- WHAT I LOVE ABOUT SHARPCAST
- WHAT I LOVE ABOUT ADOBE LIGHTROOM
- INSIGHT INTO ISLAM IN THE NORTH AFRICAN SETTING
- GET BY “ON THE CHEAP” WITH TRUECRYPT
- SUPPORT RAISING TRAINING
- SEARCHING FOR EFL MATERIALS FOR AFRICAN CONTEXT
- CLARIFICATION ON SECURITY OF SKYPE-OUT CALLS
- THE CALL FOR TWO BIBLE SUNDAYS ANNUALLY
- EXAMPLES OF INNOVATION IN MISSION
- THANKS FOR THE PARTNERSHIP
- THE BACKPAGE: MORE “COOL TOOLS” FOR THE ROAD
- CLOSING STUFF
- WHAT I LOVE ABOUT SHARPCAST — In a word, *lots*. Find Sharpcast at…
It’s probably best described as an all-encompassing (though somewhat “lightweight”) digital photo archival, sharing, and even editing solution. The first step is to download and install the application on your own PC. (There’s no spyware or adware associated with Sharpcast.) Use this free application to import and clean up photos you’ve captured or scanned. Of course, you might still need more traditional editing software like Photoshop if you plan to do any “heavy lifting.” But if you’re just straightening, lightening, or resizing, Sharpcast can do it all. (Use the “Export” feature to resize.) But the really cool part begins when you realize that the Sharpcast people are *cloning* your photos over to a web-based application as well. There are no limits on space, no limits on resolution, and no limits on time. That’s right — Sharpcast is making a commitment that they’ll stay in business for you there, for free, forever. So how do they intend to make money? By upselling you on additional goods and services, like making prints and enlargements of your photos.
There are other services that let you store photos online. But I think you’ll appreciate the ease with which you can sweep your media into your desktop-installed application, knowing that it’s working in the background to backup everything on your own Sharpcast website. What’s more, you get to decide on an album-by-album basis how broadly you’ll share the material. So you could make non-sensitive photos totally public then use the site as the web-server for all of your digital media. At the push of a button (“Download your photo”), Sharpcast will give you web addresses on a photo-by-photo basis. These URLs are direct and ad-free. In this way, you can make even available photos at different resolution levels for your readers, supporters, and partners. Create a gallery of “web-res” versions for use with email and the web; Create another gallery of “laser-print-res” versions in case your supporters or friends want to print copies on their home printers; and create a final “high-res” version in case family members back home want to print enlargements on photo paper. The good thing is — they’re all free. If you’re working in a sensitive environment, just set up your sharing database so you open up the album only to particular users, restricted by password. The photos aren’t “encrypted”, but nor will they be searched by indexing “spiders”. So they won’t be seen through Google images.
All in all, Sharpcast is a great service, especially for the price — absolutely free. Just remember you heard about it on Brigada. :-)
- WHAT I LOVE ABOUT ADOBE LIGHTROOM –- Only that it just might be the best lightweight, easiest-to-use Windows-compatible photo-editing program around. If your digital camera happens to be like mine (incapable of producing “RAW” format photos), Lightroom is truly a lifesaver. From now on, artists the world over can feel comfortable with a JPG-only digital cameras. What’s more, Lightroom will help you organize, catalogue and tag your digital photos, too. One has to wonder if this program won’t replace Photoshop Elements as one of the best lightweight digital photo-editing packages around. For more information, visit:
- INSIGHT INTO ISLAM IN THE NORTH AFRICAN SETTING — What a difference Jesus will make! Um Daoud, with her years of living and working among Muslims, has once again given us a realistic picture of life for Muslim women. This time, in “Things I Never Told My Mother,” she illustrates the life of thousands who live in more secular Muslim countries and the struggle they face between Western influences on their societies and what little they know of Islam. Things I Never Told My Mother can be found through online book distributors. (Xulon Press, Jan 2007. ISBN: 1602660107. Paperback, 332 pages). For comments or questions you can contact Um Daoud at UmDaoud2004(at)yahoo(dot)com
- GET BY “ON THE CHEAP” WITH TRUECRYPT — Looking for an economic solution to the whole portable encryption question? Look no further. Get TrueCrypt on a 1GB flashdrive from
for $12 including shipping. Almost “cheap as free,” this comprehensive solution will help you cover email for the time being too.
http://meritline.com/1gb-pqi-mr-flash-u172-usb-2-silver.html
(Thanks Raul!)
- SUPPORT RAISING TRAINING — The BodyBuilders “Personal Support Raising Boot Camp” is a two-day intense training for first-time support raisers and under-funded veterans. Their goal: Getting you to 100% in 100 days! Check out their website for more details at http://www.thebodybuilders.net or email
info(at)thebodybuilders(dot)net
Upcoming Boot Camp dates:
Colorado Springs, CO – March 26-27th Jacksonville, FL – April 27-27th Bellflower, CA – June 4-5th Register online today.
- SEARCHING FOR EFL MATERIALS FOR AFRICAN CONTEXT — A team of teachers doing evangelistic EFL classes is looking for curriculum that is culturally appropriate for Africa (not ones which use the Bible to teach English). Is there anything out there? Please send your responses to
dclouser(at)gmail.com
We’ll ask Deb’ to send us a summary job later.
- CLARIFICATION ON SECURITY OF SKYPE-OUT CALLS — Earlier, we mentioned that we had understood that “Skype-out” calls were not secure. This was due, in part, to the fact that we noted that the “padlock” icon was not visible on these types of calls. But thanks to a point-in-the-right- direction from our good friend, Justin, we’ve now learned that even Skype-out calls are secure until the point at which they tie into the PSTN (regular telephone or mobile phone) number/phone number. This clarification came directly from the FAQ materials at the Skype website. So to clarify, Skype-out calls *are* encrypted until they are transformed into normal telephone copper.
- THE CALL FOR TWO BIBLE SUNDAYS ANNUALLY — Annual Talking Bible Sundays are now possible in thousands of churches so that God’s people can become aware and involved. A Talking Bible Sunday helps God’s people become aware that millions of Christians living in oral cultures do not read. They come to recognize that Talking Bibles in the hearer’s own language are the exciting new possibility in this digital, microchip era. Hence the call from Talking Bibles International for churches to observe two Bible Sundays annually – the well known Gideon Bible Sunday and the newer Talking Bible Sunday. For more information visit
http://www.talkingbibles.org or contact
info(at)talkingbibles(dot)org
- EXAMPLES OF INNOVATION IN MISSION — Are you looking for inspiration in your ministry? Jim Reapsome (retired editor of EMQ) and Jon Hirst (Director of Communications at HCJB Global) have just launched a book that showcases the innovations of thirteen mission practitioners. Whether you want to learn about how TEAM launched e-learning, how Olive Technologies integrates business as mission, and how Link Care and YWAM are re-imagining member care in the developing world, these quick case studies provide a great workshop to help you innovate within your ministry context. Read more about the book at
http://www.authenticbooks.com/search/isbn/1932805761
and
- THANKS FOR THE PARTNERSHIP — Thanks to recent Brigada donors which included $21.20 from Blessed Hope, a Christian owned US long distance service with cheap rates for people living in the USA. Get 4.9 cents per minute interstate rates with no monthly or hidden fees. If you are paying higher rates, then visit this site.
http://www.lowermyphonebill.com/brigada
and $25 from Magazine Training Int’l, equipping Christian magazine publishers for effective ministry in East-Central Europe, Asia and around the world. Learn more about their work at:
http://www.magazinetraining.com
Can you join them in spurring Brigada on to good works? Just visit:
and click on “Sponsor/Donate” in the top menu (to use PayPal or a credit card), or if you prefer, send a check payable to Team Expansion to: Team Expansion (Brigada secretary), 13711 Willow Reed Dr., Louisville, KY 40299. (Team Expansion is a 501(c)3 incorporation so for USA citizens, your checks made out to Team Expansion are tax-deductible.) As always, be sure to let us know if you’d like us to promote any particular service or ministry, or if you’d prefer your gift be anonymous. And thank you in advance for helping.
- THE BACKPAGE: MORE “COOL TOOLS” FOR THE ROAD — In the past couple of editions of Brigada Today, we’ve listed some tools to help you leverage your travel for greater effectiveness (or at least more fun). So far, we’ve listed…
*** #1: “Determine to beat jet lag”
*** #2: “Sleep East, Party West”
*** #3: “Gear up to sleep” (Eye screen, Ear plugs, Travel pillow, an extra blanket, empty seats, bad movies eastbound, floss & brush, and even your favorite house slippers)Today we cover Tool #4: Herding *kids* while traveling. Truly, this is a heartbeat item, as is evidenced by the email I recently received from a faithful Brigada participant from Taiwan, who wrote, ” In my experience… when a small child has jet lag… EVERYONE has jet lag… no matter how much I *believe* that my kids aren’t awake at 3AM and want to go to the park and play… it doesn’t seem to make them sleepy at all.” LOL Well said, Scott. So how can we help kids make the most of their time in the air and/or on the road with us? Well books could be written, for sure, but we’ll just list 5 principles to get the juices stirring…
****** a) Keep ’em busy — As anyone who travels can tell you, you have to plan ahead so you’ll have appropriate activities, interesting games, familiar (but replaceable) toys and, best of all, cool snacks. Use your imagination. Think like a kid. Ask for their input before you ever leave to go there.
****** b) [For infants and toddlers], Take along a stroller — Even though it will seem like a hassle, a stroller will help you in several key ways. First, it’s “home base” for all your stuff. Second, it’s a home base for the *munchkin*. Third, it’s a protected “security zone”. And finally, it’s a roving sleeper-car. You probably get the point on all those.
****** c) [For infants], Get them an airline bed — Again, this takes advanced planning. Some airlines still let you use the portable beds that fasten to the wall of the bulkhead. Several others have apparently ceased that practice. But in its place, they’ve come up with other strategies. Call around. Find a kid-friendly airline that flies where you fly. If worse comes to worse, pay the 10% extra ticket price to book a *seat* for your infant, and just drag along a cheap car seat that you pick up at a yard sale. See “b” above.
****** d) Recruit a partner to help you care for the kids — On a recent trip to the Balkans, while accompanying a young couple headed to one of Team Expansion’s mission fields, I took a turn caring for their 8-month- old baby so they could get at least *some* sleep through the night. I walked laps around the plane. I rocked her, bounced her, and otherwise entertained her for at least a *while* so the family could snooze. Find someone who will go along and do the same for you — and more.
****** e) Finally, remember the power of some potent cough medicine. [grin] If your child has a cold or congestion, it’s especially important… and that cough medicine just might be the ticket to put them to sleep for hours. I’m not saying drug ’em and forget about ’em. But at the same time, if the medicine is appropriate, and if it happens to make them drowsy, *use* it. [grin]
Next edition, more cool travel tools for the road, including the story of “the rat I recently killed” while traveling.
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