Friday, April 3, 2009

Did You Know 3.0

Ya gotta watch this video ... this is something we need to be talking about, especially in the light of the massive generation and religious changes taking place right now and in the next 10 years.



taking this information along with the article on the collapse of the evangelical church, where do we go from here? Church planting will simply fall further and further behind (assuming we were even doing it). A friend of mine talks about the need for an explosion of some new kind of air-born "Jesus-virus". What do you think? are we sufficiently infected to be contagious?

36 comments:

Brian Emmet said...

Is it at all possible that Jesus would want his people to be able to creatvely critique this? This is not opposed to particpating in it, which will be impossible to avoid, but clerly the technology is advancing morew quickly than our ability to keep up with it... in other words, we may be creating a society that is less and less hospitable to human beings. There are lots of people who think this is a pretty cool idea.

Perhaps people will more and more hunger for wisdom (not the same as massive amounts of inf0), so Jesus as the Wisdom of God might become a concept with some leverage

John M. said...

Passing the baton to the next generation is still the best answer because, try as we might we will not ultimately be able to keep up.

I've watched age happen up close with my mother and mother-in-law these last few years. Most of us may have another few years, but the slow- down will come, and we will plateau at the level of technology where we have topped out.

How can we help them embed the Good News of the Kingdom into the emerging age of technology that will make ours look limited and old fashioned?

I've always believed that Jesus transcends culture and that he can enter any culture and transform it. How does that idea fly with what we're facing?

I think Brian's idea about Jesus as Wisdom is perhaps part of the transcendency that I'm thinking about.

The true virus of the Kingdom (yeast, vine, seed etc.) should be able to multiply exponentially with or without technology. So perhaps "keeping up" is not the primary focus?

Just musing "out loud".

Laurel Long said...

Joseph,and brothers,
This video is, of course, compelling and powerful. If I am to take its content seriously, I would appreciate some sort of bibliographic list that explains and identifies all of the sources presented in this barrage of information. I am inclined to believe it, but not without documentation. A thorough investigation of data would be wise before reacting or even discussing something that appears to be infallible, just because it is on the www. I would appreciate the information in order that my response to the video is not just ephemeral.
The video inspires panic, despair, and futility rather than anything that represents Kingdom mental health: righteous, peace, and joy. These qualities demonstrated on a daily basis in our own personal cultural environments have more force than this video, I am convinced.
I understand the need to stay current with cultural trends but, cultural trends are ONLY cultural trends. The message of the kingdom transcends it all, and always has.
The great "leverager"(Brian)or equalizer is that we all need Him, whether we all want Him or not, we all need HIm!!!!! That fact is more powerful than any thrusts of data on a well produced video on u-tube!
Let's try to communicate that eternal fact.
Laurel

Joseph Holbrook said...

hi .. I don't have the citations and would not have time to look for them. I have no reason to believe that it is not reasonably accurate however. We all know that information and knowledge is accelerating exponentially ... This is from an email from Dennis Coll...

............
(DENNIS) I saw it in England in Dec. at the Euro Leaders Gathering. I showed it to our church after I returned and to the ACM Planning Group a few weeks ago.

There is too much there to take in and process even after viewing it three times within a couple of months. The implications are staggering, especially the part about computers that may equal the brain power of the planet by 2043 or so...shades of Skynet from "The Terminator" come to mind. There is also the issue of training people for jobs that haven't even been created yet not to mention the demographic issues related to China and India. It's good to know that God has been on the move there, especially in China, the last 60 years.

Laurel Long said...

I insist on documentation. From where was this information retrieved and who was the creative genius behind this digital composition?
As quoted: "There is too much there to process and take in-and the implications are staggering-" All the more reason to research the information to validate its authenticity.
Meekly,
Laurel

Brian Emmet said...

Laurel, I have no reason to doubt the basic veracity of the info in the video. It's not the individual "bits" that carry such weight, but the overall effect of bringing them all together. Most are fairly commonsensical: India, with > 1 billion people, likely has a high-IQ population > than the US total population of c. 300 million. Future-looking predictions, like we'll have a computer by 2040 that will exceed the computational capacity of the entire human race, are just reasonable extrapolations from current info. So, if you grant for the sake of argument, the basic accuracy of the info in the video, what questions or ideas arise for you/us?

Brian Emmet said...

Every age loves to think that it is an age "like no other"... but the study of history helps disabuse us of at least significant portions of that notion. It also reminds us that history does not represent a steady March of Progress towards ever-greater enlightenment, peace and justice. Our willful ignorance of any concept of human nature leaves us increasingly vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated and powerful technological manipulations and control mechanisms.

Laurel Long said...

Brian,
Why do you have no reason to doubt the message of the video? Thank you for your instruction, but, I still must insist that someone present a name and some resources of who composed this video and where they received their information. Just because you have no reason to "doubt the veracity of the info in the video doesn't mean that I can't. Or are you saying that I am not adequately informed ("most are fairly commonsensical")to fully appreciate without question the full expressions and compilation of consolidated data presented in the video. I have been reading and researching this area of info: Library Information Science and Thomas Friedman's-"The World is Flat." Never believe anything on the web without documentation.
You and Joseph have both challenged the fact that I have not accepted this information without question. Do you or do you not want an honest discussion? When someone can produce some documentation of this video and I have had time to investigate those findings then I can intelligently contribute to the discussion.
Thank you for your patience with me,
Laurel

Joseph Holbrook said...

Laurel, you have access to the internet-- go google it yourself ... if you find out it is a lie or an blantant exaggeration, come back in here and enlighten us. Or if you insist, I will delete it.

Laurel Long said...

Description: Wonderful, concise video that helps raise awareness of the issues of globalization in our newly connected world first raised in Thomas Friedman's book, The World is Flat. Karl Fisch remixed content from David Warlick, Thomas Friedman, Ian Jukes, Ray Kurzweil and others, added some music, and came up with the following presentation.

I am doing some research on my own.

Laurel Long said...

Guys,
I am going to research the information at the end of the video. I will compile the information that I discover along with the URL addresses.
So, far there is no personal info on Karl Fisch, however, his website does acknowledge that he is trying to emmulate Thomas Friedman's, and others, current assessment of global dynamics on personal life.
I will try to find some info on Scott McCloud and Jeff Brenman and pass it on to you if you are interested.
Good enough,
Laurel

Joseph Holbrook said...

yes, let us know what you find. Dennis Coll might have some info. he saw the video at a political leaders meeting in England if I am not mistaken. They probably inroduced it with some background info.

Brian: I absolutely think it is legitimiate to "critique" it -- if by that you mean to think about the negative ramafications of this kind of accelerated barrage of information and how to redemptively respond to it. Dennis Coll sent me a brief but insightful paragraph along those lines -- I am waiting for his permission to post it in here.

Joseph Holbrook said...

this was sent to me by Dr. jack Kopecheck in Columbus, Ohio regarding the "Did you know? 3.0" video...

.............
DR. Jk: In regards to the video, I wonder if the rapid changes in society will cause people to look for things that don't change, God, his Word and His Kingdom. I remember a few years back when you could start doing everything on the internet (shopping, banking etc) and I thought, I wonder if people will become isolated and not be together anymore. Then suddenly, coffee shops started popping up all over the place. It will be interesting to see what needs/desires arise in people during this time.
..............

Laurel Long said...

Joseph, please!
I am not trying to prove that the video is a lie I would like to prove that it is the truth, because I am inclined to believe it.
Laurel

John M. said...

Laurel, I appreciate your desire to verify the accuracy of the "Did You Know 3.0" video content. I Googled "Did You Know", and came up with the following info. It doesn't answer your questions about the origin of the info. But it does document the origin and evolution of the presentation itself. I would assume that if you contact the creators listed at the end of this post that they could document the material. The Google link will take you to a wiki that the authors have created because they want interaction and conversation.

Personal comment: It's interesting that the presentation went viral without documentation. It kind of illustrates the whole technological phenomenon we're discussing. I learned about the link from one of my 7th graders, who handed the link to me on a piece of paper and said, "You need to watch this Mr. Meadows. It's a really cool video about our world".

Personally, the video wasn't depressing or discouraging. I thought it was rather stimulating and intriging.

Sorry this post is so long. Skimming works...!

Did You Know? originally started out as a PowerPoint presentation for a faculty meeting in August 2006 at Arapahoe High School in Centennial, Colorado, United States. The presentation "went viral" on the Web in February 2007 and, as of June 2007, had been seen by at least 5 million online viewers. Today the old and new versions of the online presentation have been seen by at least 20 million people, not including the countless others who have seen it at conferences, workshops, training institutes, and other venues.

The following adaptation [3.0] of the original "Shift Happens" presentation was created by Sony BMG Music Entertainment. The video, presented by Richard Sanders, President of Sony BMG International, was shown on 4 May 2008 to 150 of the company's top executives gathered in Rome for Sony BMG’s annual Global Management Meeting. As part of Sony BMG’s mission to improve the music experience for consumers living in "exponential times", the video illustrates the demand for change.

Because we are educators in the United States, our experiences and perspectives are going to be somewhat America-centric. However, we believe that the themes of Did You Know? are global in nature and apply to schools and children around the world. We want all children to be successful. We do not view the growing importance of India and China as negative but rather as additional opportunities for everyone in the world. We do not mean to gloss over the very real issues that countries such as India and China face, and we recognize that globalization and "flat world" factors have downsides just like other societal shifts. We prefer, however, to focus on the positive benefits and on doing what we can to help children learn and grow so that they may become successful digital, global citizens.

Karl Fisch, The Fischbowl, karlfisch@gmail.com
Scott McLeod, Dangerously Irrelevant,, dr.scott.mcleod@gmail.com

If you got this far one more comment. It seems that the originator's goals as educators are the same as ours regarding the Kingdom.

OK Joseph, 509 words.

Joseph Holbrook said...

good job John and good post. We can let you slide on the last 9 words ... although it was actually 513. You probably forgot to include the last sentence.

Joseph Holbrook said...

by-the-way, Jack Kopechek's email comments (3 or 4 posts above) got me thinking -- I can see why the reaction to this accelerating change dynamic might cause people who are overwhelmed with cultural vertigo to consider dropping out of innovative evangelical churches and seeking something more enduring and less given to change like the E.O., Roman Catholicism or the Anglican mission.

What do you think?

Is that the route to go in the future?

jh

John M. said...

Don't know if that's the route to go or not, but there is a small trend in that direction that has been happening for a while. I doubt that it will become a wholesale movment though.

Can't say I haven't been tempted. The stability and continuity are attractive, but the heavy vertical and mostly inflexible ecclesiastical structure, along with the politics (within the structure) and many times the disconnect from actual relationship and from the reality of historical doctrines end up eliminating me from joining up.

I do think we have much to gain by studying and learning from our brothers and sisters in those traditions.

John M. said...

Hey Laurel, where are you? You were on a roll yesterday! Have you had time to read my post above and/or do any further research? I want to hear your conclusions.

david said...

i wonder if there is a way to "ground" and "stabilize" the churches that people are already in?

in my own experience and in the lives of essentially everyone of the evangelicals that i know - it has been a steady hop from church to church following leader, movement, style - etc.

the freedom to move about in this christian framework seems normative, but in my experience very tiring.

John M. said...

David, have you found what you're looking for yet?

david said...

john, thankfully i've been in a nice church for about 8 years now.

John M. said...

Great David! I don't want to offend, but what does "nice" mean? It sounds a little tame for something that is supposed to be knocking down the gates of hell...

Joseph Holbrook said...

come on John, ease up on the idealism. Exactly how many churches have you known in the past 20 years that are knocking down the gates of hell?

let me guess... exactly 0 right?

The same number that I have known. What church are you in now that is knocking down the gates of hell? The panera church of where 1 gathers with his laptop?

give David a break. Nice is good in this day and age. Really good.

david said...

john, "nice" was not the best choice of words i suppose.

it's stable and growing - full of committed folks who are honest, real and love the Lord Jesus Christ. no church splits or craziness. so i agree with joe, it's a good thing.

John M. said...

Thanks Joseph for the counter- punch. David, now that you have described it, your church is good!
Sorry I jumped on you like that. The word "nice" just struck me sideways.

I think The Church triumpant throught the ages is knocking down the gates of hell, and all the others are subsets of that one.

How's that for idealism?

Laurel Long said...

Hi guys and John,
Yes I went missing. I ended up in the ER on Saturday morning and was then admitted to hospital for observation. I am fine but will have to deal with a non life threatening heart condition. I am home and will be taking it very easy this week.
Thanks John, you beat me to the information. I actually logged on to post the same info just now. I did locate the history of the video and watched all three several times. They are quite different and you are right that nowhere is there to be found a bib. Karl Fisch does also post a few explanations about why he could not document some of his claims. But he also claims that not having a source for his data does not change the overall impact and accuracy of the presentation.
There are a few inconsistencies in the three videos but it occurred to me that the information and how it was presented had changed during 2006-2008-thus the point of the video! One of the interesting inconsistencies I discovered is that in the original PP by Karl Fisch, the size of My Space is sized as the 11th largest country, in the 2.0 version, the My Space nation is 8th largest, in 3.0 is the 5th largest. My Space is becoming quite the technological imperialist, ha! Ha!, but my what a different kind of imperialism!
Anyway, this was a great discussion. And did you know that if we want to contribute to the next one they are soliciting help and suggestions?
I wonder what "Did You Know? 4.0 will be like?
Thanks guys,
Laurel

John M. said...

Hey Laurel, glad you're back and that we're not reading about your demise! It sounds like you had quite the weekend -- glad the diagnosis/prognosis is not life-threatening. May the Lord strengthen you.

Thanks for the info. It sounds like you dug a little deeper than I did. Maybe corporately we all can come up with something to contribute to 4.0!

It's true that it would be hard to document some of the data, but that the overall message is still "true". Sounds pretty post-modern dosen't it. I love it...

I think the above illustrates, the nature of the "beast". By the time you research and publish the info, it has already changed. Like the four-year college training for a profession that is obsolete when you graduate, your data is outdated by the time you publish it -- even though you can disseminate it almost instantly.

It's a "moving target", constantly changing and evolving.

The thing that intrigues me most is how quickly something can become viral because of the very technology and exponential change that is being illustrated by the presentation.

I wonder if anyone has ever researched how long it used to take, compared to now? I guess the "market penentration" segment pretty much does that already.

Laurel Long said...

Hi guys,
I found what I was looking for. I emailed Karl Fisch and he sent the URL of sources for the old and new version of the videos.
http://shifthappens.wikispaces.com/Sources
this is the place you can access resources for videos.
I plan to check all of them out.
Laurel

John M. said...

Let us know what you find Laure. Thanks for your diligence.

Joseph Holbrook said...

Thats awesome Laurel... thanks for your diligent research!

Laurel Long said...

Hi guys,
This will be my final comments on this video. I am sure you are very glad. I need to bring closure to my own thoughts and analysis of the experience and I also wanted to communicate to you what I discovered. I am aiming for three short paragraphs to summarize this awesome exchange and experience.
First, I copied his Sources and investigated a few. I also read over his own evaluation of the whole saga.
His sources are largely from widipedia and other second hand information locations, quite a few are not even on the net presently.
He says that Slides 19-21 present "second hand data and therefore very shaky." This same statement is made for Slides 29-33, 34-37 40-41,42,54-55,56-64,65,66-67. He adds after each of these that he is comfortable with their relevance, however. I am not! Only once does he use an adjective that is convincing of the data. Never does he use any superlatives such as; well documented, thoroughly researched, proven accurate. Why? His defense for this careless use of statistics is that it was not meant to be "scholarly or authoritative...but that it was only meant to start a conversation with his staff." He is in education for heaven's sake, is that not where we learn to apprehend information and acquire the skill to use it effectively? The man is entirely likable in his humorous conclusion of himself. He said that he is very glad that his 15 minutes of fame is over. If he had to do it all over again, he probably would not.
Secondly, the debate on how to use technology for education and for the Kingdom will continue I am sure. I was praying about this issue and Lord showed me a mental picture of the vast and endless Roman Roads prior to Jesus life here and after He ascended; how it carried the gospel to the ends of the earth. I think maybe the www and all of the new ways to travel the known and unknown world may be the new Roman Roads.
Third and finally and I promise I'll shut up. If I could add a final slide to this presentation I would add: Did You Know that there are hundreds of thousands of people who are using every bit technology that they can their hands on to bring the good news of the Kingdom of God to the whole earth. They are impartial as to what they have available. They will continue use it all and trust God to make it count.
The most wonderful and thrilling information I have is that I Know people like us are doing everything we can to serve the people within our own lives and sphere of influence. I am so proud to be counted as one of you all.
No matter how much the world is changed by the great computer that is to come, it will never be smarter than the One Who holds all things together and the One by Whom all things exist. Let's see if a computer can handle that information.
And now you know what I think.
You guys are so much fun! Thanks for indulging an old lady.
Laurel

Laurel Long said...

I'll take that as a compliment!

Joseph Holbrook said...

yes, that was the intention :-)

Brian Emmet said...

Me, too--complementing Laurel for her diligence and perspicacity.

John M. said...

Brian, you're going to drive me to dictionary.com!

My thanks too Laurel. Please keep engageing. Interesting that your orginal suspicions about documentation proved to be pretty accurate.

This has been a very post-modern experience. The presentation is rather speculative and yet because of the technology that supports it, it has made a large impact.

One question remains: "Even though some of the data is speculative and perhaps even inaccuarate, is the overall affect and impact of the presentation 'ture'?" It did succed in it's purose. I'm sure it elicited conversation in the original faculty meeting, as well as our blog, my student, board rooms and political conventions around the world. I wonder if anyone else even bothered to question the original sources or if they did took the time to actually research them.

Hmmm...the tension between the "old", modern, linear, black and white approach, and the "new" post-modern, shades of grey, it's ture if it acheieves the desired effect, perspective.