Ethics

As Latter-Day Saints we take upon ourselves the name of Christ, and promise to always be witnesses of Him. This includes being honest and truthful in all our dealings with our fellow men. We all have the light of Christ in our lives that tells us what is wrong and what is right. We have the moral obligation to always do the right thing, to be real and honest followers of Christ. It is important to always keep our standards high. To treat other people with the same respect with which we want to be treated. We must be true to the faith and do our bests to keep ourselves unspotted from the world. We will do honest work, and we will use the knowledge we have to be ethical and lawful.

#LDSConf

I originally went to twubs as was suggested, but quickly noticed that not much was going on there and found out that everyone had jumped over to twitterfall and went there. It was definitely and interesting experience watching tweet after tweet just stream across the page. There were so many tweets, that I couldn't read them all. Every once in a while there was something negative that someone tweeted, but for the most part they were positive and uplifting. It was fun to see all the jokes and  references to common themes in past conferences. Overall I would have to say that my experience was a positive one, it helped me to pick up on things that didn't really sink in or that I missed while just listening, and I think it will help me to better internalize those things.

Addictions

Addictions come in many forms, people normally think of drugs and alcohol as the main forms of addictions. It has been discovered though that internet addictions, such as pornography and online gaming, create just as strong, if not stronger, addictions than those substances. The release the same chemicals in your brain that stimulate the desire, the need to have the thing you are addicted to. These addictions are very dangerous, and are very real. They destroy relationships, marriages, and families. People must be careful what they allow themselves to indulge in, they have to limit themselves in order to protect themselves.  

Leave Piracy to the Pirates

Here Comes Everybody

Social media is taking over the world. It has stormed in and made its way into the lives of everyone with access to a computer or smart phone. As human beings we have a natural tendency to associate with other people, to connect with them, especially with others that share our same interests and hobbies. As the world has changed and advanced, people have found it more difficult to be a real community, people live around each other and yet often have no idea who their neighbors are. People were able to easily accept the new advancements and changes in technology, especially the coming of the Internet. It enabled them to be able to connect with other people that were like them, that shared their same hobbies, and that they would have had no other way to connect with except for with the birth of the Internet. It had the ability to connect people like nothing could before. It provided the framework, the ability for others to create websites and places for people to interact with each other. When many of these places were created, they didn't expect the results that they achieved, they did not know what to expect, but the people who saw the potential in them were able to utilize them to link people and create the stepping stones to what exists now.

There are so many sites that help to link people that share interests; pinterest, instagram, facebook, google+, linked-in and many more. These are the more modern sites that are widely popular and used in most countries of the world today. These social media sites are literally forcing their way into the world, they are becoming more and more popular and effecting people's lives drastically. These sites have their good uses but they can and have  also been used for bad. Facebook has helped many people be able to connect with old lost friends, and family, but because of this it has also been heavily involved in divorce cases, because of many people hooking back up with past girlfriends and boyfriends or engaging in inappropriate flirting with members of the opposite sex. People have set up wonderful reunions and meetings that have brought about much good, but people have also neglected children, jobs, and other responsibilities after becoming addicted to these sites. Social media is finding ways to take over the world, we have to be careful what we allow it to do, and how much we allow it to affect our lives.

The Church and Computers

As time passes the world continues to grow and advance technologically, and the Church continues to adapt to these changes. The Church teaches to live in the world but not of it. That it continues to adapt and utilize modern technology to further the work of the Lord, is a testament of its truthfulness. The leaders of the Church are inspired and given direction concerning modern technology. They find safe and effective ways to use it to spread the gospel and to help those who are seeking for truth. It is amazing that a Church can be so inspired and directed to be in the world but not of it. To use the technological advancements for good and to combat the evil. This is a testament of its truthfulness and divinity. The Lord will continue to spread the gospel and he will use the most effective and modern methods to do it.

Coders Unite!

That Linux exists and is widely used today is an incredible phenomenon. Random coders, who were scattered all across the world, united and created an operating system to their own desired specifications and were quite successful. The fact that Linux is so widely used and popular is a testament to how well made it is. It is incredible that people who had never met nor discussed any ideas in person were able to coordinate their efforts and create such a popular and effective operating system. This is especially so because of the sheer size and complexity of an operating system. If those coders had not thought it possible to coordinate their efforts and to work together in building Linux it might not exist today.