Admission of Purpose
You ever have one of those days where you just realize that so many points in your life had led up to one sing point? And then what you do with that decision will govern how you look back on yoursel?
I’ve had many of those moments over the past 5 years. There was that decision to move on from my then fiance, the decision to move to Charlotte (finally), the decision to go mobile-mainly, and even the decision to continue with God where I couldn’t see a thing except the holes all over my wallet and professional life.
Suffice to say, I’ve had a lot of things placed in my hands and the response has to mirror a recent tweet: There is more in my hands that in my frustrations; from here I must move forward.
No, its not the message that some have been looking for, and it is the message that those who see God clearly over a bro and have not ceased to tell me about Him and what I need to stop playing and do – to them I’m in agreement.
So no more complaints. Let’s move forward. And whatever God grants a bro from here, well, let’s just hope its enough to keep the lights on.
The More I Think About It
In the passing weekend, I’ve not really taken a whole lot of time doing non-consumption activities on my mobile. And that’s both good and bad. The bad is that I have this MMM Prototype which I need to work on before the end of the month and am not willing to blur the lines by working on it while using my work-supplied laptop. The good is that I’ve been less stressed about computing all around, and this is good.
But this weekend the bad bugged me a lot more than the good. So much so that I started considering purchasing a netbook. I don’t want a netbook. In an opinion that I share with Steve Jobs (amongst others), netbooks suck and really don’t excell at much more than being smaller laptops.
I then took another look at the Celio Redfly, but they still don’t support the Symbian operating system – nor the simple fact that my device does TV-Out already – and so that’s again a non-starter unless I were to move to another mobile device (and the learning curve associated with that). Which is why the iPad doesn’t really fit (if I were an iPhone owner, that would be a slightly different story).
Nothing against other mobile platforms, but I’m actually pretty comfy with Symbian and Maemo, and would prefer to stay with either one of those versus the other platforms that are available.
And so that leaves me with some work yet to be done. And a lot of time to think about what’s next. What would the productivity device look like for me if I could have it? Well, the Redfly is a pretty good picture of things:
- Needs to be a tablet with an 8 or 9in screen
- Keboard isn’t needed (I have a bluetooth one)
- Needs to be able to use my mobile phone as the primary device – in other words, it should litereally be a touchscreen and bluetooth radio
- And should also be able to serve as an input accessory for my mobile phone (onscreen keyboard to insert content on the mobile)
That kind of device would have all kinds of implications to me while working, and while just living. For example, I could continue with my practice of going home and connecting my mobile to my TV for media entertainment, but then control it from the tablet.
Or, I could have both devices in a work setting, with the mobile staying in my pocket, and then I have the keyboard and the screen proving to be the productivity center of things. As a knowledge worker, and one who pretty much stays online and with systems such as SharePoint, this would work very well.
Yes, the more I think about things, especially in light of how I’m writing this post now, such a mobile accessory is more in line of needs than an iPad or Redfly. And in the end extends mobility from the “small to the large”-type experiences that seem to work best (especially for me).
Another Living Mobile-Mainly
Caught this over at Palm Addict this morning. Here a person is pretty much going to use the Palm Pre (mainly, not so much only) for 30 days and sees what happens. It will be really good for those developers who take that feedback and clean up some of the applications based on another’s realtime usage. And for the guy doing this, to hear what life is like for him living mobile-mainly should be pretty neat. Nice to have company in doing these kinds of things on this side of the economic world.
5 Years of Mobile Ministry Magazine
I just finsihed writing the post over there, but I wanted to also mark things here. Today marks 5 years of Mobile Ministry Magazine (MMM) being online.
5 years. 1700 posts. Lots of technical issues. Tons of new relationships.
Woah. I know that MMM is a good part of the reason that I’m still blogging. Its also the reason I’m as passionate about people and mobile tech as I’ve been.
Its amazing though. You never really think that you can do something that lasts until it happens. And even then, 5 years isn’t even a whisper in terms of human history. I’m just talking about a consumer tech thats 25ish years old as it intersects with a faith that’s 2000 years old.
If I am able to see MMM go another 5 years, will mobile even count as something seperate from the Internet?
As I write this on my mobile, will this technique of using a blog be something no longer done?
There is a lot of space between then and now, now and later. I wonder – but am also in amazement that its been 5 years.
Totally humbled.
Mobile, AR, and the Magazine Section
Am siting in a bookstore waiting for a brother to come and have taken my place near the magazine section. You can learn a lot about regions and areas by looking at the magazine section, and you can also see areas where tech is flat out not taken advantage of.
For example, why is it that all of these magazines have barcodes, but there’s nothing to them where a person with a barcode (or qr code) reader could scan them for checking out interactive, audio, or video content from the magazine.s website related to the issue.
Or, why isn’t there an option from the retailer to scan the barcode, and then use the wireless network that’s provided already, to download a electronic version of the magazine – or even get a full subscription.
I think about walking in here with my N800 or an iPad and instead of picking up a literal magazine, pulling a card with a code that would allow me to read a preview of the magazine – to which after reading a few selected pieces or reading for a particular time, would prompt me to purchase or recommend other magazines to preview.
And if I have an account with the bookstore, or with Amazon and the store is a retail partner, can I connect the location of their wireless hotspot with my mobile device so that anytime I come here, I’m not just automatically put on the network, but my widget-driven homescreen is automatically updated with a widget that shows cupouns, club benefits, and book/magazine recommendations.
And I like the print. Really, seeing graphic design is great. So why can’t I use an augmented reality web browser (like Layar) to take a magazine cover, and show me the other possible shots for them that were proposed. It would not just make me stay in the store longer, but I’d purchase a mag just to replicate that experience on my coffee table.
You see, books and magazines are static and that emotion needs to be kept with them. But, given the tech in our hands and pockets, there is a lot more we can and should to to ensure that the static experience remains a part of that retail, selling moment.
After all, I don’t want my library or bookstore to turn into a techie haven – keep some seperation. But, do use the tech and space to create a better attachment and overall a better chance to keep old tech just as relevant and engaging as the new.
An Apartment of Internet(ed) Things
One of the most freeing things that I’ve done in the past weeks has been to leave the work laptop away from my apartment. Aside from not needing to do work when home (work/life balance), its also given me a chance to make better on this idea of living mobile (mainly).
Since doing this, I’ve had this unction or urge to really see mobile devices and augmented reality play a bigger part in how I use computing and internet facilities when at home. For example, I was just laying down on my ottoman with my N97 in one hand browsing the web. My mobile was in the forgeground view and an empty wall was in the background. Instantly, I thought that it would be cool if I could have used a combination of my mobile web browser and digital camera to retreive digital notes and bookmarks as they were left on my wall (or saved to my mobile device). I’d move the mobile around like a magnifying glass, and then using the touchscreen would tap on those items that I wanted to retreive.
Its a weird idea, but was enough to have me pull out my keyboard and blog this.
You see, realizing that my mobile is my only computer as had me assessing what is needed and what would be useful in terms of computing.
I like the idea of watching TV, but why can’t my mobile play the role of the TV receiver, downloading and recommending programs from various networks and web services (Amazon, iTunes, etc.) and then stream those as I’m ready to watch them.
Or my mobile playing the role of a more active alarm clock – not only asking me if I want to set an alarm in the AM (as it does now), but also popping up my weather widget to let me know what the weather will be when I awake (since I’m more likely to set clothes out, than to change my mind).
Or see that same wall, the one said above with the digital stickies, having a place where it tells me about my recent walks and bike rides. And then offers to share my course or riding data with local walking and/or riding groups.
I guess what I’m saying is that in seeing my internet and content use more through this mobile lens, I’m starting to look for information to connect for me in ways that are relevant, accessible, and rightly use local data for bettering my life and the lives of those around me.
I’m going back to lay down and see life as I was just doing – getting informed, entertained, and connecting with people, places, and things. But, as I look at the blank walls in my apartment – and the wall with the whiteboards on them of data that’s not quite digital or behaviorial in many cases – I wonder what computing will look like in 5 or 10 years, when for some people their mobile or mobile-like computer will be doing these things and more, with nary a thought of when things weren’t like this.
From One Adventure to Another
Well, today I did it. Today, I handed (electronically) in my resignation letter to NouvEON and will embark on the course of making (the newly redesigned) Mobile Ministry Magazine the primary avenue for those things that I do.
I’m not making this decisions lightly, having taken many months to consider the implications of this decision. And I sure as anything came very close to not even stepping away from NouvEON at all. Yet in the in, I had to follow the call of God (ministry) and the call of my heart (passion for people and mobile).
I know that things will be something close to hectic and thensome for a few weeks. I don’t even know if I’ll keep this site as a primary blog or not – but MMM does need to move so something techie will happen.
I’ll be reaching back out to people and looking to secure some more training and speaking engagements while also setting up a new posting schedule and getting MMM back on its regular course of being a magazine that enables people to engage the story and His-story of the Christian faith through a mobile lens.
There’s an adventure here. And there’s a lot of trust in God that goes before, during, and after this. Time to show what I’ve learned and enable a few folks. Welcome to the next adventure.