DIY Wall Mounted Industrial Drying Racks

We moved into a new house a little over a year ago and have been slowly making the house work for us. Its been fascinating and frustrating to acclimate to new surroundings, new processes, and new spaces.

One of the things we've been trying to get used to is our laundry/mud room. We really prefer to hang our laundry and have it air-dry rather than use the actual electric dryer. Not only does it save money on energy and supplies, but clothes don't shrink and there is less wear and tear.

Space however is an issue. We have two fairly large wooden drying racks that take up the majority of the space in the room. That wouldn't be too much of an issue but the room is also used as a hallway from our closet and it is the only connection to the garage so we need to keep the space clean.

I've racked my brain the past year to come up with a solution and have had some crazy ideas including one that would have wooden poles come out of the walls and flip down from the ceiling. 

But sometimes the most elegant and workable solutions are also the simplest.

This was such a ridiculously easy build I really can't believe I didn't come up with it earlier.

Supplies

The quantities below made three racks about 8' long. The links are to Menards (a midwest chain) and the exact products I used.

Installation

I wasn't sure how long the dowels would need to be until I had the flanges in place so the first task was to figure out placement.

I needed to strike a balance of the racks looking nice on the wall while putting as many flanges as possible in studs. So I found studs on either end and of the wall and decided that is how long the racks would be.

You're particular setup will determine how long or short your want the racks to be. 

I screwed the first flange into the stud behind the wall on the right end. I then used a laser level to make sure I was at the correct height on the left end and screwed in the other flange.

I then measured to find the half-way point between the two flanges and using heavy duty drywall anchors screwed in the middle flange.

Screw in the street corner elbows on both ends and the tee in the middle and you can measure to find how long you need to cut your dowels.  I used two dowels per rack. It was easiest to install two short rather than one long.

Finishing

Once I had the dowels cut, I sanded and stained them. I also found that using the flanges and elbows was a pretty good way to hold the dowel while staining and drying.

 

 
Total Cost of the project was about $65.

They've worked great, look good and have re-gained some much needed space in our laundry room.

These photos below (click to enlarge) only show two racks but I did install a third later on below.


by joshbyers

What Year Does Interstellar Take Place?

Definitive answers to the questions, “What year does the film Interstellar take place, and when did Cooper and Endurance leave earth?”

The filmmakers most likely didn’t intend for the timeline to be deconstructed like this, but they should know better :)

Update: I’ve included other clues and information from Kip Thorne’s book The Science of Interstellar, and the official novelization of the film.  There are however, some weird contradictions between the novelization and the film.

I’ve only found one specific date in all the official or semi-official literature available and that is the year 2019. Kip Thorne says this was when Professor Brand discovered the wormhole. Its not in the official script, but Thorne did write the initial treatment so its as good as any data we have.

The Interstellar Timeline

2000 – Donald is born

Donald states he was a kid when there were 6 billion people on earth. The last year this was possible was 2011. Being a “kid” to an older man normally means somewhere in the age of 5-18. So theoretically Donald could have been born anywhere from 1993-2006. This also matches up with his statement about “new gadgets coming out all the time.”

The Yankees (who are featured in the film) won the World Series in 2000 and it sounds like a great round number to start from.

Note that this date is not critical to figuring out the timeline, its just a fun throw in.

2017 – Gravitational anomalies are detected

In the conference room in 2067 it is stated that NASA detected these anomalies almost 50 years ago.

Kip Thorne also says in his book that Professor Brand went back through the data two years before the wormhole discovery and found other gravitational anomalies. 

2019 – The wormhole appears

In Kip Thorne’s book The Science of Interstellar he imagines that Professor Brand and LIGO discover the wormhole in 2019. While not an “official” source, Kip did write the initial treatment of the script and this is the only specific date I’ve found in any related source. So this year is the best we have to go with and will be the year on which all other data is based.

In the conference room in 2067 it is stated that NASA saw the wormhole 48 years ago.

2025 – Erin is born

According to Google, the average age for someone to have their first child in the US is 25. So we’ll say that Donald had his daughter in the year 2025. The novelization says her name is Erin. It also tells us that she was an only child.

2031 – Coop is born

The novel and the film seem to indicate that Coop is in his 40’s when he leaves earth like when Donald tells him he was born 40 yrs too early or 40 yrs too late, or when the novel suggests that  at the age of 124, 80 odd years had passed since Coop left earth.

This age range also matches up with an article where Christopher Nolan and Matthew McConaughey  “talked about who we are as 43-year-old men, talked about who we are as [fathers], talked about our kids.” Their protagonist would seem to be in the age range of 40-45.

But it just isn’t mathematically possible given the facts we know about Murph’s age at the beginning, Murph and Cooper’s age being the same in the middle and Cooper’s age at the end. Coop has to be at most 36 years old when Endurance launches.

So for now, I’m ignoring the indications and going with the “facts.”

2052 – Tom is born

If we keep to about the same average of the first child being born, and assume Tom was their first child, while also factoring in Kip Thorne’s date about the wormhole discovery, Donald’s daughter Erin, had Tom in the year 2052.

2057 – Murph is born and the Lazarus missions launch

We know Tom is five years older than Murph so If we calculate that Tom was born in 2052 Murph will be born in 2057.

The Lazarus missions were sent out 10 years before Coop and endurance leave earth, according to Dr. Brand’s explanation.

Its also fitting that the year the missions launch to save earth, the earth’s eventual savior is born.

2067, April 18th – The Endurance leaves Earth

We know Tom was 15 when Cooper left earth so we just add 15 years to Tom’s birth. We can  also calculate this date by adding 48 years to the date of the wormhole discovery.

And if you want to get really specific…in the film an older man from the future documentary states that the huge dust storm at the baseball game happened on April 15. Coop and Murph find NASA the next night on April 16 and then spend the night there into the 17th. Coop and Donald talk that evening on the porch and then the next morning Coop leaves.

The novelization says this differently and has it occurring on May 14th. Apparently it wasn’t “clear as a bell…”

2069 – Endurance reaches Saturn/Wormhole in February

8 months to Mars, 14 months to Saturn

2069 – Endurance reaches Miller’s planet

After being on Miller’s planet Brand says she hasn’t seen Edmunds in a decade. Assuming she isn’t counting the two years she spent in cryo-sleep we can infer that it took less than a year to get to Miller’s planet. Additionally, after they come out of the wormhole the crew remarks that they are coming up on Miller’s planet fast. So I’m guessing maybe it took them only several  months (if that) to get there.

Kip Thorne also confirms this by telling us that the crew entered into the galaxy very near to Gargantua.

2092 – Coop and Brand come back from Miller’s planet.

They spent a total of 3 hours and 20 minutes on Miller’s planet while 23 years 4 months pass on earth.

The movie doesn’t seem to indicate this as Case says it will take 45 to an hour to drain the engines. The pacing of the film also suggests they don’t spend that much time down there (and I know, that’s kinda the point), but in order to have 23 years 4 months pass on earth (using the ratio of 1 hour on Miller’s planet equaling 7 years on earth) they have to have spent 3.3 hours on Miller’s planet. Maybe they bounced around on the wave longer, or after the engines were sparked they had to come down again. The novelization seems to confirm that they did ride the wave for awhile.

Murph is now 35/36 years old. She was 10 when Coop left. Two years to Saturn, maybe several months to Miller’s planet and 23 years 4 months later.

In her birthday message she says she is the same age now as when her father left. According to my timeline that would put Coop’s birthday in 2031.

Again the film and novel suggest both are in their 40’s (the novel specifically says when Coop is 124 that 80 odd years have passed since he left earth) but unless there’s something I’m missing, this isn’t possible given the facts surrounding Murph’s age. 

The film is also very careful to specifically state that Murph was upset because they were the same age and it was her birthday. There is a lot of detail there so it makes it hard to fudge and say they were in their 40’s.

2093 – Endurance reaches Mann’s planet

There has to be at least several months travel. Right before they were coming up on Miller’s planet Doyle tells the group it is months to Mann’s and Edmunds is even further. The way Doyle says it indicates that its more than a few so probably 6-9 which would probably take them into another calendar year.

Kip Thorne also confirms this.

2093-2100 – Endurance leaves Mann’s planet

This is where things get tricky. We are told at the end of the film and novel that Coop is 124. Specifically 51 of that is spent in time slippage in Gargantua. In order for the math to work at the end with Coop being 124, and pushing 120 after the slingshot, and still being the same age as Murph when he left, we have to account for some missing time.

We’re missing about 7 years. There is some outside evidence for this passage of time on earth. Tom and Lois apparently have another son in this time that appears to be 6-10 years old. The novel confirms that he is six years old though I think in the film he looks more like ten. Also Dr. Brand (Michael Caine) ages and dies.

The timeline and relative events are also pretty concrete up to this point. There really isn’t any wiggle room to add in years before based on the facts we know.

We can says with a fair amount of certainty that it can’t be time slippage on Mann’s planet because the novel says specifically that Mann’s planet is outside the time slippage zone and in the film Endurance was able to be pretty close to Miller’s planet , right on the cusp of where time dilation occurs, and not be affected.

Kip Thorne estimates they were on Mann’s planet only 40 days. He says this because when Cooper rescues the Endurance they are very close to Gargantua. Thorne says this possible if Mann’s plant has an egg shaped orbit that brings the trajectory of the planet close to Gargantua.

So, I’m not sure what to make of this. To make the years work with what we know at the end of the film it seems that we’re missing 7 or so years. Maybe they spent an extra hour on Miller’s planet and didn’t realize it…

Jonathan Nolan, if you ever read this please contact me and let me know :)

2151 – Endurance slingshots around Gargantua

Coop remarks “This maneuver is going to cost us 51 years.” Amelia also remarks that Cooper looks pretty good for pushing 120. This matches up with the birthdate of 2031 for Cooper (give or take a few months).

2156 – Coop wakes up on Cooper Station at the age of 124

Coop is no “spring chicken” and has spent five additional earth years somewhere. Its most likely not in the Tesseract as that is in the bulk – outside of space and time. Our options appear to be:

  1. He encountered more time slippage
  2. There is actual time in the Tesseract and that was used to transmit the morse quantum data
  3. He was in a coma after reaching Cooper Station.

I like the idea of more time slippage. Commenter Minna Aalto pointed out that there most likely would have been additional time slippage as Cooper passed the event horizon.

Murph now would be 99/100 years old. This would make sense if she and Getty get together and start a family. She tells us she has grandkids and there are some middle aged looking people in that hospital room said to be family. According to our earlier conclusions those generations would span 50-70 years. Add that to her late 30’s when she solves the equation and it is plausible.

2157 – Coop reaches Brand on Edmunds planet and they live happily ever after.

Okay, I added that one in. But like most Nolan films he makes you think up your own ending.

I would love to hear other theories and please correct my math/facts.

by joshbyers

Interstellar Explained


Interstellar is a film that absolutely captured my imagination. I've been thinking about this movie and trying to answer the questions it posed for a few months now.

I've read a number of articles and explanations online since its release, but none have really answered everything for me. So, I was fairly excited when I saw it show up on my Apple TV last Tuesday and I was able to watch it again.

Now, watching it the first time on an IMAX screen was truly transcending. This was a movie that IMAX was made for. It was beautiful both in look and sound. And while I wasn't able to replicate that experience at home I was able to pause, go back and re-watch several key scenes that unlocked this film for me.

FYI - major spoilers ahead. But seriously, why are you reading an article titled "Interstellar Explained" when you haven't even seen the film?


What is the Message of the Film?

When trying to answer questions about weird scenes, plot holes, the motivations of characters or why the director did this or that, you have to understand the overall context in which they live. You have to understand the themes and messages presented in the story.

One of the main themes the film explores is the power of love. It does this by examining a number of relationships including Cooper's relationship with his children, Amelia's relationship to Edmunds, the astronauts relationships between themselves, and humanity's relationship with itself.

That last one, I believe, is the key to unlocking the entire movie. Humanity wants to save itself. Self-preservation like love and gravity seem to be able to transcend time and space.

Sequence of Events

So, first we need to understand the basic plot of the story. Here is my bullet point snap shot of the whole thing.

  • Earth is dying.
  • Humanity comes up with two plans to save itself.
  • Plan A will save the actual people on earth and transport them to a new planet.
  • Plan B will colonize a new planet with test-tube humans.
  • Both plans are plausible because of recent discoveries of gravitational anomalies and the appearance of a wormhole near Saturn.
  • Twelve astronauts are sent through the wormhole to find new planets capable of sustaining humanity.
  • At least three of those astronauts, which are fairly close to each other, ping back positive information.
  • Four new astronauts are then sent to discover the best option.
  • The first two planets they explored didn't work out. Enter evil Matt Damon.
  • Everyone discovers that the government never thought Plan A was possible. Bummer. Everyone on earth is probably going to die.
  • Because of resources used up in exploring the first two planets the new astronauts can either go back to earth or try out the last planet and implement Plan B.
  • They decide to implement Plan B.
  • In a hail-mary attempt they also decide to send a robot (Tars) into the black hole to try and solve the equation that would actually make Plan A still a possibility.
  • Cooper realizes that their ship is too heavy and won't make it out of the black hole's gravity unless they shed some weight.
  • He sacrifices himself and is sucked into the black hole along with Tars
  • Instead of being sucked all the way in the black hole they end up in a weird construct of bookshelves. (More on this in a minute.)
  • Tars can't transmit the data out of the black hole.
  • Cooper is able to transmit the data back in time to his daughter using gravity.
  • Murph uses the data and is able to get Plan A set in motion.
  • Cooper is transported via wormhole out of the bookshelf construct back to near Saturn.
  • Cooper reunites with his daughter who encourages him to finish the mission and reunite with Brand.
  • Amelia Brand reaches Edmunds planet and starts the new human colony.
  • Cooper sets off to find Brand.
  • Roll credits and really cool Hans Zimmer score.

Love and gravity are the answer

So let's go a little deeper and get some answers.

What is up with crazy spaced out library?

The actual name for this construct is a "tesseract." This is kind of confusing if your only knowledge of that term (like mine) is that of the Avenger's tesseract and you're expecting some blue powerful glowing thing. In reality its a four dimensional analog of a cube that seems to go on forever.


Cooper and Tars pretty much explain everything about this place while they're in it.

Future humanity has constructed it specifically for Cooper. I believe they know he is the key to saving humanity. That leads to a couple questions we need to address.

If future humanity is knowledgable enough to construct wormholes and a time machine that lets you see and touch the past, why can't they just either send the correct info back themselves?

Even all-powerful future humans have limitations. They face the same problems our heroes face. Namely, space and time.

I believe the main antagonist in the film is not an actual character but time and space itself. Throughout the film the characters are trying to figure out how to eclipse the barriers put in their way by time and space. 

  • Time is running out for the people of earth
  • The only options available are thousands of lightyears away
  • The immense space limits communications
  • The time slippage destroys relationships
  • The physical space between Edmunds and Brand is devastating
  • Future humanity can't connect with past humanity because of time

The only way for future humans to connect is to find something that transcends space and time. In the film we learn that there are two such things, gravity and love.

Future humans can use gravity to point the way as they did with the initial anomalies, the wormhole and the tesseract, but ultimately it is love that pulls present humanity to their salvation.


In a pivotal moment in the film Amelia says to Cooper:

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“Love isn’t something we invented - it’s observable, powerful. Why shouldn’t it mean something?I’m drawn across the universe to someone I haven’t seen for a decade, who I know is probably dead. Love is the one thing we’re capable of perceiving that transcends dimensions of time and space.”

Cooper love for his daughter was they key. It was because of his love for her he kept trying. It was because of his love for her that she came back to the house. And it was because of the bond they shared that he knew she would find the watch and knew it meant something.

Love and gravity transcended time and space and was the medium future and present humanity used to save itself.

That then leads to the second question. 

The B-theory of Time

How can future humanity provide the means to save present humanity? If present humanity doesn't have the way, future humanity wouldn't exist to send it to them.

We have ourselves a good old fashioned paradox. Well, we do if you subscribe to the A-Theory of time.

If you go with the B-theory of time, like Kip Thorne, an astrophysicist and executive producer of the film, then there is no paradox.


Early on the film gives us a clue to its position concerning time when Cooper is explaining to Murph about her name and its relation to Murphy's law.

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“It means that whatever can happen, will happen.”

That is a fairly deterministic view of time and fits in perfectly with the B-theory of time which states that time is an illusion. The past, present and future are equally real, and that time is tenseless. This would mean that temporal becoming is not an objective feature of reality.

This is further illustrated inside the Tesseract where Cooper can see and interact with seemingly every point in time in that room. All are equally real and all are happening.

To better understand this, think of all moments throughout the history of the universe like inch marks on a yardstick. If you were able to step back and view the whole yardstick you would see that all the inch marks exist at the same time. The B-theory of time says that these inch marks are slices of "time."

In this view there was never a reality in which humanity did not save itself. The wormhole was always placed. Cooper always sacrificed himself to save Brand and he interacted with the Tesseract to send the message back to Murph.

It kind of takes the drama out of it, which is why it probably wasn't explicitly stated that way in the film.

The Ending

When Cooper is dragged into the Tesseract he doesn't know all of this at first. Before he realizes where he is he thinks that it has all been for nothing and realizing what he lost he implores Murph to get him to STAY. 

Its only after Cooper realizes his "purpose" that he then sends the coordinates to NASA and then ultimately sends the black hole data to Murph.

These events are sequenced differently in the beginning of the film which leads to some confusion but actually illustrates that Cooper is operating under the B-theory of time as he can access any point in that bedroom.

From there I conjecture that Tesseract was also connected with the original wormhole as Cooper ends up outside of Saturn.

One thing that doesn't make quite sense is why Cooper would leave his family to continue to chase the mission. His daughter and what appears tons of grandchildren and great-grandchildren are present with them in the hospital. After all the time the film spent on the power of love and getting back to family it seems an odd choice for Cooper to leave again so quickly.

Conclusion

I think Interstellar was a wonderful film and I plan to write more about it. I believe there are some rich theological truths we can glean even though the film takes a very naturalistic position. We'll explore those in the future.

For now, allow it to excite your imagination and wonder at the beauty of creation

by joshbyers

Link Roundup for February 20th

As always, here are few things I found interesting as well as some funny tweets.

Behind the Scenes of the Lego Movie
Read and see how the creators of the Lego Movie were able to make it look like real Legos. In fact if you wanted to, you really could build the entire movie.

Why Diners are More Important Than Ever
Great article that talks about the importance of using food and locations to connect with others. Its a good reminder for Christians to be in the culture and celebrating with others.

Has Visual Design Fallen Flat?
Flat design (a reductive but useful shorthand) didn’t just kill skeuomorphism (ditto), it danced on its grave and then erased every last trace of beveling, shadow, and granite texture from the headstone. So, what's next?

Stock Photos that Don't Suck
I'm always looking for good stock photos. Most of the time I try and take my own, but when time constrains you here are some great options that don't have the cheesy stock photo look - e.g. - some person smiling wearing a headset while sitting at the cleanest desk known to man.

by joshbyers

Did Jesus Rise From the Dead? [Infographic]

One thing that could destroy Christianity would be to prove that the resurrection of Jesus was not true.

The Apostle Paul says so in 1st Corinthians 15:14. If the resurrection were not true, we would be the most foolish of people to continue believing what we believe and living how we live.

However, I believe that the resurrection of Jesus really did happen. And while faith is always a key component to following God, my faith is not an unreasonable one. I want to know that the things I believe aren't just myths. I want to ask the hard questions. I don't want to blindly follow claims.

When it comes to the resurrection we ask hard questions and learn the facts. Once we know the facts we can draw very plausible conclusions based on these known facts. To simplify this process and to present it visually, my colleague Zach Dietrich and I, came up with the infographic asking and answering the question: Did Jesus rise from the dead?

[Note that nearly all of contemporary scholarship, believer and skeptic alike, attest that the known facts are true.]

Enjoy.


by joshbyers

New Stock Photos

I have uploaded more free church stock photos for you to download.

All photos are in a 16x9 format and are high resolution up to 5k. Click through on the pics to the download page.


Communion tray with candles in background.


Person with Bible open on lap during service.

by joshbyers

Link Roundup For January 30

Here it is! The weekly dose of stuff I found fun and interesting.

Story City Church Promo Video
I'm always on the lookout for well done church videos. This is a fun one that talks about the launch of a church plant.

Man builds the world’s first 3D printed concrete castle in his own backyard
This is the future. No more refrigerator boxes for play houses.

InVision - A Prototyping & Workflow Platform
Hey Designers, this looks like a great tool for sharing and collaboration. 

Build a Lighted Chalkboard Sign
From the DIY camp, this looks like a fun project that could turn out really cool.

It may sound incredible but the Pillars of Creation don't exist anymore [maybe]
Time, space and theology make my brain explode.


 

by joshbyers

Free Stock Photos

I take a lot of photos. A good number of those are sitting unused on a hard drive. So, today I'm starting to give them away.

You can download the first four now here or from the free stock photo page. They will be somewhat related to church activity as that is the context in which I take a lot of photos but I might mix in some others as well.

The images are all in 16x9 format and have a resolution high enough to make a nice wallpaper and display nicely on a 5k Apple Retina display.

The images are completely free and have no license attached to them. Attribution would be nice, but not necessary.

I'll plan to release some each week, so bookmark the page and check back or better yet subscribe to my blog updates at the bottom of this page.

Enjoy!



ipad-16x9.jpg


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by joshbyers

Link Roundup for January 23

Here is number of fun and interesting things I've found while perusing the interwebs.

Which Coffee Chain Dominates Your City?
Coffee chains love the coasts and large cities. I didn't realize how much Dunkin' Donuts dominates Starbucks.

The Vatican is Digitizing All Their Manuscripts
Nearly 2000 years of church history and close to original manuscripts will be available for the public. You can even read them on your iPhone - well if you can read ancient Greek.

Retro Lego Sets - Nintendo, Cameras and More
One of the coolest things I've come across in a long time. Want to build an old NES complete with games and controllers out of legos? Here are the guides. You can even buy the sets if you don't have the pieces needed.

If Apple had Designed the Nintendo
Also on the Nintendo front... Imagine if Jonny Ive had designed the original NES. It might have looked a bit like this.

Man Attacked, Suffers Brain Injury, Now a Mathematical Genius
In 2002, two men savagely attacked Jason Padgett outside a karaoke bar, leaving him with a severe concussion and post-traumatic stress disorder. But the incident also turned Padgett into a mathematical genius who now sees the world through the lens of geometry.

by joshbyers

A Mobile Phone Contract for Our Daughter

If you were to walk in the front door of the house I grew up in, your eyes would be immediately drawn to the fixture on the wall in front of you. And like many others, you would turn to me with wide eyes, pointing with a full arm extended, and ask "what is that?"

No, it wasn't a weird painting or mounted head or anything, it was much more horrifying.

A true old style rotary phone with bells on top that ring when somebody called. 

Why is it horrifying you ask? Have you ever dialed a full phone number on one of those things? The novelty is lost immediately when you realize you're dialing a phone number that includes several nine's and zero's. Five minutes after you started, your call is actually ringing. In fact I think it was faster back in the day when you just told the operator what number you wanted to connect to...

My kids however are fascinated by the thing. The rotary dial that spins back each time with its many clicks and the clanging bells when it rings are all things of amazement because they've never lived in a house with a landline. We cut the cord before they were born and haven't had a traditional phone in our home for many years. This was all wonderful and hasn't been a problem until our daughter was old and mature enough to stay at home by herself or babysit and now we found ourselves with a problem.

How will she contact us to ask how to put out a grease fire?

Now every parent must weigh if and when they will provide their children a mobile phone. Our rational (or irrational based on your view) for doing so now are several things. Its not gospel and I'll admit the first one is probably the main reason (though number four is a close second...)

Convenience: It's very easy and comforting to be able to know you can reach your child or your child can reach you at anytime.

Cost: We already own the device and to be added to our mobile phone plan was much less then to buy another phone/system or landline.

Reliability: We have tried the wifi only route for awhile, and while we never had real problems, our internet goes out enough and the call quality was sketchy enough to make me nervous.

Motivation: To be honest she responds with positive behavior when threatened to lose her technology. (we work on heart issues too, but I admit to taking this easy route...a lot...)

Maturity: This is the kicker. If we didn't feel she was able to handle all the dangers that a mobile phone brings (as we walk alongside her) we wouldn't give her access to one. We've done all we can do to safeguard it technologically and we're working every day to safeguard her heart.

So with that, here is the contract and rules we gave our daughter when we gave her a mobile phone of her very own. This was inspired by Cameron Moll's contract he wrote for his son.

It's kinda long but this is kinda a big deal.

You do not own this phone. Mom and Dad (mostly dad :) paid for the phone and pay the bill each month. It has been given to you to use and manage. Do good with it and you will find an incredible return on your investment.

Proverbs 3:9
Honor the Lord with the abundance he has given to you.

We understand that accidents happen. Both mom and I have dropped, scratched, and broken our phones and we were responsible to pay to get them fixed or replace them. You also will be responsible to fix or replace your phone if it is broken or lost. A case will be provided to you free of charge provided it doesn't have a weird hole in the back that shows off the Apple logo like a trampstamp.

From 7pm to 7am the phone will be in its charging station.

Mom and I love you so much and because of that we desire to make sure you are safe. Part of making you safe is to watch over you. When you were little we watched you every momement of the day. As you’ve grown you have gained wisdom and knowledge. We have granted you liberty to make some decisions and we don’t need to watch over you as closely. As you grow you will continue to gain more trust and more liberty. Because we love you and want you to be safe we will continue to watch over you online. Until you become responsible for living on your own we will have access to your device, logins and passwords. If you break our trust you will lose privileges and your phone. We’ll learn together and counsel with you on decisions.

Ephesians 6:1-4
Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.

It may sound trite, but you really do hold more computing power in your hand than the entire Apollo 11 module that landed on the moon. Use it to do amazing things!

Prov. 22:29 
Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men. 

You've been gifted with incredible creativity and skill so use it and create, don’t just consume. Avoid the trap of mindlessly consuming others’ thoughts and productions. Leave an incredible “digital footprint” in this wonderful world you’re a part of.

Ex. 35:31-33
He has filled him with the Spirit of God, with hskill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold and silver and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, for work in every skilled craft.

Always remember that real life is better than any photo, status update, tweet, story, or video you’ll ever find online. Exceptions include the DMV and sermons in which your dad is preaching.

Don’t photograph everything and don’t post every picture you take. Curate your photos and create something beautiful every time you post. Duck lips are "ew."

Digital technologies “need to be our servants, not our masters” (M. Russell Ballard). Be a master of the technology at your disposal. Not just your phone, but all technology. Don't allow your device to become an idol or become the end all in your life.

1 Corinthians 6:12
You say, “I am allowed to do anything” — but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything

Unless you become an CIA spy or a superhero, you won’t mask your identity in real life. So don’t do it online either. Use your full name in usernames whenever possible. Exposing your true identity is a great way to keep virtual behavior in check. Walk in the light.

Ephesians 5:11-14
Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, for the light makes everything visible.

Your words have incredible power. Use them to encourage not to tear down. Do not text, email, or say anything through this device you would not say in person.

Proverbs 18:21
Death and life are in the power of the tongue. 

Balance your musical tastes. Don't get locked into one style.  Be different than your peers and explore the greatness and beauty that exists outside the Top 40. Your generation has access to music like never before in history. Take advantage of that gift. (FYI, playing Justin Bieber songs on your phone cause it to lock and shutdown)

Do not use this device to view inappropriate photos or videos of others, and do not share similarly inappropriate photos or videos of yourself with others. If you encounter something inappropriate, delete it, or close it, whatever it takes. Just as importantly, make a mental note of the path that led to the encounter to help you avoid it in the future.

1 Corinthians 6:18-20
Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

Related, “only say it or post it if you want the entire world to have access to your message or picture for all time” (David A. Bednar). Nothing is forever except for things posted online. This is possibly why your mom and I have never posted that rap video we made.

Proverbs 18:7
The mouths of fools are their ruin; they trap themselves with their lips.

Always answer calls or respond to messages from Mom and Dad.

Be where you are. You needn’t check messages, updates or play games every minute there is downtime. Don’t divide your attention among those around you by projecting yourself elsewhere through texting or messaging. Give those in your presence the respect they deserve.

Learn to overcome the uncomfortable feeling of striking up a conversation with those around you! Unless its that creepy guy who keeps asking you out, try not to use your phone as a means of avoiding others.

Keep your phone put away during certain events in which proper etiquette demonstrates self-discipline, such as family meals, at the movies, at school, in church, and so on.

Lastly, use your phone to glorify God. Enjoy it for the good gift that it is. Create beautifully, laugh, encourage, be inspired and learn to love God more from it.

by joshbyers