In the course of life, most individuals will encounter challenging ethical and moral dilemmas. We need to be prepared for when we encounter such forks in the road. An individual without a set of beliefs and ethics to hold to is prone to be directed by the whims of others. He is more likely to make a choice that he will regret. Priorities and ethics can help us avoid becoming bogged down in pursuit of fleeting pleasures and empty opportunities. We should know where we want end up before we set out. While there will still be gray areas, the things that we believe to be right will help us to navigate the nebulous. We should map out clearly for ourselves where we want to go, and we should deeply mark the lines that we will never cross to get there. Holding true to ethics often requires courage and sacrifice. When we are tempted to act contrary to our own beliefs, we need only remember why we believe what we do, turning to God for the strength to stand firm.
Parenting with Technology
Not Every Triumph Is Epic
I love science fiction and fantasy: inspiring stories of adventurers and heroes that overcome tremendous obstacles to save the day. In MMORPGs, people have a chance to “live” these kinds of stories with friends. I can definitely see how that would be appealing. It gives the player a chance to escape from the harsher realities of life and to embrace an entirely different world, one where he can be someone who he is not. Or, perhaps it provides the player the opportunity to bring out those parts of himself which he cannot see how to bring out under regular, real world circumstances. While these games provide a venue for people to harness their powers of creativity and intellect, they certainly are not the most productive use of time. If players dedicated half the time they spent playing these games to a project or service to make the world a better place, I think they could accomplish great things and find more, genuine satisfaction. I enjoy playing video games; I don’t play MMORPGs, but home console games. I think the important thing is to recognize that gaming should be a diversion, not a way of life. I certainly have not been perfect in balancing my time, often spending too much of it with these diversions. But with self-discipline and healthy, achievable goals, anyone can make more of his life than previously thought possible. None should underestimate the positive impact he or she can have on the real world.
Technology Is Toppling Barriers
There must have been a time when no one yet knew how to build a boat. Great waters, then, were a barrier to mankind—a physical one. I imagine that some yearned to explore the waters or to even discover what might be beyond the waters; however, these would-be explorers lacked the capacity to do it. When the technology was finally invented, the exploration and traversing of the great waters probably began soon after. What came of all this? Bombastic navies and outrageous pirates; increased knowledge and unabashed falsehood; abundant trade and brutal war. With the barrier of the great waters having become considerably less significant, new opportunities were seized, both for good and for bad. In the present day, society is once again watching old barriers fall away and crumble into dust. These barriers are not so much physical, however. They are invisible limitations on social and creative endeavors which were once accepted as necessary and inevitable. But today, new technological tools are enabling both the impassioned and the half-hearted to together blast right through old barriers at astonishing speeds. There is no knowing what the world might find out there, far across these new waters. None can predict the opportunities that might arise. When people work together, they can accomplish great and terrible things. Technology is making it easier for people to collaborate every day—on an unprecedented scale. Misguided and ill-meaning people will take full advantage of these new opportunities. Good people need to capitalize as well. An individual cannot do much, but a group can change the world.
Right Time, Right Place, Right People
There are many advantages to open source software, which have been aptly explained in writings such as The Cathedral and the Bazaar by Eric Raymond. One can intuitively understand how cooperation between many scattered and self-motivated developers might yield positive and sometimes astoundingly impressive results. While the success of Linux is an inspiring example of an open source triumph, I do not believe that such a success, even coupled with others, implies the general superiority of open source software over closed development. Indeed, if the quality of the approach were measured by success alone (success in terms of general usage numbers and quality of software), I would hazard a guess that closed development would prove to be the victor. However, the quality of the approach cannot be determined by success alone. By no means am I claiming that closed development is superior to open source development. Rather, I argue that the ‘correctness’ or superiority of a development approach depends upon the specific circumstances. The nature of the product being developed, the people working on it, the resources available, and the product timeframe may all play a huge part in determining which approach might be more fitting for the project. I do not believe that open source development is the one and only perfect fit for all software projects.
The People of Computer Science
I decided to study computer science because I have always been fascinated by technology, and I enjoy problem-solving. Studying in this field, I have not always felt that I fit in. I am not claiming to have difficulty getting along with my fellow students, nor do I deny being a nerd. I love Nintendo, for example, and I tend to geek out about the latest technological advances and the shiniest new computers. Considering these things, perhaps I do fit in just fine. I think I have felt that feeling of “unbelonging” at times simply because in observing others, they seemed to belong more than I do. Not in the sense that I was less geeky, but maybe more in the sense that I felt less knowledgeable about computers and technology in general. I have often received the impression that I was just barely learning things that most of my fellow students had learned years ago while playing around with their computers. Nonetheless, as graduation approaches, I do feel for the most part that I can and do belong here, in this field. But more importantly, I never let any misgivings of belonging deter me from my course. I do have a passion for what I am doing, and that passion coupled with my ability will keep me going. I am one of the people of computer science.
The Tools of This Age
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is providing members and non-members alike with all of the modern day tools and conveniences that are needed to combat the evil that runs rampant and to give light to the world: but do we who are disciples of Christ take full advantage of what we are given? Smart phone users can access the scriptures and the teachings of modern-day prophets at any time or place with unparalleled convenience which ancient prophets might have gawked at, but how often do we choose to seek entertainment with these devices instead of spiritual enlightenment? Entertainment is fine, but we should strive to minimize our use of it and prioritize our personal study of and sharing of the Gospel. So much that is evil is so easily accessible and even easy to unwillingly stumble upon. We can protect ourselves from and prepare ourselves for temptations and challenges that lie ahead (or that we currently face) by increasing our light and knowledge with the good resources which are just as easily accessible as the bad. We will never grasp the full potential of technology for good until we make the necessary efforts to truly take advantage of it.
Hacking: It Takes Patience and Persistance
Once, I thought of computer hackers as geniuses who could outwit a system’s defense at every turn. While this may sometimes be the case, reading The Cuckoo’s Egg by Cliff Stoll has convinced me that sheer genius is not the most important element of hacking. Rather, the essential ingredient to successful hacking is a primary virtue: patience. Now, this should not lead one to conclude that all hackers are therefore virtuous in nature. However, perhaps society could learn from the active patience and the unrelenting persistence of a computer hacker. Jesus taught that “the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.” Why is it so often the case that more sincere and earnest effort is put into doing wrong than is put into doing right? This is not always the case: for example, Cliff Stoll, in his honest efforts to catch the hacker in defense of his country, was every bit as persistent and tenacious as the hacker whom he was pursuing. The irony in all of this talk of patience is that technology teaches people to be impatient; it accustoms all of us who use it to get what we want almost as soon as we want it (sometimes sooner, think advertisements). Perhaps if people used technology with less of a mindset devoted to convenience and more of a mindset given to prudence, hackers would be less successful, and valuable, private information would therefore be more secure. Admittedly, there is a tradeoff to the more careful approach: whenever security is increased, freedom is usually decreased to some extent. After all, speed and convenience are important catalysts of freedom within the sphere of technology use. But if personal information or national security is compromised, might not such occurrences compromise freedoms to an even greater extent? Today, company after company is falling victim to data breaches and hackings resulting in significant damages to the companies themselves and to many of their consumers. Society might benefit tremendously if both developers and users of technology were more like hackers: a little more patient, a little more careful, and a little more persistent. Mind you, it even took some patience just to read The Cuckoo’s Egg: it took forever to nab those hackers!
Virtual Reality Might Change Reality
Most would agree that how you spend your time has an effect on what kind of person you are. Even our simple entertainment choices can play a significant part in determining who we are and who we might become. There is no such thing as “just having a little bit of fun.” Of course we can have fun, but there are always additional consequences, whether good or bad, which are products of our entertainment and how we choose to spend our time. Now, that’s not to say that there aren’t forms of entertainment which are fairly neutral. I enjoy playing Mario games, and while they have probably not inspired me much to be a better person, neither have they instilled in me the desire to try to jump on people’s heads in hopes of squishing them. However, there are forms of media and entertainment which are far closer to reality and which can touch more powerful emotions. Extremely violent video games may increase aggression, while heroic stories in games and movies, even if fictional, may inspire us to be a better people. I have found that on many occasions I have felt inspired by media that I have participated in, but that most of the time, the feeling of inspiration does not linger for very long. What if media were more immersive, however? What if virtual reality can convince our mind that what we are participating in is real? The consequences of our media choices may then become more lasting, more effective. We need to be careful to choose media that will immerse us in such a way that we can reach the better part of ourselves.
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20141001-the-goggles-that-make-you-nicer
Technology and Family Connectivity: Overcoming More Than Just Distance
Doing genealogical work never sounded very exciting to me as I was growing up. Even now, as an adult, it often seems like an activity that only appeals to older generations, to whom life is perhaps not quite as exciting as it once was. After all, we younger folks are far too busy to participate in such patience-taxing and monotonous pursuits. At least, that kind of talk always seems to be the perfect excuse to avoid family history work. But the truth is that even though it is certainly work, there are lasting rewards to be found in doing it. For example, by familiarizing yourself with ancestors, their stories and their legacies, you can come to know yourself even better. Not only that, but the younger generations are perfectly equipped with sufficient technological “expertise” to perform the work quickly and effectively. If your great-grandma can figure out how to work a computer and actually accomplish something, then you, the person who actually knows what the Internet is, can certainly do that much better. Now, instead of having to cross the seas to learn about your ancestors, or call some Norwegian-speaking, distant relative that you have never met whom it took you weeks to find, you can simply log on to a website and start searching. There is so much information to scour, and so many treasures to find. The Internet is all about connecting people and ideas (and selling stuff, I suppose). But why stop with connecting the living? With the powerful tools we have at our disposal, we can begin to bridge the gap between the living and the dead.
Ryan Palmer 