Tom Squared

I've answered this question in some form or another far more times than I care to count.  Most often it's a question of "why do I need a fancy Web application when I can just build this myself in two days in Access.  I mean, the data's already in Excel."  So I figured I'd post out what I threw together, I know I've missed some points. Overview Microsoft Access is an ideal solution for relatively small datasets and a limited number of users. From the Microsoft Web site: “As a desktop database, Access is well suited for small, departmental applications. These applications may start as one user’s project. For example, an employee realizes that productivity can be increased if a paper-based process is automated with an Access application. Other users in the department recognize that they can take advantage of the application if additional features are added. As more features are added, more employees run the application. As time goes by, more and more Access...

Why is it that when we're in school we write long papers that are only seen by the teacher/professor? I'm currently writing out my personal view of how to teach all the different ages in the church to grow a deeper relationship with God.  It's a paper stating my personal philosophy based on my experience and what I've learned in class.  What I wouldn't give to see what everyone else wrote as well to find things which I might have missed or ideas I hadn't considered. Why do we write papers that are essentially for ourselves and no one else?  How hard would it be to set-up some group which publicly shares the papers written for a class? Peace, +Tom

I've been in a very technical mood as of late.  There's something about starting a new project, putting together a new site, and doing things I've never done before. One of those things was to set up SQL Server 2005 Reporting Services so that we can easily integrate graphs and tables and drill-through reports.  It doesn't hurt that it comes free with SQL Server either.  So I set to installing SQL Server Reporting Services on my Vista laptop and begin developing reports.  Here's what I did and bits of advice. Set Up I previously had Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) installed (the hoops I jumped through for installing that are for another time), Visual Studio 2005, SQL Server 2005 Express and SQL Server Express Enterprise Manager. I decided to download SQL Server Express Advanced, which includes a stripped down Reporting Services engine.  I went through the install and . . . Report server wasn't an option for the install.  This was not a good s...

I wanted to follow on from my previous post about things just clicking in our brains and understanding comes.  I know this click phenomena comes into play with relationships and I think that flows into faith and a relationship with God. We spend our whole lives looking for people we can connect with.  When we find that friend we think we can understand, and who understands us, something just clicks.  A bond is formed between us and that other person.  We just understand each-other.  Even after years of being apart it becomes easy to come back together.  when the relationship is severed by one person hurting the other, that hurt may often come not from the deed, but from not being able to understand the actions of this person we thought we knew. The same is true of faith.  People are looking to understand.  They want to understand how this God can let people they love die.  They want to understand how this God can let someone be brutally a...

The way my brain works I often need to think about something for a while, often watching someone else or absorbing a picture before I really understand it.  But, once that understanding comes somehow I'm able to really get what's involved in making it happen and it seems like only serious practice is needed for me to get good at it. More often than not that insight and understanding comes in an instant.  My brain clicks into place and I almost want to shout out "I GET IT!" This morning I was watching a juggler on Sesame Street and as I watched him throw one object up just enough to pull the one in the air out of the way, my brain clicked.  I understand what's involved in juggling.  Not all the details, how gravity is involved, how to juggle chainsaws or anything, but I get juggling. The same was true of programming and computers.  Years and years ago something just clicked.  While college refined this even more to a 0 and 1 level, I understand what's inv...

I thought everyone had heard this by now, but I was in training and a bunch of people never knew the comment. So, here you go, share it wherever you see fit. In a bacon and egg breakfast, the chicken is involved but the pig is committed. Update: Seems a little more explanation may be in order. With a bacon and egg breakfast, the chicken is involved. Her eggs are taken to feed the people. The pig though, he's committed. Instead of taking something he produces, they take him and, uh, put him down, so that people can have their bacon. Peace, +Tom

I just came across this quote: There's no way to explain a miracle . . . For those who don't believe, no explanation is possible.  For those who do, no explanation is necessary. I shouldn't mention the source, but it's Trance from the TV show Andromeda. We spend a lot of time trying to explain miracles.  This quote though, I need to remember. Peace, +Tom

Most of the non-Christians I've met don't believe that the Bible is strictly true.  So why do we always use the Bible as factual evidence to prove the existence of God and Christ? I'm not saying that the Bible shouldn't be used to explain God or how to live.  I do think that it shouldn't be the only thing we use.  Thinking about this more though, I can understand why we do use the bible so much. For anyone who has accepted Christ, the bible is the place to look for answers and refresh our faith.  I do think Christians spend far too little time actually reading the bible.  While we definitely don't need to spout off bible verses at the drop of a hat (the more I'm in seminary the more I see people do this . . . I guess that makes them more faithful than I) we do need to understand what the bible says and try to see how it applies to our life. I talk to a lot of people who what to believe in God, or really do understand that He exists.  At the same time t...

I heard about this a few days ago and the more I read the more I love the idea.  Laptop.org has the simple vision of getting a laptop in the hand of every child in the world.  This is something I began thinking about a couple years ago, that having Internet access all over the world is a necessity for 3rd world countries to survive.  While many people argued that they a roof over their heads and food to eat first, I have to disagree somewhat.  Those things are critical to living.  At the same time, the Internet puts in their hands the ability to learn new ways of farming and building.  These guys have community done better than us Westerners can imagine.  Giving them more information than they've had before can change their world. There was even an Escape Pod podcast story about the impact this can make in Transcendence Express   by Jetse de Vries .  Here a teacher goes to a 3rd world country with her husband and begins introducing comp...

I came across the Which 'Hero' are you? quiz and figured I'd share.  In case you didn't know, there are some TV show's I'm completely addicted with ( Heroes , Battlestar Galactica , Dr. Who , Monk and Psych ).  Heroes is definitely near the top of that list for it's story and character development.  When given the opportunity to find my super power, you know I'll take it. Turns out I fail at getting super powers.  I'm Suresh, who has no discernable super power besides that he gets to talk during the opening and recap events.  I guess I'll have to live with the innate abilities the quiz says I already have.  Here's what it says: Your "power" is in your leadership and your ability to organize those around you.  You may not be able to fly or have incredible strength, but your great knowledge makes you a real superhero. Psh, I wanted to be able to bend time! Peace, +Tom