Jayson Whelpley

A sense of direction. [UI Design]

2012-01-16T16:49:32Z

Today, as my daughter watched her Your Baby Can Read video, I had ghosts of the 99% Invisible podcast dancing through my head. In a flash I realized that the time-line indicator on every video program or site moves from left to right. This is was someone’s conscious design choice. There was an option to move from right to left.

The Your Baby Can Read videos show words and then have an arrow underneath them that slide from left to right to train the babies to scan words that way. Again… left to right.

Once you think about it, the time-line indicator decision is obvious. We scan everything from left to right. It’s second-nature but it’s not natural, it’s something we learn before we even realize it.

My question: do time lines and play buttons in Israel, Iran and Saudi Arabia go the other way?

Where Social Media Fails: The whole story.

2012-01-15T03:22:30Z

Tonight, during the 3rd quarter of the New England Patriots & Denver Broncos playoff game an ad ran with children reciting (preforming?) John 3:16 in what I think is a pretty cute way… I had to say I liked it. But, as soon as I saw the Focus on the Family logo come up, I knew that there would be a good bit of Twitter buzz about it. Sure enough, within 30 seconds of the commercial there were about 100 messages. The only ones that were’t strongly for it or against it were merely funny.

**Social media doesn’t tell the whole story. It can’t because people only share what they choose to share.**

“Tebow mania” and the sheer amount of vitriol toward Focus on the Family compounds the truth that the Gospel is one of two things to people who resist it: a stumbling block or foolishness.

So, here’s how the response on Twitter breaks down:

All of the people who liked it were already Christians, people who weren’t Christians didn’t like it.
The use of kids was either “cute”, “powerful” and “classy”; or “manipulative” and “disgusting”.
The connection to Tebow was mentioned pretty often, some thinking he paid for it. Others pointing out that FotF chose not to play it during the 49ers game.
~~There were a few mentions that all of the children were white. (I can’t confirm this, but I saw it a few times.)~~ [EDIT: About 5 minutes after I posted it I found it on YouTube. This isn’t true at all, the first child was African American and when they have all the kids together it’s apparent that there are a LOT of minority children.

But, Twitter has a blind-spot. There are a significant group of people that haven’t said anything about it: people who have been drawn toward Christ because of it. Realistically, people are not going to come to Twitter and say, “that kids John 3:16 commercial really made a difference.” But, Isaiah 55:11 promises that God’s Word does not go out without effect. The people it’s affecting are not here.

This is one of the ways that social media will always fall short. The first people that will hear about the commercial’s effectiveness will be spouses, parents and perhaps a few pastors tomorrow morning.

For people in ministry, we have to remember this – social media can be effective, but it’s affecting people in real life (I like the term “meat space“) and we may never see how.

So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building. — 1 Corinthians 3:7-9

Adams

2011-12-05T20:50:54Z

So history starts with the first Adam, and Jesus is called the last Adam in places like 1 Corinthians 15:45 and Romans 5:12–21. The first Adam sinned and this last Adam atoned for sin. Through the first Adam, the human race fell; through the last Adam, members of that race can be saved. Through the first Adam, there was condemnation; through the last Adam, there can salvation. Through the first Adam, we inherit a sin nature; through the last Adam, we receive a new nature. Through the first Adam, we’re born sinners; through the last Adam, we’re born again, saints. The first Adam turned from God in a garden; and the last Adam turned to God in a garden, the Garden of Gethsemane. The first Adam was a sinner; and the last Adam is a Savior of sinners. The first Adam yielded to Satan; and the last Adam defeated Satan. The first Adam sinned at a tree; and the last Adam atoned for sin on a tree. The first Adam brought thorns; the last Adam wore a crown of thorns. The first Adam was naked and unashamed; the last Adam was stripped naked and bore our shame. Everybody is born in Adam. My hope is that you would be born again in the last Adam, Jesus Christ. See, Jesus is the better, greater Adam.

Mark Driscoll – How Jesus Taught the Bible

Not very many posts lately.

2011-11-15T21:42:40Z

I’m a dad.

It happens.

I am far too likable.

2011-09-29T14:06:49Z

“Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.” – Luke 6:26

If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. – Luke 15:19

I don’t feel that I am at all like Christ in these verses. That is probably a problem.

Effective Apologies from Leaders

2011-09-21T16:11:36Z

By now everyone knows that Netflix shot itself in the foot when it announced its new pricing structure — and that ridiculous new name for their DVD service. Well, they seem to have finally realized it as well, though only at some shallow level; releasing a statement of apology, which I have not read nor do I plan to because I’m not a Netflix customer and I don’t really care what their reasons were.

What I do find interesting is Vince Crew’s commentary where he talks about what a sincere and effective apology from a leader should look like:

Leaders benefit from apologizing for flawed moves IF:

They admit their fault and announce the fix within two to 24 hours of the incident.

They make some gesture to heal/compensate for the fractured relationships.

They incur repercussions for their flawed judgment.

They learn from the incident and don’t repeat it.

Now, this is specifically addressing tech companies which explains the 24 hour rule — totally legitimate for their ilk. The other three seem to be pretty universal though.

What are your thoughts? What should an apology from a leader look like?

What Deserves to be News?

2011-09-15T03:55:14Z

This headline caught my eye today. I have to admit that I didn’t read the article, because, honestly I’m not concerned about 6 deaths in central China. Don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely tragic at some level and it’s likely extremely important news in that region. The question, though, is whether it’s important ‘news’ half way around the world.

I am sure that many will argue that something like this is powerful enough that it should be in the news here, that something like this should be broadcast out of respect for the lives that were taken. Also, it is far more important than the other ‘news’ about the trivialities of celebrities’ love lives and style choices… that’s an entirely other subject though.

This is a murder of 6 people in a country of 1.3 billion which is four times larger than the US… so, the argument that this is newsworthy is like saying that everytime or two people are murdered in the US the German media networks should run it as a top story and tweet it on its alerts feed.

My point in all of this is that these are the type of things that push to overwhelm our ability to take in important news. News thats important to our lives, policies and choices.

Admittedly, this isn’t the most thoroughly thought-out post, so you tell me what you think…

Daditude: How I’m becoming Elaine Benes’ father.

2011-06-28T00:38:11Z

All fathers are intimidating. They’re intimidating because they are fathers. Once a man has children, for the rest of his life, his attitude is, “To hell with the world, I can make my own people. I’ll eat whatever I want. I’ll wear whatever I want, and I’ll create whoever I want.” – Seinfeld, S02E03 “The Jacket“

Pipe down, chorus boy!

One thing I’ve noticed since I’ve become a father is a general disregard for other people’s crap and some social conventions regarding “politeness”. I’m pretty sure I’m channeling Alton Benes.

This may sound like an odd statement to those of you who know me; I am often perceived to be someone who doesn’t really care about these things anyhow – which is not entirely true. I often find myself being awkward about things that aren’t that big of a deal… for example, if Carrie and I are on a road trip and have some water bottles which we’ve emptied (purchased ones – Dasani, etc.), Carrie will just want me to go into a gas station to fill them up at a water fountain rather than purchase more. For some reason this sets off my “socially awkward” alarm and I have a hard time doing it. These are the kind of things that I usually care about and get wierded out by… I don’t know why.

Lately, though, I’ve grown a bit of what I’m calling a Daditude. That is, if there’s something regarding my child’s (or baby mama’s) comfort, hunger, privacy, or anything else that I notice needs taken care of – I just do it.

I don’t care who thinks it’s rude or weird or anything else… you can deal with it, my kid is happier when we sit in the shade so I’m going to sit right behind you in the grass.

I think that this is healthy at some level. I’m not doing this for my own good, comfort, or whatever… it’s for the two ladies who are my priority. The things that I won’t do to save myself $5 or make myself less blasted hot are things that I’ll blow right past for these two without looking back.

So, if a bald-headed dad with big eyes pushes you out of the way for a place in the shade for his daughter’s stroller, I’m sorry.

Kinda.

Not really.

The Marks of a Father

2011-06-11T03:08:52Z

Fia's first nap on daddy's man-mane.

I became a father yesterday.

I feel like I’m already learning a lot from Fia. Our nap time today brought a pretty nice tidbit.

One of the many nurses that have been visiting us every hour or so was talking about “Kangaroo care” which basically means the baby lying down or napping on the parents chest skin-to-skin. Carrie’s been doing it a bit, and today I decided to give it a try as we napped. I have to say, it was nice. Being close like that to my daughter was comforting for both of us. She didn’t wimper the whole time, no crying at all. I – in all of my newly-sprouted sappiness – felt at ease with her close to me enough to get misty at one point.

After we laid there for about an hour it was time to try to feed her. As I sat up and took her off of my chest I noticed that there were little squiggly indentations on her soft, smooth chest and belly… it took me a second but I realized that they were the indentations of my chest hair.

This was where the epiphany came. No, I’m not kidding.

Fathers have a huge impact on their kids. There’s no end to the studies that show that close and present fathering is connected with children who are successful in life (whatever that may look like); and the opposite, distant or absent fathers can leave huge scars that affect lives of their children for many decades.

I think Kangaroo care and it’s indentations are significant. A good father has to be someone who is tender enough that the sensitive softness of a newborn can find comfort there. Yet, even the smallest things that we do will impact our children. I’m still waiting to see all the ways that this little beauty will impact me.

What I Heard Today

2011-02-16T16:50:39Z

For thus says the LORD: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.