Category: Culture

  • Best of the Web Directory Promo Code

    If you want to get 20% off your directory listings on Best of the Web (www.botw.org), use promo code BEACHBUM on Best of the Web! BOTW is still one of the best directories out there. If you haven’t submitted your site yet, do it today!


  • Safari for Windows is a Good Idea?

    That’s a question, not a statement. I was all excited by the prospect of faster download time, so I jumped at the opportunity to try the Safari 3 BETA. I tried Google first (of course), and all was well. I typed in CultureFeast.com, and the site looked good. By this time, I think to myself, I should blog about this! Safari rocks!

    I log into my WordPress dashboard and click Write Post only to find that my CMS is all jacked up!!! The title and post fields are tiny and hiding down in the right hand sidebar below the fold. What the heck? WordPress isn’t Safari-friendly? Seriously?

    Talk about a buzz kill. I’m back in Firefox just so I could comfortably write this complaint.


  • “The Secret” vs Christian Faith

    How does The Law of Attraction apply to Judaism and Christianity? A proclaimed universal principle does not corroborate other faiths. "Your thoughts become things." A thought has a frequency, and that frequency is transmitted on a consistent basis. Whether it's magnetic or some other compelling force, the law is that like attracts like. It can sound like a convoluted mess.

    Some might say that disciplined thoughts seem to draw similar realities because focused thoughts steer our actions and lead us to accomplish what we want. They would say that disciplined thinking is more about removing the hindering lies that keep us from pursuing a truth or desired result. The Secret tells us to think and speak about what we want, rather than what we don't want.

    It seems like such a meaningless shade of difference between "I don't want to be poor" and "I want to be rich." Most of us think that these are the same thought. We don't even consider how words or thoughts of negation affect our attitudes every single day.

    While it is possible to find a thread of similarity between the Bible and The Secret, this is also true of most every religion in existence. A thread of similarity implies nothing. The Bible makes it very clear that God is the source of blessing, not us. It does call us into account, however. Each person is responsible to think on good things and to ask their heavenly Father for the desires of their heart.

    The Secret has absolutely nothing to do with God, per se. You are essentially sending out a signal into the universe every time you say or think something positive, which will echo back to you with blessing somehow. Where does it come from? Who knows. The whole point is that you make it happen.

    Many disgruntled Christians have looked into The Secret in hopes of finding the answers to getting what they want. Unless you want a Joel Osteen lifestyle, you won't find enough common ground between Christianity and The Secret.  


  • Online Self Promotion is the Path to Success

    Neil Patel recently stated in his blog post about personal branding that online self promotion is the way to make more money. He claims that in six short months of “personal branding”, he received job offers increased from $100k to $325k. Interestingly enough, I didn’t notice him mentioning how he arrived at the point of receiving $100k job offers. It’s my guess that there’s a little more than personal branding involved there. And once you have arrived at a certain point, it’s easy to imagine that a little reputation management is all you need to make it to the upper echelons of the business world.

    However, I would like to see someone sitting in their living room with a laptop and something to say get busy and manage to build their personal brand in a year, much less six months, to the point of receiving a $325k job offer. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but I’m betting that success involves a combination of luck and genius. Not that I’m calling Patel a genius. I’ll give him credit for making a name for himself.

    Ironically, Patel’s post didn’t give any inclination that he was seriously considering any of these job offers. Which brings me back to another point: there are too many people out there writing and commenting on blogs who like to tell everyone how much money they’ve turned down. They think that by writing these things they will convince us all of their worth and that somehow someone will actually offer them that much money or more. I’m hoping that no one is actually that foolish.


  • Lennard Darbee Radio Sermons Coming Soon

    As some of you know, Lennard Darbee was my grandfather. He had his flaws for sure, but his radio show and traveling healing ministry reached hundreds of thousands over the span of his lifetime.

    I received the remaining print and audio materials from his ministry after he and my step grandmother both died. I am amazed by the paper saving abilities of that man! He wrote sermon notes on the back of every conceivable advertisement, napkin, church bulletin, and unused letter.

    I’ve had these materials for eight years now, and it’s time they were put to more efficient use. That’s why I will be opening a new website to make streaming audio and/or downloadable versions of his radio sermons available to the public. It will take me some time to make them all available, seeing as there are hundreds of them.

    A donation button will be located on the site. Please feel free to contribute whatever you feel is appropriate to assist me in the time and effort it will take to make these sermons and other materials available to the public.

    Look for it soon at LennardDarbee.com!


  • My First Book is in the Works

    It’s true… It’s in the works. I announced this to my friends and family a few months ago on MySpace, but I thought I’d go ahead and mention it here. I’ve given myself until January of next year to complete this book, though God knows I’d love to finish early and start shopping it around.

    The hardest part of writing a book is not the actual writing. Not even close. The hardest part of writing is narrowing down the topics to one final storyline or topic. There are so many possibilities. Some are only substantial enough to be short stories. Others require more life experience before the subjects are approached.

    I’m not going to give away any details just yet. One must properly exercise the art of The Tease in order to woo the public. Or so I’ve heard. After a year and a half blogging here on CultureFeast, it was time to move to the next level. Blogging is nice, and I will continue to post my randomness here. It doesn’t pay the bills, however, because I’m not OCD enough to blog 10 times a day on one topic in order to draw readers to click on my AdSense or other blog ads.

    I’m excited about this venture because it is something I’ve talked about and toyed with these past ten years. I’ve even despaired to the point of eternal surrender upon realizing that I’d already lived longer than John Keats without a single shred of literary accomplishment to my name. Then again, I should be grateful for not dying at a young age, so there is that.


  • False Christ Causing Waves in Orlando

    Dr. Jose Luis De Jesus Miranda, a 61 year-old Puerto Rican, is claiming to be the second coming of Jesus Christ. Get real. A recovering heroine addict and an ex-con? Seriously?

    Despite his outlandish claims that millions of followers and 30 countries acknowledge him as god, only 100,000 followers can be verified by the press. But do the numbers really matter? Sure, a number in the millions would be more likely to cause some people to pause and consider why so many have believed. But this guy is far from the image of the Son of God. It’s more than laughable. It’s “Springer does religion”.

    I heard a televised statement made by Miranda this morning. His exact words were: “Jesus of Nazareth, on a scale of 1 to 10, he’s a 2. I’ve performed many many more miracles.”

    Wonderfully unfounded and unproven. And honestly, even if he people were healed around him, that is no verification of godhood.

    Scripturally speaking, this is just a case of yet another false christ. He tries to undo the Scriptures and start from scratch.

    God is not mocked. Wait and see what happens.


  • The Downsides of Writing About Anything Spiritual

    Call it spiritual… call it religious… call it whatever you like. The truth is, a weblog not set apart as faith-based from the beginning will usually take a massive reduction in traffic for writing about religion. People want the cool, bleeding edge news and gossip and technology without the morals or the history of the Church.

    At CultureFeast, we’re not afraid to discuss our religious views. Anyone who doesn’t want to read what is written here doesn’t have to return. We’d love you to have you back, though.

    This site will continue to confound those who demand a theme-based blog. Sorry, random thoughts is how we roll. One day it’s sports, then mortgage, then spirituality, then it’s talking about the next bastard politician.

    Stick around! We want your feedback. Disagree with us. Argue with us. It doesn’t matter. Just keep it respectable.


  • Medical Imaging Software in the News

    In Radiology News, Medicexchange.com announced that their directory of medical imaging software is expanding to include radiology software from various companies. The continued creation and accessibility of medical imaging software provides doctor’s with the ability to provide better care for patients. Medicexchange is contributing to this endeavor with the further expansion of its medical software directory to include radiology-related products. Free trial downloads are available, allowing doctors the ability to sample software before making a purchase.

    In the past, radiologists had very limited options for software and prices were outrageously high. A medical imaging software directory like the one at medicexchange.com levels the playing field and makes affordable software options more accessible. Potential benefits for the public include more thorough patient care and less overhead for doctors to build into pricing. Here’s the official press release:
    Medicexchange Announces Expansion of Radiology Product Directory

    Radiologists’ need for greater choice in medical imaging software continues to be met by Medicexchange with the recent expansion of the exclusive Medicexchange digitally-downloadable medical imaging product directory.

    Medicexchange is adding new imaging software weekly and the product directory now includes leading radiology software such as Orthocrat’s TraumaCAD allowing surgeons to develop a pre-operative surgery plan via clinical manipulation of digital orthopedic images, Confirma CADstream software to improve efficiency, access, standardization and compatibility in breast MRI, through to the latest version of eFilm Workstation, the powerful desktop diagnostic imaging software.

    It is now possible to browse products by specialty, modality or software type and each product page now includes a wealth of supporting product and clinical information and related radiology news. The product directory now covers modalities from CT to ultrasound, across specialties from cardiac to musculoskeletal, making it easy for imaging professionals to find exactly what they are looking for.

    The product directory also contains free trial downloads of many products to allow radiologists to try before they buy on Medicexchange. To ensure radiologists are given the best service possible, all users of Medicexchange are provided with free support.

    A radiologist puts the case for the new product directory clearly in a recent Foster & Sullivan report: “What OEMs charge us for software is out of this world – thousands of pounds for one piece of software that can only be used on one terminal – so to have it available on the internet would be great. You’d have more freedom of choice and I’m sure prices wouldn’t be so extraordinarily high.”

    “One-stop-shop (online) access to multiple software solutions offered at cost-effective pricing is increasingly perceived by radiologists to answer their rapidly-evolving software needs,” suggests the White Paper’s authors.

    About Medicexchange:

    Medicexchange.com is an online sales and information channel providing diagnostic, treatment and surgery planning solutions for breast, cardiac, musculoskeletal, abdominal-pelvic, thoracic and neuro imaging from a range of medical software companies. The site provides these solutions in a low-cost, on-demand and digitally-downloadable format for medical imaging professionals, providing access to information and products that are traditionally difficult to access.

    Medicexchange.com is owned and operated by Medicexchange Plc. Medicexchange Plc is a subsidiary company of MGT Capital Investments, Inc. Product and company information can be found on www.mgtci.com. Stock symbol: MGT.

    * This is a sponsored post


  • Busiest Friday on Record

    I’m not sure how it’s all going to get done. I guess that’s why I’m typing at 6am. Gotta get a jump on things today. I have an article to write, pages for the new company website to write, and three other projects to finish today. Yeah… this is DEFINITELY a Starbucks day.

    I’m hoping Aaron has a chance to pop over to Las Colinas and join me for lunch. We’re “in talks” about a service swapping deal where I get professional lawncare and he gets SEO / blog services. We’ll work it out to be fair, don’t worry. He’s only been one of my closest friends for nearly thirteen years.

    … At the office now… I’ll try to post something worth reading over the weekend. It’s been a busy month.