfortable, wonderful experience to read an author who views the world in stark contrast to my perspective. That’s been my experience with The Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton. There’s much to discover in Merton’s autobiography. I hadn’t realized that Dante’s Inferno, from which Merton took his book’s title, doesn’t end with the circles of hell, but with a climb up purgatory. I also learned the names of prayer times; for example, nighttime prayer is called Compline (pronounced complin). https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210519-211606/ Wed, 19 May 2021 21:16:06 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210519-211606/ Have you seen my tags network? It’s color-coded by content type (blue tags are only in posts, yellow only in comments, green are in both" >}}, sized by number, connected by proximity in the same publication, and linked to the tag page. Nifty, right? https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210519-174008/ Wed, 19 May 2021 17:40:08 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210519-174008/ Amie received her second COVID vaccine yesterday and, like many of my colleagues, she feels like a truck backed over her. All the flu symptoms from the moment she awoke. This bodes poorly for my own second dose 😢 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/what-is-the-daily-office/ Wed, 19 May 2021 17:30:07 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/what-is-the-daily-office/ I’m trying to keep the daily office, at least portions set aside by the Anglican Church. There are multiple online sources, but I find this one the most useful for its simplified “family” version. This is all inspired by Thomas Merton’s references to “little hours” and the “breviary” in The Seven Storey Mountain. The best definition I’ve discovered for the daily office resides here. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210519-143901/ Wed, 19 May 2021 14:39:01 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210519-143901/ I’ve revamped how I publish new comments. Not only is comment publishing now mobile-friendly, but I can allow other users to create them! For now, only Amie has the privilege. Note: “comments” here refer to published work, not comments at the bottom of a publication. Those kind of comments are still available for anyone willing to authenticate. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210517-174459/ Mon, 17 May 2021 17:44:59 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210517-174459/ Long ago, I had included a cloud of every post tag with a line connecting multiple tags in the same posts. I’ve finally gotten around to re-writing the tag parser from PowerShell to Go. Check the results here! Switching from PowerShell to Go let me build the command binary and load it into my Docker container with a minimum of fuss and a small image size. I was pleasantly surprised how easily I was able to create a Go project for the first time. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210517-135008/ Mon, 17 May 2021 13:50:08 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210517-135008/ Over the weekend the four of us traveled to Madison, WI, to see the grandparents. It was an impromptu affair, but fun to visit family and a good test-drive of our summer vacation drive. We joined them at the start of a week cleaning out the great-grandparent’s hoard of wood, tires, lawn mowers, and more. My major contribution? Helping to pull an ancient appliance from the basement. Tom paid for a hotel room so we could stay the weekend. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210515-000007/ Sat, 15 May 2021 00:00:07 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210515-000007/ January 29th, 2020 was my first post. June 27th, 2020 was my first mobile comment. I’m so grateful for this place to write. To reflect on the year’s events, to store interesting ideas and TIL, and to learn tons of technologies. It was an experiment back in early 2020; now I don’t want to imagine being without a digital home. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210514-132408/ Fri, 14 May 2021 13:24:08 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210514-132408/ On the wise advice of my wife I took last Wednesday off. After dropping Graham at school, I spent the first half of the day at the Botanic Gardens. In three hours I slowly toured the entire place, stopping to rest in the evergreen section and the Japanese gardens. The evergreens and birdsong reminded me of camping in the Colorado mountains, and the Japanese gardens were calm and peaceful. I watched a family of geese on the Island of Everlasting Happiness for a long time. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/most-software-oppresses-humans/ Mon, 10 May 2021 18:00:30 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/most-software-oppresses-humans/ Aral Balkan summarizes what I’ve discovered myself after years in technology and business - the prevailing system for generating software in the last decade or so is engineered to create human-oppressing products. As with many of the systemic problems of our society, those with the power to change the system are also those who profit most. The likelihood of real change in the natural order is nil; prayer is essential. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210510-131501/ Mon, 10 May 2021 13:15:01 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210510-131501/ I’m longing for Wednesday. I’ve taken the day off to catch a break and be by myself. It’s been months (years?) since I’ve had an entire morning alone with God. The plan is to drop Graham at school then spend the entire morning at the Botanic Gardens. Can’t wait! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210507-180455/ Fri, 07 May 2021 18:04:55 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210507-180455/ Check out my new glasses! They’re transition! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210507-141250/ Fri, 07 May 2021 14:12:50 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210507-141250/ Yesterday I received my first jab of the Pfizer vaccine. Except for a sore arm this morning, no discernible symptoms. By the end of the month I’ll be fully vaccinated! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210506-160602/ Thu, 06 May 2021 16:06:02 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210506-160602/ Last night Amie noticed that the 2008 Toyota Highlander we’d been waiting a week for had become available. I called after work to verify and schedule a trade-in appraisal, then drove over to Elgin Toyota. As I left the city behind for trees, meadows, lakes and fields of the outer suburbs, the stress of the purchase melted away. The environment was a factor, but Amie and Graham were praying. I was ready to walk away if we couldn’t negotiate a cash payment in our price range. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210505-005035/ Wed, 05 May 2021 00:50:35 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210505-005035/ On a whim I began a book recommended over 12 years ago. The Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton. I had no idea it was an autobiography! I’m a quarter of the way through and have delighted in his writing style and his description of the French countryside. I’m envious of his language skills. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210504-194247/ Tue, 04 May 2021 19:42:47 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210504-194247/ The full list of causes is uncertain, but I am exhausted to the near edge of burnout. It’s evident in a limited recovery from Sabbath rest, in a weakened motivation to do more than watch television after the kids are asleep, in an absence of creativity or engagement in fun activities, and in a limited capacity to listen and engage with Jesus. In this state even the hope of a vacation is shaded in doubt. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210504-164708/ Tue, 04 May 2021 16:47:08 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210504-164708/ Thanks to Simon for a shout-out to a new visualization Javascript library, Observable Plot. I’ve used d3.js in the past and am excited for a simpler alternative. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210504-155532/ Tue, 04 May 2021 15:55:32 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210504-155532/ I’ve added comments to my site! I don’t allow anonymous users, but anyone in the world who will identify themselves may write what they will! See my newly-minted policies page to review how I handle your data and how I moderate content. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210502-191019/ Sun, 02 May 2021 19:10:19 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/05/20210502-191019/ Where does Ben find so many amazing articles?! Flu Cases Down in Covid The Right to Disconnect Target Leaves AWS Source https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/04/20210430-184154/ Fri, 30 Apr 2021 18:41:54 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/04/20210430-184154/ If you find oddities on my website these days, it’s probably because it’s now being build with a new version of Hugo. This version is a bit more strict with the use of Markdown vs. HTML. Probably good in the long haul, but it does make for tedious work. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/04/20210430-182241/ Fri, 30 Apr 2021 18:22:41 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/04/20210430-182241/ The day after school Graham is such an emotional roller coaster. It’s like he’s saved up all the feelings built up in the classroom until he’s home all day, then pours them out at intervals throughout the day. The triggers are never clear; anything could set off an explosion. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/04/20210428-143607/ Wed, 28 Apr 2021 14:36:07 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/04/20210428-143607/ Or maybe not Monday. Turns out the vehicle we’re ogling only just arrived. It’ll be another week or two before it’s ready for sale. (Sigh) https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/light-in-the-cosmos/ Tue, 27 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/light-in-the-cosmos/ I’ve been journeying with Madeleine L’Engle among the stars, trying to grasp the majesty of the heavens and yet hold confidently to God’s intimacy with humanity. Listening to Silicone Boone has given lyrics to much of my own experience. I’m enjoying these today: Charged and luring where you fly Are you the flicker of a sign and wonder Or just some great misfire - (Silicone Boone, Diamond) The stars have long been a portal into the wonder of God’s power and majesty, but the mysteries we’ve uncovered from their light complicate our notions of God’s handiwork. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/04/20210425-150309/ Sun, 25 Apr 2021 15:03:09 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/04/20210425-150309/ After a few weeks of research and discussion, we narrowed a car buying decision down to the following three options: Toyota Highlander Honda Pilot Honda Odyssey We’ve found a fantastic deal for a Toyota Highlander. May it be all that it appears on the surface. I find out Monday! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/04/20210423-225836/ Fri, 23 Apr 2021 22:58:36 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/04/20210423-225836/ This may be helpful to any of my friends or family who are tired of Facebook. I wonder if I still have an active account? Leaving Facebook https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/04/20210422-214126/ Thu, 22 Apr 2021 21:41:26 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/04/20210422-214126/ “Languishing” is a spot-on description of my experience the past weeks. The effort to live is high, and the motivation to go beyond the essentials is low. I’m barely alive. Languishing. Thanks to Reneé for the reference https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/04/20210420-191940/ Tue, 20 Apr 2021 19:19:40 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/04/20210420-191940/ I’d broken my publishing workflow to transition my site to another style of DevOps, but now some of it is working. The effort was more than I expected and I’ve had to find intermediate steps to let me get back online, but I’m happy about the learning opportunity the transition provides. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/make-your-container-accessible-to-the-public-network/ Fri, 19 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/make-your-container-accessible-to-the-public-network/ From what I’ve gathered, these are the steps one must go through to allow a Podman container, such as a traefik proxy, to be accessible from the public network. The challenge lies with the network interface. Podman creates its own cni virtual network interface, but it’s the host’s default network interface that’s usually configured for intranet access. My ufw firewall blocks cross-interface traffic by default, with iptables in the backend to control access. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/architect-a-personal-devops-pipeline/ Wed, 10 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/architect-a-personal-devops-pipeline/ The Journey Begins When my raspberry pi arrived two years ago, I opened it with excited trepidation. Will I overcome the hurdles to self-hosting on an unfamiliar architecture and operating system? How performant will it be? What tools will I learn, or give up, to achieve my goals? Once I worked through the steps to self hosting, I felt confident hosting my own static blog. But it wasn’t long before I began to dream of more. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/host-your-services-with-podman/ Wed, 10 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/host-your-services-with-podman/ Recollecting the Journey My earlier foray into self-hosting a devops pipeline was little more than an Nginx proxy serving up Hugo-generated HTML files. As needs arose I began to add web services. Automated deployments with a webhook server and mobile publishing with a custom publishing service were two of the first. At the time I wrote this post, I was also running a data-publishing service called datasette, deploying server updates with Ansible, and managing all processes with supervisord. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/03/20210305-004920/ Fri, 05 Mar 2021 00:49:20 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/03/20210305-004920/ What a valuable sysadmin overview. Even though it’s for RHEL7, I’ve found many of the command line options just as useful for Debian. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/03/20210301-145811/ Mon, 01 Mar 2021 14:58:11 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/03/20210301-145811/ My conviction about the relationship between Kingdom communities deepens every Sunday. Sunday gatherings are weak replacements for discipleship groups and poor avenues for individual transformation. Sunday gatherings, if their focus shifted from individuals to leaders and members of discipleship groups, would become powerful influences on the Kingdom community. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/03/20210301-133310/ Mon, 01 Mar 2021 13:33:10 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/03/20210301-133310/ This is a thoughtful article about micro-services and monoliths. Worth referring to again. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/a-day-in-the-life/ Sat, 27 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/a-day-in-the-life/ Inspired by Colin Devroe’s post, here’s an average day. Any given Wednesday in fact. 5:45 - My phone alarm wakes me. I believe this to be true, though I have no recollection of the event. 6:00 - One of our children starts to scream, usually our ten-month-old Royal. Graham, our toddler, wakes and walks over to our bed to snuggle with Mama. This replaces my alarm clock as an effective, and memorable wake-up call. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/02/20210224-183535/ Wed, 24 Feb 2021 18:35:35 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/02/20210224-183535/ I don’t have room on top of the pile of books I’m currently reading, but once I’ve knocked a few off I’d like to try Fight the Fire. The chapter headings indicate this will be an invaluable review of the complexities of our local and international market and how it helps or hurts efforts to change for the sake of our planet and children. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/obedience-is-not-jesus-first-priority/ Sun, 21 Feb 2021 01:24:57 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/obedience-is-not-jesus-first-priority/ This note was taken in exasperation with my children as I reflected on the passage, “Unless you become like this little child, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” When Jesus said the kingdom belongs to those who are like children, he didn’t mean obedience. I mean, have you tried to get a child to obey you? In fact, obedience seems low on God’s priority list. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/use-http-response-objects/ Wed, 10 Feb 2021 15:54:31 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/use-http-response-objects/ As Victoria mentions in her post, the type of code you’re writing affects how you’ll handle errors. Her example matches code that integrates with other systems on the same machine (and probably other cases). The code I’m writing these days, when it’s not JavaScript, is for back-end services. I’ve discovered that services delivered over HTTP/S are best implemented to capture exceptions in the service and return response objects. I’ll usually do something like this: https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/02/20210209-185253/ Tue, 09 Feb 2021 18:52:53 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/02/20210209-185253/ It’s been one stress event after the next for the last twelve hours! First, Amie and I had a two-hour discussion last night about a Congressional Oversight Committee’s published findings on toxic metals in baby food. Then, ambiguous results about the mold content of our bathroom came in this morning. Then, a board member asked for an update and further action with a repeatedly broken common dryer. Then, I started on a customer ticket at work and forgot a morning meeting. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/baby-food-open-letter/ Tue, 09 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/baby-food-open-letter/ This is an open letter written to the Congressional Oversight Committee in response to their report on baby food published February 4th, 2021. The report is scandalous and included numbers which, taken at face value, suggest that the companies represented poison our children with astronomically high levels of inorganic arsenic, lead, cadmium, and mercury. Please, read the report for yourself, but here’s a little context. ℹ️ If you're frantic for practical steps, the Healthy Babies, Bright Futures' Baby Food Report, buried in the report's footnotes, is outstanding. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/02/20210208-173541/ Mon, 08 Feb 2021 17:35:41 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/02/20210208-173541/ We just purchased 80's Mall Murder Madness! I’m stoked to play this with my Neighborhood friends, especially with Jeremy Elston hosting! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/02/20210206-165702/ Sat, 06 Feb 2021 16:57:02 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/02/20210206-165702/ It’s another Sabbath day! While there are always ways to improve, I’m happy that our family has found a rhythm that often leads to rest. This is how the day usually goes: Sabbath starts the night before, at supper. We may squeeze in a few chores after dinner to ensure the next day’s rest. Then we enjoy a special dessert or drink, recently a slice of pie. We may have Kati Ray over for conversation or games, or we might watch a movie. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/writing/how-to-get-started-writing-online/ Fri, 05 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/writing/how-to-get-started-writing-online/ You’re ready to publish your own content online but not sure how to start? If you contact me, this is what you can expect me to say. Writing Obstacles You might have a few obstacles (I know I did). Here are a few you don’t need to worry about. The final medium is irrelevant. Record audio snippets, write in a bound journal, stencil papyrus sheets; it doesn’t matter. Anything can be moved into digital ink. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/02/20210204-211004/ Thu, 04 Feb 2021 21:10:04 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/02/20210204-211004/ Another artist I’ve been enjoying lately, Taylor Leonhardt. If you’re near the border of Nebraska and Ohio, see her live March 25, 2021! Support her next album https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/02/20210204-203820/ Thu, 04 Feb 2021 20:38:20 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/02/20210204-203820/ Though it’s not my norm, I may have walked enough to gain no more fat. Today. Now I just need to rinse and repeat every day for the rest of my life (and eat better too, alas). How Many Steps to Health?. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/02/20210204-220000/ Thu, 04 Feb 2021 20:38:20 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/02/20210204-220000/ My experience of God, the Bible, and the world seems to be in motion, like a mudslide down a steep hill. What’s at the bottom I wonder? Of God, I am struggling to connect. My confidence that He is near at hand and communicative has taken a hit as I’ve pondered the immensity of space and the billions of years of time vs the miniscule blips of dust that we humans are. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/02/20210204-193315/ Thu, 04 Feb 2021 19:33:15 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/02/20210204-193315/ What is this? An album about the Big Bang, humanity, and the Creator? Check it out! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/02/20210201-090000/ Mon, 01 Feb 2021 09:00:00 +0100 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/02/20210201-090000/ Finally publishing a new post after nearly two months! I have a half-dozen posts written, but nothing in a state I’d be happy to share. As you might imagine, the holidays have been a little busy… On another note, we’re starting potty training part deux! Here’s hoping it goes better than last time. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/discoveries-in-web-proxy-logs/ Mon, 01 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/discoveries-in-web-proxy-logs/ h2+ul { font-size: 12px !important; line-height: unset; list-style: none; } Below is a list of the top 100 IP addresses that have made requests to my website since the beginning of November. It’s a fascinating list, no? The List 5.39.30.12: Roubaix, Hauts-de-France FR AS16276 OVH SAS 5.39.40.74: Roubaix, Hauts-de-France FR AS16276 OVH SAS 5.39.40.75: Roubaix, Hauts-de-France FR AS16276 OVH SAS 5.39.46.84: Roubaix, Hauts-de-France FR AS16276 OVH SAS 5. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/01/20210129-221319/ Fri, 29 Jan 2021 22:13:19 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/01/20210129-221319/ Thanks to Victoria Drake’s post, my site is now searchable! Check it out here! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/01/20210122-150000/ Fri, 22 Jan 2021 15:00:00 +0100 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/01/20210122-150000/ What’s the state of COVID deaths in Evanston, IL? As of today, 96 people have died. Here’s the list, sorted by street name, along with a count of the number who have died per address. Can you spot the nursing homes? 1245 Asbury Ave 131 Asbury Ave 500 Asbury Ave (The Grove), 14 died here 9142 Bennett Ave, 2 died here 821 Brown Ave 811 Brummel St 4941 Carol St 1720 Central St 1406 Chicago Ave 1611 Chicago Ave, 2 died here 126 Clyde Ave 1422 Darrow Ave 425 Davis St, 3 died here 724 Dobson St 2038 Dodge Ave 120 Dodge Ave (Dobson Plaza), 19 died here 1029 Dodge Avenue 2101 Emerson St 2210 Forest View Rd 2214 Foster St 820 Foster St 2305 Foster Street, 2 died here 3200 Grant St, 5 died here 1511 Green Road 2520 Gross Point Rd (Alden Estates), 3 died here 1000 Grove St 1525 Howard St 415 Howard St 1821 Lamar Ave 2401 Lee St 2323 MacDaniel Ave, 6 died here 1333 Maple Ave 1000 Maple St 760 McHenry Rd 2900 N Lake Shore Dr 7000 N. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/01/20210107-220355/ Thu, 07 Jan 2021 22:03:55 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/01/20210107-220355/ I’ve added a couple new pictures to my About page. Enjoy! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/01/20210106-115635/ Wed, 06 Jan 2021 11:56:35 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/01/20210106-115635/ This video gets more funny every time I watch it. Probably because Graham gets more like the kid in the book every day. Go the Fuck to Sleep as narrated by Samuel L. Jackson. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/01/20210106-115241/ Wed, 06 Jan 2021 11:52:41 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/01/20210106-115241/ I’ve got a list of books to dig through, but when that’s over, I’d love to read this classic: The Prophets by Abraham Heschel. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/encompass-complex-thought-with-diagrams/ Wed, 06 Jan 2021 11:25:26 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/encompass-complex-thought-with-diagrams/ The software project I’ve been building has grown to the point that it’s no longer simple enough that I can reason about it without the assistance of a diagramming tool. To my surprise, there are a proliferation of such tools, but few open source versions I could spin up today. Then I discovered PlantUML! I was a little turned off by the simplistic website, but once I began to use the tool I was thoroughly impressed. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/01/20210105-024955/ Tue, 05 Jan 2021 02:49:55 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/01/20210105-024955/ Of equal importance to the camera (maybe more, actually) is a thermostat. This article from Initial State comes with a video tutorial! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/01/20210105-024228/ Tue, 05 Jan 2021 02:42:28 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2021/01/20210105-024228/ Kamran’s baby monitor post is the most detailed I’ve found yet for making a baby monitor out of a Raspberry Pi! Will definitely revisit when I have the parts. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/how-to-change-culture/ Fri, 01 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/how-to-change-culture/ “To Change the World” is a composition of three of James Hunter’s essays, so this review is a composite of three interrelated but separate essays. Essay 1: Christianity and World-Changing Hunter begins this essay by claiming all American Christian institutions have a mission to change culture, but they have not met their goal. He blames their lack of success on a misunderstanding of the means for cultural change. He highlights two prevalent, and mistaken, models: https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/12/20201231-045939/ Thu, 31 Dec 2020 04:59:39 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/12/20201231-045939/ I’ve just spent the last three hours pondering the history of sweeping cultural change and how a present-day network might lead a cultural revolution. Before that I was ready to go to bed early. Shit, I think that makes me a Five after all. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/12/20201229-202320/ Tue, 29 Dec 2020 20:23:20 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/12/20201229-202320/ Amazing. This SSD configuration is definitely the next step in my Raspberry Pi evolution. After I build a tiny thermal/video monitor for the boy’s room… https://alexbilson.dev/plants/writing/roth-divergent-series/ Sat, 19 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/writing/roth-divergent-series/ Well, I’ve done it. In the space of four days I’ve finished the entire Divergent series. Yes, all 1215 pages. Don’t look at me like that. What does this say about me? Besides that I can read and comprehend really fast? Well, it says that determination, normally a strength, has its dark points. It’s been difficult to do or think anything outside the Divergent world since Monday evening. Also, that I easily replace emotional struggles with distractions, and books are potent distractions. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/12/20201217-212520/ Thu, 17 Dec 2020 21:25:20 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/12/20201217-212520/ In the epilogue of “Adam and the Genome” I discovered a link to this Tedx talk. Well worth a repeat listen. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/12/20201217-141724/ Thu, 17 Dec 2020 14:17:24 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/12/20201217-141724/ Ok, one more. I love Shivay’s terminal design. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/12/20201217-133402/ Thu, 17 Dec 2020 13:34:02 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/12/20201217-133402/ There’s so much enjoyment from exploring other’s personal blogs. This list is one of the best aggregates I’ve found to-date. The most incredibly beautiful and inspiring I’ve seen so far? Musical Web Dev https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/12/20201216-220432/ Wed, 16 Dec 2020 22:04:32 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/12/20201216-220432/ I’m thankful for folks like Simon Collison, who dream about what the web might have been and could yet be. I resonate with the garden analogy and am, yet again, inspired to put some of what precious time I have into my own little self-expression in this corner of the web. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/genetic-repair-in-the-new-creation/ Wed, 16 Dec 2020 22:00:04 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/genetic-repair-in-the-new-creation/ What if the righting of the world in Jesus' return is related to genetic repair? If present in our DNA are the fragments of our ancestors, and some ancestors enjoy features which we have since lost, what would humanity be like if all or most positive features were transfused into a single body? What if a human had the smell of a bloodhound, the hearing of a dolphin, and the vision of an octopus? https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/why-was-jesus-angry-at-the-pharisees/ Wed, 16 Dec 2020 22:00:04 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/why-was-jesus-angry-at-the-pharisees/ What if Jesus' anger at religious authorities was not primarily that they were teaching false information, but that the outcome of their flawed teaching was an unjust society? What if Jesus cared more about the shape of society than theological accuracy, but recognized that one flows into the other? https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/12/20201215-133138/ Tue, 15 Dec 2020 13:31:38 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/12/20201215-133138/ Yesterday I was the most desperate I’ve been in months. Our cantankerous children pushed every boundary until I was shaking with pent up frustration. The broken system to get our bathroom leak fixed put me in a continual state of anger. And the powerlessness of both left me lonely and in despair. The day might have ended in darkness had it not been for the gentle whisper of the Holy Spirit as I carried dinner home. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/12/20201214-174948/ Mon, 14 Dec 2020 17:49:48 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/12/20201214-174948/ This struck a chord. It’s so true that most folks learn in private, but the best go public. I want to be more like this. Learn in Public https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/12/20201211-134424/ Fri, 11 Dec 2020 13:44:24 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/12/20201211-134424/ Mycroft may be my next Raspberry Pi project. I’m uncertain whether voice assistants are worthwhile, but I feel more comfortable running a service I have control over. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/ways-to-define-the-bible/ Thu, 03 Dec 2020 01:55:11 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/ways-to-define-the-bible/ The return of my understanding of the Bible as Story began with The Bible Project, and this book gives fresh appreciation for the subtle but crucial importance of the Story vs the many other approaches one might take to the Book. For posterity, I’ll list the others: Morsels of Law. To learn how to behave and to think. The Bible as foremost a book to learn how to submit and obey, and to spot rebellion and disobedience. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/11/20201130-193337/ Mon, 30 Nov 2020 19:33:37 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/11/20201130-193337/ Stephen Wolfram’s nerdy index of his “life hacks” is impressive. Best part? For all the tech, at the core are simple organization and habit rules that guide everything else. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/11/20201127-180601/ Fri, 27 Nov 2020 18:06:01 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/11/20201127-180601/ We made it! Hard to imagine a drive through Chicago takes 30 minutes, but it does at 4:00 a.m. I’m so thankful Thanksgiving includes lots of food; my stomach was eating itself by the time we arrived. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/kingdom-manifesto/ Fri, 27 Nov 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/kingdom-manifesto/ How does Jesus' Kingdom community organize? Is the Sunday gathering primary? What are ‘micro’ groups? These are the sort of questions that keep me up into the wee hours of the morning. Will you join me in an exercise to loosely structure a Kingdom community? Definitions First, what the heck is ‘Kingdom community’? Don’t you just mean church? Certain words have baggage from long practice. Church attendees agree that the church building ! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/11/20201125-004008/ Wed, 25 Nov 2020 00:40:08 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/11/20201125-004008/ Man, this video is powerful. Here’s an excerpt from my post: Where news coverage bows it’s head in despairing silence over a land wracked with human evil, we who pledge our allegiance to King Jesus raise our eyes to a horizon of hope. Today we pray and act to bring into reality that beatific vision which our Lord Jesus set before himself on his march into the jaws of evil - the renewal of all things which is called the Kingdom of our God. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/11/20201124-214337/ Tue, 24 Nov 2020 21:43:37 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/11/20201124-214337/ A couple short writings from the Kathy Fisher archives, chosen at random. Because they made me chuckle: The Gospel & Colin Gift with Purchase https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/11/20201124-145403/ Tue, 24 Nov 2020 14:54:03 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/11/20201124-145403/ Matt Webb’s muse about “the After” - the fictitious time expanse beyond quarantine - is both thought-provoking and inspiring. He wrote the article in May, when the pandemic had only just begun to settle in, but his words are yet more relevant now that lockdown has truly become “normal.” I’m inspired to make our family’s adjustment intentional. We’re always fighting the urge to “just survive,” but I don’t want to get stuck in that useless mindset. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/11/20201124-013435/ Tue, 24 Nov 2020 01:34:35 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/11/20201124-013435/ Matt Webb exposes some of the most interesting content and explores the most original ideas of many on the Internet (that I’ve discovered anyway). This article about bread-making proves with history what is only inference otherwise; that the bread we eat from the grocery store is worse for us than any bread that’s come before. Time to break out the ol’ bread kit… https://alexbilson.dev/gardens/parenting/todderish/ Tue, 24 Nov 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/gardens/parenting/todderish/ This garden is an etymology of the language of my toddlers. Todderish, or the language of toddlers, may share words from other tongues, but it remains a stubbornly unique language in any host culture. English-influenced Todderish steals several words. “No,” “mine,” and “more” being some of the most recognizable. Some you may not recognize or may associate with another meaning. Todderish conjunctions have no matching correlation to the host language. Their meaning is unclear, but the intent is mimicry filler phrases. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/11/20201123-163422/ Mon, 23 Nov 2020 16:34:22 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/11/20201123-163422/ Thanks to Jason Prenas for fixing our bathtub faucet! Jason was professional, kind to our curious toddler, and gave us advice about another leak we’d recently noticed. I’d be happy to refer him. If you live near Evanston, IL and want a quality plumber, email me for Jason’s phone number. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/11/20201119-220840/ Thu, 19 Nov 2020 22:08:40 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/11/20201119-220840/ Today a 31-year-old Black woman died of COVID just west of Hyde Park. As I took in this sad news, I wondered if Black and Latino Americans are more heavily affected than White Americans. This is what I found: covid deaths by race As of today, White Americans between the ages of 40-100 have died of COVID in Cook County in greater numbers than any other race. It’s worth noting, however, that the tables turn for those younger than 40: https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/11/20201118-142921/ Wed, 18 Nov 2020 14:29:21 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/11/20201118-142921/ I’ve been sporadically learning a new keyboard layout, the Workman layout. I’d tried learning Dvorak a while ago and had some success, so I have courage to try again. Getting off QWERTY is one of many steps I’m taking to reduce strain on my body, especially my wrists. Typing lessons are extremely effective! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/11/20201117-203715/ Tue, 17 Nov 2020 20:37:15 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/11/20201117-203715/ COVID Risk Planner is a data-centric view of the current risk that at least one COVID-positive person will be present in a gathering of size X. It’s fascinating that the estimate expects five times more cases than reported. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/11/20201117-164825/ Tue, 17 Nov 2020 16:48:25 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/11/20201117-164825/ Victoria has a new post about CSS media queries and custom properties; I’m itching to try her suggestions! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/11/20201116-222025/ Mon, 16 Nov 2020 22:20:25 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/11/20201116-222025/ This weekend, a 98-year-old Latino man died from COVID-related symptoms within walking distance of our apartment at 1415 Oakton Street, Evanston. This is when data gets personal. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/11/20201116-142410/ Mon, 16 Nov 2020 14:24:10 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/11/20201116-142410/ My life goes on without unusual fear, even in a pandemic, but the approach of our trip to Rapid City is stirring more fear than I anticipated. How much risk are we willing to accept to visit family over the holidays? https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/11/20201116-142126/ Mon, 16 Nov 2020 14:21:26 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/11/20201116-142126/ Thanks to Kati Ray for surprising Amie and I with a candlelit date night, and to Lily Cohen for putting Graham to bed so we could go! It was a lovely evening, both the time spent together and the board games with Kati after. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/11/20201112-231643/ Thu, 12 Nov 2020 23:16:43 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/11/20201112-231643/ A fascinating, and convicting, look at how national politics are skewed by outsiders with differing agendas. U.S. Election Through An African Lens https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/11/20201112-204751/ Thu, 12 Nov 2020 20:47:51 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/11/20201112-204751/ The coronavirus memorial has been on my home page for a few days now. It’s sobering to glimpse the story of COVID deaths in Cook County over time. If you’ve noticed that sometimes there’s no data, it’s because I’m honing in on the best times to run my cron update job. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/choose-leaders-over-companies/ Wed, 11 Nov 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/choose-leaders-over-companies/ You may have heard the adage, “people leave managers, not businesses.” If this is true, what does it mean for your next job? Through a story with two endings, I’ll demonstrate that this adage means more about your job hunt than your exit strategy. At the beginning of my career I believed, if I honed my skills and lengthened my resume, eventually I’d be hired at one of the star tech companies of my generation. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/visualize-open-source-data/ Thu, 05 Nov 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/visualize-open-source-data/ img.tall-chart { display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 50%; } Did you know that datasette is a mature tool to display and inspect sqlite databases via your browser? And did you know that Open Data Inception collects thousands of data sets published across the globe? Let’s see what we can do with this information. We’re going to use datasette, Vega, and a subset of open source data published by the Cook County Medical Examiner COVID-19 Related Deaths to grasp how COVID-19 has affected Cook County, Illinois. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/direct-application-hinders-discovery/ Wed, 04 Nov 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/direct-application-hinders-discovery/ Well-meaning interpreters will sometimes make a mistake in their application of the Bible. Out of conviction in the Bible’s authority, an interpreter will anchor a contemporary topic on a verse that appears to directly address the topic. By so doing, the interpreter both assures their audience of the Bible’s relevance to the topic and suppliments their own authority with the Biblical author’s. The interpreter also communicates an interpretive assumption that short-circuits the audience’s discovery. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/11/20201103-135010/ Tue, 03 Nov 2020 13:50:10 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/11/20201103-135010/ I’m so thankful to have these shorter comments as an alternative to lengthy blog posts. I do want to keep writing long-form articles, but it’s been an insane season. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/10/20201030-031710/ Fri, 30 Oct 2020 03:17:10 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/10/20201030-031710/ It’s been a mad week. Sleepless, scarce personal space, constant demands. One of those weeks that I wonder what fool would choose to be a parent. But for slim glimmers in the midst (and no escape hatch), I’d be finished. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/10/20201024-150816/ Sat, 24 Oct 2020 15:08:16 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/10/20201024-150816/ We forded a river of anxiety to get Royal into Graham’s room before he sleeps through the night, but we’ve made it to the far side! Yes, we’re still waking more than we want with a seven-month-old, but Graham’s graciously dealt with the intrusion and Royal has slept better in his bedroom than anywhere else. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/10/20201021-034500/ Wed, 21 Oct 2020 03:45:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/10/20201021-034500/ Votes cast. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/10/20201020-222152/ Tue, 20 Oct 2020 22:21:52 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/10/20201020-222152/ I’ve added the Ubuntu font family for my site! What do you think? Snazzy. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/10/20201020-144922/ Tue, 20 Oct 2020 14:49:22 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/10/20201020-144922/ On Victoria’s recommendation I began to use block-level, line, and indentation highlighting. I’ve found code navigation to be more effortless than ever. Thanks Victoria! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/10/20201019-214138/ Mon, 19 Oct 2020 21:41:38 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/10/20201019-214138/ Victoria’s post reminds me that it’s about time I figured out how to set up a VPN. While I’m sure ExpressVPN is excellent, I’ll learn tons more by configuring my own WireGuard VPN server. It already comes with client support! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/10/20201019-134424/ Mon, 19 Oct 2020 13:44:24 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/10/20201019-134424/ I so appreciate Blue Collar Praise from Common Hymnal. What endurance it takes to care for two small kids, work a full-time job, and keep the hope of spiritual revolution alive. We dream of you on city streets, breathing again on our bones. We dream of you at kitchen sinks, your glory filling our homes. We are not beasts of burden, we are children of grace. And the blue in our collars, is a garment of praise. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/10/20201014-002146/ Wed, 14 Oct 2020 00:21:46 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/10/20201014-002146/ I disabled my Pi-hole for a few weeks because I didn’t have the network skills to fix an issue. But I’ve gained those skills and am happy to use this amazing software again! Well worth a donation. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/tend-his-vineyard/ Wed, 14 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/tend-his-vineyard/ The unrighteousness of my family in broken relationships. mom and grandma brother and mom brother and uncle uncle, aunt and mom I have been assigned this vineyard to labor for the fruit of right relationships. God chose the right man for the job. restoration between me and my mom right relationship between Graham and Royal right relationship between me and Amie A family network diagram could be helpful to illustrate a the unrighteous network and what a righteous network could be. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/10/20201010-164339/ Sat, 10 Oct 2020 16:43:39 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/10/20201010-164339/ Matthew’s eldest, Jaq, shows the marvel of human memory with some help from his dad’s cinematic genius. transformers opening scene https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/10/20201009-220927/ Fri, 09 Oct 2020 22:09:27 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/10/20201009-220927/ Why is rest so easy to forget? There was no need to work heads-down for eight hours straight, but I couldn’t stop myself from “just one more thing.” https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/self-documenting-makefile/ Thu, 08 Oct 2020 21:06:02 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/self-documenting-makefile/ My favorite build tool is make. It’s ironic that I’ve written little clang code given that the tool was created to manage building all those C libraries with header and source files. But whenever I see a Makefile I get excited. The tool doesn’t do much, at least for my use-case. It explicitly defines build dependencies and codifies the available commands in a Git repository. Do I need more from a build tool? https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/10/20201008-000229/ Thu, 08 Oct 2020 00:02:29 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/10/20201008-000229/ Science fiction communicates reality better than most non-fiction. Matt’s pondering from Anathem on the subject of innovation is a fun example. It reminds me of an MBA post I wrote from Asimov’s Foundation series. Maybe I’ll dig it up and post it… https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/culture-shapes-arguments/ Thu, 08 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/culture-shapes-arguments/ Of the facets which comprise a person’s culture, the philosophy of knowledge most shapes the style of argument likely to influence that person. English citizens were comprehensively shaped by the modernization of Aristotle’s “application-first” thinking by the English philosophers of the 13th and 16th centuries (Meyer, pg. 97). Across the English channel, Descartes instituted an opposing philosophy of thought characterized by “principles-first” thinking which reigns among European nations to this day. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/10/20201005-220042/ Mon, 05 Oct 2020 22:00:42 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/10/20201005-220042/ Much has been said about the mental stamina it takes to write software. There are many concepts and skills one keeps top-of-mind to write code, and the mental toll is significant. But my hat goes off to the technical writers. A thorough software requirements specification, development estimate, and statement of work is equally taxing and has (to my knowledge) fewer tools to isolate the complexity. It’s been a long work day… https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/10/20201005-161522/ Mon, 05 Oct 2020 16:15:22 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/10/20201005-161522/ Privacy.com is a service I may consider. Amie purchases items on various sites who then store our card information forever. It’s creepy to have a purchase on an infrequently used website go through without account info because they have it from a year ago. This service would let me supply a dummy account that I could control for access and spending limits. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/10/20201005-153848/ Mon, 05 Oct 2020 15:38:48 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/10/20201005-153848/ An Oracle post for strace, the sysadmins microscope https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/debug-a-program-with-strace/ Sat, 03 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/debug-a-program-with-strace/ Here’s a fun little debugging story. I’d begun to use keychain to manage ssh keys across processes. Before keychain, ssh-agent processes would multiply because each script that needed access to an ssh key would spawn its own ssh-agent process. But then I found this error. When I ran eval `/usr/bin/keychain –agents ssh –eval my_rsa`while logged into my shell, the keychain process correctly applied the ssh key to my user’s ssh-agent process. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/read-webpage-as-api/ Fri, 02 Oct 2020 14:45:33 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/read-webpage-as-api/ One of the Indieweb mindsets is to treat HTML content as its own API. HTML-only content is eminently sharable Content that sits in a database is sharable, but not eminently so. Databases are queried via an API that’s usually not publicly available and documented. While the user may comfortably use the API to render content to their site, my interface is the site itself rather than the underlying API. Lazy-load data via JavaScript and, well, it’s not eminently sharable. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/10/20201001-232251/ Thu, 01 Oct 2020 23:22:51 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/10/20201001-232251/ Oh Royal, one spoon was not enough. Royal Spoons https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/10/20201001-213957/ Thu, 01 Oct 2020 21:39:57 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/10/20201001-213957/ This has been a highly productive day. Surprising, given that I’m sick. The first chance I get, after a couple days of exhaustion and distraction, and I’m ready to jump into overdrive. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/09/20200930-093000/ Wed, 30 Sep 2020 09:30:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/09/20200930-093000/ The Markup provides a fabulous overview of cookie tracking in their article, “The High Privacy Cost of a "Free" Website”. And their tracking inspection tool is called Blacklight. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/09/20200929-180000/ Mon, 28 Sep 2020 18:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/09/20200929-180000/ I’ve written about sickness before, and it stands today. A sick infant is an all-absorbing, exhausting, never-ending, inescapable labor. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/the-apostolic-gift/ Sun, 27 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/the-apostolic-gift/ What I’m about to share with you makes me extremely uncomfortable. I am apostolically gifted. (cringe) Let me explain. My deepest desire is to form communities of people who love Jesus and do what he says in places where these communities don’t exist… yet. Spreading the good news about Jesus is important to me, but I’m not an evangelist. I resonate with the evangelist’s hunger to witness and their disappointment at the Church’s weak outreach, but my communal view of Jesus communities keeps me fighting to light a fire in the church instead of running to the streets. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/09/20200926-173153/ Sat, 26 Sep 2020 17:31:53 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/09/20200926-173153/ I’ve overworked this week. When I overwork, pessimism overcomes my thoughts. But here are a couple ways I’m grateful: Graham and Royal are almost constant sources of joy. Whether it’s the way Graham tilts his head when he negotiates for another peach, or the full-body smile Royal gives every time we help him stand, they both are generally happy and healthy boys. My work fits me. I’ve been at Performance Trust for a month now, and there’s so much about it that fits my skills and personality. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/09/20200925-142406/ Fri, 25 Sep 2020 14:24:06 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/09/20200925-142406/ It’s been a few years since I used MindMup, but we decided to use it to brainstorm all that we’ve learned in our study through Mark chapters 1-16. The tool is way easier and more beautiful than I remember. I’d happily use it again. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/09/20200925-131547/ Fri, 25 Sep 2020 13:15:47 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/09/20200925-131547/ I’m so thankful that Amie scheduled a call last Wednesday with friends on their way to the Caucasus. My heart glows with joy to hear their prayers and outlook as they embark on a six-year journey to seek out what Jesus is up to in the Caucasus. Peace and power be with them! https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/host-a-webhook-server/ Wed, 23 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/host-a-webhook-server/ If you’ve followed the steps to self hosting, you’ve got a static site you can build and deploy to your local server. The process is simple and entirely within your control, but it does limit how you add posts to your website. If you just want to put a quick note up on your site, you’ve got to access the laptop from which you’ve built the website, write a new post, publish the update, and pull the update on our local server. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/09/20200917-012547/ Thu, 17 Sep 2020 01:25:47 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/09/20200917-012547/ I’ve got some work left to do before my IndieWeb setup feels good. In particular, these comments need to be easier to write. I’d like it to be an easy place to share - easier than a blog - but there are technical barriers. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/09/20200917-005434/ Thu, 17 Sep 2020 00:54:34 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/09/20200917-005434/ I’m torn about a book purchase. I want this Bible commentary series because I hope it will spur me in to continue my study of the Bible’s story and because I believe it’s worthwhile to be an amateur Bible scholar even if I don’t have a teaching gift. My practical sense questions whether the first ever happens from a purchase (no) and whether I need another purchase when I have three books already lined up. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/09/20200912-120000/ Sat, 12 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/09/20200912-120000/ I just purchased two books I’m excited to read, Blue Parakeet by Scot McKnight and Lost Letters of Pergamum by Bruce Longenecker. Both were recommended as insightful works to better understand the biblical narrative. Can’t wait! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/09/20200911-120000/ Fri, 11 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/09/20200911-120000/ This morning my phone became completely unresponsive to input or reboot. I reflected on my phone use and, just after I’d decided to lock the ability to download new apps, my phone was restored. Coincidence, or God’s kindness for Sabbath rest? https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/opressed-americans-are-like-pharaohs-slaves/ Wed, 09 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/opressed-americans-are-like-pharaohs-slaves/ Have you watched this? Your browser does not support the video tag. I’m glad you have now. Ms. Jones is right - we should be thankful that the Black community rarely seeks revenge for their oppression. If you’re in a position of privilege, as I am, you should be afraid. But not of the Black community. The Holy Bible illustrates a story of one people, descended from Abraham, who were routinely oppressed by their neighbors. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/09/20200905-125310/ Sat, 05 Sep 2020 12:53:10 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/09/20200905-125310/ Today marks the third attempt to celebrate the Sabbath. The first was incredible, the second, horrible. This one is mediocre thus far, but I’m hopeful. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/09/20200904-195217/ Fri, 04 Sep 2020 19:52:17 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/09/20200904-195217/ This is an intriguing allegory for all that’s free and personal on the Internet, and a great place to start if you’re looking for more! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/09/20200904-152219/ Fri, 04 Sep 2020 15:22:19 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/09/20200904-152219/ Thanks to the inventors of the IndieAuth spec (Aaron Parecki) and those who have implemented it (Beto Dealmeida), I can now publish comments like this one to my site from my very own, secure, web service! Thank you both! https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/biblical-interpretation-is-cyclical/ Wed, 02 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/biblical-interpretation-is-cyclical/ As I’ve matured, one of the ambiguities I’ve learned to accept is the journey of interpretation. When I was younger, I expected that a full and complete grasp of the Bible was a matter of time and effort. Now that I’m a little wiser, I realize that I am on a journey of discovery that has no final end nor milestones to mark progress. The best I can claim is that I understand a part of the whole and part of any one page, and that’s true for every person I’ve met. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/09/20200901-124318/ Tue, 01 Sep 2020 12:43:18 +0100 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/09/20200901-124318/ I’ll want the IndieAuth spec to finish up my own MicroPub endpoint. How sweet will that be! https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/08/20200830-010959/ Sun, 30 Aug 2020 01:09:59 +0100 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/08/20200830-010959/ This is the second week our family has implemented a day set apart to cease from the common labors of life and to embrace all the good which God has bestowed. In other words, the Sabbath. From this morning until now I have been in physical, emotional and mental agony. I woke with a splitting headache and full body aches, twice snapped at my son, and been in a mental fog that even a two hour nap didn’t clear. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/08/20200826-200518/ Wed, 26 Aug 2020 20:05:18 +0100 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/08/20200826-200518/ A lovely poem featuring Jesus and hiking. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/cabin-vacation/ Wed, 12 Aug 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/cabin-vacation/ For parents with small children, vacation has two distinct definitions: a parent vacation or a child vacation. These never mix, at least while the kids take all-consuming attention, so parents must decide which kind of vacation they want. The vacation can be restful and adventurous for the parents, or the children. I’ll let you decide which we chose. Before We Left Vacation preparation can be arduous, but ours isn’t so bad. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/08/20200812-004101/ Wed, 12 Aug 2020 00:41:02 +0100 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/08/20200812-004101/ The experience Rachel must have to know so many Unix file handling pitfalls astounds me. Her style, a kind of breathless enumeration, draws me in too, even though I only vaguely comprehend some of the content. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/08/20200811-061438/ Tue, 11 Aug 2020 06:14:39 +0100 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/08/20200811-061438/ In spite of my happiness with my own site’s custom theme, I’m more than half tempted to switch to Hermit. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/08/20200811-060959/ Tue, 11 Aug 2020 06:09:59 +0100 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/08/20200811-060959/ In search of a mid-size AngularJS codebase to glean others’ design practices, I discovered this beautifully organized project. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/08/20200810-200149/ Mon, 10 Aug 2020 20:01:49 +0100 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/08/20200810-200149/ I’m excited to see that ‘Letters to a New Developer’ is available soon (on Aug 16!). Full of actionable advice and perspectives to help newer developers level up. Get 20% off a pre-order with the code GiveMeMoore08 at the Apress website. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/prayer-transcends-spacetime/ Wed, 05 Aug 2020 13:21:17 +0100 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/prayer-transcends-spacetime/ What if it’s true that prayer moves forwards and backwards in time? Intercessory prayer changes the future. Direct prayer changes the present. Emmanuel prayer changes the past. Madeleine L’Engle’s exploration of spacetime in her Wrinkle in Time series leads to trippy ideas. Like folding space to travel without using time. Or folding time to travel without moving in space. Or prayer that transcends spacetime. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/discovery-stories/ Wed, 05 Aug 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/discovery-stories/ This is not, in fact, a discovery group. It's my birthday party. But DBS looks just like this (though often on typical furniture). Powerful innovation happens when an innovator takes a concept developed from one discipline and transfers its principles to another domain. By studying a broad range of subjects, the innovator utilizes the powerful discoveries in one discipline to solve challenges in another. The biochemist may not realize how her chemical innovation might revolutionize space travel because she doesn’t know the challenges of that domain. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/epistles-are-real-correspondence/ Mon, 03 Aug 2020 15:08:24 +0100 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/epistles-are-real-correspondence/ The New Testament letters have fit into my mental model as a synopsis of the whole Bible, and the Old Testament primarily as historical background. If the Bible were written as I imagine, the letters would be the treatise, and the Old Testament would be an appendix. The claim that the letters are real correspondence rooted in the circumstances of the Roman Empire is scandalous. This means that the central content of the Bible is actually the Old Testament and the Gospel accounts, and the letters are nearer to practical footnotes on how to understand and apply the core than a synopsis of it. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/08/20200802-162220/ Sun, 02 Aug 2020 16:22:21 +0100 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/08/20200802-162220/ I am thankful to God for the principles outlined in Financial Peace University, and Brian Dinges for hosting the class at Evanston Vineyard. The stress of a global pandemic has been enormously de-escalated by the financial decisions we made months and years in advance. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/08/20200802-132154/ Sun, 02 Aug 2020 13:21:54 +0100 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/08/20200802-132154/ When I get a little spare time, I want to finish a bare-bones Flask MicroPub server to generate Hugo content from any provider that uses the MicroPub spec, like Indigenous wrap the server in a service layer. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/deploy-a-web-service-with-ansible/ Wed, 29 Jul 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/deploy-a-web-service-with-ansible/ I’ve been self-hosting my blog for nearly six months, and it’s become such a fun outlet that I want to be sure I could replicate it were something to happen. The source code is easy to store with tools like git, but I’ve felt increasingly uncertain that I’ll remember all my server configurations if I needed to deploy my site to a fresh box. At last, a real-world reason to learn an infrastructure-as-code tool! https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/overwork-is-a-response-to-lower-value-production/ Tue, 28 Jul 2020 13:26:45 +0100 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/overwork-is-a-response-to-lower-value-production/ Tim’s thoughts on the breakdown of value production as a source of American overwork are novel. He uses many well-trodden arguments, but I think there’s something to be said for the “arms race” that exists in white collar professions. My work at Relativity met this description; even though we were firmly ensconced as the number one e-discovery software company, serving a community notorious for its reticence to change, we worked like Cold War arms dealers to stay ahead. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/future-of-remote-work/ Mon, 27 Jul 2020 01:09:08 +0100 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/future-of-remote-work/ My personality leans towards the “don’t bother me, I’m getting **** done” at times, but Sean makes clear a few hard truths about a remote work future: Wage depression. If my software engineer job can be done by anyone on the earth with my skills, why should I be paid $100,000 when the Malay will do it for $75,000? Forgotten. I witnessed this months after taking a remote worker in at Relativity. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/ssg-is-a-developer-tool/ Sat, 25 Jul 2020 18:49:39 +0100 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/ssg-is-a-developer-tool/ While I agree with much of Florens’ critique, I think the static site concept has a different purpose than he suggests. I think static site generators (SSGs) are a response by the developer community to the complications that have arisen from client-heavy websites. If non-developer users find them difficult to use, it’s not really a critique since they aren’t the intended audience. At its best, an SSG should be one step in a development pipeline; more like a developer tool than an all-in-one website builder. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/afghan-poem/ Fri, 24 Jul 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/afghan-poem/ After my deployment to Afghanistan in the U.S. Navy, I had a lot to process. Poetry was the result. ℹ️ My interpretation of what happened in Afghanistan has deepened since I wrote this poetry. Don't assume you understand my current theology because you've found misunderstanding in a poem I penned in 2011. Beginning Swift sailing through the sea of life Weather diverse but He is near Spirit close calms every fear --- Waves crash vain upon my bow Shall circumstances rock my hold Upon the Lord of grace foretold? https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/connect-peer-containers-with-ssh-keys/ Wed, 22 Jul 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/connect-peer-containers-with-ssh-keys/ For the complete, working example, check out the code: connected-containers. Introduction Have you ever had that sinking feeling when you remember that you’ve solved this problem before but you don’t remember where you stashed the solution? And the sense of frustration searching for it, especially when it doesn’t turn up in your usual places? Yea, that’s why I’m writing this down where I can find it. I love the concept of sandboxed environments that can be provisioned and destroyed at whim, which is why I love Docker. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/attributes-of-god/ Tue, 21 Jul 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/attributes-of-god/ When I was a new Christian, I compiled a link list of God’s attributes from books I had access to, like A.W. Tozer’s Knowledge of the Holy. It’s not an exhaustive list, nor do I necessarily agree now with every implicit theological leaning it represents, but I think it’s a helpful catalog. God is One [Deu 6:4; 1 Ti 1:17; Rev 15:4; 1 Cr 1:25; Job 15:15; Mar 12:29-30; Luk 8:23; Isa 40:12,28; Col 1:17; Act 17:25; Col 2:9; Gen 1:2; Heb 4:13; Isa 45:5-6; Deu 4:39; Isa 43:10b; Isa 46:9; Ps 90:2; 1 Jn 3:2; Jn 14:6] https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/07/20200720-135714/ Mon, 20 Jul 2020 13:57:14 +0100 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/07/20200720-135714/ Amie and I started a docuseries about the 90’s Chicago Bulls called “The Last Dance.” I have faint memories of the buzz around Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippin, and Dennis Rodman as a child, but now I can finally begin to appreciate what they did for Chicago and basketball. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/tithe-goes-to-the-levites/ Fri, 17 Jul 2020 03:28:56 +0100 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/tithe-goes-to-the-levites/ Everything belongs to the LORD. To eleven of Israel’s tribes, the LORD gives an inheritance of land and its fruits. To the Levite, 10% of the land’s produce is given as an inheritance. The Levite receives no land because his work is not farming, but the tabernacle ministry. Given that the Levite might pay for upkeep of the instruments needed to fulfill his work, just as a farmer pays for his plow, the 10% is still his inheritance to allocate as he desires. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/07/20200716-235012/ Thu, 16 Jul 2020 23:50:13 +0100 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/07/20200716-235012/ “My goal was, and is, to share my love of working in plain text with a wider audience.” Thank you, Scott Nesbitt, for starting The Plaintext Project. Though I discovered your work less than a year ago, I am one for whom your writing resonated. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/07/20200716-153732/ Thu, 16 Jul 2020 15:37:32 +0100 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/07/20200716-153732/ I attended my first IndieWeb Homebrew meetup yesterday. I’m jazzed that folks from many disciplines share a passion for personal websites and networks. A kind and helpful bunch :) https://alexbilson.dev/gardens/business/business-book-list/ Wed, 15 Jul 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/gardens/business/business-book-list/ This garden is where I plant references to the books I’ve read and may share. It’s mostly business-related, but we’ll see where it meanders… Biography Pao, Ellen. Reset: My Fight for Inclusion and Lasting Change. Spiegel & Grau. 2017 Culture Cabrera, Angel, and Gregory Unruh. Being Global: How to Think, Act, and Lead in a Transformed World. Harvard Business Review Press. 2012 Livermore, David A. Expand Your Borders: Discover Ten Cultural Clusters. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/07/20200720-204612/ Tue, 14 Jul 2020 20:46:12 +0100 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/07/20200720-204612/ Wow, Max's bookmarklet is such a smooth experience! Now I want one for myself… https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/marriage-covenant-extends-many-generations/ Sun, 12 Jul 2020 13:49:03 +0100 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/marriage-covenant-extends-many-generations/ It was invaluable to learn six years ago that Amie and I would change so much it’d be like marrying a different person. But when I committed myself to Amie on July 12, 2014, I didn’t realize I was binding myself to her and also to all who come after. The marriage covenant is more like the LORD’s covenant with Abraham than I realized. It extends to all generations. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/first-anniversary/ Sun, 12 Jul 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/first-anniversary/ To celebrate our sixth wedding anniversary (woot!) I thought it’d be fun to recount our first from a journal entry I’d written two days after, with a few comments. 14 July 2015 It’s the first day back from Amie and I’s 1st wedding anniversary celebration. We drove to Manistee National Forest in Michigan to spend two nights at a B&B cabin. Staying with a couple we’d never met was strange at first, like paying to visit someone else’s family, but our first morning we were able to get to know them over the delicious breakfast they cooked us. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/store-secret-text-in-the-cloud/ Wed, 08 Jul 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/store-secret-text-in-the-cloud/ I was updating my resume the other day when something creepy happened. Dropbox, where my resume sits, showed me an advertisement for resume assistance. If it’s not clear why this creeped me out, consider: to know the file was a resume, Dropbox needs to scan the entire document. It wasn’t called ‘resume’. the scan is sophisticated enough to accurately determine the contents of what I’ve written. at least some of this data is shared with the owner of the advertisement. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/what-i-love-about-amie/ Sun, 05 Jul 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/what-i-love-about-amie/ You’ll say I’m biased, but Amie is one of the most empathetic, feisty, tenacious, faithful, sassy women on planet Earth. If you don’t believe me, consider a few of my favorite facts: Amie accepted an invitation to an Arizona internship simply because Jesus asked her “why not?” early the next morning. #faithful Amie was sent home from the emergency room after a doctor concluded her case couldn’t possibly be severe or she’d be screaming. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/07/20200702-022308/ Thu, 02 Jul 2020 23:08:11 +0100 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/07/20200702-022308/ Six years and four cars later, Pilo’s remains the best auto service I’ve ever used. His prices are reasonable, his work is thorough, and his integrity is matchless. Today he fixed our transmission, not by replacing the whole (which would have been thousands of dollars) but only the part that would get us through the next 50,000 miles. If you need a mechanic, your search is over. Go to Pilo! Tell Natalia that the Bilson’s sent you. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/detect-file-changes-with-entr/ Wed, 01 Jul 2020 19:30:13 +0100 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/detect-file-changes-with-entr/ How have I never heard of entr? This amazing CLI makes it possible to run my custom build scripts on file change, just like many of my favorite tools. Thanks for sharing Julia! I organize various commands with a Makefile that executes Bash scripts. Some tasks, like running a test suite, should be run every time I make a change. If you have a similar configuration as I do, you can simply run the following in your terminal and it’ll execute your test suite on every change! https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/the-year-of-the-virus/ Wed, 01 Jul 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/the-year-of-the-virus/ Dear son, have a seat. Let me tell you about the great pandemic of 2020. You’ve read in your history books about COVID-19; or coronavirus as it was colloquially named. You know it began in Wuhan province, China, and that it spread across the globe in weeks. At the time, we believed this pandemic would alter our society forever. Did it? Let me share how it affected our little family. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/06/20200630-241501/ Tue, 30 Jun 2020 21:24:15 +0100 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/06/20200630-241501/ How does one stand in a line that wraps the DMV for two hours without growing irritable? It helps a lot to be reading about the suffering of six million Black Americans. “The Warmth of Other Suns” by Isabel Wilkerson. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/06/20200627-215729/ Sat, 27 Jun 2020 21:57:29 +0100 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/06/20200627-215729/ Let me tell you about… it’d be fun to share a few stories on here sometime. https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/06/20200627-132146/ Sat, 27 Jun 2020 13:21:46 +0100 https://alexbilson.dev/logs/2020/06/20200627-132146/ This is my first comment made from my mobile device. How cool is that! https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/write-a-rust-service-dockerfile/ Wed, 24 Jun 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/write-a-rust-service-dockerfile/ I began learning Rust in late 2019 because of it’s popularity on StackOverflow. When I realized that the language exposed the internals of programming languages while being easier than my foray into Assembly, I was hooked. I fell in love with Docker using my SPR Consulting Windows machine. I missed the simplicity of Linux and loved how I could destroy the entire environment when I finished working in my Docker container. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/spiritual-formation/ Wed, 17 Jun 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/spiritual-formation/ If you’ve read my writing about Jesus' prayer, “your kingdom come”, you have a glimpse into what transformation could look like. Jesus' teaching transforms individual lives when put into action. When allegiance to his teaching spreads through a community, it produces transformation on a societal scale. What tenents should a team who yearns for community transformation follow to witness fruit? This is the question I propose, and to which I shall attempt to enumerate an answer. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/american-racism/ Fri, 29 May 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/american-racism/ Dear Son, History, as you’ll learn in school, is infected with human injustice. You are right to be horrified by the fires of Auschwitz and enraged at the bombings of the Twin Towers. These are unimaginable and public evils that scar the fabric of our society for generations; eternal monuments to the brutality of humans who cast off their humanity and descend into beastly chaos. In the shadow of these tragedies, a person may overlook the numerous smaller memorials to unrighteousness which litter the graveyard of American history. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/biblical-principles-need-wise-interpretation-in-business-applications/ Wed, 27 May 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/biblical-principles-need-wise-interpretation-in-business-applications/ Employees want to receive a fair wage, to work in a safe environment, and to be respected. Employers want their employees to work towards the benefit of the business efficiently and consistently. The dramatic examples where this does not occur only reinforce the rule. Burkett’s descriptions, if followed as rigidly as they’re written, would not produce the results employees and employers want. An employer who, in the name of his Christian faith, enforces a structure of morality that requires his employees to abide by the teachings of Jesus will create two problems. https://alexbilson.dev/resume/business-analysis-for-legal-counsel/ Mon, 25 May 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/resume/business-analysis-for-legal-counsel/ A lawyer from England, whom we’ll call Mr. George, contacted me while I was at Relativity to find a software solution to his problem. In a legal dispute, both parties are required to share what evidence they have relevant to the case. Retrieving evidence is called the discovery process. When legal representatives share notes, they include context and document references to develop the case story. Lawyers share a version of these case notes with opposing counsel, and another version with their law associates. https://alexbilson.dev/gardens/technology/steps-to-self-hosting/ Wed, 13 May 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/gardens/technology/steps-to-self-hosting/ I’ve operated my own suite of software on my own server, in my office, for over two years now. This garden is an invitation to explore this pathways of self-hosting for yourself and my reminder of where I’ve come and how I arrived. Introduction At a time where digital resource management is being aggregated into a few global storehouses, what does it take to run your website from scratch? Turns out, it’s simpler than I thought. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/your-kingdom-come/ Tue, 12 May 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/your-kingdom-come/ What does it mean to pray, “[let] your Kingdom come?” These famous words, couched in the most repeated prayer in history, come from Jesus' answer to his disciples' request, “Teach us to pray.” Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation. One of the central requests Jesus taught his disciples to pray is “your Kingdom come. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/police-impersonation-scam/ Wed, 06 May 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/police-impersonation-scam/ The frequency and sophistication of malicious scams are on the rise. Victims are left financially and emotionally devastated by these attacks. In technology parlance, a scam that exploits a person is called “social engineering.” The most sophisticated scam I’ve encountered occurred while writing my MBA thesis for a Chicago counseling center. It cost the targeted therapist $3,000 with no possibility of recourse. Here’s the excerpt: 💬 In late 2019, a person impersonating a Chicago police officer left a voice mail for a therapist indicating that one of their clients was involved in a court case and that the therapist should call back immediately. https://alexbilson.dev/resume/mba-thesis/ Thu, 30 Apr 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/resume/mba-thesis/ The capstone of my MBA program was a six-month consulting project with a 100-page thesis. On request, I’ve obscured the name of the company and its employees. I had a little fun with it and used C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia as my inspiration. Here it is! UPDATE: I’ve observed that mobile browsers struggle to embed PDF files. If you’re on a mobile browser and see only the first page, here’s a link to download the file: Thesis. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/privilege-practical/ Wed, 29 Apr 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/privilege-practical/ This is part three in a series on the subject of privilege. Review my first post, privilege definition, and second post, for context. In the American tech workplace, women and minorities are often marginalized. As a member of the technology marketplace, it’s my responsibility to advocate for the fair treatment of my colleagues. As a privileged person, I don’t have to overcome many of the obstacles that my colleagues face, but I can help tear those obstacles down. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/double-entry-accounting-with-ledger-cli/ Wed, 22 Apr 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/double-entry-accounting-with-ledger-cli/ If you’d asked me at the start of my MBA program what courses I’d enjoy most, accounting would not have made the top five. This book and an engaged professor (thank you Clarke!) launched accounting to my top three. Frampton and Robilliard’s Color Accounting revolutionized the way I conceive of the flow of capital. Their imagery and definitions exposed me to the fascinating business story that the movement of capital tells and how double-entry accounting documents that story with precision and simplicity. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/privilege-advocate-vulnerable/ Wed, 15 Apr 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/privilege-advocate-vulnerable/ This is part two in a series on the subject of privilege. Review my first post, privilege definition, for context. I’d made little progress digesting the numerous privileges given me until I learned more about justice. Thanks to the invaluable efforts of The Bible Project and their Justice Series episodes), a link between the call for justice in the Bible and the responsibility of the privileged has begun to form in my consciousness. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/visualize-your-time-with-a-budget/ Wed, 08 Apr 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/visualize-your-time-with-a-budget/ I was recently inspired by Sharon Ello’s Quarantine Question of the Dayto update my time budget, and it occurred to me that others might benefit from this tool. Many have lost their daily structure under the executive stay-at-home order and could use a visual aid to wrangle their schedules back into order. I have many priorities to cram into a week. It happens that, if I don’t plan chunks of time to meet these priorities, the quietest priorities are pushed out by the loudest. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/privilege-definition/ Wed, 01 Apr 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/privilege-definition/ Privilege is a common theme in the liberal-leaning city of Chicago, and exposure pressures me to consider my privilege and responsibility than if I lived elsewhere. I’m thankful for the pressure, though the subject is uncomfortable. Let’s begin with a definition. Privilege is a property of an individual that offers the person unearned benefits in society. It is often connected with other personal attributes, such as race, religion, and gender. The benefits conferred by privilege must be earned by those without its influence. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/return-of-the-potty/ Wed, 25 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/return-of-the-potty/ This is the final installment in a series about potty training. To start from the beginning, go to potty training. We were less than one week from potty training graduation and the event gave me mixed feelings. I knew there might be temporary regressions, but I thought it’d happen at a later transition; perhaps the birth of his younger brother. Then one night, just before Graham’s bedtime routine was over, a traumatic incident set him back to the early days. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/stakeholder-communication-is-crucial/ Wed, 18 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/stakeholder-communication-is-crucial/ Project managers (PMs) are detail-oriented people. They live in a world of statistics, charts, graphs, timelines, and schedules. With the success of the project on their shoulders, they put all their effort towards managing an on-time, on-budget project. When in this mindset, PMs can minimize stakeholder reports, which seem irrelevant to the project’s completion (Campbell C. and Campbell M., pg. 15). Yet stakeholders will ultimately decide the project’s success or failure and can halt the project or add resources. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/why-not-giftcards/ Wed, 18 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/why-not-giftcards/ There’s misinformation swirling as the COVID-19 pandemic escalates. This is my small way to combat the spread with a topic I know something about. Gift cards won’t help restaurants with the impact COVID-19 has on their income today. If you want to support restaurants, buy takeout or send them a check. Here’s why. In accounting records, a gift card isn’t registered as income. This is because double-entry accounting will not register income for a service until the service has been performed. https://alexbilson.dev/resume/multi-repository-madness/ Wed, 11 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/resume/multi-repository-madness/ A few months ago, three colleagues and I added a new feature to a legacy .NET application. One of the technical challenges we faced was the distributed nature of the application’s codebase. Background The code history was originally stored in Subversion (SVN), but the organization had shifted its active repositories from SVN to Git in early 2019. One of the carry-overs from the original was a multi-repository structure. To build the app to which we’d add features, each local machine needed to clone eight repositories. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/potty-training-aftermath/ Wed, 04 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/potty-training-aftermath/ This is part two in a series about potty training. To start from the beginning, go to potty training. Two weeks have passed since we launched Graham’s potty training program. The first three days were horrific, but we’ve settled into a routine everyone can live with. Here are four discoveries we made along the way. The first three days are hell. By the end of day three, I was ready to give up. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/infertility-for-men/ Wed, 26 Feb 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/identity/infertility-for-men/ Amie Bilson interviewed me about fears I’d experienced in our infertility journey. In the interview I explore three fears I’d faced when we began IVF and what helped me endure. Interview In my last blog, I shared about my experience with infertility and some of the things that helped me along the journey. I wanted to write a second blog for men. Much attention is directed towards women and infertility, but men have their own set of unique challenges when infertility gets in the way of a desire for children. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/child-resources/ Thu, 20 Feb 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/child-resources/ Many have undertaken to compile a list of baby resources, and it seemed fitting that we too should offer the list of online baby resources as we are analysts and take a unique approach. 0 - 3 Months Analysts don’t want to be told which baby item is the “best” - we want to gauge what’s best for our situation on a list of criteria. For the analyst’s baby item research, nothing beats Baby Gear Lab. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/potty-training/ Sat, 15 Feb 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/potty-training/ Today marks round five in a six-day potty training plan. It’s been rough. Little Ones saved our sanity when training Graham to nap, so we’re 100% on-board with their potty training program. Broken into three sets of two days, we’ve nearly completed the round. On days one and two, Graham went pantless and we follow him around, poised at any moment to catch him peeing. When he does, we immediately direct him to the nearby potty and celebrate like mad if the tiniest bit of pee lands in the pot. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/grocery-shopping-with-computer-vision/ Mon, 10 Feb 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/grocery-shopping-with-computer-vision/ My wife and I share a grocery list so that either of us could pick up the week’s groceries. For common items, we get into a routine: pick up milk, bread, eggs. But when our needs deviate and we need a specific type of bread or a specific brand of cornbread, there’s a lot more information needed to choose the correct items. For instance, we need to specify the store where the item is sold, what brand, what type, and what quantity. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/sunscreen-is-most-crucial-in-childhood/ Fri, 07 Feb 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/sunscreen-is-most-crucial-in-childhood/ You’ve seen the kid with enough sunscreen on their body to mistake them for a sickly ghost. Since evidence based decisions reduce stress, how can we come to a settled conclusion about the use, or overuse, of the creamy slime? TODO: find the original research and posit some conclusions. Is Sunscreen the New Margarine? https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/a-parents-relationship-to-sickness/ Fri, 07 Feb 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/parenting/a-parents-relationship-to-sickness/ If I was sick more than once a year, I don’t remember it. Excluding periods of childhood and the occasional hospitalization, for over a decade I’d never been sick more than once per year; the kind of sick where I’d think, “I should stay home and recover from this.” All that changed with Graham. The inability to recover. When I’d get sick, even with a fever, one full day’s rest was all I needed to recover. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/writing/why-do-i-write/ Wed, 29 Jan 2020 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/writing/why-do-i-write/ After nearly three years of writing business insights for my MBA program, I’ve developed the writing habit. I’ve also passed from my twenties to my thirties and feel, perhaps for the first time, that I may have something to contribute to “the world”. Writing to a global audience would paralyze me, so I’ve narrowed my purpose to a select few. If you find my posts helpful but aren’t my target audience, what an encouraging side benefit. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/all-communication-benefits-from-eloquence/ Thu, 01 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/all-communication-benefits-from-eloquence/ Although the title suggests sales pitches are the only target, McGowan’s book “Pitch Perfect” applies to a wide range of communication types. Presentations and interviews are listed, but so are speeches, business meetings, one-on-one conversations, and Q&A sessions. His seven principles of eloquence shape both impromptu speeches and carefully executed announcements (Mcgowan). Due to the universal need for eloquence, each principle may be honed any number of ways. From tomorrow’s morning stand-up to an answer to your wife’s “How was your day? https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/customer-knowledge-affects-sales-strategy/ Thu, 01 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/customer-knowledge-affects-sales-strategy/ One of the chief suspicions aroused in a customer when he’s sold to is, “What do they know that I don’t?” If the item is a bargain, it must have a defect. If it’s more costly, the seller’s trying to rip him off. With greater complexity and a higher cost comes higher suspicion. A car sale is more suspicious than a rummage sale. Companies have adopted ways to encourage customers to take the risk by offering money-back guarantees, warranties, and test drives, and. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/good-business-depends-on-theology/ Thu, 01 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/good-business-depends-on-theology/ Christian business people need theologians. Periods of hope in human enterprise are followed by times of unprecedented greed and sufferings inflicted on the weak. For every corporate advance in civil rights there’s a business who makes its fortune on the backs of indentured servants. For every green company there’s an oil spill. The business world is fraught with sin, and the potential for a company to inflict harm or share good rivals the power of nations. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/culture-is-a-series-of-concentric-circles/ Thu, 01 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/culture-is-a-series-of-concentric-circles/ Distinction between the mix of cultural, familial, and individual characteristics helps entrepreneurs avoid mistakes and stereotypes. Every individual is a combination of culture, family, and personality. Upon meeting your first Hindu, you may come to a number of conclusions that must be sorted into at least these categories to be accurate. You may learn she is a vegetarian and assume no Hindu eats meat. This is only partly true; it’s likely a familial decision that has its roots in a religious culture. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/language-is-integral-to-culture/ Thu, 01 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/language-is-integral-to-culture/ Language holds the keys to culture. Much of a culture’s distinctiveness exists in its language. The ways individuals and groups are represented happens through language. “My Computer” is a natural icon on the desktop of a member of an individualistic culture, but it’s a faux pas to a collectivist. An Eskimo lives in constantly snowy atmospheres and has dozens of ways to differentiate types of snow in their language, while a Pacific Islander has one word for snow but several for tides and currents (Livermore, pg. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/not-every-sales-prospect-deserves-equal-time/ Thu, 01 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/not-every-sales-prospect-deserves-equal-time/ Not every prospect deserves equal time. Not every prospective customer deserves equal time. Some, despite their apparent interest and enthusiasm are destined to be thorns in your side for hours before finally leaving you empty-handed. Sambucci calls two common types “Vampires” and “Gatekeepers” (Sambucci, pg. 68). Vampires are intent to draw value (blood) from your time and business (veins). Generally they have a low view of your time and a high view of their own, they don’t have the authority to authorize payment for your services, and the truly Draculean know what internal buttons to press in order to cajole or demand further free service. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/pitch-script-example/ Thu, 01 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/pitch-script-example/ Pitch Script Senior citizens in Arkansas must move to Colorado, before it’s too late. Arkansas' senior citizens want to grow old in their homes, to remain an active part of society and stay interconnected with their community. None desire to languish in a nursing home. Yet only one in nine state tax dollars are invested in home and community support. The remaining eight sustain nursing homes, where every fifth resident could have stayed at home with some assistance. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/prepare-pitches-or-pay-the-price/ Thu, 01 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/prepare-pitches-or-pay-the-price/ If you don’t prepare what you mean to say, you’ll say what you don’t mean. No actor steps onto the stage without memorizing his lines. Entrepreneurs fare no better than an ad-lib actor when they fail to prepare for critical communications. As Bill McGowan says, “Spontaneity is another word for regret (Mcgowan, pg. 174).” Jodie Foster’s acceptance speech at the 2013 Golden Globe awards began well. She’d prepared her presentation, rehearsed it, and executed it before thousands. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/sales-calls-trump-email/ Thu, 01 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/sales-calls-trump-email/ Direct phone calls trump responsive email. Every sales representative gets buried under floods of email. The effort to decipher what customer’s mean, what they need, what their angle is, etc. can easily take one’s entire day. What appears a simple request can lead into a rabbit trail of well-meaning but unanswered questions, misunderstandings, and rising discontent. To mitigate this, Sambucci’s constant rule is to “PICK UP THE PHONE (Sambucci, pg. 17). https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/supernatural-discernment-is-an-entrepreneurial-advantage/ Thu, 01 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/supernatural-discernment-is-an-entrepreneurial-advantage/ Entrepreneurs accurately discern actions and events because of Jesus' enlightenment. Jesus said to his disciples, “I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life (ESV, John 8:12).” Because he follows his Father, he knows where he has come from and where he is going. He has come from the Father and he is returning to the Father (John 13:3). https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/leaders-develop-towards-their-ideal/ Thu, 01 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/leaders-develop-towards-their-ideal/ It’s important to know where you’re headed and why. According to Boyatzis, the first step towards a self-directed approach to learning is the discovery of what you desire to be and what you currently are (Boyatzis, pg. 19). Coined the ‘ideal self’, the vision of what you want to become in the future. Daniel Goleman applies this research to the efforts of executives and senior managers who have lost the motivation to develop their leadership skills further in their current position or their ‘current self’. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/leaders-form-healthy-team-norms/ Thu, 01 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/leaders-form-healthy-team-norms/ Leaders uncover the norms of their teams and of individuals. The combination of individual values, personality, and the surrounding culture influences the team’s norms from their first day together. Some norms have a positive influence on the team, but not all. One of the leader’s roles is to read the team’s norms, to expose the negative norms that impact everyone and to strengthen the positive norms through repetition and awareness. Norms encompass the habits of the team, such as the “angel’s advocate” to protect new ideas (Goleman, pg. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/neither-charisma-nor-experience-replaces-practice/ Thu, 01 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/neither-charisma-nor-experience-replaces-practice/ Neither skill nor experience can ever replace practice. Barack Obama’s personality is warm and engaging. But when faced with his first debate of the 2012 presidential campaign, he trusted his personality, not deliberate practice, to win the night. The week prior to the debate, Obama’s chief advisor expressed concern that the presidential candidate wasn’t putting his best effort into preparation. Instead of careful hours of practice and review to hone his message and anticipate his opponent’s moves, Obama decided to go sightseeing and gave a lackadaisical effort in rehearsal. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/attunement-buoyancy-and-clarity-are-crucial-sales-skills/ Thu, 01 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/attunement-buoyancy-and-clarity-are-crucial-sales-skills/ Those who sell must be emotionally aware, able to rebound, and clear in their goals, presentation, and next steps. If you’re in sales–Pink would argue almost everyone–you’ll need to develop three skills: Attunement, Buoyancy, and Clarity (Pink, pg. 66). Attunement simply means awareness. A salesman must be ‘in tune’ with those he sells to; to see the world from the customer’s perspective. The better a salesman is able to understand the customer in front of him, the better he can find their problems and, if he has a solution, offer them what they didn’t know they were looking for. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/dont-do-discount-deception/ Thu, 01 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/dont-do-discount-deception/ Discounts are everyday practice at storefronts across America. Every window is plastered with the sale inside, as though it’s only purpose was to announce this fact. Consumers who weren’t looking for a product may buy it when they believe it’s a steal. This is commonplace, but is it right? Two case studies: First, a 10% men’s clothing discount at Kohl’s. A shirt which the month before was advertised at $15 is now only $13. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/foster-innovation/ Mon, 01 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/foster-innovation/ During the Industrial Revolution, business execution was the defining quality of successful large businesses. Frederick Taylor’s scientific methods summarize the time’s emphasis on efficiency and output as the key ingredients for a growing business to maintain its competitive edge. When efficient mass-production had become commonplace, a resurgence of efficiency with an emphasis on quality control was sparked in Japan under the influence of W. Edwards Deming. In our current Information Age, while execution and quality remain non-negotiables, the defining characteristic of successful large businesses is innovation. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/intelligencia-product-design-critique/ Mon, 01 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/intelligencia-product-design-critique/ ##Product Description An Intelligencia coffee bag is an individual work of art. From its bright red color to the quality of the bag itself, every detail has been architected towards the founder’s vision, “Illuminating Coffee.” The structure of the bag is strong. The seals hold, and the bag’s opening is a Ziploc hidden behind a pull tab rather than the traditional twist-tie. Because of the quality, it begs to be recycled rather than trashed. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/keep-the-vision-steady/ Mon, 01 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/keep-the-vision-steady/ People follow a leader in part because of his life’s direction. When he’s going where the people want to go, and they believe the leader can help get them there, they’ll follow him to the end ({maxwell-minutes}, pg. 235). Thousands were willing to follow Gideon into battle against the occupying armies of the Midianites, although they had feared them for years (ESV, Judges 7). If a leader loses focus on the vision or switches to another vision, his followers may disband. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/value-proposition-alternative/ Mon, 01 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/value-proposition-alternative/ Value Proposition Alternatives The Construction Site makes technical business interactions between U.S. and Omani companies successful by framing the business representative’s visit with on-site cultural mentorship and preventative health measures. The local community is reinforced with short-term trauma assistance and employment opportunities for part-time local business owners. Ad-Lib #1: Our preventative health packages helps U.S.-based business representatives who’ve traveled to Oman for stays longer than two weeks who want to remain mentally, spiritually, and emotionally healthy by smoothing the effects of culture shock and clarifying communication between them and their sending company. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/four-pillars-of-cultural-intelligence/ Mon, 01 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/four-pillars-of-cultural-intelligence/ Four questions guide any leader in their approach to a cross-cultural encounter. Livermore lists four questions to summarize the four pillars of Cultural Intelligence (CQ) and help leaders navigate cross-cultural situations. The questions are: What’s it going to take to motivate you? What do you need to know? What’s your plan? What behaviors should you adapt? (Livermore, pg. 31) The first hints at why you care about another’s cultural differences. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/persevere-in-cultural-intelligence/ Mon, 01 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/persevere-in-cultural-intelligence/ Motivation, or drive, is necessary for the improvement of cultural intelligence (CQ). The intangibles of cultural intelligence (CQ) are equally important as a leader develops their intercultural skills. Before knowledge becomes useful or intuition kicks in, a leader must have the motivation to take the often more challenging route to understand and accommodate another culture. Influence may be a leader’s reason, for a culturally adept person stands out in the new economy more than ever. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/companies-with-bold-views-stand-out/ Mon, 01 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/companies-with-bold-views-stand-out/ A company with no stance doesn’t stand out. There’s a fear in marketing that if the brand messaging doesn’t allow for everyone’s opinion, the customer portion who disagree will be alienated by the company’s stance. There’s some truth to this; any company whose brand stance maintains that white people are superior to black people will lose customers in Chicago. However, many of the ways a company’s values stand out would generate dialogue, not distress (Miller). https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/minimum-viable-product-example/ Mon, 01 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/minimum-viable-product-example/ Business Description A business book written by budding entrepreneurs with insight into the integration of open Christian faith and daily business. Published for Kindle first and, if the buyers back it up, printed in bulk. Step 1: Determine Your Target Customer A young (20-40’s) entrepreneur or business leader with a spiritual desire to effect lasting and sustainable change among their peers and in their community through a holistic spiritual lifestyle. He’s read a number of business and leadership books already but hasn’t found a book which deals honestly in the area he considers most important - spiritual openness. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/most-customers-are-not-ready-to-buy-today/ Mon, 01 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/most-customers-are-not-ready-to-buy-today/ A fraction of the total market is ready to purchase, but the rest may be primed. No matter how desirable a company’s product is, only a tiny percentage of the market will take notice of it at any given time. About three percent in fact. Only another seven percent are even looking for a solution, of which your company may be but one in many available options. Though you blast the remaining 90% with marketing ads, sales pitches, and free samples, they are simply not in the market. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/new-presentation-new-insight/ Mon, 01 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/new-presentation-new-insight/ The way common data is presented changes the way it’s understood and applied. Tim Brown introduces his book with two ways to approach the information within. For the traditional, he maintains a regular table of contents, a sequential order of the chapters that provides a broad overview of its linear structure. For readers who desire to see the connections between his ideas, he also provides a mind map (Brown, loc 171). https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/sticky-branding-plan/ Mon, 01 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/sticky-branding-plan/ ##Principle 1: Simple Clarity The Construction Site makes technical business interactions between U.S. and Omani companies successful by framing the traveler’s visit with culturally sound supports. Cultural roadblocks are identified and detoured with short and powerful consultations from local business people. Readable signs guide on-site negotiators from their introduction to the parting handshake. Bridges are built across the table, the ocean, and the world. ##Principle 2: Tilt The Odds The Construction Site offers a custom-built experience for U. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/a-leaders-primary-service-is-connection/ Mon, 01 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/a-leaders-primary-service-is-connection/ Leadership opportunities come to those who connect with others. Maxwell spends three-quarters of every day connecting with people because, the stronger the connection, the more opportunity to lead (Maxwell, pg. 166). When Absalom stole the kingdom from his father David, he did so by connecting one-on-one with the nation (2Sa15). Although his desire was corrupt, the pains he took to ingratiate himself with individuals shows how powerful connection can be. So, though it took forty years, Absalom was able to steal the hearts of all the Israelite people, and he did it under one of Israel’s greatest kings! https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/attraction-between-leaders-and-followers-is-mutual/ Mon, 01 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/attraction-between-leaders-and-followers-is-mutual/ Attraction between leaders and followers is mutual. People who follow a leader don’t do so because it’s against their best interests, they do so because they expect that good will come to them as a result. Likewise, leaders don’t accept followers merely because they show up, but because they see the value they add to their team. When the leader shares his vision, the people who follow are those who want to go there or who value that path. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/bring-others-to-the-summit/ Mon, 01 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/bring-others-to-the-summit/ Leaders shouldn’t be alone at the top of the mountain, but they must be intentional to bring others with them. There’s a common saying, “It’s lonely at the top.” When a leader strives to become the best he can often fail to take anyone else with him, leaving him standing on the peak with himself and a few weak thanks for the people who helped him get there. Maxwell pokes a hole in this saying by urging us that “it’s lonely at the top, so you’d better take someone with you (Maxwell, pg. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/cultural-intelligence-is-crucial-for-todays-leaders/ Mon, 01 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/cultural-intelligence-is-crucial-for-todays-leaders/ Cultural intelligence (CI) may be the deciding factor in 21st-century leadership. “Nearly 90 percent of leading executives from sixty-eight countries named cross-cultural leadership as the top management challenge for the next century (Livermore, pg. 14).” Livermore’s research, which aggregates this surprising statistic, indicates that the leaders who can navigate the intercultural landscape will be the most valuable asset to any company in the 21st century. Charisma and efficiency may top the charts on most U. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/empowerment-is-relational/ Mon, 01 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/empowerment-is-relational/ Empowerment is relational. The word ‘empowerment’ conjures the image of a father handing his truck’s keys over to his son. It means autonomy and authority for the empowered. Merriam-Webster lists as synonyms commission, authorize, enable, and invest (empower). Spreitzer’s study discovered four conditions that foster empowerment in an organization. The conditions may be summarized vision, teamwork, roles, trust (security), and, from Maxwell’s definitions, I infer clarity (pg. 202-203). Galvanizing vision. “I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave-owner will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood (King Jr. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/leaders-are-assisted-by-intuition/ Mon, 01 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/leaders-are-assisted-by-intuition/ Intuition is like spiritual gifts in that it only assists a person but doesn’t define them. Intuition is a word with an ambiguous definition. We know it exists because others aren’t the same as we are. Little Jimmy could play the piano before he could walk, and we couldn’t carry a tune after graduating high school. Nevertheless, the knowledge that there’s a leadership intuition does little to change one’s perspective on leadership (although it may change one’s perspective on themselves). https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/leaders-with-vision-and-no-compromise-fail/ Mon, 01 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/leaders-with-vision-and-no-compromise-fail/ Leaders with a holy vision and no compromise fail. Early in the rise of Lincoln’s political career his party was at a crossroads. They sought to elect a new Illinois politician, but could not decide upon the man. Abolitionists cried for a candidate with a bold public stance against slavery. Unionists urged for a moderate voice to subdue the rising discontent between North and South. Each had their candidate; each vilified the other’s. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/personal-connection-improves-performance/ Mon, 01 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/personal-connection-improves-performance/ Short interpersonal connections make work a better place to be. Although the man who spent 27 years alone in the wilderness may not agree, (Finkel) humans were made to connect with one another. Cultures vary widely on the relevance of this fact, from those who require personal connections prior to business transactions to those single-minded in getting the job done. Nevertheless, every culture recognizes a need for a connection with others when conducting business. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/serve-a-better-leader/ Mon, 01 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/serve-a-better-leader/ Serving a better leader is a price to become a great leader. A person who desires leadership may take whatever opportunity that awaits him. Time spent in the presence of another leader is educational, but a green leader wants to get started now! He can’t wait to arrive at the pinnacle of leadership and so departs from his preparation before he’s ready (Maxwell). Elisha waited years before his leadership had a chance to shine. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/customer-discovery-plan/ Sat, 01 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/customer-discovery-plan/ Deliver preventative counseling to overseas workers in Central Asian cities. Business Description: To improve the quality of life and lengthen the staying power of committed workers in Central Asian cities, this business will offer three preventative health packages: 1) online, 2) retreat 3) on-site. The online package will be client-focused online coaching on stress management and communication skills. The retreat package will be a resort with freedom to relax, opportunities to collaborate with others, and unintrusive assessments of health and wellbeing. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/debt-can-ruin-a-business/ Sat, 01 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/debt-can-ruin-a-business/ Although the Bible never draws a hard line against indebting one’s self to another, Proverbs is full of admonitions about the foolishness of this practice. “The borrower is the slave of the lender” (ESV, Proverbs 22:7) is one of the most vivid examples. Temporary borrowing may allow a business to capture an opportunity that wouldn’t be possible if it had to wait until the funds were generated, but if a business regularly needs these type of capital injections it’s likely a symptom of poor management than amazing opportunity. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/emotional-intelligence-defines-the-organization/ Sat, 01 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/emotional-intelligence-defines-the-organization/ When a CEO needs to change their organization, they must direct their attention to transforming management. Those few who manage the company, both the C-suite and the general managers, set the mood and either help or hinder change. And it is the top leader, the CEO, who helps them change. Joan’s story capitalizes the effect a top manager can have on her direct reports. Joan didn’t begin an inspection of the business to identify what was wrong, she spent time with her leaders. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/europe-is-split-into-three-cultures/ Sat, 01 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/europe-is-split-into-three-cultures/ With the exception of America, the melting pot of the earth, one may consider cultures to spread across the globe in a predictable manner; pools of culture that ebb and flow like the ocean. Natural boundaries act as the ocean’s shores, eroded by influence or violent action over the years but generally unchanged. A review of the European continent, when taken from this perspective, would lead the spectator to assume the entire small continent, stretching from Portugal to Ukraine, would share the same cultural distinctions. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/finances-expose-faith-more-than-words/ Sat, 01 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/finances-expose-faith-more-than-words/ Jesus taught often on finances, and his examples and parables often used money to make his point. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (ESV, Mat 6:21) he summarized after teaching about where your wages are stored for safe-keeping. Upon witnessing a poor woman donate a penny to the temple, he remarked, “[she] has put in more than all” (ESV, Mat 12:43). Any person with an income tells others what they believe by the way they spend it. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/indescriminate-pay-harms-employees/ Sat, 01 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/indescriminate-pay-harms-employees/ Equality for all is often cited as the golden standard, but in the world of employee wages this mantra causes trouble. This is because, while discrimination on the basis of gender, age, race, or religion is often a harmful stereotype, discrimination on the basis of performance - at least where the performance is equally measured and applied - is a benefit to the productive worker and a cure for the lazy (Burkett). https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/keep-product-development-close-to-customers/ Sat, 01 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/keep-product-development-close-to-customers/ I’ve noticed a trend at kCura. As the company has grown, the departments have drifted into their own separate and siloed operations. Product managers advocate for further separation of the Engineering teams from the customers, claiming that they need heads-down time to finish product features (which they do. Despite following an iterative approach, we have years of work on our plates). Customer Support managers advocate for a customer separation from the engineers because they don’t know how to talk to customers. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/kingdom-values-may-cause-business-setbacks/ Sat, 01 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/kingdom-values-may-cause-business-setbacks/ The business world values profit over principle, and circumstances rarely align such that the higher road and the wealthy road merge. The business person who lacks integrity often gets the upper hand of the honest dealer, the deceitful regularly overtake the good. The Psalms are filled with exhortations against the wicked, “from the deceitful and unjust man deliver me” (ESV, Ps 43:1b). One may wonder, as David did in Psalm 73, what profit there is in the way of righeousness when the wicked competition prospers? https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/the-bible-is-not-a-business-rulebook/ Sat, 01 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/the-bible-is-not-a-business-rulebook/ Employees want to receive a fair wage, to work in a safe environment, and to have the freedom to possess differences of viewpoint when those opinions don’t relate to the work being done (or, to be respected). Employers want their employees to work towards the benefit of the business in an efficient and consistent manner. The dramatic examples where this does not occur only reinforce the rule. Burkett’s descriptions, if followed as rigidly as they’re written, would not produce the results employees and employers want. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/wise-business-needs-holy-spirit-help/ Sat, 01 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/wise-business-needs-holy-spirit-help/ The Bible is full of wisdom for life and business. The narratives give examples to emulate and to avoid; the proverbs are sound instruction. At 1044 pages in the printed Bible I use, there’s a lot to glean. How will any business person apply with any confidence this collection of vital literature? The ambitious Christian scholar sets out to systematize the Scriptures in order to absorb what he must understand and obey about business. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/behavior-is-comprehensible-only-within-culture/ Sat, 01 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/behavior-is-comprehensible-only-within-culture/ The reasons for a nation’s cultural distinctions are not always decipherable from the actions of its people. From a Western perspective, Eastern culture is formal and backward. Children in China defer to their parents, even as adults, at a level that most children in the United States would compare to slavery. Obedience to one’s government is a standard in China, but in the United States there are rallies and protests against political leaders. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/cultural-understanding-cannot-replace-relational-insight/ Sat, 01 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/cultural-understanding-cannot-replace-relational-insight/ Cultural preparation is ephemeral, individual relationship is concrete. At the conclusion of Livermore’s extensive research of ten global cultural clusters, he reminds us that individuals have unique mixes of cultural and sub-cultural values. Cultural preparation, no matter the quantity, is useful for general predictions only and one should “move as quickly as possible beyond broad cultural stereotypes” (Livermore, pg. 89). For example, the hippie movement of the 1960’s was a collectivist, cooperative movement in a culture renown for individualism and competitive spirit. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/brand-name-ideas/ Sat, 01 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/brand-name-ideas/ Business Idea: Deliver preventative counseling to overseas workers in Central Asian cities. Business Description: To improve the quality of life and lengthen the staying power of committed workers in Central Asian cities, this business will offer three preventative health packages: 1) online, 2) retreat 3) on-site. The online package will be client-focused online coaching on stress management and communication skills. The retreat package will be a resort with freedom to relax, opportunities to collaborate with others, and unintrusive assessments of health and wellbeing. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/common-barriers-to-product-adoption/ Sat, 01 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/common-barriers-to-product-adoption/ Entrepreneurs may overlook the complexity of constraints customers face. As the inventor of a brilliant new solution, a microwave we’ll say, it’s common to think others will be ecstatic to learn of my solution and use it immediately. “They just don’t know this amazing machine would save them hours!” I might say to myself as I drive to my first sale. When my customer says it’s too hard to learn, I may be tempted to blow them off. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/focus-on-one-fruitful-channel/ Sat, 01 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/focus-on-one-fruitful-channel/ To gain the initial growth necessary for sustainable business, an entrepreneur is best served by mastering a single, fruitful channel. To gain the critical number of customers to break even and to receive the customer feedback, a company needs to iterate on a single channel. This is because entering a channel is like drilling a hole into the bottom of a bucket full of beads where the number of beads in the bucket represents the number of customers who will be reached by this channel in the market. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/fruitful-channels-may-surprise/ Sat, 01 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/fruitful-channels-may-surprise/ The most effective channel for a business to begin may not be the obvious one. Although there are at least nineteen different channels a startup can discover customers through, a few often get priority because of the number of potential viewers or the ease of use. Online methods, in particular, are easy to get started (at least for the tech generations) and have billions of potential viewers. Even so, exploring all of the channel opportunities may reveal others that would yield more customers at this stage in your businesses growth. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/value-proposition-canvas/ Sat, 01 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/value-proposition-canvas/ Deliver post-MBA graduates consulting experience in their dream field. Business Description: MBA graduates who desire to integrate their studies with the daily practice of a startup find it a challenge to connect with entrepreneurs who will pay for their consulting services. These graduates may face ‘imposter syndrome’ - the sense their education belies their ability - and desire a testing ground for the concepts they have learned. A consultant who acts as a middleman between the fresh MBA student and a selection of businesses, who will connect the student with a personalized business tailored to their MBA experience and will benefit the business by identifying talented managers, partners, and consultants available for hire. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/leadership-style-depends-on-circumstance/ Sat, 01 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/leadership-style-depends-on-circumstance/ Leadership styles can be developed and applied based on the circumstance. There are a range of leadership styles, many of which you may have encountered. A leader who regularly made decisions based on the group’s consensus? You’ve seen a leader use the democratic style. A leader who energized you with a compelling idea of the company’s purpose and inspired you to join it? You’ve experienced a visionary style. A leader who shouted orders to you in a crisis situation, giving you clear direction when fear threatened to immobilize you? https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/embedded-youtube-videos-attach-google-ads/ Sat, 25 Aug 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/embedded-youtube-videos-attach-google-ads/ I know that I shouldn’t be surprised at this point, but adding Matthew’s video to my ship’s log also inadvertently added a Google Ad tracker to my website (pun intended). It’s in Matthew’s best interest that I leave the video on my site, but maybe there’s a way I can embed it that doesn’t send my visitor’s information to Google? https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/emotional-presence-affects-followers/ Wed, 01 Aug 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/emotional-presence-affects-followers/ The emotional presence of a leader has a wide-ranging impact on all business functions. All functions of a business are relational. The salesperson and the customer relate in the sale. The engineer collaborates with his co-workers and his manager to build a product. We live and work in a web of relationships, and the emotional states of others effects us. This is because our emotional wiring, called the limbic system, is created as an ‘open-loop’ ((Goleman, pg. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/remote-work-supports-global-entrepreneurship/ Sun, 15 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/remote-work-supports-global-entrepreneurship/ Knowledge work is branching from the busy metropolis to bedrooms and coffee shops across the globe. “In health insurance, Fortune 100 provider Aetna has nearly half of its 35,000 U.S. employees working from home. In accounting, Deloitte, which has about the same number of employees, has a staggering 86 percent working remotely at least 20 percent of the time. At Intel, 82 percent of their people regularly work remotely” (Fried, pg. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/remote-workers-blame-themselves-first/ Sun, 15 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/remote-workers-blame-themselves-first/ “I’m such a slacker!”, “What’s wrong with me?”, “I always procrastinate; I hate it” are common thoughts when a person lacks motivation. When one’s motivation has dropped so low it takes “a week to do a day’s work” (Fried, pg. 222), the common response is to blame ones' self for the problem. Other factors may be overlooked when one’s focus doesn’t leave their lack of motivation. Two common factors in a lack of motivation are: https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/leaders-initiate-relationships/ Sun, 15 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/leaders-initiate-relationships/ Leaders initiate connections with their people. Maxwell’s analogy about the locomotive expresses a key point about leadership - the leader must initiate a connection with his followers. The leader who sits in his office will never build the relationship necessary with his people to inspire trust and respect in his people. “Great leaders don’t expect their people to move forward and latch on to them. Instead, they reach out to people, no matter where they are, and work to make a connection. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/empathy-exposes-cultural-bias/ Fri, 13 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/empathy-exposes-cultural-bias/ Understanding one’s own cultural values from the perspective of an outsider helps to accept differences in other cultures. So often exposure to other cultures is immediately followed by judgment. Differences are strange at best, and evil at worst. For example, when an Anglo, who values personal space, is exposed to an Arab, who values close proximity, there’s a tendency to condemn their practice as barbarian, or to pity them (Livermore). https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/unteachable-leaders-are-doomed/ Fri, 13 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/unteachable-leaders-are-doomed/ A leader who can’t be taught is doomed. Every leader makes mistakes. The most inspiring leaders in the Old Testament all make terrible decisions at some point. Moses murdered an Egyptian, David slept with Bathsheba, and Joseph provoked his brothers to jealousy. The New Testament’s leaders share their own failures. What distinguishes the inspiring leaders from those used as case studies of what not to do is their teachability. In their stories, even if their mistake is dramatic, it does not end their leadership. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/leadership-determines-corporate-size/ Wed, 11 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/leadership-determines-corporate-size/ Not all leaders operate at the same level of influence. Those who garner more respect on account of their character and skill operate at a higher level of influence. The strongest leader draws others of equal or weaker skill and character to themselves like a magnet. This has a cumulative effect; the strongest leader draws those who respect him, and they draw others, etc. This creates a pyramid of sorts, where the best leaders are followed by above average leaders, who are followed by average or new leaders. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/favor-respect-over-positional-authority/ Wed, 11 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/favor-respect-over-positional-authority/ Leaders who grow don’t depend on the same motivations for others to follow them. Often when a leader starts off in an organization, his only claim is title. He was hired as a manager, he was selected as a senior so-and-so, etc. People follow him because of his title or out of respect for another’s selection, but only because they must. If no other reason develops besides position, the people will stop following. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/educate-to-make-better-servants/ Mon, 09 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/educate-to-make-better-servants/ The purpose of education is to equip the student to better serve others. Whether business or health, science or philosophy, the goal of education is to make the person a more effective servant of others. A business person learns how to write lean canvases and design validation tests to help guide others towards a profitable business model. A surgeon learns the human anatomy so he’s able to heal the person. A philosopher thinks deeply about the issues plaguing his society in order to find solutions that will benefit all (Maxwell). https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/innovate-by-model-combination/ Mon, 09 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/innovate-by-model-combination/ The number of business models are limitless, and can be implemented as brand new offerings, existing offerings with limited innovations, or combinations of both. There is no end to the combinations of business models that could be created. One may refocus an existing model to differentiate one’s self in a new market like Nintendo accomplished with it’s low-cost, widely accessible Wii console (Osterwalder, pg. 83). Another may the ‘unbundle’ three common models in the same company to clarify each bundles' value proposition (Osterwalder, pg. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/models-make-complex-ideas-sharable/ Mon, 09 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/models-make-complex-ideas-sharable/ Business models encapsulate complex ideas into simple and sharable patterns. In software design there is a concept called design patterns. Design patterns are commonly defined as “a general reusable solution to a commonly occurring problem within a given context” (Wikipedia). Software developers who apply these patterns in their appropriate circumstances benefit from proven solutions to problems others have experienced in the software space. This also gives developers a common vocabulary to explore designs for large systems without the precise details of implementation. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/we-need-global-leaders/ Mon, 09 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/we-need-global-leaders/ There is pressing need for global leaders, for we live in a pivotal moment in world history. The effects of globalization have manifested themselves in economies world-wide, and a wave of protectionism threatens in its wake. American voters have reacted to the loss of jobs caused in part by international trade and the uncertainty of an economy that reacts to forces beyond its borders (Williams). This sentiment is not restrained to America alone; a BBC poll in 2008 estimates “only 5 percent of the global public believes that the economic benefits and burdens of globalization are being shared ‘very fairly’” (Cabrera, loc. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/model-validation-can-be-part-time/ Thu, 05 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/model-validation-can-be-part-time/ Validating a business model can be part-time work. It doesn’t take seventy hours a week to validate a business model. In Maurya’s example from the writing of his book Running Lean, he tests and confirms the book could produce value in the spare time he had while running another business. It took him seventeen months of scaled effort to validate and create the book his blog readers were asking for. In the process he tested several assumptions that, if proven false, would have saved him countless hours of work writing a book no one would read. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/startups-produce-models-over-solutions/ Thu, 05 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/startups-produce-models-over-solutions/ The product of a startup is a business model, not a solution. It is common to think in terms of problem and solution when dreaming up a startup idea. If one can find a problem and solve it, one reasons, then one has a viable business. This over-simplification hides crucial assumptions that must be answered in order to build a viable business. The business modeling tool Maurya illustrates includes only one small box for the solution (Maurya, pg. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/leaders-develop-over-decades/ Thu, 05 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/leaders-develop-over-decades/ Growth in leadership is a multi-decade investment with a clear direction. A leader is recognized as such only after the labor of leadership development has born fruit. Or to use a boxing analogy, “Champions don’t become champions in the ring–they are merely recognized there” (Maxwell, pg. 30). The period before the championship moment is measured in decades, not days. To arrive at the level of influence of recognized leaders, an individual must take intentional steps on a regular basis towards that goal. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/accounting-describes-measurable-value/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/accounting-describes-measurable-value/ If an asset may be measured reliably, it belongs to Accounting. The dollar amount in the bank is accountable, for it has an exact value at any point in time. Property value is accountable, for the market estimate of its value may be reliably calculated. The right to be reimbursed for services is accountable, for the value of those services may be measured. There are some assets which cannot be reliably measured and therefore do not belong to Accounting. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/accounting-is-both-story-and-science/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/accounting-is-both-story-and-science/ Accounting standards are published internationally under IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards), and in the U.S. under GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles). These standards comprise thousands of pages outlining every accounting scenario imaginable. Because of the incredible breadth of content, accountants often specialize in one area of IFRS, such as asset depreciation. An outsider may conclude that a business which follows these standards is mathematically perfect in the way it’s represented on paper - pure science. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/accrual-accounting-is-the-most-accurate/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/accrual-accounting-is-the-most-accurate/ Two major types of accounting exist: accrual and cash accounting. One might say there’s really only one type, with cash accounting being a simplified version of accrual. Accrual accounting attempts to describe the financial story of a business at every point in time; not only when cash is received or expended, but when assets of all kind are affected. A payment for a future service is simply listed as income in cash accounting; only cash is recognized. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/analysis-of-articles-of-incorporation/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/analysis-of-articles-of-incorporation/ This is a comparison of the articles of incorporation for an LLC published by the United States and by India. Similarities The foremost similarity between the Indian and American articles of incorporation for a limited liability corporation (LLC) is the concept of business members and business managers or directors. Membership in the Indian articles is closely tied to ownership of shares (3.ii), and the American articles also tie membership with business share ownership (2. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/benefits-attract-employees/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/benefits-attract-employees/ When I think of the benefits of a job, the first is pay. A steady income may be the most enticing benefit to workers everywhere. It’s the only reason high school students want a job. But a U.S. employer has many optional, and some mandatory, benefits beyond pay. While the employer may feel these benefits are expensive - and a few are demonstrably so - a wise employer will view benefits as a means to attract and quality employees and strengthen their business. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/bible-meditation-offers-the-highest-business-wisdom/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/bible-meditation-offers-the-highest-business-wisdom/ 💬 Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts. I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word. I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/blessing-is-contingent-on-generosity/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/blessing-is-contingent-on-generosity/ 💬 At the end of every three years you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in the same year and lay it up within your towns. And the Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance with you, and the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your towns, shall come and eat and be filled, that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands that you do. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/business-is-responsible-for-most-tax-collection/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/business-is-responsible-for-most-tax-collection/ Many nations use business as the principal means of tax collection. Two reasons exist for this. First, the effect of most taxation does not depend on who collects it. In economic terms, incidence refers to the impact of taxes on a segment of the economy. Split into “formal” and “effective,” the study of incidence seeks to determine who actually pays for taxes. What economists have discovered is that, while the party formally responsible for tax may differ, the effective responsibility rests upon the same economic segment. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/compensating-feedback-happens-when-the-root-problem-is-not-addressed/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/compensating-feedback-happens-when-the-root-problem-is-not-addressed/ How often does our first response to a problem result in more work for ourselves in the long run? We see a problem and apply the first patch that comes to mind. Meanwhile, the origin of the problem goes untouched and, in due time, a new problem springs up. If the problems multiply, we add more effort until we burn out or finally discover our fixes haven’t touched the root problem. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/contracts-are-the-arteries-of-business/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/contracts-are-the-arteries-of-business/ If accounting is the life blood of business, contracts are the arteries. Contracts, whether oral or written, bind parties by agreements through which assets flow. There are vena cava contracts which supply the business with its essential funds, such as a property loan to a restaurant. Others are minor capillary contracts which perform limited support, such as an oral contract to sell a sofa at a 5% discount if it’s paid in cash. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/corruption-threatens-international-investment/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/corruption-threatens-international-investment/ The story of Bill Browder is not a pleasant one. He moved to Russia in 1996 with $25 million dollars to invest in the Russian oil and gas industry. After revealing corruption in many Russian corporations he was at last kicked out of Russia in November, 2005. His company was seized and used to obtain $230 million in fraudulent tax rebates. One of his Russian employees, Sergei Magnitsky, refused to flee and was detained in prison for over a year. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/customer-contact-builds-empathy/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/customer-contact-builds-empathy/ To be efficient, company’s specialize the work their employees accomplish. Customer Service Representatives speak to clients all day long, they don’t organize financial reports or manage people. Likewise, those who manage Service Representatives aren’t likely to interact with a customer unless a problem arises. One step above them and customer interaction has been removed entirely - they are entirely isolated from the customers they serve. The same happens on the product side of business. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/customer-facing-roles-need-higher-cultural-intelligence/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/customer-facing-roles-need-higher-cultural-intelligence/ Cultural Intelligence (CQ) is applicable in every interaction because each individual is a unique blend of cultural values, even in a homogeneous setting. Whether meeting with a friend one’s known for years or asking directions of a stranger, one’s success rate rises where he applies CQ. Nevertheless, not every interaction requires the same level of motivation, preparation, or focus. In the same way, every role in a company benefits from CQ, but there are some roles for which CQ is a deciding factor to success. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/employee-engagement-definition/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/employee-engagement-definition/ 💬 Employee engagement is the emotional commitment an employee has to the organization and its goals. Kruse, pg. 8 As an employee, feeling engaged at work is a better way to live. It’s wonderful to have open, two-way communication with your leaders, to have opportunities to grow and learn, to receive recognition for work well done, and to trust your leaders and know they trust you. One might say that every employee longs for engagement. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/employees-have-no-privacy/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/employees-have-no-privacy/ The laws that govern employee privacy are limited to discriminatory acts and invasive practices. Those records which would not be acceptable to base a hiring decision on, such as medical records, remain protected unless the employer has reason to request them; i.e. to ascertain the fitness of the employee to perform a specific task. Invasive practices go beyond workplace security into the off-site life of the employee. THis includes monitoring the employee’s off-hours location and activities and reading the employee’s personal mail if it’s routed to the workplace. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/employees-want-their-work-to-have-impact/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/employees-want-their-work-to-have-impact/ Employees want their work to matter and their workplace to have a positive impact in the world ((Kruse)). How do leaders give their employees the conviction that their work matters? More effective than affirmation, a leader who gives clear priorities to his employees motivates them that the business is moving forward. Consider two employees, Fred and Sally. Both hold the same sales position at their company, but they have different managers. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/favor-generosity-over-profit-margin/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/favor-generosity-over-profit-margin/ 💬 Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the LORD against you, and you be guilty of sin. You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/financial-analysis-raises-operational-questions/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/financial-analysis-raises-operational-questions/ Financial analysis has fantastic potential to raise questions about the operations of a business, but alone it can conclude little. A glance at assets may reveal an imbalance in current assets vs current liabilities, but it cannot tell the story of how this came to be or what decisions brought this about. Another step deeper into the individual transactions may supply more light, but even then educated guesses are all that’s possible; it takes questions posed to the actors before answers can be fully complete. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/flowcharts-expose-waste/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/flowcharts-expose-waste/ My first insight, that process maps are primarily to make processes more efficient and not to document them leads naturally into this - flowcharts which identify all non-value-adding activity are most valuable in illuminating inefficiencies. An initial draft of a flowchart that describes one’s own work process is likely to miss waste. Users don’t naturally think of a wait they’re familiar with as a non-value-adding activity that might be removed or shortened. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/greed-undermines-a-business/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/greed-undermines-a-business/ 💬 You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's. The LORD ends his Decalogue with a command against envious desire of another person’s possessions, material or immaterial. In my own words it would read: Do not enviously desire the name and legacy of another. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/indirect-taxes-tend-to-be-regressive/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/indirect-taxes-tend-to-be-regressive/ When calculating the impact of taxes on a nation’s population, an economist looks for the distributional incidence among segments. While every nation differs in the way their taxes are gained - some receive a majority via direct income tax while others through an indirect sales tax - in general, direct taxes are progressive and indirect taxes are regressive. What this means for a distribution of the nation’s population is that the poorest population are less impacted than the richest in a progressive tax scheme, while the inverse is true in a regressive tax scheme. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/interview-for-swift-culling/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/interview-for-swift-culling/ Recruiters are hired to get people in the door, but the decision to hire is always in the hands of business managers. Managers often have little more to review about their candidate than a single page resume, maybe a cover letter, and what they can find on social media. When a candidate passes those preliminary checks, a manager must decide what sort of interview to begin with. Phone interview? Written assessment? https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/job-titles-have-unexpected-consequences/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/job-titles-have-unexpected-consequences/ What’s in a job title? Is it only a placeholder to pin to a job board? Does it matter whether a tech opening is called “software engineer” or “junior software developer?” Why would you append “senior” or “junior” to a title? There’s more in a job title than you may expect. First, consider the addition of levels to a business' job titles; designations such as “junior” or “senior”. A business may choose levels to insert gradation in skill and experience with the intention to outline career progression. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/leadership-books-are-not-created-equal/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/leadership-books-are-not-created-equal/ Bradberry and Greaves' leadership book promises “a new way to understand great leadership and an innovative method for any leader to become great (loc. 66).” What it supplies is a research compendium of distinct, pithy paragraphs and examples of the positive and negative feedback from which the paragraphs were drawn. Perhaps in an attempt to validate the research effort expended, the authors resort to detached, directive explanations and tacked-on snippets of feedback stripped of context. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/only-assets-generate-value/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/only-assets-generate-value/ The structure of accounting around the world rests upon five fundamental categories: assets, liabilities, equity, income, and expense. Every possible financial iteration may be represented by a transfer from one of these categories to another. Take out a $10,000 loan? Your assets increase by $10,000, and your liability to the bank increases by the same amount. Pay $1,000 off the loan? Your liabilities decrease to $9,000 and your equity grows by the same amount. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/organizational-injustice-is-systemic/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/organizational-injustice-is-systemic/ In my excavation of Bradberry and Greaves' book Leadership 2.0, trying to dig up an insight, I unearthed a jarring discontinuity. Bold claims are made in the first choppy pages of the chapter on organizational justice, but the actions fall short of the vision for organizational justice. “The ability to get what we deserve from the tremendous effort that we put into our work,” “the feeling that your efforts are respected and valued,” “[feeling] empowered” and “feeling satisfied with how you spent your time” are all given as definitions for organizational justice (pg. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/pay-taxes-and-honor-the-government/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/pay-taxes-and-honor-the-government/ 💬 Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, “We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Messiah, a king...” Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/pride-strikes-at-the-pinnacle-of-success/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/pride-strikes-at-the-pinnacle-of-success/ If pride were a snake, it would live on the mountaintop. When you receive a generous promotion, make a major sale, garner work accolades for a critical project; these are times when pride comes near to kill. There’s little time to bask in one’s self-sufficiency on the climb up. Pitfalls hide on both sides, the peak is still distant, the possibility of success tentative. At the exhilarating finish, the temptation to rely on yourself and to boast in your achievement is high, and there is little protection from your environment. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/process-maps-are-tools-for-change/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/process-maps-are-tools-for-change/ The clarity of a process map may lead management to believe that an updated flowchart is an excellent tool for on-boarding instruction. “Each step of the process is painstakingly accounted for,” a manager might reason, “so why don’t we give this chart to new hires so they know how to do their jobs?” There’s enough truth in this sentiment to make it attractive to those who aren’t familiar with the process in question, but those who actually perform the work incorporate other influences outside the flowchart’s context. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/retention-depends-on-management-growth/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/retention-depends-on-management-growth/ To retain top talent, a business must take more steps than simply hiring them. Exemplary employees want performance feedback, assistance with their career aspirations, recognition and awards, and an emotionally safe work environment. What position holds the greatest influence in a business to realize or thwart these requirements? Managers. Mazin and Smith recite the maxim, “people do not leave their jobs, they leave their bosses ((Smith, pg. 76)).” The opposite holds true, that employees will remain in any job with a great boss. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/reward-managerial-innovation/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/reward-managerial-innovation/ Opportunities to simplify communication and processes are most prevalent at the base of a company where the product is made and client interactions occur. The people best equipped to innovate with customers are also at this level, since they are the most familiar with the current processes and can elicit direct feedback from customers about changes they have made or intend to make. Nevertheless, an inverse relationship often happens in a company: the top leaders are the most innovative and the lowest managers are the least. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/scheduled-priorities-are-kept-priorities/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/scheduled-priorities-are-kept-priorities/ Scheduled priorities are kept priorities. It takes great effort to keep one’s priorities uppermost. Invariably, urgent needs crowd the mind until decision fatigue sets in. No priority can thrive under constant stress. The trouble is exacerbated by the reality that many priorities are important but not urgent. They rarely press upon one’s mind for a response, unlike lesser demands, and will quietly avoid attention until long after the opportunity has past. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/secure-managers-share-their-own-tools/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/secure-managers-share-their-own-tools/ Managers can be in a world of their own. While common employees do the work assigned them, managers are huddled in rooms making important decisions. Managers have all-day ‘off-site’ meetings to shape the future of the company; common employees meet to plan their week. Common employees are at their desks all day; managers are away from their desks, meeting with one another, reporting to their supervisors, and performing one-on-one meetings with their direct reports. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/simplicity-is-empathetic/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/simplicity-is-empathetic/ If you reduce communication to its barest forms, does it mean you’ve simplified it? In the groundbreaking book 1984, the main character, Winston, converses with a friend who is drafting a new dictionary. His friend’s response describes a style of simplicity: 💬 You think, I dare say, that our chief job is inventing new words. But not a bit of it! We're destroying words-scores of them, hundreds of them, every day. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/spider-followers-need-an-extra-push/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/spider-followers-need-an-extra-push/ A spider organization, first coined by Ori Brafman in The Spider and the Starfish, is an organization where a tiny group holds authority over the entire organization’s power and decision-making. The test of the spider organization is, if your top leaders were to disappear (the head), what would happen to the rest (the body)? A “spider follower” is someone who has spent enough of their lives in spider organizations that their behavior has been shaped by the system. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/vanity-metrics-obscure-true-performance/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/vanity-metrics-obscure-true-performance/ ‘Vanity metrics’ are any statistic that makes the business sound successful but do not inform stakeholders about actual performance or give insight into areas of growth (Ries, pg 143). Sold 3,000 widgets last month alone! That’s a 112% increase over last month! Over 4 million users! Up 1 million since 2010! In six countries on two continents! Our global presence is expanding! Excessive exclamation aside, these are examples of metrics which may be effective for the marketing team but give little insight into business operations. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/assessments-are-made-from-the-lense-of-your-culture/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/assessments-are-made-from-the-lense-of-your-culture/ Cultural Insight: Assessments of other cultures are made from one’s own culture as the baseline, but this can lead to contradictory results. A French person may accuse an American of unfeeling bluntness because the French generally contextualize their speech in subtle nonverbal cues. Before you say, “Well, that’s just the way the French are,” consider that a Chinese person would make the same accusation of the French. ((Meyer, pg. 22)) https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/clever-programs-cant-change-culture/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/clever-programs-cant-change-culture/ Clever programs can’t change culture. Customers screech in your ear each week with the same message, “Your service sucks!” You’ve dedicated endless hours searching for the magic customer service model and asked your entire HR department to craft a series of seminars, activities, and meetings to instruct your service representatives and energize them with a vision of exceptional customer care. Invitations are sent, buzz is generated, but the handful of service representatives who show up are late, glossy-eyed, and pessimistic. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/communicate-at-the-lowest-cultural-context/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/communicate-at-the-lowest-cultural-context/ Multicultural teams must communicate in the lowest context for the cultures in that group. People in the United States tend to have the lowest communication context of any cultural cluster in the world. On the polar opposite, those in Japan communicate with the highest context ((Meyer, pg. 40)). What explains this? The history of the United States is a short story of migrants from all cultures and backgrounds trying to live together under one government. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/culture-shapes-effective-inquiry/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/culture-shapes-effective-inquiry/ To acquire an answer to your questions, you must change the question to fit the culture. Americans want “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth (Origin of the Oath)”. Avoidance of direct answers is not the virtue of those who care for the honor of others-it’s an obstruction of justice. Therefore, each American learns to ask direct questions if they want direct answers, and those who won’t answer in the way we expect are suspect of having something to hide. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/high-context-culture-is-sometimes-direct/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/high-context-culture-is-sometimes-direct/ Some high-context cultures are direct with critical feedback. America is the lowest-context culture in the world, yet when an American gives criticism it’s often couched in praises. It should come as no surprise that other cultures with high-context communication may be dramatically direct when criticizing. Israeli culture has a higher context than most of Europe, yet when an Israeli must give negative feedback they do nothing to soften the blow. Since their regular conversation is laced with indirect meaning you may assume that criticism would also be discrete, while open, direct criticism would be shameful. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/philosophy-affects-what-arguments-are-persuasive/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/philosophy-affects-what-arguments-are-persuasive/ A person’s intellectual background shapes what arguments persuade them. Of the facets which comprise a person’s culture, the philosophy of knowledge most shapes the style of argument likely to influence that person. English citizens were comprehensively shaped by the modernization of Aristotle’s “application-first” thinking by the English philosophers of the 13th and 16th centuries ((Meyer, pg. 97)). Across the English channel, Descartes instituted an opposing philosophy of thought characterized by “principles-first” thinking which reigns among European nations to this day. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/adopt-financial-models-with-caution/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/adopt-financial-models-with-caution/ Adopt the financial models of your industry peers, but don’t blindly accept that their accounts breakdown measures your business' true value. Few businesses have revolutionary financial models. Most are a slight variation on an existing financial model, or even an exact replica for a different market. A manufacturing business need not reinvent how it will record materials costs because it’s already standard practice to record these under COGS (cost of goods sold). https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/both-investors-and-entrepreneurs-need-equal-motivation/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/both-investors-and-entrepreneurs-need-equal-motivation/ The economic clauses on the term sheet have long-term implications to the motivation both of investors and of owners. What motivates an entrepreneur to seek investment in their business model? The prevailing motivation is pride of ownership. To see one’s idea made a reality and to witness others enjoy the fruit of one’s idea. To have created something new in the world. These are the prevailing motivations. Closely tied to pride of ownership is capital ownership, or the realization of one’s effort in financial gain. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/business-discovery-is-uncomfortable/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/business-discovery-is-uncomfortable/ It’s more comfortable to scale to big business than stay in the customer discovery cycle until there’s a repeatable, scalable business model. The majority of the world’s business people know how to operate an established business. Everyone can give a summary of departmental structure (Marketing, Sales, Product Development). The language is the same, the tasks are similar. Now take a startup. Depending on the market it’s attempting to reach, the structure of the company may be entirely different. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/choose-a-corporate-identity-carefully/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/choose-a-corporate-identity-carefully/ Choose the corporate identity that makes legal and tax sense for your circumstances. In the United States, five legal entities are typical among businesses: sole proprietorship, partnership, C corporation, S corporation, and LLC. Each has its tax benefits and hindrances depending on the circumstances of the business. Sole proprietorships are simple to stand up and easy to incorporate into a person’s existing tax documents. Instead of separate tax preparation, a sole proprietorship adds a Schedule C form to their 1040 ((Clydebank, pg. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/choose-insurance-with-both-analysis-and-imagination/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/choose-insurance-with-both-analysis-and-imagination/ Sound insurance calculations require a vivid imagination and a calculating mind. If any question existed in the minds of American people about the varieties of insurance coverage possible, the latest celebrity gossip demonstrates how insurance is limited only by one’s imagination. If celebrities require imagination to protect the limited scope of their earning potential, how much more creative an entrepreneur must be with their business? There are insurance options for anything you can imagine. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/companies-need-both-innovation-and-maintenance/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/companies-need-both-innovation-and-maintenance/ Leadership Insight: A business requires both managers who invest and managers who maintain. Managers primarily seek to maintain the status quo. The typical manager runs the daily operations for her team, equips her team to accomplish the company’s goals, and aspires to be a senior manager by skill and seniority. For this reason, managers prefer to lead those who have no aspiration of leadership, because those who aspire to more can be disruptive, opinionated, and possibly competition for the senior management slots. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/consider-sole-proprietorship-for-a-lean-startup/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/consider-sole-proprietorship-for-a-lean-startup/ Consider a sole proprietorship with liability insurance over a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) for a lean startup. When an entrepreneur first sits down to consider how to incorporate a business, the technical details may bore her to tears. That is, until she reads about liability and begins to imagine what horror stories may apply to her. Lean startup entrepreneurs want runway to iterate on their business model until a product/market fit is achieved. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/customers-want-curation-but-ask-for-features/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/customers-want-curation-but-ask-for-features/ People’s first impulse is to request more features, but they’re more satisfied with curated choices. How much can your smartphone do? Browse the web? Take pictures and video? Store your to-do list? Find you a nearby coffee shop? Book a hotel room? Make a phone call? Perhaps a better question is, what can’t your smartphone do? People are first inclined to choose the product with more features. “I don’t know what that button does,” the consumer says to himself, “but what if I need it? https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/employment-contract-pitfalls/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/employment-contract-pitfalls/ Business owners must take care when signing an employment contract. The most common condition of employment in the United States is “at will” employment. This means that both parties, employer and employee, are under no obligation to work together any longer than desired. If the employee wants to leave the business for any reason, he may do so without penalty. Likewise, if an employer wishes to fire an employee, she may do so. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/entrepreneurs-will-be-judged-first/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/entrepreneurs-will-be-judged-first/ The corruption of justice is abhorrent to the LORD. “[Jehoshaphat] appointed judges in the land in all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city, and said to the judges, ‘Consider what you do, for you judge not for man but for the LORD. He is with you in giving judgment. Now then, let the fear of the LORD be upon you. Be careful what you do, for there is no injustice with the LORD our God, or partiality or taking bribes’ (ESV, 2 Chronicles 19:5-7). https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/every-venture-needs-a-strong-leader/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/every-venture-needs-a-strong-leader/ Though any venture requires sets of skills not usually found in one person, if one person does not have leadership ability there will be no team. There are many business functions necessary to a successful business startup. There’s the development of ideas, the testing of those ideas, the execution, the refinement. It’s rare for one person to possess the skills necessary to do all functions well. Therefore a team of people with diverse strengths can increase the likelihood a venture will manage itself well. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/globalize-your-business-name/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/globalize-your-business-name/ Globalization and the Internet influence local small business in unexpected ways. Business names are an afterthought in small towns. Sally’s Drug may be the only drug store in town, and Stan’s Sporting Goods the only woodsman’s warehouse. Most are sole proprietorships who use their own name to distinguish the business in their county or, if the owner is ambitious, in the state registry. The danger that a similarly-named sporting goods store will contest Stan’s Sporting Goods is imperceptible, and so local businesses rarely compare the name of their business or products with state trademark and service mark registries–even less federal registries. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/include-worse-case-in-the-contract/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/include-worse-case-in-the-contract/ In a contract, don’t forget to negotiate the worst-case too. Let’s say a business owner wants her website remodeled. She shops around, finds a software developer who does contract work, asks for a bid, and likes the price. Technology makes her nervous, and the price seems reasonable, so she negotiates a deal with the software developer for an April 30th deadline, three weeks away, for $2,000. She turns her attention to running the business, confident she’ll have a new website soon. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/investors-are-partners-long-after-the-contract-is-signed/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/investors-are-partners-long-after-the-contract-is-signed/ Treat the term sheet negotiation as only a part of the total deal. Many entrepreneurs may falsely conclude that, since the term sheet sets the rules of the investment contract, it is therefore the only important negotiation. Their efforts are isolated to a search for a VC who will offer a term sheet, then to gain a few term sheets to play off one another, and finally to negotiate every relevant section of the term sheet until they’re happy with the results. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/launch-your-business-with-an-exit-plan/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/launch-your-business-with-an-exit-plan/ Have an exit strategy in mind. As Steingold poignantly asserts, “a new business doesn’t come with a guarantee (pg. 359).” Whether you ascribe to the optimist’s can-do attitude or the pessimist’s arguments for low success rates, all agree that entrepreneurship isn’t the path of those who wish for structure and security. This reality shapes the way entrepreneurs must think about entering into their venture. An individual who accepts a salaried position at a local business need not plan an exit strategy to protect herself from losing her life’s savings, but every entrepreneur ought to. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/lean-means-efficient-not-alone/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/lean-means-efficient-not-alone/ Lean startup entrepreneurs must weigh the cost of doing everything themselves. Today, if you were required to submit U.S. tax documentation for five employees you’ve hired over the year, would you know how? Would you feel confident an external audit would find no mistakes? Chances are, probably not. The effort it would take an entrepreneur to adequately understand and comply by the U.S. tax codes, the much less the regulations for employee wages, could be compared to a four-year accounting degree. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/lean-startups-fit-uncertain-markets/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/lean-startups-fit-uncertain-markets/ Build - Measure - Learn is a model and mindset valuable for businesses in uncertain circumstances. The core process in Ries' lean startup is Build-Measure-Learn. This cycle is reversed when planning: first one determines the hypothesis (what to learn), then selects the metrics that will validate that hypothesis (what to measure), and finally creates the minimum viable product (MVP) to complete the experiment. The speed at which a company is able to iterate over these steps correlates to the speed they’re able to innovate. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/lean-startups-leverage-tax-deductions/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/lean-startups-leverage-tax-deductions/ Tax deductions are crucial to the launch of a lean startup. Second only to a profitable business model in financial importance, tax deductions are crucial to a lean startup. Business taxes can absorb a business' profit for months - Clydebank estimates that it takes a full quarter for a small business to generate enough profit to exceed their tax responsibilities (loc. 576). For a startup with limited fund runway, taxes can quickly shorten the duration an entrepreneur has to iterate on their business model. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/lean-startups-live-by-the-agile-manifesto/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/lean-startups-live-by-the-agile-manifesto/ Lean startups may take the Agile Manifesto principles for their own. The Agile Manifesto principles ((Tycho Press, pg. 93-97)) are as follows: Individuals and interactions over processes and tools Working software over comprehensive documentation Customer collaboration over contract negotiation Responding to change over following a plan With a slight modification to the second bullet to match industries other than software, these principles match the needs of a lean startup. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/love-protects-a-business-from-employment-violations/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/love-protects-a-business-from-employment-violations/ Love protects from a host of employment law violations. One of the fastest routes to a headache is to read the reams of employment laws. Discrimination based on gender? Check. Age? Check. Race, religion, disability? Triple-check. Even genetic information such as an employee’s mother’s heart condition could be grounds for a discrimination suit. Mazin, Rebecca, and Smith explain that “one of the most challenging tasks you will face in human resources management is complying with employment-related laws ({smith-hr}, pg. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/offer-equity-and-power-with-utmost-caution/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/offer-equity-and-power-with-utmost-caution/ Hoard equity like gold and protect it accordingly. When a business begins, all it may have is equity and a little startup capital. When a venture capitalist offers professional support and a sizable financial boost for a marginal 3% ownership share, many entrepreneurs feel honored by the attention given to their fledgling business and measure the 3% only by what they have in the bank - not much. The entrepreneur may think, “I have 97%, and the venture capitalist has 3%. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/owners-must-prepare-for-crisis/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/owners-must-prepare-for-crisis/ Leaders must mitigate the effect of crisis on their businesses by moving from reactive to proactive engagement quickly. When a crisis affects a business, four leadership reactions often happen. If nothing is done to transform the reactions into proactive effort, the crisis may spell the end of the business, or at least of the leader. First, leaders become paralyzed. Struck by the shock of crisis, like a turtle a leader hides in their shell waiting for the crisis to go away. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/partner-with-a-venture-capital-firm-with-care/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/partner-with-a-venture-capital-firm-with-care/ Selecting a healthy VC firm is a critical step in raising venture capital. Venture capital (VC) firms aren’t simple corporations. Within a single firm’s structure there are competing goals and priorities that can tear the firm apart. The fractures that can end a VC firm may not complete the work for years because of the lengthy time each fund’s investment time lasts. Feld and Mendelson estimate it takes ten years for a firm to die (pg. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/read-the-term-sheet-control-clause-carefully/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/read-the-term-sheet-control-clause-carefully/ The control clauses on the term sheet can reorient the power of investors or owners regardless of share percentage. Investors and entrepreneurs share a common financial motivation in their company. The entrepreneur grows the value of her shares when the company performs well, and the investor maintains good prospects for a multiplied return on investment. When both parties think wisely about the long-term effect on the company, they will negotiate economic terms that offer mutual motivation to see the company succeed. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/understand-how-financial-accounts-are-related/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/understand-how-financial-accounts-are-related/ Quality financial analysis depends on the analyst’s grasp of the interrelationship between accounts. A good financial analyst will look line by line through a business' balance sheet and find changes that prompt further inquiry. An example may be the amount of cash on hand. If cash on hand drops 80% this year, questions arise about where they cash went. Again, a marginal change in profit this year may warrant further investigation. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/use-agile-in-uncertain-environments/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/use-agile-in-uncertain-environments/ Projects with uncertain requirements and volatile environments benefit from Agile methods. With the rise of mass-production after the Industrial Revolution and the onset of scientific management by Frederick Winslow Taylor, the predominant project methodology was rooted in excruciatingly detailed plans for well-understood problems. Once a Ford automobile had been painstakingly designed, no question remained about the features or the manufacturing implementation. To build efficiency, document the entire process and ensure rigorous conformity to your perfect standard. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/use-the-balance-sheet-to-monitor-health/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/use-the-balance-sheet-to-monitor-health/ The balance sheet shows a business' financial state at a point in time, while the income statement shows the operation of your business over a period of time. The two financial documents most widely used are the balance sheet and the income statement. The balance sheet lists the assets, liabilities, and equity of an entity at whatever snapshot in time it’s written for. The income statement shows how the assets were used over a defined period. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/use-the-income-statement-to-refine-value-creation/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/use-the-income-statement-to-refine-value-creation/ The balance sheet shows a business' financial state at a point in time, while the income statement shows the operation of your business over a period of time. The two financial documents most widely used are the balance sheet and the income statement. The balance sheet lists the assets, liabilities, and equity of an entity at whatever snapshot in time it’s written for. The income statement shows how the assets were used over a defined period. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/apostles-and-entrepreneurs-share-characteristics/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/apostles-and-entrepreneurs-share-characteristics/ The description of an entrepreneur shares many of the characteristics of the apostolic gift (Eph 4:11). Blank describes entrepreneurs as “comfortable with change, chaos, and learning from failure and are at ease working in risky, unstable situations without a roadmap” (Blank, pg. 13). Sinclair describes apostles as “[used] in a variety of ministries… the kind who tend to make things happen. Oftentimes they are good at making something out of nothing, ministry-wise, successfully starting new works from scratch…they thrive on doing things that are challenging and risky” (Sinclair, pg. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/freedom-from-comparison-produces-humility/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/freedom-from-comparison-produces-humility/ 💬 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. Galatians 5:25-26 (ESV) Paul writes vigorously before these two verses to persuade the Galatians to disown the teachers of the Law that have been diverting their attention away from Paul’s core teachings. Instead of a life of freedom in the Spirit as Paul taught, the Law teachers were focusing the Galatians' attention on obedience to the Law apart from faith. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/generosity-builds-kingdom-equity/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/generosity-builds-kingdom-equity/ 💬 Someone in the crowd said to him, 'Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.' But he said to him, 'Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?' And he said to them, 'Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.' And he told them a parable, saying, 'The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, " https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/god-judges-corporations/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/god-judges-corporations/ How does God approach corporations? Does the Lord treat corporations as single entities, as we do in our American law code, or does he only deal with the individuals who make up the corporation? The judgment of God against nations indicates the former. When the southern kingdom of Judah was sent into Babylonian captivity, it was not because every individual had turned from God. After all, the prophets who wrote about Judah’s last days also went into captivity! https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/holiness-starts-in-the-heart/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/holiness-starts-in-the-heart/ Holiness comes from heart resolve, not specific actions. Daniel was a potential skilled leader in the king of Babylon’s retinue. Chosen from a young age to eat from the king’s table and train in all the ways of the Babylonians, he and his companions would receive an expert education as a means to absorb them into the culture and build the kingdom of Babylon. Daniel lost his home, his family, and even his name - for their overseer renamed Daniel, “Belteshazzar. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/judgment-of-others-is-aroused-by-shared-behavior/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/judgment-of-others-is-aroused-by-shared-behavior/ The behavior I judge in others usually exists unnoticed and unrepented of in myself. My judgment of others is aroused when their sin resembles my own. The teenager addicted to heroin draws no judgment from my heart, for I do not share the teen’s addiction. But watch how fast ire arises when I see a proud man! His pride is a vivid reminder of my own and, seeing it from outside, his preening attitude not only makes him look foolish, it exposes how ridiculous I appear when I act with pride. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/justice-is-more-than-absence-of-harm/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/justice-is-more-than-absence-of-harm/ 💬 For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Deuteronomy 10:17-18 (ESV) As I reviewed the many passages about justice for the fatherless and the widow, so many refer to defense and the absence of oppression that it might appear a righteous person is one who doesn’t directly harm the poor. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/money-is-a-cruel-master/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/money-is-a-cruel-master/ 💬 He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes? Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep. Ecclesiastes 5:10-12 (ESV) https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/ask-individuals-for-feedback-not-groups/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/ask-individuals-for-feedback-not-groups/ It’s not enough to ask the room what it thinks. A leader must ask individuals. Imagine you’re one of a dozen presidential aids gathered to assist Kennedy in the growing Cuban crisis. You’ve had a week to consider current events and chart potential results from the available presidential responses. Earlier, in conversation with other aids, you discover the most popular approach is an invasion trained and funded in secret by American forces. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/ask-questions-from-a-humble-heart/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/ask-questions-from-a-humble-heart/ Questions are powerful when asked with the right heart. What about questions is more powerful than answers? Questions lead the person questioned on a journey to find an answer ((Marquardt, pg. 84)). The questioner holds the power to send the person questioned on a fruitful journey, or they may send him on a fruitless journey. The questioner may inject their own pathway into the question itself. If the questioner does so, he limits the person questioned from finding his own way and may result in no new destination at all. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/decide-who-makes-the-final-decision/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/decide-who-makes-the-final-decision/ Specify when a decision is final or temporary. Among the many differentiating factors between cultures, the individual or group who holds the power of decision-making is one factor that affects cross-cultural business transactions regularly. On average, cultures with a high power distance centralize decision making at the top, while egalitarian cultures decide by consensus. Swedes fit the latter category; Saudis the former. Were a Swedish company to attempt a trade agreement with a Saudi company; however, distrust may derail the agreement because of the way each perceives the other’s decision-making. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/define-your-team-culture/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/define-your-team-culture/ Define your team culture with tools like the Culture Map. Empirical research demonstrates the positive effect cultural diversity has on a business' bottom line. But when you, an American business person, schedules three meetings with your Ethiopian team mate and he shows up twenty minutes late to every meeting, you don’t think, “Look at all the diversity we have. This is great!” No, you think, “What’s his problem? This is crazy; how are we supposed to get any work done waiting a third of our time for others to catch up? https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/distribute-mentorship-among-everyone/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/distribute-mentorship-among-everyone/ When it comes to mentorship, everyone gets to play. Bradberry and Greaves assess “too many leaders assume that developing your people is a manager’s responsibility (pg. 68).” Their assessment falls short of reality; however, for not only leaders, but all members of an organization assume managers are solely responsible for the development of their direct reports. There is some truth the member’s assumption, for no manager worth their pay neglects the development of their team, and management by definition is “the art of getting things done through people (Clegg, Kornberger & Pitsis, cited in Ideas on Management, emphasis added). https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/ease-into-leading-with-questions/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/ease-into-leading-with-questions/ If a leader hasn’t led with questions, they need to ease into the practice. What happens when the leader with all the answers suddenly begins to ask questions instead? Employees are likely to be uneasy by the sudden transition, and the leader’s efforts, even when made with clean motives, seen with suspicion. Some employees may have depended upon the leader to give them answers and have ceased thinking of solutions to problems they face. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/empathetic-leadership-follows-the-golden-rule/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/empathetic-leadership-follows-the-golden-rule/ Leaders select their style by the rule, “whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them (ESV, Matthew 7:12)”. No one wants to be treated the same forever. A child is closely monitored and given explicit direction for almost every task, but a teenager balks whenever their independence is threatened. Onlookers pity the adult who is treated as though they are a six-year-old, and question the parents who allow their ten-year-old privileges typically reserved for adults. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/foster-trust-with-both-performance-and-vulnerability/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/foster-trust-with-both-performance-and-vulnerability/ Both cognitive and affective trust are required to make business relationships thrive. “What events led you to trust [your colleagues and friends]?” writes Meyer (pg. 167). For an American, the answer depends on the person. Friendships in the United States are established in affective trust, built slowly over shared interests as each party lets their guard down and shares their true feelings, negative or positive. Business relationships; however, are another story. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/know-and-share-your-story/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/know-and-share-your-story/ Effective entrepreneurs know and share their stories. Nothing engages an audience like storytelling. The story’s hero is inspiring, the villain is recognizable, and everyone cheers when the hero wins the day. Stories not only capture the audience’s attention, they cause emotions in the hearers that coincide with the speaker’s own response to the story ((Gallo, pg. 50)). Stories shape our perceptions of life and history. Who remembers the details of the Spanish-American war? https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/know-when-to-mimick-the-host-culture/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/know-when-to-mimick-the-host-culture/ Culturally intelligent leaders modify their actions to better fit the culture of those they interact with, without mimicking the other culture entirely. Leaders who grow in Cultural Intelligence (CQ) constantly develop their cultural skills. They read insightful books about other cultures. They observe how people around them act, and reflect on other’s responses. Before an expected cultural encounter, they prepare themselves to be culturally sensitive and watchful. When a high CQ leader does interact, what does it look like? https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/leaders-ask-profound-questions/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/leaders-ask-profound-questions/ Quality questions are pivotal for a strong organizational culture. Questions are the life-blood of a healthy organizational culture. A culture of questions flips the corporate hierarchy on its head by empowering subordinates to add their expertise to conversations at the top. Such a culture makes it possible for leaders to investigate the reasons behind events and processes without raising the hackles of their direct reports. Leaders, far from being thought incompetent, prove their competence by asking good questions. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/leaders-embody-their-core-values/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/leaders-embody-their-core-values/ Leaders pay careful attention to develop their company culture. What constitutes a company’s culture? Anderson proposes five pillars of a company culture: Core Values Mission Performance Standards Core Competencies People (pg. 156) This list calls out many facets of a company’s culture, but in reality they’re all subsets of the first, core values. The mission is no better than a vision statement to drive company culture. A mission guides decisions across the organization, but it will not shape culture. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/leaders-face-pivotal-moments-that-define-their-purpose-on-earth/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/leaders-face-pivotal-moments-that-define-their-purpose-on-earth/ Leaders face pivotal moments that define their purpose on earth. Three years of traveling ministry and Jesus was championed by many in Israel as the long-awaited messiah. At his final entrance to Jerusalem, the people greeted him outside with shouts and palm branches. So great was the commotion that Jesus' opponents complained the “Look, the world has gone after him (ESV, John 12:19).” This seemed the pivotal moment in Jesus' life, when he would finally overthrow the Roman government and establish God’s kingdom in Israel. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/leaders-hire-at-or-below-their-own-character/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/leaders-hire-at-or-below-their-own-character/ Leaders hire at or below their own character. The cost to develop skills in a person with sterling character and energizing passion is minimal compared with the drain from a skilled worker with flawed character and little passion. Even were this common knowledge among hiring managers, the information alone is insufficient to change hiring strategies. This is because people don’t hire character that goes beyond their own attainments. Many potential reasons for this exist. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/leaders-win-by-continually-dying/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/leaders-win-by-continually-dying/ Leaders give up more and more of what they have to succeed. To become a leader takes sacrifice. But many believe the sacrifice is a one-time cost and the privilege of leadership worth the price. For some, the cost is a graduate-level degree program. To others, it’s extra hours on the clock to become a star employee who deserves promotion. Others see the cost as family vs. career and choose to forgo a family for a while in order to be a leader in their industry. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/leadership-begins-and-ends-at-home/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/leadership-begins-and-ends-at-home/ Leadership begins and ends at home. The place where one’s influence is fully tried, and where the effects of one’s leadership are most clearly seen, is in one’s own family. A leader with influence in the home will be obeyed by his children and respected by his wife. When Paul tells Timothy how to select good leaders for the local church in Ephesus, one key place he says to look is the leader’s family life: https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/leadership-growth-requires-vulnerability/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/leadership-growth-requires-vulnerability/ A leader must withhold no area from growth, no matter how they wished it didn’t exist or wouldn’t be exposed, if they are to raise the ‘lid’ of their leadership. A leader who reads Maxwell’s admission that he is below average in some leadership laws with any degree of humility must conclude there’s work to be done to become a better leader. To ‘raise the lid’ as Maxwell puts it (Laws). https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/learn-to-lead-now/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/learn-to-lead-now/ Future leaders serve as though they were already in their future role. “So, you want to be a leader?” the manager says to his subordinate. “Yes,” the subordinate replies, “I’ve been working here for five years now, I’m the best at what I do, and I think it’s about time I should be given a promotion.” “A promotion?” the manager responds. “You’re a dependable programmer, I’ll give you that. And you have worked here five years. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/ownership-encourages-engagement/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/ownership-encourages-engagement/ Ownership encourages engagement. The word “ownership” makes some people squirm. The word elicits expectations of judgment for every mistake, of unreasonable deadlines and strict consequences. For those dispassionate in the project’s stated objective, ownership of the project is like a noose around their neck. To those who resonate with the mission, however, ownership is the necessary and desired way to hold themselves and their colleagues responsible for the completion of the project. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/pivots-demand-more-forceful-response-to-disobedience/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/pivots-demand-more-forceful-response-to-disobedience/ Character flaws at pivotal moments deserve immediate, extreme feedback. Scattered throughout the Scriptures are stories of forceful response to sin that shocks the reader. In the Old Testament, Achan and his whole family are destroyed for hiding valuable idols. In the New, Peter is called Satan for rebuking Jesus, and Ananias drops dead for lying about the price of land he sold. Intermixed with stories of shocking mercy, it’s a challenge to understand how these dramatic events could come from the same merciful God. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/set-high-standards-and-show-grace/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/set-high-standards-and-show-grace/ It is easier to show grace under high standards then to raise the expectation of low standards. The standards of behavior Jesus expects of his followers are matchless. “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect (ESV, Matthew 5:48)” is his summary of an exposition on the behavior of those in his kingdom. Even if you take the word “'“mature” rather than “perfect,” as other translations use, you are left with a command to be like God. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/set-personal-goals-in-public/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/set-personal-goals-in-public/ Set personal goals in public. New employees long for feedback. Information from their leaders gives the employee confidence in which areas they excel and where effort can make them a more valuable member of their team. The best employees keep seeking feedback even after their contributions are clear and meaningful. Managers also appreciate feedback as a way to improve their teams. Quality feedback contributes to their team’s success on projects and working alongside others in the business. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/situational-leadership-applies-to-individuals-and-teams/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/situational-leadership-applies-to-individuals-and-teams/ Situational leaders select the right leadership style for the person and their goal. Leaders have different styles, and those styles are more effective when the follower’s culture is considered ((Goleman)). A directive style is expected in cultures with a high power distance, while a coaching style fits with a collaborative culture. This information might cause a leader to think of leadership styles only in the context of teams. Identify the team’s culture, select the leadership style that best fits the culture, and all will be well. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/to-be-natural-practice-incessantly/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/to-be-natural-practice-incessantly/ To be natural, practice incessantly. “Just act naturally,” you think before taking the stage. “Be yourself,” your mentor told you last week. Doesn’t that sound simple, common sense even? What does preparation have to do with acting natural? Gallo points out, “authenticity doesn’t happen naturally ((Gallo, pg. 76)).” Not just a couple tries in front of a bathroom mirror beforehand; his illustrative story is from a woman who spent four months in preparation and received feedback from over one hundred people, all for an eighteen minute speech ( (Gallo, pg. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/balance-is-journey-not-destination/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/balance-is-journey-not-destination/ Each individual has four core areas they must balance: spirituality, emotions, relationships, and body. Let one decline for any length of time and stress rises. Each influence one another, so that where there is balance in three the lop-sided area is easier to re-center, while the stress and influence of more than one can be life-altering. Take me for example. When I am listening for God’s voice and ingesting his words my emotions find expression in prayer, that I have more to offer others, and my body is less tense. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/dont-underpay-your-employees/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/dont-underpay-your-employees/ When the number of wage options is first listed to a crooked business owner, he may see many opportunities to take advantage of his workforce. Does he have a job which often exceeds forty hours per week? Make it a salaried position and cap the pay no matter the hours! Does he regularly need to pay overtime hours on Fridays to a subset of his business? Change the payday to Thursday and cut their hours short on Wednesday so they don’t exceed forty hours! https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/employees-need-communication-growth-recognition-and-trust/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/employees-need-communication-growth-recognition-and-trust/ What makes employees feel engaged at work? Answers range from the complex to the simple, but Kruze believes engagement can be distilled into four categories: Communication, Growth, Recognition, and Trust ((Kruse, pg. 23)). Employees typically favor one category over the other three, although some have the advantage to equally value two or more. The category an employee favors is the most important factor to the employee’s feeling of engagement in the workplace and, while all four should be present, this factor makes the greatest difference. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/managers-review-goals-give-praise-and-offer-redirects/ Sun, 01 Jul 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/managers-review-goals-give-praise-and-offer-redirects/ Think of traditional management. What comes to mind? Perhaps you remember the person in your company who tells you what to do next. Or a performance review given to you by a previous manager that outlined every mistake you made that year? Or the time you made a mistake and the manager’s angry response? Is this the role of a manager, to tell employees what to do, to let them know how poorly they did it, and to punish them for mistakes? https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/business-perspective-affects-the-poor/ Mon, 11 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/business-perspective-affects-the-poor/ As one walks from Ogilvie transportation center, just blocks away from the bustling center of downtown Chicago, one witnesses the heights of wealth and the depths of poverty. At every other corner sits a homeless person, begging for their day’s money. Above one’s head soar skyscapers of dizzying height, and people in suits and ties rush importantly through the corridors between. What might one think when a wealthy businessman strolls past the destitute woman begging for food? https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/societal-views-on-business-are-cyclical/ Mon, 11 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/societal-views-on-business-are-cyclical/ Prior to the 1970s, the American spot-light was on the successful, stable company and the loyal managers who supervised them. To work as a manager at Sears or General Motors was the dream job. You were the grease which made the machine go, and without which the engine would grind to a halt. There was meaning, stability, and certainty you’d retire well off as a long-standing employee of one of these stable firms (Micklethwait). https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/teams-excel-the-best-entrepreneur/ Mon, 11 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/teams-excel-the-best-entrepreneur/ Teamwork is more efficient than gaining all the skills an entrepreneur needs. Today is my company’s yearly user conference, where over 1,800 people from every law background come to hear the future direction of our software, interact with your team, and party till 3:00 a.m. I attended an event where the outside developers that build software on top of ours were given a roadmap of how kCura would work with them to build even better software moving forward. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/danger-signals-are-outside-customer-base/ Sat, 09 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/danger-signals-are-outside-customer-base/ When a corporation starts, its members rush to find customers, to meet their needs, to iterate, to create, to re-invent. As the business grows, they search for more customers with the problem their product/service solves. As their customer base expands, they tailor their solution to their customers needs. If their customers' needs change, they modify their product to match. One might think this cycle would continue forever. The slow, business-killing changes happen, not among one’s own customer base, but with those who are not even customers - the ‘noncustomer’ (Drucker, referenced by Krames, pg. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/debt-is-sometimes-wise/ Sat, 09 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/debt-is-sometimes-wise/ Lending money at interest is not inherently abhorrent to God. For example, Jesus tells a parable about a man who leaves money with his servants while he takes a journey. When the man returns from his journey, he berates the one servant who hid the money, telling him that he ought to have at least lent the money to the bank so he would receive interest. Conversely this means borrowing money at interest is not inherently wicked in God’s sight. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/compelling-vision-unites-employees/ Thu, 07 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/compelling-vision-unites-employees/ There’s an image that’s regularly referenced at my work. It is a large, hollow arrow with many smaller arrows inside. The arrows all point in different directions. Some are large, some thin; others are filled in; other colors, etc. This represents a business where the direction is unclear, and everyone pursues the direction they think is important. The large arrow isn’t likely to move far with all those internal directions pressing in disparate directions. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/vision-leads-to-profit/ Thu, 07 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/vision-leads-to-profit/ Owners that pursue vision beyond profit may find themselves profitable anyways. There’s a quote on our refrigerator about happiness. “Happiness is like a butterfly, the more you seek it, the more it flies away. But if you are still, if you seek something else, happiness may just rest upon your shoulder.” There’s a principle there that applies to business. The “Profit Paradox” (Williams, pg. 109) is an example. When companies pursue goals beyond profitablility, they often outperform other companies that placed all their vision in making money for their shareholders. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/convergence-is-a-startup-opportunity/ Thu, 07 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/convergence-is-a-startup-opportunity/ Convergence is the first opportunity a cross-cultural entrepreneur is likely to spot. Ramen Noodles-who hasn’t enjoyed them? Jokingly referred to as the student’s staple diet, they are a fantastic example of entrepreneurial convergence. Invented in 1958 in Japan, the noodle aquired it’s name from the Chinese, Within a decade it had expanded to many of its neighboring countries, to include: China, Korea, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand. There’s some diversity represented there, don’t you agree? https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/god-has-mercy-for-many-methods/ Thu, 07 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/god-has-mercy-for-many-methods/ God’s mercy encompasses a multitude of business perspectives and models. I am acquainted with Wayne Grudem from his Systematic Theology, and am thankful for his Bible-saturated insight into business topics. This week’s chapter on inequality of possessions was particularly fascinating, as inequality is a dynamic I was aware of in the Bible but have rarely heard practical application come from it. Without further explanation the chapter heading “Inequality of Possessions” would be pretty controversial in liberal Chicago (Grudem)! https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/owners-must-listen-to-help-the-poor/ Tue, 05 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/owners-must-listen-to-help-the-poor/ Several approaches have been taken to alleviate poverty. Medical backgrounds say if there was affordable healthcare the poor would be healthy enough to improve their standard of living. Psychology backgrounds say if there was access to mental health treatment the poor would overcome their debilitating fears, anxieties and depressions that hinder them from advancing beyond sustenance. Yet Polak and Warwick have a good point; are we assuming we know what the poor need, or are we actually asking them? https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/profitable-business-serves-the-poor/ Tue, 05 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/profitable-business-serves-the-poor/ In 2012 the World Bank estimated There are approximately 2.7 billion people below the poverty line (World Bank, referenced by Polak, pg. 36). This number is not equitably distributed across the earth, but is concentrated in certain areas of the earth: Africa, the Caucasus, and India. Neither is poverty a one-time problem that, once solved, need never come back. War, disease and natural disasters can all impact poverty across entire regions. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/transactions-create-value/ Tue, 05 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/transactions-create-value/ When a tailor makes a hand-made dress, she spends time and effort to make it special. The cost of the materials added to the cost of her time and expertise determine what the value of the dress is. Prior to the tailor’s labor, there were only raw materials, able to be sold at the same value as they were purchased. Yet the price she sells the dress for reflects not only the sum of the materials and labor that went into it, but also a margin for profit. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/pseudo-cultural-experience-does-not-build-cultural-intelligence/ Tue, 05 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/pseudo-cultural-experience-does-not-build-cultural-intelligence/ Pseudo-cultural experiences do not build cultural intelligence, and may give a false sense of assurance. As I meet people in Chicago I’m amazed how many have foreign travel experience. Europe, South America, Asia and more - I used to think world traveler was a unique title of mine. With international travel comes cultural experience, or so I thought. I was wrong. A trip to Cancun offers a poignant example. I had hopes of interacting with Yucatan people, eating local street food, and maybe even getting lost for a bit. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/non-profits-can-easily-explore-new-markets/ Tue, 05 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/non-profits-can-easily-explore-new-markets/ Non-profit organizations may be an underestimated entrepreneurial incubator. Building off my first entrepreneurial insight, the first two of Elkington and Hartigan’s models serves another niche in society - the creation of new markets. New markets are described as ‘emerging,’ which generates the image of an animal hiding in a dark hole. One may guess the size or type of the creature from the characteristics of the hole and surroundings, but certainty only comes after it has ‘emerged. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/non-profits-have-unique-markets/ Tue, 05 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/non-profits-have-unique-markets/ There are some markets only non-profits can reach. In my quest to discover ways to build a for-profit business with a quadruple bottom line, it can be easy to disdain the influence of non-profit organizations. Why would anyone run a non-profit organization when they might accomplish as much with a for-profit company, and retain more flexible control? To me, a non-profit organization is like a for-profit except that it has more financial restrictions and only a two or three point bottom line, i. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/humility-excels-confidence/ Tue, 05 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/humility-excels-confidence/ The long road of humility is better than the proud confidence our society esteems. Who doesn’t want to be confident? To never doubt that one has made the right choices; focused on the highest priorities. To be self-assured in one’s own ability; to face all problems with certainty of success. Confidence is heralded as a very great virtue; in business, sports, government and society the confident are highly esteemed. “They are confident because they are equipped, they are prepared, they are ready for challenges. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/corporate-growth-disperses-spiritual-foundations/ Sun, 03 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/corporate-growth-disperses-spiritual-foundations/ The title of the book this week is Soul at Work, but it’s definition of ‘soul’ is vague beyond application (Benefiel). The stories I can appreciate, but their business selections are too typical. A non-profit organization for the homeless with a heart in spirituality and non-violence? It’s more surprising to find a secular environment with the same purposes. The author’s most recognized selection, Southwest Airlines, is also notable for it’s lack of spiritual motive. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/heavenly-reward-makes-better-workers/ Sun, 03 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/heavenly-reward-makes-better-workers/ There is a surprising absence of writing about the saint’s heavenly activity. At times we catch a glimpse through the eyes of a shocked prophet so riveted on God he sees little else. However, a fascinating description of our heavenly activity is referenced in Jesus' parable about the faithful steward. There he promises an increase in responsibility for anyone who has been faithful on earth. And what constitutes this responsibility? “You shall have authority over ten cities. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/leaders-focus-on-strengths/ Sun, 03 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/leaders-focus-on-strengths/ Humble leaders spend considerable time observing and considering their people’s strengths. There is constant temptation to hide one’s weaknesses, and all the more as a leader. We want to bury our weaknesses until we can make them better; until we no longer feel incompetent around others who excel. The more important we view ourselves, the more pressing the need to be perfect in every area. This is in direct conflict with the beautiful and necessary characteristic of humility in leadership. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/perceived-motivation-affects-social-programs/ Fri, 01 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/perceived-motivation-affects-social-programs/ Due to the concentration of capital, experience and expertise in the corporation, it is uniquely suited to effect positive change among the people it serves. And so a broad-hearted owner may choose to funnel some of his company’s wealth into the common good. The British-owned Cadbury enriched the town where its factory was built with the construction of parks and the allotment of a garden to every employee (Micklethwait, loc 1407). https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/dominant-culture-affects-corporate-design/ Fri, 01 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/dominant-culture-affects-corporate-design/ ℹ️ The idea of the corporation is a seed which grows different flowers in diverse soils, and the wise entrepreneur will ask questions and temper expectations accordingly. Ride a rickshaw through any Indian city and you will discover, possibly with fear, that ‘commute’ means something different than in the United States. Jump on a subway in London and you’ll politely be asked to ‘mind the gap’. These are surface-level differences, but a host culture, like unique soil, will also sprout corporate expressions as different in their character and makeup as the nation itself differs from its neighbors. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/a-stunted-view-of-god-limits-imitation/ Fri, 01 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/a-stunted-view-of-god-limits-imitation/ A stunted view of God’s character limits our imitation of him. “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did” - John 8:39 From history class to daily news we are bombarded by messages of corporate abuse. Robber barons warn against the corruption of business ownership. The faceless brokers and investors who fueled the housing craze that deceived hundreds of thousands of lower income families into impossible mortgages give pause that our entire economy is rotten. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/jesus-identity-was-formed-by-the-hebrew-scriptures/ Fri, 01 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/jesus-identity-was-formed-by-the-hebrew-scriptures/ Jesus identity was formed by the Hebrew Scriptures Find a quote in Christopher Wright’s book. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/globalization-demands-leadership-integrity/ Fri, 01 Jun 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/leadership/globalization-demands-leadership-integrity/ The complexity of global economics emphasizes the need for business leaders of character. The world of business is rapidly becoming too complex to manage. The history of nation-states influence the rise and fall of economies in ways never before connected. Cabrera and Unruh mention the effect on the European Union’s (EU) currency by one of the EU’s smallest members ({cabrera-global}, loc. 279). Might global effects also be surmised from the chaos within Libya or the Syrian civil war? https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/cultural-collaboration-needs-insiders/ Tue, 05 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/cultural-collaboration-needs-insiders/ Globalized business demands more cultural wisdom than ever before, and the wise businessperson will seek the help of cultural insiders to negotiate effectively. Every culture views decisions differently. Collectivist cultures make decisions as a group, while Individualistic cultures make decisions alone, perhaps with input from others. When the two cultures come together, there can be miscommunication. Erin Meyer makes clear in her diagram that cultures can view decisions between two parties in opposing ways (Getting to Si, Ja, Oui, Hai, and Da. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/entrepreneurship-happens-in-existing-companies-too/ Tue, 05 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/entrepreneurship-happens-in-existing-companies-too/ An entrepreneur finds opportunity and captures what value he can, even if he’s working for an employer. The entrepreneur must take advantage of his present situation, looking for opportunities and capturing value as he can in the circumstances he finds himself. If he waits for the perfect opportunity, for a time when his time is entirely free for the task, he will wait forever. Stories of people who drop everything to pursue a million-to-one chance are a favorite of Americans. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/ventures-need-committed-partners/ Tue, 05 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/ventures-need-committed-partners/ Any venture that will capture value must have motivated, committed partners. When an entrepreneur spots an opportunity and has a burning motivation to implement a solution, that would seem to be all he would need. This is not so, for no one can be a one-man solution. At some point, all ventures need partners. What he does with this requirement may define his company for years to come. Choose investors who have money but lack your vision, and you may find them powerful resisters to the direction you want to go. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/corporation-definition/ Sun, 03 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/corporation-definition/ Corporation: a collection of individuals dedicated to a common profitable goal. The profitable corporation is relatively new in human history. The first, East India Company, was notorious both as a new invention and as a powerful entity distinct from the nation state. With the combined capital and influence of a quarter million people at its peak, it had the political power of a wealthy country. Its existence started and was maintained by one goal - to profit from controlled trade between India and Europe (The New Internationalist). https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/loss-of-social-meaning-drives-overwork/ Sun, 03 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/loss-of-social-meaning-drives-overwork/ There is an unprecedented loss of meaning in our culture. Family had been a source of meaning, but now people rarely live near their families, which are often both physically and emotionally distant. Religious identification has also suffered a decline, with religion identified with institutions and devoid of meaning. Even living in close proximity to other people no longer supplies a sense of meaning, as the life of one’s neighbor is as distant as the walls are close. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/outsiders-are-advantaged-in-cultural-intelligence/ Sun, 03 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/culture/outsiders-are-advantaged-in-cultural-intelligence/ The counter-cultural lifestyle is an advantage to one’s development of cultural intelligence. The navigation of cultural differences is a growing factor in today’s marketplace. Even cities, which have historically been centers of cultural diversity in America, now see every tier of business diversifying. Where leaders were once primarily white males, now recognized leaders come in every ethnicity and gender. Companies have overseas branches, and their business networks reach every nation. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/ease-suspicion-with-direct-contact/ Fri, 01 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/business/ease-suspicion-with-direct-contact/ Suspicion is a barrier to cross-cultural entrepreneurship. Many will not trust an outside venture until they hear reports from others in their own culture that it holds value for them. Even when some benefit from the business venture, interest will often build slowly. The entrepreneur, knowing acceptance of his business venture will take time, may choose to market his business to the whole population in hope that for some his business venture may be recognized as valuable. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/entrepreneurial-ability-is-more-than-creativity/ Fri, 01 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/entrepreneurial-ability-is-more-than-creativity/ Entrepreneurial success cannot be predicted on the basis of the entrepreneur’s creativity. Inventiveness is not a certain indication of entrepreneurial ability. Many of the well-known inventors: Da Vinci, Newton, Einstein, were able to see what no one else could. They designed machines or proposed ideas ahead of their time, ideas that would later become billion dollar enterprises. Yet they would not be the ones to create value for their communities from the ideas they generated, neither would they capture any of the benefit for themselves. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/felt-needs-are-startup-opportunities/ Fri, 01 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/entrepreneurship/felt-needs-are-startup-opportunities/ For a venture to be entrepreneurial, it must meet a felt need within a population. Many start-up companies are congratulated for their entrepreneurial spirit, and yet the majority of them never supply a good or service that meets a felt need. Sometimes this is because they have an idea that few if any feel is necessary; other times it’s due to a failure to execute the delivery of the idea to the people who need it. https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/expect-divine-strength-and-miracles/ Fri, 01 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/faith/expect-divine-strength-and-miracles/ Christians in business may expect divine strength and miracles to accompany their work. For many Christians there is a level of expectation that God’s presence and power will accompany their church services, evangelistic crusades, or prayer gatherings. Stories of God’s activity often begin with the words, “At church last Sunday,” or “at last week’s conference.” But when Monday comes, the average Christian appears to leave their God at home. When preachers address this disconnect between action and belief, they often exhort Christians to be a light in the darkness by adhering to a standard of moral perfection. https://alexbilson.dev/gardens/business/business-insights/ Fri, 01 Sep 2017 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/gardens/business/business-insights/ This is a curated garden of business insights. Like an English Walled Garden, I have spaced parts of the garden to peruse independently. A few plants are present in multiple sections of my garden. Faith-Mixed Insights loss of social meaning drives overwork heavenly reward makes better workers corporate growth disperses spiritual foundations transactions create value debt is sometimes wise business perspective affects the poor leadership begins and ends at home educate to make better servants god has mercy for many methods apostles and entrepreneurs share characteristics expect divine strength and miracles a stunted view of god limits imitation learn to lead now scheduled priorities are kept priorities pride strikes at the pinnacle of success love protects a business from employment violations leaders win by continually dying leaders face pivotal moments that define their purpose on earth judgment of others is aroused by shared behavior balance is journey not destination generosity evidences faith in gods provision holiness starts in the heart money is a cruel master generosity builds kingdom equity blessing is contingent on generosity bible meditation offers the highest business wisdom justice is more than absence of harm pivots demand more forceful response to disobedience freedom from comparison produces humility Entrepreneurial Insights encompass complex thought with diagrams entrepreneurial ability is more than creativity felt needs are startup opportunities corporation definition ventures need committed partners entrepreneurship happens in existing companies too perceived motivation affects social programs globalization demands leadership integrity non profits have unique markets non profits can easily explore new markets profitable business serves the poor owners must listen to help the poor vision leads to profit compelling vision unites employees convergence is a startup opportunity danger signals are outside customer base societal views on business are cyclical teams excel the best entrepreneur lean startups fit uncertain markets vanity metrics obscure true performance every venture needs a strong leader business discovery is uncomfortable startups produce models over solutions model validation can be part time innovate by model combination models make complex ideas sharable remote work supports global entrepreneurship remote workers blame themselves first job titles have unexpected consequences employment contract pitfalls retention depends on management growth dont underpay your employees benefits attract employees lean means efficient not alone love protects a business from employment violations employees have no privacy employees want their work to have impact companies need both innovation and maintenance employees need communication growth recognition and trust employee engagement definition compensating feedback happens when the root problem is not addressed process maps are tools for change flowcharts expose waste simplicity is empathetic customers want curation but ask for features reward managerial innovation customer contact builds empathy ownership encourages engagement use agile in uncertain environments lean startups live by the agile manifesto owners must prepare for crisis business is responsible for most tax collection indirect taxes tend to be regressive lean startups leverage tax deductions choose a corporate identity carefully only assets generate value accounting describes measurable value greed undermines a business accrual accounting is the most accurate use the balance sheet to monitor health use the income statement to refine value creation favor generosity over profit margin financial analysis raises operational questions understand how financial accounts are related interview for swift culling blessing is contingent on generosity accounting is both story and science adopt financial models with caution bible meditation offers the highest business wisdom globalize your business name consider sole proprietorship for a lean startup organizational injustice is systemic choose insurance with both analysis and imagination contracts are the arteries of business launch your business with an exit plan offer equity and power with utmost caution include worse case in the contract pay taxes and honor the government both investors and entrepreneurs need equal motivation read the term sheet control clause carefully entrepreneurs will be judged first partner with a venture capital firm with care investors are partners long after the contract is signed corporations can oppress millions Leadership Insights leaders focus on strengths humility excels confidence compelling vision unites employees globalization demands leadership integrity every venture needs a strong leader leadership growth requires vulnerability leadership begins and ends at home leaders develop over decades we need global leaders favor respect over positional authority leadership determines corporate size unteachable leaders are doomed leaders initiate relationships to be natural practice incessantly know and share your story learn to lead now employees want their work to have impact managers review goals give praise and offer redirects secure managers share their own tools leaders win by continually dying situational leadership applies to individuals and teams empathetic leadership follows the golden rule leaders face pivotal moments that define their purpose on earth ask individuals for feedback not groups leaders ask profound questions ask questions from a humble heart leaders hire at or below their own character ease into leading with questions decide who makes the final decision set high standards and show grace leadership books are not created equal set personal goals in public distribute mentorship among everyone foster trust with both performance and vulnerability define your team culture pivots demand more forceful response to disobedience leaders embody their core values Culture-based Insights ease suspicion with direct contact outsiders are advantaged in cultural intelligence cultural collaboration needs insiders dominant culture affects corporate design pseudo cultural experience does not build cultural intelligence convergence is a startup opportunity corruption threatens international investment we need global leaders empathy exposes cultural bias clever programs cant change culture culture shapes effective inquiry know when to mimick the host culture customer facing roles need higher cultural intelligence assessments are made from the lense of your culture communicate at the lowest cultural context high context culture is sometimes direct ease into leading with questions philosophy affects what arguments are persuasive define your team culture https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/software-optimization-spectrum/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/plants/technology/software-optimization-spectrum/ As Jan summarizes so beautifully, optimization is a spectrum. +++ author = “Alex Bilson” date = “2022-12-05 08:48:29” lastmod = “2022-12-05 08:49:04” epistemic = “plant” tags = [“optimization”,“clarity”,“efficiency”,“paradigm”] +++ At one end of the spectrum, the greatest value of optimization is first-time clarity. A solution which can be read and understood with common industry knowledge fits into this category. Most developers know right away what the getData method will do: https://alexbilson.dev/stones/bible/god-creates-the-heavens-and-the-earth/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/bible/god-creates-the-heavens-and-the-earth/ In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void(1), and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/bible/hear-obey-and-live/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/bible/hear-obey-and-live/ Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules—that the LORD your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, that you may fear the LORD your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/bible/hebrews/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/bible/hebrews/ Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe[1] by the word of his power[2]. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/bible/jesus-heals-a-crippled-man-near-the-sheep-gate/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/bible/jesus-heals-a-crippled-man-near-the-sheep-gate/ After this(1) there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate(2) a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids–blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years(3). When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed? https://alexbilson.dev/stones/bible/stay-joined-to-the-true-grapevine/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/bible/stay-joined-to-the-true-grapevine/ I am the true grapevine. My Father is the Vine Keeper. He cuts off the branches in me that have no fruit. He carefully trims back the branches with fruit, so they will grow more fruit. My teachings have purified you, but you must stay joined to me in the same way a branch is joined to the vine. A branch cannot grow fruit unless it is joined to the vine. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/bible/abram-sojourns-in-egypt/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/bible/abram-sojourns-in-egypt/ Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land. When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “I know that you are a woman beautiful in appearance(1), and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me, but they will let you live. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/bible/apostles-forbidden-to-teach-in-jesus-name/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/bible/apostles-forbidden-to-teach-in-jesus-name/ On the next day their (1) rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead–by him this man is standing before you well. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/bible/humanity-disregards-gods-wisdom-for-a-lie/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/bible/humanity-disregards-gods-wisdom-for-a-lie/ Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die. https://alexbilson.dev/stones/bible/melchizedek-blesses-abram/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/bible/melchizedek-blesses-abram/ After [Abram’s] return(1) from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High). And he blessed him and said, Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand! https://alexbilson.dev/stones/bible/rahab-preserves-israelite-spies/ Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000 https://alexbilson.dev/stones/bible/rahab-preserves-israelite-spies/ And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there. And it was told to the king of Jericho, “Behold, men of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.” Then the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who entereed your house, for they have come to search out all the land.