After a few days, here’s the end result: PixelGrab 2.0 – with a completely new WPF interface. It looks much nicer, in my opinion. More after the break.

Here’s a few comparisons:

Old (About screen):

New (About/Settings dialog, settings minimized):

Old (Settings screen):

New (About/Settings dialog, settings maximized):

Old (pixel grabber):

New (pixel grabber):

I feel that the new is an obvious improvement.

Download PixelGrab 2.0 here.

Live Writer automatically saves everything you publish so restoring my blog posts was simply a matter of re-installing WordPress (the program that runs this blog on the web server) and then republishing all my blog entries! Simple!

Now I’m back up and running and you wouldn’t even be able to tell that the site has been down.

So, people, back up your files. When something bad happens to them, you know you’ll always have an extra copy.

The user has a great deal of control over the program. They can choose whether or not they want it to run automatically when Windows starts and can choose exactly what gets copied to the clipboard when a pixel is selected.

If you ever need to know the exact value of a colour (you know who you are if you do), then give PixelGrab a try. It’s free and it’s pretty good (if I say so myself).

Here’s some screenshots:

Soon, the shops will be filled to overflowing with things to buy your special someone for Valentine’s Day. The people selling these things also have a great marketing ploy: If you don’t buy something for your partner/boyfriend/girlfriend, then you don’t really love them. Not surprisingly, this attracts the customers.

But I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks that Valentine’s Day is rather pointless and shallow. This ‘obligation’ to buy gifts for those you love seems to defeat the purpose, really. Wouldn’t it actually be better to receive a gift from that special someone when they’re NOT obligated to give it to you? Why does love have to be shown to its full extent only on Valentine’s Day? Why not every day?

In the end, I guess it all comes down to money and/or consumerism (like most things wrong with this world). But maybe we shouldn’t get sucked into the whole Valentine’s Day thing. I’m not really one to talk about romantic relationships, but why can’t we treat our loved ones as though every day is Valentine’s day?

I’m sure that for many people, this is a time of fear and uncertainty. It certainly is for me. I don’t know what’s going to happen in the short-term and to be honest, it scares me to death.

It’s often been said that no-one likes change but change is something that everyone is guaranteed to experience at some point. Times like this are a remind of how dependent we are on having control of our lives. However, as a Christian, I know that my life is not mine. I should be letting ‘Jesus take the wheel’ (as one song puts it).

So it’s my prayer for myself and everyone in the state that we use this huge change in our lives as an opportunity to surrender control to the one person who really matters.

You say your mother told you all that I could give you was a reputation
She never cared for me
But did she ever say a prayer for me?

Now, all the lyrics in this song criticise the church about it stance on abstinence and it’s fairly obvious that Billy Joel had no idea what he was writing about. However, these lines got me thinking that he has a point.

The church seems to be all-too-ready to judge people based on the things they do and it’s all-too-easy to turn down your nose at people who don’t attend church/aren’t Christian. But how often do we find ourselves praying for these people? Jesus told us that we should love our enemies and pray for them. What could be better than these people coming to know Jesus? I know I struggle with this, so I’m quite sure other people must, too. Instead of judging people who don’t know God, try praying for them.

Anyway, after I heard that things had come to an end so suddenly, I began to think about how so many relationships are like this. Two people say they ‘love’ eachother and then in a few months it’s over.

Have we really lost the idea of what love is? Do people say they’re in love because they’re obligated to?

Sure sounds like it.

Some people seem to not know the difference between attraction and love. The phrase ‘love at first sight’ is simply stupid. You cannot possibly love someone at first sight simple because you do not know them. Sure, you can be attracted to them, but love them? Not right away. People seem to be getting confused and proclaiming ‘love’ or even marrying a person simply because of attraction. Any relationship not based on love is doomed to fail miserably.

Anyway, I thought about it some more and realised that we have a PERFECT example of what love is – God’s love for US! Here are a few passages that describe what love is and how God loves us:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails…

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

Describes how love should be. True love is NOT about you. It’s about the person you love. This goes against everything our fallen world stands for.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16

Describes God’s love for us. Even though we screw up every day, rejecting God over and over again, he still DIED so that we could be forgiven. That is pure, self-sacrificing love and should serve as an example to everyone.

It’s a shame we really are amateurs.

So, in light of this, should we accept society’s definition of love? Should we be more careful about how we use the term ‘love’? I sure think we should all be more careful with our relationships.

I say we reject societies idea of love (self-centred, all about attraction/sex/money) and try to follow God’s example. God’s love is pure and perfect love. So you can’t go wrong with trying to imitate it.

In short, QANTAS won’t ‘lose’ any money but not cutting jobs/flights. They’ll just fall a bit short of their profit estimates.

This is the way business is run in our world in which shareholders take precedence over customers/employees. Who cares about the people that actually work for and use the services of a company as long as the shareholders get their money’s worth?

I’m not saying that shareholders should also be ignored – that’d be stupid. They do support the company they buy shares from. But why can’t there be a healthy balance?

However, I can’t help but feel that America isn’t ready for him. Racism is still a huge issue in the US (and many other countries), and this will effect Obama’s election campaign. Even if he does win, I fear for his life.

It takes many people to vote someone into power. It takes one crazed redneck with a rifle to undo all that. I sure hope nothing happens to Obama, but America has a history of racism which they haven’t quite overcome yet.

Why do I care what happens in the USA? Well, like it or not, they influence the rest of the world. If America is in turmoil, chances are things will go pear-shaped for a lot of other people.

Anyway, ‘that’s all I have to say about that’.

This song not only inspired me to write a blog post, it’s inspired me to make the most of today and to value all time spent with those whom I care about.

I’ve heard it said that one should not let a dispute/argument see the end of the day and this song just reminds me of that.

I guess I’m just trying to say: live every day like it’s your last and treat those you love like you may never talk to them again.

Song: Things Left Unsaid – Disciple (YouTube link)
Lyrics @ SongMeanings