BookPastor >> "Networked Theology" (Heidi Campbell and Stephen Garner)

This review was first published at Panorama of a Book Saint on Dec 7th, 2016.

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TITLE: Networked Theology: Negotiating Faith in Digital Culture (Engaging Culture)
AUTHOR: Heidi Campbell and Stephen Garner
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2016, (192 pages).

Digital devices have become ubiquitous throughout the world. It has redefined how we communicate, how we interact, and how we live. For many people, technology has become so integral that one cannot live without it. An outage could easily shift people to panic mode. Its attractiveness can become an addiction in itself. In faith matters, digital media and technology has not only redefined how we practise our faith, it is taking us on a whole new direction. This means we need to learn how to engage this new environment wisely and appropriately. This new digital era has invaded and affected the way we learn, do outreach, teach Christian Education, do Church, and share faith concerns. This is why we need to take the technology seriously and to think of constructive ways to engage with it, about it, and through it.

Midweek Reflection: "Knowing When to Connect/Disconnect"

We live in a new era. While wireless waves free us from cables and hardwired connections, they enslave us to the digital device. What's troubling is not how the technology pulls us away from our human interactions but how much we gravitate toward the technology even without the device asking for us! No longer must we contend with the external prompts and ringing interruptions we get from time to time. There is a more formidable contestant. This contestant is inside, not outside; not externally-driven, but internally propelled; not unwillingly but willingly. That is none other than ourselves.

Check out the following from the book by Catherine Steiner-Adair, Disconnect.

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TITLE: The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in the Digital Age
AUTHOR: Catherine Steiner-Adair
PUBLISHER: New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2013, (378 pages).

"In my interviews and focus groups with children as young as four years old, kids have told me how disheartening it is to have to vie for their parents' attention and often come in second. They describe feelings of isolation, loneliness, anger, and sadness around the waiting game. Or a parent's routine multitasking through bedtimes, mealtimes, and playtimes that were promised as 'mommy and me' or 'daddy and me.' Now tech makes three, and most of the children couldn't remember a time when it wasn't that way at home.

Alex, the father of a three-year-old and two older children, quit his executive-level job for less pay and less pressure when he realized that the continuous multitasking demands of his job made uninterrupted time with his children impossible."

I could look them in the eye and have a conversation, but I realized that I was not having that conversation with my whole head. It was like 2 percent of it because I was thinking about the next email coming in or the other things I needed to do, and was so addicted . . . I was 0 percent present, really. I could see it in their eyes. They knew I wasn't realy there with them. It was awful, but I got so used to it. I'd say, 'I'm sorry' and I'd take a call or get up midgame to check my email.

(Catherine Steiner-Adair, The Big Disconnect, HarperCollins, 2013, p114-5)

BookPastor >> "The Wired Soul" (Tricia McCary Rhodes)

This review was first published on July 20th, 2016 at Panorama of a Book Saint.

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TITLE: The Wired Soul: Finding Spiritual Balance in a Hyperconnected Age
AUTHOR: Tricia McCary Rhodes, PhD
PUBLISHER: Colorado Spings, CO: NavPress, 2016, (216 pages).

Technology is now everywhere around us, with us, and following us. For many people, it is quickly rewiring our brains and changing the way we talk, think, travel, and traipse. While positively, we get more and better information in ways quicker and more efficient than ever before, there are negative consequences as well. People tend to remember less, choosing to let their phones and digital devices record or save all their personal details. They are more forgetful and less willing to learn the old school way. Many choose to simply Google their information, as if the first try is the answer to their questions. While finding content is easy, discerning is not so easy. Where are our reference points? On what basis do we decide which is right, which is wrong, and which is appropriate? We live in a technologically connected world. According to author and professor Tricia Rhodes, we are living in a "hyperconnected age." Contrasting her own carefree escapades in the past, she compares what it was to live then and now. Her children are digital natives but she is not. She calls herself a 'digital immigrant' and is poised to see how the digital world is changing not only the way we live but the people we are. Her key thesis is that our digital habits have direct link to our formation into Christlikeness. On lifestyle, we are asked what the first thing we do when we get up. On habits, we are asked about our reaction when we hear our phone beeps. On reading, how has our attentiveness be sustained in a world of WiFi and Internet connectivity? On prayer, how is our level of patience and waiting been changed? On presence, how have our ability to connect with people been affected? On information overload, we wonder why we are so tired in the first place. These and many more are the negative consequences of technology manhandling us and we allowing it free reign on our lives. This has let to our brains been re-wired by technology. A key discovery in brain plasticity research is that "cells that fire together, wire together." Such brain cells are fired up together when one uses technology. If that is the case, technology is directly influencing the way our brains function. Thankfully, we do not need to be sucked in by the technological whirlpool. Rhodes propose a way not only to counter the negative effects of technology but to intentionally work toward Christlikeness. She updates the spiritual discipline of lectio divina and applies them in this book for a technological age. Briefly, the four disciplines are:

Before the Computer...

Before the computer

An application was for employment

A program was a TV show
A cursor used profanity
A keyboard was a piano!

Memory was something that you lost with age
A CD was a bank account!
And if you had a broken disk,
It would hurt when you found out!

Compress was something you did to garbage
Not something you did to a file
And if you unzipped anything in public
You'd be in jail for awhile!

Log on was adding wood to a fire
Hard drive was a long trip on the road
A mouse pad was where a mouse lived
And a backup happened to your commode!

Cut--you did with a pocket knife
Paste you did with glue
A web was a spider's home
And a virus was the flu!

I guess I'll stick to my pad and paper
And the memory in my head
I hear nobody's been killed in a computer crash
But when it happens they wish they were dead!

Source: Unknown

BookPastor >> "Understanding Media" (Marshall McLuhan)

TITLE: Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man
AUTHOR: Marshall McLuhan
PUBLISHER: Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1994, (368 pages).

This is a classic by the late Marshall McLuhan, whose most famously coined the influence of media on society as: "The Medium is the Message." First published in 1964, this book has been republished several times due to the relevance and powerful insights McLuhan has on understanding the nature of media and its effects on people. Born in Edmonton, Alberta Canada, he was a former Director of the Center of Culture and Technology at St Michael's College, the University of Toronto. Influenced by the writings of GK Chesterton, he converted to Catholicism in 1937. His work on media and its effects on culture has become a standard reference in universities offering courses on media ethics and technology influences upon culture. The key conviction lies in studying the culture by studying the influences of media.

"Examination of the origin and development of the individual extensions of man should be preceded by a look at some general aspects of the media, or extensions of man, beginning with the never-explained numbness that each extension brings about in the individual and society." (6)

Comprising of two parts, McLuhan in Part One lays the theoretical foundations of his thesis. Beginning with the now famous chapter, "The Medium is the Message," he contrasts the electric bulb as "pure information" and "medium without a message" versus other mediums that essentially "shapes and controls the scale and form of human association and action. Mediums like movies that shape public opinions; paintings that enchant people; and technologies that compel people to behave in "uniform and continuous patterns." He argues:

BookPastor >> "The Shallows" (Nicholas Carr)

TITLE: The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains
AUTHOR: Nicholas Carr
PUBLISHER: New York, NY: WW Norton, 2011, (286 pages).

Is the Internet a boon or a bane? Are the hidden consequences of using (or overusing) technology? What if we fail to distinguish the limits of technology? What if we lose our ability to discern what can or cannot be handed down to technology to do? Author Nicholas Carr's concern can be summed up as a key point in the dark prophecy of Stanley Kubrick's 2001, a Space Odyssey:

"As we come to rely on computers to mediate our understanding of the world, it is our own intelligence that flattens into artificial intelligence." (224)

His concern has been shared by many authors. Marshall McLuhan's famous work, Understanding Media argues that technology effects can alter "patterns of perception steadily and without resistance." Hal the supercomputer takes away control from words into humans. The pathologist, Bruce Friedman confesses that reading long articles on the web or in print has become more difficult because he has grown accustomed to skimming articles. People click more than read. Their brains are being changed from the inside out as they become used to new powers of technology. Scientifically, it is proven that the human brain has plasticity that diminishes the older one gets. Carr begins to introduce the benefits of literacy, affirming like Walter Ong, that "writing heightens consciousness."I find chapter 4 particularly fascinating as Carr describes the "deepening page" of how people's literacy is aided by writing platforms. The Sumerians etched words into tablets of clay. In 2500BC, the Egyptians manufactured papyrus by pressing down wood fibers so that writers can scratch or put words on paper. Wax tablets enable the writing and erasing, thus enabling the reuse of tablets for multiple usage. With the invention of the printing press, force is exerted to transfer ink to paper. People in those days also read slowly and laboriously, just like Ambrose who read silently. Deep reading facilitates deep thinking. Carr comments on reading as follows:

BookPastor >> "Alone Together" (Sherry Turkle)

TITLE: Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other
AUTHOR: Sherry Turkle
PUBLISHER: New York, NY: Basic Books, 2011, (360 pages).

This book underlines Sherry Turkle's concern about how the tools we use are shaping us. In trying to understand the way young people think, the author over several weeks organized pizza parties in the Boston area so that she could tell stories of how people were living in the virtual world. She witnesses a changing understanding of identity. She explores the consequences of a totally networked life and the evolution of robotics. So over 15 years, Turkle notices first hand how technology has shaped, shaken, and seduced the nature of relationships among friends, family, parents, children, lovers, and so on. We can be free to work anywhere but we can also be lonely everywhere. She asserts that machines are no longer about their capabilities but about our vulnerabilities. Texting is preferred to talking. Multitasking has become the norm. People are connected but loneliness continues unabated. Machines can do many things for us, but for Turkle, the straw came when a Scientific American reporter was so convicted that the day would come where a machine will become a man's best friend. As she describes the reasons why people expect more from technology and less from each other, she maintains a quest not only to ask why but also to propose a path forward.

Written in two parts, Part One talks about the growing "Robotic Movement" which is increasing more solitude and also creating new intimacies with machines. From young, children were given toys that seem to project a cuddly and personal object, like Furby that seems to have feelings. The Tamagotchi appears like a real thing that we need to clothe, feed, and take care of. Virtual pets take a lot of time to maintain. There are also discomforting toys like female dolls that seem to verbalize reactions like a real woman, especially when it deals with sexual matters. Some people use electronic toys to live with their self-centeredness. Parents let their children return each day to an empty house where the babysitter is often the television, computer games, or the Internet. Responding to people who insist that friendship is possible with robots, Turkle argues that such a tactic demeans the true meaning of friendship. No matter how much programming we can do, there is no replacing conscience, ethics, and the fundamental communion among people.

Part Two deals with the networked environment which solves the problem of bringing people closer but also creates a new situation. People are constantly connected and always busy. In an always-on world, what do we do when we have free time? We will probably be checking our emails, texting, or doing something on the Internet. We can be connected but we can be absent at the same time. Put the phone on the ear and we have already isolated ourselves from the people around us physically. The way programs like "Second Life" enables people to live in a fantasy world totally separated from the world. Turkle notes the following "New State of the Self," how technology has changed us:

• People's attention seems somewhere when they are connected in front of us
• People can be connected to many others on the Internet, that they are infusing face to face meetings with interruptions from cyberspace
• People are increasingly using multitasking as the way of life to do many things; that relationships can easily turn into an item on a To-Do list

People are growing up tethered as their lives are more and more public knowledge. The search for identity gets confused as people are "forced" to post personal details just because it is the norm. What is true on social media? Is the avatar used an appropriate representation of self? Apologies on Facebook do not count for much because real confessions need to be in person. There is the anxiety over strangers making comments on our walls and the threat of breaches of privacy.

Sherry Turkle is the Abby Rockefeller Mauze Professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology at MIT. She has been warning us of the negative consequences of technology but does so in a manner that does not discredit the advantages of technology. In fact, she uses it extensively too. What is important is to recognize that Internet relationships are not necessary the "ties that bind." Rather, they tend to be "ties that preoccupy." We need to ask what Kevin Kelly has been asking: "What Technology Wants?" Chances are, technology is going to get what it wants. Technology is still developing, and Turkle thinks it is still the early days. The mood to adopt is "cautiously optimistic." She reminds us once again that at our best, our thoughts about technology should not be about what technology can or cannot do, but about thinking of things that TRULY MATTER. Relationships. How technology is changing that, we must constantly ask and adapt.

The Problem with Facebook

This makes sense.

Part 1 - The Problem with Facebook



Part 2 - The Problem with Facebook - Part 2



conrade

BookPastor >> "Flickering Pixels" (Shane Hipps)

TITLE: Flickering Pixels: How Technology Shapes Your Faith
AUTHOR: Shane Hipps
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009, (210 pages).

Christianity is fundamentally a communication event, so says Shane Hipps, lead pastor of Trinity Mennonite Church. In writing this book, the author shares about how Marshall McLuhan's work on media affecting our brains ended up influencing him on the way technology works. More crucially, with this renewed insight, he is now a champion in helping people to be users of technology, and not to be used by technology.  He reminds readers that they need to keep both eyes open rather than letting one of our eyes be replaced by technology. This is especially when wisdom and discernment are concerned. He believes that BOTH the message and the method of transmission are important. Tools are not necessarily neutral because the medium changes according to the message and vice versa. Even screens themselves are part of the message. For technology can take on a life of its own and the rest of us users with it, just like the Matrix movie where the mirror that becomes a window to another world becomes another world by itself. The many different communications devices and mediums have created what Hipps call a "Global Village." He uses the mirror very effectively to show us that mirrors or tools are mere extensions of ourselves. We cannot like Narcissus who becomes infatuated with self-love. Unlike most interpreters who see the story as excessive self-love, McLuhan points out that the issue was the lack of recognizing the self.

BookPastor >> "iGods" (Craig Detweiler)

This review was first published at Panorama of a Book Saint on February 12th, 2014.

conrade

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TITLE: iGods: How Technology Shapes Our Spiritual and Social Lives
AUTHOR: Craig Detweiler
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2013, (256 pages).

"Technology is most effective when we fail to notice it, but our faith in technology is so pervasive it is often blind." This dramatic phrase kicks off a very perceptive study about how technology is shaping our spiritual and social lives. Dr Craig Detweiler is a well-known researcher and writer on media and the technological scene. Recognizing how pervasive and how so many people are consuming the technological offerings uncritically, he presents a warning for us to pause, to take a step back, and to ask how technology has been shaping us. Perhaps, we will recognize how much we have already been shaped. Detweiler says it well that we must be careful not to let our use of technology move from delight to devotion. Left on its own, we can very well be participants making "iGods" into our own image. Worse, without understanding the real threats of the misuse and abuse of technology, we can let something good turn into something very bad.

Vibernate App for Androids

Vibernate: A Very Practical App

One of the best things about being a parent is to see children growing up and exercising their potential more and more. As a technology geek myself, I do know of a good and practical idea when I see one. This small project is done by a team of University students at the University of British Columbia. They have come up with a really brilliant idea to a common problem. My daughter is one of the members in the team.

Why do you need this app? Well, remember how cell phones can be both a boon as well as a bane? You hate it when it interrupts you or embarrasses you during an important meeting. You also hate it when you fail to pick up an important call because it is on silence mode. VIBERNATE addresses these 2 problems directly.

Problem #1 - Forgetting to Silence One's Phone Before Meeting

The first problem is forgetting to turn off one's cell phone before any important meeting. We all know the irritation that comes when someone else's phone starts screaming out in the middle of a class, interrupting not just our own train of thought but the presenter's program as well. It can be rude and discourteous to all. I remember attending conferences where the organizers will remind attendees to turn off their cell phones. In schools, teachers remind students constantly to silent their phones. The same applies to Church group gatherings, Sunday services, meeting places, and so on. Turning the phone off or switching it to silent mode helps, but only when the meeting is ongoing. What about after the meeting?

Problem #2 - Forgetting to Turn One's Phone Back to Normal Mode After Meeting

This presents us the next problem: When we forget to turn our cell phones ring tones back ON, it leads to missed calls and frustration when people tried to call us in vain. If only we have an app to address both problems. Turning our cells to silent or vibrate mode at the start of the meeting, and automatically turning it back on after the meeting. Enters VIBERNATE, an app that allows us to program the start and end times of each important meeting. Use the app:

• For school days;
• When attending lectures
• On Sundays when you are at Church
• Important meetings
• Conferences and Public Events
• ....

The app works for Android platforms now. It is currently hosted on the project leader's website. If you want to see the rest of the team members, download the app and check out the ABOUT tab. Great job Amelia and team!

If there is popular demand, perhaps the developers can come up with a version for use with IOS, iPhones, and maybe Windows 8 too.

conrade

Cultivating INLINE Behaviour in an Online World

One of the things that is needful in our interconnected world is the wisdom on how to use social media. There are tonnes of books that talk about the steps to get onto social media, techniques on gaining followers, advertisement snippets, and all kinds of methods to up one's profile in world gone online. As I ponder on the new world, I cannot but help think about what Jesus will do and say if Internet and social media had been available back then in the first century. Remember John 17:15 where Jesus says: "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one"? Chances are, the online world will be included with the "world" used by Jesus. How then do we practice being in the world but not of the world? Being online is one of the most recognizable marks of our current era. Think about this. According to Toni Birdsong and Tami Heim (incidentally, they met on Twitter), people spend 110 billion minutes a month on social media. Some have even used the Internet platform as a way to evangelize. One popular website talks about 4 principles for 21st Century evangelism.

1. Think Digital
2. Think Social
3. Think Mobile
4. Think Storytelling.

@StickyJesus

I have no beef against any of these Internet evangelists. They all stem from a deep love to share the love of God in Jesus. My main concern is whether the drive can be sustained. I am wary of the race to try to keep up all the time, telling ourselves we need to connect constantly with newer technologies at greater speed using many different kinds of devices. I admit. After the initial novelty and fanfare, I get bored. I become more exhausted than excited, more skeptical than hopeful. Don't get me wrong. Birdsong and Heim are right on so many counts. They are correct in identifying the potency of the new social media platform. They are spot on with regards to the need to understand the new world of Twitter, Facebook, and all things social media. They are to be commended to bring a sense of Jesus awareness in a media that is secular and dangerously filled with all kinds of worldliness. Many other things they have written deserve our attention.

• We may be fixated on social media updates but only Jesus sticks to our hearts, if we allow Him to
• Social media may be filled with glittering images, but there is only one true light
• The world constantly changes, but the love of God never changes.
• Jesus came not to inform but to transform us
• Being holy is better than being awesome
• God has given us a mission to share the gospel, including using online means

Readers can find more updates about their book and resources at www.stickyjesus.com. 

My Thoughts

It is one thing to be fascinated by the online world, but we need to recognize the motivation that leads us, not the fascination that drives us. The online world is mostly glittered with images and visual stimulation that is temporal and fleeting. All it takes is a click of a LOGOUT icon, or an Internet disconnect, or a power trip, and our entire online world gets darkened and blacked out. For anyone who spends hundreds and thousands of hours online, there is a risk of substituting visual images for real images, digital replacement for an analog life, and an electronic version instead of a real version. 

For me, I believe we need to take on an "inline" mentality when working or thinking about online/offline circumstances. Being inline means we are constantly aware of two things. Our audience as well as ourselves. We know the limits of social media, what it can and cannot do. Being inline requires us to have an astute knowledge of expectations placed on our online and offline relationships. Being inline means we speak in a manner that is understood, and we listen in a manner that is respectful. It is one thing to open a social media account and start typing away our own life. It is yet another to observe an "inline" attitude, to share according to what the Spirit is prompting us to.

Being inline means we notice our own online patterns, and constantly seek to ask ourselves how that glorifies God, and how they lead to loving our neighbours more. How then do we grow our inline behaviour in an online world? Let me suggest 5 ways. I will use the acronym SPACE as a way to incorporate an inline mentality in an online world.

1) S = Sabbath

Make a point to rest ourselves from the online world. Being connected all the time is not healthy emotionally. Learn to work six days and rest one day. We will not only do our own minds a favour, we enable our family members to look forward at least to one day a week where our eyes will be on anything other than the computer, the tablet, or the smartphone screen.

2) P = Prayer

The online world is largely a visual stimulant. We are easily attracted by moving Youtube clips or sound bites that try to garner our attention. Learn to shut our eyes on a periodic basis and to utter a short prayer. Think of God. Read Scripture. Remember the things of God as written in the Word of God. Intercede for one another.

3) A = Addiction-Awareness

The online world tempts us with the addiction to do more rather than to be more of ourselves. We are tempted only to share positive sides of our lives. We keep most of our negative parts to ourselves. We can easily become addicts to popular videos that have gone viral, or are constantly on a search for articles that give us an adrenaline rush. One quick tip with regards to checking our addiction is to record how many times per day we are checking or giving updates on our social media account. A few times a day is good and healthy. Many times each hour may be way too much.

4) C = Community

Ask not what the Internet can do for you, but what you can do for the community THROUGH the Internet. This is perhaps one of the least practised in an Internet world of I-Me-Myself. Social media is an insidious platform for self-promotion.  From personal updates on our blogs to self-publishing of books, almost everything revolves around ourselves. Learn to use our social media resources to share about the needs of the world around you, or the communities you are in.

5) E = Exercise

Last but not least, one of the biggest problems for an online world is that we have a lopsided use of our body parts. Our fingers do most of the typing while our feet becomes more or less stationary. Our eyes are constantly bombarded by visual images and digital pixels while our ears receive silence. Our bodies are often in a seated position more than any other positions.

Take a walk. Smell the roses. Listen to the birds. Breathe in fresh air from the park.

Let us learn to incorporate an inline behaviour by giving ourselves the SPACE we need.


Conrade Yap, (Dr), D.Min.

Google's New Privacy Policy - 3 Big Concerns

TITLE: Google's New Privacy Policy - 3 Big Concerns
Date: 27 Jan 2012
Written by: Conrade Yap

This week, anyone who uses Google products will have received a new privacy policy that can be read here. Whether you use GMail or Blog from Blogger.com. Whether you work with Google Docs, or use Google Maps to navigate to your destinations. Whether you search with the ubiquitous Google search engine, or use Google Android operating system, you are automatically bounded to such conditions. Those who do not agree will have to simply stop using the services altogether.

I write this article with concerns about 3 things which I will elaborate later below. Safe to say, we are now increasingly trapped in a conundrum of "damned if we do, damned if we don't." In other words, even if we refuse the privacy agreement, do we really have a choice? Mind you, transferring all of our information from Google to non-Google services is no easy matter.

Snapshot of Google promises as they launch new privacy policy

Behind Every Digital Facade is a Person

TITLE: BEHIND EVERY DIGITAL FACADE IS A PERSON
DATE: 2 Dec 2011
Written by: Conrade Yap

"So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Cor 5:16-17)

The world is changing. Everyone knows that. The world is changing fast. Most people know that. The world is changing us too. How many of us know that? Most importantly, in a world where people are increasingly becoming virtual, we can easily forget that behind every digital presence is a person that Christ died for. Before I get into that, let me address how the digital new has come to dominate the conventional old.

A) Changing Technological Landscape

The new has come. The old has passed away. Those who pooh-pooh away mainframes and open systems by trumpeting the rise of the PCs, are now grappling with the rise of a new tablet and smartphones era. Those who swear by Microsoft 10 years ago, are biting their tongues as they see Google sweep the search engine crown. Companies that rely heavily on traditional modes of marketing are doing catch-up to the rise of the new social network environment that is fast changing the way people do business. What is new yesterday is commodity tomorrow. What is breakthrough today will be ancient within the next few days. Social media is changing the world. More particularly, it is changing our lifestyles, and even us personally. In a changing technological landscape, we need to be on our guard, that when we try to get into the world of digital breakthroughs, we do not lose ourselves. We do not let the new technologies define who we are. It is God who defines us, not us.

Implication: It used to be man trying to make technology behave like man. Now the tide seems to be reversing. Loving God means letting God define who we are. Not technology.

A) Changing Language

We speak in a language that is also changing rapidly. A three-word 'I love you' has been replaced by a three-letter 'lol' (lots of love, in short).  A 140-word email has been outgunned by a 140-character Twitter message. What is paid subscription yesterday, is free today. Take a look at the people who are catching up on news. The elderly, the older adults read printed newspapers. Younger ones read news feeds on their smartphones, tablets, or portable computers. The old takes time to read, to enjoy, and perhaps to reflect their thoughts on what they read to their buddies sitting opposite them. The young zips through their reading by scanning, by rushing, and by quick forwarding to all their friends digitally to their buddies sitting halfway across the world. As our world becomes more digital, more Internet-driven, people becomes more virtual in their interactions, and perhaps more driven to discover the next big thing. A decade ago, there is this popular phrase: "We live in a world where it is no longer the big that eats up the small but the fast that outruns the slow." Even the venerable face of the Internet, the EMAIL, is now being threatened into extinction by Facebook and Twitter.

Implication: Loving our neighbour means learning to speak the language of our neighbours.

B) Changing Influence Mediums

With the rising popularity of the social media networks, even this phrase has changed. It is no longer the fast that outruns the slow, but the ones with the largest following, the most connected, and the most read that are marginalizing the strong, the fast, and the powerful. It is no longer a world of relationships, but a world of NETWORKS of relationships. Welcome to a viral world. It is a world where traditional boundaries of command, control, and conquer disappear. It is a world where what is private today becomes public tomorrow. It is a world in which both truths and untruths are disseminated at such an alarming scale and rate, that both are tolerated in a crucible of free speech and liberal expression.

The catchphrase used by Vegas marketers, 'What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,' has been replaced. What happens anywhere is now distributed speedily and staying indelibly in cyberspace.  Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber are more popular (based on their follower numbers) in the social network than the most powerful President on planet earth.

Implication: Do not be distracted by the lack of followers on your Twitter or too few friends on your Facebook account. A few good friends who know you are more invaluable than thousands of faceless individuals.

C) Changing Method of Engagement

I believe that the Christian community needs to be aware of the changing climate. The new name cards are becoming less of 'telephone/fax/address/email' but more of 'Facebook-Twitter-cellphone' social media instead. While the methods and networks are changing, people are not. Though people's communications pattern may alter, their personality and basic needs are not. After all, it is one thing to grow your cow population in Farmville. It is yet another to bite into a real, beefy, juicy hamburger complete with lettuce on a sesame seed bun, tomatoes, and mayonnaise. It is one thing to silence computer speakers. It is yet another to try to keep our lit on our current emotional state. Regardless of how fast the world is changing, humanly speaking, our needs are the same. We need friends. We need hope. We need love. No amount of digital connectivity can claim to be the do-all, be-all, and become-all. Hug a computer and you will see what I mean. The warmth that you can may be due to the radiation from the computers, but that contributes nothing to emotional intimacy. The key to being intimate is in Christ.

Paul writes to the Corinthian Church, all pumped up about his new identity in Christ. It is a transformational experience too good to keep to himself. In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul tells of his hope in the heavenly kingdom. He speaks of being clothed and readied for a heavenly dwelling It is God who guarantees what is to come. This is the essence of hope, a hope in God. It is this hope that causes him to be willing to let go of the old selves, and to take on the new person, in Christ. The new has come. The old has passed away. This kind of newness can never be outlived by the digital titans of the world. Chances are, technologies will be outgunned by one another in a never ending race of being better so as to survive a little while longer. In a digital world, the stark fact is this. Stop development and your work will die. Maintain development and your work will not die so quickly. Continue innovation and perhaps your work will live a wee bit longer. The point is, the things of this world will die. They will pass away.

Implication: We live in a world where technology is rapidly outlasting itself. We are in the digital world but not OF the digital world. God will always outlast anything, even technology.

D) Behind the Digital Facade....

Not the things of God. Not Christ. Souls are of bigger concern to God. That is why Jesus came. That is why God continues to keep His Promise, His Covenant. In a digital world, this has not changed.  Behind every Twitter account is a person. Behind every Facebook address is an individual. Behind every presence on the Internet is a person that Jesus has died for. Forget about those electronic robots and spam spiders. Do not be distracted by those Internet marketing gimmicks and messages. Even behind these innovations, there is a human person just like the rest of us. Behind the digital facade, the needs have not really changed. Knowing that behind every digital facade is a person reminds us that loving our neighbour extends also to the digital platform. Technology may change fast. People do not change as fast. Technology may become obsolete. Not people. Technology may be new, but there is something that is newer every morning. It is the steadfast love of the Lord. It is the love that is newer and better than any social media network or technological brilliance. Looking with eyes of love is better than loving the eyes of technology.

May we all remember that behind every digital facade, there is a person. We may always be called to invent new technologies. We are always called to love people, both in the real world, and in the digital world. Let me close with John Ortberg's words, from his book, "Everybody's normal till you get to know them" simply because everybody is weird, one way or another. More importantly, everyone has a common need as follows:

"The yearning to attach and connect, to love and be loved, is the fiercest longing of the soul. Our need for community with people and the God who mad us is to the human spirit what food and air and water are to the human body. The need will not go away even in the face of all the weirdness." (18)

Do not just read the person's digital profile, or Facebook page. Know the person personally. Do not just twitter to the thousands of faceless individuals. Talk with people to know them more.

Turn off your computer once in a while. Have coffee with a friend. Buy lunch. Chat without your computers or phone. Be available offline as you disconnect online on a periodic basis. That way, we remind ourselves on a regular basis, that behind every digital facade is a person who needs Christ. Like us.

conrade

Left Behind by Technology

Microsoft has just released its latest reincarnation of its flagship browser: Internet Explorer 9 (IE9). With my trusty old desktop, I go to the download site. The website is spanky. It looks tempting. It even has a new name (beautyoftheweb). The site itself reminds you of the best of the web, with Youtube-like pictures, scrolling photo album, simple layout, and of course that tempting DOWNLOAD NOW button. Eagerly I click on the orange button. I got this:

Praying Clicklessly

TITLE: Praying Clicklessly
Written by: Conrade Yap
Date: 4 March 2011

MAIN POINT: We can click others to fame, but we cannot click ourselves to God.

The current singing sensation is a young Canadian-born girl, whose parents hail from the Philippines. Maria Aragon.Like Justin Bieber and Susan Boyles, thanks to Youtube, this 10-year old girl shoots to fame like Superman. A faster path to Hollywood; A more powerful reach than traditional means of fame; and able to leap tall expectations in a single video clip. It’s a bird. It’s a plane. No, clicks for fame!

In the age of the Internet, clicks are the currency of fame. Call it blog hits. Call it web shares. The numbers of clicks are the latest definitions of success and fame. Susan Boyles reached the million mark in less than a day after her performance on Britain’s Got Talent was posted. Justin Bieber’s bathroom singing was discovered and cleverly publicized by a shrewd talent scout. Now, Maria Aragon’s shot to fame was given a helping hand not only by Youtube, but Lady Gaga. The latter recently invited little Aragon to her concert! Talk about publicity. You can never get something more dramatic.

It’s the millions of clicks by ordinary people like you and me that transform ordinary people to become extraordinary stars. Faster than Superman feats. The route to fame is now laden with voluminous votes in an American Idol singing contest, or clicks on a Youtube video.

New Feeds to Old Needs

TITLE: New Feeds to Old Needs - beware of new feeds that do not satisfy
Written by: Conrade Yap
Date: 3 April 2011

“All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 1:8-9)

In 7 days, there will be a familiar new face to an old electronic tablet idea that has developed a cult following. Apple’s iPAD 2 will be launched in the US on 11th March 2011. Filled with ‘new’ features like video cameras, improved graphics, an updated processor, newer software, and a seductive spectrum of eye-candy covers, the new tablet device is not just lighter and faster, it is also sexier. Like hockey players who sleep with the Stanley Cup after winning it, I suppose many who get the coveted IPAD 2 next week will rather surrender their pillows to snuggle up with their new digital darling. The new has come. The old will fade away. In this article, I shall argue that, what looks new is essentially nothing new.

Best Book on e-Integrity

TITLE: VIRTUAL INTEGRITY - faithfully navigating the brave new world
AUTHOR: Daniel J Lohrmann
PUBLISHED: Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2008 (223pp).


This is the best book about online behavior not only for Christians but any Internet surfer. In a world where people are paranoid over privacy and piracy matters, and the dangers of being impersonated by unscrupulous people on the net, virtual integrity seeks to start from where we are: Our values.

What the Book is About
While the author does talk about the external threats posed by dangerous online threats, it concentrates on personal integrity of the surfer. Rather than telling people to avoid the Internet, Lohrmann works to redeem it. He talks about our need to be consistent with our values online as well as offline. He talks about the limits of parental controls, specifically pointing at the limitations of technological controls. Things like filtering, censoring or parents trying to control their children's exposure to the Internet should not be the ONLY way to protect our kids.

At a deeper level, Lohrmann questions the tendency for people to disguise their true identity on the Internet. Rather than others stealing one's identity, Lohrmann argues against us attempting to deceive others by adopting false selves via online deception. One example he poses is about e-Conscience.

"Marketing experts recognize that people are often willing to do things online that they would never do if they were faced with the same situation in real life." (58)

Indeed, in the process of trying to deceive others, he may end up deceiving himself. He then goes on to show how our online behavior can affect our career prospects as well as attract unwanted marketing scams. Thankfully, Lohrmann does not stop here. He goes on to propose a useful "7 Habits of Online Integrity."

1. Refresh your Values in Cyberspace
2. Pledge Personal Online Integrity
3. Seek Trusted Accountability
4. Apply Helpful Technology
5. Balance Online and Offline Life
6. Practice Humble Authenticity
7. Become a Cyber Ambassador for Good

My Comments
This book is written very clearly and should appeal to a wide range of readers, to parents as well as teens; to technology geeks as well as the layperson. With multiple examples and wise sayings from different experts from various disciplines, he supplies ample applications on how we can all sur with consistent values, practice integrity on the Internet, and to be wise as we use e-communications. One of my favourite quotes comes from his citation of the Czech Republic's first president.

"Havel cautioned the world in a 1990 speech:' We still don't know how to put morality ahead of politics, science, and economics. We are incapable of understanding that the only genuine core of all actions - if they are to be moral - is responsibility.' " (157)

Havel is spot on! I will venture to go further. Instead of submitting ourselves to the culture's constant insistence on personal rights and privileges, the key to surfing with integrity lies with our willingness to accept responsibily for all our actions. Such a responsibility must stem from a living and loving relationship with the Divine God.

This book has so many different applications that the Appendix itself is worth the price of the book. There are practical steps for individuals, families, technology providers, businesses, churches, non-profits, Christian organizations, even schools. After all, as Lohrmann is Chief Information Officer of the State of Michigan, he certainly is more than qualified to write this book.

We have invested so much time in our technology infrastructures, our client machines, and various skills to use online resources. Lohrmann reminds us to invest in the 'software' side of using technology: INTEGRITY.

"No matter what wonderful technological advances we implement in the twenty-first century, we will always face this underlying challenge of the desires of the heart. The 'people issues' will always be paramount, because there will be ways to cheat in every situation. As Christians, our faith and trust in God enables academic integrity." (76)

Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

conrade

Initial Thoughts on the Apple iPad

Thoughts on the iPad
VERDICT: A wonderful tool to 'consume' stuff; but a poor device to 'create' content.

I got an Apple iPad last Thursday, the first day it was made publicly available in Canada nationwide. Initially, I had thought that getting one unit itself will require long waits at the Apple store, or early morning queue ups dominated by Apple fanatics. Though I am not a crazy Apple fan, I was more intrigued by the overall hype over this latest innovation from the iconic computer company. Assuming that all of the iPads were sold out by 4pm, I called an Apple store downtown, and was told that some iPads were still available. Several Bestbuy stores have already sold out their supplies then, except the one near where I live. I rushed down at 4pm. Surprisingly, I managed to snag a 3G version, albeit the one currently most popular in the USA, the 64GB model. The lady, an Apple representative, said that all the units are expected to be sold out the same day. I believed her. In fact, there was even a line up just to check out the demo units in the store. Here are my thoughts on this technological marvel. Here goes:

The iPad 64GB-3G Model
All the iPads come with the same kind of packaging. There are 3 Wifi-only models (16GB, 32GB and 64GB) and 3 Wifi+3G models (16GB, 32GB, 64GB). It has the height and width of a Netbook LCD screen, but is less than half the thickness of a typical Netbook computer. The flat LCD touch screen is a beauty.

1) iPad 'Fits' User; not the other way round
I like way the screen 'fits' me rather than the other way. For example, when the screen is facing me, the screen auto-detects the orientation in either Portrait or Landscape mode, depending on which angle I am holding. If I want my friend sitting opposite me to see it, all I need is to pass it to him in any manner, and the iPad flips without the user needing to do anything.

RESERVATION: Not all applications can flip around as well. Most of the Apple programs such as Safari and iTunes work. However, third party programs are not that consistent.

2) LCD Screen
It is exceedingly beautiful. The wallpapers are superb and the quality of the screen can rival the best LCD screens have to offer. I love the flatness and the crystal clear touch-pad, which responds very accurately to my touch. Compared to palmtops and conventional PDAs, I do not even need to calibrate the LCD Screen.

RESERVATION: I feel that the screen is too bright. Even after adjusting the dimmer to the lowest, I can still find my eyes hurting after prolonged usage. Nevertheless, for eBook readers like the iBooks application that can be freely downloaded, there is an additional dimmer facility which can correct this problem. Another thing is the multiple fingerprints that is visible on the screen. Not a nice picture. Imagine the amount of germs on the screen!

3) Battery
There is a super performance battery. The iPad can last from 8-10 hours (non video viewing) and up to 6 hours if watching a video. Assuming that a typical person has 8 hours, works 8 hours and sleeps 8 hours, this battery meets daily usage. The charger provided is a USB one, which also means that charging can be done using any USB port on any computer.

RESERVATION: Not all USBs are made the same. Neither are the charging methods. The fastest way to recharge the iPad is via the power + USB adapter provided inside the box. The slowest is when the iPad is plugged in the USB port of a computer. Though iPod and iPhone power adapters can also charge the iPad, they are regrettably too slow to make a full charge fast. When using computer USB ports, be prepared to wait for more than 8 hours for a 80% charge. When using the provided power adapter, this figure reduces to 2 hours to reach a 80% charge.

4) All-In-One Digital Viewer
This is an age where people want the maximum feature in the smallest available footprint. The iPad will be cutting into the market of digital photo viewers, as its superb LCD screen is able to professionally display photographs just like any digital photo viewer. In fact, with a suitable stand or holder, the iPad can be transformed into a Digital Clock Radio, sleek and beautiful.

RESERVATION: I prefer to see the next generation of iPads having a small memory chip slot, like a mini-SD or SD slot to expand storage. As many digital cameras nowadays use SD cards, it will be a welcome addition to make space in the iPad for a SD slot. Personally, I think using iTunes for the transfer of photo files is in itself too limiting.

5) WIFI
When I first setup the iPad, connection to my router was a breeze. However, soon I encounter that the Wifi connections can become spotty at times. Once, I have to turn the whole iPad off to 'reset' them. After a while, the connections come back, but I feel this feature can be improved.

RESERVATIONS: This is one of the top problems of the iPad currently. From what I know, Wifi problems are more frequent for users who adjust the LCD toward the dimmest setting. I believe Apple is prepare a firmware upgrade soon. Until that happens, be prepared for some moments of frustration.

6) APPS
There is an amazing selection of applications out there. Unfortunately, some of the best programs must be purchased. Apple's Keynote, Pages and Numbers suite of programs are available at $9.99 each. Free ones are not as good, although some are quite well done. Be prepared to see many free apps enticing you to upgrade to one with better features.

RESERVATIONS: Being a new release, it is understandable that developers need time to come up with more. However, I feel that having paid so many hundred of dollars for the iPad, getting users to cough up more money for apps is going to be painful.

7) WEIGHT
When I first held the unit, it is amazingly sleek and initially light. However, prolonged use will make the iPad heavier as our hands and arms start to sore.

RESERVATION: I doubt if this iPad can beat the current Kindle or ebook readers in terms of weight. In fact, the iPad is too glaring for my comfort, even with the iBooks application.

8) SOUND
Excellent sound quality. In terms of loudness and various sound effects, the iPad for its size works like a champ. There is also a headphone jack to connect external speakers or other auxiliary devices.

RESERVATION: None as yet.

9) CONNECTIVITY
There are so many ways to connect peripheral devices to the iPad. The Bluetooth feature allows one to use external mouse or full-sized keyboard to work on the iPad. With the 3G facility, one can use the iPad like a GPS when navigating toward our destination.

RESERVATION: One needs to fork out extra money for bluetooth enabled devices. Again, having paid so much for the iPad, I had thought that the pop up keyboard is sufficient. Alas, for me as a fast typist, it is not as good.

10) OVERALL
I get a feeling that this iPad is more a 'consuming' product rather than a 'creating' machine. In other words, if I simply want to download apps, play games, check my email, browse the Internet, locate maps, read news and all other e-consuming activities, the iPad is great. However, when it comes to editing, creating content, I think the iPad is less capable, unless of course we purchase additional peripherals. As a content creator, I find this a major setback.

For a first release, this iPad certainly exceeds my expectations. It is classy to hold, easy to use and is an extremely versatile digital all-in-one. As long as we use it like a digital encyclopedia of information to use to access the Internet, it is a charm. When it comes to content creation, it gets my thumbs down. This posting is re-written after I lost my first version trying to use the iPad to post my first blog message. Guess what? I type this blog on the old faithful IBM Thinkpad running on Windows XP. That is because, I lost my blog data when the Wifi gets disconnected in the middle of my typing online. Some things are meant to work better offline.

It is a worthwhile buy, if you simply want to browse the Internet quickly without needing to wait for your PC or Mac to bootup. iPad is like the iPhone in many ways. Takes a couple of seconds to boot up and to connect to the Internet. Amazing machine, but if you can wait, I will suggest waiting for the second version that irons out the kinks in the first. I trust the second version will be even better. Otherwise, this iPad is still a worthwhile buy.

conrade

My Top 5 URL Shorteners

Ever since the rise of Twitter, we have seen the mushrooming of websites offering to squeeze in a typically long web address into a compact one. Take for example, the 'longest URL' such as [http://thelongestlistofthelongeststuffatthelongestdomainnameatlonglast.com/wearejustdoingthistobestupidnowsincethiscangoonforeverandeverandeverbutitstilllookskindaneatinthebrowsereventhoughitsabigwasteoftimeandenergyandhasnorealpointbutwehadtodoitanyways.html].

The shortened version of it is using is.gd is a whopping 93% shorter in the form of http://is.gd/9bRD2. Here are my Top 5 URL shortcuts. There are all chosen because they are 6 characters or less. A 'dot' counts as a character. Short URLs are extremely useful for at least two reasons. First, they easily fit into a Twitter message that has a restricted 140 characters per tweet. Second, they are easier to remember. Usually just remembering the website (eg tr.im) plus a 5 or 6 letter encrypted word. Below are 5 that I use.

1) bit.ly
I like this for its sheer speed and simplicity. If you create an account and use it to shorten, it serves as a repository for all your past URLs shortened. Easy to remember, this is fast and easy to use.

2) is.gd
This is another favourite. I like the way it gives me the statistics on how much the URL was shortened. Looking like a clean sheet, it resembles Google search engine. Programmers will find a delight to use as it can be used as a Firefox addon.

3) tr.im
The name itself is a sheer winner. However, it is average as far as speed is concerned. It is twitter ready.
 
4) cli.gs
This is another popular one. It sounds like the word 'clicks' and is intuitive. The main disadvantage is that users need to click to another page before entering the URL. Most of the rest, you can do it at the first page.

5) tinyurl.com
This is easy to remember and the name of the website resembles the conventional 'dot com' sound. Though the number of characters are slightly longer than the rest, I think this is a good balance between 'shortening' and 'readability.'

For a list of more than 90 URL list of shorteners, check here. Have fun!

conrade