Here is some good, light fare for a Saturday afternoon.

A few weeks ago we found, on sale, the complete Pixar collection (not including Wall-E). We have had fun going back in time and watching each of these movies. I still remember going to see Toy Story when it was in the theaters and marveling at the brilliant animation—that kind of computer animation was completely new at the time. And then came A Bug’s Life which was rather a disappointment. Toy Story 2 was next and probably ranks as my favorite of all the Pixar films. Monsters Inc. is a close second—a really incredible movie that shows some amazing animation, even by today’s standards (they managed to animate individual hairs in the bodies of those furry monsters). And the series has continued with one great film after another.

The other day I was talking to some people and comparing notes on which was the best of these movies. I thought I’d put it to the vote and make a poll out of it.

Do note that if you are reading this via RSS, you’ll have to click through to the site to actually answer. All voting is anonymous…

Christians love their conferences. Calvinists love their conferences. Put the two together and, well, you’ve got an awful lot of events in any given year. Many major ministries offer their annual conferences along with a selection of regional conferences; churches offer small conferences designed to serve a local constituency; ministries like Together for the Gospel and The Gospel Coalition offer bi-annual conferences designed to attract and coordinate pastors or ministry leaders from around the nation and around the world. If you live in the United States, it is likely that you do not have to travel very far to find a great conference in the coming year.

All of this got me wondering: how many conferences do you anticipate attending this year? I’ve changed up the poll on this site so you can vote and let us know how many you’ll be at least attempting to attend.

Do note that if you are reading this via RSS, you’ll have to click through to the site to actually answer. All voting is anonymous…

Last week’s poll (where do you buy books?) continues to fascinate me. After almost 1200 votes Amazon is the clear winner, holding steady with over half of the total vote. This week I thought I’d lighten things up a bit and ask a question that is really pure curiosity. It’s simply this: How old are you?

Do note that if you are reading this via RSS, you’ll have to click through to the site to actually answer. All voting is anonymous so there is no shame in adding your age to the poll!

It has taken years but I think I’ve finally managed to find a way of incorporating polls into blog posts. Those who visit the main page of the site will have already noticed a poll in the sidebar there. But I think I can now work it into a post as well. The most recent poll question asked simply “How many books do you anticipate reading in 2009?” The answer surprised me. Though I couldn’t quite arrive at an exact figure, it seems that, based on 600 votes, the average reader of this site will read (and presumably purchase) somewhere around twenty-five or thirty books in 2009. Though we sometimes hear of the decline of the printed word, that does not seem to be the case around these parts!

Today I would like to ask a follow-up question. And it is this: where do you buy your books? There was a time when I was a regular visitor at the local Christian bookstore. In fact, when I worked near to it, I would visit a couple of times a week to look at books and listen to the newest CDs. More recently, though, I’ve nearly stopped visiting altogether and now prefer to do my book and music shopping online. I doubt I visit the Christian bookstore more than twice a year. I’m wondering if my experience is common.

So there’s the question. Do note that if you are reading this via RSS, you’ll probably have to click through to the site to actually answer.