Peter Marshall's Thanksgiving Day Prayer

A Thanksgiving Day Prayer

Father, we around this table thank Thee:
for Thy great gift of life,
that Thy love for us is not dependent upon any unworthiness of ours,
for good health,
that we know neither hunger nor want,
for warm clothes to wear,
for those who love us best,
for friends whose world of encouragement have often chased away dark clouds,
for the zest of living,
for many an answered prayer,
for kindly providences that have preserved us from danger and harm.

We thank Thee that still we live in a land bountifully able to supply all our needs, a land which still by Thy Providence knows peace, whose skies are not darkened by the machines of the enemy, whose fields and woodlands are still unblasted by flames of war, a land with peaceful valleys and smiling meadows still serene.

O help us to appreciate all that we have, to be content with it, to be grateful for it, to be proud of it --not in an arrogant pride that boasts, but in a grateful pride that strives to be more worthy.

In Thy name, to whose bounty we owe these blessings spread before us, to Thee we give our gratitude.

Amen.

-- Peter Marshall

Using the LCP 2 App for Reading the Bible on the iPhone 5s

Launch Center Pro 2 and
Bible Group Actions on the iPhone 5s
Excluding the two readings embedded in "10 Commandments" Launch Center Pro (LCP) launch grid, the 66 books of the Bible are thematically categorized into ten groups. They are placed in five Old Testament (OT) groups, and five in New Testament (NT), respectively.

By using the URL schemes, each book of the Bible can be launched instantaneously by chapter, or chapter and verse. For example, on the iPhone 5s with the LCP active, if one selects the grid "NT-The Gospels" and drill down to "John", and tap in on the keypad prompt "1.4", the iOS associated bible app will display within 1-2 seconds - John 1:4 (NASB). This kind of fast action efficacy is simply not achievable by tapping and searching through the stand-alone bible app.

The LCP 2 is designed for iOS 7 for iPhone 5/5s utlizing 3 columns by 5 rows. Each grid can be drill-down to a second level of 3c x 5r action launch grids. Although the app is compatible to use on the iPhone 4/4s and iPad 3, it's not very ideal. These older Apple devices truncates the LCP app's 5th row, and thereby eliminating 45 action launch grids. That's a lot of estate to give up. Because of this behavior, actions developed on the iPhone 5/5s should not transfer or backup to the iPhone 4/4s or iPad3, and vice versa.

Be Very Weary of Counterfeit iTunes Download Sites

As of this post on 6 November 2013, the latest Windows desktop Apple iTunes version is 11.1.3.8. The name of this version's execute file is iTunesSetup.exe. The file size is 96,322 KB.

No setup execute file or such is ever required as a pre-requisite for downloading iTunes. If one comes across a purported iTunes download site that does not list an iTunes version number, or a pre-requisite download for a setup.exe files is the first order of business, boogie out of the site quickly.

The official site for a first time iTunes download is: Apple iTunes Downloads. Subsequent updates are available from within the installed desktop app.

- a L'envoi iPad 3 post
Zaggfolio augmented

The New Yorker on Obamacare Snafu

One Little Thought on Anita Kerr's Birthday Anniversary

Anita Kerr
many-faceted musician
born 31 October 1927

The MP3 below expired on 11-14-2013.
Click here to play the current selection.

The Anita Kerr Quartet (1957)
- Once in a While (Edwards and Green)


Once in a While (1937)
Music: Michael Edwards
Words: Bud Green
The Anita Kerr Quartet (1957)

Once in a while will you try to give one little thought to me
Though someone else maybe nearer your heart

Once in a while will you dream of the moments I shared with you
Moments before we two drifted apart

In love's smoldering ember, one spark may remain
If love still can remember that spark may burn again

I know that I'll be contented with yesterday's memories
Knowing you think of me once in a while

[Trumpet Solo]

If love still can remember that spark may burn again...burn again

O, I know that I'll be contented with yesterday's memories
Knowing you think of me once in a while

Once in a while
Once in a while

A Cosmic Bat Unveiled!

The Veil Nebula, a large supernova remnant, is in the constellation Cygnus.
Its estimated distance from our plant Earth is about 1,400 light-years.

A New Obama Forever Stamp

Subscribed A $5 One Day Pass AT&T Data Plan

Tonight, I test subscribed to the AT&T $5 day pass for the 250 MB data plan.

At about 2200 hours tonight, I copied and pasted the iPad's IMEI and ICCID (no spaces in-between each set of numbers) onto the sign-up web page. Then followed by filling in some personal and credit card data fields. Since I'd done this data plan sign-up before, the experience was not unfamiliar to me. It took about 5 minutes to get the $5 day pass authorized for the iPad 3. Then the snafu (situation normal, all fouled up) began.

After an hour or so, I still could not get a lock on the iPad for 4G. At about 2245 hours I finally contacted AT&T with a staff on stand-by chat. It was somewhat humorous, I thought, he did not know the word or meaning to the word 'snafu' in our opening conversation. He "laughed" after learning the word. He tried his best to help but to no avail. Nothing he told me to do I'd not tried already. A customer complaint this time, however, might have helped in this episode of user complaints, as the AT&T world turns (pun).

At about 2330 hours, I finally got a 4G cellular signal locked on the iPad. I watched a 2.5 minutes or so of a new Captain America trailer on IMDB with the LTE turned on. It used up 21 MB of the plan - fast.

I have until 2200 hours tomorrow to play with some if not all of the 250 MB data on the iPad.

The AT&T Casual User $5 Day Data Plan

AT&T Stand-alone Data Plans as of 17 October 2013

AT&T recently offered two no-auto-renew data plans for the casual users who need a cellular connection for their tablets in a pinch:

1. $5.00/1 day, up to 250 MB of cellular data usage

2. $25.00/90 days, up to 1 GB of cellular data usage


Either plan appeals to me in two ways. One, obviously the much desired on-the-go LTE data connection for my iPad. Two, I could use the same data plan to make high quality free VoIP calls while at home, or traveling in the states and Canada.

I will start testing the $5 pass day data plan on the iPad in the next few days.

Google Hangouts Version 1.3 Is Not For Me

Google's latest release of Hangouts v. 1.3 for iOS 6 and newer is both good and bad.

If one has a Google Voice number, and access to a fast and dependable WI-FI as I, then this is a good app to make free phone calls and videos in the United States and Canada. The quality of the voice calls is very good.

I HAD the app installed on my iPod Touch 4S, iPhone 5S, and the iPad 3.

After the input of my Google Voice number on my iPhone 5S, I waited for the required Google's verification code. By the way, the quickest way to get this code is open the Google Voice app and look for the sent SMS containing the verification code. After having received the 4-digit verification code, I keyed it in the paused installation process. The SMS was also sent to my Gmail. It did take longer for the confirmation code to arrive in my Gmail.

Now, the first bad thing. One is required to join or has already joined Google+ before the installation can proceed. This Google+ membership may or may not be the thing to have. Once joined, however, the Google tentacles latch on and tether the person to its matrix.

During the app installation, if one approves to have the Gmail contacts linked, this is where the unpleasantness and annoyance really got amplified. I approved the contact list link just to see what I was getting into.

Well, Google linked practically all of my Gmail account contacts into this Hangouts app. It also populated the contact list in all of my iOS devices where Hangouts were installed. The first tier of linked contacts to surface in the finished installed app was those addresses with the predominant domains of Gmail, Comcast, and MSN. Google categorized these contacts as people I should persuade or suggest to join Google +.

Note: There was no built-in provision in Hangouts version 1.3 to selectively allow the exclusions on linked contacts. It was an all or nothing contact list linked.

The only way to remove linked contacts from Hangouts is to go back to the Contacts in either Gmail or Google Voice and selectively delete them. Yes, delete. A painful and permanent exclusion to be sure. If this exercise raises seriously doubt in one's mind whether to continue to take the plunge into this new rabbit hole, consider deleting Google+.

This is very important: If one is so inclined to check out this Hangouts app, do not import contacts during installation. If WI-FI connectivity is poor or not accessible, this app will default to a subscribed data plan minutes.

As for me, I gave up on the iOS Hangouts app and deleted my Google+ account. The whole Google+ thing was more trouble than it's worth. For now, my Google Voice number and its VoIP setup for making free calls should do just fine.


- a L'envoi iPad 3 post
Zaggfolio augmented