Personal Code of Ethics

1. Make sure the things you say are worthwhile.
2. Don't be afraid to ask for help, but don't ask for too much.
3. Try to treat everyone as a valued individual.
4. Only respect people worthy of your respect, but be polite and pleasant to everyone.
5. Don't let your decisions be based on popularity.
6. Remember being exceptional fades away unless you continually strive to be exceptional.

How to live today as a Latter Day Saint

When religion is observed as it is intended it becomes part of everyday living. The challenge for all members of a religion is living with other of different values. True religion is lived through private observances, self discipline and action. Conduct at work is a reflection of how religion is lived. Living as a Latter Day Saint means performing small acts of worship and service in all times and all places.

Gaming addiction, more common than you think

I assume the general public lacks the discipline to know when enough is enough; constantly being trained to live for excess. Online games are engineered to provide euphoria, they are among the most potent narcotics. Addiction's tragedy is lost opportunity. It is imperative that public education addresses issues concerning gaming addiction. It's too late for my generation, but we need damage control for the future.

Pblic Educatoin and Gaming addiction (Video post)

Gaming is the opium of the masses?

The landscape of video gaming is astoundingly different to what is was five years ago. Video game publishers don't want you to buy games, instead they demand loyal devotion to them. The video game market is booming. Gaming is a billion dollar industry. Where there is money there is marketing. Video game marketing is brilliantly deceptive; keeping gamers paying for the pain. 

The recent phenomenon of free to play games is a worm; attacking smartphone bank accounts. Access to games has never been easier thanks to smartphones; spreading like cancer into ever wider markets. The key to the free to play money making machine is micro transactions. Consumers the world over are nickle and dimed when playing free games. Little by little free to play games bleed the bank dry.

Free to play games are addictive. Deliberate design keeps consumers playing and paying to reach aloof goals. The expertise of behavioral scientists make free to play games irresistible. Consumers satisfy the craving to play anytime and anywhere; the drug is in their pockets. 

 

Women in technical sciences

The extremely low number of women in Computer Science is not alarming. There is nothing holding women back from a successful career in technical sciences. Is it alarming that far less men graduate in nursing than women? Absolutely not. If stereotypes were holding women back from technical majors it is due to choice, not oppression.  

Real cathedrals are beautiful; software cathedrals are ugly

Cathedrals are mystic, perplexing, and ancient. When code is mystic, perplexing, and ancient; it's a train wreck. Flexibility is paramount when writing software. Obstinate code is costly and infuriating; wrestling with it is like getting blood from a stone. Adept programmers write software as sharp as themselves, when they keep code flexible. Software should be like a pencil, simple, intuitive and versatile.

Gospel connections and distractions

The LDS church has supernatural ability to organize people. During the Proposition 8 voting in California; the LDS church was critical in organizing a consortium of churches to raise public awareness, concerning Proposition 8. The key to their supernatural ability is their use of technology. Their worldwide membership is connected like no other Christian church.

The leaders of the LDS church are encouraging their congregations to be computer literate, to engage in social media, and use technology to spread the gospel. These petitions are given with a warning; don't let the technology distract from the goal.

The dichotomy of computers is that they are able to connect us across the globe, and at the same time, we can be lose ourselves in a deluge of brain numbing entertainment and worthless information. Technology presents us with a fantastic opportunity and challenge; it should not go to waste, but be weary of wasting your life away.   

Copyright an unnessesary middleman

I have attended multiple concerts, and heard bands say multiple times "please download our album and share it with your friends, we make our money at shows." This begs the question, are copyright laws really protecting the creators, or are they a legal skimping machine? Personally I think the later is fare more true. Recently digital distribution has been making steps in the right direction to line the coffers of the creators, instead of vultures in ties. Copyright is a racket. Publishing companies are barely more than a bloated burden for artists, a corporate Fagin, demanding tribute. If we cut off the dead weight; artists will be paid better for their work, and it will be cheaper too. Purchase from digital distribution and creators websites; make sure your money goes to those who earned it.

Cuckoo's egg

Computers don't rob society of culture; they enrich it. The Cuckoo hacker was suspected of coming from the East coast early in the chase, because of the syntax of his code, like an accent revealing a persons nationality and culture. Internet forums are full of culture. Forums, and other internet places to  people gather on the internet, all have their own culture, language, political views and social trends. The ability to know someone is not frequent to a computer system because of their language shows how rich, and how real, these cultures are. To catch the Cuckoo hacker peoples and cultures united. The Berkeley staff coordinated with the Army, and the Police. Three very different cultures came together, united by a common goal, through technology.
Social media nurtures humanities common goals and is creating a new world culture. Egypt adopted culture from countries across the sea, which lead to revolution. The great firewall of China is desperately trying to hold back new world culture, for fear it will destroy their already existent one. Businesses and religious organizations are advancing into social media to be part of the culture. Social media is the final piece to the puzzle of globalization. There is no need to go to the opera house for culture; all the culture you need is in your pocket on your smart-phone. Technology has done more for culture than, Greece, Rome and The British Empire.

Conference and Twitter

Following conference on Twitter detracted from the conference experience. I spent most of my time during the session getting annoyed with people's comments; mostly members of the LDS church who said things which make LDS members appear fanatic. I appreciate that the exercise broadened my horizons concerning the real time impact conference has through the globe, however I'm not sure it's worth the frustration to do it again.

Hacking and Hollywood

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24392819

Jesse James is infamous for robbing stagecoaches, leading gangs and murder. He is a well known historical figure. If you asked someone who is Kevin Mitnick they would likely not know; surprising considering he was on the FBI most wanted list for computer crimes. Hollywood has glorified and vilified Jesse James, but the real Jesse James is more brutal and violent than the big screen counterfeit. Counterfeit hackers also feature in Hollywood. A nuclear holocaust won't be started by a teenager in his mothers basement, the ridiculousness of it is laughable, however the red herring is alarming. Hollywood has made a hackers a bad joke, the sad punchline is hackers are lethal. My experience shows the majority of professionals are clueless. Amusing as it is to hear about phishing victims in the office; sirens sound every time it happens. If the professionals are fooled so easily; the amateurs are fish in a barrel. Time to get educated. If you want to learn about Pearl Harbor; don’t watch the movie. If you want to protect yourself from hackers; start reading and stop laughing.  

The nature of social media

The social media space is a fertile crescent for business. Company image and public relations are projected and conducted through social media. The LDS church uses social media as a platform for missionary work, disaster relief, networking, teaching, and are pushing family history into the social media space. It is equally imperative for businesses and churches to adapt to their habitat. Social media is corporate habitat. Nature mandates that a species that does not adapt will die. Without social media the church cannot survive.   

Time to stop spending

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-24320793

Money doesn't grow on trees. It’s a simple concept, yet the government seems incapable of understanding it. The debt ceiling issue is a battleground, it is a facade subverting the real issue, the debit is out of control. The average national debt per American is roughly $53, 400; that's 35% more than Greece. The average consumer debt per household in America is $193,827. Allowing a country to run with such high debt is reckless and scornful. The grim reality faced by Americans today, is that without money, and with average debt so high our chances for survival are on equal foot with dodos. The debit isn't going to disappear, unless responsible leaders cut back on spending. It's time to face the issue and elect officials willing to cut back on spending.

Current Event

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24173977

The NSA’s surveillance over the private data of American citizens has been at the center of aggressive political debate over human rights. However, before we sharpen the pitchforks and ignite the torches, shouldn't we consider if such inalienable rights ever existed? The virtue of human rights was a big political talking point during the League of Nations in 1919, but they have been completely disregarded in many historical instances since: the Holocaust, Tiananmen Square, and the Japanese American Internment all happened since the League of Nations. Due to many historical examples, I can’t help but feel that human rights are a myth invented by the naive to prevent suffering caused by governmental tyranny. The NSA claims to have taken our natural rights for a noble cause, but they cannot take something we did not own in the first place. Instead of worrying over our loss of presumed natural rights, we should accept the reality of governmental overreach and act like the world is watching… because it is.

Am I worth more than my laptop?

Without my computer, I'm incapable of completing school assignments; remembering contact information and scheduling my time. The influence my computer has on my life is huge. Without it, according to the education system, I'm worth an F. If we believe in everything the ecosystem of technology teaches us, the worth of a man can be measured in bits. The truth is that the worth of men cannot be measured by a computer. The best things in life are not found in the zeroes and ones, they come as we invest time in people. Computers are intended as a means to an end. We should be concerned with the legacy we leave behind, not the data.        

Just starting out

I have never had a blog before. Hopefully I can write something interesting or entertaining.