Flashing Red light on Pulpit

[mienfoque]

Please build an app that acts as a red flashing light at the pulpit.

Since not all pulpits have red flashing lights for speakers that think thier content is more valuable than the upcoming sunday school class, I would like an application that will allow me to leave an old phone sitting on the pulpit ready to turn red and send text messages like "You have 5 min left" or "Por favor termina su discourso de manera breve" from my phone. The way I imagine this going is:
1. I take my current phone and my daughter's iPhone from 2005 and connect to LDSAccess
2. I load the app on both phones
3. Do some kind of pairing
4. Leave the old phone on the pulpit during Fast and Testimony Meeting
5. With my current phone send 'appropriate' messages to the speakers when time is getting short.

Clearly, this app should not be managed by the Deacons Quorum. Boring people or Bishopric only.

[sbradshaw]

I think it might be a fun assignment for the Deacons Quorum!

[marianomarini]

I think it might be a fun assignment for the Deacons Quorum!

Great idea!
A deacon can sit behind the last seat row and wakeup making a sign when time is out.
No bad, no Bad really.

[drepouille]

After a ward conference, someone asked the stake presidency if all Sacrament meetings were extended by ten minutes during ward conferences. We usually have the bishop, a counselor in the stake presidency, and the stake president speak, with an intermediate hymn. The counselor in the stake presidency is supposed to be the "accordion" speaker, but sometimes the stake president just gets inspired to keep talking. He usually talks for ten minutes before he begins his prepared talk. And so it goes.

[lajackson]

. . . but sometimes the stake president just gets inspired to keep talking. He usually talks for ten minutes before he begins his prepared talk. And so it goes.

The stake president presides. It's his meeting. He can speak as long as he wishes. I seriously doubt a red light would stop him.

A wise stake president will probably realize that all of the children know when sacrament meeting normally ends, and will probably find it difficult to continue past that time without a little extra noise from the congregation, unless he is a really good speaker.

I have never lived where there was a red light on the pulpit. I have had to cut some speakers short, however.

[marianomarini]

He can speak as long as he wishes.

Quite funny. He is a servant not a commander. He must speak as long as his speeches inspire the audience.
I have never seen the heavens open, nor last speaker saying something really evaluable, ten minutes after the ending time.
Bishop, or Stake President, have the duty to assure the meeting start and end in time (Manual 2).
I have never heard a Prophet speaking so long that General Conference end ten minute late.
Start and End in time is a form of respect to the audience.

[lajackson]

I have never heard a Prophet speaking so long that General Conference end ten minute late.

Seven minutes is the longest I have watched a General Conference session run long. That was many years ago and the television station cut away. It almost never happens today.

But I completely agree with you. Unless the sacrament meeting at ward conference has been planned to last longer than normal, it should not.

As a sacrament meeting speaker in many different callings in the past, I have spoken as long as 45 minutes and as few as 2. I never needed a light to know when it was time to stop, whether or not I was presiding.

On the other hand, Elder LeGrande Richards used to cover up the light on the pulpit at General Conference when it turned on. And sometimes when he was speaking he said he was doing it.

[russellhltn]

Seven minutes is the longest I have watched a General Conference session run long. That was many years ago and the television station cut away. It almost never happens today.

Not since Elder LeGrande Richards passed away.

[sbradshaw]

I do think a light would be handy for me as a speaker (I'm not good at judging time while speaking), or even better, a count-down timer that can be left on the podium and reset by the bishopric for each speaker. It sounds like a good opportunity for a third-party program, but I don't think the Church will ever develop one. Someone at some point in the Church seems to have made a decision to stop installing the red lights on podiums in church buildings.

[lmcguire]

You guys make me smile.

I'm a geek (why else would I be here), so I use my Android tablet when giving a talk. I found an app which lets me set a timer that counts down (in the notification bar), and will flash at me when time's up (rather than make noise - wouldn't that be amusing?). It's worked for me twice (all the times since I started using it). But I'm also a stickler for time - I keep track of it and cut myself short, if needed.

I've often wanted the RS room (used by the Gospel Doctrine class, who need this) to have a clock / messaging / colored lights system on the wall where the teacher will see it. It would go something like this:

HH:15: Yellow light, "5-minutes to start"
HH:20: Green light, "Start now"
HH:52: Yellow light, "Please wrap up"
HH:55, Orange light, "No, seriously, end your lesson"
HH:58, Red light, "Pray now!"
HH:00, Flashing red light, "Time's up! The sisters will kick you out now."

...and similar messages for Relief Society:

HH:05: Yellow light, "5-minutes to start"
HH:10: Green light, "Start now"
HH:50: Yellow light, "Please wrap up"
HH:55, Orange light, "Sing now!"
HH:58, Red light, "Pray now!"
HH:00, Flashing red light, "Time's up! Your children will break the door down any next second!"

...no, really, I haven't given this much thought...

Liz