AntoineRJWright.com

I read a lot. Today, I've read more than I've written. This is usually the case because I compile a lot of energy to come to points of writing for the various places I am heard or not heard. But I read something today, an aside to an article about Internet Tablets and the price reduction that happened yesterday, that was raw, and more so than most things I've read (ever), has given me a sober pause about the near future of life as I know it...

All that I can really say that its just amazing, and raw. I've always suspected, and had the theory in my head for a long time; but to read such raw truth (this is what I am calling it as I cannot verify it all just yet) is sobering.

The only answer that I have is to say: find Christ now. Given a few happenings, there's not much else that can save you. Tech ain't the answer, nor beefing with friends and family. Christ is. That's the only miracle I know that has been received and approved by the foundations of this world.

As much as I'd hope for something else to be said or done, I can only point you to Him.

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Compared to many people I know, I have not been on the Internet very long. My first experience was with the Netscape browser on a Mac OS 8.something device in my junior year of highschool. Since that time, I've done the Netscape to Internet Exploer to Firefox move; the all in one desktop to a tower to the mini tower to the laptop to the PDA to the smarpthone move; and several other notes of evolving as the Internet too has grown.

However, there is one thing that has not changed much since I got involved with cyberspace; fear and faith drives a lot of what is done and read here.

The Fears

Even when I graduated from college in 2002, there were professors saying that "you cannot trust the Internet unless a person with a Ph.D. wrote it. People spoke about being afraid that the Internet would take over ever aspect of life and that the next world war would be a digial one. Churches shunned the Internet because of that old '666' thought. And don't be a person that wears glasses that knows how to fix these things; a woman was bound to run away from you for fear that she too would become "one of them."

We shouldn't be surprised though. Things that are new rarely evoke feelings of security in the minds of those used to the way things are. Every day that I walk out the the apartment and "take my office with me" I am reminded that innovation is marked by discomfort. Its not a bad thing, and there is a right to be apprehensive towards change, but to outright fear it for misunderstanding - well that is not something that I expect from anyone, let alone an academic.

The Faith

Then there are those "true believers." Every move the Internet has had them. The latest is probably those that are using mobile devices to access the Internet and finding that the world is a lot more accessible than it seems. Sure, outside of the iPhone you rarely hear anyone except those pioneers talking about it, but its true that the mobile web has done a lot to restore the faith that there is still much to discover about the Internet and its interaction in our lives.

Faith without direction though is something to be noted. Faith can drive you to do some amazing things; without direction it leads the fear to grow faster than the faith that preceeded it. Faith is saying "ooh, I can talk to another computer by just typing this." Fear happens when talking to another computer becomes "hey, my idenity is stolen, and its the carrier's fault." Both fear and faith need to be respected, but for such a new paradigm, the faith in the Internet needed to be pushed more than its fears.

The Critique

And this is where I have an issue with this article recently published at Reuters. A professor has rightly acertained that there are more people and more ways to access the Internet than ever before. However, he makes the wrong conclusion on the matter by blaming the devices, specifically mobile devices, where he should be pointing them to do something more than what they are doing. Mobile devices are no more locked down, virus laden/producing, or restrictive than computers ever were. But to say that the innovative spirit that created the personal computing genre is dimished because of them reaks of a person who's paradigm for doing life has just been rocked. He's afraid that the Internet will change before he's gotten used to it. I get that; and I totally understand.

And yet as much as I understand, I stand on the point that mobile devices, the Internet, and innovation will continue to evolve. Just as ever mass media element has done before it. Things will evolve and then something new will happen. There's no reason to be afraid of change, only to have faith that the lessons from past innovations will go into making the world around us something worth interacting more with.

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Looking at my portfolio I am starting to finally realize that there is a pattern to things that is kind of neat, but also has made for some clarity in a few areas recently. One thing is that I have moved away from abstract web design to more functional designs. But the more important one is that I've moved from just innovating for the sake of it to actively making functional innovation a part of my lifestyle.

Now, when I say innovation being functional, I mean more than just having the shiny and new because its shiny and new. I mean taking advantage of the current technology in such a way that my life and the lives of those around me is enriched when they engage with me.

When I started doing web design, it was just a matter of learning; seeing what I could learn and apply to get the message of Christ out online in ways that were distinctive yet effective. And as the web and web building tools matured, so have I. The goal being the same, but now the innovations push beyond just doing to actually creating the place for innovation to change my life and the lives of those around me.

In the MMM Mobile Experiment Report I see this very clearly. There is almost no need for someone living in the US to have any need of a mobile device to access the web. For the most part, terminals are large and cheap enough that nearly anyone can have some type of access somewhere. There is even less of a need for someone to carry a web server around with them. These are things that while possible, to do speaks towards the innovation that our society has allowed to happen.

But I want it to go past that. What happens when mobile access is an issue of team building and discipleship. What happens when people who were once next door and doing ministry are now separated by "the pond." How does one get over the hurdle of language and cultural differences that affluence and technology instantly cause. These are questions that would seem removed from lifestyle, but for me they are becoming things that I address in my everyday use and push of web and mobile.

The more interesting thing in looking at that portfolio is how I've grown to include more people in sharing those things that are innovative, and taking more advantages to share pieces of the character of Christ in all of those areas. The price I sometimes pay for this innovation is loneliness; but every once and a while there is someone whose life is enriched directly or indirectly because I took a step out of my box to see what lies beyond the horizon. The future holds a lot, and this kind of exploration and discovery of what it means to connect with one another seems to be what innovation meeting lifestyle is all about.

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I am considering this post to be in one part an experiment. Blogger has released a new feature called scheduled posting where you can write a post and then schedule it to automatically post on a future date and time. I am starting this a bit before 10am and will just see how it rolls out. This is a feature that I've wanted for sometime, and it brings some value back into Blogger for me as a publishing platform. That being said, I still am looking at moving on to something a bit more mobile...

For the last week I have been doing an experiment on MMM where I am using Nokia's Mobile Web Server as a blogging and communications platform. For MMM, its a nice idea, but something that needs a bit more refinement. For me though, it could be something worthwhile to do considering all the other ways that I connect with people while connected/online.

Basically, I would be archiving all that I do here and going to use the MWS only. There would be a page here that lists the badge to the MWS as well as archives of the Blogger posts, and then the connect page (because it took so long to build and refine that, I am not getting rid of it). For me, it makes me very mobile once again; for you, well, depending on whom you are, there becomes a better way for my website to be a place of personal musings and such.

Unfortunately, this is not something that I can do right now. The mobile device that I have while good for this, lacks some hardware abilities that would make such a move easier. Considering also that I am a nut about connectivity, I would want to make sure that a few other things are settled. That being said, this is something under heavy consideration and I am most likely going that route in a non-experimental mode.

In talking to my friend till 2am last night, we got back on that subject of being the kind of church that is distinctive; I see what I have done with MMM over the last week, and what I will do here as an enabler into that. Whether that leads more people to Christ or not I don't know. But in terms of those things mobile and connecting, I am doing what I am designed to do, tripping all the way to some end that God has planned. I don't know His plan, only that I am in it and subject to it. That makes it fun to try stuff like this, and then respond to the world around me in a manner that speaks like the knowledge of Him that has been written on our hearts.

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Given my lack of posting here since the MMM Mobile Experiment started, this would seem to be a very appropriate comic...

Saw this comic when I was looking at his blog speaking about his getting of an Nokia N95 8GB to replace his iPhone. Interesting choice on the switch, but the comic was better in that I seem to be moving into that 3rd frame pretty quickly LOL.

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Image via Wikipedia

Walking around life with ides of how to do things better for yourself or others puts most people in a quandry that's left unexplored. We see and wonder, yet very few take that steps towards actually realizing that potential that lies within. Then, there are those, we call them innovators after some point and time, who throw caution to the wind and become some kind of idea towards that thing we all have wanted to explore. I'm on this road, and its kinda interesting because I don't know where its leading.

In speaking with a friend yesterday, she remarked how some years ago she scoffed at the fact that I was saying how she'd one day be using a PDA. She looked at me as one of those people to say "that's for you, but not something that I'd ever get into."

This past week she purchased a Palm Centro on AT&T. One of many people to have told me over the past months that a place that they've not seem themselves they are now in.

Of course, in all of this, I am constantly pushing myself past the things that I normally think about. I waver between using a Nokia N800 Internet Tablet and pushing for the N95 because of its TV-Out functionality. Instead of wanting to make "church" the center of my Christian life, I drive all over Charlotte (and wherever else my dwindling budget can take me) to interact with people within the Christian Body that have something that I should be living with and hearing.

I live in this niche of those who are constantly pushing forward. That group of people who realize that there is more to life than where I am, and push past it (because sitting still is a worse moment than has ever been recorded). I thrive on that learning of what it is that makes me tick, and then pull myself around to see that reality is worse than what it should be.

I'm like the person who is constantly trying to bend reality into a shape where I see things and can finally settle down. But for people like me, we don't settle. We continue to push further and further still. Only realizing before the end that it was our niche all along to push the boundaries of something, so that there's room under the umbrella for the next great person to lead people to something that was always clearly seen.

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I went to a really good business meeting this morning. I met a number of people who are (for lack of better terms) doing some really good things in Charlotte and beyond. This was a meeting that I was recommended to go to by a few folks from my church, and while I am glad to go, it was just another one of those moments where I looked around and knew that I was in the mist of greatness, but felt so small to the task of following thru towards meeting God's heart for me. If you will, my integrity has been pulled in two directions, Desperation and Trust; and my faith has been getting beat on.

Many people know Desperation. Its that side where you have nothing but three walls around you and whatever is in your hands is your only way you. You can only see out, because success only looks like getting out from the hole that you are in. Since some issues at the beginning of the year, I've been thrown back into that corner and have had little response to the beating that I've taken. Not knowing what to do and being to tired to do anything have made me in this spot where I have nothing left but what's in my hands to figure out this life with. It's scary.

Then there's that side that also has been taking a beating on my heart in the same period, Trust. Trust is that measure of faith we can ascribe to God, a person, or a moment where its literally a dream that we year to realize and place some type of positive expectation towards. I learned last year that I have to Trust God, and yet I find myself in that corner again where I don't know how. My only guide has been this stubborn faith that somehow, God has equipped me for this journey, and I am doing what I am built to do. In that meeting, I met some folks who truly Trust God with their businesses and lives. My faith has been knocked so much it felt like I was in strange company.

That's kinda why I am writing this now. Inner-Linked is the new endeavor that I am placing my energies towards, and yet I don't know how it is supposed to turn out. I know what I have the ability to do, and where I'd love to see people be. But at this moment, I am in a fickle because I also have to address the lack of what's in my hands and pocket.

As I left the meeting I sensed in me a chance to start worrying more. I don't know how a few thing will pan out before the end of the month. I drove and thought about it. I can choose Desperation or Trust; but those are both my call to make. I am choosing Trust because that's the only place where I have some company in faith. That's not to say I am not in that corner though.

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I cannot speak for pretty much anyone that I know in my immediate vicinity, but I tend to be very much the mobile nomad spoken of in an article at The Economist. Its not that I am a jet-setter and travel the world (yet), but I am a person who thrives on interacting with people. Mobile and web based technologies enable this to happen for me more and more, and frankly, I am enjoying where it is taking me.

But it is not just the fact that I can go around and engage with people that makes the mobile life interesting. I am also having to adjust my sleep/eating patterns a bit more (almost going back to how I was in college, albeit healthier). And then I have that really big aspect of making sure that I shut down and leave tech alone at times to just live. Its a different kind of challenge, and something that I believe that many other people are experiencing/will experience as mobile technology becomes a viable alternative towards the desk-set nature of many jobs.

Another aspect of being mobile that I enjoy is that of creativity. I've had a lot of opportunity to be creative either in coming up with solutions towards something I am working on, or creating a new means to be creative outside of technology. Its like being mobile allows for my creative juices to flow a bit more in the arts, and this is allowing me to reclaim parts of me that have been lost for the better part of the last decade.

Its not all fun though. I am finding that being mobile has a certain set of personal disciplines that are just not present in many other aspects of living. Things such as making sure that I am eating right, bills are being paid on time, and documenting various meetings, are those things that being mobile means that I have to pay a good bit more attention to. If you will, I am not just a worker, but the boss, the HR department, and the secretary. There is a challenge to boundaries that has to be dealt with everyday and convincingly. While I'm hoping for some software to help in some of those areas, much of this is behavior and so I'll live and adjust.

But I think that's why I enjoy this part of life. Its very challenging, and in the kind of way that will make or break who I am for a while longer. I am not just interacting with people offline, I am interfacing and connecting them. With those online there is a lot of knowledge-sharing that is happening; a sharing of community, experiences, and just the fun things of life. Being mobile has opened me to more than that being a possibility, but a livable reality.

When you think about it, its not much different than other times in human history when paradigm shifts happened. It just happens that in this one, I am a part of things and utterly enjoying it.

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I had to choose the same title because really, as one unpublished commenter noted in the last post, I've been a different kinda guy for a long time now. And so while I do wish for some sense of normalcy in many areas, that's just not the case. I think differently, and maybe that's where the following came out of me...

Over at Mobile Ministry Magazine, I've been on a bit of a run all week. Mostly because I'm finding it hard not to speak my passions in blunt and direct ways. This is not to say that I dumb down content there, but I do seek to not speak over the heads of the readers, and give those who never visited before a reason to come back.

It was very refreshing this week to get several posts off my chest. The latest one speaking in more detail of what I'd like to see out of me and MMM: the ability to connect with mobile tech and bring Christ into the lives of people around me to the point of them feeling like they can do the same. Its what I titled "The Mobile Christian Lifestyle" which went up recently. Here is a snippet if you find yourself a bit in the "not wanting to read a long treaste now mode:"

Read the rest of The Mobile Christian Lifestyle at MMM.

Having just written that post before I started this one, I feel a lot better. Not so much because I know what will happen after I hit publish on that post; but because I left it on the floor. My friend told me earlier this week that I give people "me with no masks." I prefer it that way. As to what God can make of a man who is different to himself "without the masks," well, I'll just have to have the faith that He's doing something that I cannot quite see.

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When I think about how I live these days, for the most part I can say that its just different. Its almost like I am designed to just choose a different way of doing things than many other people around me. Sometimes this has worked out well, but a lot of times, it leaves a good deal of "solo" time that I'd rather not have so much.

For as long as I can remember, I've been like this though. Pushing a different view, doing things in as many different ways as possible. Just to see if it is possible, or what the road looks like from another angle. Lately though, I've been noticing just how different I am. Partly because it hurts in some areas, but mostly because its like I;ve gone so far in a different direction that wanting some semblance of "being mainstream" just doesn't seem possible.

The interesting part is that I think it does help in terms of mobile technology. Articles like this one at Nokia Creative challenge established norms of thinking for the sake of a more fruitful engagement of tech in our lives. I like that. I think like that. It makes sense to in my opinion. But man is it a lonely road.

For a time, a long time, I had been looking for someone to walk with in terms of this different lifestyle. Someone that shared some of my passions, someone who I could learn about theirs and develop new ones. But you know, I don't think that person exists. We are unique and to think in that wise has caused me more sad thoughts than peaceful ones. Its a shame too, because I think in looking for something that wasn't different might have made me turn away some solid experiences.

Ah well. I've learned to live with my decisions. Some of them I'd like to redo form time to time; others I am just settled that some kind of move was made. My only question is if I will ever find in God that peace of having a unique view on life that leads to me glorifying Him with no strings attached. If you will, I need a lifestyle different that says that He is my portion...

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Some nights ago, I was out with one of my bros and we visited a friend and his. There was a household of kids there (which sorta prompted this poem) and just as much a mother who was using online courses to do her Masters while handling 5 kids. Needless to say, I was impressed. But when I pulled out my Internet Tablet to get a bit of Google Reader reading in, the questions started, and I began to see how with something a bit further how Nokia's vision of connecting people could be more plausible.

Starting with what the mother remarked towards, the Internet Tablet is small and capable. Despite its screen-size, it really is usable for all but the most daunting of tasks. In addition to that, the battery life and community-driven nature of its architecture lends to a lot of solutions coming when the device is well past its last-sold-date.

Per the usual when I pull out the N800, I was asked everything from "what is it" to "how do you type." These questions and observations I really like because they give me insight into the mystery that is still mobile computing. Despite the popularity of the iPhone, its still a far-out thought to have a computer in the palm of your hand. And adding things like wi-fi, touchscreens, and solid battery life seem to defy what should be possible.

What I told the mother though, to her disappointment, is that in its current form, the Internet Tablet isn't exactly what she is looking for. Its close though. Very close. And this is where I see a solution like noBounds taking the idea of a tablet, and making it (like the smartphone) a lifestyle device.

The Internet Tablet series, for all intents and purposes, is a full mobile computer that just happens to be driven by Linux (Maemo). Its not Windows, and that will be readily apparent to the person who looks for the "E" in order to get on the Internet. The other thing is that being a Linux device, it is very open to development from a worldwide community of developers (whether they are of a large company or not). noBounds is a product of Nokia's Research Center in Germany and takes this concept of an Internet Tablet, and makes it an accessory that just so happens to be your computer.

Think about it like this: you are that mother taking courses in your home. Instead of sitting with a laptop when the kids are asleep, you wired/wirelessly connect the Internet Tablet to your TV and work with the tablet playing the role of computer and keyboard, and the TV plays monitor. When the kids wake up, you disconnect the TV and then continue to work form the smaller tablet screen right where you are.

This is a lot closer to the idea of computing anywhere than most other solutions, and personally speaking, Nokia is well ahead in this regard because of their seeing the mobile device as a link to one's life, not as a spoke that life is linked to. I'd personally like to play with noBounds some before making final declarations, but in mind of the needs of computing in urban areas, this is one solution that is not just suitable, but also innovative enough to empower and change.

For more information about noBounds see:

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Over at Mobile Ministry Magazine, I've published a two part series called MEX Manifesto Through Christian Lenses. The MEX Manifesto is a statement of mobile practice and implementation beliefs held by some members of the mobile user experience (MEX) community and used by many who develop, market, and analyze mobile device users. In this series, I consider the uptake in using mobile technology and the resulting effectiveness when we use and design contnet for it around the user, instead of around the content.

This series will be of particular interest to those in multimedia fields looking for some direction as to addressing user experience in faith-based communities.

Here is a snippet:

Read parts One and Two of the MEX Manifesto Through Christian Lenses at Mobile Ministry Magazine.

Labels: commentary, community, MMM, mobility

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In light of yesterday's questions, I am taking a look at myself and just how I spend all the time in my days. Monday had me as tired as I have been in a very long time. Mostly because I did a number of things early Saturday that I didn't take the time to recover from. In light of that, there are two areas in which I am examining myself: mobility and faith.

When it comes to mobility, I am pretty much just a bit ahead of things in some areas, and not far enough ahead in others. I am not a programmer (by the strictest of definitions) but I can see the flow and goals of programs after interacting with them after a short time. I understand what users want, and the fun that developers need when it comes to various applications. And I am not slack in expecting from myself to understand and sensibly apply what I know to my life and help those around me.

Suffice to say, I am ok, but never content there. Which is ok. Because if I judge my heart in mobile versus something I read in my college's alumni magazine, I am 6-8 years ahead of where most want to be anyways :P

Then there is that side of me that is infrequent in reading and prayer, but quick to encourage. I am quick to hear the Word, but I have a very low tolerance for blatant ignorance of the foundations of our faith being taught and received. Even as I sat on the phone with my bro discussion "Father forgive them..." there was this excitement that I had in just digging into Jesus' heart, and the sensibility of how His life played out. I understand that, even if it means that I get peeved when others don;t see what I see. I thank God though that He's been patient with me. I'm in a very hard place right now, and the be all end all of things is to trust Him. I write all day, trusting Him for my day to day needs, and attending to those things He's placed in front of me.

Living mobile is hard. Things just are not where I see them. Living by faith is hard. Things just are not where I'd wish they be. In both cases I am being examined to walk in faith and trust that God knows what He is doing. I have no clue what the conclusion of this will be, but I know that this is the test that I have to walk out.

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Two questions have hit me this afternoon that have me thinking. One came from my bro who called me with it, the other was jsut something that I've been thinking a lot about since I've (in effect) changed my web-focus in the past weeks.

Something to think about this week as change, in more ways than one, is upon us all.

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My mom is one of the coolest technology-enabled people that I know. She's used computers in various forms for longer than I've been alive, but its alwyas about the same things - get the information quickly and do with it what you want to do. So you can imagine my surprise when I visited her this weekend and she asked me about RSS. Now, if you've come here from Jaiku or somewhere else, chances are you'd not see the viability in such a question. But to anyone not plugged into being online all the time, RSS is something powerful and confusing all at the same time. And for a technology that's support to be really simple, getting it to stay that way is sometimes anything but.

Instead of making this a primer for what RSS is, I'll leave that to Wikipedia and others who've expounded on this plenty already. I'll hit more on the benefits of it, and how to take advantage of it. And I plan on keeping this short, aka you will need to play and explore to know more.

RSS Is For...

RSS is basically a file format that is used for storing information that will be read in any number of types of containers. The most popular use is to keep track of websites such as blogs which publish new information frequently. RSS can also be used as a sort of digital channel (where you subscribe to a site and get a specific type of information only). And in extreme uses, it can actually serve as a replacement to common documents such as HTML, DOC, and XLS. Essentially, its just formatted information. One needs to use a feed reader in order to get anything out of it.

Access RSS With...

RSS files are read with feed readers. These can be websites, programs, or web browsers. By and large, using a web browser as a feed reader is the easiest method. In this case, any website that has an RSS feed available will show the orange RSS icon (See here) either in the address bar, or next to the address bar. Then by clicking this icon, one would be able to bookmark the site, and essentially see headline updates of it without having to physically visit the website.

Feed reader applications and websites work in the same way. With Feed reader applications, one would get several features and customization options that might not be present in browsers. Web services that have the ability to be an RSS reader usually are easier to use, but require one ot be online all the time (except in the case of Google Reader with the Google Gears extension for some browsers)

Then Take It All In, Simply

After you have subscribed to a few RSS feeds, the next thing to do is to just take it all in. Like email, RSS can be flagged/starred and categorized. And like email also, there can be a lot of things that come up that you don't want to read. Using RSS optimally means understanding that you don't have to read everything, that you don't have to subscribe to every RSS feed you come to. And that you can get away form the computer and the data will still be there.

When I opened Google reader on my tablet when I was in PA, I had over 1000 posts not read. There was no way that I would read all of those. I read those from the last 2 days (a few hundred probably) and the rest just marked as read and kept going. There's a lot to take in when it comes to reading online. RSS helps. But like everything, one has to use it efficiently in order for it to be effective.

Labels: applications, commentary, community

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I was reading how the OLPC is looking for a CEO to drive direction and commercialization efforts, and had the thought that this could be me. The CEO, not just the visionary, but the person organizing and driving the effort. And then I realized that there was no application link on the Ars Technica article, and so I started to wonder how this really could be me, and what is it that I need to improve on in order to make myself a better candidate for these user-focused efforts.

One of the areas that I know that I need to improve in is my ability to stay with a project until it is finished. I have always been one to start out fast, but then fade later. To mitigate that lately, I have made a better effort of starting out slower, but still working hard, and then keeping a consistent effort no matter if I need to go up or down.

I'd like to be a bit better in terms of understanding complex issues faster, but I see my speed in processing things as a strength as it leads me to not make hasty decisions on major issues.

I see the visionary, and the hard-worker; the person not ashamed to see something he didn't know before, but OK with bring wrong from time to time. I am not one who cares to be pigeon-holed; but I will acquiesce to the greater good when God's heart and His ethics are not compromised.

But probably the most notable reason that I can see for me doing well in a position such as the CEO at OLPC: I see computing as a means to an end, not as a means to extract the end of a person's patience. It has to be a tool that works in concert with social, spiritual, and economic needs to empower and edify. And while my religious ends might not be a great thing for the OLPC group, maybe there is a place where I can use my strengths and grow stronger in my weaknesses towards making this world a place that looks more like God's grace has spilled all over all of us.

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Ok, now that I have gotten out of the pain of using the Internet Tablet for a bit, I can get in and post some about this week and all that has been going on. Ok, not all, but here are some highlights.

Yesterday, I spent time in York and Lancaster, PA with friends. Had a great time with my bro; and then spent some time at my former college. I got caught up with another solid bro there for some convo and eats at the Sugar Bowl, and a few other folks as well. Kinda neat that they redesigned the website. There seems to be a lot happening there.

The day before that, I had a meeting in NE Philly, then drove around a good chunk of the city. After that visited a friend and her 3 kids. Had a great time and got a cheesesteak from Jim's.

Teh day before that was rest; and today is just a little bit more rest before another meeting and First Friday Fundamentals.

In other words, I am all over the place same as usual, but doing what I do to connect and drive crazy milage.

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I am not long from waking up. I travelled to Philly yesterday to spend a good chunck of the week here with family and friends, but in my first day here, I drove enough to make any one tired. Thankfully, there was a nice bit of sleep waiting for me, and having had it, I can get on with the business of catching up with folks here.

For example, I took a trip to my old neighborhood yesterday and saw an older lady whose dog I used to walk. She told me that last year that she had to put him to sleep as he was just broken and sick all over. If you would have ever seen this dog though, you'd swear that he and I were built from the same cloth. Champ was a half German Shepard/half Siberean Husky and was every bit 100% of both of those. I used to walk him for a few years before moving out of the neighborhood. It was good to see her though, and see that she is doing well.

I had one of those moments at Franklin Mills Mall where I remembered that "I was back in Philly" a bit too well. I commented to a woman at a store and she said that I must not be from here because I spoke to her with manners. Then she remarked that I must want something, becaues of the words that I used. Something that I forgot about Philly was that men and women carry a lot of hurt towards one another here. There's a lot of mishandled brotherly love in this city. I am one of many whose done his share, but it was just interesting to get that back in my first few minutes back here.

I kinda feel like Santaigo in coming back here. As if I am here, but that I will find something in this trip that I didn't know was here all along. Getting a good long drive in and some sleep will do that for you I guess. Weird, but now I'm rested. Who knows what will happen.

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A snippet from a recent post of mine at Palm Addict:

Read the rest of this post at Palm Addict.

Labels: commentary, community, mobility

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In ever recent change in my life, the aspect of value and understanding value has been impressed on me. Whether it was in leaving a relationship and understanding the value of another, or leaving a job and understanding that I should know my own value; I've been constantly put in this position where I just have to know and move forward according to this view that God has of me. The kicker is that I never have quite understood this until after the fact, but a recent article that I read has given me some ability to better take the next steps with a correct perspective of valuation.

Anarticle at ReadWriteWeb, the concept of value is spoken of in terms of the downturning economy and the matter of people being let go. Because chances are that more people are going to lose their jobs this year, understanding what you specifically bring to the table in any situation is vital towards not so much keeping your job, but keeping your niche as something that people value enough to allow the means to live.

How then does one make some kind of summary explaination towards how they should be valued? As far as I know, there is no formula, but there are somethings that people should note:

These things might not allow you to keep your job. They might not even all lead to another job immediately. What it will do though is give you and others a clear view of where your value lies. And at some point, that turns around towards something that you do that you love, and that you get compensated towards so that you can live despite the economies around you.

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I just got finished watching the mobile Meet the Robinsons. Its a Disney flick, but like most, I tend to enjoy those. It wasn't as good as some of their movies in terms of impact on the industry or anything. But it did have this eerily impressing message: “keep moving forward.”

Its a really interesting start to my week to have such a thing come across my eyes. Considering the redesign of this site, and the repurposing of several areas of my life in the past half a year; its just interesting that I would receive such a message now to just keep moving forward. Not to say that it is not warranted. I'm just finding it a bit on the interesting side that it would be the thing that I am hearing most at the moment.

I have in another tab open right now a page about the newly announced Nokia N78 model. For as much as I have been getting it on with my Nokia N75, to see a device that is really a "moving forward device" from that standpoint is kinda interesting. Its not one that I want, but the advances that it brings to mainstream customers is quite nice.

Of course, what I want is a bit more flashy, and really does push things forward considerably. But hey, I cannot get all the way forward all at once (lest Nokia wants to gift a bro).

What really shakes me up is that I've been in this constant state of moving forward, and at no time has it not been scary, or just outright weird. God's been leading me, and He's given me a lot of room to make choices when I get to forks; but the thing is that I have continued to move forward. I know what it is that I want to see, but those things He's led me into are definitely further along than things I dream about.

I guess that's part of what it means to be a visionary, and to move forward. I watched a side show on the Robinson's DVD that talked about how inventors were primed to do something because they kept moving forward. And if it was not for their strange way of thinking, and that insistence on realizing a dream, that things just wouldn't change. Looking at my life, and how God's created me in His image, I'm primed for something. But to get there, I have to hold fast to Him, and keep moving forward.

Labels: commentary, mobility

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I've been saying that there's a good bit of changes that are going to happen, and tonite/this morning has been a few of them. First off, I cut my beard (its been months), but the second one is the recoding of this site and the introduction of a new skin "Professional."

Why?

There are a few reasons for the change, but the biggest is that there was just a need one my end to recode the HTML and CSS on this site to make it even more modular than it has been. As it is coded now, I am going to be able to do even more variations in layouts when doing different skins. Also, becasue of the construction of the HTML, I'll be able to add and remove modules pretty easily.

In other words, I can manage my tendicies to design a bit better.

Upcoming
The Connect page will take over housing the hoard of links that I've gathered over the years, and will be a page where you can connect with me over several social networks. Since I'm online, I'm going to leverage a few things, and push a bit harder when possible.

This site redesign/reformat also means that I can address mobile devices a lot easier. For example, this skin was made with the idea that an Internet Tablet would come and visit every once in a while. I've got a handheld stylesheet to add to this, but its going to be a while on that end.

The old skins are still around. I'm going to add a page on the portfolio page that will show that off. I really like a lot of what I did there, and might even revisit a few of them now that I have a bit more verstile HTML.

What Does This Mean for You
Just that you can read and connect with me a bit better. Anything more than that and you will have to pay to come here :)

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My best friend and I had a discussion some years ago about what happens to people after they die. Is it that they go to heaven, or that they "sleep" in the ground awaiting the final judgement? He and I never came to a conslusion on the matter, but the latter was most definietly looked towards as being closer to Biblical truth than anything else. Come to find an article speaking the same. A Bishop speaks on one part about the understanding of "sleeping or heaven." But more importantly asks people to read the Bible for what it is, not for what culture has dictated over the course of Christianity's life. For me, I've got to study this subject again, this is the kind of thing that keeps me from sleeping.

Read the article at World Net Daily.

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Continuing my thoughts from a similar-titled post...

Software isn't yet mature enough, and teaching methods aren't yet moved past 18th century methodologies; this is how I feel when I gather up my tech to go to a study, service, or even work. As much as I know the ability is there, I just cannot seem to connect the dots simply - how I want to use mobile tech; connect with people; and grow in the understanding and applying Word.

I wonder why that is the case. From the start of the Christian faith, it seems that being both mobile and social were the aims of things. Go (somewhere) and Interact (teach and learn from someone). And yet when I sit either in Bible study, or even in my personal times, I feel like I have to make a choice between being mobile or social, and that integration between the two is not to be.

Note: I am one of those weird young folks who has a good bit of cohesion between those things analog and digital. My views on how tech integrates into life is a good bit different from even people around me, and at the same time is indicative of a movement that is happening in several areas of humanity now. This is the perspective that I have when I speak of choosing mobile or social, and I totally understand that it might be out of the range of use/thought for some.

Putting software and hardware aside for a bit, a big issue that I have is with the social side of things. There just are not a lot of extroverted, gung-ho folks in the Body. And that's a good thing, everyone's character has its place. It gets to me that more people are not as outgoing though. One would think that the one area we'd be in some way gung-ho is getting around one another. Social being that idea that we connect, then drive home to each other's hearts the sincerity that is this walk we have.

Personally, email has made being social possible with many people. I thrive on my job, in writing, and in friendships because of the connections that have been made. I don't seem to hear type of empowerment coming from pastor-teachers. I only see rhetorical dealings (which there's a time for), but never an exhortation to stretch past what's familiar, to what makes you social by being mobile.

I'm writing this before I go to Bible study. I'll be using my Internet Tablet. The Notes feature doesn't work along with the Bible reader. So I'll probably try and blog another set of notes, and kind of see where I can go from there. Something that was a mix of Logos'Personal Book Builder and WordPly would be pretty neat though - especially if I could email it to those in my increasingly growing circle of friends.

But even more, there's no outline from the teacher with links to extra resources that correspond to the upcoming/past lesson. There's no online calendar that shows the outline of the study. There's not even a mash-up map of points of interest in the Middle East that correspond towards our study.

I'm mobile in presence, and social to a point, but the two don't meet. I really wish they would though. It would change things when the presentation and content can push us into that Go Interact mode that it seems was the point of being adopted all along.

Labels: commentary, community, mobility

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The past few days have had me enjoying a heck of a nice loaf of cheese bread from Harris Teeter. Seriously, this has been one incredibly good loaf of bread, and whether its been a sandwitch or just toasted bread and butter, I've been in a state of delightful enjoyment for a number of days now.

It all started when I was just doing my weekly grocery shopping. I was just going to get some chicken salad so that I can eat something not necessarly microwavable this week. I got over there and just smelled the bread. Usually, I am fine, but that smell got to me and I just had to walk over.

My nose and hand met right on that soft loaf of cheese bread. And it was about three good sanwitches worth of chicken salad.

I need to figure out what I will do now that I am nearly done the loaf. There's got to be something in the crib worth eating with it. But even if not, my place smells like cheese bread, and that alone is solid enough for me.

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Sitting at the coffeehouse while I am writing this. I find that today that I've needed to catch a bit of a breather. Not that life is overwhelming at the moment or anything major like that, but that I do need to just stop and enjoy some quiet time away from concerns for a bit. This is a good thing, even healthy. I'm glad to even be doing so in the mist of a ton going on around me.

I'm finding that living with the IT is a bit more of a challenge in some areas and freeing in others. For example, I don't like to carry the tablet all the time because of the size, and that my phone really has most of what I need for day to day interactions with things that I come across. This week, I finally got Rapier installed, and now I can at least run towards using the Bible on this the way that I'd like to. Well, I can try, if its not on me, then the Bible reader doesn't really have much use.

Last night I went to a church that was having an even called Fusion Fridays. Much like First and Fourth Fridays in PA and MD, this is a gathering of believers from various churches in the college and young adult ages that want to fellowship and grow in Christ together. I got there late, but was able to get on the mic and share a piece called "Shade." Sorry, it wasn't something written down, so I have no words to share about it here. But if I can get a copy of the clip, then I will post that here or somewhere ;)

Feeling a good bit of release from a ton of hurts and issues. Glad that for the most part that I have me to deal with. Been hearing some of the issues that others are going thru with others and not that I don't want to share my life with a special lady, I just don't want to deal with the issues many of them area. Patience is a biggie there on both ends. I've had to bee patient with myself as I've grown, and patient with others as we are all just trying to make sense of life around us.

Congrats to friends whom are getting married or have announced their engagements. Definitely cool for all parties involved.

I'm glad to be relaxed, something about a solid moment at a coffeehouse and some journaling will do that for you. Like I said last night though, sometimes you just have to pull the shade down and rest.

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This is the story of a recent episode in my life. I've had a few of these where I'm left with just as many questions as answers. Since some of my friends say that they can live their lives through me a bit, this is a bit of insight into people-situations that I come across.

There was a woman at the coffeehouse; she had no reason to be there for she was just exploring. There she spoke wisdom to me, the man who said idly waiting for something.

She told me of how everything is monitored; how everyone is being watched by someone. She told me of her daughter who would change the world from as early as 2nd grade. She told me how I have to remain in places for more than just to stay afloat. Change comes from the top, for the head has to move for the body to move.

She spoke of her hopes; of her fears she tried not to dive so far. I revealed that it was by faith I came here; she revealed how faith is not her's. I listened. I told her things can and will change.

Then she smiled.

She came to Matthews for just a drive. She stopped; intending to get a drink and leave. She smelled smells and saw a place of restful music. She had a conversation and left with hope. I didn't do more than listen and respond, yet she left with hope.

Is that what I am to bring here? Hope is only the potential to change: is it ever change manifested?

Looking at her, maybe it is.

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I've been a lot reluctant to engage in the use of various social networks online. mainly because I prefer to have a service that works on a mobile device easily, and then it has to be something that fits where I don't need to pay a lot of attention to it. MySpace, Facebook, and even items like Netvibes and Digg rank really low on the list of those that I want to engage in. Honestly, making friends isn't that hard for me (never has been according to some folks), and neither is managing how I share and connect with them. Online social networks should be the same.

However, lately I have been jumping into a few more often than not. Here's a few, and the reasons why:

LinkedIn
LinkedIn is one of my favorites because it allows me to keep ties to contacts that I've worked with or those that I know from online. Besides the whole "six degrees of separation" feel, it has a sense of processionalism that many social networks just don't run for. Besides Jaiku, this is one that I wish directly tied into my mobile's address book. It would come in handy for the amount of questions that I get that lead to recommendations for services or work.

Jaiku
Jaiku is so far my favorite. Besides being a micro-blog, it is also a feed aggreator. And combined with the mobile application on Symbian S60 devices, it makes for a solid solution. The thing I like best about the application is that it connects right to the address book. This makes connecting those online and offline a breeze. It also has a presence indicator that can show things like how many people near you are on Jaiku Mobile, if you are on the phone, or even the name of an event if you are busy.

Now if I could just get more folks to use smartphones :) then maybe Google will make this a lifestyle application to the nth degree.

last.fm
last.fm is relatively new to my library. I started using this because I am now singing with the praise/worship team at my church and because of our various backgrounds, there's a lot of music that we need in order to make up a library of singable songs. I use last.fm and the ability to search artists in order to find those that we know, and recommendations to those I don't know. And best of all, I use the Vagalume application on my N800 in order to have last.fm be a suitable mobile application. Not only suitable, but timely.

I'm trying to figure out how to get that RSS feed in Jaiku of my recent plays, and then maybe add the playlist radio here without breaking things. Thankfully finding good music isn't so hard as CSS issues.

Update: There's an article on last.fm at ReadWriteWeb speaking about how its looking to create communities around content (instead of communities just around people). Nice piece and gives some additional insight as to how social networks enhance communicative practices.

Opera Link
Opera Link is an interesting take on being able to take your bookmarks from one computer to another. It works best with the beta version of the Opera browser as it syncs there; but it will work just fine as a portal page from any other web browser. I see services like this as having a lot of potential for connecting users and the information in browsers better.

I do need to take better advantage of my Opera Link account. Since giving away my laptop, I've not been on the beta version of Opera, and the current version in my desktop(s) don't sync with it.

3HLive
3HLive is the holy hip hop end of things. Its built on top of the Ning social network. Ning is essentially a Facebook/MySpace competitor, but allows groups to create social networks of their own. 3HLive is great for getting HHH music that you cannot find other places, and connecting with the folks in the MD area that I miss hanging out with.

One thing about 3HLive that I don't like is that the site is so heavy with AJAX that is loads slow. That takes away from what is basically a solid mix of MySpace and last.fm.

Events and Calendars
As a note, I don't currently use an online calendar because if there's an event I tend to keep my options open. But social networks that use upcoming, Evite, and others rank high as those that are pretty slick towards getting to events with folks I know in the above social networks. When it comes to events, I prefer anything that can export into vCal/vCard formats as you can SMS/MMS the events, as well as let people bring them into a calendar of choice.

There's bound to be a few more that tickle my fancy as time goes on, but as you can tell from those that I use, I'm deliberate in what I share, and how I share information. Sure, there's a really good chance that I can be a bit too consumed in all of this at some point. And that is something to guard against on several turns.

I do know though that when I need to get social for one reason or another, I do have some spokes in my wheel that I can take advantage of. And those keep me connected, not just online, but offline to those that matter to me.

Now, here's some advice that might be good for you if you are looking to get a job, connect with people, or just find out what's going on in life around you. Start with the websites that you visit (news, MySpace, etc.) and start clicking on those links to social networks that people you know are connected with. After that, do some investigating if it is safe and worth spending the time in making a profile. After that, just get connected. You never know what might happen.

Labels: commentary, community, events, jaiku, mobile

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I was in prayer earlier this week about a new endavor that I'm involved with and just got a lot of solid direction towards how to go about things. God took me from making a solid action plan (something that will take months/years possibly) to just simple things that I can do now to just prepare and live. It's a return to how I lived before I got to Charlotte. Everything that I had done before moving was aimed towards getting me to this point of moving down here.

So as I sat to write and listen to God as to where to go with things; He assured me that I'd know before the end of the week towards some connections that have been happening how they will play out. That there's some changes that will be happening in my life from this point on.

Simply speaking, His Word (via prayer) has come through as true. And though I am writing this before the week is over, I'm encouraged to know that I have and will receive encouragement that I'm doing the right things in the right place at the right time.

So what does this plan and endavor look like? I'm not sharing here, at least not for a while. I'm not even sharing with a lot of people whom are close to me what this plan is. Its not time to display the flower if you will. All that's happened is planting and some shaking of the pot. For now, its the winter time and roots are being formed. When something blooms, then it will speak for itself. That much I'm sure of.

There's a plan I'm on course towards again, and I'm again walking it out.

---
Walking Life Out By Listening
Some people ask how it is that I "hear God." Sometimes its audible, other times its the beneift of a song or something I've read. But its almost always something that ressonates with the ticks of my heart. When its Him speaking you just kinda know. Its not always clear. And I can tell you the truth that I sit on the sidelines a lot investigating if I had heard right or not. Then I have those moments where I just know, and I just move.

This plan that I'm walking out, I've been walking out for many years now. I've been doing things right and wrong throughout, yet I've had in my mind and heart one vision that's His to display. His Word has come, I just live it out.

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Something about robotic pets is really cool. There's that whole cleaning and feeding them part that while fun when its table scraps, makes your nose go crazy when its a litter box or poopoo bag. That's what's always made me look at the Sony Abio with a good bit of interest. Granted, its no longer in production, but there's now a replacement that's nearly as fun, and a bit on the prehistoric-Flintstones side of things too.

The Ugobe Pleo is currently being reviewed at Gear Diary and a few others places. I really like the way that it interacts with the world around you. That aspect of artificial intelligence (AI) is just neat.

Considering the price ($300-350), its not as bad as the Abio in terms of a financial hit. But its not something I need.

It would be nice to have some company in the apt that doesn't add to the rent though.

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I was talking with my bro last night, and we got on the subject of orthodoxy and just reading the Word as it speaks, without our personal or cultural biases. The conversation was very helpful, and parts of it more so than others in understanding that reading the Bible should be a matter of just seeing life simply as His.

For example, we talking about the idea of Jesus as Lord and the discussions that make the statement that we cannot make Jesus Lord because He already is. And further down that line of thinking, we cannot accept Him as Lord because He is. Lordship doesn't require acceptance, it is what it is: a smaller party yielding to a larger and more powerful one.

We talked some about a methoodlogy that i have bene working through for some years now: that idea of being a church that goes out, not one that expects people to come to me. How this idea of proactive engagement is directly opposed to the passivity that as men we have run into since Adam.

Speaking of Adam, we chatted about the male and female roles as they were created. One of the statements of the night was that we recognize that God created women strong; so much so He asks them to go from strength to strength in respecting men, rather than trying and wanting to exercise that strength.

That discussion came from a discussion we had before about "as unto a weaker vessil." Just reading that in its corerect grammar lends the simple understanding. She's not weaker, but abide in your role (man) as protector and treat her with the value and sincerity of something that is weaker. Take her within yourself as Christ did the church.

Amazing what happens when the Bible is read simply as it is.

Addition: I forgot that we dug into the Book of Common Prayer towards the end of our call. Just how some of those prayers just dig right into the center of the heart of how we should relate to God and each other are just impressive on the heart on so many levels.

I guess that one of the things that happens when you haven't been to seminary is that your library towards what you will read is quite large, and very eye opening and convicting.

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My knee has been hurting some like there is rain coming. Then there is that thing of me just listening to a song on my tablet by Fred Hammond from the CD Purpose By Design (Yes He Will) and it really hit...no it was definitely like God saying, "don't forget!"

Its a staunch rememberance that I should not forget that God has spoken that change is coming. I read these verses over and over; I'm not here for me, and my life will be required. Such a day to be called out on some things.

Change is a comin'

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This is the 1000th post on this site. I've been online-journaling for almost four years and finally hit #1000 with this post. Now, this should be a time of reflection, repurposeing, or something. But you know something, I don't really know what it means other than what life as meant for me since June, that a new beginning to my life is upon me, and I have to embrace it.

Those zeros really do make this seem a lot bigger than it is. But there are a number of reasons why I feel that this 1000th post means more than a number.

Note: this is one of those posts that I've composed over a few days/week and so it might be a bit disconnected.

The blog has been a venting point for me. A journal on the ins and outs of some of those things that I've deemed important.

I've been told to fix spelling, and to remove content.

The site's design has changed a ton of times (and still does).

I've gone mobile, back to laptop, mobile again, and mobile further towards what I use to post and edit things here.

I've cried here.

I've smiled here.

I've tried to share my life appropriately here.

I've tried to hide here.

To me, it is kinda funny that the 999th post was about a site being down. Becaues this site has had some remarkable up-time.

Its been a heeck of a blessing to be this far with things. Seriously, I had nno idea that this blog would be famous for a moment, and the infamous for another. I amm happy with where I am, and wher it is.

The only realy question aabout things is where the next thousand will take me.

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When people call me a techie, I guess it is because they do so out of a perspective that I understand something that they don't. Well, I don't; I just tend to like to play with a lot electronic things that others could care less about. But one thing that I do care about, and that frustrates me to no end is the user experience and user interface that most software and hardware gives to me. And because of my job, I interact with this a lot more than others, and see first hand so many issues that could just be solved if people just too some time to think outside of themselves a bit more.

For example, I would think that it would be a smart process to design a bible reader that acts in a fashion that is conductive to how people use one. Most times people search for something; other times they search to read and note. Did you know that none of the Bible software (online or offline) takes this into consideration. None. For a lot of software, to just find the search button takes work. And you are not even guaranteed to find what it is you are searching for.

Or take for example the Internet Tablet that I am typing this on. Its designed to be an entry point to the web; but with a smaller screen one would assume that its browser would have a mode that is conductive to easily zooming in and out of large pages to navigate. I am even suffering silly issues with just trying to type this in the note pad (see the dupes). Frankly, the attention to user experience in a lot of this stuff sickens me, and as a techie, it frustrates me to no end that only two companies seem to get it (Apple and at one time Palm).

You should not have to over think to use a piece of hardware. Yes, there should be some aspect of learning how it works best, but that should always be simple concepts to more complex ones. Even mobile phones seem to miss the point in this. Trying to stuff so many features in front of you that you miss the blessing of having something that opens the world to the palm of your hand.

Maybe I am being a lot simple in this way of thought. I am not a user interface developer, nor an engineer. I don't know the complexities that Apple faced in making the iPhone, nor the hurdles of accomplishing the vision of people far ahead of their time like Palm.

I only know that somethings work and others don't. And most times, they just don't. That is frustrating, because it should not be end-users blamed for this, but us who build these experiences shouldering the responsibility to engage people better. Yet we don't admit that failing, making my frustrations greater because the finger is pointed at myself.

Labels: commentary, mobility

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A brother and I were chatting at HCR about Google's Grand Central and asked me if I'd be interested in an invite. In declining, I realized that what I was saying to him was something that many probably d