Friday, April 22, 2016

How long do updates take?

This week was an especially frustrating week for my computers.

My websites for work had WordPress core updates.  Those usually go smoothly, but then there are sometimes issues with plug-ins and themes that take a little work-this was the case for me.  I spent hours troubleshooting a couple of issues, and finally after going to the theme developers (who issued 3 updates this week) I was on track.

I have a Mac laptop and a MacMini that I use for work.  I use Adobe Creative Cloud products that constantly have updates.  I changed some Mail profiles for my work email, and needed to update them on the Mac. Between the two sets of updates, my computers spent hours cranking through data and were almost unusable.

Regularly the Windows machine goes through updates, and I detest the screen that says ("Windows has XX updates-please do not shut off or unplug computer").  The next morning when I turn on that computer, it may take another couple of reboots to get it working correctly.

Then there's the trusty Chromebook.

When I boot up in the morning, it takes about 10 seconds to get up and running.  All of the apps are basically available immediately.

I contrast that with my Mac-mini, which boots up quickly, yet because of all kinds of software that runs in the background, it may take a minute or two for my Mail program to download the newest emails and be ready to function (sometimes involving the "spinning beach ball" in the process).

My Windows machine with a Solid State Drive boots up a little quicker than the Mac-but not 10 seconds fast. It is not uncommon that it takes a minute or two to load all the necessary software before my Mail is ready to download.

And then there's the updates on the Chromebook.  They don't happen frequently, but when they do, there is an arrow that appears in the right corner of the screen, you click on it, the computer restarts, and in 30 seconds or less, everything is working correctly again.

In my younger days, going through updates with Windows 3.1 or one of the earlier MacBook's was a joyful challenge with a little bit of stress mixed in.

I have to admit, that after working with personal computers for over 30 years, I actually like the simplicity of the Chromebook, and the absence of stress.

Monday, April 18, 2016

Google Slides for Presentations

Are you a presentation warrior?  Noone will ever be able to convince you to use something other than PowerPoint or Keynote.

I know, I have been there in my career.  Maybe even more than the average warrior because I created on average about two new presentations a week for about 5 years straight. My corporate friends were creating one or two every 6 months and tweaking them every once in awhile. They would never give up their PowerPoint.

What if you are not a regular user of PowerPoint/Keynote and need the occasional presentation for work or hobby? I say, try out Google Slides.

Its interface is very similar to what you would find with any other presentation software.  There are a number of templates available, and if you are hardcore user, you can build a presentation from scratch and customize it as much as you want.

You can import all kinds of free templates from websites like Slides Carnival or Free Google Slides Templates if there aren't enough in the default collection for you.

You have most of the same options that are available in other presentation software, and you have a great deal of flexibility in formatting. Because I am not a "master" at the craft as I once was, I don't need all of the bells and whistles I once thought I needed.

The big question that most everyone would ask- "Can I use the presentation without an internet connection?"

The answer- YES!

If you are using a Chrome Browser and you have set-up your Google Drive to "Sync Google Docs, Sheets, Slides & Drawings files to this computer so that you can edit offline."- You can do it.

I rarely work on any Google app without being on WiFi, but the option is there if you need it.  You can also export any Slides presentation to other formats that are compatible with other systems [.pptx, .pdf or (.jpg, .png or .svg) for single slides].  I have yet to find myself in a bind when presenting somewhere with a Chromebook created presentation.

There is also a great option of publishing to the webs for others to see the slideshow- either as a file or an embedded web presentation...(this was easier than anything I have tried with PowerPoint).



So, if you need something easy to use, that costs nothing extra, and does most everything other software does, give Slides a try.

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Holy Week with the Chromebook

It is Holy Week with the Christian community.  It started on Palm Sunday (March 20) and will proceed until Easter morning (March 27).

The three days before Easter Sunday are known as the Triduum (latin-"three days") and make up some of the most somber and yet significant days on the Church Calendar.

They commemorate Jesus' last days before his Death and Resurrection.

Holy Thursday/Maundy Thursday marks his last meal with his disciples, a Jewish Passover Meal (Passover in the Jewish tradition began on March 22nd and will continue until the 30th).

Good Friday marks the day of his death and Christian across the world will look to the cross and the salvation story of Jesus.

Holy Saturday marks the time Jesus laid in the tomb prior to Easter when the tomb would no longer hold him.

In the Christian tradition, we live the Christian message of life, death and resurrection with Jesus and our communities of faith during Holy Week.

I use my Chromebook during this time like I do most weeks, I use online resources for growing in my faith. There are numerous online offerings for celebrating Holy Week, below are some that I have collected:

Holy Week 101

Praying Holy Week

The Upper Room (devotional)

Forward Day by Day (devotional)

Alive Now (devotional)

Book of Common Prayer Online (prayers for Morning, Evening and more)

Bible Readings for the Days

CONNECT- Holy Week Special (30 minute radio show)

May this be a fruitful Holy Week for you.

Monday, March 21, 2016

Phone Calls for Free with Google Voice


A short story to get into the big story...

I am currently using an iPhone 5 that is over 3 years old.  Last week I discovered that the case is warped and the screen is separating from the body of the phone.  The week before that I was looking at new phones, just to see what I had to choose from.

I decided to go with the iPhone 6, because it is newer technology, the case is not as big as some of the other phones available.  I don't think I would mind an Android phone, but all that I have looked at have larger screens and I don't want anything that large in my pocket.

It is a whole other story to go into why I have chosen StraightTalk as my cell service, but in a chat with them today, it appears that I will need to make my warped phone last another few days, so I was concerned with a Plan B.

The big story...

I have used Google Voice for several years, and currently my my Google Voice number rolls over to my cell number, so I don't miss calls (but most calls I get through Google Voice are sales calls or are wrong numbers).

I decided I would check out my set-up at the office this afternoon, just in case Plan B became necessary.  The scoop- it works like a charm.

As I have written in previous posts, my Chromebook is docked to a monitor and a sound system.  I plugged my Apogee 96K Mic into a USB port and immediately had all of the audio I need to make and receive calls on the Google Voice number.

So here are some notes:

  • Get a Google Voice number.  When you first sign into Google Voice with your Google account, you are given the option of picking out a number that works for you.  I picked an Asheville area phone number (since it was the area I have been living for the past 10 years) that will be mine forever (and can be changed to a new number for an extra $10 dollars). You can forward calls from other phone numbers to your Google number and as they say, "Google Voice gives you one number for all of your phones — a phone number that is tied to you, not to a device or a location."
  • Google Voice is a stand alone web page (google.com/voice/) which is integrated with Google Hangouts or your cell phone.  You can make calls and send texts, and receive calls, texts and voicemail at that page. You can use Hangouts or your cell phone to make phone calls anywhere in the continental USA for free. You can make long distance/international calls for a fee and you can add money to your account very easily through your Google account.  The rates are affordable-I used to call friends in Japan for 3 cents per minute (it was more expensive to call a cell phone), and I think that they are comparable to Skype rates.
  • You can call call anyone internationally for free using Google Hangouts.  If your friend/co-worker has Hangouts, you can connect to their Google Voice number and even use video to converse.
  • Google Voice is an extension that you can add to your Chrome browser/Chromebook that integrates with Gmail. When I open my Gmail, I have the option of making a call from a link at the bottom left corner of the screen.  So, Gmail becomes my one stop shop for communications.
There are many ways to use this technology for work and home use.   I can easily integrate this with any of the devices that I use, that includes iPad, iPhone and any of my computer systems through the Chrome browser. Calls for free on any device, that's hard to beat.

Currently, my workplace uses a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) system for all of its staff.  Google Voice can be used in similar ways, and can be integrated with various kinds of hardware. Though the day of a desktop phone may be a thing of the past.  

Currently, I have a desktop phone device for work that is plugged into my router at my house (150 miles from the main office).  My "office phone" forwards to my cell phone 100% of the time (except when a cat happens to knock it off the hook).  I receive office calls all over the country when I am traveling, and most folks think they are reaching me at the Charlotte office.

With a little research and testing, I could devise a completely Chromebook driven office phone system for a small business or regionally dispersed working group for a fraction of the cost that most groups are paying, and they wold have advantage of all the tools built into the Chrome work environment. 

Is it time for you to rethink your home/office phone system?

Saturday, March 19, 2016

Play-ing on a Saturday

It is another Saturday morning with the Chromebook.

I am listening to "Car Talk" on NPR.  I am in my sweatpants, and my computer is in my lap.

There is nothing on my mind this Saturday except play.  After a long week of work, I like to play on the weekend.  After a week of temperatures in the 70's with sunshine, it has cooled off and there is rain in the air, so it looks like indoor activities.

So, what can you do on the Chromebook without spending money?

Google Play.

Music

This was covered here: Sreaming Music on the Chromebook

Books

I love to read, and there are hundreds of free books that are available with a few clicks.  I discovered that a number of books that were required reading in college are available for free (seems that ancient texts are fair game to be republished).  For my clergy friends, Wesley's sermons and writings are here-free.  And if you ar into trashy novels, there s a great selection for free. (I think my parents would have loved this resource--they bought thousands of used paperbacks over the years for less than a quarter. That genre is here for free and they can easily be stacked on a tablet.)

Movies and TV

There are lots of free videos on the internet...YouTube is one of the easiest places to go.  Google Play has several hours of free videos available too.  Mostly documentaries and animation, but it is Saturday after all.  Why not a documentary about cybercrime? I just put The Most Dangerous Town on the Internet: Where Cybercrime Goes to Hide on my wishlist.

I saw a number of older TV shows that you can get episodes for free.

And though it is not free, there are lots of cheap movies and TV programs available in Google Play for less than $3 dollars.

Some of my friends would say that almost anything can be found online for free, including live sports, movies and all kinds of television and movies.  These websites tend to be riddled with pop-ups and viruses for Windows machines.  The Chromebook may be the best device to access these sites since the operating system is a browser and relatively difficult to destroy.

Newsstand

Most of what I found was for tablet readers only.  But there is an app for iPad and iPhone, and I was able to add a free magazine to my library and open it immediately on my tablet.  Even though the language in the store makes you think it is only available on Android devices, that is not the case.

I just added to my library: TIME: Nelson Mandela Commemorative Issue.

I think I will stay busy today.

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

AncientFuture Practices for the Church

Years ago, Leonard Sweet used the term "AncientFuture Faith" in a number of his books and in speaking engagements around the country.

He encouraged the church to embrace the ancient nature of the church in new and future oriented ways. I think Ancient comes easy to us.  We read regularly from scriptures that are thousands of years old, we have rituals that date back thousands of years.  For some churches, hymns that are a hundred years old are thought of us as new, and contemporary.

The Future doesn't come as easily.  We might embrace the technology and the culture we are in, but can't always connect it to our forebears who lived without Google and email.  The Biblical texts seem foreign to a culture who is far from the agrarian and rural roots of our past.

But this is the situation we have been placed in- we are people who have inherited and embraced a 2000 year old Gospel, and we live and find it compelling in the 21st century.

Working in the church with tools like websites, social media, email, and multimedia, and always attempting to share a message of Good News that  has its beginning with a 1st century Jewish Rabbi is an ever daunting task.

How do we do this with integrity and authenticity?  How do we use these tools that are so integral to our culture, and yet continue to live in a culture formed by the Gospel?  These are questions that I have been asking for a few decades now.  Each year brings new challenges.

This article crossed my path this month:  Ancient practices meet new technology when Episcopal monks share wisdom online.  It is the story of the Society St. John the Evangelist, a small Episcopal monastery in Boston.

In the nearly seven years that I have had a relationship with the group, I have seen these monks embrace technology in ways that are authentic to their life absorbed in daily prayer and the Book of Common Prayer.

In early days they used print resources to get their teachings across, then they moved to email.  During the seasons of Advent and Lent they would send short devotionals out to the friends of the society.  Devotionals to read that were welcome celebrations each day.

Then they started a series called, "Brother Give Us a Word" that began with a season, and now is something that shows up in my mailbox each day when they aren't doing special series.

Now their daily offerings come with videos and have links to more resources on their websites like sermons and documents.

Their resources have grown significantly as have their following on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Some questions:

  • How can our churches embrace technology and our own weekly/daily patterns of life and share them with those seeking to grow in their faith? (United Methodists have the online Upper Room as one example)
  • Who do we need to partner with to make this happen with authenticity and integrity?
  • What kinds of time and financial investments would need to be made?
  • Do we have the will to move in this direction?

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

Google Docs for Everyday Productivity

Will Google Docs do everything that Microsoft Word does? No.

Will it do most everything you need it to do? Probably.

What do most people use Word for? Writing letters, drafting emails and other documents.  All of the myriad of features that you find in Word are mostly there for power users.  It has way more features than I have learned to use and I have done some fairly complicated things with it.

Over the years I have laid out books, dissertations, and all kinds of PR materials using Word, but the vast majority of my work is nothing more than simple documents that I save to my hard drive or cut and paste into a website.

I have used Word in numerous office settings, from a newspaper to non-profits, to work with the state community college system, and back to the church.  What I discovered in all of these settings is that for most of the employees, we collectively used less than half of the features that come with Word (and less than 1/3 of the tools that come with Microsoft Office).

Some questions that people ask of Google Docs:

Is it compatible with Word?

In short-Yes. At the community college I was told that I could not use any other Word processing program, because it would not be compatible with the hardware on the campus network.  That just became a challenge and I frequently used Google Docs and iPages with my Mac to test the edges.  As far as I know, no one ever found out or cared what I was using.  You can export any Google Doc into Word, and back the other way. Are there occasional issues.   Sure.  But I have not found them to be formidable.

Can you insert images, tables, footnotes, etc. in Docs?

No problem.  The insert interface is easy and manageable.  Give it a test.  Inserting a footnote may actually be easier in Docs than Word.

Can you format fonts, etc.?

I have never found issues.  You have many of the standard fonts, plus a host of others.  You have all of the sizing capabilities an can even format text for web documents easily.  If you need to use other languages, there are some options that you can set-up in your account to do that.

Does it have easy to use templates?

It has a bunch of them available in the basic program.  You can run a search, and there are hundreds of them online for various projects.  Most all of them are customizable.  Not sure that you will need more than what is available.

Can you use it offline?

Yes.  It is completely possible to use Google Docs without an internet connection.  I will devote an entire article to that question at a later date


What are the drawbacks to Google Docs?

I am finding fewer every day I experiment.  If you are already a power user of MS Office, you will probably not want to switch.  For the money, Google Docs can hardly be beat as a word processor.

Summary: If I were to start a business, I would recommend that only folks who needed the extra features get computers that run Office, the rest of us would use the Chromebook with its own suite of tools. Docs being the most used of the bunch.  We would save money upfront, and we would already have networking tools available too us thanks to Google.

Monday, March 14, 2016

The Chromebook and the College Student

My son is a college senior, when he entered college, we made sure he had the computer he wanted- a MacBook.  He carried it all over campus for three years, he wrote lots of papers, did lots of research, played numerous games and listened to all kinds of music.  Then it crashed.  The folks at our local Mac repair shop suggested that a new motherboard for about $750 dollars would get it back up to speed.


He made a decision before he began his senior year that he was not going to repair it for about ¾ the cost of the original.  He went to Best Buy, saw the Chromebook for under $200 dollars, made quick calculations, and put his own, hard-earned money down.


He is about eight weeks from finishing his senior year, and h has been using that Chromebook to do everything he did with his Mac.  Does he miss the Mac? Yes, but not as much as he would have missed another $800+ dollars.


He was home for Spring Break last week, and I asked him some specific questions about his experience with his Chromebook, and here is what he said.


  • The email experience has not changed. His campus uses a Gmail app for correspondence, so the Chromebook is ideally suited for that.
  • Writing papers is not really that different with the Chromebook according to him.  He explained that doing footnotes and endnotes are completely possible and formatting to professors’ wishes are not a an issue, you just have to dig deeper in menus to make some of it happen compared to Word on the Mac.
  • He uses it roughly the same way that he did his Mac for streaming media such as Netflix, YouTube, music stations and playing downloaded music. (he still keeps an ancient iPod that he uses for most of his music).
  • The screen is small, and is a problem when he has to be at the laptop for hours at the time.  However, he uses workstations with larger monitor on campus regularly, signs into his Google account, and he is business. (His screen is about the same size as the lowest cost MacBook Air available ($899 dollars).  His old laptop was a 13 inch model MacBook and now costs $1299.
  • He thinks battery life is one of the best factors of the Chromebook--he goes mostly all day with one charge, something he never got out of his old Mac.
  • He uses Google Drive for keeping all of his files organized, and uses it regularly to print papers and documents from campus print stations.


He made some very practical decisions in his senior year of college--$800+ dollars in savings to use a piece of hardware that does almost anything he wants it to do means that much more in the food budget over the year.

Sunday, March 13, 2016

Sunday Morning on Standard Time

Daylight Savings Time ended overnight.  My day just started, but it seems late already. Spring forward.

My regular pattern of getting up, showering and going to Sunday School was disrupted by a myriad of things, so I decided to drink some coffee at our local Starbucks (which amounts to a kiosk in a grocery store) and write a bit before I go to worship.

During many years as a pastor, this Sunday was always one of the worst of the year.  You lose an hour of sleep, you wake up a little jet-lagged, you show up to a congregation, and you quickly find out who didn't bother to change their clocks back (or you realize that many folks consider it a national holiday, and just don't get going).

It was on days like today that it would seem better to just phone it in.

And with the technology at our disposal, we could.

I personally don't recommend it for worship because I need to be in the presence of others when I make confession, when I pass the peace, and celebrate the sacraments.  Call me old-fashioned, but that's me.

On the other hand, I think of Christian education and formation as something that can be aided by technology. I think having a group of people in one space at a particular time is a good thing, but it is not the only way that education happens.

Over the years, I have done all kinds of things for classes and groups that I was leading when I was out of town or involved in another meeting.  Rather than postponing the class, or getting off of the lesson plan, I would create ways for the class to study the material without me being there.

Some examples:

  • On numerous occasions, I videotaped (this was before digital media) me teaching or introducing the topic, and then giving directions for discussion.  My adult classes were very appreciative of this, and often said that the discussions were some of the best they had experienced at church.
  • I have shared a "lesson plan" or a set of discussion questions with another member of the group who carried out a discussion during that group time.  I would make it a point to call or email the group during the week and get their feedback.
  • I have called into a class or meeting and started the discussion by cell phone, and tried to participate from afar by conference call. This can be done using FaceTime, Google Hangouts, Skype or other means.
  • Using Google Hangouts or Zoom, it would be easy to meet with the same small group without any of us being in the same place at the same time.  I have experienced a group Bible Study with 15 people using a paid conference call app.  It was not without its flaws, but we all met together without spending hundreds of miles on the road between us on Tuesday night.
  • I have used free websites (Blogger, WordPress) as a depository of all of a class's discussions, a place to post links to articles and supplementary materials, and a discussion board. One might miss a class, but they could not say that they didn't know what was discussed at the last meeting.
This was low level technology that I have used over the last 20 years.  Imagine the possibilities if we harnessed the best of today's technology for Christian formation. (That's just what I plan to do in the coming months as a part of this experiment.)

Saturday, March 12, 2016

Taking Notes with Google Keep

It's Saturday, and late afternoon is time for a little writing, and taking notes.

When I am on the Mac, I use their default program- Notes.  It works across all of my Apple devices.  Take notes on the iPhone, and they show up on the MacBook and the iPad.  It has been pretty seamless. They added the ability to add pictures and drawings with one of their updates, but for the most part the app is plain, and just works.

Google has its own app for similar functions- Keep. I tried it first on my Chromebook and then downloaded the app on my iPhone and then on the iPad.  It syncs notes quickly and on demand on all devices.  Sometimes with the Apple devices, notes have a lag time, and sometime trying to manually sync the notes doesn't get results. It was a welcome surprise to see notes on one device appearing on the others almost instantaneously in Keep, and without fail.

What does Google Keep do?  Most everything you would hope a note taking app to do.

On the Chromebook desktop, it does not have the same capabilities as it does on an iPhone or Android, but it has these basics:

  • You can take typed notes as easily as you can create a document, but it does not have any formatting options that I can tell. (Using keyboard combinations, I can add bold, italics and underlines on the MacBook)
  • You can give any note a title, or leave it without a title.
  • You can give the note a color using one of the seven pastel colors available.  You can filter notes by color in a search.  This can be a very useful feature if you organize and color code as a habit.
  • You can give the note a label and you can filter your notes by a label.
  • You can add an image to the note.
  • You can add a reminder to the note and you will get a notification on all of your devices at the scheduled time.  I like this feature, because on the iPhone, the Notes app and the Reminders app are separate functions.
  • You can also add a checklist to a note that you can use for keeping track of finished tasks, or a shopping list. I can see this as a cool feature if a team is sharing a note with a checklist. (see below)
  • Also, you can share a note directly with another person in the Google system (it may work outside the system, but I have not been able to confirm yet).  It will show up in their email and in their own Keep app.  Seems very useful if you have a team sharing notes and checklists.
  • You can also copy a note to Google Docs and can begin a new document from that note.  It will also copy over images from the note.
It has a few more features on iOS and Android devices.
  • On a phone you have the ability to use voice to dictate notes (and you can share that audio file between phones, but the audio file does not get shared on the laptop).  The dictation feature is very accurate and I think it will be useful in the future.  I can imagine dictating notes in Keep and adding them easily to an article or blog.
  • On a phone you can take a photo and add it to a note which is immediately available on other devices using Keep.
  • On an Android, you can share a drawing on the phone with other devices.  It is not an option with the iPhone/iPad at this time.
So, this app is a keeper.



Thursday, March 10, 2016

Streaming Music with the Chromebook

A must in my work space is a way to stream music.  It is the compliment to much writing and website management.

Over the years, I have used a little bit of everything with my Mac--iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, Rdio, TuneIn, and Amazon--I have been using the Chrome browser on y Mac since its beginning.

I can truthfully say that I never used Google Play that much. After all, how many streaming sites do you need through the day?

With the new Chromebook, I made a decision to give it a full test.

First step, I uploaded some of my music from iTunes to Google play using the Music Manager program.  It was a simple download and an easy process that works behind the scenes.

I discovered just how much music I have in the Cloud, so I downloaded a dozen albums to my Mac, activated Music Manager and uploaded those albums to Google Play.

I got what I wanted transferred easily, and began playing my own music without a glitch.

Google Play also has streaming radio channels that are quite eclectic, and much like Pandora, will play a mixture of music similar to the artist that you choose.

The app figured out quickly what I listen to based on my own music, and gave me a dozen choices to choose from (James Taylor Radio, Lyle Lovett Radio, Jackson Brown Radio, etc.)

I can easily find another genre if I choose. So far, I like the selections of Google Play better than Pandora, but sometimes I wish I had the choice to listen to whole albums like I do on Spotify.

Best of all, I have access to the other apps that I use regularly- Pandora and Spotify.

With my Chromebook docked with the external monitor and a cheap sound system plugged into the audio out n the monitor, I am getting excellent audio that rivals anything that came out of the Mac.

Summary- The Chromebook does an excellent job of streaming music, Google Play is an excellent and inexpensive option for listening to music. I can use all of the other music apps just as easily. I am at work and surrounded by music that I love. Enough said.

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Docking the Chromebook - a Desktop Experience

One of the drawbacks to using any laptop for long hours is the strain on the eyes and sometimes neck strain.

A laptop with an 11-13" screen on a desk is not a healthy long-term work environment.

Today I decided to test my Lenovo 100-S with a larger screen.  It is the same screen I have connected to my Mac-mini that sits on my desk.

I bought that Mac about a year ago wit the idea that I could have a media work station and do it inexpensively. The mini cost me about $500 dollars used/refurbished, the monitor was a HDMI compatible, 22 inch flat screen that was refurbished for about $110 dollars, and then the keyboard/mouse USB Bluetooth combo was about $20 (and believe me, it feels cheap--but it gets the job done).

So, I shut down the Mac, plugged in the HDMI cable to the Chromebook, added the USB Bluetooth adapter, and immediately had my Chromebook working on the large screen.

But that isn't a true docked experience if the screen is still up on the laptop.

So, I searched the Chrome Web Store and I found the Keep Awake extension, which is designed to override the power saving  settings on the laptop, and allows you to shut the laptop while it is plugged into an external monitor.

The Keep Awake extension has mixed reviews at the Chrome Web Store.  Some folks were able to get it to work, others had problems.  I will admit that I could not get the extension to work on my old Chromebook that is connected to the TV. I figured it had to do with the age of the hardware.  The experiment today proves that the extension does work on a newer machine.

That download and installation to less than 20 seconds, and in moments my laptop was docked, my eyes and neck are no longer straining, and this experiment is a true success.

So, with a used monitor, a cheap keyboard/mouse, I have a Chromebook desktop experience for about $280 dollars.  Frugality wins!


Tuesday, March 8, 2016

USB Tests- iPhone and Flash Drive

I had a few minutes today to test some USB media on the Chromebook.

As I was fishing for my keys in the dish on my mantle, I happened across an old 2 GB Kingston flash drive that I hadn't seen in years.  I brought it to work to see what was on it.

I could have easily plugged it into my regular work devices, but I took this as an opportunity to test the Chromebook.


  • Discovered some two-year-old files that were easily read on the Chromebook (using Files app)
  • Easy to move files around to different locations on Google Drive
  • Right clicking on the flash drive in the files menu gave me two options: Eject or Format
  • I formatted the disk which emptied the contents, restored it to a 2 GB capacity.  I discovered that you cannot rename newly formatted flash media on a Chromebook, but it was easy enough to do it on a Windows machine and the name persisted.  
  • I was able to read documents on both Windows and Mac that were created on the Chromebook and transferred by flash drive.
  • I would say that this was a positive test with the exception of not being able to change the name of the drive.
Having seen everything work so well, I tried another test, with my iPhone.  I plugged the iPhone into the Chromebook with the Lightning/USB cord, it was immediately recognized and began charging as if I had plugged it into my Mac, or a USB power socket.

  • After a few moments, the iPhone appeared in the Files app, but I was not able to see files of images on the Chromebook.  
  • I opened my iPhone and had to "Allow" files to be seen on the Chromebook, then the files appeared with their thumbnail pic on the Chromebook.
  • I could move image files to folders on my Google Drive.  I was not able to move images to the iPhone (which is fine with me).
  • I quickly created a new video on the iPhone and uploaded it to Google Drive.  I was able to manipulate and edit with no problems in the WeVideo app.
  • I would say this was another successful test.  Being able to move images and videos to the Chromebook is a great finding.  I have an audio recording app on the iPhone that saves clips to Dropbox, and those are easily read on the Chromebook too.
The takeaway- USB media seems to work almost seamlessly between the Chromebook and other devices.

Monday, March 7, 2016

Chromebook and WordPress Management

My work life is spent mostly in front of a computer, and mostly online.

I spend lots of time working on WordPress, since my work involves managing no less than seven affiliated sites to our main site- wnccumc.org.

You can look at the site, and you might say that it looks ancient, that there's nothing special about it.  But, I can promise you it is effective for the audience that uses it.  Our webs presence accounts for about a million page views per year, and the downloads of documents, forms and the like bring its usage to nearly 280,000 folks.

I asked myself the question, could I do this part of my job if I only had a Chromebook?

Because my work patterns are so ingrained after years doing it in similar ways, it would certainly be a little more difficult to make the switch, but it could be done.


  • The actual editing and management of WordPress sites does not take high powered software or hardware.  It is a web-based dashboard where the meat of the work is done--this can easily be done on the Chromebook.
  • 98% of the documents that are downloaded from the sites are stored on Google Drive to make management of those files easier and to not overload the site server (which can happen when hundreds of people are trying to download the same document online at the same time- a regular occurrence). 
  • There are lots of photos and graphics on these sites.  Currently, I do most of the editing work on Adobe Photoshop.  After years of using it, that would be the most difficult part of the job to switch over.  But, I have been doing some graphic work on the Chromebook for this blog and other projects, so it could be done with some practice (I will do that for a future post or two and report back).
  • Creating/sharing media is a regular part of the job.  I have already done some audio editing and testing of audio projects, so I know it can be done.  Will I change over my entire work flow to move it to the Chromebook? Probably not.  Is it possible to use the Chromebook to do it?  Sure.
I have already done quick editing and posting for the job on the Chromebook on nights and weekends away from the office.  I will continue to do that in the future.  

As I become more comfortable doing all of the tasks that I perform every day for this project, it will be easier to translate the experience to my regular work life.  (Imagine the hardware/software budgets if more folks switched to Chromebooks?)



Sunday, March 6, 2016

Another Sunday on Chromebook- TextWeek.com

I spent another Sunday at church with Internet capability.

I spent a bit of time looking for phone apps before worship.

One of my favorite websites over the years has been The Text This Week.  It has always been a great resource for lectionary preachers, but after 18 years online, it has become a resource for anyone studying the Bible and looking for notes and commentary on the scriptures.  It has mobile editions for Androids and iPhones, but this afternoon I am writing about the web version from my Chromebook.

I have followed the work of Jenee Woodward since the site became public.  A seminary grad with great research capability, and the habits of a librarian, Woodward has never failed to find the latest and the best in commentaries, sermons, art and more.

For the past couple of decades she has scoured the Internet for resources on the texts for the Sundays ahead in the Revised Common Lectionary. She has carved out her own cottage industry from her home in Michigan and has provided a valuable resource for all who study and teach the Bible.

It could easily be made a Chromebook app if that was her desire.  It easy enough to bookmark it in Chrome and come back to it frequently.

In the hey-day of lectionary preaching, this was a common resource for many of my peers.  In the Roman Catholic, Lutheran and Episcopal denominations, this is still the norm.  Among younger clergy in other mainline congregations, it is less likely that a congregation will be using the lectionary in worship.

Even if a church does not use the lectionary every Sunday, I recommend it to those who lead in education and formation to use it as a resource.  I have not experienced another resource that systematically reads large portions of the Bible, follows the liturgical year, and can be used by persons across the age spectrum at the same time.

Easy to find commentaries and resources for each of the four weekly passages is made simple by The Text This Week.  Rather than just a resource for preachers and worship leaders, it can become a tool for the entire church.

As I continue to explore the Chromebook as a tool in Christian formation, I will offer some concrete ways to use this website and others in the systematic study of the faith.

Friday, March 4, 2016

Christian Formation and the Chromebook?

I ran a clip on my radio show the other day that continues to haunt me. Greg Jones, who was the former dean of Duke Divinity School, was talking about the change that technology is bringing to Christian Formation

The old tools that we had in Sunday School are still being used in the 21st century, but the children and adults that are in those classes are so much different than we were in the 1960’s when those tools became popular.



Many children and youth are surrounded by computers and other technology five days a week in school. They come home and their evenings are filled with all kinds of personal technology and the family room with Smart TV’s and Bluetooth sound.

Yet, in most every church I visit, the classrooms are devoid of technology. My own local church has an antiquated TV (one of those 100 pound numbers) on a cart that can be shared on the Sunday School floor.

We do have wireless technology in part of the church, but it was not installed to cover the building, and doesn’t have the bandwidth for more than a few of us to log on during the morning.

The Sunday School hour is typically paper handouts for children (sometimes for the youth that show up). My own adult group is getting further along, and there are a few folks who read the scripture on their phone or tablet rather than carrying around a printed Bible.

We are not the norm, because we do have some technology available.

What would happen if churches began moving into the culture that our children and youth inhabit nearly every other hour of their life? (It is the same culture that most every parent of children and youth inhabit--and some of us who are older than that.)

I am not talking about bringing video entertainment into Sunday School (that is a dated concept itself). What I am suggesting is that we need to bring 21st century interactive learning, with technology as a significant tool, into the formation of children, youth and adults in the church.

Bibles and study materials are easily available online. Combing through it all to find the best and most theologically sound materials will be the most difficult task for any parish or educator.

What if Christian educators began using technology to get beyond those couple of hours on Sunday mornings that have been the traditional time for learning in the church? Developing blogs, forums, chats and “hangouts” through the week to touch base with students would be just a few examples.

Having a planned curriculum of reading the Bible and reflecting on it in daily life might actually be easier with technology than some other means. Most every youth I know over 13 years old carries a phone--a daily text from a teacher/mentor with a link to a Bible passage and a simple question might be a great start.

My son had an email address at school since age 10, and he has now been a regular habit of checking email for over 12 years. Why not make a few of those emails each week an interesting encounter with their faith?

So rather than keep writing (and ranting), I will pause and begin to formulate a process to delve deeper into the subject. I will begin using this blog as a platform for regular articles about technology and Christian Formation.

I will use the Chromebook as one model of technology that may be an excellent option for local churches. This technology is relatively inexpensive (it is cheaper than most phones and tablet devices), it is easy to use and keep updated, and it has the potential for an educator to develop serious tools in the service of formation.

Feel free to comment, critique and continue the conversation. Until the next time.

Thursday, March 3, 2016

Google Calendar- Some Cons Discovered

Today I was dealing with my calendars at work, so it was natural that I wanted to see how these functioned on the Chromebook.

My main calendar for the past few years has been the one I share on my Macbook, my iPhone and my iPad.  The Apple Calendar app has been working for me fine for years.  I can share those calendars with my Outlook program on the PC, and share them with my Google Calendar.  I can also share my Google Calendar with Apple and Outlook.

For the most part, the calendars sync together well, and if I open one, the same information is there that is on the other calendars. (I believe that having too many devices can make calendars a problem.)

I discovered today that Google Calendar is slower at syncing than I would like.  I added a new event to my Apple calendar this morning and it still has not shown up on the calendar app late in the afternoon.  This is not always the case, sometimes an event shows up fairly quickly.  It's kind of random.

I did a quick search and based on a number of articles, many people are experiencing the same thing.  A Google event shows up almost immediately on the Apple calendar, but it may take up to 24 hours to see an iCal event on the Google Calendar.  The support pages are full of folks complaining about the slow sync of iCal events.  Many folks asked why there was no action by Google to remedy the problem.

One bold responder (not a Google employee) wrote on a forum: "It's a free app, get over it."

Sometimes you get what you pay for.  Free is good, but sometime it means that it has a little less quality or effectiveness than you would like.

Overall, I am pleased with Google Calendar and have found it to be very sophisticated, easy to do all kinds of things like invite folks to events, and share information with others.  One of my favorite features is how it integrates with my email to put events on the calendar, or notify Google Maps about appointments and the like.

So, for the money, it is one of the best calendar applications out there.  If you need everything to sync immediately with other calendars, you will probably be disappointed.

I will explore some of the other features of Google Calendar in a future post, but this was what was on my mind today.


Wednesday, March 2, 2016

USB Equipment Test- Behringer Mixing Board

This test of the Chromebook came about because today is my regular radio show (Connect).

The regular set-up is a MacBook connected to a Behringer digital mixing board through a USB cord.  I use a high quality Behringer condenser microphone with XLR connection to the mixer.

After I finished my show, I still had all of the equipment out, so I decided to run a quick test.

I have to admit that it floored me when I plugged in the Behringer mixer to the USB port of the Chromebook, it automatically connected and was recognized by the system.

On more than one occasion, I have plugged that same mixer into my MacBook, or another PC, and it was not recognized.  I would have to go into System Preferences and reassign the channels, and in some cases I would need to restart a Windows machine to get it to recognize a new USB device.

The Chromebook gets high marks for the simple and easy connection.  I don't expect it with every USB device that I plug in, but this was a significant finding.

I then ran a little test of the microphone and board with the Beautiful Audio Editor app and found excellent sound quality and a richer, bolder sound than the built-in microphone.

In the future, when I create podcasts and the like with the Chromebook, I will use the USB mixer and get a little better quality.

Below you can hear the difference between this week's test with Monday's test:


So, successful test. More insights to come with future testing.

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Dealing with Files on the Chromebook

If you were to look at the Desktop on my Mac or my PC, you would see files and icons by the dozens (most of the time).  To you it looks chaotic, but to me it is just normal.

It is my first stage of file management.  If you were to look on my backup drives and at other ways I save data, you would find a system fit for a person with OCD.  It is who I am.

Now, if you were to take a look at my Chromebook, you wouldn't recognize me.  Nothing on the desktop (because it isn't meant to have clutter on it).

My files are neatly arranged in my Google Drive.  When I download from the internet, I am directed by the Files app to put them somewhere, and it seems intuitive enough because I don't like my Cloud drives to be cluttered.

I know, you are saying that I could easily do that with my PC or Mac, but there is something about having it on my desktop that seems comfortable--and there is something about being organized in the cloud that feels comfortable.  Now, I realize I have some issues, but I am not going to spend years in therapy to get my computer file quirks figured out.  Let's just say the Chromebook takes care of my quirks for me.

I worried a little about this experiment that I would not be able to adjust to file storage while using a Chromebook.  Almost a week in, and it doesn't seem to be problem.

I will go into depth at another time, but I am finding that I can plug in hard drives and flash drives, and the Files app helps me get the job done with ease.  No issues as I might have guessed.

I have 115 GB of storage space in my Google Drive for the next two years.  I don't anticipate running out of space, but it might be possible.  I will keep you posted.

In the meantime, I will keep filling my neatly organized folders, and not spending much time worrying about file management.

Monday, February 29, 2016

Audio Editing

One of the things that I do in my work- edit audio clips for podcasts and other media productions.

I have a couple of tools on my Mac that are standard tools--a piece of freeware called Audacity, and Adobe Audition.  (Not to mention that Garage Band comes with the Mac OS)

I have been using Audacity for years, and like the ease of use, and the ability to quickly edit a piece of audio.

I have only been using Audition for about 18 months.  It is one of the best tools out there, and I have not used all of the options available to me. It is more than I need for my use (and I would never pay the price to personally own it).

So, the experiment had me looking for apps that could help me edit audio.  I ran across the Beautiful Audio Editor App over the weekend and thought I would try it out.

The first tests were conclusive-it can be done.

Was the recording capability as good as my current set-up in the office? No.

Was it easy to use? Yes.  Even someone who has never edited audio before could earn it in a few minutes.

Were there many options for editing? Not a huge amount, but adequate for a simple project.

Was it worth the price? Yep, free is good.

So, here's a first project that I tried in the app (and then I uploaded it to my Spreaker account so that I could post the widget below):


What do you think?


Sunday, February 28, 2016

Sunday Morning with Chromebook

I make no secret of my history and background.  You can see my whole job history here.

I have worked in the church for much of the last 38 years.  I've had other jobs too, but the church keeps calling me back. Currently, I am not a pastor, but I make my living doing Web & Communications work for the church.

The Bible has been a big part of my life.  I read it, study it, refer to it on a regular basis.  In older days, I carried it in book form.  I wore out any number of copies through the years.

Now I carry numerous copies on my phone, and use the You Version app.  The Chrome Web Store has a browser version of the app.

It has a few more capabilities than the mobile version, it is easier to read, and fairly easy to use all of its tools.  The app is quite portable and user friendly.  More and more of my friends in ministry choose to use apps like this as they lead their congregations.

I could see using the Chromebook as a regular part of a Sunday School/Christian Education program in a local church or community. The possibilities are huge for people of all ages to use technology for regular learning.  I can imagine some customized apps that could be tailored to a congregation/class and as easy as the Chromebook is to use and manipulate, it wouldn't be just the 18 and under crowd that would find it helpful. (I had a complimentary idea a few years back that might be worth exploring)

This Sunday, I am going to read the Bible on my Chromebook.


Saturday, February 27, 2016

Saturday Morning with Chromebook

It is Saturday morning and the Chromebook is on my lap.

Most Saturday mornings are fairly lazy, when there isn't a work event to attend to.

My preferred Saturday morning is to spend time listening to NPR from 9 am to noon.  Weekend Edition, followed by Car Talk, and then Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me.

Sometimes I play it through my smart TV app- Tune In, sometime it is on the NPR iPad app, this morning was a day for the Chromebook.

There is an app in the Chrome Web Store called NPR Infinite Player.  It takes you to the website- NPR One, which also is an iPhone app.  It is easy to sign on as a user, and have access to news features and your local NPR station stream.

So I have tried listening to my three hours of radio in a number of ways on the Chromebook...with the speakers on the laptop, with headphones plugged in, and through my Bluetooth sound system.

The speakers are a little tinny and not as high quality as my MacBook speakers.  They will do in a pinch, but they are not a true multi-media experience.

The headphone quality was good.  Richer than the speakers, but then I can't get more that a foot or so from the laptop.  I am not carrying my laptop to the bathroom.

My favorite by far is using Bluetooth.  Rich, stereo sound with excellent connection.  I would guess that this will cut down on battery life, but it is effective.

So, here's to the Chromebook and a little leisure.

Friday, February 26, 2016

The All Day Battery

I have owned laptops since about 1993.

The first one I had started out with the ability to hold a charge about 3 hours, and within a year, battery life was down to an hour before having to plug it in.

I had an iBook back around 2003, that started out at 4 hours battery life, and then slowed down to less than 2 hours after a few years.  But I can say that this laptop can still be found in my home, and still runs much of the software that I had 13 years ago.  (Though Internet capabilities are quite the experience since it is using a 9 year old browser that cannot be updated further).

My MacBook will get 2.5 hours of use before it sleeps peacefully (it started out at almost 4 hours in 2013), and my Windows machine can get nearly 3 hours due to the the SSD drive being light on power usage.

The old 2011 Chromebook hasn't been off the power cord for a few years now.  I know that it had okay battery life before it became a dedicated streaming media device, about 8 hours on the charge in its beginnings, closer to 5 when it took its place with the TV and sound system.

Yesterday, the first day of the experiment was a great beginning for the Lenovo 100S.  The reviews said I could get up to 11 hours, and that was about right.

I took it to work, turned it on and left it running for much of the work day.  I tested out streaming music programs and Google Play (will report on this on another day) and some basic tasks like writing the blog, surfing the net and checking out some new extensions.  I brought the laptop home, surfed in front of some shows we watched, and piddled some more, and at about 8:30 pm I plugged it back in (with 8% showing in battery life).  Nearly 12 hours after I took it off the charger, it was still doing its job.

Currently as I am writing this piece at around 2:30 pm, a click on settings says I have 11 hours + or 97% of the battery left.  Granted, I didn't work it as hard today, it has mostly sat idle, but I would say that this Chromebook is on its way to being the least power hungry machine I have every owned.

I will get back with you in about 6 months with an update on battery life. Right now, I am pleased.

Thursday, February 25, 2016

Experiment Launched

I am not new to the Chromebook.  I am an early adopter.

Sometime during the first year that they were available (2011), I saw a bright red tag in Best Buy with the price of $149, and I jumped on it.

I used it as my personal laptop for a couple of years, until I bought a Macbook, and then the Chromebook was relegated to becoming the family TV laptop. (That's right, we do not have cable, and the Chromebook streams all kinds of shows and movies from Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, etc.)

That nearly 5 year old laptop is one of the most reliable devices I have ever owned.  It has not slowed down, and it actually does more than it could in 2011 because there are so many more apps and extensions than in the beginning.  (I can't say that about my Macbook which is starting to show its wear after three years, a couple of hardware updates, and an investment of $1000 before upgrades).

This experiment begins today with a new Chromebook.  Again, it was a bright red sale sign at Best Buy with a price tag of $149 that kicked it off.  The Lenovo 100S was on its way out of stock, and it was a solid product that I knew something about, so why not?

My wife would say that I have too many computers and devices already (and she would be right), but since this is a valid experiment, I am chalking it up to science.

So, here's the experiment...
  • I am going to keep my new Chromebook handy, try to write every day, and put it through its paces as a competent replacement to one of my business computers (I have both Mac and Windows machines currently on my work desk).
  • I will try and do some of the same things that I do every day in my work on the Chromebook, and compare the experiences.
  • I will try things on my Chromebook that I have never tried before and report on my findings.
  • Though I adopted the Chrome browser in its first months (Fall 2008), and have used various Google products for years, this experiment will look deeper at the applications and extensions available for this environment.
So, this writing project is off and running...on a new Chromebook.