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.

A Bloodline and Technology

My great-grandfather made a voice recording of himself telling stories about his life. He wasn't alone in doing it. He asked someone to help him with these recordings. I can't remember who he asked, but a woman's voice is on the recordings asking him questions about his life. He probably could have sat and recorded these by himself, but he didn't. He was not afraid to ask for help. Too many people make the excuse that they are afraid of using the computer because they don't know how, and too many people don't do genealogy because they don't know where to start. If that's really the case, and we're not all just being lazy, here is a solution: ask for help. There are plenty of people who know their way around genealogy work, and there are plenty of people who know their way around computers and other technology. They just need to get together and help each other. They should not be afraid of the other's area of expertise. If you push a wrong button on a computer, it is not going to bite you. If you get lost in genealogy, your dead relatives aren't going to come back to haunt you. Imagine the strides we could make if we all weren't so afraid or lazy to ask questions and then get to work.

A Creator's Claim to Original Thought

There are two things I'm not sure about when it comes to copyrights. I'm a little confused about the topic of copyrighting.Why should the copyright date expire? First authors were outliving their copyright dates, and then the dates were changed to a certain date after the author's death. I don't think the date should expire at all. That's just making life complicated. The other thing I am confused about is why movies cannot be altered and resold. The Clean Flicks company got in trouble for altering movies and then reselling them. Books, however, can be altered and resold. What makes them so different?

The Flaming Object and the Recording Device

On February 14th and 15th 2013 a large meteor entered the earth's atmosphere and streaked across the sky in western Russia. There was a compilation of videos posted on YouTube showing the meteor race across the sky and eventually crash in Siberia. You can see the videos at this link:

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/15/video-captures-flaming-object-believed-to-be-meteorite/

Although the actual event is frightening, it is amazing that many people accidentally but easily recorded it. I think it is wonderful that technology has evolved to the point where many people can just pull out a recording device to capture moments in life so easily.This event being captured by many people and later shared with many other people displays how technology can connect people around the world.

The Cyberpunk

Hacking has always stirred up both uneasiness and curiosity in me. The curiosity because it takes a very intelligent and skilled person to be a hacker. I have never hacked anything, but there has always been that side of me that longs to start computer hacking. I think it is because hackers are kind of the movie stars of computer geeks right now. In action films they always have to bring in the hacker to hack into the security system to mess with the security cameras. I also feel uneasy about hacking because it's real and anyone can get hacked and their system can get really messed up. I also feel nervous about hacking because after reading The Cuckoo's Egg by Cliff Stoll, I'm worried that authority figures are not taking hacking very seriously. I am probably being too paranoid, but I worry that hacking is going to have to get really big and out of control in order for it to be a major concern for authorities.

A Female Key Puncher

I went to my first "Women in Computer Science" club this past Wednesday. I wish I had gone to one earlier in my past school years. I never went because I felt like it was not necessary, and I would not have very much to talk about with the other girls in the program. I should not have assumed so quickly. The girls were kind and fun. I could relate with them. We had conversations that were intellectual, casual, and fun. In addition to attending this club, I read several articles on women and computer science. Several of the articles mentioned that few women study computer science because of their lack of confidence in the subject. I can understand why this is a reason. I started out in the major with very little confidence in myself. If it had not been for supportive friends and family, I may not have made it this far in the program. I only wish that I had searched for women in my field of study with which to relate and study. That would have affected my life more positively in the area of confidence and easiness. If schools pushed that women who were curious about computer science met and got to know the other women in that field, the enrollment in the program might improve. This may not be the major solution to why few women study computer science, but I see it as a possible solution to boosting the confidence of women and letting them know that they are not alone in this major.

A Lighter Laptop

Microsoft is coming out with a new personal computer. It looks like a large tablet with a keyboard that you can attach and detach from the computer. This is extremely exciting. Computers are evolving so quickly. I think of the computers from the 1990s and how bulky and heavy they were. I also remember my first job on tech support at Argonne National Laboratory. I would break a sweat carrying several of those computers from one room to another. Today I can carry a computer with my fingertips. I do not work a lot with computer hardware, so seeing how they are the reducing the size of the hardware so quickly is mesmerizing to me.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324900204578285963270503862.html

The Hand-Held Computer and Your Life

The ever-growing field of technology is, once again, making the average person's life a little more convenient. In the article "Will smartphones soon replace wallets?", it explains that technology companies are developing a new system, so we treat smartphones like a credit card. A new technology system called "near field communication," or NFC is essentially a short-range radio transmission that allows smartphone users to make secure digital payments with their smartphones. I think that these large strides in technology are wonderful, and it means that I won't have to keep track of as many objects now. However, as I learn that more and more things are replaced by apps on a smartphone, I think about how a small computer is becoming the center of many people's lives. One day I was traveling home on the bus, and I looked around at all the passengers. Almost all of them were either staring at their smartphone screens or had earphones, attached to their smartphones, plugged into their ears. It made me think of the humans in the Pixar film WALL-E. They stopped associating with each other. Their computer or television screens became the center of their lives. Like I said before, technology development is wonderful, but this new payment option for smartphones shows that technology is slowly moving into a new area of our lives. How long will it be before there is an app for every little thing in our lives? Please see the link below for the article, "Will smartphones soon replace wallets?" by Mike Wehner.

<http://news.yahoo.com/will-smartphones-soon-replace-wallets---213831840.html>

Technical Progression and Us

I read a talk by Elder Dallin H. Oaks titled "Focus and Priorities." One can find the talk in the LDS May 2001 Ensign. There was a part of the talk that stood out to me. He told the story of two men who were in a business partnership selling melons. They would purchase a truck load of melons for one dollar a melon and then sell those melons for one dollar a melon. Obviously they are not making any profit this way. They soon noticed this. The story ends with one of the men proposing that they buy a bigger truck. I immediately thought of how the world has progressed in technology. However, no matter how much the world progresses in technology, if one is using it to idle away time, there is not much of progression for that one. There can be times that technology can be used for entertainment purposes. If the use ends there, what was the point of progression? It ends up being a time-waster. One must be careful of how progression is used.