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Slap Your Camera Around?!

// December 12th, 2007 // 0 Comments // Uncategorized

I loaned out our personal video camera to a friend and collegue for the weekend.  Taking the usual risk that it might come back not working.  Well, it did come back not working!  In fact, he did not even get to record anything.

It’s a Sony DCR-HC96 consumer model of a nice miniDV Handicam.  When you put a tape in, it says to reinsert the tape and flashes the code C:31:22 on the screen.  So, I google “Sony C31:22 error” and find all these people that have got the same error on their cameras (many different models) and the fix is…slap it around a bit!

I think to myself, well this cannot be!  So, I search some more.  No other fixes and tons of “I hit mine really hard, and now it works” kind of comments.

So, I did it.  I hit it a couple firm times on my leg.  Did not help.  Tried asecond time.  A little harder, but kinda wimpy…no worky.  Finally, I am desperate…can’t afford any kind of repair.  I wack this thing good on my kneecap on the bottom and on the tape side of the camera.  Lo and behold…the thing now works!

The theory from a few people is that some of the mechanism parts can get jarred off track by bumps and bounces or via tape tension.  This firm tapping kinda puts things back in place.  Hmmm.

Iced Up

// December 11th, 2007 // 0 Comments // Uncategorized

The ice storm has made it from Oklahoma to our neck of the woods. Though, we still have power, so we are thankful for that. A lot of people are without across much of the midsection of the US.

Here is a pic of my truck with icing on top.

Schools were closed. Most people stayed home from the office today…including me. But I have a cold anyway.

Hope to thaw out soon!

Standing Out

// December 1st, 2007 // 0 Comments // Branding

Marketing guru, Seth Godin, has this post called "the caricature of your brand" that talks about the need for a brand to have certain features that stand out in a crowd. What sets you apart from others in the industry? Seth’s quote below especially impacted me:

Worse than avoiding the negative [caricature], though, is the tendency for most organizations to resist creating a brand that can be caricatured. It doesn’t feel safe or responsible or prudent. Coloring inside the lines and pleasing most of your customers most of the time almost guarantees you’ll be bland.

I think it is natural for us to want to please all people…at times, we have worked too hard to do this at Calvary and have missed opportunities to move forward and be innovative in our ministry.  It certainly slows the rate of progress.  It is certainly a part of any organization.  Hopefully, we can be more aware of these tendencies and improve in the future.