DropBox - Sending Stuff Safe and Easy

I have had several pals asking me about using Dropbox lately, so I thought I would do a quick Blog post on my workflow for sending files on a Mac. At the end I will give some more info on why Dropbox is so very awesome, and why you need to sign up for a free account (Here) if you haven’t already. (Let me know if you would like to set up an account - if you refer a new user with Dropbox, both parties get an extra 500MB of storage.) Also, I have some cool Dropbox quick facts that may surprise you.

OK, So lets get started. Assuming you already have a Dropbox account setup, I am going to share with you the best way to send stuff quickly and safely over the inter-web. Most people just create a New Folder on their Dropbox account and then share that folder with other people via email invitation. While this is great for collaborative projects with several parties, it is not the best option if you just want to send some files.

For this example - Let’s say I took a bunch of Pics at a family get together, and I want to get everyone hi-res versions of them.

Why “Sharing Folders” is a Bad Habit

First of all, (this Is probably just a personal issue) I am a minimalist. Or at least I pretend to be, haha! Anyway, if you use Dropbox a lot, and you create and share a new folder for everything, you will quickly clutter up your Dropbox account. For example, If I took pics at several different family events I would find myself “Sharing” several different Dropbox folders, or with one big unorganized “Family” folder. Eventually, I would have a large mess on my hands. Also, I don’t want pictures from 5 years ago using up my free storage space on Dropbox.

Second, and more importantly, is Safety. Lets say you are sharing a folder with someone, and they get the files they need. Did you know that they will have access to that folder until you delete it? You may have worked on the project several months ago, forgotten about the folder, and then use it for something else. Everyone that was ever sharing that folder has continued access to that folder. Or let’s say you have several different shared folders, and in a hurry - or accidentally - you drop a very sensitive file into the wrong folder. Again, everyone will have access to that in your shared folder. With the Family get together example, Let’s just say Uncle Carl and Aunt Kate aren’t married any more. You don’t want to be sending him pics of “Uncle Jeff and Aunt Kate”. hahah!

Third, some files are just a pain. For example Video files. I have come to find that these are a real pain to send via Dropbox shared folders. The main thing is that Dropbox tries to play the video through your browser. If your Granny doesn’t have a really good internet connection, playback will be choppy and slow. And then she will complain to you about how her computer doesn’t work. Am I right or what?!

A Better (and Easier) Alternative - the Public Folder

(NOTE: If you do not see a “Public Folder”, you may have accidentally deleted it. No prob! just create a new folder and name it “Public”.)

Send compressed .ZIP files to your relatives, or anyone, following these steps. They don’t even need to have a Dropbox account.

Step 1:

Create a new folder on your desktop and name it “GrannysHouse_10.4.2012”

Step 2:

Put all the files inside that you want to share with people. Pictures, Videos, Documents, etc., etc.

Step 3:

Compress your folder into a .ZIP file (just right click and choose “Compress”)

Step 4:

Put the newly created .ZIP file into your Dropbox “Public” folder

Step 5:

You will see the blue spinning arrows, as the .ZIP file is uploading. When it turns into a green check you are ready to send a link.

Just right click on the .Zip file and choose “Copy Public Link”. Now you can go to your email and hit paste in the memo area. You will see a URL link to that Zip file.

Now you can send that email to anyone you want and they just need to click the link to download the Zip file. When they do download it, all they have to do is double click to uncompress the zip file back into a normal folder, full of all the goodies you wanted them to have.

Also, on your end, organization of your Public folder is quick and easy if you name your .zip files descriptively and delete files that are old.

Is DropBox King of the Cloud?

This is just one scenario, but I have found this process is great pretty much anytime I need to send large files quickly and easily. I worked in the Printing industry for years and have had to deal with the frustration of trying to send and receive large files. Logging onto FTP sites, passwords, file size limitations, etc, etc, all made the process a major headache. The need for Apps like DropBox is great and will only continue to grow. That being said, since I have been using DropBox other file storage and sharing Apps have been popping up like weeds. Some of them are startups like DropBox, but others are from companies you may have already heard of Google, Apple, or Microsoft. hahah! So yeah, the need for sending files through clouds is an ever changing market that has really just begun. I have very limited use with the others, so I can’t really make any suggestions about these apps. If you do a quick Google search like “DropBox alternatives”, you will find an abundance of comparisons between the major Apps. Some of the more popular ones are Google Drive, Microsoft SkyDrive, Apple iCloud, Sugar Sync. Each offer similar services, but you may find one that fits your exact needs.

While I may change my mind in the future, the simplicity of Dropbox makes it an easy choice. The scenario I mentioned above cannot get any simpler, and it’s easy for computer beginners, like “Granny”, to just get the stuff they want.

Quick DropBox facts:

• Dropbox has more than 50 million users.
• People save one billion files to Dropbox every 48 hours.
• Dropbox is installed on 250 million different devices.
• Dropbox is offered in five languages: English, Spanish, French, German, and Japanese.
• Dropbox has paying customers in 175 countries.
• More than half of Dropbox users are from outside the U.S.
• People in over two million businesses are using Dropbox.

Links and References:

• Dropbox website
• set up Dropbox on your computer - Here
• DropBox artwork (drawings seen above - see more here)
• Recent CNET article comparing cloud services

-Also, just a side note. I was looking for a “king” image to put in the blog. Instead of using clip art, I found a logo that I made for my friend Jason King. If you need a cool logo, please, let me know. Working together we can reduce the worldwide use of bad clip art one project at a time. hahaha -

-tks -vh

Lobbying for Hobby Lobby

This is not a political blog, nor do I intend to make it one. That being said, I do want to mention some news from last week that I feel will go unnoticed by most conservative, creative folks out there. The company Hobby Lobby, based in Oklahoma City, OK has come under fire for their stance against the White House’s HHS mandate (Health & Human Services). Hobby Lobby’s CEO and founder David Green is a Christian. Last week he said in a statement, "We simply cannot abandon our religious beliefs to comply with this mandate”, and “With great reluctance” followed with a federal lawsuit challenging the mandate. So what is the big deal about this healthcare mandate? Part of the White House’s recent heath care law requires employers to provide coverage for the morning-after pill and similar drugs that may cause the end of a life. Green also states, “It goes against the biblical principles on which we have run this company since day one. If we refuse to comply, we could face $1.3 million per day in government fines.” This will begin January 2013 when the insurance year starts.

As you can probably imagine, this has stirred debate about Pro-Life vs. Pro-Choice, with some mentioning boycotts of Hobby Lobby. I have read some articles and comments concerning boycotts and am quite surprised at some of the viewpoints. Here is one example. I also find it disconcerting, that in the quest for Pro-Choice laws and regulations, many of these commenters don’t seem to realize that this healthcare mandate is being forced upon some U.S. citizens who do not wish to participate. Can you really justify a boycott because Hobby Lobby doesn’t want to participate in buying some of these drugs that go against their values? On a much less important note, it seems that several of the boycott comments are rather partisan, and simply showing irritation toward “selfish” conservatives. I would submit to those individuals David Green’s statement. He mentions that Hobby Lobby has been adding jobs during this weak economy, starts full-time employees 80% above minimum wage, and is closed on Sundays so workers can spend time with family. With all of these things considered, I think that Hobby Lobby would be one of the last places that U.S. citizens would wish to boycott.

The 40 year history of Hobby Lobby is a pretty amazing story, and David Green is quick to praise the Lord for the store’s success. I hope you will take the time to read his statement concerning Hobby Lobby’s actions. It’s only a few paragraphs. The links for this and other articles I have referenced are at the bottom of this post.

I never knew that Hobby Lobby was owned by a Christian until a few years back. When strolling through the aisles, I recognized the music coming from the speakers. It was classical guitarist Christopher Parkening who is a Christian. I was able to hear Parkening play in concert as well as hear his testimony when I was In college. Truly amazing music! (Parkening is a world renowned guitarist, and actually just retired this summer. Check out his website here.) Anyway, hearing a Christian artist in the store surprised me, and since then I have been a huge fan of Hobby Lobby.

So to those that are Christian creatives, I would ask that you make it a point to add Hobby Lobby to your next shopping list. Not only is it a really cool place to find art stuff, it is also a company that is run on biblical principals. To be honest, Hobby Lobby’s stance on the White House’s Health and Human Services mandate is ancillary. I will conclude with one more quote from David Green’s statement which will summarize why I am “Lobbying for Hobby Lobby”.

“We're Christians, and we run our business on Christian principles. I've always said that the first two goals of our business are 1) to run our business in harmony with God's laws, and 2) to focus on people more than money.” - David Green

Hobby Lobby Boycott info & Links:

-David Green Column in USA Today’s opinion Poll

-The Houston Chronicle -Article-

Here is a link to another interesting article

-5 Companies Like Chick-fil-A



Update 11.1.12 (click here)
Hobby Lobby Must Obey HHS Mandate

The Old Spice Commercial on Steroids

As many of you know I love commercials. If you haven’t seen the recent Old Spice commercials, you are missing out. (See some of them here) They are 30 second mix of ridiculous, masculine scenes with tough guys in crazy scenarios. When watching them, I find myself in an awkward state of confusion and uncontrollable laughter.

The other day I stumbled upon another Old Spice advertisement, but this one was a little bit different. This one was on STEROIDS!!! It is musical, interactive and hilarious! Somehow they Old Spice folks have harnessed the power of Vimeo and created an interactive beatbox setup on a video they created. You can click the link or the picture above to check it out. When it get’s to the end Terry Crews will give you some instructions on how to play the musical sounds. HaHa! My favorite is the “Flame Sax” using letters Z, X, and C. Or “Gimme a Hat” using the left bracket key “[“

https://vimeo.com/47875656#

Enjoy!

Dallas Brown to Africa

I recently finished another business card / prayer card project for my good friend Dallas Brown. Dallas is going to be heading to Africa in September for a six month adventure. He is going to be assisting one of our missionary friends from Victory Baptist Church, Keith Shumaker in Burkina Faso, West Africa. It has been a great joy to get to know Dallas over the past several years, and to see him develop into a great leader. He is truly a special individual and a nonpareil servant. He has a special heart for missions, and has been working like crazy to save up for this trip to Africa. Also, his work at Victory is invaluable, and he will be missed. I hope you will subscribe to his blog (Here) as well as consider helping him both prayerfully and financially.

OK, OK, enough of the sentimental thoughts. In this Adios post, i really wanted to reflect on my personal experiences with Dallas, and show everyone how vital he has been to many of our projects at Victory Baptist Church. You see, Dallas Brown is probably the funniest, most talented, and craziest person I have ever met. Whenever we have an idea for a new skit or video, most of the time it involves Dallas doing some silly stunt or making a fool of himself. (Which he is always happy to do) It has been said that Dallas would be a perfect act with a circus or fair. He is adroit, adept, and able to learn about anything. I have seen him do a rubik’s cube in under a minute, ride a unicycle along a cliff, and juggle knives in a church service, just to list a few things on his resume. And I wouldn’t doubt if he could do all these at the same time, haha!

So I had this idea. What better way to send Dallas off than with a Dallas Brown Top 5 moments list. Here are my 5 favorite pictures or screenshots from projects working with Dallas. I hope you enjoy them. I will post some links to the videos at the end as well as a special SURPRISE!!!

Top 5 Dallas Brown Moments

5 - Thanksgiving Bus Ministry Flyer

4 - Dallas as Drill Instructor (from The War commercial “The Basement”)

3 - Dallas climbing Stone Mountain

2 - Dallas on Fire (from 2011 Youth Explosion Video)

1 - Dallas’ Texas Pete Commercial (from 2010 Youth Explosion Video)

Honorable Mention:

Dallas on Oprah (from 2010 Youth Explosion Video)

War Captain Big Head

Talking to Old Man Hiker

These are a few of the reasons why Dallas Brown is so …….. special. hahah! Several of these images were captured as part of video projects we were working on. If you would like to see some of these videos, I have a surprise for you! In my last blog post (see here) I showed a few of our Missions Conference commercials and behind the scenes videos and mentioned a new project that I may try to work on. We have created many videos at Victory Baptist Church over the years and many people often ask me, “Hey, do you still have ___ video somewhere?” Well as of today, Vics Video Vault is under construction! And i figured what better way to celebrate Dallas than uploading several Dallas Brown videos for you to enjoy. Click the link or pic below to check it out, and stay tuned for more videos from the Victory archives!

Check out a sneak peak of Vics Video Vault

2012 Missions Conference Videos

This weekend we will be having our annual Missions Conference at Victory Baptist Church in Loganville, GA. Like many of the events at Victory, we had a request for a “funny video” to use for the conference. The video below is what we came up with. We tried to make it like the DirecTV commercials where the announcer guy strings together a list of cause and effects. My favorite is the “Don’t have a grandson with a dog collar” one. (See Here)

We had some other things in the works, but they did not end up getting used. I wanted to try to make a commercial similar to the “Confidence” Cars.com commercials. (See Here) I have been playing around with my video production capabilities, and was wanting to try some chromakey or “green screen” projects. This was a good excuse to see what we could do. The basic idea for the commercial was to have a missionary on deputation, deciding whether or not to buy a car. Unfortunately, we were not able to finish putting it all together, but I thought you may enjoy seeing the rough draft. Much thanks to my pals Jason King, Chris Waye, and his son Lawson Waye. Lawson is the one who inspired this idea, because the Cars.com commercial is his favorite. Here it is below. 

Also, I was working on my first motion graphic project using Apple’s Motion 5. In our print and web promotions for the 2012 Missions Conference we had a world map with arrows coming out of Georgia going to locations in the world. I made a motion graphic of this as well, to be part of an intro to the conference. After a lot of trial and error, I was pleased with the final result, check it out below. 

Lastly, I wanted to mention that I have had several requests to watch the different church videos we have made over the years. From teen allnighter promos to church skits - these are hilarious. Some are on my Facebook video page, but they often won’t load or are low quality. So, I have been pondering gathering them all and putting them in a single location. If you would like to happen let me know. There are several videos, each in different locations, different formats, etc. so it would take some time to gather. But if folks want to watch them, it would be worth it to compile these. Let me know!