Tuesday, November 20, 2018
Online Covenant cont'd
I put my personal experiences here, related to the Online Covenant, which is here, prepared and made pretty by a guy named Ryan, apparently, at the Earlham School of Religion, at the direction of Matt Hisrich, Dean, who liked this project and decided to give it some space. I must say, it's very impressive in its attractive layout.
The movies themselves are easily watched and interesting. I'm not so sure about the quality. The first one I did back in my bedroom; the wireless connection is somewhat indirect, and about halfway through (~5 30 MT) I started getting signals that the internet connection was weak. What happens, I believe, is that zoom has to bundle eight movies together to make the image you see; if one person even blinks, you should theoretically be able to see it. I started getting images that weren't current, that were frozen for fractions of a second, and I knew I was in trouble. I'd been in the bedroom most of the half hour, so as to avoid the usual puppy-barking, kid-squeaking kind of way things are. But now, back in the bedroom, I realized I'd have to go back.
I got up, walked back into the living room, plugged the computer in, and pressed "record" again; I'd lost about 1-3 minutes. I'm not sure why I had to turn it off in order to move; maybe that happened accidentally, but the first movie bundled itself naturally and I started in on the second.
As a Quaker I'm delighted to get in any room with six or seven other Quakers and discuss our experience with the Light, the spirit. It reminds me of one time I was living in southeast Kansas and decided to go down to the Arky-Okie Quarterly campout in the forest outside of Fayetteville Arkansas. Upon arrival I knew immediately I was with a group of Quakers and I took a deep breath. Being isolated is hard, because there are things one needs to discuss when one is trying to live a spiritual life. And it's good to be in the company of people who are united, basically, by trying to live a spiritual life.
So there are two movies: one is from about 5-5 30, and the other from about 5 33 - 6 03. I am not sure what the consequences of having two would be. I look forward to listening to them, perhaps several times, maybe even transcribing. Transcribing I figure would take either 6-10 hours, or perhaps $60, but both of those are impossible for me at this moment.
In the range from Millenial to Elder, I fall somewhere in between. I think I'm younger than some of the poeple Maurine has identified as elder; but I am the father of one of the millenials. It was an interesting crowd, and I am still reflecting on it. And, I look forward to the next one.
The movies themselves are easily watched and interesting. I'm not so sure about the quality. The first one I did back in my bedroom; the wireless connection is somewhat indirect, and about halfway through (~5 30 MT) I started getting signals that the internet connection was weak. What happens, I believe, is that zoom has to bundle eight movies together to make the image you see; if one person even blinks, you should theoretically be able to see it. I started getting images that weren't current, that were frozen for fractions of a second, and I knew I was in trouble. I'd been in the bedroom most of the half hour, so as to avoid the usual puppy-barking, kid-squeaking kind of way things are. But now, back in the bedroom, I realized I'd have to go back.
I got up, walked back into the living room, plugged the computer in, and pressed "record" again; I'd lost about 1-3 minutes. I'm not sure why I had to turn it off in order to move; maybe that happened accidentally, but the first movie bundled itself naturally and I started in on the second.
As a Quaker I'm delighted to get in any room with six or seven other Quakers and discuss our experience with the Light, the spirit. It reminds me of one time I was living in southeast Kansas and decided to go down to the Arky-Okie Quarterly campout in the forest outside of Fayetteville Arkansas. Upon arrival I knew immediately I was with a group of Quakers and I took a deep breath. Being isolated is hard, because there are things one needs to discuss when one is trying to live a spiritual life. And it's good to be in the company of people who are united, basically, by trying to live a spiritual life.
So there are two movies: one is from about 5-5 30, and the other from about 5 33 - 6 03. I am not sure what the consequences of having two would be. I look forward to listening to them, perhaps several times, maybe even transcribing. Transcribing I figure would take either 6-10 hours, or perhaps $60, but both of those are impossible for me at this moment.
In the range from Millenial to Elder, I fall somewhere in between. I think I'm younger than some of the poeple Maurine has identified as elder; but I am the father of one of the millenials. It was an interesting crowd, and I am still reflecting on it. And, I look forward to the next one.
Saturday, November 10, 2018
Quakers on Zoom - Maurine's Online Covenant
Hello and welcome to my site, and thank you for participating in Maurine's online covenant, which I think will be fantastic. I am the technical coordinator, which means I am here to 1) make sure you can get on Zoom; 2) give you clear directions for getting on it in the coming days, and 3) managing the session itself, so that the recording will accurately reflect the people and what they say. First warning: Everything you say will be recorded, and may be studied by a number of people, from linguists to divinity scholars. Second warning: Although Zoom is very cool and way better than Skype for a number of reasons, it's not nothing, and so we appreciate you putting time into it before we start.
First, Zoom is much like Skype. It's an app and it tells you to put it in "applications" where it will be happy and access your computer video program. It takes you about five minutes to download it on your computer, and to do that you have your computer passwords ready and have rights to download apps onto the computer in the first place (this is an issue for me, working as I do in places where I don't always have those rights). So, take a few minutes, go to zoom.us, and download it. It's easy. Why is it better than Skype? The main reason is that for large video gatherings you can see everyone, and the recording is good. A secondary reason is that since Skype was taken over by Microsoft, for some reason it's less user-friendly, or it may be that people like me can simply never remember their Microsoft passwords or use them in a byzantine Microsoft system. For some people this is not an issue. But zoom doesn't even have a password, or rather, you store the number in your e-mail (which I will give you), then you use the password (which I will give you), and it'll be the same every time. It's quite easy. Recordings are also easy, and I believe you will have access to them if you want (if not write me @ leverett@siu.edu).
It reminds me - I ought to introduce myself to you, just so we can work together more easily, and I would like to say that you should feel free to introduce yourselves as well, and write me by email any time (). I have been a Quaker for about twenty-five years, and have raised ten children to be as Quakerly as I could. I met Maurine in the Southern Illinois Friends Meeting, and we have been close friends since. I have written many Quaker plays, most of which are on this very site. And finally, I'm not really the technical whiz Maurine might infer, but I'm the best she's got, and I've agreed to help her with this.
One other thing I should mention is that you will need a computer with a videocam; almost all computers have one, but some of the older ones don't, and, unlike Skype, you can't jack in to Zoom as a phone call, sound only, from a land line. You have to have internet and be able to download Zoom onto your computer. Another thing you'll need is to make sure your computer is fully charged during the meeting, or near a charger where you can simply plug it in. We forget how much bandwidth it takes to basically send a live-stream video of six to eight people, at the same time sending part from yours to zoom central, and then sending basically eight more (or however many) live-stream movies back to you. You may think that if you don't move around much, or say anything, it will be easier on Zoom; no, it's an entire movie, of eight people, every time, being live-streamed in real-time, and taking in everything including lack of movement. It takes a lot of bandwidth, and you can't do it if your computer is dying, or your internet is too slow to handle it. Most internet, even in the remotest parts of New Mexico or New Hampshire, is fine. If you have internet, and a computer, you'll be fine. If not, go to a cafe or a library (though those places may be unwilling or unable to download zoom - in any case, if you can use their wifi, you're in). These are the olden days of wifi connection and sometime soon we'll be dumbfounded that this was an issue for anyone (as we do now, if you can't type something on Word) - but, sorry if this is an issue for you. Do the legwork now and figure out where you will be on Sunday Nov. 18, 5:00 MT, 6:00 Central time, 7:00 Eastern time, 4:00 Pacific. Anyone in Alaska or Europe? I think we're covered.
OK let's say you've downloaded zoom, and have now been invited to a meeting, which would mean that within your e-mail you have a number that looks like a phone number, and another one that looks like a password. Make sure your times are right: Mountain time (me) is an hour before Central; Central is an hour before Eastern; California and the west coast are an hour behind us in the mountains. Don't forget! Do the time conversions before the whole thing starts, so that you will be sure to be there at the same time we are.
Zoom lets you in right away and lets you control whether we hear your voice or don't, and whether we see you or don't. Please choose yes on both counts. No matter how embarrassing it is for you, we on our end feel better if we have some concept of what you look like, even if it's fuzzy or there are pajamas in the picture. You can turn it on "No video" if you are running to the bathroom, or "no sound" if some jackhammer starts outside, but in general, be conscious of the video, the sound, and the volume. We will want to hear you when you speak. Needless to say, it will help us to see you too.
Thank you one more time for your help in this extraordinary project. I think that the biggest issue facing Quakers today is that so many of us are isolated, which is due partly to our low numbers, so we don't get active involvement with other Quakers regularly. This project addresses that problem, and, if it works, obviously there can and will be more like it. It may cost you an hour on some precious first-days, but will be every bit as useful as we can make it. -Tom Leverett, PO Box 707 Cloudcroft NM 88317, ph. 618 319 2426
First, Zoom is much like Skype. It's an app and it tells you to put it in "applications" where it will be happy and access your computer video program. It takes you about five minutes to download it on your computer, and to do that you have your computer passwords ready and have rights to download apps onto the computer in the first place (this is an issue for me, working as I do in places where I don't always have those rights). So, take a few minutes, go to zoom.us, and download it. It's easy. Why is it better than Skype? The main reason is that for large video gatherings you can see everyone, and the recording is good. A secondary reason is that since Skype was taken over by Microsoft, for some reason it's less user-friendly, or it may be that people like me can simply never remember their Microsoft passwords or use them in a byzantine Microsoft system. For some people this is not an issue. But zoom doesn't even have a password, or rather, you store the number in your e-mail (which I will give you), then you use the password (which I will give you), and it'll be the same every time. It's quite easy. Recordings are also easy, and I believe you will have access to them if you want (if not write me @ leverett@siu.edu).
It reminds me - I ought to introduce myself to you, just so we can work together more easily, and I would like to say that you should feel free to introduce yourselves as well, and write me by email any time (). I have been a Quaker for about twenty-five years, and have raised ten children to be as Quakerly as I could. I met Maurine in the Southern Illinois Friends Meeting, and we have been close friends since. I have written many Quaker plays, most of which are on this very site. And finally, I'm not really the technical whiz Maurine might infer, but I'm the best she's got, and I've agreed to help her with this.
One other thing I should mention is that you will need a computer with a videocam; almost all computers have one, but some of the older ones don't, and, unlike Skype, you can't jack in to Zoom as a phone call, sound only, from a land line. You have to have internet and be able to download Zoom onto your computer. Another thing you'll need is to make sure your computer is fully charged during the meeting, or near a charger where you can simply plug it in. We forget how much bandwidth it takes to basically send a live-stream video of six to eight people, at the same time sending part from yours to zoom central, and then sending basically eight more (or however many) live-stream movies back to you. You may think that if you don't move around much, or say anything, it will be easier on Zoom; no, it's an entire movie, of eight people, every time, being live-streamed in real-time, and taking in everything including lack of movement. It takes a lot of bandwidth, and you can't do it if your computer is dying, or your internet is too slow to handle it. Most internet, even in the remotest parts of New Mexico or New Hampshire, is fine. If you have internet, and a computer, you'll be fine. If not, go to a cafe or a library (though those places may be unwilling or unable to download zoom - in any case, if you can use their wifi, you're in). These are the olden days of wifi connection and sometime soon we'll be dumbfounded that this was an issue for anyone (as we do now, if you can't type something on Word) - but, sorry if this is an issue for you. Do the legwork now and figure out where you will be on Sunday Nov. 18, 5:00 MT, 6:00 Central time, 7:00 Eastern time, 4:00 Pacific. Anyone in Alaska or Europe? I think we're covered.
OK let's say you've downloaded zoom, and have now been invited to a meeting, which would mean that within your e-mail you have a number that looks like a phone number, and another one that looks like a password. Make sure your times are right: Mountain time (me) is an hour before Central; Central is an hour before Eastern; California and the west coast are an hour behind us in the mountains. Don't forget! Do the time conversions before the whole thing starts, so that you will be sure to be there at the same time we are.
Zoom lets you in right away and lets you control whether we hear your voice or don't, and whether we see you or don't. Please choose yes on both counts. No matter how embarrassing it is for you, we on our end feel better if we have some concept of what you look like, even if it's fuzzy or there are pajamas in the picture. You can turn it on "No video" if you are running to the bathroom, or "no sound" if some jackhammer starts outside, but in general, be conscious of the video, the sound, and the volume. We will want to hear you when you speak. Needless to say, it will help us to see you too.
Thank you one more time for your help in this extraordinary project. I think that the biggest issue facing Quakers today is that so many of us are isolated, which is due partly to our low numbers, so we don't get active involvement with other Quakers regularly. This project addresses that problem, and, if it works, obviously there can and will be more like it. It may cost you an hour on some precious first-days, but will be every bit as useful as we can make it. -Tom Leverett, PO Box 707 Cloudcroft NM 88317, ph. 618 319 2426
