Articles by Timothy R. Butler

Timothy R. Butler is Editor-in-Chief of Open for Business. He also serves as a pastor at Little Hills Church and FaithTree Christian Fellowship.

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WandaVision's Power was in the Human, not the Superhuman

By Timothy R. Butler | Mar 13, 2021 at 6:19 PM

What is grief, but love persevering? Disney+’s WandaVision is one of the best series I can recall gracing the small screen in decades and that question posed by the Vision (Paul Bettany) captures so much about what allows the show to be profound beyond the strictures of either of its roots: classic sitcoms and Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Live Streaming with Mevo

By Timothy R. Butler | Mar 10, 2021 at 10:54 AM

Last year, I put together a little overview of using the Mevo line of live streaming cameras for churches rushing to do live streaming in the midst of the pandemic. Since then, Mevo also released a new camera with a lot of additional features. We haven’t been able to look at that new model yet, but below is the guide I put together last year, which still serves as a good entry point into the world of live streaming with Mevo.

Buzzing About the Neat Worker Bee

A High Quality and Affordable Microphone

By Timothy R. Butler | Mar 06, 2021 at 9:56 PM

My work has become highly dependent on live streaming since COVID hit. I wanted a good quality microphone to improve live stream quality without breaking the bank. I found a lot of options that were of uncertain quality, but affordable, and plenty of well known quality with a price to match. Then, I found something neat: the Neat Worker Bee.

Sitting on the Dock, not at the Bay

We Test Three Thunderbolt Docks

By Timothy R. Butler | Feb 27, 2021 at 5:06 PM

After years on the periphery, Thunderbolt docks are finally becoming a mainstream peripheral. They not only simplify bringing a laptop to your desk by reducing the number of separate things you need to plug in, but provide a means to pump more data from more sources into a laptop than possible otherwise via the limited number of ports on modern, slim laptops, such as a MacBook Pro. More like a drive bay or card slot of yesteryear’s computer towers, docks provide flexibility as we all push our computers further in the post-COVID world. Today, I look at three of the best and what they can offer you.

An Ash Wednesday Reflection on Life and Rush Limbaugh

By Timothy R. Butler | Feb 17, 2021 at 11:10 PM

Today brought news that the legendary radio host and provocateur Rush Limbaugh had died. Almost immediately after the announcement, phrases we will not print on the pages of OFB trended on social media as many gleefully celebrated a man’s death. A shocking number wished Rush an eternity in Hell. What has happened to us?

On the Generic Router Highway

Testing the ECPN AX1800 Router Against the Name Brands

By Timothy R. Butler | Feb 01, 2021 at 12:09 PM

I’ve been curious about the proliferation of what we might call “generic” wi-fi routers on Amazon from brands other than the big names that are immediately recognizable. Have routers finally reached a point that they are so basic that pretty much anyone can produce a decent one? I decided to take a router from ECPN — a company so generic that it doesn’t even have a live web site — out for a spin.

Parler's Tragedy of Ineptitude

The Social Network Died of Its Own Fatal Flaws

By Timothy R. Butler | Jan 16, 2021 at 12:13 PM

While I have previously argued against deplatforming in general, when I blogged the other day about the demise of Parler, I defended Apple, saying it had earned the benefit of the doubt with its years long record of responsible action. I think this is important, because if we genuinely want to champion free speech, it is crucial to focus our energies on the genuine threats to free speech and not to waste effort on incidents that are really something else.

Misplaced Hope

By Timothy R. Butler | Jan 08, 2021 at 9:09 PM

I rarely write on politics these days, because I am a pastor. While I have strong political opinions, I keep them to myself. I never want my particular take on the best health care system or the size of COVID stimulus checks to cause someone to disregard what I say about Jesus. But, when a large number of Christians put their hope so profoundly in the wrong places that they are willing to lay siege to the capitol to hold on to that misplaced hope, I must say something not to make a political point, but to make a pastoral one.

Lessons from "the Worst Hollywood Chris" and His Friends

By Timothy R. Butler | Oct 24, 2020 at 9:07 PM

I do not spend a lot of time reading the buzz about celebrities. I made an exception this week as the social media tempest highlighted (in spite of itself) something important as it raged against Chris Pratt. The controversy is a good reminder about how we should treat others in two different ways we desperately need right now.

Sounds Good

The Budget Headphones that Replaced My Beats

By Timothy R. Butler | Aug 18, 2020 at 5:45 PM

While traveling last year, I lost my trusty pair of Beats Solo 2 headphones I had used for years; while I had been given a set of AirPods Pro for Christmas and they quickly became my all time favorite headphone option, some situations work better with over-the-ear headphones (for example, audio mixing and recording work) and I found myself in the market for a new pair to replace my Beats. That led me to the Vankyo C750’s; they may just beat my Beats.

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