Eternal Success Story in the Making

The Sony Playstation Portable for me is the most powerful handheld device in the market today. Despite of its release way back (year) until today (2008) I have never seen any device that equals the diversity of functionality it provides.

 

The power of the PSP can be attributed to hackers who exploited its full potential. I will not go to that topic; all you need to know is that there are people out there who painstakingly create useful FREE applications that SONY doesn’t usually want to venture into.

 

 

 

 

These free applications are called HOMEBREW. There are hundreds of homebrew applications out there in the web. Examples are:

-         for photo editing,

-         spreadsheet like Excel,

-         universal TV remote control,

-         PDA like applications,

-         foreign language tutorial,

-         web radio,

-         file manager and more.

 

In this article I’ll discuss how you can turn your PSP into a high tech tool that you can use in your Christian life. The main applications and functions that are very useful are:

 

1. PSP Notepad – Taking down notes during a Bible study (sermon) that can be reviewed anywhere and shared to anyone. Taking notes with your PSP is much faster than any device with 9+ buttons such as cell phones or any device using a stylus pen. I’ll discuss this in details later.

 

2. PSP Bible with search function capability – With your PSP, you will always be ready to show proof, to show the veracity of your beliefs, to spread the word to anyone. Especially people who are asking questions or people who are in search for God’s word.

 

3. Video Playback – Playing back a Bible Exposition, Bible Study, Debates, Bible Question and Answer made by Bro. Eli Soriano or any videos that can be shared to a friend or even a stranger in a bus.

 

4. Video Recording – Yes, you can record videos on your PSP. You can record a dance and song of praise so you can easily practice at home, record a choir’s performance to have something you can playback when you need some spiritual uplifting.

 

5. Audio playback – Benefits are the same with video playback only without           the video (duh). Ideal for playing back a Bible Audio for memorization and for meditation.

 

6. Ebook Reader – Used for reading PDF files. Some of my personal collections            are Baptists Expression of Faith, Pasugo copies way back 1939, Seventh Day Adventists Believe… A Biblical Exposition of 27 Fundamental Doctrines, The Blog, and others.

          

          

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Notepad for PSP (download)

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The main reason why I bought a PSP is not for gaming, but for word processing. I had a lot of travel time, so I thought of buying a portable word processor such as a PDA or a laptop. But through research I found that a PSP will satisfy my needs better. A laptop is not as portable as a PSP. The only BASIC thing you can not do on a PSP is to play/burn CD/DVD. Well enough of that… so here I am encoding my things to do, grocery list, meeting schedules, appointments, ideas, even the articles in this blog were mostly encoded while riding on an FX/Taxi, heck! even while in the restroom! A very useful tool for a blogger

 

Instead of doing nothing while waiting for someone, at a doctor’s queue, an airport, a barbershop, salon, clinic or commuting… you can use your PSP to turn those idle time into “productive time”.

 

I found one homebrew notepad for PSP at this link (insert link). Compared to other homebrew notepads, I found this one better. I like it because:

 

1. Its OSKB (On Screen Keyboard) is relatively easy to use and can easily be mastered. Once you get the hang of it you don’t need to look at the OSKB (Just    like a touch typist).

2. Copy, cut, paste, functions.

3. Capable of opening multi document. You can open/create multiple documents at the same time. This is very useful when copying a verse or verses from your Bible to your notes.

 

If you want a copy of the Bible in text format organized by Book = Folder and organized by Chapter = Files, just post a comment… No need to post your email address on the comment area, just enter it once on the required field when commenting. This is to avoid spams from entering your mailbox. King James Version (in English and in Filipino).

 

In our group (I’m talking to my fellow brethrens), I find it essential to take down notes during Church meetings. I don’t know any other religious group that has a quarterly Bible study activity (International Thanksgiving) that lasts for two days and two nights, a weekly Bible study activity (regular Thanksgiving) that last for 10 hours, not to mention weekly prayer meeting and Sunday Worship. So note taking is a habit formed due to necessity, the necessity to better organize my notes.

 

The logic is, if you take down notes during your elementary, high school, college days, or even on a work related training… what more when you are studying the word of God which is much precious and a much hard to understand book compared to all the books in existence.

 

Just imagine how many note books one have after a year or two in our group. It is natural to misplace such notes especially when you forgot to bring your notebook… those times when you used an ATM receipt, a post it, a tissue, or a paper wrapper. Of course those were the days when cell phones were not yet considered necessities in life. Today, you can take down notes on your cell phone but it’s too tiresome to transfer that in your notebook.

 

But with your PSP, you simply type, and then download the files (already in TXT format) to your PC, then you have the option to print and have the printouts book bonded (is that the proper term?) LOL. Or you can burn your notes on a CD/DVD, or have it uploaded in the web (make sure you zip them with a password).

 

Now, if you really need to type as fast as you can with a real keyboard, have no fear! You can buy an Infrared keyboard usually used for PDA. Try searching the web about that, if I remember it right… the brand is Targus Keyboard. It’s like turning your PSP into a laptop! Imagine surfing the net at Starbucks using your PSP mounted like a laptop screen then typing with a small keyboard. Check out the video it’s too way cool!

 

I’m still waiting for CD-R King to come up with its own IR keyboard. Yeah, that will be the day!

(CD-R King a local electronic Store here in the Philippines selling cheap quality gadgets (wow FREE advertisement)

 

Almost forgot… you need to install a driver for that keyboard on your PSP.

Forgot the site, just google it up..

 

Here’s one example of my notes so that you can have an idea of the format. Those with asterisks are my comments.

 

 

 

************************************************************************

PM20071121 Ang Lahat ng mga Bagay na Maaring Ibintang at Iatang sa mga

           Lingkod ng Dios sa ID ng mga Taong Masasama ASB

************************************************************************

 

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Pas: Ano ang pangunahing bagay na ibig ng kaaway na magawa sa mga

     lingkod ng Dios sa ID?

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2Cor.11:3 Nguni’t ako’y natatakot, baka sa anomang paraan, kung paanong

          si Eva ay nadaya ng ahas sa kaniyang katusuhan, ang inyong

          walang malay at malinis na mga pagiisip na kay Cristo ay pasamain.

       ** Pasamain ang isip

 

Mat 5:11  Mapapalad kayo pagka kayo’y inaalimura, at kayo’y pinaguusig, at

          kayo’y pinagwiwikaan ng sarisaring masama na pawang kasinungalingan,

          dahil sa akin.

       ** Mga katha bintang

 

Jer 18:18 Nang magkagayo’y sinabi nila, Kayo’y magsiparito, at tayo’y

          magsikatha ng mga katha-katha laban kay Jeremias; sapagka’t ang

          kautusan ay hindi mawawala sa saserdote, o ang payo man sa

          pantas, o ang salita man sa propeta. Kayo’y magsiparito, at

          ating saktan siya ng dila, at huwag nating pansinin ang kaniyang

          mga salita.

       ** Pati mangangaral pasasamain.

 

(excerpt from one of my notes)

 

Do you see how organized and easy to review such notes? They are organized by the type of Church meeting (PM = Prayer Meeting, WS = Worship Service (N/A), T = Thanksgiving, PBK = International Thanksgiving (Pasalamat ng Buong Kapatiran). Then organized by date (year/month/day) so that when saving the file, I’ll just copy and paste the title. This way, even my files are organized by date and type of meeting.

 

The only disadvantage you might get from using your PSP when taking down notes during a Church meeting is that other people might think you are PLAYING! LOL

 

I personally experienced this twice, first from a new brother and second from an old brother who have little knowledge about high tech gadgets. To avoid this

 

1.      Use your PSP indiscreetly/obviously, meaning, put it in the open with arms stretch so that your seatmate can see that you are taking down notes and NOT PLAYING! I usually feel embarrassed using a high tech and pricy gadget in front of brethrens who are in the poverty line. So the first time I used my PSP, I put it closed on my belly and cover it with my bag LOL. I don’t want to show off but heck! I don’t want brethrens to have the wrong idea. And I want to be organized, review them and share them to other brethrens.

2.      Put a pen in the middle of your thumb and index finger while using your PSP. They might think it’s a PDA. LOL. This is relatively easy and somehow removes the idea from fellow brethrens that you’re playing.

3.      Take a look at the person speaking from time to time. Usually, I am so immersed in taking down notes and putting my comments, I don’t look at the preacher/screen anymore. This creates a perception that you are not listening and just playing on your PSP. But if you glance at the preacher, or the screen wherein the verse is displayed, and then take notes (even if you don’t need to glance at the screen), this creates the perception that you are taking down notes.

 

Ok, enough of that. If you are thinking of buying a new cell phone that is worth around Php 10k, I recommend that you buy a PSP instead and buy a 500 pesos worth of cell phone.

 

Now go back to the main article and check out the other features of the PSP that you can use in your journey through the OLD PATH set by God!

 

(insert link going back to main article).

 

To be continued….