It was my great privilege to drop in at the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri Annual Communications Conference this afternoon.
While I was preparing my presentation, I happened to watch the latest Apple Keynote which was held at Apple's new Steve Jobs Theater. The new theater was dedicated with a video tribute to Jobs. In that video there is a recording of Jobs himself:
... one of the ways that I believe people express their appreciation to the rest of humanity is to make something wonderful and put it out there. And you never meet the people, you never shake their hands, you never hear their story or tell yours. But somehow in the act of making something with a great deal of care and love, something's transmitted there. And it's a way of expressing to the rest of our species, our deep appreciation. So we need to be true to who we are. And remember what's really important to us.
I read this at the close of my presentation today. Because I like what he says. But more than that: for those of us who work in the church, I think we can actually outdo Jobs here.
I have so much admiration for my colleagues who are bona fide church communicators. I sort of lurk on the Episcopal Communicators Facebook page, but I still don't feel like I can consider myself a real communicator. But I enjoy learning about and trying my hand at this job of communicating the messages of our church and the Church.
The communicators I have known take great pride in their work and especially in making "something wonderful." Maybe it's that month's newsletter, or the weekly email, or a new pew card, or even a brand new parish website. Could it even be a podcast? Whatever it is, the act of creation is a Christian act. We are co-creators with God.
In this way I think communicators have a lot in common with church musicians: we both strive to create "something wonderful."
But as Christian creators, our thinking is at once more expansive and more specific than Jobs's.
Jobs was creating products for an immense market. In our parish contexts, the scale is a bit more manageable, and we do hear from many the people with whom we communicate.
We also want to hear their stories and get their stories and songs out there – isn't the web a marvelous platform for this?
Hymn reference: speaking of stores and song, I just started humming "This is my story, this is my song" from the hymn "Blessed assurance". See Hymn 184 in Lift Every Voice and Sing II.
And we certainly want to tell our story as the Church.
For more along these lines, I highly recommend Madeleine L'Engle's Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art.
Labels: Apple, evangelism, social media, web
"iPhone 3G San Antonio: I waited about 15 minutes for activation, and nobody else's was working either so I just took my phone and left. They kept telling me that wasn't allowed, but I had already paid for the phone so there was nothing they could do to stop me."Apple and AT&T Stores Having Difficulty Activating iPhones (UPDATE: It's the iPocalypse)
He's right, you know. Once you pay for something, it's yours. They can't stop you, or search you, or seize your goods. There's a fourth amendment to the constitution in this country.
I've always thought that that aspect of the plan was a little silly.
And I have to say I was excited about the prospect of getting an iPhone since my cell phone contract is set to expire, but the internet is abuzz with bad news today. Activation of these new phones seems to have hit huge snags on all fronts.
Thank you early adopters for making my possible future purchase easier.
CORRECTION: From the Sinden.org legal team, we've learned that holding the iPhone "[is] like you're cupping a warm baby bird" -- wait, no that's this Gizmodo review. But we have been corrected. The Bill of Rights only has bearing on the government. Common law prevents Apple from detaining you with an unactivated phone (we think, though there's a possible contract violation.)
Are their other insights on this from others who have been through the in-store purchasing process?
Labels: Apple
Chuch music has been around for many thousands of years, but each church musician has only been around for a handful of decades. So, while the tradition will probably hold itself together, each individual laborer in the musical vinyard has to figure out the best way to harvest his or her own musical grapes.
I like to maintain an interdisciplinary approach to my work, and that's why I am drawn to the ramifications of design concepts -- like How Apple's small things influence their big things -- on church music, and more specifically, rehearsal technique.
Here, I think it's important that we pay particular attention to our small things: hymns. The trebles sing hymns at every service, but they are often relegated to the status of "small thing". Especially if the hymns are rehearsed all in a lump and all in the same way every week, the treble perceives them as second-tier.
This is fine. Musically, there's only so much material there. It's literally a small thing. But if a standard of excellence can be brought to the hymn -- focus, intonation, clarity of text, phrasing, musicality -- this standard will permeate the rest of the rehearsal and infect the larger things: the psalm, Mass setting, and anthem.
Labels: Apple, church music, design
XII. Of Good Works.
Albeit that Good Works, which are the fruits of Faith, and follow after Justification, cannot put away our sins, and endure the severity of God's judgment; yet are they pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ, and do spring out necessarily of a true and lively Faith; insomuch that by them a lively Faith may be as evidently known as a tree discerned by the fruit.
The tree of life my soul hath seen,
Laden with fruit and always green:
The tree of life my soul hath seen,
Laden with fruit and always green:
The trees of nature fruitless be
Compared with Christ the apple tree.His beauty doth all things excel:
By faith I know, but ne’er can tell,
His beauty doth all things excel:
By faith I know, but ne’er can tell
The glory which I now can see
In Jesus Christ the apple tree.For happiness I long have sought,
And pleasure dearly I have bought:
For happiness I long have sought,
And pleasure dearly I have bought:
I missed of all; but now I see
'Tis found in Christ the apple tree.
I’m weary with my former toil,
Here I will sit and rest a while:
I’m weary with my former toil,
Here I will sit and rest a while:
Under the shadow I will be,
Of Jesus Christ the apple tree.This fruit doth make my soul to thrive,
It keeps my dying faith alive:
This fruit doth make my soul to thrive,
It keeps my dying faith alive:
Which makes my soul in haste to be
With Jesus Christ the apple tree.Joshua Smith, New Hampshire, 1784
This is part of 39 Articles of Religion in the 40 Days of Lent, Sinden.org's Lenten devotion.
Previously: Articles I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X & XI
Labels: Apple
What's going on here? See Part 1 for rationale.
This is Part 2: Iowa through Pennsylvania.
Part 3 should wrap things up. It will be out later.
I've actually been to the Legacy Village store (pictured) with Thatcher. Thatcher seems to be going abroad for a while, so he will have to look elsewhere for Apple Stores. It is our hope that Thatcher will send colour photos of Apple Stores and any other interesting retail outlets (or organs, or ecclesiastical things) on which his eyes might rest whilst upon his journey.
1. We're not in Kansas any more at all.
2. A lot of the Apple Stores so far have had creative names, or at least yuppie names. "Fashion" is popular as in "Chandler Fashion Center (AZ), "Fashion Island" (CA) and "Fashion Valley" (CA). "Gardens" also seems to pop up from time to time like "Victoria Gardens" (CA) and "Gardens Mall" (FL). Here, in Maryland, things are simpler. Annapolis Mall is on a street called Annapolis Mall in Annapolis. How Annapolisy.
3. In the Mall of America!
4. Josquin bought his iPod here.
5. A store called "Fashion Show"
6. A store called "Walt Whitman." How would Walt Whitman feel about having an Apple store named after him? Apples are something Whitman seemed to enjoy.
After writing he would pull an apple out of his coat pocket and pull out a knife from his pants pocket." Willets recalled that the knife was an unusual one - handmade, with a large blade and a black wooden casing within which was a four-pronged detachable steel fork. "There is no question but what Walt had the knife made to order for the special purpose of preparing and eating wild fruit with it," suggested the editor of the Long-Islander.
7. This is probably the most distinctive looking Apple Store. Well, so far, anyway. And it's in SoHo, which, for the uninitiated (like me) is a neighborhood south of Houston Street. Houston in this context is pronounced (HOUSE-ton) not because New Yorker's are pretentious (like me) but because the named the street after the politician William Houstoun but they didn't spell it right (like I did).
8. Is that like Nyack the hymn tune?
9. Probably the most non-distinctive looking temple.
10. The birthplace of Joseph Smith
11. Isn't SouthPark in Colorado? These American names are starting to get really boring. We're like the richest country in the world. Can't we be more creative than this?
12. Southpoint? I fail to see how that's different from SouthPark. (Durham? I fail to see how that's different from Charlotte.)
13. Hey, snow! Where you at, Minnesota?
14. So Columbus discovered Native Americans but was hoping for India. Then Jesus discovers Native Americans. Who was he hoping for, Columbus?
15. You might wonder why Apple needs two stores in Tigard, Oregon. You probably are expecting me to tell you why a town with 41,223 needs two, but I can't come up with anything.
16. No, I'm not making that name up. Named for a local tavern in the 1700's it should really be Upper Merion Township. But let's face it, neither of these are good names.
18. You're probably wondering what happened to footnote 17. Frankly, I'm not missing it very much.
If Apple is like a religion then the trendy Apple Stores are its temples. The Apple Stores don't really count as cathedrals, because there are some "dioceses" of Mac users who do not have a Store nearby.
In my mind, Apple Stores are comporable to Mormon temples. Both are finely crafted from the best materials. Both are well lit. Both are designed in keeping with their brand identity. Both are closed on Sundays.
Oh, wait. Apple Stores are actually open on Sundays.
So, here's a table comparing Apple Stores and Mormon temples alphabetically by state. This list, Part 1, contains Alabama through Indiana.
1. This ranks up there with "Surprise" for bad city names in Arizona.
2. The Cohen family shops here.
3. Sometimes, when I'm having a bad day, I'm like, "Oh yeah! Rancho Cucamonga!" and then things start to get better.
4. Stonestown could use a little help. That is one pathetic looking mall plant.
5. This is where Ryan Atwood's secret Mormon half-brother worships. Also it seems to have been rededicated the same day it was dedicated (28 Aug 2005). This is odd.
6. Where Charles Ives bought his iPod.
7. What's up with Florida having all these New Zealand city names? They have Dunedin too, which is, incidentally, one of my favorite hymn tunes.
8. Hot picture of this one.
9. Not a whole lotta grass in Chi-town. That's why they put it on the roof.
10. Nauvoo. It's like Naboo for the Mormons.
11. I've actually been to this one.
As a new adherent of the Apple Computer religion, I was interested in the significance of the 17th of July. This is the default date on the icon of iCal, Apple's calendar program.
At first I thought it might be Steve Jobs's birthday, but no, that's February 24.
Then, as an Episcopalian, I thought there might be some connection with the Feast of William White, Bishop of Pennsylvania. Among the psalms from the day:
It is a good thing to give thanks to the LORD, *
and to sing praises to your Name, O Most High;To tell of your loving-kindness early in the morning *
and of your faithfulness in the night season;Psalm 92:1-2. The entire lection is Psalm 92:1-4, 11-14 from page 720 of the Book of Common Prayer (BCP)
This psalm serves as a gentle reminder to use our time (and our calendar) to praise God without ceasing. iCal, interestingly enough, allows to schedule events in the morning and the "night season." But the alternative psalm, though it deals with time, doesn't really sustain this line of thinking:
For one day in your courts is better than a thousand in my own room, *
and to stand at the threshold of the house of my God
than to dwell in the tents of the wicked.
Psalm 84:9. From Psalm 84:7-12 BCP page 708.
Turns out July 17 is just the date iCal was announced.
But I think there's something else going on here.
Namely, July 17 is also David Hasselhoff's birthday.
Labels: Apple
I've been really impressed with Apple lately, but something on their website struck me as a little odd and out of touch with reality (see illustration at right).
They depicted the Astros as winning.
But, as soon as I had this realization, I came to understand that this image is reality based. The Astros were in fact leading 3-1 in the bottom of the 6th. Crazy.
Labels: Apple
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