Everyday technology
09/07/15 05:28
Yesterday I was working in the office before my Wednesday morning Bible study when I discovered a small glitch in our computer network. For some reason, the computer in my office was having trouble finding the networked printer. These kinds of problems are routine in our office and the solution usually involves rebooting a computer or other network component. Occasionally some of the settings of a computer need to be adjusted. Because we are a very small office with only a few computers and operate with a slim budget it usually doesn’t make sense for us to pay for someone to come in to make those kinds of adjustments. Often when we do pay for a professional to come in the first hour or more of those professional services involve repeating things that I have already tried. I used to believe that technicians don’t trust me when I tell them what I have done, being suspicious of me because I don’t have an engineering or computer background other than the practical experience of working with computers for much of my career. These days I think that the reason they listen to what I have done and then repeat those steps is because they undertake their investigations as a set order of tasks and they only know one order in which to do those tasks. They can’t start partway through their list, but rather have to begin at the beginning.
Whatever the reason a computer network problem that I can’t solve nearly always costs the church more than $100 with the first $60 to $75 being a repeat of things that I have already done. So I am reluctant to call a technician. The church has far more important things to do with its money and often waiting will allow me to think of a new approach to solving the problem.
So I was content to keep working knowing that I couldn’t print directly from my computer. The one document that I needed to print before my study group was placed on our server and printed from another computer. I would solve the problem later, after I had done other tasks.
As I left for my study, I checked the headlines on my phone and found out that United/Continental Airlines had grounded its entire fleet of airplanes temporarily because of a computer problem. Long delays were exited throughout their system all day long. My computer problem wasn’t any near as serious as theirs.
Then, after my Bible study group, I found out that computer problems had shut down trading on the New York Stock Exchange. I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t balk at the cost of a technician to work through their computer problems.
I joked to others in our office that there must be some distinction in having computer problems at the same time as big businesses, but that it was reassuring knowing that there was no way our problem could cost as much per day as theirs was costing per second.
By the end of the day the airlines were carrying their passengers somewhat frustrated because of the delays, trading had resumed on the stock exchange, and I was able to print directly from the computer on my desk. We’ll all see computer problems in the future and occasionally the same problem comes up again and it easy to solve because we can remember what we did last time it happened.
More interesting to me is how dependent we have become upon computers and related technologies. A couple of decades ago our church didn’t have a network. If a computer wasn’t connected to a printer by a cable, it couldn’t use that printer. Our copy machine only made copies. It was not also a network printer, scanner and fax machine. I had a laptop computer, much bulkier and heavier than the slim notebook I use these days, but it had no wireless capabilities. We hadn’t quite envisioned that we would have routers in the attic of the church that allowed for wireless Internet connection anywhere in the building. What is more remarkable is that we didn’t even know that we would someday want those things. I prepared for Bible study by reading my Bible and consulting printed commentaries that were books on my shelves. I kept my sermon notes in folders in the file drawers in my office. We had a cabinet with previous years’ worship bulletins when we wanted to see what hymns we had used in previous weeks.
Of course the church, like any other institution, can’t stay in the past. While I still revel in printed books and I greatly prefer reading the Bible from a book I hold in my hands, I am not exactly a luddite. I know how to compare a dozen different versions of the Bible, check translation notes and access a variety of commentaries from my phone. I’ve been known to do a quick google fact check while listening to a speaker who makes claims I don’t quite understand. I even know, in case you are interested, that all of Jesus’ beatitudes are less than 140 characters. That’s right - you can tweet the beatitudes one at a time. The ten commandments, on the other hand, don’t work so well. The second and fourth have to be greatly shortened and abbreviated to get down to the maximum number of characters.
So far I haven’t started to use a tablet computer for my worship notes. I still use paper for them. I do, however, have colleagues who use their iPads exclusively for worship leadership, including hymns and scripture readings. One, who has vision problems, is delighted that the size of the text can be adjusted while he is reading and makes very good use of the device. I recently attended a funeral officiated at by a colleague who used an iPad exclusively for his worship resource. It did not detract from the meaningful service in any way.
It makes me wonder, however, what happens when there is a glitch in that system. Does worship have to be delayed due to computer problems? I’m not looking forward to that day.
For now, we’ll be worshiping at 9:30 on Sunday morning whether or not all of our technological devices are functioning. I’m delighted to report that we can pray without batteries. Our external power supply for prayer has never failed us.
Whatever the reason a computer network problem that I can’t solve nearly always costs the church more than $100 with the first $60 to $75 being a repeat of things that I have already done. So I am reluctant to call a technician. The church has far more important things to do with its money and often waiting will allow me to think of a new approach to solving the problem.
So I was content to keep working knowing that I couldn’t print directly from my computer. The one document that I needed to print before my study group was placed on our server and printed from another computer. I would solve the problem later, after I had done other tasks.
As I left for my study, I checked the headlines on my phone and found out that United/Continental Airlines had grounded its entire fleet of airplanes temporarily because of a computer problem. Long delays were exited throughout their system all day long. My computer problem wasn’t any near as serious as theirs.
Then, after my Bible study group, I found out that computer problems had shut down trading on the New York Stock Exchange. I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t balk at the cost of a technician to work through their computer problems.
I joked to others in our office that there must be some distinction in having computer problems at the same time as big businesses, but that it was reassuring knowing that there was no way our problem could cost as much per day as theirs was costing per second.
By the end of the day the airlines were carrying their passengers somewhat frustrated because of the delays, trading had resumed on the stock exchange, and I was able to print directly from the computer on my desk. We’ll all see computer problems in the future and occasionally the same problem comes up again and it easy to solve because we can remember what we did last time it happened.
More interesting to me is how dependent we have become upon computers and related technologies. A couple of decades ago our church didn’t have a network. If a computer wasn’t connected to a printer by a cable, it couldn’t use that printer. Our copy machine only made copies. It was not also a network printer, scanner and fax machine. I had a laptop computer, much bulkier and heavier than the slim notebook I use these days, but it had no wireless capabilities. We hadn’t quite envisioned that we would have routers in the attic of the church that allowed for wireless Internet connection anywhere in the building. What is more remarkable is that we didn’t even know that we would someday want those things. I prepared for Bible study by reading my Bible and consulting printed commentaries that were books on my shelves. I kept my sermon notes in folders in the file drawers in my office. We had a cabinet with previous years’ worship bulletins when we wanted to see what hymns we had used in previous weeks.
Of course the church, like any other institution, can’t stay in the past. While I still revel in printed books and I greatly prefer reading the Bible from a book I hold in my hands, I am not exactly a luddite. I know how to compare a dozen different versions of the Bible, check translation notes and access a variety of commentaries from my phone. I’ve been known to do a quick google fact check while listening to a speaker who makes claims I don’t quite understand. I even know, in case you are interested, that all of Jesus’ beatitudes are less than 140 characters. That’s right - you can tweet the beatitudes one at a time. The ten commandments, on the other hand, don’t work so well. The second and fourth have to be greatly shortened and abbreviated to get down to the maximum number of characters.
So far I haven’t started to use a tablet computer for my worship notes. I still use paper for them. I do, however, have colleagues who use their iPads exclusively for worship leadership, including hymns and scripture readings. One, who has vision problems, is delighted that the size of the text can be adjusted while he is reading and makes very good use of the device. I recently attended a funeral officiated at by a colleague who used an iPad exclusively for his worship resource. It did not detract from the meaningful service in any way.
It makes me wonder, however, what happens when there is a glitch in that system. Does worship have to be delayed due to computer problems? I’m not looking forward to that day.
For now, we’ll be worshiping at 9:30 on Sunday morning whether or not all of our technological devices are functioning. I’m delighted to report that we can pray without batteries. Our external power supply for prayer has never failed us.