Well folks, I have done the unthinkable. After spending a good portion of the last five years defending Windows and resisting Apple, I have gone out and bought myself a new Apple MacBook Pro. Many of you might be scratching your head saying, “Wasn’t this the same guy that slammed Apple in two of his previous blog posts (Apple vs. PC: Round 1, Apple vs. PC: Round 2)?” And the answer to that question would indeed be “Yes”.

As I stated in my previous posts, I never disliked Apple; I merely made a case that unless you were looking to specialize in audio or video, PC was the way to go. As a previous Apple advocate for 9 years (before I made the switch to Windows), there were a number of things that bugged me about Apple – many of which still do. But I finally made the decision to return to my roots and decide (again) for myself if Apple is indeed the best way to go for the majority of users. For me, I work on a number of video projects for youth and church events, so it gave me a little bit of an excuse to make the switch.

My hope is that for the next few months, I will be able to provide my unbiased thoughts and experiences for those of you that are considering making the switch from Windows to Apple. Call it a diary if you will.

So without further a due, let me begin.

Journal Entry #1: March 9-20

March 9 – The new Macbook arrived! Packing and delivery was incredible. Very excited to test out the new system!

March 10-13 – First thing I did on the new Apple was installed Parallels and a copy of Windows XP. I figure that if I want to be productive, I am going to need to make this a transition rather that a cold-turkey approach. I spoke with a couple of good friends (Brandon Cotter from ViewZi and Josh Lake from Muskoka Woods) that have made the transition from PC to Mac and they told me to prepare for a very frustrating couple of weeks. (I would soon come to understand what they meant.)

I went out and bought a copy of Office for Mac. I had some basic experience with Entourage (Microsoft’s version of Outlook for Apple) before, so I was generally prepared for what to expect. The reason that I want Entourage is because I have a Blackberry that uses Exchange Server (which was one of the top I/T decisions I ever made), so therefore I needed a mail client that had Exchange Server support. My decision for going with MS Office (rather than OpenOffice or iWork) was merely for the sake of familiarity. I may eventually switch to another Office suite, but for now, I decided to stick with what I know.

March 14-16 – I have never been so frustrated with a computer. Not because it’s not a good machine, but because there are so many things that need to be transitioned to the new Apple environment before I become productive. If I want to do anything that has a deadline attached to it, I quickly switch back over to my Windows box. I can now see what Brandon and Josh meant by the “two weeks of frustration”. Additionally, Entourage is one of the most disappointing mail programs ever invented! (Ironic that it’s a Microsoft product…LOL.) It doesn’t handle forwarding HTML-formatted emails well and it doesn’t have the same flexibility that Outlook does. Therefore, as per Brandon’s recommendation, I am switching back to Outlook (running on Parallels). The touch pad will also take some getting used to; I find myself a little frazzled by it (although I do see the benefits which I will explain at another time). The one thing I do LOVE about the touchpad is the ability to scroll up or down in any browser window (or document for that matter) merely by sliding two of my fingers along the touchpad.

March 17-20 – I decided to take the machine away with me for vacation. Understand that my idea of vacationing includes a proportionate amount of work. :) I figured that by having my Mac with me, and not having the option to switch back to PC, it would be a good (forced) opportunity for me to learn some of the features. Let me stop here and say, “Spaces” (a program that allows you to create multiple virtual desktops on a single Mac) is one of the best programs ever invented. I can literally run all of my graphic design programs in one space, all of my documentation programs in the second space, all of my coding programs is the third space, and so on. You can create as many spaces as you want; it’s brilliant.

I’ll end Part 1 here; stay tuned for Part 2 coming next week! So far I am very impressed with the Apple (Leopard) OS. If you’re thinking of switching from Windows to Apple, make sure you have your Tylenol stash stocked up; the first couple of weeks will give you a lot of headaches. Hopefully in the end, it will be a good transition. Next week I’ll talk about some of the things that I wasn’t able to do before (on Windows) along with a number of things that I still can’t do on Apple (that I can on Windows). Stay tuned!

Oh, one last thing… my computer hasn’t crashed yet!

"I use Mindjet Mindmanager - you should too!"
- Me

This post is a testimonial for a product by a happy consumer so I made up a quotation and attributed it to myself. In the off-hand chance that me putting quotes around something I've written isn't compelling enough, let me explain a bit about what Mindjet Mindmanager is and why I use it.

Mindmanager is a great tool for mapping out your thoughts, preparing for a presentation, creating a flowchart or even managing tasks. A few of us around here have been working with it for a while now and I personally really value how this program provides a quick and easy way to put together a visual representation of a complex idea or thought process. Having a visual reference allows me to more effectively see where there may be weaknesses and address them. It's also a great way to maintain a record of my thoughts and ideas.

Mindmanager 8 has been released recently and it includes some extremely valuable updates to the software.

There's a 30-day free trial, so I'd encourage you to give it a try and consider investing in this great tool for your ministry or non-profit.

If you thought the duck herding video was amazing, then check this out!

On April 14, Microsoft will end its free support for all Windows XP Home and Professional operating systems, along with its Office 2003 suite. It will also be discontinuing support for Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 which was released about four years ago.

Microsoft will continue to offer paid and extended support for customers that have purchased extended plans until 2012 for Office and 2014 for Windows XP. They will also provide free security updates until the end of the extended support dates.

What this means for churches and ministries:

If you have any computers that run Windows XP (which you probably do), the only way to get support for them (from Microsoft) will be to purchase an extended support plan. However, if all you do is use Windows Update to download security fixes as they become available, you need not worry for a few more years.

If your church/ministry still has any computers that run Windows 2000, paid support ends on July 13, 2010, which probably means that Microsoft will no longer release any further security updates beyond that point. You will probably want to get those machines moved over to Windows XP sooner than later.

Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.

I have sworn an oath and confirmed it,
to keep your righteous rules.

I am severely afflicted;
give me life, O LORD, according to your word!

Accept my freewill offerings of praise, O LORD,
and teach me your rules.

I hold my life in my hand continually,
but I do not forget your law.

The wicked have laid a snare for me,
but I do not stray from your precepts.

Your testimonies are my heritage forever,
for they are the joy of my heart.

incline my heart to perform your statutes
forever, to the end.

(Ps. 119:105-112, ESV)

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[Recently, we embarked on our first ever co-op experience with Paul Mawdsley, a Grade 12 student from South Secondary School here in London, ON. Paul is considering getting into marketing and his ultimate goal is to work for a Major League Baseball team, ideally the Toronto Blue Jays. From time-to-time, we hope to feature some of Paul’s thoughts on Xpiritmental. As a kick-off though, here’s an introductory post that talks about how Paul is addressing the big decisions that this time of life has brought to him.]

A little over a month ago, my guidance councilor made me aware that I did not have enough University level credits to get into University next year. After hearing the news, I spent a day or so deciding what I needed to do: whether it be to drop my co-op and pick up two University credits or just go back to high school next year. I decided to go back for another year and continue on with my co-op here at Gateseven.

Since I was not going to University next year, it meant that I was not under as much pressure to work full-time during the summer. This also allowed me to go on a ten day mission/conference trip to Washington, DC. It seemed so coincidental that I did not have the right credits to get in to University and that this trip had been double booked so then I was able to get a place.

It seemed like God was calling me to go to DC and to experience firsthand the hardships of some of the people who have become homeless or have been homeless for a while. This seemed like a place where God could use me to spread his glorious love to these people.

This is where it gets confusing. On March 2, I got home from school and saw a package on the computer desk with my name on it. I quickly ripped it open and found inside that I had been accepted to go to the University of Laurentian.

I did not think of it right away, but what would this mean regarding my plans this summer? Did God change his mind on what he needs me to do? What do I do?

All I guess all one can really do is talk with God and hope that he shows you the way. Also, I would like to follow what God has in store for me and not end up in a ‘Jonah’ situation.

Any advice or comments are always appreciated.

This may be a concept that doesn’t need much explaining but at the same time, it’s a concept that has big consequences and one that is good to be reminded of.

This topic came to mind a couple days ago when Andrew and I were talking about some home improvements (hold your excitement Tim Allen, that ship has sailed) and we got to talking about our favorite places to shop for items to get the job done. My favorite place to shop is the Canadian-owned big box, RONA. Now I am not so sure it is because of anything RONA has done well, but rather, because of my disdain for the other major option, Home Depot. I detest that store with a passion, let me tell you why. In two words, unfulfilled promises.

You may be aware of the Home Depot tagline “You can do it, we can help.” The truth be told, that’s a great line that really appeals to me and likely a lot of other people. I want to get stuff done but I don’t have all the know-how or tools to be a considered a handyman. To make a long story short, they did not live up to that line. Time after time I would go in and have a hard time finding someone, and when I did they either did not work in the section I was in, didn’t know the answer to the questions I had, or told me the person that could help me had left or was not working that day.

After about five or six experiences like that I stopped shopping there, and won’t ever again. After my experience the tagline should have been “You can do it, you’ll be lucky if we can help you”.

My point here is, be careful what you promise to your customers. All businesses need to promote themselves in some way. My intent with this post is to encourage you to be careful and purposeful in the angle you choose. If you do promise (promote) something it is absolutely critical to follow through. Failure to do so is parallel to lying to your customer base. In my example the “We Can Help” portion of Home Depots tagline is where I feel lied to. Ultimately, who among us likes to feel betrayed?

So this brings me to my last point. Sometimes companies promote themselves in a certain light just to gain attention with no intent of follow through. That is a bad and short-sighted practice that will come back to bite you in the end. Not only from a business stand point but it is also something God does not want us doing. Honesty really is the best practice.

RONA has gained me as a loyal customer because they haven’t broken any promises simply because they haven’t made any. When I go there, I find helpful people, their store hours are great and their prices are comparable. So I am encouraging you, for your business, to take care of the details well and the rest will fall into place.

I'm not sure what's better: the guy almost getting smoked with the Mentos Missle or the laughter of the camera guy - either way, happy first day of spring, and happy casual Friday!

Here’s a great article about a church that’s using Google AdWords to increase their exposure – to great success. The article also contains some helpful basics about AdWords for the uninitiated. Enjoy!

Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, "This man is calling Elijah." And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, "Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him." And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. (Matthew 27:45-50, ESV)

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We often come across a situation with non-profit entities where they lose track of or access to an important tool in their communications arsenal. The reason for this is as people are put in charge of different aspects of an organizations communications, they often go and sign up for things like Google Analytics with their personal email account. But when that person moves on from their job or membership, the company/organization looses track of the access, let alone the existence of that really valuable account.

So wherever possible, when signing up on behalf of an organization, always try to sign up using a generic email account like info@yourorganization.com that’s monitored by a few different people. That way, you reduce the risk of losing track of, or access to, information that's important to the future of the organization.

"The closer you get to someone, something, some brand, some organization... the harder it is to demonize it, objectify it or hate it.

So, if you want to not be hated, open up. Let people in. Engage. Interact."

- Seth Godin

Saw this on Mark Peterson’s blog earlier this week as he referenced it from yet another blog. In the words of Stephen Taylor, the author of that blog:

"I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed the birth of a new art-form as it happened. Take the simple concept of the mash-up, use the sum of human social collaboration on youtube as your orchestra, edit on your home computer and release for global consumption."

Check out the whole album here.

"His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you." (Matthew 28:3-7, ESV)

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For many of our design projects, we have a process whereby we print out all the designs we are working on and either stick them up on a wall or lay them out on a table in some semblance of order and do an overview of the entirety of the design project to date. This is mostly done with design projects like a website, a book or a magazine where there are many pages to be designed and a number of different structures and layouts.

I’m currently managing a web project where we got to the point of doing this process and was reminded of how valuable it is to be able to see the whole project in one big overview. We were quickly able to pick out and deal with inconsistencies in the structure of the site that would have presented significant usability issues to website visitors had they gone unnoticed.

But it strikes me that this isn’t only a valuable procedure in the context of a design project. It’s also something that we should be doing from an organizational standpoint on a regular basis. At times, we can get so caught up in our specific area of responsibility, that we miss out on how what we’re doing in our area might be out of step with the organization as a whole.

So do your best to keep the big picture in the back of your mind as you go about your day-to-day work and make time on a regular basis to purposefully step back as an individual or team and evaluate whether you’re on track or not with each of your endeavors.

Craig found this video over at brandfreak.com and sent it to the team this morning and I wanted to post it on Xpiritmental because it's an outstanding example of the power of viral video.

From the Brand Freak website:

"BlackBerry didn't commission the ad, which was released last week and has already logged more than 500,000 views on YouTube. In fact, RIM rejected the ad, which was created on spec by New York production house Guava Studios. But Michael Donovan, managing director of Guava, has made lemonade out of blackberries. He says he's gotten calls from all over the world about the ad and that traffic to Guava's site has risen twelvefold. Not bad for a video that lasts all of 19 seconds."

I just finished watching a George Strombolopolous interview with Heather Reisman, CEO of Indigo Books & Music Inc. in which she indicated that despite the state of the economy, Indigo's sales have remained steady.

George proceeded to ask the next logical question which was "why?", and Heather's response was really nebulous.  She said, "there is 'something' about what we do that happens to fit for the times".

And although her response was vague, I can definitely identify with what she was driving at. There is something about a physical book and a bookstore that, no matter how much great content I can consume online, remains attractive and desireable.

That impression reminds me of the ongoing debate about online community and whether it's truly possible to have "community" online via social media tools. Undoubtedly, the answer to that question comes down to how you define community, but the reality in any case is that while online communities are proving to be very powerful tools for businesses and ministries alike, there really is 'something' unique about the presence of a real person that needs to accompany those efforts. So write that blog post, tweet that recent revelation and update your Facebook status regularly. But don't forget to connect with your audiences in person too. There's 'something' about it that fits for all times.

Today is a big day, an exciting day and a nervous day for many people in and spectators of the NHL.

After 3pm this afternoon, hockey teams will no longer be able to make trades until the Stanley Cup is awarded sometime this summer. Why is this such a big deal? For some teams it’s a last chance to strengthen their roster to make a run at a championship, for others it’s a chance to set themselves up to be more competitive in the future and for some teams it’s a chance to dump their problems on someone else.

I, like many people in North America, am keeping a window from TSN.ca / NHL.com open in the corner of my monitor today to see all the exciting things that will transpire. In the next 5 hours some teams will be greatly transformed.

Realizing this got me thinking how much some lives will change today. In an instant the players involved in these trades must completely uproot their lives and families and start over in a completely new place. It must be hard to go into work today for these guys and not know if they are going to be there still by the end of the day. Then again, maybe that is a small sacrifice for bringing home a couple million dollars a year.

Then I got to thinking about how thankful I am that our industry doesn’t work that way. How different would things be if one day a year companies were in a big panic to trade employees around in an effort to make themselves more competitive, efficient and profitable. Do I work harder to make myself indispensable? Or does my hard work make me worth more in a trade? Do I slack off so I’m not trade worthy? Or would that see me going somewhere else in exchange for a new fax machine?

The point here is to be thankful for where you work. We all work hard but in comparison to athletes the sacrifices many of us make in our own jobs are small. Sure they make a lot more money, but would you want to get the call that you're moving 1,500km and you need to be there full time tomorrow? I know I wouldn’t.

Oh, worship the King
All glorious above:
Oh, gratefully sing
His power and His love,
Our Shield and Defender,
The Ancient of Days,
Pavilioned in splendor
And girded with praise!

Oh, tell of His might,
Oh, sing of His grace,
Whose robe is the light,
Whose canopy space!
His chariots of wrath
The deep thunder-clouds form,
And dark is His path
On the wings of the storm.

(Verses from "Oh, Worship the King", Robert Grant, 1779-1838)

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I stopped for gas on the way home from work yesterday and as I was walking into the station to pay, I held the door for a lady that was behind me. She thanked me as she came through the door and proceeded to pick up a copy of our local daily newspaper. As she did that, she said to me, “wow, this paper keeps getting smaller and smaller every day”.

That exchange reminded me of a really intriguing seminar that Mark and I had the privilege of attending a few weeks ago. It was a seminar for the Eastern Canada Farm Writers’ Association (ECFWA) called Deciphering Social Media Tools. Being a presentation for a writer’s association, the focus of much of the presentation was on how social media, and more specifically, user-generated content like this blog, have affected journalism.

David Jones, of Hill & Knowlton Canada and author of the popular PR blog, prworks.ca and Ira Basen of the CBC made up two-thirds of the panel. Both are trained in traditional journalism and both have become students and users of social media tools over the past number of years. They spent a lot of time discussing how journalism has moved from a 1.0 model predicated on the ethic of filter content (i.e. editor), then publish, to the current 2.0 model that operates on a publish, then filter (i.e. crowdsourced) model.

Both clearly had a preference for the editorial model as they felt that it brought a level of accountability to the publishing of content and they cited real examples of challenges that unfiltered/unverified content have caused. For instance, last year, some of you may recall that a report was listed on CNN’s citizen-journalism platform iReport.com that Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, was suffering from chest pains and had been taken to the hospital. It turned out that the story was completely false, but in the hour that it took Apple to find out about and respond to the claim, Apple shares had dropped 5.4%.

So while I agree with both panellists in that they have a valid concern with the “publish, then filter“ model, there remain real challenges to the editorial-based, “filter, then publish” model as well. One need only remember back to the 2004 U.S. Presidential elections when at any given time, a TV viewer or Internet user could flip back and forth between CNN and Fox News to find totally different sets of numbers as to the “up-to-date election results” of the candidates. Predictably, on Fox News, President Bush was running way ahead and on CNN, U.S. Senator John Kerry was in the lead.

If nothing else then, what social media in the form of "journalism 2.0" has brought to the table has been an opportunity for a different voice to be heard in the arena and hopefully a level of accountability to be brought to a mainstream media base that has been proven to contain bias.