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.  

Hearts Turned To Their Fathers

Family History is one of the most important things that the internet helps tremendously. Until just a few years ago, doing your own family history was nearly impossible. Many people sacrificed a lot to find out about their ancestry. They would travel all over the world to access records and to visit graveyards where they hoped their ancestors had been buried. The internet has made it possible for many wonderful websites to appear and make family history that much easier. Just a few clicks and you can learn so much about your family and its history. No longer is it necessary to travel far and wide especially because these sites continue to grow and gather more and more information. It is a great blessing to be able to further the work of the Lord and its even more awesome that it can be done in the comfort of your own home.

Overstepping Bounds for Protection's Sake

Copyright laws have always seemed to make sense, but now that definitive line has become fuzzy. These laws were made to protect the creator from losing rights to his/her creations and prevents others from stealing his/her ideas. The fact that businesses and companies would exploit these laws and steal others' creations is ridiculous. The very companies that are crying foul play, while music and movies are being spread like crazy, are stealing those very creations from the rightful owners. Laws exist to protect us and should protect us, but there always are people who exploit those very laws. They often use them to hurt the very people the law was intended to protect. There is no clear or simple solution, but the most basic way to bring about change is to raise awareness of a problem.     

Anonymity

One of the great things about communicating using the internet is the ability to remain anonymous. All to often people are afraid to say what they really think or really feel for fear of being judged or attacked. Having the ability to post anonymously allows someone to speak their mind without those fears. Sometimes they have really great things to say, other times they don't. It isn't necessary to force people to reveal their identities to be able to post their thoughts online, if their comments aren't liked people can just ignore them. The internet is great and will continue to be great as long as it is allowed to maintain most of the freedoms that it has.

http://dailycaller.com/2013/02/21/illinois-state-senator-pushes-anti-anonymity-bill/

What will become of us!?

Cliff Stoll's novel, "The Cuckoo's Egg," is not only a great story and an exciting tale, it is very informative and provides the reader with access to more knowledge about computers. The story is a true story based upon his own personal experiences, and yet he is able to add all the elements into it that make any fictional story good. A big focus of his novel is on computer security and how important it is and essentially how it came to be. In this day and age computers basically run the world. Everyone uses computers, they are used or can be used in every career choice. They make the world run faster and smoother. With these computers and the ease of access to information of all kinds, it has become increasingly more important to have ways to secure and protect confidential and important information. In the novel, the government agencies, with their top secret and confidential information, had no idea that they were even being hacked. They dismissed the idea as impossible, until it was shown to them when and how it was happening.

Computers and computer security have come a long way since then, they have changed, adapted and evolved with the world around them. There are risks in enjoying the comforts which computers and their new programs and websites bring. There are so many loopholes and tricks (just like in the story) that hackers use to get information out of other people. They steal identities,  steal money, destroy information, and much more. Some people learn the hard way, that trusting too much in computers, is such a great risk and have lost "everything." As long as new ideas, new software, and new innovations continue to come out the other side will continue to find ways to break through and wreak havoc. Computers are great, and can be used for so much good, but it is important  that the risks are remembered and calculated. Computers will continue to change and will continue to change the world, but how far do we want them to go? How much do we want to have to rely on them? These questions are especially important considering that there are people who will find ways to break in, and if computers are programmed to do more and more, the possible damage these break-ins can do only increases.      

Women in the Workplace

Growing up in a family of nine, it was very easy to try out lots of different things. When any of us saw another sibling doing something that they enjoyed, it was only natural to go over and try it out. I have many memories of watching my oldest sister play all sorts of computer games. In fact most of my young memories of her revolve around her being at a computer. She now currently works as a software engineer at Amazon, having graduated in Computer Science from BYU. She loves it and just really enjoys computers and being around them. With all of that said, she is also a wife, and a mother of two adorable little girls. She loves them and they love her and it is very apparent when you are around them. I do not know all the reasons why she works, but I know that her family is happy and that they all love each other. The point of all that is that it does not matter. It's not my business to know why and honestly I shouldn't care either way. They are doing the best that they can, and that is all that is expected. I really liked President Samuelson's address and I feel that my thoughts echo his. It doesn't matter what field a woman is in, the decision whether or not to work is between her, her husband (if she has one), and God.      

Bigger and Faster, Yet More Petit

The speed with which the world continues to advance is truly amazing. Not many years ago there was no such thing as a terabyte, during that time a gigabyte was viewed as being very large. Computers took up entire rooms and had very little storage space in comparison to what exists now. Now a new thumb drive has been revealed that has a terabyte capacity. It is now possible to carry around a ridiculous amount of data on a simple key chain. Technology is continuously getting bigger, in terms of storage, and faster, but at the same time smaller and more compact. It is interesting to see how the world is changing, and how the ease with which data is accessed and transported is affecting those changes. In just a few short years, people might be laughing that a terabyte was ever viewed as a lot of space on a thumb drive.



http://www.fastcompany.com/3004591/kingston-reveals-1tb-thumbdrive

To Each Their Own

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2013/01/28/tech-wireless-code-of-conduct-draft-crtc.html

The same week that the United States made unlocking phones illegal, is the same week Canada proposed this legislation to have carriers unlock phones for their users. It is interesting how different every government is, and how differently they view legislation. Its ridiculous that the government can pass a law making it illegal to use technology that has been purchased in whatever way we want. I understand that there are many things that people can do with unlocked phones that are illegal or "bad," but those people are not going to care that there is a law. They were breaking the law already, when misusing it. All the government is doing, with legislation like this, is restricting the law-abiding citizen from being able to get the legal benefits of having an unlocked phone. Making laws stricter just makes more "criminals" out of good upstanding people.

So Much Time, So Much To Do

 I have often thought about how much different life is today in comparison to the past because of all the recent advancements in technology. I am amazed at how people survived without cell phones, I am not referring to smart phones with internet access and games, I am referring to the simple ability of being able to contact people anywhere in the world in a matter of seconds without them even being home. It is simply amazing how far we have come!  We have the potential and the capability of doing so much in a very short amount of time. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints teaches us to use our time wisely and to not idle it away. I believe that everyone who has lived on this earth will be held accountable for how they spend their time. Advancements in technology have provided us with more free time than it has to any other generation. However, with this increase in free time comes a greater accountability to use that time we have been blessed with wisely.