Take a look at the video below and learn how apple plans to bring textbooks to life!

Mischievous inflatable bunnies from outer space are invading the carrot farm in order to feed their tyrannical overlord. Its up to you and their barnyard friends to pop all of the bunnies and save the crop!

Bunny Popper offers 20 total levels of play with 16 unlockable rewards. Features include high resolution 3D graphics, whimsical sound design, a variety of comical characters, and game-play that is engaging for players of all ages.

Download it in the apple app store today!

Here is the latest game play video:

Click here to learn more.

Klout is a free website that tracks those measures from all the major social media outlets and helps you identify whether or not your effectiveness is increasing or decreasing.  They currently track data from your following accounts:

- facebook
- twitter
- LinkedIn
- YouTube
- foursquare
- Google+ (coming soon!)

Based upon a variety of metrics from all of these social media platforms they will assign you a Klout score.  Here is how they explain the score:

The Klout Score is the measurement of your overall online influence. The scores range from 1 to 100 with higher scores representing a wider and stronger sphere of influence. Klout uses over 35 variables on Facebook and Twitter to measure True Reach, Amplification Probability, and Network Score.

I’ve been using social media for a few years now and my current score is 55…

Based upon my Klout score you will notice a few things right away.

1. They label me as a “specialist.”

Here is their definition – “You may not be a celebrity, but within your area of expertise you opinion is second to none. Your content is likely focused around a specific topic or industry with a focused, highly-engaged audience.”

2. They tell me my topic of influence.

In the bottom right of the image they list my topic of most influence, “technology.” Of course it’s technology! That’s what techpastor.net is all about!

3. Your potential to influence others.

Also at the bottom of the image you see “Influencer of (502).” Sure, you may have hundreds maybe even thousands of twitter or facebook friends but how many of them are listening? As you can see from the Klout score they estimate that 502 people in my various networks are actually paying attention.

Klout also does a great job of providing you with other analysis by measuring your re-tweets, facebook likes, comments, and more.  All of that data adds up to a score but how does it help me improve?

The beauty in all of this points to your area of influence.  Mine happens to be technology.  My score on Klout hasn’t always been 55, I was in the 20′s and 30′s for quite some time. But, as I engaged others on twitter and facebook around the topic of technology the response was much greater, and I saw my score rise.  Keeping an eye on the measures made me more effective in my use of social media.

Its pretty simple.  Engage others in meaningful ways around your topics of passion and you will see your score rise. If you’d like some more help and direction on social media here are some other posts for you to read:

Why Churches Should Use Social Media

Tips From Twitter

How To Make Twitter Easier

Facebook Obsession

What Makes Google Plus Different

Other Discussions On Social Media

1. Circles (Organizing People)

Facebook has groups, twitter has lists, and these are great ways to catagorize people if you want to sort what information you’re reading. However it doesn’t make sharing with only certain people any easier. Twitter is a public converstation and everyone has to hear your noise if you are sharing something personal that only a few people understand.  Basically, it takes away the obligation of following or sharing with someone just because they follow you. Here is how Google+ changes this for us…

“You share different things with different people. But sharing the right stuff with the right people shouldn’t be a hassle. Circles makes it easy to put your friends from Saturday night in one circle, your parents in another, and your boss in a circle by himself, just like real life.”

2. Hangouts (Group Video)

Doing video for groups on the web is challenging.  Especially if you don’t want to pay for it.  The social media giant facebook just started doing 1 on 1 video chat and Google, Skype, and others have offered that kind of video chat  for quite some time.  Google+ is changing video chat by allowing you to talk with multiple people in multiple locations with live video.  So far I think it works with up to 10 people.

“Bumping into friends while you’re out and about is one of the best parts of going out and about. With Hangouts, the unplanned meet-up comes to the web for the first time. Let buddies know you’re hanging out and see who drops by for a face-to-face-to-face chat. Until we perfect teleportation, it’s the next best thing.”

3. Everything In One Place

Does this picture look familiar?

If you look closely you can see the “+Frank” in the top left corner. Easy access like this is going to make using Google+ so convenient.  It will also make sharing documents and other information much easier.  Great functionality is usually what separates Google from the others.  It works seamlessly with Google Docs, Picasa, YouTube and even search.

If you’d like you can learn more and try out Google+ let me know and I’ll send you an invite.

Bishop Haywood Parker loves feeling connected.

Whether he is in his office, his sanctuary, his home or an airport terminal, the senior pastor of Truth Tabernacle Ministries in Rocky Mount knows he only is a few taps away from his duties.

In the year since he bought his iPad, Parker said he has become so dependent on it that he rarely can be found without it. He uses it to take notes, research sermons, send emails and organize his schedule so he has more time for prayer, visitations and other duties. When he steps in front of his congregation on Sunday mornings, he is preaching from his iPad.

“Almost all of my associating pastors and friends have iPads. They preach from their iPads. They have Logos software and programs that make the Bible readily available, make research readily available. There are very few friends I have in the pastorate that do not function on that level,” Parker said.

Churches historically have been behind the times with technology, but that quickly is changing, said Frank Chiapperino, creator of techpastor.net, a website that educates pastors on how to use technology to enhance their ministries. An increasing number of pastors are embracing resources such as smartphones, tablets, websites, podcasts, apps, texting and Facebook as necessities to reach people rather than as something fun to try.

Though the average church in the United States still has less than 100 members, the ones growing most rapidly often have realized the added level of connection that technology brings, Chiapperino said. As a result, those churches are more effective in reaching new people, communicating with their congregations and helping to make an impact in their cities.

“There is a growing trend in communication that you’ll get a quicker response from a text message than you will from an email. The next level is you will get a quicker response from Facebook than you will email. If you make a phone call, you might not get an answer back for a day or two,” Chiapperino said.

That sense of immediacy can help a pastor who wants to show his congregation that the gospel is relevant in everyday life, said the Rev. Scott White, rector of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Rocky Mount. When he is reading a news story or sees something he thinks could be used in a sermon, he records it in his iPad and iPhone. He has a program that lets him search for a citation in the Bible and pull it up in four or five different translations, including the original Greek or Hebrew, giving him greater understanding of what it means.

“Our mission is to open up understanding of the Scripture and to assist others in that. Our mission is not to hold onto the information, our mission is to share it. We are serving as interpreters, and this helps us to do it better. It helps us to preach. It helps us to engage with the people who we are serving,” White said.

The Rev. James Gailliard, senior pastor of Word Tabernacle Church, had no problem embracing technology. About 75 percent of his sermon preparation is done electronically since he has acquired most of his existing library as ebooks. Instead of being limited to resources on hand, he has access to thousands of books and articles on his iPad no matter where he is.

Whether it is a wedding, funeral, sermon or Bible study, everything except Gailliard’s Bible is stored and accessed electronically. The church’s services and Bible studies are accessible on the Internet through live webcasts or podcasts that can be downloaded on iTunes.

“We already have a cyber church community. It is not a large community, but on any given Sunday or Bible study, we will have between 60 and 80 people in our cyber church watching the service and interacting and responding,” Gailliard said.

If there is resistance to pastors growing more tech savvy, often it is because of tradition rather than function, Chiapperino said. Some people want the service and music to always stay the same and the pastor to read from a big Bible, not an electronic tablet. He understands the feeling, even if he doesn’t always agree with it.

“The word of God is the word of God whether it is on a digital page or a paper page. It is the same, and those words speak truth no matter what format they are written on. What it boils down to is God is bigger than a book and he is bigger than a digital book. His truth supersedes all formats,” Chiapperino said.

Parker said his congregation not only has been open to his techie ways, but many of them bring iPads to church, too.

“I made the comment the other day we need to get back to using the Bible again because a lot of our people now have the Bible on their cell phones or iPads. You see a lot more of that in the congregation than what you used to. … Sometimes it is good, and sometimes I am thinking, ‘Are they really looking at the Bible or are they checking text messages?’” Parker said with a laugh.

Click here to read the original on their website.

You can also read more of my personal opinions on the topic right here.

If you don’t have the Amazon App Store installed on you Android device you can click here, enter you phone number and you’ll be sent a link to download the app store.  Have fun with your free apps!

The Positives:

Android

• Customizable User Interface – this is one of the real advantages of the Android platform.  There are all sorts of widgets, buttons and shortcuts out there to make the home screen fit you. (No customization on iPhone)
• Real Multitasking – Just like your PC, you can have multiple apps all running simultaneously.  While this does impact the speed of the device, Android will attempt to manage your memory.  The later releases of Android do a much better job managing memory. (Very limited multitasking on iPhone)
• Install Non-market Apps – this is huge.  There is a simple check box to install apps from other sources.  (Only approved apps on iPhone)
• Micro SD Cards – need more storage? Simply buy it! (Internal storage only on iPhone)
• Accessories – many next gen phones have tons of accessories.  Most of the Android phones utilize USB or micro USB cables.  Easy and affordable.  (Only apple specific cords with the iPhone)
• HDMI – thats right, some of the next gen Android phones have an HDMI port, watch HDTV through your phone! (No HDMI on iPhone)
• Replaceable Batteries – this is helpful if your a power user that travels.  Sometimes plugging in just insn’t convenient. (No replacements on i-phone)
• Flash – need to view a video on a page? Android lets you view webpages as you see them on your desktop. (No flash on iPhone)
• App Refunds – Android market allows you to get a refund within 15 minutes of purchase. (No refunds with apple)
• Navigation – Free Google turn by turn voice navigation is AWESOME.
• Developers – Right now more apps are being released on iPhone first.

iPhone

• Consistent User Experience – you have to admit, the iPhone delivers a great experience.  This is one of the big reasons they don’t allow users to have multiple apps running simultaneously.  (Android devices do experience a lag when running multiple apps, this is a trade off and only you can decide what you prefer)
• Customer Service – Apple has GREAT customer service.  (Not all Android users can expect the same service, there are so many companies building devices)
• Feels Good – the iPhone feels just right in your hands.  Great size, shape, and look.
• Apple Product Usage – if your a Mac user the experience flows between the usage of all your apple products.
• Battery Life – Good battery life. (this varies with some Android phones, research before you buy)
• Tons of Affordable Apps – most are just 99 cents (Many developers put apps out for i-phone first)
• Video – streaming video apps like netflix are readily available. (I’m sure this will eventually happen for Android but it is currently unavailable)
• Music Player – iPhone is a much easier music player to use. (Android has quite a bit of work to do to catch up in the music market)
• More Apps – iPhone has over 120,000 apps (I’m not sure but think Android has around 20,000)

The Negatives:

Android

• Inconsistent User Experience – since there are so many manufacturers making Android devices you really have to do your research.  Not all Android phones are created equal.  (iPhones are equal, one manufacturer with a consistent quality experience)
• Video – Video recording, editing, and uploading is just easier and often better quality on iPhone.
• Streaming Video Service – Android lacks access to things like hulu and netflix at this time.

iPhone

• Antenna Design – Even with the case on the iPhone the design flaw impacts your connection to the cell tower
• Glass Phone – since I’m not an iPhone user I never would have thought of this issue but my brother did.  Why is the entire phone glass (iPhone 4)?
• No Flash – apple, on its own, does not have the power to eliminate the use of flash from the web.
• Video Chat – only on wi-fi (Android can do this on the network)

1. Follow your interests. Sure its great to use twitter as a social experiment.  Tweeting to friends, sharing your victories, shouting your frustrations and updating family.  However twitter can offer so much more if you make some connections around your hobbies and interests.  In the search bar simply search for your topic with a hashtag.  If you aren’t familiar with hastags its really quite simple.  Hashtags use this sign # followed by a word. So if I was interested in tweets about laptops I would type #laptops in the search bar.  Pretty simple!
2. Get specific. This is great advice.  Not only can you follow topics on twitter but so many people use this platform that there is some fun, helpful, and exciting content out there!  If you like sports see if your favorite athletes are tweeting, if you like music follow your favorite bands or musicians.
3. Don’t Panic. When something big goes down, twitter is usually the fastest way to learn information.  Time and time again news outlets have gotten first notification of earthquakes, eruptions and other disasters or events via twitter.  To keep up on this type of informations subscribe to your local news outlets and government to stay informed during emergencies.  I even find out about school closings through twitter instead of having to wait for a scrolling news feed on the TV.
4. Return to twitter. Maybe you signed up for an account and never really used it.  There are now over 200 million twitter accounts so there are lots of voices out there contributing to the ever growing conversation.

If were not connected on twitter click here to connect with me!