Tag Archive - Technology

Death to the Typewriter … Damn You Luddites!

April 27, 2011 in Communications, Web Ministry with 0 Comments

Death to the typewriter

The big news story from earlier this week may have been overlooked. The last typewriter factory left in the world closed its doors - Godrej and Boyce – the last company left in the world that was still manufacturing typewriters – has shut down its production plant in Mumbai, India with just a few hundred machines left in stock. My reaction … change happens. With change comes new opportunity. When we resist new possibilities, we miss out on the opportunity of living life to its fullest.

With news of the death of the typewriter, I was reminded of a post I shared last year. It’s a great reminder that we need to be open to life’s possibilities.

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Damn You Luddites!

Originally posted March 19, 2010

This morning I was reading an article from Reuters detailing how the northern English town of Huddersfield is planning a 200 year anniversary of the Luddite movement. As you may be aware, the Luddites were a social movement of British textile artisans in the nineteenth century who protested, often by destroying mechanized looms, against the changes produced by the Industrial Revolution. The Luddites felt that the the new machines were leaving them without work and changing their entire way of life, so they pillaged, and in some cases, murdered those that got in their way.

If you work in the arena of non-profit or faith-based communications, you’ve encountered a modern day Luddite from time-to-time. Now they’re not going to take a baseball bat to your laptop or trash your iPhone — excuses are their weapon of choice. Modern day Luddites say things like:

  • “But, that’s the way we’ve always done it.”
  • “We don’t have enough staff.”
  • “We like things the way they are.”
  • “Our membership is too small.”
  • “It’s too expensive.”
  • “Our congregation is older.”
  • “Our membership is on dial-up.”
  • “We haven’t had a visitor or a new member join in 10 years!”
  • “Facebook is for kids.”

These are all excuses that I’ve heard first-hand in working with churches and non-profits for the past 17 years. Excuses are used either when someone is scared to try something new, has a narrow vision for the future, or has been stretched so thin by their employer that they either resist or chance watching the house of cards come tumbling down.

Are you a modern day Luddite, also known as a pessimist, naysayer, or worrywart? And you realists, you are dangerously close to falling into the Luddite group. I offer this olive branch, throw down your book of excuses, and join our revolution of optimism, what ifs, and can you only imagine. We welcome you with open arms.

Photo: Jeremy Mayer. Check out Jeremy Mayer’s incredible typewriter robots.

What Role Does Technology Play in Your Spiritual Life?

April 24, 2011 in Social Web, Web Ministry with 0 Comments

What role does technology play in your spiritual life? Better yet, how is your church embracing new media to make disciples or connect with their community throughout the week? If you missed it yesterday, the folks at CBS Sunday Morning tackled these questions and more with their report.

Has your CEO become a victim of technology irrelevance?

March 30, 2010 in Humor with 0 Comments

Has your CEO become a victim of technology irrelevancy?

Has your CEO become a victim of technology irrelevance?

This past Sunday night, as I sit engrossed in the latest episode of Celebrity Apprentice, my attention was broken by a very familiar far off stare that I’ve become all too familiar — In this case, the blank gaze belonged to the former governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich.

For those of you who watched, you witnessed something that happens in executive offices across this country every day – executive leaders that have become technically irrelevant. Blagojevich’s situation isn’t much different than most – he has been in a position of leadership for an extended period of time, and has relied on administrative staff for so long, that the basics of operating a computer and navigating the Internet have simply passed him by.

It saddens me to say this, but I have witnessed on numerous occasions executive leaders who have placed an acquisition for a computer that will sit on their desk, never to be turned on, and is simply on display so no to be found out.

The technology-based needs and expectations of your customers, members and constituency are far too great for your executive leadership to be technically illiterate. It seems every decision has either a technology or web implication these days – do you really want the guy who can’t turn on a computer to be the final decision maker? The time has come that executive leaders possess the same core understanding of technology and use of the Internet that they require of their staff.

Damn you Luddites!

March 19, 2010 in Communications, Web Ministry with 6 Comments

This morning I was reading an article from Reuters detailing how the northern English town of Huddersfield is planning a 200 year anniversary of the Luddite movement. As you may be aware, the Luddites were a social movement of British textile artisans in the nineteenth century who protested, often by destroying mechanized looms, against the changes produced by the Industrial Revolution. The Luddites felt that the the new machines were leaving them without work and changing their entire way of life, so they pillaged, and in some cases, murdered those that got in their way.

If you work in the arena of non-profit or faith-based communications, you’ve encountered a modern day Luddite from time-to-time. Now they’re not going to take a baseball bat to your laptop or trash your iPhone — excuses are their weapon of choice. Modern day Luddites say things like:

  • “But, that’s the way we’ve always done it.”
  • “We don’t have enough staff.”
  • “We like things the way they are.”
  • “Our membership is too small.”
  • “It’s too expensive.”
  • “Our congregation is older.”
  • “Our membership is on dial-up.”
  • “We haven’t had a visitor or a new member join in 10 years!”
  • “Facebook is for kids.”

These are all excuses that I’ve heard first-hand in working with churches and non-profits for the past 17 years. Excuses are used either when someone is scared to try something new, has a narrow vision for the future, or has been stretched so thin by their employer that they either resist or chance watching the house of cards come tumbling down.

Are you a modern day Luddite, also known as a pessimist, naysayer, or worrywart? And you realists, you are dangerously close to falling into the Luddite group. I offer this olive branch, throw down your book of excuses, and join our revolution of optimism, what ifs, and can you only imagine. We welcome you with open arms.

Did you know that shift happens?

March 16, 2010 in Social Web, Web Ministry with 1 Comment

In recent years, I’ve been sharing the Did You Know?/Shift Happens video during my Web Ministry Past, Present and Future presentations. Like technology itself, this video has evolved rapidly. Originally intended as a what’s new in technology presentation for his colleagues, Colorado high school teacher, Karl Fisch, was able tap the evolution of communications and technology; telling the story simply for all to understand. Now in its fourth iteration, I am continually surprised to hear gasps from the audience when sharing this gem. Enjoy!
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