a broken mold

This discussion is provoked by and expands a little on what Nathaniel wrote in the last post. He related how we often respond, “Fine,” in answer to “How are you doing?” and how we tend in this way to hide behind a mask and fail to cultivate the sort of beneficial relationship and care for others that is healthy and biblical. So how do we be honest?

I just wrote a paper on Christians and deception, so I’ve thought this over a bit recently. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with saying “Fine,” in response to “How’re you doing?” especially when asked by, say, the grocery store clerk. Most people don’t expect any more than a one-word courtesy answer. But as of late, when any of my friends or acquaintances asks me how I’m doing, I tend to respond more thoughtfully. It may be “I’m pretty tired and unproductive. Hopefully today will be better. How are you?” Or, depending on the person and their interest in encouraging and exhorting me, I might share my struggles and ask for prayer.

There are two basic truths here: speak appropriately to the situation, and be concerned for the welfare of others. In my paper, I came to the conclusion that (shocker) it comes down to heart motives. For example, some falsehoods actually convey a more important truth, as God’s deception of his enemies communicates His justice and truth. When you say that you’d love to have someone over for dinner even though you inwardly chafe at the inconvenience, it communicates that you value their company and wish to bless them; this is as it should be, and there is no need to let them know about your moment of ungodly selfishness. You know better, deal with it, and prepare dinner in the right spirit.

That was rather long-winded, but I’m tired. What I’m trying to say is that the radical honesty approach has its good applications, and its flaws as well. Sometimes we most certainly should not tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

As to the second point, let us return to the grocery store example. Or coffee shop. As I mentioned, I have been being more thoughtful in my communications with others, say, when in line for coffee at Bucer’s. (Bucer’s is a Moscow coffee shop, where I get lots of schoolwork done. Really, I do.) But sometimes they weren’t really looking for more than “I’m good,” and sometimes it’s just inconsiderate to dump your stress on someone else. The point is, in your openness and communication, be sure you are seeking to “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” (Eph. 4:29).

Which brings us to what Nat said about finding out what’s happening with others. It can be difficult when they think you’re asking a trite question, but I’ve witnessed many examples of friends showing a sincere interest in the other’s welfare, and it really isn’t that hard to do. When you respond honestly and show an interest in others in your daily conversations, others notice and it benefits everyone. Encourage and sharpen one another (Prov. 27:17).

To wrap up: parents, messy lives, and God. As painful as it can be, I believe it is always best to talk to your parents and work things out. It makes your relationship stronger and enables growth as Christians. Parents are the first sphere of authority set in place by God, and they love you. And life is short. Don’t let relationships fall apart and erode. Don’t let the distance grow. Lives are messy, both ours and others’. Paul wrote as the “chief of sinners” to some new-Testament Christians with terribly messy lives, but God draws straight with crooked lines. Within covenant and communion, we have already overcome the wicked one. Sanctification is a process, but the battle is, in one sense, over.

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” — 1 Peter 5:6-11

Running DOS games is hardcore. Not, admittedly, as hardcore as text-based games, but up there. Unfortunately, in the last several iterations of the Windows operating system, DOS support has been provided only by emulation, and not at all on 64-bit systems.¹ Your hardware configuration also determines how choppy/way-too-fast your game will render. How then, shall we play DOS games? Enter DOSBox.

You can check it out and get the link from our Recommended Software List. Once you’ve installed it, this is to help you how to customize DOSBox so it doesn’t have an annoying console window running in the background, and set it up for your DOS games folder, so you don’t have to mount it every time.

Simply create a shortcut to the .exe file, and then right-click on the shortcut, select ‘Properties,’ and edit the end of the ‘Target’ entry to include -noconsole -c “mount c ‘c:\DOS Games\’”. Replace C:\DOS Games with whatever directory is your games folder.

Note that you will still need to mount C: first by typing “C:” without quotes and hitting Enter. It should already be in your DOS directory due to our above hack. To install a game, open the zip archive or folder and run setup.exe or any other setup file if there is one. If everything is already extracted and ready to rock, you can simply navigate to that folder from within DOSBox, and run the game executable (e.g. keen4.exe).

To control the game speed, Ctrl+F7/8 lowers and raises the Cpu Cycles, and Ctrl+F11/12 lowers and raises the Frameskip. For more help getting things running and learning commands, type “intro” without quotes into the prompt and hit Enter.

Happy DOS gaming!

Useful Tips

Change XP Start Menu Text

Follow these steps to change your start menu text from the default ’start’ to whatsoever you may desire. First you’ll need to download and run Resource Hacker.

1. Within Resource Hacker, navigate to C:\Windows\explorer.exe and open it.

2. Expand the String Table folder and you should see a bunch of numbered folders.

3. Expand number 37 (or 38 for Windows Classic theme) and click on 1033 with the little gear next to it. In the right panel, replace the text ’start’ with anything you want. I changed mine to ’stop.’

4. Click on the ‘Compile Script’ button.

5. If you want to change the text that appears when you hover over the start button, expand folder 34 and change the default ‘Click here to begin’ to something like ‘Click here to get real!’ Compile changes.

6. You can also change the Windows icon on the start button to something else while you’re at it. First, collapse the String Table folder and expand Bitmaps at the top of the list.

7. Open 143 and click on 1033, where you’ll find the default Windows icon. To replace this you will need a 25×20 image with a .bmp extension.

8. Go to ‘Actions’ in the file menu and click on ‘Replace bitmap,’ then browse to your replacement file. Select it and hit ‘Replace.’

9. You are now ready to save your work. Go to ‘File’ and select ‘Save as’. Save it as something other than explorer.exe, such as hammertime.exe (mine) or explorerhack.exe.

10. Now to modify the Registry so your system uses the hacked file instead of the default explorer.exe. Open the Run dialogue (Win+R) and type ‘regedit’ without quotes. Hit Enter.

11. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon, and in the right pane you should see the entry ‘Shell.’ Double click on this and replace the text ‘explorer.exe’ with the name of your hacked file.

12. Close the Registry Editor and log out. Log back in and you should be set! Enjoy.

Here’s my end result:

N.B. from TheElderGeek.com:

A number of users have written to say that when the text on the Start Button is changed, the Search function from the Start Button (right click) context menu ceases to function. That’s true, it does, and if I ever used that particular function I’d have been aware of the problem. I don’t use it, so I wasn’t aware, but now you’ve been warned. As far as I know there are no other caveats associated with the modification.

(Re)Enable Task Manager

If for some reason, virus or otherwise, your Task Manager has been disabled, open ‘regedit’ in the Run dialogue (Win+R). Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System\DisableTaskMgr, and make sure it’s set to 0.

Lock Workstation Shortcut

Sometimes you don’t want to have to hit Ctrl+Alt+Del and click ‘Lock Computer’ in order to lock your workstation. Sure, you could use Win+L, but maybe those features are disabled on your *cough* school network. At any rate, here’s a cool way to make a shortcut on your desktop that does just that.

1. Right-click on your desktop, select New and Shortcut.

2. In the location field, type “rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation” without quotes.

3. Name it whatever you want (Lock Workstation, for example) , and you can give it a cool lock icon from shell32.dll (see below).

shell32.dll

Speaking of which, shell32.dll may be copied between Windows versions (rename as shell32xp.dll or something to distinguish it), allowing you to use the XP icon resources for Vista, or some other combination. To use one of these icons for a shortcut, just right-click, go to Properties and Shortcut, then Change Icon. Click on Browse and navigate to C:\Windows\system32\shell32.dll, or shell32xp.dll for your new icons.

Fun Pranks

Change Icon to Shutdown

This simple prank changes an icon so it shuts down the computer. This can of course be useful, but is best for changing an icon someone usually uses to surprise them (lol). Right-click on the desktop, select New>Shortcut, and type C:\Windows\system32\shutdown.exe -s -t 60 -c “A deadly virus has taken control of your computer.” The 60 denotes seconds until shutdown, and can be replaced with a different value. The text in quotes is a message that accompanies the shutdown command, and it can also be replaced with something of your choice, like “kthxbai.” Alternatively, you can omit the -c parameter and text and set the -t value to 0 for a clean, instant shutdown. Very effective. Oh yeah, and if you should need to cancel the shutdown, hit Win+R and type “shutdown -a” without quotes.

Remove Shutdown from Start Menu

If someone uses the Shutdown option from the Start Menu to shut down their computer, you can throw them for a loop by removing it with a simple registry edit. Open the Registry editor and navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer and double click on the ‘NoClose’ entry in the right pane. If it’s not there, right-click and select New>DWORD Value, naming it NoClose. Set the value to 1 to disable the Shutdown button. It doesn’t actually remove it, but it won’t work – even more frustrating. To re-enable, change the value back to 0.

Print Screen Desktop Prank

The classic old standby.

1. Take a print screen (Prnt Scrn key) of the plain desktop and save it in an image editor such as MS Paint. Then set it as the desktop background.

2. Right-click on the desktop, select ‘Arrange icons by,’ and uncheck ‘Show desktop icons.’

3. Finally, right-click on the Taskbar and uncheck ‘Lock the Taskbar’ (if it’s checked). Click on the top edge and drag the Taskbar down as far as it will go. The desktop now looks normal, but is quite unusable.

Virus.bat

Simply type “start virus.bat” without quotes in a text file. Save it as virus.bat. Opening this will start an endless loop that will bog down and basically crash the computer. You can, however, try to kill the processes in Task Manager or log out to recover your system.

Notes From The Tilt-A-Whirl: Wide-Eyed Wonder in God’s Spoken World by N.D. Wilson is a wild ride. To be fair, the preface warns the reader with such injunctions as “This book does not go straight,” and “I’ve forgotten to include seat belts, and I don’t know where I left the liability waivers.”

The narrative weaves erratically through reflections on philosophy, quantum physics, wasp villains, and Shakespeare in a stream-of-consciousness format. Interspersed throughout are meteorological observations, insights on everyday life, and stories from the kingdom Animalia. “Have you ever heard a rabbit scream?”

In the chapter titled “The Problem of Evil and the Nonexistence of Shakespeare,” Mr. Wilson deals with the sobering reality of evil. God is the great Artist, and there is black paint in the world. “How can this Artist be good?” The Christian apologetic is presented here in a rambling, poetic style influenced by C.S. Lewis and G.K. Chesterton, and the result is truly a work of art. Notes From The Tilt-A-Whirl is different; it reads with a unique style that well captures the depth and vibrancy of creation, and being thought-provoking while at it. I highly recommend this book, and I think every Christian should read it.

Note (no pun intended) that Mr. Wilson employs a few words that some might find offensive. For some thoughts on Christians and what might be called “strong” language, check out these older blog posts here and here.

True to the title, Notes From The Tilt-A-Whirl takes the form of notes from life, expressing the wonder of God’s world. God’s spoken world. One theme that runs through the book like a thread (and there are many) is that of words. Everyone is given a part in God’s story.

“Our Maker waits. He would have a conversation. What words will we have? We need only one, the One who spoke us.”

Avira

Two quick things today. First, a tip on how to disable the splash screen and annoying popup “nag” screen on Avira Free AntiVir version 9. To get rid of the splash and nag screens, just follow the instructions here. You can also disable the little update notifier following these instructions. As an aside, this section of the title was loosely derived from a Grand Stream Dreams blog post on Taming AVG Free version 8.

Linux

Next, switching to console mode, a useful tool for Linux users. While it is usually preferable to use some form of GUI for general computing tasks, there are times, even if you’re not running a specialized server or recovering a corrupted machine, when a simple comand-line interface would come in exceedingly handy. You can, of course, open a terminal window to get a text interface, which is great for quickly and efficiently running powerful commands, while looking and feeling hardcore. The advantage here is that you can open other windows and continue using the GUI. However, there are times when a program crashes or the GUI freezes, and dropping to console mode acts as the equivalent of the Windows Task Manager. This can be easily accomplished with the shortcut key Ctrl+Alt+F1, with F1-F6 opening separate terminal instances. You can then terminate the offending program or restart the X server, and return to the GUI with Ctrl+Alt+F7.

Further reading here.

For Christmas, I thought I’d post the lyrics to “a Stick, a Carrot & String,” a profound and poetic Christmas song by mewithoutYou. Incidentally, I seem to have had the same post idea as this guy. Merry Christmas!

The Horse’s hay beneath His head
our Lord was born to a manger bed,
that all whose wells run dry
could drink of His supply.

To keep Him warm the Sheep drew near,
so grateful for His coming here:
You come with news of grace,
come to take my place!

The Donkey whispered in His ear:
Child, in thirty-some-odd years,
You’ll ride someone who looks like me (untriumphantly).

While the Cardinals warbled a joyful song:
He’ll make right what man made wrong,
bringing low the hills,
that the valleys might be filled!

Then Child, asked the birds,
well, aren’t they lovely words we sing?
The tiny Baby lay there without saying anything.

At a distance stood a mangy Goat
with crooked teeth and a matted coat,
weary eyes and worn,
chipped & twisted horns.
Thinking: Maybe I’ll make friends some day
with the Cows in the pens and the Rambouillet,
but for now I’ll keep away -
I got nothin’ smart to say.

But there’s a sign on the barn in the Cabbagetown:
When the rain picks up and the sun goes down,
Sinner, Come Inside! With No Money, Come and Buy!
No clever talk nor gift to bring
requires our lowly, lovely king,
come, all emptyhanded, you don’t need anything!

And the night was cool and clear as glass
with the sneaking Snake in the garden grass,
as Deep cried out to Deep, the Disciples fast asleep.

And the snake perked up when he heard You ask:
if You’re willing that this cup might pass
we could find our way back home,
maybe start a family all our own…
but does not the Father guide the Son?
Not my will but Yours be done!
What else here to do?
What else me but You???

And the snake who’d held the world,
a stick, a carrot and a string, was crushed
beneath the Foot of Your not wanting anything.

YouTube link.

So I recently purchased a new knife, having unfortunately lost my previous one out raking leaves on the same day, ironically, that I lost my wallet, keys, and cell phone… but that’s another story.

My last knife was a CRKT M16-13Z, which was a pretty decent knife. You can find a good review of it here. The only thing I’d add is to say that I found the clip somewhat less than satisfactory. The black paint wears off pretty quickly, at least with the kind of wear I put it through. Worse still, the three little screws that hold it on are placed in a short line or arc, and the leverage of being in my pocket as I move throughout the day would loosen them significantly. I did use Loctite® on them a few times, but it only helped partially. This did nothing to help the fact that the clip is a bit small for the knife in the first place. So not the greatest clip, but all in all a good knife — beefy and tactical, and I really liked the “flipper” opening mechanism. But now, on to the feature presentation.

My new knife is the CRKT Drifter, a budget offering of surprisingly good quality from Columbia River Knife and Tool. You can find several good video reviews on YouTube, such as this one.

At the risk of being redundant, however, I’ll reiterate the main points of interest, as well as give my personal impressions. First off, as I mentioned, the knife is affordable; pricing runs from around $18 to $25 on most retail websites. Its weight is 2.4 oz, meaning it’s easy to forget you’re carrying it. Nevertheless, it still feels quite sturdy, which brings me to build quality. The knife handle scales are made of G10, an extremely durable, lightweight material. From the Benchmade website:

G10: An extremely durable makeup of layers of fiberglass soaked in resin, then highly compressed and baked. Impervious to moisture or liquid and physically stable under climate change. Most commonly black, but is available in various colors, too.

Besides being surprisingly light and rugged, the handles are also nicely checkered for grip. The M16-13Z I previously mentioned had Zytel plastic scales, which give more grip in extreme conditions than stainless steel or titanium, but they were also thicker and heavier. These G10 scales accomplish the same thing without the thickness or weight. So, those are good, if you hadn’t got the idea. Moving on.

The blade is 2.875 inches long and made up of 8Cr14MoV steel, which is comparable to AUS8. In other words, it’s a high-quality (especially for the price) blade with good hardness and edge retention. Have a look at this steel chart for a more technical breakdown. The volcano-shaped thumb studs work very nicely, and the blade flicks open with ease. This is largely due to the Teflon and what looks like Phosphor Bronze bushings, both low-friction materials that make for a very smooth deployment. The top of the blade and the liner lock at the choil area have minor jimping, but this knife is decidedly more of an EDC (Every Day Carry) knife than a tactical model. Oh, and I like the blade shape… kind of understated and attractive. The liner lock is solid and holds the blade rigidly in place. Like the M16-13Z, the liner incorporates a little knob that corresponds to a divot on the base of the blade, meaning the blade snaps firmly shut, and requires a bit of pressure to flick open; this is a nice feature because it keeps the blade from coming open easily in a pocket or backpack. However, the Drifter does lack the LAWKS system found on many CRKT models, and even a good liner lock like this may fail under extreme torque. Again, EDC, not tactical.

Finally, the pocket clip. This is, in my opinion, one of the real strong points of the knife. Going back again to the M16-13Z, this is another area where the Drifter wins out. For a knife that CRKT markets at $60, twice the price of the Drifter, one might expect AUS8 steel instead of AUS6, Teflon *and* Phosphor Bronze Bushings, G10 scales, and a decent pocket clip. Don’t get me wrong, I like the M16 series, but the Drifter really has something going. (It does have a couple of down points too, but I’ll get to those in a minute.)

CRKT Drifter Pocket Clip

As you can see from this picture, the clip is securely mounted with three screws around the pivot screw. Furthermore, the triangular arrangement of the screws provides a much stronger bracing against day-to-day tension and leverage. To be fair, I should mention that the clip is not adjustable, so if you are left-handed or favor a tip-up carry, you may prefer something like the Spyderco Tenacious. But for a knife in this price range, you can’t expect everything, and the Drifter does quite well on most counts. I described above the shortcomings of my M16-13Z on this point, and I’m pleased to say the Drifter nails it. This clip is awesome.

Having said that, I suppose I should get to the cons, few though they are. Firstly and most importantly, the gray satin finish on the blade is something less than rugged. Maybe I’m just rough on blades, but for an EDC knife like this, I shouldn’t have the finish wear off under relatively mild abrasion. Granted, other stainless or bead-blasted blades I’ve had got scratched up after so much hard usage, but after a month this blade has a number of scratches where the satin finish has worn off, which is somewhat annoying. My input? Go with a bead-blasted finish, CRKT. And secondly — well, I guess this isn’t really a con — flicking this blade open or holding it for normal use, the knife doesn’t even fill my whole hand. The handle is 3.625 inches, which in comparison to the M16-13Z at 4.75 inches is definitely on the petite side. Then again, for a lightweight EDC knife I don’t guess it’s such a bad thing… it just feels weird when aggressively flicking it open.

So there you have it. In summary, the CRKT Drifter is an excellent-value, lightweight, rugged, liner-locking EDC knife with a quality blade and smooth deployment. I love the shape and feel of the whole knife, and definitely recommend this one.