Dan Archer

"What if, in the same way the sun feeds plants, God’s glory gives us life? What if our value..."

Sun, 28 Aug 2011 22:35:51 +0100

“What if, in the same way the sun feeds plants, God’s glory gives us life? What if our value only exists because God takes pleasure in us?”

- Donald Miller, in his book ‘Searching for God Knows What’

Leaders as Culture Creators

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 11:52:42 +0100

Leaders as Culture Creators

It’s a shame some people hit post just after step three....

Thu, 19 May 2011 23:30:16 +0100

It’s a shame some people hit post just after step three. It doesn’t really help anyone.

Android - Is it just a means to an end?

Fri, 06 May 2011 17:30:05 +0100

I read this article on Gizmodo the other day. It got me thinking as to whether the argument holds up.

Now it is obvious that Android gives Google a massive platform for using its AdSense & AdWords services, as well as pointing people toward making Google.com searches, which all make them money.

And of course, if in the process of making money for themselves it takes market share away from companies in competing markets, which is true for Android (think Windows Phone and its Bing search, iOS and its iAds platform) that’s a bonus.

But is it fair to say that for Google, Android is just a defensive measure taken to keep control of the mobile marketing space? I think not. From what I have seen, Google like to innovate, create, and improve. I may be being too optimistic, but could Android be a prodect motivated from a genuine desire to improve the market for smartphones, that has subsequently proven to be a very viable model for business.

Now of course, being a very smart bunch of people, Google must have seen the potential for it’s ability to generate revenue, I’m not denying that. I just wonder if this is a sort of chicken and egg situation - the two go hand in hand. The better an option Android is for the people, the more it is adopted, and the more it is adopted, the more it beings in for Google.

Product without a business strategy? Not at all. It is an unusual business strategy, but then, Google had a very unique situation to be able to link it’s existing markets like that, and took that opportunity.

Anyway, they are my thoughts, I realise this isn’t my area of expertise, but I don’t like to think that all business decisions like this are born out of pure greed.

You are a creative genius (or could be)

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 19:17:08 +0100

You are a creative genius (or could be) :

This makes some good points, though I think it is still important to realise where your creativity lies (as in, what field).

Is Bad Sound A Sin? - Pro Sound Web

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 21:38:29 +0100

Is Bad Sound A Sin? - Pro Sound Web:

I don’t know where to start with this, the logic is all sorts of strange.

Rob Bell: Universalist, Or Man Who Thinks About Things?

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 23:57:07 +0000

Rob Bell: Universalist, Or Man Who Thinks About Things? :

This blog article is one of those that both saddens and encourages me. Oh, and publishers are still just trying to make money, some things haven’t changed.

Apple Keynotes summed up in one sentence, brilliant! via...

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 17:30:08 +0000

Apple Keynotes summed up in one sentence, brilliant!

via www.thedoghousediaries.com

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 17:30:07 +0000

via www.thedoghousediaries.com

Why You Learn More Effectively by Writing Than Typing

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 17:30:07 +0000

Why You Learn More Effectively by Writing Than Typing:

This is kind of interesting, but I get a feeling most people thought this was the case already.

Why my church rebelled against the American Dream – CNN Belief Blog

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 17:30:06 +0000

Why my church rebelled against the American Dream – CNN Belief Blog:

I hope this article describes a change that is not just an isolated case.

Lyric of the week

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 19:31:43 +0000

This week my favourite track has been Michael Jackson’s Will You Be There. The lyrical theme of the song is an interesting one, especially when put in context by the opening section of the song, a snippet from Beethoven’s ninth, and a part of the famous Ode to Joy. Here, the German lyrics heard translate to

Do you bow down, millions?
Do you sense the Creator, world?
Seek Him beyond the starry canopy!
Beyond the stars must He dwell.

Which obviously makes for an interesting start, not a particularly typical start to one of his songs. The rest of the song seems to play out as a dialogue between man and God, which I find interesting. There too many words to paste in here (without being obnoxious, at least), so you can check them out here.

I found the bridge particularly interesting because I think it is true that a lot of people are pushed and squeezed into roles that they don’t particularly want these days. Here it is:

Everyone’s Taking Control Of Me
Seems That The World’s
Got A Role For Me
I’m So Confused
Will You Show To Me
You’ll Be There For Me
And Care Enough To Bear Me

As ever, you can check out the song on Spotify here.

Lyric of the Week

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 09:21:18 +0000

I’ll make some updates in between these posts at some point, honest. But for now; this week the track I’ve been looking at is Hello Hurricane by Switchfoot.

The theme of the song is about battling with and standing strong in the face of opposition, not letting pressures or circumstances affect the way we act or believe. The second verse in particular, has a phrase that I really identify with, as it is talking about being prepared and having looked at what our decisions may cost, what might have to be given up. Too often I see people start out on a process without looking at what it may lead to, and that is when the hurricane does knock us off our feet.

Anyway, I’ll shut up. Here’s the lyrics:

I’ve been watching the skies
They’ve been turning blood red
Not a doubt in my mind anymore
There’s a storm up ahead

Hello hurricane, you’re not enough
Hello hurricane, you can’t silence my love
I’ve got doors and windows boarded up
All your dead end fury is not enough
You can’t silence my love, my love

Every thing I have I count as loss
Everything I have is stripped away
Before I started building I counted up these costs
There’s nothing left for you to take away

Hello hurricane, you’re not enough
Hello hurricane, you can’t silence my love
I’ve got doors and windows boarded up
All your dead end fury is not enough
You can’t silence my love, yeah my love

I’m a fighter fighting for control
I’m a fighter fighting for my soul
Everything inside of me surrenders
You can’t silence my love
You can’t silence my love, yeah

Hello hurricane, you’re not enough
Hello hurricane, you can’t silence my love
I’ve got doors and windows boarded up
All your dead end fury is not enough
You can’t silence my love

Yeah, I said hello hurricane

You can listen to it here.

Lyric of the week

Sun, 13 Feb 2011 19:10:41 +0000

This week I’ve been listening to the album Our Graceful Words by Sent By Ravens quite a lot, it’s a quality album. Throughout the album the lyrics made me think, which I always like, but this one track, An Honest Heart, stood out in particular because the verses are a great summary of what I’ve been thinking about over the last couple of weeks.

Verse 1:

Come and see,
The religion I have lost in recovery,
In recovery,
And what you need from me, isn’t playing a guitar,
Or sympathy,
It’s my honest heart, in pursuit of yours.

Verse 2:

Honestly, Well I have made a few mistakes,
But I’m coming clean,
I’m coming clean,
And with recovery,
Well I replace a broken vow and a growing seed with my honest heart.

Good stuff eh? You can check out the track here (Spotify).

"The virtue of courage is a prerequisite for the practice of all other virtues otherwise one is..."

Wed, 09 Feb 2011 08:28:36 +0000

“The virtue of courage is a prerequisite for the practice of all other virtues otherwise one is virtuous only when virtue has no cost.”

- C.S. Lewis

Lyric of the week

Sat, 29 Jan 2011 23:31:16 +0000

I don’t know if this will become a regular post, but I’ll start it off intending for that to be the case. The idea is basically just a chance to post some lyrics that I’ve found particularly good, whether they are funny, clever, applicable to my current feelings or just well written.

This week, I’ve heard a lot from God at Nexus, and really been challenged on how I view myself and seeing God as Father, so today when I listened to Disciple’s latest album (Horseshoes and Handgrenades), some of the lyrics stood out from a track called Invisible, which was inspired by Psalm 139.

The part I really like is:

I need you to believe me, can you trust me
That what you see, is not what I see
The reflection in the mirror’s telling lies
Cause nothing you have done could change how much I love you

You can listen to the track here (Spotify)

So this is one of those posts that should have been made a while...

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 19:00:07 +0000

So this is one of those posts that should have been made a while ago…

Anyway, behold, Carcassonne: the one with a ridiculously large town. That bad boy helped me to a personal best total score of 277. (The town was over 100 by itself)

I’m pretty sure everyone who ever played Oblivion did...

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 19:41:07 +0000

I’m pretty sure everyone who ever played Oblivion did this.

Pretty much sums up my thoughts on Red Dead Redemption, I just...

Sun, 23 Jan 2011 20:27:07 +0000

Pretty much sums up my thoughts on Red Dead Redemption, I just don’t see the appeal of the game at all. (via little-gamers.com)

Complex Conjugate. Yes, i do realise how geeky this joke is, and...

Sat, 22 Jan 2011 20:21:07 +0000

Complex Conjugate. Yes, i do realise how geeky this joke is, and if you don’t get it, that’s cool, comfort yourself with knowing that you probably filled your head with more useful and practical knowledge.