Archive for 'Technology'
App of the Week: Mailbox
Posted on 12. May, 2013 by Kenny.
About a month ago, I started seeing tweets and facebook updates about people waiting in virtual lines for the new Mailbox App for iPhone. I was intrigued, so I jumped in line. It took almost 2 weeks before I got access. Within minutes I was saying, “Wow, this is a pretty cool app.” However, or the past several weeks, I’ve simply been “playing” with Mailbox. I use it as my primary email client, but I didn’t really use it the way it is intended to be used.
You see, the creators of Mailbox realized that mobile email is kind of broken. People read their emails and often mark them as unread or flag/star so they can do stuff with it later instead of really working their inbox from the phone. Mailbox was designed to push your toward inbox zero. Inbox zero is pretty much the goal of getting rid of every email in your inbox on a daily basis. It’s the idea of working a system so that every email is either answered quickly, deleted, archived (searchable for later), delegated to someone else, pushed back for later or put on a list to be done. If you can apply this system quickly to every email that comes in, there isn’t any reason why you can’t get to inbox zero every day. Then when you have some extra time (on your determined time), you can work on the emails on your to do list.
I saw I’ve been playing with Mailbox because I have four emails connected to Mailbox and for the past 2-3 weeks, I’ve had a little over 3000 unprocessed, read or starred emails in the combined inbox. Then today, something happened.
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Tagging in Instagram
Posted on 03. May, 2013 by Kenny.
I love instagram… and it just got better. Now you can tag people and places for better organizing photos that you took and photos that people took of you. Check out the video below or read more in this WIRED article.
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Orange Legacy App
Posted on 25. Apr, 2013 by Kenny.
Orange released a new app yesterday. It’s both frightening, amazing and depressing all at the same time. Whatever emotion you feel, it’s a truth that no parent should ignore. We have limited time. Below I have put in both of my kids. Wow! Time is ticking away!
This app allows you to put in a child’s birthdate and it estimates the time left until their graduation. It is a visual representation of the time we have left to influence a child before they leave home.
You can also add in specific events and see the countdown until that day.
When you see the time you have left, you get serious about the time you have now.
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The Orange Conference App
Posted on 11. Apr, 2013 by Kenny.
Hey, check it out. Orange just released a new app just in time for the Conference a little less than 2 weeks away. It does exactly what you want in a conference app.
Schedule and Map
Probably the two most important parts of an app. What breakout are happening and where can I find them. The app gives you a macro level view of the entire campus and then a micro level of each building. No more fumbling for paper maps and schedules. You’ll look like a pro as you navigate your way around Orange with your iPhone.
Oh, and what could be even cooler than this? Log in and all the breakouts you already signed up for show up. Change your mind and you want to attend another breakout? You can do it right there in the app. Make the change and it updates your account with Orange. Awesome!
Speaker bios and Live Streaming
Want to know more about that guy who is leading the breakout that is so freaking awesome? There’s a great section where you can find those speakers, read their bio and then send them a tweet or visit their blog.
Lastly, there’s a section for live streaming. Let’s be real, if you’re at Orange, what’s the point of live streaming… and we know how stellar internet performance is when there are 5000 people all tweeting, facebooking and instagraming at the event, but if you’re not at Orange… how perfect is this?
Last but not least
You Android or Windows Phone users aren’t going to be happy. This is an iPhone only app. Sorry. 
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Google Fiber: This make me very, very, very happy
Posted on 10. Apr, 2013 by Kenny.
It was recently announced that Austin, TX is going to get Google Fiber. Yes, Google Fiber!
Most of you are probably asking, what the heck is Google Fiber. You can read the wiki page here.
Essentially, Google Fiber is an experimental broadband network that will offer internet at a rate of 100 times faster than what most people have coming into their house. 100 times faster, that’s crazy!
Over a year ago, Google announced a competition with more than 1000 cities of who was going to get it first. Well, Kansas City, KS is on the top of the list, followed by Austin, TX. As of now, Google hasn’t revealed plans to bring fiber anywhere else.
This article explains why Google may not bring it anywhere else. The thought is that Google has no intention of getting into the broadband delivery market, but by doing this experiment, it pushes the other internet providers to innovate and compete. Essentially, Google wants everyone to have faster internt. The faster interent we have, the more YouTube videos we watch, the more ads we see and the more money Google makes.
Google will be offering 3 options for internet:
- Free broadband
- A 1 Gigabit up and 1 Gigabit down plan for $70
- A 1 Gigabit up and 1 Gigabit down plan that includes TV for $120
Not too shabby. There’s no guarantee that Google Fiber will come to my neighborhood, but I’ve got my fingers crossed.
I liked this Q & A answer on the Google Fiber page:
Question: Why is Google Fiber coming to Austin?
Answer: Austin is known globally as a mecca for creative and entrepreneurial people, including musicians, artists, tech companies, and the University of Texas and its new medical research hospital to name a few. High-speed ubiquitous connectivity can make an immediate impact on the work of all of these groups. When we were originally choosing where to bring Fiber in 2010, Austin had one of the most enthusiastic responses. Austin city leaders have worked hard to make this possible, and we’re excited to be here.
I love this town for so many reason, here’s to one more!
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Address Lookup using Google Maps
Posted on 01. Apr, 2013 by Kenny.
Ever needed to lookup an address but didn’t know how? Maybe you knew exactly where a particular location was (like on a map), but there wasn’t any way to find out the house number except by driving by or making phone calls. Well, if you’ve ever found yourself in this position, check out this mashup of Google Maps.
I don’t know the name of the service as it isn’t really posted. Just go to the link and start using. The creator of this mashup links to a tech blog (not sure if it is theirs or not) with all kinds of other useful tech tricks and tips as well.
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YouTube reveals it’s true purpose!
Posted on 01. Apr, 2013 by Kenny.
So, you thought that YouTube existed as a video sharing site? You were wrong! We all were! YouTube just announced yesterday what YouTube is really all about and what it means for all of us. Be sure to get your final submissions in and backup any videos you might have on there before they all get deleted forever!
BTW, this is a prank, and probably the best one since Google Paper. Happy April 1st.… Read the rest
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Two dangerous apps
Posted on 27. Mar, 2013 by Kenny.
I’m very involved in the student ministry at my church now and as a result, I’ve learned a lot more about what students are “in to” these days. When you know what the Middle School and High Scholl students are doing, I know it’s only a matter of time before the elementary kids are into it as well. It took a while before I started getting friend request from elementary kids, but now it’s common to see 4th and 5th graders getting onto Facebook. I’m also starting to get follows from many of our older elementary kids on Instagram, so the social media juggernaut is well on it’s way into elementary life!
Although Apple keeps most objectionable apps out of the store, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t apps that can be incredibly destructive to young people.… Read the rest
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Microsoft Surface: Did I miss something?
Posted on 29. Oct, 2012 by Kenny.
Apparently Microsoft announced a new product called the surface recently. I was watching Hulu this weekend and saw a comercial for the Surface tablet and I did an immediate double-take. What? I’ll admit, I was immediately disappointed.
Why? Because more than 5 years ago, Microsoft announced a product they had developed called Surface. I wrote about it here. Below is a video.
Yes, the video above looks like the future, right? Apparently, they only made a handful of these tabletop computers which made their way to high end hotels and such. I never saw one personally. Instead, Microsoft launches a new product last week called the surface, and it didn’t look like the future.
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Holy Kow! Kidmin Starts Tomorrow!
Posted on 26. Sep, 2012 by Kenny.
Technically, it starts on Friday, but I travel to Chicago tomorrow. This is my second year to be involved in Group’s Kidmin Conference and this is Group’s second year to host the event.
Kidmin has a special place in my heart for two reasons.
Group was kind enough to invite me to dream with them about a new kidmin specific conference. Over two years ago, a dozen of us gathered in CO to talk about what the Kidmin Conference would be like. It was just really cool to be invited into that process… I still feel honored.
The Kidmin Conference defied my expectations last year. I honestly didn’t know fully what to expect. Kidmin is different with a very different approach to conferences. It’s more than just breakouts and keynotes. There his a HUGE relational component. Going into last year, I just didn’t know what to expect. I was afraid it might feel forced or less than authentic… and I was so wrong. It was beautiful.
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