Blog - Techpastors

juli 1, 2013

Google Glass is everywhere, but will it make the church?

Google’s most interesting product right now was noticeably absent from its I/O conference this year. But we have been seeing it everywhere else. And many people have an opinion on Google Glass, the glasses that give you instant access to the internet. When Google Glass was first launched last year, I received a lot of emails of people who were doubtful to say the least. And I have to admit that I was absolutely one of them.

So, what is this Glass thing anyway and why would you want to have it? Well, Google Glass is like the rim of a pair of glasses that is supported by your nose and ears. But that is where the traditional part stops. Google Glass has a camera and a small screen that allows you to access information from the internet or share pictures.

It is easy to dismiss Google Glass as something that is intrusive and that will never be used by lots of people in real life. However, that would be short selling the technology at hand. It might just be that Google Glass is the next big thing after the invention of the mobile phone. Yes, I skipped tablets and smartphones altogether. The thing is that the impact Google Glass can have on society is much bigger than we imagine. And I am not moving towards privacy issues or being out of tune with reality. After experiencing Google Glass, the change might be in a completely different place.

Over the past years, a lot of people have been talking about augmented reality. This is where information is added from online sources to compliment the world around you. Google Glass allows you to add information from online sources as you go about your life. The good part is that, even though the person across from you might think you look strange, Google Glass will not actually be in your eye-sight. It will be slightly out to the top right of it. This allows you to look anyone straight in the eye, even though you might be getting extra information. How about using that possibility instead of fumbling with your papers at your next presentation or sermon? Or how about getting that information to help you navigate through a town without having to look at your phone and subsequently missing a step in the road.

These are just practical solutions that are in existence at the moment. But I strongly believe more will come. Wearable electronics will become bigger in the coming five years. We will also see more solutions that will add extra information to everyday life as we move around. The interesting question comes when we ask ourselves, so how can we use this?

Last week a surgeon used Google Glass in the operating room to share with others what he was doing. How can we apply this to the way in which we are church within our community? Would it help our personal lives to project scriptures at certain places in the city? Can it do more for ministers than showing their sermon notes? Or can the possibility of Google Glass give a whole new meaning to discipleship and walking together? I believe we are at the start of this new technology, but I think that in 10 years our children might find it strange that there was a time when it did not exist.

Update: A couple of hours after we published this blogpost, Google released an update for Google Glass now allowing the owners to launch a webbrowser, to access their full address book from Gmail, and to use more voice commands.

arnehulstein / Mobile, News / Google, Google Glass, Innovation, Mobile /

juni 27, 2013

Microsoft launches new approach, new Windows 8.1 and gestures

build Last Wednesday, Microsoft held its Build conference for Windows developers in California. Obivously, Microsoft has been king of the hill in desktop computing for many years. However, Apple has gained momentum with more and more people working from Apple computers. A lot of that gain has come from the days when Apple launched its iPhone, which quickly integrated into our everyday lives. The ease of use of the iPhone also got a lot of people to change over to Apple computers. And that includes many people in churches and ministries that used to be heavy Windows users before. And it has become time for Microsoft to win back the crowds.

So, did Microsoft manage to do it? Well, it has been off to a good start. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer kicked off the keynote by explaining how Microsoft has been hard at work to create synergy between devices. He ran through all the different devices that are now powered by one form of Windows or another and stated that he did not know whether he should be calling them PC’s anymore. He concluded that by stating that he called them “All Windows, all of the time”. And that sums up what Microsoft is trying to achieve quite well. Obviously, we need to see how things will pan out over time, but the first steps are there. Also, Steve Ballmer introduced Microsoft’s new way of working, which is to release quicker and and more often to serve its users better.

Is it working? Well, Build 2013 was full of news, though it was more of a mix of consumer and technical information than Apple’s WWDC or Google’s I/O. But the important things are that the start button will be back for Windows on the desktop and that many tweaks and changes promise it will be nicer to work with.

One of the nicer things though, is gestures. From this update on, it will be possible to control certain things from making gestures at your computer. No special hardware is needed, the webcam in your laptop or desktop will suffice. It was nicely demonstrated by flipping the page on an online cookbook without getting dirty fingers on the screen. But imagine the freedom this can give to preachers that use powerpoint, to control their slides themselves, without holding awkward remotes all through the sermon.
Also, quick sharing between Windows devices will enable you to broadcast items from your computer to another system without delay, as demonstrated by a video that was started on a desktop, but broadcasted out to an Xbox -Microsoft’s game console- and played on a large television. Broadcasting over several devices is not new. Apple has its Airplay and Google has been working on something along similar lines as well. But the great news is that features like this, will help you to easily mix technology in with your story to make it an even more powerful experience.

And that is the great news that has come out of the three big developer conferences. Integrating technology in everyday life is going to be easier still. Obviously, this leaves us the challenge of finding the best ways to integrate it into telling our story to the world.

(And for those of you feeling adventurous, you can download the Windows 8.1 Preview already. Just remember it is for testing only, not for your daily work yet.)

arnehulstein / Conferences, News / Conference, Gestures, Microsoft, News, Windows /

juni 25, 2013

Connect to others: location check-in apps

In the second article in this series, I would like to take a look at location check-in apps. So, what is a location check-in app and what does it do? These are apps like Foursquare and Facebook’s Places option. They allow you to tell the world where you are and then share that across your social networks. Often they add a gaming element to it. In Foursquare you can become the major of a location, when you are the one that has checked into that location the most. They also run a score list to compare how often you have checked in to the checkin’s of your friends. But for this article, those games are not that important.

So, why on earth would you want to share with the world where you are at any given time? There are a number of reasons why you might want to do that. For me personally, if I check in somewhere, it is because I want others to know that I am available. Some people check into their supermarket and the local railroad crossing (seriously). However, I believe in using location checkins to show that I am at a place where I would be happy to talk to others. So, if you see me check in to a local bar or restaurant, come up and say hi. I appreciate it.
Another reason to check in is that I want you to know I am there. That is why I check into church on Sundays. And I make a point of checking into another church if I am there on that Sunday. It shows people where I am, but it also shows them I attend church, that I am a Christian and that I care about my church. But I also check into my favorite retailers to show that I shop there.

Obviously, checking into church does not reach people as such. But when combined with other checkins and other things you share online, people will get to know that you are a believer and that you take it seriously. And when you check in to your local gym, you might find that a neighbor goes there as well. And that might be a chance to share a ride to the gym and back and get to know each other better. The same goes for other locations. You might have found someones favorite restaurant and you can ask them what they think is the best thing to eat there. Or their favorite beach hangout. The opportunities are endless. Connect to your friends and their friends. Connect to people in your neighborhood and see what you and they like. That is an easy way to start a conversation. Which in turn might start a friendship.

Lets go out and connect! Tell me what your favorite spots are to meet people in the comments and how you would want to meet people there.

About Connect to others
Reaching out to others can be challenging. Which is why Techpastors is running this “connect to others” series. Because we believe that it is easier to share your faith with others, when you get to know each other. Technology gives us a lot of new opportunities to get to know people and to share with people what you are up to. Remember, this is not about sneaking up on people and hitting them over the head with a bible. This is about building a relationship with people based on something that you and them love doing. And that will allow you to show them your personal relationship with Jesus over time.

arnehulstein / Inspiration / Connect to others, Mobile /

juni 24, 2013

Short video examples: tell a full story in 6 seconds

At Techpastors we want to give you practical applications of technology. So, whenever I write something, I want to give you an idea of how you can use it. Often that will be in words, but in case of short video fragments, that might not come across as well. So, when I came across these short videos, I decided I wanted to share these with you. They illustrate the different things you can do with tools like Vine or the new Instagram Video that I shared with you in a previous post.

Lets start off with a brand. Fashion brand Burberry decided to show their full runway lineup with their audience in a 6 second video. And it was well received. It gives you a quick taste and for fashion fans, that might get them to go to the site and see all of the creations for themselves.

But you can also try to tell a story. You might be able to fit a complete story in, or just a teaser. Here are a couple of Vine users that animated their video to show you a story that would take more than 6 seconds to tell otherwise.

And you can combine the real world and the animated world as well.

Now come Christmas time, or Easter, how would you tell those stories in 6 seconds? Or 15 if you are using Instagram? How can you really get that point across? Or tell about your church, your youth group, that concert etc. in a way that people can enjoy it and be triggered enough to want to come out next time?

arnehulstein / Inspiration, Mobile / Mobile, Social Media, Video /

juni 21, 2013

Instagram launches video for Instagram – 15 seconds to touch people

On Thursday the 20th, Instagram launched video as their latest addition to their services. It is a very powerful system that allows you to post little videos of what you are seeing with the push of a button. It is almost like a tiny ‘broadcasting made easy’ package that will allow you to share beautiful sights and sounds with your friends.

If you are not familiar with Instagram, let me do a quick introduction for you. Basically, Instagram allows you to take pictures with your mobile phone and share them with your friends within Instagram and across social networks. Instagram had two unique features that allowed it to quickly grow to become the biggest photo sharing service online. The first advantage was the well executed timeline. The timeline makes it very easy to see what others are sharing and to comment on their pictures. The second advantage were the great filters that Instagram allows its users to use on their photos. That way you can easily give your pictures a change in colors, borders and general feel.

Facebook saw the impact Instagram was having and bought the service. However, with the rise of Vine on Twitter, Instagram must have known it would be bad to just sit still. Vine allowed Twitter users to easily share 6 second video clips of whatever they experience. And now Instagram has gotten into that same field, but has improved on the concept.

Instagram video allows you to share videos of between 6 and 15 seconds. All videos will be shot in a square format, so there is no reason to tilt your phone to get a landscape view. Recording a video is as easy as holding down the record button on the phone and the slider will move as the seconds pass. After your recording, you can edit the video and apply colorful filters. Instagram will immediately show you the results that the filters have on your recording, so you can browse through the filters to find the one that suits you best. You then get to pick the cover photo, which will be the image people see before they start your video. And lastly you can add a title and the services you want to post the video to and click the share button. Instagram then takes care of the rest.

This is all great, but how can you use this? Well, Instagram is an awesome app to share experiences with people. Whether it is a great picture of a band, or the sun flowing through a stain glass window. And now they have added video, which allows you to have people experience a great moment with your youth group. It allows you to share a great time with friends, the joy around baptism or any other great moment. It is also a great tool to just stay in touch with people around you. To show them what you value. What makes you laugh, what makes you cry and even the ‘mundane’ things such as having a great meal together.

There is a saying that tells us that the eyes are the windows to our soul. I strongly want to encourage you to not only see that as the eyes showing what is going on within our souls. But also to realize that the eyes are one of the best ways to reach and touch the soul of someone who is able to share that precious moment with you.

arnehulstein / Mobile, News / Mobile, Sharing, Social Media, Video /

juni 17, 2013

Connect to others: fitness apps

endomondo-sports-tracker-iphone-android-symbian-blackberry-logo_0

Reaching out to others can be challenging. You might find it incredibly easy to talk to others about your hobbies, but when it comes to your faith, you would rather stay silent. Most of the time, this is because we believe that people will judge us when we openly proclaim to follow Jesus or to go to church. In my personal experience, sharing is a lot easier when you get to know each other. Which is why Techpastors will be running a “connect to others” series. In each of the articles, we will look at how you can easily connect to others to get to know them, to enjoy their company and to open up opportunities to talk to people. Remember, this is not about covert ops and then sneaking up on them and hitting them over the head with the bible. This is about growing a community of people doing something that you and they love. It is about being in a comfortable place to not mumble when they ask you about Sunday morning, but to be able to speak up and just say you went to church. Jesus shared with people over meals, during walks and when he met people wherever they were. Apps can help you hang out with people that you might otherwise not have met. It will allow you to build a community around a subject and perhaps that will allow you to share your hearts desires at some point. In this article, we will be looking at fitness apps.

Fitness apps on mobile devices are able to do several things. The reason why they were developed is simple. They help you get fit. They might help you while you run, cycle, kayak, jog, walk, lift weight, do pushups or any other sports. They can track where you are, your speed, your route, your distance and all kinds of averages. And that is great. But there are some sports apps that will allow you to do something else. They allow you to connect to others. For instance, sports apps like Runkeeper, Endomondo or even Teemo will allow you to get fit and do that with your friends. Or with people in your neighborhood.

Lets look at Endomondo for a minute. On the Endomondo website, you can connect to your friends through social networks. But you can also look at the routes that people have plotted in your area. That way you can find people in your area that are running and you can pick the ones that fit your fitness best. You can then connect to the people that have set up these routes and see whether they want to run with you. Easy as that. Send out a message, pick a time and date and start running, cycling, kayaking etc. together.

If you feel a bit uneasy, try to gather a group from your church to back you up and just organize a local 5K run for instance. Set a great route, turn it into an event at Endomondo and invite your friends to join you. If you are trying to get in touch with your local community of runners, please keep the following things in mind:
You might not want to call the run after your church
You might not want to have the run leave from the church and lead to the church
These people come in to sport. If they come to run, talk to them about running, don’t hit them over the head with the bible
This is not a covert op, remember? You are here to do sports together. Enjoy it. Be as competitive as they are. But keep it clean and make that part of your testimony.

And most importantly, have fun. Don’t feel like halfway the run you ought to witness on how you found God. If someone asks during that first run, that is great. But it might not happen. That might take three or eight events. Nevertheless, you are building relationships with others and pray that those will allow others to be touched by God. And not necessarily by you.

arnehulstein / Inspiration / Connect to others /

juni 13, 2013

We need to explore again

Technology and the internet have become a common good. It has become a steady part of our lives, but has it really reached the potential we have expected it to have? We have enormous potential at our fingertips, but it seems like we are not very interested.

Back in 1994 I got my first internet account. I used a black and white terminal and I used the internet for at least six to eight hours a day. My phone bills were astronomical. But everything was new. Everything was exciting. The internet, though in black and white and text, was this huge new universe that spanned the earth and had an unsaturable urge to grow into all possible directions. Back in 1995 I blagged my way into one of the Netherlands biggest mail order furniture retailers and sat across their marketing director explaining him why they needed to take their business online. Needless to say that he thought I was a lunatic and that people would never buy their couch online. They went bankrupt in 2011.

Today the internet has become a common good. And we notice. Everything seems to be smothered in marketing. Money and opportunities to make money seem to rule the sentiments online. As a result, the internet is seen as a commercial extension of our lives and churches and Christian organizations keep their distance. But should they?

If we look back into history, it was the church that triggered people to travel and reach out beyond the daily boundaries. We still read in awe about Paul’s travels that took him beyond the outer edges of his world. So where are our modern day explorers? The internet has not stopped expanding. It is not like there is nothing new on the horizon. And I strongly believe that there are many things beyond the horizon that will change our world forever.

If I have to summarize the state of exploration at the moment, I can easily draw a picture. All of us are standing on a beach, looking out over the ocean and looking at an island that can be seen half a mile away. We look at it, longing. We know what opportunities are there and some of us talk about conquering the island. And we stand there.
What we need is someone to bang their fist on the table and say: “I am going. But I am not going to that island, because in my heart I know that behind this island is a bigger world. A world of endless opportunities. And I am going to go out and claim that for our Lord!”.

As a kid, I read about the great explorers. I dreamed of sailing those unchartered waters. And now it is our time to get up and be those explorers. Because I believe that there are great resources there, great new opportunities and many people that we can reach out to. The only thing that is keeping us from progressing further is the comfort of the city that we have built around us. And it is time we find our way back to where we can enter the jungle from our paved roads and mirror glass buildings. It is time to go. Lets go and explore and build the future on what we find!

arnehulstein / Inspiration / Inspiration, Technology /

juni 11, 2013

Apple launches new iOS7, what is in it for you?

Yesterday, at their WWDC conference, Apple introduced their new iOS7 operating system for the iPhone and iPad. Obviously there are many new features that are an improvement from iOS6. However, the big question with any upgrade of your phone is what the changes mean to you.

At the bottom of this article, you will find an overview of a number of new features that are introduced to iOS7 and that will hit iPhones somewhere in the fall. The good news is that a lot of phones will actually get to benefit of the new iOS7 features. But the feature that might be the best one to have, will only be released to the iPhone 5, the iPad 4, the iPad mini and the iPod touch 5th generation. That feature is called Airdrop and it will help you to share with the people around you.

Sharing amongst phones and tablets is not new. But Apple’s Airdrop does make it easy. It searches for other compatible devices that are close to you, and then you can choose what document you share with whom. Which makes it very easy to share the latest information that is needed for your meeting. Or to share your bible study with the group you were meeting with. Without having to physically connect to the various devices that people carry. Unfortunately Airdrop will only be released to newer Apple devices. This will narrow down your options for sharing, but if you are up to change the phones for your whole team, this might be a great reason to make sure everyone will run iOS7.

What are the other new features in iOS7?
The new Control Centre allows you easy access to Airplane Mode, wi-fi, Bluetooth, screen brightness, your music and other things. You can find Control Centre by swiping upwards from the bottom of the screen.

iOS7 comes with a revamped Notification Centre. It is now also accessible from the lock screen to give you an easy overview of all your alerts. New is the Today feature, that shows you an overview of what is ahead for that day.

We have seen filters that change the colors of the pictures you have taken in popular apps like Instagram and Snapseed. Apple has now integrated filters into the iOS7 camera app. The new camera app also makes it easier to switch between the different camera modes the iPhone offers.

A new Moments feature has been added to the Photo app. Here you can find media based on where you are and what time it is. It also allows people to share streams with friends and family through iCloud, so it is even easier to keep everyone up to date.

The browsing experience on iOS7 has been greatly improved with the addition of full screen browsing to Safari. You can now also store all your passwords and credit card details on iCloud, if you would want to. This allows you to use that data across all your devices that you use the new Safari on. A welcome addition to Safari are the parental controls, which allow you to block access to adult material amongst other things.

If you like to ask your phone questions, you will be pleased to know that Siri has received new female and male voices. Siri also connects to Twitter, which allows you to hear Siri read to you what people are posting there. Siri now also integrates Bing and Wikipedia.

Following the examples of other music services, Apple has updated the Music app with iTunes Radio. It streams audio online and already features over 200 different radio stations you can listen to. Alternatively, you can build your own station with the music you like. This is not only available on iOS7, but it iwll also come to the Mac, PC and Apple TV.

On the technical side, Apple has improved the way multitasking is working, so your apps will switch faster and will also use less power to keep on running in the background.

That is an overview of the changes for iOS7. Apple also announced a new operating system called OS X Mavericks, a new line up of four new Macbook Air models, and a glimpse of the new Mac Pro.

arnehulstein / Mobile, News / iPhone, Mobile /

juni 6, 2013

Evernote adds reminders to Android

I have had times where my desk was buried under to-do lists and memos about things I needed to remember. However, as more and more piled up, I lost the overview and things were forgotten. I am sure you are not like that, but if you want to structure your notes and to-do lists in a better way, Evernote is a great option.

Evernote is a service which basically helps you remember everything and helps you get things done. They have a website, but they also have mobile applications for phones, tablets and web browsers. And now they have brought their reminders to their application for Android phones.

But what can this do for you? Essentially, this can help you work together with your team a lot better. Especially in churches and organizations that rely on many volunteers to make it all happen, this could be a wonderful tool. As more and more people carry their smartphone around, it is easy for them to be in touch with the team more actively. It also makes it easier for teams to split tasks and share notes or ideas.

I would like to challenge you, to try out Evernote with one of your teams. Pick a team which makes notes of its meetings and that has tasks that people need to carry out before certain times. Convince them to use Evernote for a while. As time passes, it is going to be interesting to see whether it made it easier for them to share their thoughts and ideas over time. Or whether it became easier to make sure everything was ready before a set date.

You can just set an alarm time for Evernote reminders. They will then just pop up on the screen of your mobile to tell you what needs to happen and when. Check out Evernote for more information on the application or to download it for your computer, phone or tablet.

arnehulstein / Mobile, News / App, Mobile /

juni 5, 2013

Google’s new channel format

YouTube has just upgraded all their YouTube channels to their new one channel approach. This means that if you have a YouTube account, your channel will look very different. And if you are thinking about sharing video online, your content will be shown within this new channel format.

The change to the one channel format is step forward, both in looks as well as in interaction with your users. Finally the channel will not only have the same look on a phone, a tablet and a computer, but it will also include that look when you use YouTube on your television.

The new channels allow you to make give your channel much more of the feel that people would have when they enter your church. The YouTube channel now allows you to use much bigger images that will enhance the feel of your channel. You can have it reflect the experience that people have when they visit your services, small groups or the vibe that exists in your church community. You can also add gadgets to your YouTube channel, so you can increase interaction with people that are viewing your videos. This can allow you to reach out to one-time but also regular viewers that you would have no contact with otherwise. Obviously this is not limited to churches. You can do this with any organization. It just allows you to bring the experience of being somewhere into your YouTube channel.

If you want to read about the technical details, they did a great writeup at YouTube. If you are thinking about whether or not you ought to share video, please stay tuned as I want to write about that soon.

IF you want to get a feel for one channel, watch the video below.

arnehulstein / News / Video, YouTube /