The Heart of the Matter

H2H PowerPoint Files Now Run on an iPad

I've been getting a handful of questions over the last year asking if we'll have iPad capabilities for our Faith Inkubators' PowerPoint files. My answer has been "no" - too many software incompatibilities exist between PowerPoint and the Mac presentation program Keynote to make it practical.

As of this week, however, the answer has changed to a “yes,” thanks to a new remote Windows desktop app called OnLive Desktop.

This free app consists of two main parts. First, storage for your files on a computer in the "cloud." Secondly, an app on your iPad that turns your iPad into a touch-screen monitor connected to this computer. (Your iPad is basically the monitor connected via the Internet to this cloud computer – a Windows desktop right on your iPad.)

This is pretty much a full-featured remote computer with a full version of MS Office 2010 on it. Any MS Office file you upload runs on this remote computer, and shows up on the screen of your iPad. You touch and tap to launch documents and do almost everything you would normally do when working with Office docs. (Think of it another way – it’s access to a free copy of MS Office. Not a bad deal.)

PowerPoint works like a charm. After uploading, H2H PowerPoint files launch and work just as they would on a normal Windows computer, built-in Flash animation and all. With an external adapter and/or cable connected from your iPad to a projector (which one depends on your model of iPad), you can display and run PowerPoint files for your group. iPad 2 owners reportedly have the option to connect wirelessly using an $99 AppleTV connected to a projector, but we have not tested this ourselves. If this scenario works, it would be a great solution for presenters.

As always, there are some caveats:

1. You'll need a reliable, fast Internet connection in order to run anything from your iPad. Remember - the Internet acts as the connection to this remote computer, so you'll need a solid connection in your presentation space in order for things to work smoothly.
2. In my early testing, I had to wait a few minutes in order to get connected to the OnLive computer that hosts my files. Since the service is new, it is popular, and you may have to endure a delay before you can begin.
3. 2GB of space is your limit. So, you can’t load everything on this remote computer – just the files you’re going to need. A good plan would be to edit the PowerPoint file you’re going to use on a local computer, upload it to OnLive, then present it. You can edit once it’s uploaded, but it may be a little clunky.
4. You will need an appropriate cable or wireless connection to your projector. (See above.)

We’ve tested OnLive with an iPad 1 and an iPad 2 and have seen no real difference in performance. Quality is more predicated on the speed and reliability of your wireless Internet connection than anything else.

There are advanced features you can pay for starting at $5 a month, but for H2H PowerPoint users looking to use their iPads as presentation devices, the free service works great, keeping in mind the caveats above.

 Check out OnLive for all the details.

The Top 9 Things Veteran Guides Have Learned and New Guides Want to Know

My wife, Tracy, used to be a Guide Development Specialist at Trinity Lutheran Church in Stillwater, MN. At a past volunteer meeting, she asked “veteran” confirmation volunteers (we call them "Guides") the things they had learned. I thought you might find the answers interesting. Here is their Top 9:

1.  Over time, the group really does bond.

2.  Conflicts with sports make outside events difficult to plan.

3.  The more we do together as a group, the tighter the group becomes and the more trust grows.

4.  Not all parents are engaged in supporting the program and activities.

5.  Some of the kids know nothing about the Bible.

6.  One person can really impact the dynamics of the group.

7.  Kids love treats and little gifts and these will motivate them.

8.  Kids need help getting focused.

9.  Most kids don’t know the traditional way to sit while in the church sanctuary.

Outside of the general discoveries and rediscoveries about kids (they need help getting focused or learning where to sit), notice #1 and #3: the more time you spend with the group, the more you bond together. This simple fact is so often missed by Guides and Pastors alike – quantity of time really does matter. What’s the payoff? Guides and kids who know each other better trust each other more. People who trust each other are more willing to be real with each other and to be open in matters of faith. This trust level is what moves kids from the head to the heart.

She also asked her new Guides if they had any questions in starting out the year. Here is their Top 9:

1.  What do we do for service and fellowship events?

2.  What kind of help and support will be available if we have discipline challenges?

3.  What is the attendance policy for kids?

4.  What do we do during small group time?

5.  How much do we need to prepare ahead of time?

6.  Should we still get together during the summer?

7.  What is our role during grade retreats?

8.  What happens at the grade retreats?

9.  Will non-Guide parents be substitutes if needed?

The top question doesn’t surprise me. Most Guides are intimidated by the Servant and Fellowship events. The rest of the list is a fairly straightforward inventory of nuts-and-bolts questions about the program.

The reason I’ve shared these two lists is to simply remind you to be aware that no matter which church you are at, your volunteers are going to be discovering many of the same things and asking many of the same questions. Anything you can do to be proactive about lessening their concerns or helping them discover the methods behind the Head to the Heart system will benefit your program and benefit your kids.

Mac OS 10.7 Lion and FINK Discs

The newest Mac OS is out, and it does away with a program called "Rosetta" which helped emulate older programs and tricked them to run on newer Macs. It was seamless, so you probably never noticed it.

The new Mac Lion 10.7 OS does away with this emulator; so a few older programs (including such biggies as Quicken for Mac) will no longer run. The program that launches the parchment-look graphical interface for all Faith Inkubators discs is also one of these now non-supported programs.

Bottom line: Faith Inkubators discs that are opened on a computer running Mac OS 10.7 will not launch the graphical interface as has happened in the past. The disc WILL still open, and you WILL have file-level access to your Faith Inkubators resources, you will simply no longer be able to run the graphical interface to browse your files.

Windows users are not affected by any of this.

Things may change on this, but for now, keep this in mind if you are a Mac user upgrading to OS 10.7 Lion.

Video: Enhancements to H2H Discs for 2011-2012

Starting to explore your new Head to the Heart disc? This video explains the new features.

PowerPoint 2003 Issues - Update

Pastor John Meachen at Good Shepherd Lutheran in Wausau, WI ran into this problem and sent this tidbit of info:

I got things to work by uninstalling the offending update. Go to "Add or Remove Programs" under the control panel and be sure to check the box at the top “show updates”.  Under "Microsoft Office", find the kb2464588 update and uninstall.  Mine was dated 4/15/2011. It works.

John's nephew, Eric Huebner, who works for Microsoft, gives this piece of advice:

You may want to change updates to manual on the machine that is working that PowerPoint otherwise it will likely try to reinstall it each night.

Thanks, guys!