An Excel .xlsx, PowerPoint .pptx, or Word .docx file is actually a zip file composed of a set of XML documents. In fact, if you rename the file by changing the extension to .zip and then unzip it, you can see the path structure and XML documents that are inside of it.

Some text editors allow you to open up an Open Office XML file and enable you to view or edit the individual XML documents inside of it. There are several commercial XML editors that provide full editing support. However, I discovered that the free TextWrangler (Mac) editor allows you to view Open Office documents in read-only mode.

Trying to find an actual XML markup specification of SpreadsheetML and other Open Office XML formats is not exactly straightforward. They can be found, but it requires a lot of digging to find actual useful documentation. The best source I found was the Open XML SDK 2.0 for Microsoft Office which provides SDK docs on  the highly cryptic-looking XML elements and attributes contained in these files. It also has a semi-useful “Productivity Tool” that you can use for comparing two Open Office documents. Using this tool, you can browse the actual XML documents when you compare two files. However, while you can view a document tree of the XML docs, the strange thing is that you can’t seem to view the actual raw XML outside of the file comparison mode.

If you’ve decided to deliver your app via the Web, you should embrace the capabilities and constraints of the Web. Don’t spend time and resources making a pretender app, spend that time making a great app that works on the Web.

But make sure and check out the comments, some of which bring up some interesting counterarguments.

Talk about mailing it in…they can’t even get the capitalization right.

An idea is the germ of something. Maybe it’s a painting, or a novel, or even a piece of software – but the idea without the execution is nothing…The development of an idea (into a concept, or a prototype, or a finished piece of work) requires both skill and dedication. The real act of creation occurs after the idea state. Only in this act of creation can legitimacy be found. Real artists, as they say, ship.

Full Post: Makers and Takers » Matt Legend Gemmell.

Note that the study is on the topic of joy and not just a study guide of my book. So the book is completely optional. Thus, you don’t need to use my book to find the study useful.

View/download complete set of Live Joy discussion guide & questions on Slideshare.net.

The issue I take with Galli’s God Wins has nothing to do with what he may or may not say in the book. Instead, there’s three aspects of this particular book that leave me with a sour taste in my mouth.

Blatant capitalization 

First, the book’s cover, title, and subtitle look like a cheap Chinese knockoff of Bell’s Love Win‘s. Check out the two side-by-side:

Consider all of the similarities and imitations:

• The title
• The subtitle
• The color palette
• The same basic layout (author name placement, right-side red strip)
• “God Wins” font looks like the “Love Wins” background font

How could one reasonably conclude anything else but that the publisher (Tyndale) is trying to ride the coattails of Rob Bell’s mainstream success by making the book’s title and cover as close to Love Wins as possible? Perhaps even trying to confuse consumers about which book is the original? Check out what one clothing consignment/retailer says about clothing and apparel knockoffs (full text here):

Counterfeiting is, first of all, the imitation of a product and unauthorized use of another’s trademark (registered brand name, logo, scent, design, etc.). The counterfeit, identical in appearance, gives the impression of being the genuine product…They are a deliberate attempt at deceiving consumers into thinking they are buying products made by a reputable manufacturer when they are, in fact, purchasing inferior copies…The counterfeiter sets out to make money by deception…

Hmmm…is that really so different than what Tyndale is doing with this book?

And then there’s the subtitle: Heaven, Hell, and Why the Good News is Better Than Love Wins. Has there ever been a more awkward, forced subtitle in the history of publishing?

We’ve seen this sort of lazy response before. Consider Rick Warren’s best-selling Purpose-Driven Life and an “evangelical response” that, in the poorest of tastes, rips off all aspects of the title and cover design:

These copy-cat book titles/covers are really no different than those age-old tacky Christian t-shirts that emulate a pop culture logo/symbol and try to play off its success. For example, here’s some of my favorites:

Not a Zero-Sum Game

The second issue I have with the book is its title: God Wins. Besides the fact that the title is not even clever, what kind of message does it send to the world at large?Juxtaposed with “Love Wins”, “God Wins” conveys the message that God and love must be mutually exclusive. Regardless of what is said in the book, one things for sure — that title makes God sound like a bad winner — like when I (a Red Sox fan) hear a New York Yankees fan ramble on about their 27 world championships. The Good News is actually that — good news! — and can be presented in a way that doesn’t needlessly alienate and turn off people.

Appearance of a Conflict of Interest 

The final issue with this book that just doesn’t pass my “gut test” is the author’s dual role. Mark Galli, the editor of Christianity Today, unfavorably reviewed Bell’s book in a recent edition of the magazine, giving it 2 out of 5 stars. I am sure Mark is an upstanding guy and in all likelihood, I am sure that there was no ill-intent on his part in writing a poor review of Bell’s book. But doesn’t his dual role convey at least an appearance of a conflict of interest? As an author myself, maybe I am just overly cautious about this sort of thing, but I would have passed.

Be All There

Jim Elliot once wrote “Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.”  Come on, folks, this ain’t livin’ to the hilt. As followers of Christ, we’re called to originality, creativity, clarity, and unquestioned integrity.

Note: Finally, I wanted to add that this is not some sort of attempt to defend Rob Bell’s book, which I am actually still reading and evaluating. In fact, I’ve read Galli’s review of Love Wins in Christianity Today and am prone to agree with several of his perspectives.