BibleTech09 – Points East

Right: Me, Center: Antoine from mobile ministry mag, Left: Greg from Accordance

All I can say about BibleTech09 was that it was some of the most fun that I’ve had in a long time.  I met a lot of new friends, many of whom are based near the Philly area (or travel there every now and again).  So I’m really looking at keeping up with a lot of the people I met even beyond the conference.  As I sit here in Denver Airport I just wanted to take the time to make a few points.

• I like hanging around geeks.  The tweeting going on during the sessions really help deepen the conversation even when the presenter wasn’t a gifted public speaker. One of the best tweets of the conference was, “[soandso] it the classic example of an extroverted nerd.  When he talks he looks at YOUR shoes.”
• I’m not smart enough by far.  Many of the people speaking at the conference were just plain brilliant.  I’m a geek and I pride myself on being one, but I’m on a different track than these folks. On the other hand, while they would tend to try to hack a fix in machine code to fix a problem I’d think to pull the plug out of the wall – so it’s not all bad.
• I was deeply honored to be included as a presenter at this event.  Really, my thanks to JD for convincing Logos that I wasn’t just going to try and teach people how to use *cough* powerpoint.
• I learning something about myself.  I dislike the thought of traveling – but when I am traveling I enjoy the adventure.   This doesn’t mean that I think to take blind shots into nowhere (I need people like Greg Ward from Accordance to convince me that walking around a strange city can be fun) – but it I think I wouldn’t mind going to one or two conferences a year just to get out of my introverted shell for a few days.  [so if anyone wants a self-important geek-pastor to talk about tech and pastoral ministry, that would be cool....]
• I was gratified to be confirmed that how I use the screen for presenting really is rather unusual.  There weren’t any presentations that did what I did (oh the bullet points, which I had too – but I was doing it to show a direct contrast, so there), and people seemed at least intrigued by the possibilities.
• It was a bit upsetting that no one fell for my Jedi mind-trick.  But they did laugh when I called them Tidarians – so that was cool.
• There were many times during this trip where I could only say, “This has been good for my soul.”  There’s precious few of those in a year – I’m grateful to have had the experience and I hope I’ll be a better servant having gone and come back.
• I made the pilgrimage to the first Starbucks.  How cool is that?
• I miss my family, and I can’t wait to see them.

So, that’s my quick thoughts.  Hope the BibleTech09 folks will keep following my blog!

Antoine and I marvel at the place where the empire began.

BibleTech09 – Live Blog “Technology Is Not Neutral”

OK, I’m sitting in “Technology is Not Neutral” with John Dyer.  He’s from DTS.

John (on the left) chats as he gets ready to present

John has a really cute kid, but he kept him up last night.  John’s focus is on a the theological implications of using technology for ministry (note: ask him if he’s worked with Shane Hipps).

Yup, he knows Shane Hipps.  I’m glad that John’s here presenting, this is totally needed at a conference like this.  Tech is not all bright and beautiful – it has an impact on who we are and how we live (how many phone numbers do you have memorized?).

Tech alters us not in how we use it, but that we use it. Dang straight.

Medium shapes message (actually medium IS the message).

Bible has mediums:

• genres
• characters
• sites (burning bush)
• Incarnation

(Heh, everyone go read Flickering Pixels – John’s talk tracks brilliantly with is)

McLuhan’s 4 laws of media:

• what does it extend?
• what does it obsolete?
• what does it retrieve from a prior era?
• what does it reverse into?

(I really need to read McLuhan – here’s my yearly project)

History of Bible Tech:

4 stages (he gives dates, but I don’t track with them):

• oral – data exists only in the minds of the community (JPS did a great job with this)
• written – added consistency, but it was costly.  But the texts belonged to a community because the cost kept access time down.  Ancients did wonder if writing was a good thing (this illusion of wisdom – Socrates story).  Alphabet affects out thought – Alphabet vs. Pictograph language.
• printed – printing press blew up society.  Mass distribution of exact copies.  Cost went down – page numbers came into existence for the first time (references and footnotes, chapter and verse numbers explode into NT).  Knowledge become democratized for the first time, texts were no longer owned by particular communities.  It retrieves an communal understanding, but reversed into radical individualism.
• digital – Photograph and Internet/computer. Pictures invoke emotions (a picture is worth 1000 emotions).  Moving images lead to fast/trivial, entertaining, and passive understanding of media.  Story becomes important again (yay).  Computer blasts information at us, so we learn to scan information quickly.  Multi-tasking (ADD folks live well in this world).  We now have decontextualized language – Book to article to blog to comment to twitter.

I just got a tweet where you can get more information on M’s 4 laws of media: http://tinyurl.com/2p82l5

John just recommended flickering pixels – #win for me calling it early.

Google CEO still thinks that the best way to learn something is to read a book (totally agree).

Digitial Bible has pluses and minus:  moves from community text to “just data.”  Searches replace memory, and tools reverse into crutches.

John calls the “mediums change, but hte message is the same” like – Amen.

We need to go back to reading scripture out loud in community (especially w/o powerpoint).  [I agree with no powerpoint, but Keynote is OK.   hee hee]

We need to reduce information – it’s ok to click “mark all as read” in google reader.

johndyer@gmail.com

johndyer.name

BibleTech09 – Day 1 Reflections

Yesterday afternoon I sent a tweet that read, “It’s good to be among my own kind.”  It really is.  The highlight for me was the JPS presentation on the history of the Jewish people and communication technology.  What the JPS is prepping with their tagged Tanakh is going to be a killer app, and JT and Ellen are two of the most engaging people that I’ve me anyway.  I’m glad they took the step to hang out with a bunch of goyim this weekend!

The swath of people here is just staggering, and people are genuinely interested in each other.  I often feel odd at pastors gatherings because pastors are always trying to ferret out where people are theologically so conversations are always so guarded because, frankly, pastors don’t know who to trust.  Here we’ve got drupal zealots, publishers, coders, writers, marketers, and web-designers just pouring themselves into the conversation (and from a good spectrum of theological backgrounds).  I’ve had great conversations with people from Tyndale, the American Bible Society (I missed that they were here, good for them), Accordance, and Olive Tree Software.  These folks are creative and are putting their energies into the tools that are going to impact the way we study the bible for years (I might also get my quick keystrokes to change languages in User Tools in Accordance because of one of my conversations, so that’s a happy thing).

Aside from folks from “big” outfits (in mental real-estate if not actual size) I’ve had conversations with people doing some good work with podcasts, tech training, youth ministry, and mobile ministry.  It’s been a great time of networking, listening, asking questions, and just generally scratching mental itches.  I’m humbled to be part of it, and a bit unnerved – these folks is smart.

I did miss the rock band session last night though – I was beat and just wanted to chill out some – maybe next time.

The conference closes today (I’m presenting at 4:00 in room 2, “Sermon Painting” be there folks) – for folks who are here and reading this entry, who’s up for grabbing some dinner and debriefing tonight?

BibleTech09 – Web Empowered Church

I’m back to live blogging.  I took a session off just for mental health – apologies to the speakers the tweets say you rocked.  Mark Stephenson is speaking.

Mark started as a hack on web sites, and was doing well before God said to go into full time ministry.

A “web empowered church” is one that notices when the web page goes down.

The Internet is the most powerful communications tool humans have ever created:

• affordable to use
• instant updates
• 24/7 “on”
• distance is erased (truly global)

Read the book.

Mark started at Ginghamsburg.org: They’ve had video since 1997, whoa.

WEC does all open source software – good folks!

Lots of support for “advanced features” (DB driven stuff).

Web empowering is not all about being tricky and cool – sometimes efficiency is the key.

WEC uses Typo3 – and provides free templates.

They created a prayer system for Typo3 (wonder how it compares to Joomla’s prayer center?).

Oh sweet, typo3 prayer center allows you to repond to prayer requests directly!  Oh that’s cool.

People post their own prayer requests, no intermediaries.

Scale down for users – people are still using modems (ummm, I’m not gunning for modem connections, sorry).

I’ll have to check out WEC – it might be a good tool for even our church as we migrate.

BibleTech09 – The Rabbis Invented Web 2.0 First

Ellen gets ready for her presentation

I’m sitting in with Ellen Frankel from JPS.  This is going to be good.

Starting with a joke, three archeological teams – funny.  Jewish people have always been at the forefront of innovation, especially with regards to communications tech.

Jews are caught in a dialectic, innovators devoted to ancient texts.

Focusing on the conversation over Hebrew Bible (TNK) and Talmud – dispersion is why the conversation is so important.  Ellen is doing a brief history of Hebrews.

Disapora led Judaism to develop a culture that is surpirsingly like web 2.0 realities: social networking, standardized page formatting, linked content.

Jewish culture started as largely oral – oral cultures can’t survive exile.  Northern tribes disappeared largely because they were an oral culture.

During the exile, Judaism transformed into a written culture: synagogue, core liturgy were key here.  Text was open canon for years.

Rabbinic Judaism comes into power in the chaos after 70 CE.  Rabbis canonized the Bible, and composed the Mishnah.

Ellen has a great road map to Jewish learning in a slide – oh I want to read this up close!

Jews began to say that written and oral traditions were equal.  Written was God’s notes, the Oral was the actual lecture.

Rabbis invented the idea of proof-texting to get people to transfer old authority (priestly, prophetic, kingly) to them.  Ellen calls it proto-hypertext.

The Mishna (repeat/review) was how the rabbis continued to speak to the written TNK.

Torah was the top, and the Misnah tried to deal with the needs of people – but the further from Jerusalem the less it worked (web 1.0).

Talmud was 2nd solution (web 2.0).  Great show of a Talmud cheat sheet (again, I want the slide images).

Soogya (sp is totally off) – discussion of the rabbis looking at how to interpret the text in every way possible, running down every possible rabbit trail.

Talmud is about journey, not finding answers.  The journey through the conversation was the point – even including many diverse opinions.

User generated content was added via question from jewish “rank and authority” and answers from Rabbis over centuries.  This is called the Mikara’ot Gedolot (Great reading).  JPS has this Bible for sale, I’ll be getting this.

Jewish Lexonaries always included commentaries.

Jewish intrepretation: PaRDeS

• Peshat: literal; plain sense
• Remez: allegorical; historical parallels
• Derash: homiletic; lessons for living
• Sod: mystical; coded language

Mikra’ot Gedolot had a clearly defined page structure.

Tagged Tankah coming whoopie!

Jewish textual innovation ground to a halt in 1400’s: secularization and threat of persecution were the causes.

19th Century brought secularization – holocaust nearly completed the secularization process, but it also spurred new creativity (like in ancient times).  Nation of Israel is now leading people in communications technologies.

The Internet is the ultimate diaspora – no boundaries, no center. Many Jews involved in key Internet inventions (google, facebook, IM, etc.)  Tagged Tanakh will continue Jewish innovation.

Check it out: www.JPSinteractive.org

BibleTech09 – Session 1 (SMS for Churches)

I’m sitting in with Craig Rairdin, who wrote the original Quickverse software for windows.  He seems to have a toaster habit.

I’ve texted Craig via aim – I don’t pay for texting, I’m cheap and they’re gouging.

Why use texting – it’s good for time-sensitive information.  E-mail needs people to actively check their box, and phones are fast but no one answers them and then you need messages to be passed on.

Can someone explain to my wife that I need to pay for unlimited texting?

Criag’s Pitch (ABCNJ Take note)

• $25/month for an account (3 groups up to 300 messages per month).
• Members opt in by texting the group name to 564646  (Join #name#)
• You can send messages via the phone or web-site
• 25% at attendance for meeting by texting reminders 2 hours before the meeting (average age, 50).
• You can actually vote on things through the service.  Yes, oh yes oh yes.

Votes can be tracked real-time and charts can be embedded on web-sites (votes cost $.05 a piece – could get costly).  Hey CBC, would unlimted texting be legitimate for reimbursements?

Ever wonder what a SMS network looks like?  I’ve now seen a map.  Cool.

Here’s the service Craig is part of: http://www.churchtextingmanager.com/

Using a SMS aggregator is worth it, because the time and pain involved in setting up your own service takes a LOT of time.

Discount sign-up available – ask Craig (I’m not posting the code to the world).

I spent the last 10 minutes only partly listening – needed to beat iPhoto/image capture into submision, sorry oh intriqued listeners.

Live @ BibleTech09

Yup, I'm actually here!

I made it, the decorations are up, and the gang is all (getting here).  The folks I’ve met so far have been really nice, and I’m looking forward to getting to know them a bit better over the next couple of days.  I’m in the “low tech” room, which means that I’m not talking about software development and should not (I repeat not) have any negative impact on my geek-cred whatsoever.  So there.

The Hilton is classy, which seems to mean that they can charge you for every thing that other places give you gratis (paying for internet access in a hotel in 2009 is absurd).  It also seems to mean that everything thing that you are used to paying for at a Hotel is jacked up.  A 25% mark up on Starbucks coffee?  C’mon.  I also dropped $17 for three pancakes after tip, I think I’ll run to the airport tomorrow for breakfast.  I realize that this is being reimbursed – but I have to be at least reasonably responsible with the funds people have entrusted me.  Now that I’ve been through the sticker shock I’ll just have to do some walking.  Though I’m afraid the coffee price is unavoidable – I need to medicate my ADD darn it!

Well, time to endRant.  Folks are chatting over breakfast and I’d like to join them.

Staying Alive in Denver

Wezlo in Denver airport - travel madness has set in

Well, my flight must have been one of the last actually allowed into Denver. I got here just fine, though the woman who was in the seat next to me refused to acknowledge my existence for four hours. It was just weird.  My flight to Seattle is actually set to depart on-time, which is insane given that so many flights are cancelled.  We’ll see if I make it to Seattle tonight – here’s hoping.

Denver airport is kinda cool, they have free wifi (so much for the $7.99 I dropped in Philly).  I’d rather they have a decent paid service though, the free access in Denver is slow.  If I do get stuck here tonight, though, I’m running around the airport with my digital camera so I can upload video to CNN’s iReports, so if I tell you I’m stuck keep checking CNN for an appearance of yours truly.  I have a picture to upload, but I don’t trust the service around here, so I’ll attach it to this entry later.

BibleTech09 here I come!

Off We Go (Take One?)

This is me, already displaying signs of travel insanity

Well, I’m in Philadelphia Airport hoping my flight actually gets out today.  I got up at five this morning and checked to see if my flight was delayed or cancelled, but it was still showing as being on time.  Unfortunately, Denver has now been upgraded to a blizzard warning.  Oh boy, my first time travelling cross country by myself and I’m flying into a blizzard.

Saying goodbye to the kids was tough this morning, my son really wants to make sure that I’m coming back on Sunday so he’s been asking what day I’m coming back for the last week.  When I  went out for Baptism class on sunday night he was convinced that I was leaving on my trip, so when I got home he squealed, “You’re back already!”  It’s nice to be missed.  My wife is looking forward to cooking foods I don’t eat while I’m gone – but I hate travelling without her.  There’s supposed to be a surprise in my bag that the kids left (my son let that cat out of the bag when I woke him up this morning, but he wouldn’t tell me what it is, “It’s a secret, I’m not telling”).  I’m looking forward to seeing what it is when I finally get to Seattle.

The trip to the terminal went well, at least.  Bob picked me up at 7:30 and I was at Philly by 8:00.  Since I’m not checking baggage I went to the machine to get my boarding pass and headed up to security (the folks working the ticketing lines in Terminal B are just wonderful, by the way).  When I got to the security station they opened up a new line at the very moment I arrived, so I was first in line.  I’ve only flown one other time since the new restrictions went into effect, the security staff was really patient, and wonderfully friendly even while cutting no corners.  That made me feel a lot more comfortable going through the process.  I was actually at my gate by 8:10, believe it or not.

Since I’ll be travelling the bulk of the day, I decided to purchase the 24 hour wifi access here in Philly, it should work in Denver too, so I can keep updating my blog as I go.  I have a window seat for this trip – that’s nice.

Sermon Painting Promo

In March I’ll be presenting on Sermon Painting both at BibleTech09 and at ABCNJ’s regional training event (which bears the unfortunate acronymn COAL).  I’ve been told that Sermon Painting is a rather unusual way to make use of a digitial projection screen, so I thought that I would give people a taste of what it might look like in a promotional video.  Enjoy!