The folks at eDOT have recently been sharing about using wifi in ministry.
Its a really good series in four parts, explaining what technology is available, an introduction to some resources which can be used and why using wifi enabled devices can be so impacting for the Kingdom of God in outreach.
Part 4 concludes with “How to setup a BibleBox”.
Links – Wifi as Ministry Part 1 Wifi as Outreach
Getting a whole audio NT from a BibleBox typically involves downloading 260 separate files, so it is important to be able to group and compress files for faster download times.
In contexts where a group of users will only have access to the BibleBox signal for some hours, or if they arenꞌt yet highly proficient in downloading files with their phone, like in migrant farm worker housing units in Mexico during evening outreaches, you want to be able to have people download files from your BibleBox as quickly as possible.
In situations such as this where you are using a BibleBox, zipping audio files into a single Zip file and offering 7Zipper-2 Android app also as a download from your BibleBox will enable much faster download of large numbers of files.
BibleBox users can then download 7Zipper-2 to their mobile device and install it, then download your zipped files.
Once the zipped file download is complete they will be able to uncompress the zip using the 7Zipper-2 app.
Once a user has downloaded the 7Zipper-2 app APK file, they will need to install that. Some devices have a default security setting where installing “unknown” apps is not allowed. Make sure this is turned off to enable the installation of 7Zipper-2 onto the device. It can be turned on again after install.
It may also be beneficial to your BibleBox users to have a simple “How to” text document that explains the installation/unzipping process in the BibleBox Shared files folder in their own language.
Thanks to John Edmiston and Allan L for sharing from their BibleBox experience.
In response to a BibleBoxer’s question regarding software useful for renaming and retagging files, here’s a helpful tip from Ed who recommended a really nice looking software app called Better File Rename (Windows, OS X) .
There is a free trial and the full software suite is available to a Single User with “forever” upgrades for only around $60.00.
Thanks to the Better File Rename developers we can offer one BibleBox.org reader a free copy of the software. Simply make a comment below or share a post about the BibleBox or how you use it to go in the random draw. Winner will be contacted by email.
To download a Free Trial of Better File Rename (Windows):
To download a Free Trial of A Better Finder Rename (OS X):
“Hi. I am dealing with mp3 Scripture files for dozens of (mostly Mexican) languages, organizing them for loading onto BibleBox units, micro-SD cards and mp3-CDs. In an attempt to standardize the protocols I use for file names and ID3 tags to make them user-friendly both to the end users and to Christian workers in multi-lingual settings who may have materials in numerous languages on their phone, I sometimes feel it desireable to modify the original names or tags.
For modifying file names I have found the free Bulk Rename Utility to be a real time-saver. With it I can easily add a prefix, find and replace portions of the name, etc. for all files in a given folder. (For example, I prefer to have all the files start with the 3-letter ISO language code, and I prefer to change the English book abbreviations to Spanish.) HOWEVER, Iꞌm wondering if anyone could recommend a similar program for modifying tags. I currently use Mp3Tag (v.2.59a) for which I have to manually change each entry.
I am using the “artist” field for the language name. So if, for example, I decide to change the name from “Triqui_de_Copala” to “Triqui_de_Copala-trc” (adding the ISO code) I have to type out the first one, then copy it and paste it 259 times (for a full NT). Itꞌs not hard, just tedious. Then imagine if, as I get more feedback, I determine it would be good to modify a naming protocol, that could affect the files for dozens of different audio NTs we are making use of. You can see how much a hassle that can be. So Iꞌm looking for a program for which I could quickly change the tags for groups of files at a time. Thanks for any tips.”
“I too have found it necessary to do massive file renaming, some of it fairly complex. The best app I have found to do this is “A Better Finder Rename” (the Windows version is called “Better File Rename”). It is incredibly flexible and easy to use, and has never failed to enable me to quickly rename a massive amount of files in a user-friendly manner. That even includes multi-step renaming, tag-based renaming, you can even use regular expressions (GREP) to set up renaming formulas (which can be incredibly useful for setting up a renaming procedure that handles varied input), and —something that is important for the situation you describe— you can save pre-set custom rename procedures as a kind of “app-let” to use over and over again.
When I discovered the usefulness, friendliness, power and reliability of this app, I purchased the “forever license” (never again any upgrade expense) and have always been glad I did because this app has never failed to be any less than what I’ve needed. That was back in 2004, and I’d still say it’s one of the best apps ever.
There are many other renaming tools available, and at $20 this one is probably the most expensive, but it has been super reliable and gives me all the ways to handle renames that I’ve ever needed (or imagined). The developer has a long history of pushing out updates every 3 weeks or so, so this is more actively supported than most products.”
The BibleBox is being used by MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) in kits they place with isolated communities across Arnhem Land north Australia.
DVDs, CDs, Bibles and the electronic wifi BibleBox are gathered into one plastic toolbox and sent to isolated communities such as Numbulwar, Gurrumurru and Bremmer. These Bible kits provide opportunities for local people to purchase gospel material or download free digital resources and and access a wifi Bible from the BibleBox, on a wifi enabled device such as a phone, tablet or laptop.
TP Link WR842ND wifi router sharing wifi Bible and resources
MAF Technology Services has also setup a wifi router (above) at the local Yirrkala Aboriginal Church. This router means that people can connect via WIFI to view and download Gospel resources. This latest edition has the ability for people to view the words in Yolngu Matha for some of the songs that are sung on Sundays. Setup on a TP Link WR842ND the router is available 24/7 running off mains electricity at a fixed location, providing access to these resources at a known location for locals.
Yirrkala Church – north Australia
Remember these isolated communities dont have Christian bookshops, they dont have internet access – so by providing access to resources like these that we can take for granted in Australia is a fantastic support by MAF.
Donations to support the provision of these Bible resources for MAF are collected here – https://donate.maf.org.au/
Speed up your BibleBox preparation time with the Sandisk Ultra Fit USB 3.0.
If you have access to a computer with USB 3.0 and find yourself copying large amounts of data across to your BibleBox USB drive, BibleBoxer Allan has shared some good experience with using the Sandisk Ultra Fit USB 3.0 drive when preparing his BibleBoxes.
Allan writes:
“If you are loading a large amount of content onto the flash drives you use with your BibleBox units, and also have a computer with a USB 3.0 port, I suggest that you seriously consider using the SanDisk Ultra Fit 3.0 flash drives. It takes me about 2 hours to load 31gb of content onto a 64GB Cruzer Fit 2.0 flash drive. My first order of Ultra Fit 3.0 flash drives just arrived and it only took me 20 minutes to load the same content! The price has come down since they hit the market. I only paid about a dollar more for them than the 64GB Cruzer Fit drives.”
With multimedia resources for evangelism and discipleship becoming more freely available file sizes and storage on your BibleBox becomes more critical. If you, like Allan, are preparing many BibleBoxes for distribution of resources the time saved with faster USB drives can be a big help.
The Sandisk Ultra Fit transfers at around 130MB/s, more than twice that of the Sandisk Cruzer Fit which I have used.
Thanks Allan for the feedback!
Sandisk Ultra Fit 3.0 32GB on Amazon – http://amzn.to/1d7p96F (USD$14.79 24.04.2015) 16GB = USD$9.90 64GB = USD$27.99
Sandisk website for more info – http://www.sandisk.com.au/products/usb/drives/ultra-fit3/
