Tech Tip Tuesday–“I thought a tablet was medicine…”

Back last Spring, Apple shook the world of personal computing by introducing a device that would have only been seen in Star Trek ten years earlier. The iPad changed the game. Well, it changed the game for a lot of people. While a lot of my tech buddies jumped, I looked before I leapt.
Well, maybe I was just broke, and I told myself that to keep from feeling bad.

In any case, I'm just now entering the world of tablet. After two computers died in our house within one week (not blaming anyone...), I managed to convince my wife to go along with my plan to purchase a tab. Instead of opting for an iPad, though, I went the Android route. My new toy? The Acer Iconia A500.

Now I'm not just writing this blog to tell you about my latest tech purchase. I did wait a few weeks to spill the beans about it on the blog. Why? Well I know of more than a few preachers out there who jumped onto the iPad wagon last Spring who are now disillusioned with their tablet experience. I wanted to make sure it wouldn't be a flash in the pan for me, too. I had that whole "should I or should I not" conversation with myself at least a dozen times, and talked myself out of it eleven of those. I'm very cautious when it comes to new technology.

The following are my initial impressions from the first few weeks I've had the thing.

Things I Like

• Portability: I think this is one of the tablet's major selling points. Actually, it's so portable and easy to use that I use it on the couch, a little in my office, and of course on trips. I even use it just to get out of the office during the week. Battery life on my tab is great, at about 10 hours with average use.

• Google: Well, it's not that I like Google, but they do have some useful products. One of the advantages of Android is that my login to my Google account (Gmail, Calendar, etc.) is what's tied to my Market account. There were several purchased apps for my phone which automatically showed up in the Market on my tablet as purchased and ready for download when I signed in on the tab. SO, I can share apps I bought for my Droid X phone with the tablet without re-purchasing them. Love that.

• Flash: It's bigger than you think. I'm waiting for Prezi to get on the ball with an Android app.

• Power: The newest version of Honeycomb (Android OS version 3.1) has REAL multitasking power. That's a must for me when writing a lesson or article. Now admittedly, the ability to switch between apps on my phone is lacking. But I can run several apps simultaneously on the tablet, and switching between them is as simple as touching a tab at the bottom of the screen. A popup appears on the left side of the screen that I can scroll through to find the app I want to switch to. Very handy!

• Peripherals: I have a full sized USB port on the side of this tablet, as well as a mini HDMI port. The USB port works as a "host," which simply means I can plug other devices into it! The list includes thumb drives, hard drives, and even USB keyboards and mice. This was one of the features that sold me, for obvious reasons.

• Hand Held: Let me explain why this is a big deal. I loved having my Kindle to read from. It's much more ergonomic to read a Kindle with one hand than it is to read a paper book. Of course you can't get any other work done on a Kindle besides reading. But the tablet takes that same feel, and lets me get work done. For example, in my personal Bible study, I like to make notes. But, I do a lot of my personal study at night in bed before I go to sleep, or in the early hours of the morning. It's not practical for me to pull out my wide margin Bible, Pigma pens, and a notebook, and lay in bed with those. I have to take notes, though. It's situations like those where the tablet shines. I do it all in one device. I will mention specific apps for that at a later date.

• Media: This thing is a media machine! I have a 5-megapixel camera on the back, and a 2-megapixel camera on the front. The video from the back camera is actually not that bad. Add in the Honeycomb update, which includes Android Movie Studio, and you have a web content creating machine!

Things I Don't Like

Every rose has its thorn. In the interest of fairness, let me share a couple with you:

• PowerPoint: I have a few different Office suites that I downloaded to try to find a workable solution for PowerPoint. There isn't one. The most I can do with a presentation for the moment is flick through it. I can create new presentations, but I'm limited to mere text entry. That's not how I do PowerPoint. Android simply doesn't render slides well, and doesn't support transitions or animations. Maybe someone will fix that in the future. For the present, there are workarounds that I'll bring up later.

• Lack of Tablet Specific Apps: The Android Market is still a little behind in this regard. This one seems to be improving, though.

How Have I Already Used it?

• Study: Whether the bed, couch, office, back seat of the Jeep, or even the coffee shop, this device makes it easier to get serious work done without hauling around a laptop.

• Preaching: Electronic dependence scares me, so I still take paper into the pulpit just in case. But having this to preach from has been a joy for the past couple weeks.

• Writing: A couple weeks ago I wrote my bulletin article for the week while in the back seat of our Jeep, traveling down the interstate. I used my phone as a mobile hotspot to send the file to the member who does the bulletin. I have written all of my latest blog posts on the tablet, including this one. It's easier to fit work on this device into my life right now than it is to fit work on a laptop.

• Sharing: Jenaleigh looks even cuter in pictures when you see them on a tablet.

What Plans Do I Have for the Future

• Media Content Creation: With HD video and basic editing capabilities, I plan on trying it out at our next church get-together. I also may do some Tech Tip Tuesdays from this device as well. When you don't have to transfer footage to edit, and can also post from the same device it saves time. In theory, I could even edit "on the fly." We'll see how that goes.

• Teleprompter: I've been working on some TV spots with GBN, but I always have to work from memory. Believe it or not, I don't always get it on the first take. I'm hoping this device can save me some time there, too.

• Evangelism: Think Jule Miller with this one. When I get some of that up and going, I'll let you know.

I hope the previous has given you a little insight into the whole tablet thing, at least from my perspective. Over the next few weeks, I'll probably share a few more things about it with you in the way of apps, uses, problems, solutions, and the like.

~Daniel Howell

A Drink for the Baby? No? What?

Yesterday, Martha, Jenaleigh and I decided to go to Ponderosa for lunch. Well, maybe it was Martha and me who decided to do that. Either way, we were going to the buffet.

If you've never been to Ponderosa, let me fill you in. It's a little like Golden Corral. If you've never been to Golden Corral, well, I'm out of comparisons. You pay for your dinner upfront. The hostess takes you to your seat. You feast.

Well, being as Draffenville is a small town, a lot of teenagers work at Ponderosa. In fact, the guy working at the cash register this day looked to be about 16 or 17. But he seemed nice, and was very friendly.

As we walked up to the register to place our order, he nervously glanced down at the baby carrier I was holding, which contained Jenaleigh. He took our order (two buffets and two waters) then asked a couple questions, the answers to which I thought should be obvious.

"Would you like to get her anything to eat?"

Keep in mind, Jenaleigh is a 10 week old at this point. She has absolutely no teeth poking around in that pretty little mouth. Still, I smiled and said, "No thank you!"

He seemed okay with my decision. But then he asked a second question.

"Well, would you like to get something for her to drink?"

"No thank you," I said, smiling again at his silly questions.

This time he seemed genuinely concerned at my response. He had a worried look on his face, as though he was teetering on the edge of thinking I was barbaric for not getting something to drink for my daughter. Still, he checked us out, and passed us on to the hostess, with the same worried look on his face.

Here's the point of this story. Some things can seem blaringly obvious to us, yet slip through the minds of others. This doesn't mean they aren't smart people. They just might be completely unaware of some vital information which could help them in their reasoning. Consider the following this week, especially as it pertains to sharing the gospel.

• You don't know some people's background. For all I know, the teen at the register could have been an only child, with no little cousins, and has never had a chance to be around babies. The same is true of some folks who walk through our doors. Just last week I had two different conversations with people who attend our services regularly. One was a member from a denominational background who had a few questions. The other was not a member, but was from a Catholic upbringing. History shades the present day's perspective. History also illuminates the present day's problems. Keep the person's background in mind when you assess their questions. Let this help you to be understanding towards them. If you don't know their background, ask! I've found that people love to tell their story. Let that knowledge shape how you approach them with the Gospel.

• You don't know the real knowledge level of some people. This is a simple "ask and find out" proposition. Preacher friends, especially the young ones (not that I'm old, but I've had some advantages) please wipe that shocked look off your face when a member of 25 years asks a question that you and I both feel they ought to know the answer to (cf. Hebrews 5:12-14). Some simply haven't done due diligence in their study. Some can't, because they lack the education. You'd be surprised who never finished high school. It’s not your job to condemn, but to help them grow (cf. Ephesians 4:11-16).

• Never think something is too obvious. The reason ought to be obvious. What, you don't see it? I guess you'll never learn...

• Avoid the "curse of knowledge." This curse happens when you've done intense study, which you should do. Then, you take that scholarly knowledge and try to explain all the eccentricities of the work of the Holy Spirit to a person who doesn't understand the purpose of miracles to begin with (see Mark 16:17-18). It won't work well for you.

I hope you will try to keep some of this in mind as you are out and about this week. Now go out and help those who don't know to know.

~Daniel Howell

The Other Side of the Jordan

This past Thursday evening I made a trek to some familiar territory. I had some business to take care of in my old town of Clarksville, TN. Since I was by myself, I decided to take a trip down memory lane and drive by the house that Martha and I rented when we lived there.
Now to put this in context, realize that Martha and I lived in Clarksville for four years while we attended college: one in dorms, one in a little apartment the first year of our marriage, and the last two years at the house on Sevenmile Ferry Road North.

As I saw the house from a distance, I realized that even though I hadn't laid eyes on it in three years, nothing had changed. As I drove by the house, I noticed my former land-lord (who lives next door) mowing his grass. I don't know why I acted so impulsively, but I pulled into his driveway. I rolled down the window, and he stared at me, a confused look on his face. I could tell he was trying to figure out who I was. I said, "Remember me?" Then it dawned on him who I was.

I can honestly say that he seemed genuinely happy to see me. He admitted that he couldn't remember my name, and I didn't admit to him that even though I'd written him 25 checks over the course of two years, I couldn't remember his. But it's what he said next that floored me.

"I heard that y'all had a little one!"

I don't have any idea how he knew that we had a baby. Really, I don't. I thought I had absolutely no associations with this man left. In fact, he couldn't even remember my name! I'd spent the last three years in two different towns, in two states, and hadn't talked to him or his family in all that time. I'm not "friends" with him, or anyone else I think he knows on Facebook. I have no idea how he knew.

Still, it got me to thinking about the following: People are watching, even when we don't think they are. They can hear things, even from a different city. I think some people have the "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" mentality about their trips and vacations. They might "let their hair down" when they travel, or after they move. After all, who is there to see? Well, trust me, "they" are there, and "they" see, and "they" call their family and keep them up to date.

In Numbers 32, the tribes of Reuben and Gad petition Moses to let them posses the land east of the Jordan, for the sake of their livestock. They reach an agreement, and that is that the men of these tribes still have to fight with the other ten tribes when they cross the Jordan to posses the land. After they have served, then they can return home. If they fail to keep their word, he directs a statement to them in verse 23 which was as true for them as it is for us today, even when we think we are on the "other side of the Jordan" and that no one is watching: "...Be sure your sin will find you out."

Rest assured (or uneasily), it will. Even if "they" don't see us, and God is the only one who sees our sin, there will be consequences.

But on a positive note, we can also know that we might be a positive influence to someone, and never know it! Remember, they are always watching, even if you are on "the other side of the Jordan."

~Daniel Howell