The Great Balancing Act

A principal concern of church leaders regarding computer use is their predominance in our lives and their overuse. I certainly find this to be a valid concern. I grew up with computers - already at the age of 10, I was programming in BASIC and spent a good portion of my time outside of school engaged with my computer. While this interaction has obviously led to good results, such as my current major, it has also led to problems. I have found a personal tendency to become engulfed in a computer when I find myself in a stressful situation, rather than confronting my stressor. This is one of the signs of addiction. It seems that even good use of computers can become an addiction if not put in check. Computer use must be held in constant balance for our own good.

The Open Social Experiment

I tend to consider open source software to be something of a social experiment. It tests the boundaries of human interaction, and seems to laugh in the face of capitalism. When you think about it rationally, it doesn't seem like the system should work. People are generally understood to be greedy and self-serving, and to contribute to a project with no expectation of personal gain seems improbable at best. Yet the facts dictate that open source does, in fact, work. I am typing this blog post on a computer running an open source Linux operating system, which is running the open source Firefox web browser. The fact that the open source movement not only exists, but thrives in our world, gives me hope in human nature. Maybe, just maybe, the movement is a sign that we are all inherently generous and selfless. Here's to hoping the open source movement enjoys a full, long life.

My Sister Is a Computer Scientist

I wish that gender was not an issue in our field. I recently received an email from my younger sister, who is currently her mission. As her date to return home approaches, she has begun thinking about her future as a college student once she arrives home. My sister asked what I thought about her pursuing a degree in computer science. Among my comments, I noted the large offset between genders in the major. I talked about the fact that she might be required to defend herself, her talents, and her gender if she were to pursue this career path. I wish I could tell my sister that this field would embrace her with open arms. That she would be judged and promoted based on her abilities and unique viewpoints. That she would be seen as an individual, and not as a gender. I don't think we've reached that point. But with her help, maybe someday soon we will.

Intermanity

As a whole, is humanity better for having the internet, or would it be better-off without it? There can be little doubt that many of the atrocities committed on the internet have very real and negative effects on the world (human trafficking, pornography, and bullying to name just a few). But by the same token, so much good has come from the internet, such as more effective family history work and strengthened relationships through social media. When it comes down to it, however, all of these things related to the internet have one common thread - communication. The internet is limited in its goodness by the goodness of humanity, as it is simply another tool for communication. The internet is human in nature, and so it is only as good as the nature of those who use it.

The Internet is a Hippie

The most surprising thing to me while reading "The Cuckoo's Egg" was the fact that Cliff Stoll was, in fact, a hippie. In my mind, I have never associated the hippie movement with computers. Judging by Cliff's descriptions, however, it would seem that the hippie movement was involved with computers in a very real way. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Cliff's description of computer networks and trust really brought this idea to the forefront - that computers of that time, and more specifically, computer networks, were built with a degree of trust, and with the belief that they should remain open and free for everyone. When it is spelled out like that, the connection to the hippie movement becomes clearer - ideals of an open, free, and unregulated lifestyle spilled over into the computers these people were developing and working with. When put into this perspective, the apparent lack of security the Cliff encountered while tracking down his hacker makes a lot more sense. It's not that the administrators and developers were incapable or unintelligent; the culture surrounding computers was simply based on similar ideals to the hippie movement. Unfortunately, as occurred with the overall hippie movement, reality set in and most individuals realized that these ideals had little or no place in the real world. This realization led me to an interesting thought - how much of an influence does the current culture play on technological innovations? How would the internet be different, for example,  had the internet been developed during wartime, or during an economic recession? I believe that the prominent culture of the day has a large effect on the technologies developed in the same period.

The Search for Usability

It seems that all computer programs go through growing pains during their conception. FamilySearch, for example, started off with disks, CD's, PAF's and databases - things not usable or easily taught to its target demographic. Like most programs, it started its life as essentially functional, but not necessarily usable by the general public. Yet successful programs must achieve usability. A computer program is a means to an end, rather than the end itself, and therefore, the most important thing it can do is to stay out of the user's way. That is the end goal of usability. FamilySearch has enjoyed great success thanks to continued efforts to make the program easier to understand and simpler to use for all of its users.

The Ethics of Space Travel

I wondered today, as I read the recent news on the Indian Mars Mission, whether there are ethical problems that we, as humans, need to resolve regarding our space travel. The principal question in my mind was this: should we be exploring space at all? I hope this doesn't come off as sounding disinterested or critical of space programs - I've been fascinated with space and space travel my entire life, and would still trade just about anything for the opportunity to get up there. However, I wonder if this exploration is justified when we consider the human condition here on earth. I am not well-versed in current world issues, but I know for a fact that there is great need in almost any part of the world for better living conditions, more food, better healthcare, and access to many other basic necessities. It seems to be an almost sardonic display of disregard for us to spend billions upon billions to send one or two privileged individuals (or bits of metal and glass, as the case may be) into space, while leaving millions of starving people behind. I recognize the need for human ambition and inspiration for future generations, but is it worth the cost?