Thursday, April 9, 2015
Teaching the Ethics of Media Pirating
Most would agree that illegally distributing copied CDs and DVDs is morally wrong. The principle is often taught to or reinforced in people as they grow up. However, people generally have no scruples about downloading or distributing digital media on the internet. This may be because children are not taught that downloading "free" media is unethical behavior; likely the thought that downloading pirated media is stealing has never crossed the minds of many people. I believe though that the lion's share of illegal downloaders know that their actions are just as wrong as if they'd pirated and distributed physical CDs. Their personal justification lies in the feeling of anonymity that the internet provides. The root cause of their crimes is not ignorance but rather a lack of moral fiber. If we are to truly put an end to online media pirating, we must help people to have more integrity. They must want to uphold the law whether or not somebody is watching and must try to encourage others to obey the law is well. If we can encourage better integrity in our society, online media pirating (as well as many other unethical deeds) would be much less frequent than it would by simply doing a better job of teaching people that illegal downloads are unethical.
Study Journal #7
31 March 2015
1) I agree that too much reliance on computers can smother our ability to feel the spirit, even more so than other things. Because we can view whatever we want with a computer, we can be distracted easily.
2) Just like with the Brother of Jared needing to figure out how to get light, I believe that the Lord expects us to consider our ethics and decide within the gospel frame work.
3) It seems like there is no way to make technology and software that can not be used for evil in some way. There are technologies with the intent for good, but it seems like Satan works to corrupt everything good in some way.
02 April 2015
1) Wow, what if the original 12 had technology as a teaching tool!?! They baptized like crazy as it is, but I wonder if the greater voice would have actually helped.
2) Hearing about how the Brethren are so involved in the direction that church technology is going is really inspiring! The thought takes away any inclination I've had to criticize the way the church is using technology...
3) I bet working for ICS would be an interesting mix of spiritual and temporal. I wonder how they keep the guidance of the Spirit involved while at the same time using tons of technology.
07 April 2015
1) The idea that the Lord didn't inspire smart phones just for fun-that He's not terribly concerned about how much fun we have- is a powerful thought.
2) The church seems like it has done a good job of learning from its mistakes, such as working out sealing issues in the database and product.
3) I'm glad the church is making the effort to do cloud-based stuff. It is more convenient for people in general, but I hope they really lock down the security element. If not, they have to worry about people altering or deleting data through hacking.
09 April 2015
1) I need to shift my mind-set to make sure that the programming I do actually help the Lord's work in some way.
2) All the prophets, both ancient and modern, really have seen the miraculous technologies that we have today.
3) How can I do online missionary work without Facebook, twitter, and other social media apps? Blogs, maybe, but I'm terrible with them in the same way I stink at journal writing. Maybe youtube though?
1) I agree that too much reliance on computers can smother our ability to feel the spirit, even more so than other things. Because we can view whatever we want with a computer, we can be distracted easily.
2) Just like with the Brother of Jared needing to figure out how to get light, I believe that the Lord expects us to consider our ethics and decide within the gospel frame work.
3) It seems like there is no way to make technology and software that can not be used for evil in some way. There are technologies with the intent for good, but it seems like Satan works to corrupt everything good in some way.
02 April 2015
1) Wow, what if the original 12 had technology as a teaching tool!?! They baptized like crazy as it is, but I wonder if the greater voice would have actually helped.
2) Hearing about how the Brethren are so involved in the direction that church technology is going is really inspiring! The thought takes away any inclination I've had to criticize the way the church is using technology...
3) I bet working for ICS would be an interesting mix of spiritual and temporal. I wonder how they keep the guidance of the Spirit involved while at the same time using tons of technology.
07 April 2015
1) The idea that the Lord didn't inspire smart phones just for fun-that He's not terribly concerned about how much fun we have- is a powerful thought.
2) The church seems like it has done a good job of learning from its mistakes, such as working out sealing issues in the database and product.
3) I'm glad the church is making the effort to do cloud-based stuff. It is more convenient for people in general, but I hope they really lock down the security element. If not, they have to worry about people altering or deleting data through hacking.
09 April 2015
1) I need to shift my mind-set to make sure that the programming I do actually help the Lord's work in some way.
2) All the prophets, both ancient and modern, really have seen the miraculous technologies that we have today.
3) How can I do online missionary work without Facebook, twitter, and other social media apps? Blogs, maybe, but I'm terrible with them in the same way I stink at journal writing. Maybe youtube though?
Thursday, April 2, 2015
The Numbing Effect of Technology
Digital technology in all its forms has many positive effects on society. Many gadgets save time and perform tedious tasks that people would otherwise do by hand. However, strong digital dependency is becoming more and more common, especially in the younger generations. This is undesirable for many reasons, but I believe that one of the worst effects of too much technology is that it numbs the mind, body and spirit. This is clear when you interact with somebody who has just finished a long session at a computer. His eyes are dull, his mind usually fuzzy or aching, and his mood taciturn. After some time, he will come out of his reverie and a cloud will seem to lift off him. These post-computer-usage effects are undesirable. Once the spell has been lifted, a person becomes more pleasant, more engaged, and most importantly, more receptive to the Spirit. Youth are particularly effected by the technology stupor; observe any scout troop on a long camping trip. Somewhere along the way, all the gamers will wake up and become the more lively boys that they ought to be. Because of the numbing effects of too much technology, we must all discipline ourselves and limit our time in the digital world so that we may vigorously take advantage of the time-saving benefits that technology provides.
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Study Journal #6
17 March 2015
1) Why do we need to make a concerted effort to forcibly add women to the computer science industry? That's not to be sexist. It;s a legitimate question in my opinion.
2) CS is all about creativity, so women in CS would bring a different kind of creativity. That's a good reason to me!
3) It's interesting that the majority of women are introduced through male role models.
4) She talks about uneven balance of male and female teachers at different ages, but that wasn't my experience. I had a pretty even balance through all of grade school.
19 March 2015
1) Microsoft's website mentions that it's most important to get a variety of creativity and ideas, rather than focus on gender/ethnicity. That makes sense to me...
2) The stats that he's showing should be put in perspective be seeing tech college grad stats and other contextual data.
3) I hate pie charts.
4) Sometimes the church doctrine and culture send conflicting messages about gender roles, especially with whether or not women should strive for high-paying jobs.
24 March 2015
1) I don't think addiction is ever a good thing. His examples of "good addictions" are life sustaining dependencies, like food. That's not the same thing as an addiction.
2) Addiction is a tricky word because it's unclear what it includes. Does it include all dependencies? Anything habit forming? Anything that alters brain chemistry? Anything that makes a chemical dependency? Our vagueness sort of makes us argue about different things all at once.
3) I think he did the right thing blowing the whistle. The scriptures say that we'll suffer for our good choices sometimes but that we'll be compensated for it eternally if we endure it well.
1) Why do we need to make a concerted effort to forcibly add women to the computer science industry? That's not to be sexist. It;s a legitimate question in my opinion.
2) CS is all about creativity, so women in CS would bring a different kind of creativity. That's a good reason to me!
3) It's interesting that the majority of women are introduced through male role models.
4) She talks about uneven balance of male and female teachers at different ages, but that wasn't my experience. I had a pretty even balance through all of grade school.
19 March 2015
1) Microsoft's website mentions that it's most important to get a variety of creativity and ideas, rather than focus on gender/ethnicity. That makes sense to me...
2) The stats that he's showing should be put in perspective be seeing tech college grad stats and other contextual data.
3) I hate pie charts.
4) Sometimes the church doctrine and culture send conflicting messages about gender roles, especially with whether or not women should strive for high-paying jobs.
24 March 2015
1) I don't think addiction is ever a good thing. His examples of "good addictions" are life sustaining dependencies, like food. That's not the same thing as an addiction.
2) Addiction is a tricky word because it's unclear what it includes. Does it include all dependencies? Anything habit forming? Anything that alters brain chemistry? Anything that makes a chemical dependency? Our vagueness sort of makes us argue about different things all at once.
3) I think he did the right thing blowing the whistle. The scriptures say that we'll suffer for our good choices sometimes but that we'll be compensated for it eternally if we endure it well.
26 March 2015
1) We do become a representative of the company for which we work, but at the same time they reflect on our character. We may represent our company well by our behavior, but if the company's purpose is not good, that will reflect on our character in the eyes of others.
2) It's depressing, but unfortunately true that many people are more interested in sensationalism than they are with truth. That seems to put those people in a different category than those who "seek the truth but know not where to find it"
3) Having the distraction of technology gone is really a blessing sometimes. I think that's one reason why people like the temple, though they don't realize it. Getting rid of my facebook account a few years ago was one of the best things I've ever done because it freed up so much time and mental resources.
1) We do become a representative of the company for which we work, but at the same time they reflect on our character. We may represent our company well by our behavior, but if the company's purpose is not good, that will reflect on our character in the eyes of others.
2) It's depressing, but unfortunately true that many people are more interested in sensationalism than they are with truth. That seems to put those people in a different category than those who "seek the truth but know not where to find it"
3) Having the distraction of technology gone is really a blessing sometimes. I think that's one reason why people like the temple, though they don't realize it. Getting rid of my facebook account a few years ago was one of the best things I've ever done because it freed up so much time and mental resources.
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Why Strive For Women In The Tech Industry?
The distribution of the sexes in the technology industry is heavily skewed towards men. Many believe that it is important to encourage more women to enter technology fields because of the unique perspective and qualities that women bring to the industry. While gender differences alone may be of some benefit, I believe that a more important reason to actively work to include women in computing is that they are a massive subset of our population that does not enter the industry's talent pool. Women in general do think differently than men, but any given woman will think differently than many other women. A single woman will think like some men as well, so there is not necessarily a drastically unique, gender-specific skill set that men or women in general bring to the industry. The real value of striving to encourage women in computing is the sheer number of potentially outstanding individuals that may now contribute to the technology field as a whole. Therefore, we must actively foster a culture which will entice women to pursue tech education and add to the set of exceptional individuals in the industry.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Study Journal #5
5 March 2015
1) It seems sooo foolish to invest in a company that hasn't shown that they could possibly be profitable. All the investment seems like jumping on the band wagon.
2) The frenzied attitude during the bubble forced people to make fast choices, which either made them poor or unethical or both.
3) Flipping companies is like a get-rich-quick strategy, which is never a good call.
10 March 2015
1) He says to dare to follow your ideas and stuff, but it's so risky when you don't know if the ideas will even work or be marketable. Going all in on such a project is really a gamble.
2) Wow that's so frustrating that the legal junk got in the way of the light device. Sometimes the law can hinder much more than it helps. I hope the light thing does end up on the market though because it sounds awesome.
3) I'm surprised that such recent graduates have been able to create such epic inventions. I wonder if he's really just exaggerating the importance or intensity of their inventions.
12 March 2015
1) Even though we wouldn't be responsible for the fornication in the first example, it would still be good to do what you could to help your brother and sister.
2) Heavenly Father has done a really great job doing things physically to help faithful spouses resist divorce.
3) This open level of conversation is really important to have with our kids!
1) It seems sooo foolish to invest in a company that hasn't shown that they could possibly be profitable. All the investment seems like jumping on the band wagon.
2) The frenzied attitude during the bubble forced people to make fast choices, which either made them poor or unethical or both.
3) Flipping companies is like a get-rich-quick strategy, which is never a good call.
10 March 2015
1) He says to dare to follow your ideas and stuff, but it's so risky when you don't know if the ideas will even work or be marketable. Going all in on such a project is really a gamble.
2) Wow that's so frustrating that the legal junk got in the way of the light device. Sometimes the law can hinder much more than it helps. I hope the light thing does end up on the market though because it sounds awesome.
3) I'm surprised that such recent graduates have been able to create such epic inventions. I wonder if he's really just exaggerating the importance or intensity of their inventions.
12 March 2015
1) Even though we wouldn't be responsible for the fornication in the first example, it would still be good to do what you could to help your brother and sister.
2) Heavenly Father has done a really great job doing things physically to help faithful spouses resist divorce.
3) This open level of conversation is really important to have with our kids!
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Digital Transparency in the Workplace
Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/12/technology/slack-the-office-messaging-app-that-may-finally-sink-email.html?ref=technology
My personal thoughts:
When I send an email at work, I specify the recipients and thereby enjoy a high level of privacy with my coworkers. However, new business communication applications would make all messages (or at least the default for all messages) public to the whole company or team. The hope of transparency is that it will increase unity and productivity among employees; I share that hope, but I do so for different reasons than others usually cite. For example, I believe that with access to all office communication, a new employee would more easily understand the state of his new workplace and his role in the company which would enable him to meaningfully contribute sooner. Full transparency would also improve collaboration on projects because people with questions may find ready answers from an unexpected team member or be guided by another's work on his facet of the project. Most importantly, public office communication would encourage civil conversation from bosses or between coworkers who might otherwise speak more harshly than they should. I strongly believe that transparency is the best digital communication practice in the workplace and that all companies should seek to incorporate technologies into their offices that enable such transparency.
My personal thoughts:
When I send an email at work, I specify the recipients and thereby enjoy a high level of privacy with my coworkers. However, new business communication applications would make all messages (or at least the default for all messages) public to the whole company or team. The hope of transparency is that it will increase unity and productivity among employees; I share that hope, but I do so for different reasons than others usually cite. For example, I believe that with access to all office communication, a new employee would more easily understand the state of his new workplace and his role in the company which would enable him to meaningfully contribute sooner. Full transparency would also improve collaboration on projects because people with questions may find ready answers from an unexpected team member or be guided by another's work on his facet of the project. Most importantly, public office communication would encourage civil conversation from bosses or between coworkers who might otherwise speak more harshly than they should. I strongly believe that transparency is the best digital communication practice in the workplace and that all companies should seek to incorporate technologies into their offices that enable such transparency.
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