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Brethren,
I am attempting to put a presentation together regarding masonry and the use of High Tech "services" by the Craft to getting Information diseminated...either among Online communities (like this), podcasting or if there are any Grand Lodges that have gone to a "paperless" means of communication amongst its constituent lodges.
Please feel free to join the High-Tech Masons Group here and add to the discussion.
Would love to the see the craft maintan it's traditions, but also embrace new technology. I'd even suggest going beyond simple websites and email lists. What I would really like to see is a Masonic VPN with distributed computing.
Ok so imaging this: Lodges with computers in them (Yes! computers) Each computer is connected to the Internet and runs a VPN package that creates encrypted tunnels through the Internet. Effectively creating a private Masonic network. Each person who joins this private network has been verified as an actual Mason (maybe by the local lodge, maybe by a central authentcation database in co-operation with Grand Lodges) This sounds big and impossible I am sure, but this is in he spirit of what Masons do, they design and build the impossible.
We use this private network to bring physically seperate groups together, for example setup a video conference and members of my lodge can now remotely attend your lodge. How about that sick brother in the hospital, your lodge sends over a couple of brothers with a laptop and camera, BAM that sick brother is now in lodge!
Any time the network is not in use we run some type of distributed computing like I posted above, working on problems to further mankind, basically donating our colletive computing power.
Maybe I am crazy (my wife sure seems to think so) or maybe it's brilliant. I'll let you decide......
I think its a great idea, though just like anything else, it can be hacked, it will be hacked. So you gotta worry about live ritual, degree work, etc.
You might want to start on a smaller scale first and go with an early invention to Microsoft known as the TV. How about the Masonic Channel? You might even be able to get help from Discovery and the History Channel on that since they already do quite a few Masonic programs a year.
You might even be able to get a version of netflix going with masonic books, cds, and movies via mail.
We have talked at the temple of turning our library into more of a learning lab (computers with internet access, maybe an intranet setup, and definitely a catalog of our hard books) and I think the VPN is a great idea, but like I said, there are things you have to consider and the secrecy of ritual is one of them.
Great topic, and would be willing to share whatever. I post on a few other boards and a few of us have discussed the necessity how to consolidate some of the available web resources. I like using rss feed as it seems to provide interconnectivity and facility customizable information-sharing.
There's not much going on in my Lodge, although we're looking at the possibility of physically moving soon and I kind of have an idea that I'll be proposing a website and perhaps even more. We'll see...as we look at ideas for the new space it might be good to consider updating the secretary's corner a little. We could easily incorporate a PC, and using something like iTunes, could also incorporate the use of music in our small space via a modest sound system.
What are you doing locally and how do you see your efforts as fitting into a bigger picture?
How about lodges changing over to video projectors for the lecture slides, this would also be available for watching video presentations, Powerpoint slides for information during meetings (i.e. financial charts for budgets) watching video highlights from other Lodges activities, appendant bodies.
PDF files emailed from the Grand Lodge office for state directories, schedules, reports etc.
U-tube presentations for the craft and the public.
How about a state wide, online calendar for all Masonic organizations to help minimize conflicting events?
The website of the GLoNY features rss feed and they also have a calendar with events. Their site seems to currently have more capability than content, but that will come in time. However it's easy to subscribe to something and when there's a new item it will show up in your news aggregator. Many of the various jurisdictions that have websites usually have calendars with events, although usually not complete, but also either with links to websites or some even have modules for lodges to construct their own site from a template. The GLofScotland has this.
There could be a centralized point with mirrors for the basic PDF documents you're discussing.
I really like how rss feed allows interconnectivity as well as users to control their information; now video and audio can also be broadcast this way as well.
Yes, You-tube/video technology is starting to become more widely available. There needs to be more quality content, though, but I think that will come in time.
I'm leaving the first part for last...I'm unsure how other Lodges are utilizing audio/visual technology. Our lodge doesn't use any, although I've been in other buildings where they have some stuff.
Since we're moving into a new space--possibly, probably, but it's not yet official--I'm thinking about that, as I will most likely be on a committee to plan such things. So what are people doing in their lodges?
Cory Sigler
created this social network on Ning. 