by Campbell Smythe | Apr 29, 2015 | BibleBox
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):
The inital file renaming question posed:
“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.”
Here is Ed’s response:
“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.”
Have you got any other software that you would recommend which has helped you in renaming/retagging or in managing files? Share in the comments below.
by Campbell Smythe | Mar 24, 2015 | BibleBox
John Edmiston at Cybermissions is leading a Mobile Ministry online course.
Next course commences Tuesday, June 9th 2015
The course is delivered using Moodle and is self paced. However to fully maximise your experience Id suggest engaging with the topics within the timeframe so you can participate in online discussions around the topics and connect with others doing the course. (more…)
by Campbell Smythe | Nov 29, 2014 | BibleBox
Thanks to some work by BibleBoxer Peter Brassington, the BibleBox is now available to run on jailbroken Android devices.
The BibleBox is based on open licensed software from Piratebox and Librarybox projects and Peter has based the Android version of BibleBox from Piratebox Android.
Now a user with a jailbroken Android device can install Android BibleBox and share files from their device in the same way they would share them from a portable wifi router. Their device acts as a hotspot sharing BibleBox files on the device or SD card.
Peter has set out easy to follow instructions on Box.com here: https://app.box.com/s/dcm7stkfsekfol48a9oo
Android BibleBox Logos
The following Android BibleBox logos below are ones I created which could be used to customise this BibleBox version but you can easily create your own to suit your ministry. Right-click to Save them to your computer then follow Peter’s instructions to place them in the correct folder.
right click – save as
PirateBox for Android by fun2code is Open Source. fun2code also developed PAW server which we used for mobile filesharing on Android phones before Estante came out from MAF-LT.
Source code is available at GitHub: https://github.com/joschi70/AndroidPirateBox
by Campbell Smythe | Apr 26, 2014 | BibleBox
I had a comment on using a BibleBox in a restricted access country. The person was pleased to see that the BibleBox label was simply a sticker so it could be removed if necessary.
It prompted me to write a short “How to” on what you can do to totally remove “Bible” from the device if you needed to.
External – simply remove the sticker
Internal – you’ll need to change the wifi SSID, Web HTML text, logo image and Hostname.
You’ll also need to modify the Chatbox text (how to do that is here…)
Remember the BibleBox will still make files available on wifi if it is in a small bag or pouch. Many times when I am out I have the BibleBox turned on and in a pocket of my laptop bag.
Another option is to go Ninja style and put your BibleBox in a small camera or hard drive case such as the one shown below.
Changing the BibleBox webpage Logo
To change the logo seen on the BibleBox webpages, create a new .PNG image 280 x 60 pixels in size called logo_biblebox-320×69.png. Once you’ve created it save it onto your BibleBox USB drive in the folder – Content>img replacing the original logo. If you want to keep a backup of the original BibleBox logo better do that before overwriting with your new one.
Changing the HTML BibleBox webpage text
To remove any BibleBox references in the webpages, simply open each page in a text or html editor and make the necessary changes.
Change the name of the BibleBox SSID
The default name for the BibleBox wifi network is “BibleBox files”. To change this to something else, on the USB open the Config folder and the file – ssid.txt. Modify the content of this file to your desired SSID name, insert the USB back in the BibleBox device and restart.
Changing the Hostname from BibleBox.lan to something else
To change the Hostname – the address seen in the URL or address bar on your wifi device – modify the content of the text file called hostname.txt and system_hostname.txt. If you open these files (found on the USB in the Config folder) you will see BibleBox.lan, simply change this and save the text files. Once you restart the BibleBox your changes will be actioned.
Changing the Chatbox text from BibleBox to something else
Using Terminal (Mac) or PuTTY (PC) app:
- connect your BibleBox to your computer
- make sure your computer has IP address 192.168.1.2
- use Terminal or PuTTY ssh into BibleBox ssh root@192.168.1.1 plus your BibleBox password
- change the directory to the location of the chatbox file you want to modify, type: cd /opt/piratebox/conf
- to modify the initial chat box content txt file type –
vi chat_init.txt
- press i to go into edit mode
- make your edit
- press Esc to go back to command mode
- type :w to save your edit, press enter/return key
- type :q, then press enter/return to quit editing
- Restart the BibleBox to apply the changes
by Campbell Smythe | Apr 23, 2014 | BibleBox
The chart below comes from a 2013 survey of 12,424 mobile consumers across 17 countries to gain a deeper understanding of the global trends impacting mobile user behavior in the finance, telecommunications, retail, consumer products, and utilities industries.
Information like this is useful to help us shape our current and future mobile ministry activities.
- Data from Nielsen shows that smartphone penetration varies drastically across different countries in APAC, from 87% in Hong Kong and Singapore down to 15% in the Philippines.
- In ‘Developed Asia’ smartphone penetration is generally higher than in Europe or the US.
- Furthermore, in Southeast Asia alone, smartphone owners spent an average of more than three hours per day on their smartphones in June 2013.
- They spent the most time using chat apps, social networking and entertainment activities like games and multimedia.
Other social media statistics shows 20% of internet users in Indonesia using Twitter and the Philippines as a growing Facebook using nation with 30,214,140 users.
With Indonesia and the Philippines both significant in social media it must only be a matter of time before smartphones become affordable to the masses. Surely telecommunications companies want to make money from people spending time on social media on their phones?
Does this influence you in regard to mobile ministry? For me it’s developing a confirmation that in Asia Pacific a mobile ministry supported by wifi is a good direction.
If you are in Indonesia or the Philippines – does the chart reflect what you see around you?
Sources – http://www.sap.com/ , http://www.ibtimes.com/, and https://econsultancy.com/
