Category: technology cartoons

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Call from Mom

It’s a good thing I didn’t have a cell phone in school. Would I have received a call from Mom? Probably not. But I most likely would have been calling for a lifeline every few minutes.

Cartoon of a boy and a teacher. The boy says, "I'll answer that in a second. But first, let me take this call from Mom."

Today, can you really trust if it’s your mom calling you? Scammers can mask any number and make it appears it is coming from your loved one. If your mother is calling to ask for your social security number, it’s probably a good sign that the person on the other line is a scammer. The deep, bass voice may be a giveaway too.

Continue reading “Call from Mom”
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church cartoons technology cartoons

Texting to Give at Church

There was a time when giving at church was as easy as passing the offering plate down the aisle. But these days are different. Welcome to texting to give at church!

Of course, when a new technology appears, there is always someone trying to exploit it. When I thought about that, it led to this cartoon.

Cartoon of an annoyed man with a smartphone. He says, "While we do offer text-to-give, we cannot accept 'IOU" as your account number."

Granted, texting to give doesn’t allow for IOU’s. Because if that did exist, we know someone would exploit it. Rather, a donor’s cell phone carrier typically bills them.

Here is a good article on how text-to-give works for nonprofits and churches. The concept goes back to 2010 when the Red Cross raised funds for the earthquake in Haiti. At that time, the campaign raised $487.6 million for the cause.

Some of us would assume that church culture is not ready for text-to-give. But we would be wrong. According to the article I cited above, 96% of Americans own a cell phone today.

In churches, seven out of ten parishioners text. Those stats have changed dramatically since text-to-give was first introduced eleven years ago!

So do not fear! When it comes to texting to give at church, we have entered a new era. And you need not worry about the wise guy that formerly added an IOU to the offering plate!

I drew this cartoon for the November 2022 CHOGNews.

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CHOG News church cartoons Newsletters technology cartoons

A Little Live Streaming Event

Cartoon of two people staring at a wet floor. One says, "Maybe we should tell the janitor we just started live streaming."
Published in the July, 2021 "CHOGNews."

I’ve had the pleasure of helping with some live streaming at the church we attend. I’m not talking about an unfortunate incident like in my cartoon, but setting a live presentation of a church service on Facebook Live.

We live in an amazing time where we can use technology on a shoestring budget. It was only a few short years ago that it was a major undertaking to broadcast a live event. Now, anyone with a smartphone can broadcast live. What an amazing world!

And yes, small churches with maintenance issues can have a live stream going on during the live service while they still have plumbing issues in another part of the building. It’s no longer the big broadcasting conglomerates with ample money that can go live. In fact, you could even have a snarky teenager broadcasting the live flooding event while the big event is going on in another part of the building. That is also the nature of today’s technology.

I drew this cartoon for the November 2022 CHOGNews.

Cartoon of two people staring at a wet floor. One says, "Maybe we should tell the janitor we just started live streaming."
Published in the July, 2021 “CHOGNews.”
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church cartoons technology cartoons

How to have a bad virtual church board meeting

Cartoon of a man at a laptop. he says, "Welcome to the virtual church board meeting... Ed, in your frame, we can only see your big nose."

It’s too easy to have a bad virtual meeting. We’ve all had to learn how to frame ourselves in a camera. Some have learned to adjust. Others have had some major faux pas.

A few weeks ago, a Texas lawyer had such a problem. He couldn’t figure out how to turn off a cat filter during a legal hearing. Many parents chuckled about that one. Yet many also secretly thought, “When I share a computer with my kid, I hope she doesn’t do that to me.” Perhaps the kids are getting back at us for times we’ve used technology to spy on them.

You may know how to have a bad virtual church board meeting. But what are some ways to have a good meeting?

  • Make good use of the mute button when you aren’t speaking
  • Remember you have the mute button on and turn it off before you speak!
  • Consider the lighting. If you can’t see yourself very well in the screen because the lighting is too bright, you may want to do something about it.
  • Give the speaker feedback with positive gestures such as a smile and a nod when they make a point
  • Pay attention and stay focused on the meeting
  • Turn off notifications before you share a screen

Two more tips; pay attention to how close or far away you are from the camera… and keep your nose clean!

Cartoon of a man at a laptop. he says, "Welcome to the virtual church board meeting... Ed, in your frame, we can only see your big nose."

I drew this cartoon for the November 2022 CHOGNews.

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motivation technology cartoons

Are You Getting Tired of Staring at Screens Too?

Cartoon of a man staring at a computer screen

Yes, I am also tired of staring at screens. If it’s not a computer screen, it’s my phone, tablet or television. If you are working from home, odds are, your screen is the window to your workplace. If you are not working right now, a screen may be your entertainment, a diversion or vital information about the outside world.

I am thankful we have this technology. It gives us insight and helps us to be productive. Yet, it can cause our eyes to glaze over. I don’t know about you, but my eyes feel tired by noon. And there are days when the connection is slow and it feels like I spend more time waiting for the network to catch up than doing work. Yes, it can be frustrating.

Yet, this has been good for us. We are all now finding ways to work we didn’t think were possible at the beginning of the year. We were very paper-based in my office. Now we know it is possible to eliminate the paper. And in some cases, it is actually speeding up the workflow.

As we get through this screen-filled era, remember to take some time to look away for a while. Perhaps read that paper book you’ve been meaning to get to. Call a coworker or friend. Or close your eyes on your break and listen to some uplifting music or an informative podcast. Your eyes will thank you. And perhaps your mind will thank you for the break as well.

Cartoon of a man staring at a computer screen