Here at Catalyst, we have built some fun components into our website that deal with robots - in a George Jetson futuristic way. But, according to Forbes Magazine, the robot revolution is here, and here for real. In the latest issue, Forbes devotes the cover story to robots and how the recent compounding development of all kinds of robots are fighting wars, driving cars and performing surgeries, among a number of other tasks. Could it be that many of us will soon be losing out on projects and new job opportunities to our small un-human counterparts?

Wednesday, August 30 is your last chance to get a sweet offer from the Catalyst Crew. Register by Wednesday for the Sweet Deal starting at $239 per ticket. How sweet it is! Clearly, you can't miss Catalyst.

Despite MySpace, chatting on IM or surfing iTunes, 12- to-14-year-old girls are still most deeply motivated by TV. According to the L.A. times, 65% say they're influenced by a TV show or network, and are more likely to multi-task. More than half report regularly instant-messaging; about two-thirds read and write emails, and just under half regularly use social networks. 68% say their parents know how they spend their time online; a third say their parents check their social networking sites; 31% say parents check their email; and 58% know their video games' content rating. Do you agree with these statistics? How do these statistics affect the way we are reaching this generation?

The companies that made Business Week's top 25 Best Small Companies to Work for in America got high marks for having low turnover rates, providing employee development training, and being flexible with time off. The 50 best have an average turnover rate of 11% and offer employees an average of 41 hours of training each year. They also give employees an average of 28 paid days off after one year of employment. How is the church world stacking up based on those numbers? http://www.businessweek.com/

This year at Catalyst we are introducing some new faces. Kevin Carroll is one of those faces for the church world. His session will be one that changes the way you think about what you do. He is the author of the Rules of the Red Rubber Ball and currently heads up the Katalyst Consultancy. We highly recommend tuning into his blog and checking out some of the things he is currently involved in. Be sure to check out his field reports.