Casual Sundays?

When I was younger, I used to go to church. Every Sunday morning my family would get cleaned up, my mother would force me to wear something nice and then we would all pile in the car and head over. Every week I would drag my feet and fight with my parents about how much I hated going to church. The only thing I liked was that sometimes I would get to hang with the other kids before communion, and that there was food that everyone got to enjoy at the end. I absolutely hated getting all fancied up to go and sit and listen to boring sermons. I was a tomboy when I was younger and dreaded having to wear a skirt or, god forbid, a dress. It would be so much of a hassle every Sunday that eventually, we started to go less and less until we didn’t have to go anymore (and I’m not complaining).

Now, after reading through Google’s “Ten Things We Know to Be True” comments I’ve thought about what “point” some religious could take from Google to make their religion, in my opinion, “better,” or more appealing to a greater number of people. From my own personal experience, I think if religions decided to take Google’s ninth point, “You can be serious without a suit," into account, more people could share a positive religious experience.

"Our founders built Google around the idea that work should be challenging, and the challenge should be fun. We believe the great, creative things are more likely to happen with the right company culture-and that doesn't just mean lava lamps and rubber balls. There is an emphasis on team achievements and pride in individual accomplishments that contribute to our overall success. We put great stock in our employees-energetic, passionate people from diverse backgrounds with creative approaches to work, play and life. Our atmosphere may be casual, but as new ideas emerge in a cafe line, at a team meeting or at the gym, they are traded, tested and put into practice with dizzying speed-and they may be the launch pad for a new project destined for worldwide use."

It would definitely be more attractive to the younger generation. I was scared away from church at a young age due to all of my memories of stuffy old people surrounding me while I wiggled uncomfortably in my itchy “Sunday best”. 

If religions took the “You can be serious without a suit” route, they would be far more appealing to the younger generation. Many children dislike dressing up and wearing uncomfortable clothing. When I went to church I could not concentrate on the message that was being delivered by the preacher because all I could think about was the fact that my skirt or dress was itchy. It bothered me so much that I still equate church with being uncomfortable, boring and a waste of time. Our generation (along with younger generations) has been raised completely differently from our parents and  grandparents. We are used to dressing casually and comfortably. If churches and other places of worship began to cater towards what we are used to and what we like as a generation, they probably would get more support and more people would have a positive religious experience. I know if I wasn’t forced to wear my “Sunday best” as a child I probably wouldn’t dislike church as much as I do now. I could have actually focused on the messages that were taught and learned to enjoy church rather than see it as a horrible waste of time. 

The Personalization of the iPad/iPhone

Today in class we got to play with a bunch of iPads. Now, I have never owned an iPad or really used one but my mother got one when I left for college. I do have an iPhone so I have used an Apple touch screen product. The only thing I have done on an iPad before our class was taking a picture with my moms’ over break. Other than that, I did not know anyone who owned one and therefore never got around to appreciating the iPad for what it does. The iPad takes the “personal computer” to a whole new level.

This got me thinking about how well Apple makes their products, giving the consumer the ability to “personalize” their iPad or iPhone. As an iPhone owner I have definitely realized how personalized my iPhone is to me. I have lost my phone and another Lawrence student was able to tell by looking at my background image and music that the phone belonged to me.

The iPhone and the iPad have a simple yet elegant design that makes them very easy to personalize. Externally, Apple (along with many other companies) manufacture many colorful, complex, or cool case and cover designs so that you can personalize and keep your iPhone/iPad safe. Then there is the home screen and background, both of which you can set to any picture or texture of your choice (both my pictures are of Green Day). On the iPhone, you can change the text and ringtone noise. For both the iPhone and the iPad you can download thousands of different apps to your phone. I have a Sudoku app, Instagram app, and a Green Day app on my phone. I would have more but I decided I want more room for photos and music rather than have a bunch of apps. Music is another way one can customize their iPad or iPhone. The type of music on their Apple product can show what kind of person you are. These are just the main customization options for the iPad or iPhone, there a multiple other options a consumer has to make their Apple product “personal” and theirs.

While some people may complain that Apple consumers are just conforming to what is “cool” and that people who buy apple products are just like one another. While they may have initially purchased the same product, they become completely different to the person who owns it. Just by looking at someone’s iPad or iPhone you can tell what kind of person they are. 

Steve Jobs and the iPad

The iPad, an Apple blunder or a technological break through?  When the iPad first came out I definitely was skeptical. Being in high school, my friends and I would make jokes like, ‘oh, what’s next? An iTampon?’ To the majority of us, it looked just like a larger iPhone without the calling capabilities. I never really saw the appeal, just buy an iPod Touch or an iPhone instead of spending all that extra money. Yet, after reading the iPad section in the Steve Jobs Biography, I have had a change of heart.

I did not have a TV while growing up so I never actually had seen any commercials for the iPad. After reading the advertisement section and the struggle that Jobs had with being satisfied with a commercial I decided to check out the two commercials he liked best. After viewing them, I can see why people would want an iPad. There are so many things that you can do on it, it is just amazing. In the past, I was stuck on the fact that it looked like a big iPhone minus the calling capabilities and a larger screen when I didn’t think about what else the iPad could provide. It’s much easier to take notes on an iPad during class, and to tote around. You wouldn’t need to worry about bringing your laptop places and having it get damaged by accident. Not to mention the countless amount of apps that can be downloaded and used are also quite impressive.  

The design of the iPad played a major role in the products success. Like most Apple products, it is efficient and simple but appealing to the eye. Even the packaging is beautifully planned and makes an impact on the customer. Simple changes, like the curvature of the back of the iPad, make the product seem more friendly and casual.

“The bottom edge needed to be slightly rounded, so that you’d feel comfortable just scooping it up rather than lifting it carefully” (Isaacson 640).

Also, the lack of a stylus (while it may be in convenient for some people who want exact detail) and the addition of a full touch screen makes the iPad easy to use. It also keeps the iPad "simpler" by not having an extra accessory to worry about.

 

The iPad is also quite zen because it really does adhere to a beginners mind. The story about the illiterate child being able to use the iPad is a great example of how revolutionary this product really is. My mom has an iPad and is able to use it with great ease when I would normally have to walk her step by step through almost every little thing on a normal technological device. Even my younger sister (who can’t even remember how to make a simple power point presentation after being taught how to multiple times) can sit down and use it without asking any questions.

At second glance, I think that the iPad is revolutionary. The iPad is convenient, simple, user friendly and overall a very successful product. 

iTunes: the Beginning

iTunes began as a re-modeled version of a program called SoundJam back in 2000. It was first created as a simple music player for the Mac operating system that featured music playback, CD burning and little else. Version 2 was where things started to get interesting - iTunes 2 was developed to accompany apple's latest release, the iPod. People fell in love with the device's simple elegant design but apple computers were not as common back then and its compatibility with iTunes remained worthless to most technology users. iTunes continued to improve user customization by introducing new playlist and rating systems in version 3, but the big decision remained to be made.

iTunes 4 featured two of the most important changes that Apple would make to the program: the iTunes store, and Windows compatibility. The iTunes store was revolutionary; no longer just a music player, iTunes gave music lovers a simple method of downloading their favorite songs through a completely legal method. CDs had been the go-to medium of music sales for so long that as the internet became more and more of a regular part of people's lives, illegal music downloading was not just the preferred option for downloading music but often the only one. Being released around the time anti-piracy campaigns by the music industry were becoming numerous and aggressive, the iTunes store was a huge hit with those wanting to download music on the right side of the law. Great idea sure, but it would have all been meaningless unless the 4.1 update to support Windows took place shortly after. Windows accounted for such a majority of the personal computer market at this point in time that Apple knew they would have to suck it up and provide compatibility in order to reach Windows users everywhere.

In 2003 iTunes was starting to look pretty successful, it worked on both Apple and Windows operating systems, featured a revolutionary user friendly store, and synchronized with the fastest growing mp3 player on the market. The iPod continued on to unprecedented success, leading to spinoffs of every make, size and color imaginable. Apple's foothold in the music community allowed them the credibility to improve marketing on their line of desktops and laptops, finally making them a serious competitor of Windows in the personal computing world.

iTunes and iPods started out as a struggling underdog in the computer market and look where they are today, a company worth billions and known around the world. How did they do it? Apple addressed the single biggest demand of users everywhere, and they did it well. Users want to be able to customize their devices; they don't understand how everything works, they just want to be able to make it do what they want and without having to spend forever figuring out how. Apple engineered their software towards a simple intuitive interface that helped even the most technologically challenged of users customize their very own music collections and playlists that they could carry around with them. From download to headphones Apple streamlined the process of finding, organizing and enjoying music - arguably the most widely appreciated form of art known in our society.

Jobs and Zen Buddhism

Is Kickstarter the "Next Big Thing"?

In this week’s edition of This Week in Google talked about an upcoming website called “Kickstarter”. Kickstarter (http://www.kickstarter.com/) is a site that allows funding for creative projects. Interested parties can create a “Kickstarter” in order to fund a project that falls under the categories “Art, Comics, Dance, Design, Fashion, Film, Food, Games, Music, Photography, Publishing, Techology and Theater”. All Kickstarter projects must have a complete and clear goal/project idea in order for it to be approved. Since it was launched in 2009, Kickstarter has funded “more than 30,000 creative projects”; and “over $350 million has been pledged by more than 2.5 million people”. One aspect of Kickstarter that makes it special is its “all or nothing” funding. Basically, it means that if the project does not make the minimum goal, all of the pledged money will be sent back to the pledgers and the project will not be funded. Also, when you pledge a certain amount of money, many projects (assuming that they reach their goal) will give the person who pledged a gift or prize or in some cases a copy of their product.

A good example of a successful Kickstarter project was the Homestuck Adventure Game by MS Paint Adventures (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/14293468/homestuck-adventure-game). 

Homestuck is an online web comic by Andrew Hussie that has grown in popularity over the past two years.  After much pestering, Hussie finally caved to fans and created a Kickstarter to raise money in order to create a Homestuck “Adventure Game”. Hussie only set $700,000 as his project goal but ended up receiving $2,485,506 in the end. This project actually broke a Kickstarter record, gaining it’s set goal in about 32 hours. Due to the extra money he was gaining while the Kickstarter was still going, Hussie ended up adding more components onto the project as more money was pledged. 

This gave fans more of an incentive to actually make a pledge or pledge more money in order to gain the new tiers of prizes.

So far, Kickstarter has been quite successful in it’s first few years of existence. I think that Kickstarter is a good example of a website that promotes a good sense of community as well as promoting the individual. People are able to create goals or projects based on their dreams or desires and then the community can help by donating money for the cause or project. The Homestuck fandom is a great example of how a community can come together to reach their goals through a site like Kickstarter. Hopefully, the success Kickstarter has seen in its few short years will continue to grow in the site’s future. 

Steve Jobs Sanford Commencement Speech

In 2005, Steve Jobs gave a commencement speech to the graduating class of Stanford University. Jobs’ main focus was on the importance of individualism in ones life. During which he told three stories, one about “connecting the dots”, one about “love and loss,” and one about “death.”  In “connecting the dots,” Jobs talks about his experiences as a college drop out and how it helped change the way he lived his life.  In “love and loss,” we learn about what happened to Steve during his absence from Apple and what he took from that experience.  Finally, the last story, “death.”  In this final story, Jobs tells students about the importance of living every day like it was your last because (like Jobs learned) you may never know what day will be your last. An individual should be able to look back and be happy with their past decisions, rather than looking back on their life in regret.

Throughout his entire speech, Jobs keeps on the idea that an individuals ideas and goals is what is important in life, using examples from his life to show this. If Jobs had never dropped out of college or took that calligraphy course, the personal computers of today would probably look a lot different. If he hadn’t been kicked from Apple and gone off on his own path, we would never have movies like Toy Story or Monsters Inc.

One quote in particular was very interesting…

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking."

This is a great quote to live by. He goes on to encourage students to not let others opinions cloud ones own opinions. While it may be cheesy, following your heart may be your best option. Being an individual is what should be important.

Jobs ends his speech with a quote, “stay hungry, stay foolish”. This quote reiterates his idea that the individual drive is what can lead one to success. Jobs encourages the students to “stay hungry” for success in their lives but also to “stay foolish” by seeking out your passions in life. 

Life-Hacks: Apps

The app market has simplified countless tasks in my day-to-day life. It's a simple idea really, but one that has a dramatic effect on speeding up the things we do. Programming has always been a great life-hack tool. If you know how, you can spend a few hours developing something to use that can save you hundreds of hours in the future. Only one problem...most people don't know how to program, and most programmers don't have the time to go around making an application for everything they use on a daily basis. Well that's no problem; now we have an open source market for such applications. You could even go so far as to call open source programming like this a life-hack tool. Most non-entertainment apps are designed with the sole intention of speeding up mundane tasks, or simplifying difficult ones. Introduce the capability to share or sell such apps and the life-hacks are suddenly spread to people across the network. With the sheer number of users connected on mobile devices these days, this leads to the creation of thousands of life-hacks that pertain to a wide range of users and tasks.

Want a simpler life? Well, there's an app for that.