Does your laptop battery die out halfway through a meeting?  (I just spent over $100 to replace a laptop battery that was only good for twenty minutes!)

Today, I’ll share some tips to keep your camera, phone, and laptop batteries running longer and at “full capacity,” saving you money.  (To understand batteries better, you might want to read this entire post and the recommended reading at the end.)

All Batteries

The “low” indicator doesn’t mean low power.  It’s more of a “time left” indicator. You probably should avoid draining your battery ALL the way down EVERY time, just go to a low level.

If your charger doesn’t shut off when it’s done, charge your battery during the day so you don’t overcharge it.  Otherwise, leaving the battery on your charger overnight is okay.

Camera Batteries

If you know you’ll be taking a lot of pictures, or are really depending on your camera to make it through the whole event, or the whole day, be sure to charge your camera battery ahead of time, o...

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Do you make resolutions every January 1st? No matter what you think of resolutions, we know it takes repeated effort to form a new habit.  Here’s some ideas for the new year.

Read the Bible Through

Reading the entire Bible in a year is a frequent and good resolution for a new year. My friend, Keith, found a great way to do it last year, using YouVersion and his smart phone. (See related posts below)

Do Reimbursements Online

A little over a year ago, I started doing reimbursements online.  I’m currently trying to record expenses within a week’s time.  It’s more efficient for me to record an expense online shortly after it occurs.  I don’t have to keep logs and pieces of paper anymore (except for necessary receipts); I just enter the expenses and mileages until I’m ready to submit.  I’ll write a post about this, but in the meantime, go to Staff Services on the Staff Web and get started.

Sign Up to Be an Online Missionary

If you’ve been planning to sign up to help with EveryStudent.com, Jesus for Women...

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If you have a mobile phone, you might be interested in downloading the free Google Goggles app, especially (but not necessarily) if you do a lot of traveling.

This mobile app allows you to do searches with images.   You take a photo of something and then search:

• in order to locate information about a book on the internet
• to identify a landmark
• to translate an item on a menu
• to identify products and artwork

You can also take a photo of a business card and move the information to the contact list on your phone.

How are you using Google Goggles?

Filed under: eTools, eZ tips, free downloads, Google, internet, mobile apps, photos, search engines, travel Tagged: free downloads, Google, internet, mobile apps, video, YouTube

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Do  Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google, Wikipedia, Google Maps, GMail, Foursquare, Amazon, and more, make your life easier for traveling, shopping, and communicating?  Then you’ll enjoy this fun video of Mary, Joseph, and the three wise men immersed in our world of social media.

Filed under: communicating, connecting, eMail, eTools, eZ tips, Facebook, following, for moms, Google, internet, just for fun, mobile apps, networking, search engines, social networking, texting, travel, Twitter, video, Websites Tagged: eMail, Facebook, Google, Google Maps, internet, mobile apps, social media, Twitter, video, Wikipedia, YouTube

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I’m sure you’re aware of the growing collaborative nature of the internet (see this Wikipedia explanation of Web 2.0).  Many ministry sites are leaving behind passive web sites and moving ahead to involve others in ministry using the internet.  If you want to change the world using volunteers and/or disciples who are freely contributing to a project, whether or not you plan to use technology to do it, then I recommend you watch this excellent thirteen-minute Ted talk by Clay Shirky, an expert on the social and economic effects of technology.

Some highlights from the talk are:

• People are generous with their time, wanting to share and create,
• The internet allows them to freely contribute content, not just consume,
• People are motivated to add communal and/or civic value to a project,
• The number of people who are able to contribute to projects will grow as more people use technology, and
• We can change the world by supporting and rewarding these people as they work together with us.

Clay Shirky concludes...

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