iPad Developers

Okay, so the iPad has only been out a few months now. And while some of the concepts that worked on iPhone apps do effectively carry over to the new device, the extra real estate of the larger screen brings a new level of immersion and possibility. Developers are slowly working through a process of trial and error to figure out what concepts work best.

I have no doubts that in a year or two we'll see polished and fun new concepts being delivered on iPad and other touch-screen devices. For the time being, though, we have to slog through cluncky mechanics (I'm looking at you, dual-thumb analog stick interface) and poorly executed gimmicks.

For what it's worth, here a few apps that I think are using the iPad capabilities well:

UZU (similar to Spawn Glow for the iPhone)



This is really just a toy. The application itself doesn't accomplish anything, it is just a way to spend some time, but the visuals are so fun and the interaction so rewarding that you will end up sitting in front of it for long periods of time and coming back to it over and over again.

Basically the physics change depending on how many fingers you contact with the device. One finger trailing across the screen does something different than five fingers.

A lot of talk has been thrown around about how touch-screens take away an intermediary between the person and the information. No mouse. No clicking through menus, just simply touching the information you want to access. In the near future we will probably see the same kind of "hand swipes" and "pinch zooms" in motion-sensing peripheries for game systems, "smart tables" in public places, and on personal computing devices. Think of this -- kids growing up nowadays will only know a world where information is instantly accessible and accessible through intuitive touch/movement. I saw a youtube video of a 4 year old playing a first person shooter game on a touch device, navigating through menus as if it were the most natural thing in the world. A four year old!!

Musicians have perhaps been the first subgroup to really unlock some of these touch navigation possibilities. A few years ago composing a song meant knowing complex music theory, painstakingly inputting notes into music software, and fine-tuning the final product until something decent was produced. Nowadays there are programs that will intuitively shape algorithms around what you shape with your hands. You can "compose" music by moving around lines for balls to bounce off of in Soundrop app, make visual songs on TonePad, etc.

On a slightly related note, I have a friend who taught himself basic drum beats through playing a lot of Rock Band. Seriously. So while you may knock kinetic interaction as a passing fad, there are real possibilities for "tricking" people into producing new works of art or other products.


Touching Stories



All I really have to say is two words: interactive movie. This app contains four tiny vignettes and I use the word tiny intentionally. You'll run through each of the stories in a minute or two but the fact that you can actually tap your way through the story (or shake, bump, whatever else the story calls you to do in order to interact with the story) is pretty epic. I would love to see apps take more advantage of interactive media like this.


Word Games

"Word Games" isn't actually the name of the app but I am referring to all the creative word games you can find in app form. As a word games lover, my two choices in the past were to play a board game with friends or play some dorky flash game online. It doesn't make sense to sell word game software in stores (you're not going to see a $60.00 bundle of competitive HD action Scrabble). So I have been pleasantly surprised at the creative surge touch-tablets have brought to word games. I'm talking Imangi, iAssociate, Tripletters, Moxie, Scramble 2, Words Free, etc.


Harbor Master, FlightCtrl HD, RocketCop HD, etc.

All these games share the same premise: you trace your finger along the path that you want the vehicles to travel. Your job is to move the vehicles to the right spots without them crashing into one another.

These kinds of games are only possible on large touch-screens. I want to see more of these kinds of games and less of badly designed/clunky first person and awkward platformers! Anyone with me?

HoloToy

This app is downright incredible. It's basically a collection of "mini-games" that are all completely 3d. The whole 3d effect is kind of a craze right now --- tv's are doing it, video games are doing it, and of course movies are doing it. But what gets tricky is how the effect is accomplished... either the person needs to wear special glasses or a camera needs to track the person's eyes so the program can compensate. Meh on both, sometimes it works well and other times not so much.

The reason you should check out this app is because it uses the accelerometer to figure out how to create the 3d experience. In one of the games, "Projection Puzzle," you have to move your device around until you see the image completed:



Fun, yes? I'm not a fan of wearing glasses to have a blurry 3d effect on my television. I am a fan of using an accelerometer to intuitively move my way through a 3d environment that moves around me.



Runners up (apps worth checking out):

ColorSplash is a photoshop-type program where you finger-draw in the part of the picture you want to remain colored vs. the rest of the picture which is turned black-and-white. It's great for a quick and easy way to create incredible looking pictures. If I can use it successfully, anyone can.

CaptainsBlog is something I have to mention. It is by no means the most powerful journal program out there (for that check out MaxJournal) but it is Star Trek Next Generation themed!!! It gives a red alert when it's asking if you're sure you want to delete something. It looks like TNG computer interface. It is a must-have for any Trekker.

Dictation blows me away as a linguist. Very simply it takes your recorded voice and turns it into text. I sure hope the app is still free because if it is, you have no reason not to get it and check it out.

Touchgrind HD is a finger skateboard game where your swipes and flicks make the board do tricks underneath you. It's a fun one, yeps.

DropBox is for viewing PDF's off of your computer on any mobile device. Nothing flashy just uber-practical.

I could keep going but I have no idea who I'm writing this post for so no worries, I'll just hit post.

Being a Student

Okay, so there is so much in life to create wonder. I was passing by the playground of my church this past Sunday when one of the elementary school kids started telling me about the tank he built which could shoot missiles into the future. Into the future!?!? Needless to say, the kid's awesomeness earned my immediate respect. But more than that it got me thinking about looking at the world with a sense of fascination.

Part of me really dreads graduating because school is my excuse to learn new things every day. For the record, if I ever stop sponging up the bizarre and wonderful inspirations of this world, you have permission to punch me in the face. I never want to stop learning.

So just for funsies here are some things that have caught my attention over the past couple of days:

Inspiration comes from so many places…

… both from the high art of past history and the current projects of friends and family… layered soliloquies, photographs that have more movement than most movies… acoustic songwriters singing so delicately that a single breath would cause the whole song to disintegrate… deconstructionist jazz renditions of popular songs…



Or for a slightly more adventurous example listen to this song long enough to get to the melody: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFSNR8t5KdY

… I recently heard the story of a teenager with synesthesia, the type where she experiences tastes when she hears words. She talked about how each word has its own taste and after a short discussion the interviewer asked her, “How would you feel if you woke up one day and suddenly weren’t a synesthete any longer?” The girl responded, “I suppose it would be like going from seeing the world in color to only seeing the world in black and white.” And I marveled…

… the girl used such varied and interesting vocabulary, which seemed peculiar at first until I realized that she delights in wordchoice in ways none of us will ever understand…



… I’m inspired by the possibilities of video games, how developers are embracing it as a new art form, telling stories, using interactivity and community to encourage casual gamers to experience new things… imagine a movie you can help direct, a painting you can walk around in, a novel that updates with current events and trends…

… inventions both useful and useless, countless working gears to bring innovative new ideas into reality… that place where quirky meets ingenious and one idea changes the way all of society lives…



…I was told once that astronauts doing spacewalks must constantly keep an object in view or else they will lose a frame of reference. I don’t know if that’s true, but the person continued to explain that if they lose all frame of reference they will suddenly recognize how unbelievably fast they’re travelling in the openness of outer space. As the story goes, an astronaut experienced this very sensation for only a split second yet for years he has been dreaming of how hauntingly beautiful that moment was…



…I’m inspired by so many different moments in life… people surprising themselves with unexpected self-expressions, how something as simple as hitting icicles can bring so much satisfaction…

…yet the most inspiring art ever created can’t compare to the beauty of what God can do in a single life. I’ve watched God redeem the broken, transform the hopeless into the vibrant. All the above stories and art pieces might provide momentary smiles but nothing, absolutely nothing compares to the awe I feel towards the God of the universe. He is the ultimate worker of mysteries, the supreme Artist and Creator. It’s to the point where I can’t imagine life without His truths – how muted everything would seem, how pointless. Glory to God that He continues to reach out to us where we’re at and fills our lives with unearned blessings.

This Crazy thing we call Interweb

Why I love the internet:

I've talked in this blog before about niche communities. It wasn't too many years ago a teenager had to wait until college, or until old enough to move cities/states, before they could fall into a crowd of truly like-minded persons. Whether the interest be a particular genre of music, lifestyle choice, or faith community, sometimes it was difficult to feel that anyone else in the world was in the same ballpark.

I remember being young and thinking to myself, "Why is no one my age genuine about their faith? Am I the only Christian my age in the world??" That may seem like a truly absurd thought (certainly my intellectual mind knew it wasn't true) but that doesn't diminish the very real relief I felt when I found a group like the Navigators in college.

I see a secular sense of belonging in something like http://nerdfighters.ning.com/?page_id=63 , which essentially spawned from two nerdy brothers video blogging each other and has now become a popular social network for the nerdier kids of the nation. If you like Harry Potter, if you were a marching band dork, if you love sci-fi and writing songs about video games... nerdfighters is probably a group you want to be aware of.

But more than niche communities, the internet is a place where anyone/everyone can make their concepts/inventions a reality. I just recently discovered a site called http://omegle.com/ that was made by an 18 year old. The site is basically a completely anonymous version of aim -- when you log on you're connected to one other anonymous person who you can then have a conversation with. I've only used the site once (I asked the guy it connected me to about his experiences on the site, what most conversations ended up being about, etc.). Fascinating concept and all from a kid who hadn't even graduated high school yet.

Here's another great concept: http://www.yourworldoftext.com/home/ Basically it's an open screen that anyone can type into (anonymously) in real time. So you can edit what other people have typed, add your own thoughts. It's like a big open whiteboard for anyone to use. Now be careful, if you're clicking on the links then know that the main board of this site can get pretty inappropriate. The genius of the site, though, is that adding backslash and something to the url brings you to a new open whiteboard... so if you were to go to http://www.yourworldoftext.com/christianity you would find some thoughts (anonymous, mind you) from anyone else who typed onto that page. You and your friends could make your own page, etc. Again, great concept made by one individual.

Most of my friends have heard me go on and on about the brilliance of http://blip.fm/ (which is like twitter but every post is a song or video that is pulled from the internet) ... it's a tremendous site for music lovers out there. Helps build a community, share favorite bands, etc. But that isn't the only site for legal and innovative ways of sharing music mix tapes, here's an article from wired about some others: http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/10/best-8-ways-to-share-mix-tapes/

If you're reading this post and thinking to yourself, "Meh, these are gimicky and a waste of time, bringing focus off of what life should be about," then let me gently challenge you with one thought... kids nowadays are born into a facebook world. The way they understand reality and relate to truth is deeply couched in the technologies of the internet. Of course that mental and social shift has both pros and cons but the exciting news is that social networking breathes new life into those meaningful and necessary conversations.

Don't lose yourself in the shuffle -- your beliefs, interests, purpose in life -- but also don't be afraid to use new platforms for self-expression. If you have a story to share, if you are in possession of good news for the world... then let it go wherever you go :-) It's a big crazy world out there and while in some regards there is nothing new under the sun, be excited that age-old truths are reinvented and rediscovered every generation. As I heard recently, "God doesn't have any grandchildren," meaning the faith of your parents is their faith, your faith must be your own.

Okay, I've reached the point of rambling so I'll hit the post button. Happy posting, bloggers.

What to post today?

I miss the old days of blogging, you know, when early teenager Matt would write any and everything into a journal that was oh-so-private and yet oh-so-read and commented on by all my friends. I miss reading their blogs, each feeling so unique, as if we all were working on some grand project but could confide absolutely any piece of information we wanted.

When you're young like that, writing has no agenda. In fact, our only agenda was to not have an agenda. If I was thinking of God that day, I would write about God, my faith, prayer life, etc. If I was thinking about the rubber sole of my shoe, well psh, I'd write about that.

Adults don't blog like that. Every shared thought, blog, letter, phone conversation... has a purpose behind it. Now don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to hear about someone's life and their current need or project. I not only am blessed by that correspondence but it reminds me of the profound work God has in store for my community, the nation, the world. That type of writing is absolutely necessary and desired and beneficial, please don't misunderstand what I'm saying. I just wouldn't mind getting the same substance in a slightly different format (from the mini-sermon blog post, the anecdotal image that is profound post, the exhausted because waiting for provision and hope post). >-<

I wish the everyday-ness of tweets slipped into the rest of our sites, and the intention of newsletters/blogs slipped into the mundane-ness of tweeting and facebook. I wish frivolous projects went hand-in-hand with the profound.

After all, wouldn't that make our sharing seem less... agenda-filled? Wouldn't a dash more frivolity show that our first and foremost service to God is to enjoy our relationship with Him, to increase His glory by reflecting back the very nature of Christ? "This is who I am world, take it or leave it, I'm a guy who loves Christ and all my serious and not-so-serious projects are a result of the freedom, grace, hope, and truth that I have in God." Anyway :-P it's been three months since I posted on this blog so these thoughts seemed an appropriate apology/beginning.

Creating Space

Creating space for ministry to happen.

If a person's only fellowship takes place on a Sunday morning, then even IF that person speaks solely of what God is doing in their life, then the time limit means the conversation can only be highlights at best. When someone asks, "How are you?" the person can either say "good," or some rehearsed/rushed answer for that particular spotlighted moment. But in my experience it can take someone a while before the conversation drifts to what's really hurting them. Sometimes the deep issues don't come out until a couple cups of coffee into the meal.

Similarly, if the only time a person talks about their faith is in a weekly Bible study then there is a danger their faith will become a performance. After all, it's hard not to construct mini-thoughts to share with the group when going through that week's study. As Bible Study leaders we may unintentionally send the message that time in the Word is strictly utilitarian. "And what have you learned this week in your quiet times?" Ready... set... GO!

Instead, what if ministry happened in the spaces between and in everything else? What if faith issues moved gently in and out of all life's other conversations? What if part of our ministry to students was creating enough safe space so a person could just sit quietly in a God-centered atmosphere. No presentation... no awkward, "That's what I've learned. And you?" Just a community in which Christ-centeredness was part of its understated being.

For the student this kind of identity formation happens (most of the time) without their awareness. They'll think they're just hanging out when really a community is being formed, deep questions are being discussed, and individuals are taking big steps in their faith. The student may not realize anything special is going on, but the leader works hard to help create that type of environment --- the goal may be to make it seem effortless and natural, but "creating space" is one of the most difficult tasks of a minister. Often students take their biggest steps in the most unexpected moments, during a time the minister didn't pre-plan or pre-encourage.

Anyway, I'm probably just preaching to the choir on all this but I thought I would type it up anyways to share with y'all. :-D Ministry is such an unconventional occupation, it's interesting to start discussions about it every now and then.

If I were to ask you in this moment to picture an African animal, you probably wouldn't imagine that animal with flies buzzing all around its head. But in real life there are a ton of flies buzzing around their heads, it's true.

I went to the Grand Canyon when I was much younger, apparently. I can't remember it, of course, but I went this past week and so YAY have a couple observations I want to make:

1. My group went a day before Michelle Obama (and family) spent a day there. She's been given such a hard time for wearing shorts but it's ARIZONA and HOT and ARIZONA!!! Why does the nation obsess over the most ridiculous things?

2. I was surprised not to see any plaques or brochures pushing an evolutionary stance. If they existed, I didn't see them. And you may say, "Well that's not a big deal, Matt, why would they have those things?" BUT I did see a plaque with a verse from Psalms. PLUS there was a worship area where a group meets every day of the week to acknowledge the glory that creation brings the Creator. Yeah-ah.

3. Driving from Scottsdale to the Grand Canyon and back again is a long day of driving.

Closeness to God

I don't have much time to post but I couldn't not share a few links I've enjoyed recently:

1. This first link is of a guy named Rich Mullins. His gentleness, wisdom, passion... drips from every word. If you're in a rush, skip ahead to around 5:05 to hear some really profound thoughts on closeness to God. But if you have the time listen to the whole clip, it's worth it (there's even a couple thoughts on the benefits of being single!).




2. This next video is of a completely different type. If you're not familiar with The Emphatics, it's basically just my family's video log which, among other things, tries to remind people that it's worth finding passion, humor, and joy in life.

My brother's emo post makes me so proud of him. :-)




3. Hank Green is by far my favorite vlogger. In this particular clip he defends nerd awesomeness. I realize it's strange to see me posting this clip because nothing about my life is at all nerdy or dorky... ...

but enjoy regardless.




4. Classical music inspired stand-up comedy, anyone?




5. Steve Harvey introduces Jesus. And I'm not going to lie, it's pretty awesome.

If it's good enough for John Piper...

... it's good enough for me. :-P


I have been given a ridiculous amount of flack for joining twitter. Most of the teasing is done pseudo-light-heartedly with messages ranging from "It's just a big waste of time," to, "the only people who twitter are completely self-absorbed."

Wowsers.

So I thought I would copy-paste an article John Piper wrote about his own twitter account:






Why and How I Am Tweeting
By John Piper June 3, 2009



I see two kinds of response to social Internet media like blogging, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and others.

One says: These media tend to shorten attention spans, weaken discursive reasoning, lure people away from Scripture and prayer, disembody relationships, feed the fires of narcissism, cater to the craving for attention, fill the world with drivel, shrink the soul’s capacity for greatness, and make us second-handers who comment on life when we ought to be living it. So boycott them and write books (not blogs) about the problem.

The other response says: Yes, there is truth in all of that, but instead of boycotting, try to fill these media with as much provocative, reasonable, Bible-saturated, prayerful, relational, Christ-exalting, truth-driven, serious, creative pointers to true greatness as you can.

Together with the team at Desiring God, I lean toward response #2. “Lean” is different from “leap.” We are aware that the medium tends to shape the message. This has been true, more or less, with every new medium that has come along—speech, drawing, handwriting, print, books, magazines, newspapers, tracts, 16mm home movies, flannel-graph, Cinerama, movies, Gospel Blimps, TV, radio, cassette tapes, 8-Tracks, blackboards, whiteboards, overhead projection, PowerPoint, skits, drama, banners, CDs, MP3s, sky-writing, video, texting, blogging, tweeting, Mina-Bird-training, etc.

Dangers, dangers everywhere. Yes. But it seems to us that aggressive efforts to saturate a media with the supremacy of God, the truth of Scripture, the glory of Christ, the joy of the gospel, the insanity of sin, and the radical nature of Christian living is a good choice for some Christians. Not all. Everyone should abstain from some of these media. For example, we don’t have a television.

That’s my general disposition toward media.

Now what about Twitter? I find Twitter to be a kind of taunt: “Okay, truth-lover, see what you can do with 140 characters! You say your mission is to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things! Well, this is one of those ‘all things.’ Can you magnify Christ with this thimble-full of letters?”

To which I respond:

The sovereign Lord of the earth and sky
Puts camels through a needle’s eye.
And if his wisdom see it mete,
He will put worlds inside a tweet.

So I am not inclined to tweet that at 10AM the cat pulled the curtains down. But it might remind me that the Lion of Judah will roll up the heavens like a garment, and blow out the sun like a candle, because he just turned the light on. That tweet might distract someone from pornography and make them look up.

I’ve been tweeting anonymously for a month mainly to test its spiritual and family effects on me. In spite of all the dangers, it seems like a risk worth taking. “All things were created through Christ and for Christ” (Colossians 1:16). The world does not know it, but that is why Twitter exists and that’s why I Tweet.

By his grace and for his glory,

Pastor John