A Solution to Stress

People in the United States are so stressed out these days. This could be due to the amount of time people work to make money or just to be competitive, but we can't always help that issue. However, we can help the atmosphere in which we are living or working. We are constantly interacting with each other, so, of course, our actions are going affect the atmosphere in which we live and work. We may not always admit it, but our actions toward each other will affect our moods and stress levels. I feel like we've become more rude to each other as the years have progressed, and then we complain that our stress levels are higher. If people thought more about manners, kindness, honesty, and other ethical actions, developed these ethics, and acted on them every day, the United States as well as the world would be a less stressful place in which to work and live.

Twitter and LDS Conference

This past April General Conference, I tried tweeting during the first session on Saturday April sixth. There were both negative and positive effects in the experience. There really was only one negative outcome of the experience. At one point, I noticed quotes being posted of the talks that I was missing the speakers actually saying. I was focusing too much on reading the posts from others that I was forgetting to actually listen to the speakers. 

Even though there was one negative part to tweeting during conference, there were still positive parts of the experience. The positive effects were several points that I would either tweet or read from other tweets that I would remember throughout the day. Another positive part of tweeting during conference was that I would not fall asleep during any of the talks. Finally, I felt connected with other people. Even though I did not talk to anyone directly, I felt like I was sharing a common interest with them, and that was a connection I liked having to other people. 

I would say the tweeting experience was more positive than negative an experience. I will probably do it again next general conference.

Balancing on a Tightrope

The best way to approach life is to think of it like an acrobat balancing on a tightrope. If the acrobat leans too far over one way or the other, he or she will fall. If a person in everyday life lets one activity take over too much of his or her time, he or she will fail the other things in life and fail his or her balancing act in life. Online gaming is not a bad thing, but when people are online several hours every day, they are leaning too far over to that side of their life. It causes them to fail their balancing of activities for the day. The issue of obsessive online gaming reminds me that in order to succeed there must be moderation in all things in life. 

Vlog - No Excuses for Piracy

The Internet: A Tool to Gather the World's Power - Book Posting

I never closely thought about the power of the internet, but after reading Clay Shirky's book, Here Comes Everybody, I feel like the internet is both powerful and unpredictable. It is powerful in that it is easy for everyone to access, so whatever is posted there can reach people easily. However, it is unpredictable because it does not guarantee a certain reaction from people who read what is on the internet. An example of this is listed in chapter one of Here Comes Everybody when several readers banded together to help Ivanna recover her Sidekick. This experience was powerful in that several people came together to accomplish a single goal. If they had not, she probably never would have recovered it. It is also unpredictable because there are many instances like this situation, but they are not always picked up by readers. It may depend on the timing, the people involved, or some other factor. 

Another example would be in chapter 5 of Here Comes Everybody, it describes Wikipedia and how it became a success versus its predecessor Nupedia. Both are online encyclopedias, but Wikipedia allows users to contribute to what is listed on it. However, out of everyone who uses Wikipedia only two percent probably contribute to the postings on it. That two percent must make a difference to turn Wikipedia into a worldwide phenomenon. Who knows though? Maybe there is some other unknown factor that attracts the attention of the world population to use Wikipedia as an online source of knowledge.

As I think about it further, I guess it is not the internet that is the power. The world's population is the power, and the internet is a tool to group that power together in unpredictable ways.

Living in the Matrix

I was reading several articles on how computers are exceptionally useful in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I then read the article "Using Social Media for Gospel Purposes" by Heather Whittle Wrigle. There is a small section in the article about the dangers of social interaction on the computer. A 52-year-old man would spend several hours a week on the computer as his cyber-self and interact with his virtual wife who lives in Canada. This left his real wife heartbroken. The fact that this really happens scares me. It reminds me of the movie "The Matrix." I don't believe that computers are literally going to develop independent minds and take over the world, but if people let virtual worlds become a major part of who they are, it's almost like computers are taking over the world. People would be letting themselves be held captive in virtual worlds.

Babbling or Reverent Development

Companies are releasing new software and developing technology so quickly that if you blink, you might miss the new product before a newer one is released. Eric Steven Raymond authored the article "The Cathedral and the Bazaar," where he likens the development of Linux to a bazaar: rapid and babbling. The rapid and babbling development of technology can numb the average consumer and cause him or her to forget to see how far the progression in technology has come. They become so caught up in having the newest product that they do not think about the development built up to that point. What if companies developed software in a reverent and thoughtful cathedral style of  development? I know we wouldn't be as far along in technology's development because it is improving at such a rapid pace. However, it makes me wonder if the world would do the same thing and be just as reverent, thoughtful, and appreciative of the development of technology and of the newest products.