Lead by Example

As members and future leaders of the tech community, we also lead our families, friends, and neighbors in adapting to and accepting new technologies. We need to lead by example in carefully adopting and using technology. A common example is that we often talk about the negative effects of spending too much time on social media, especially with our children, but what do we say when we aren't talking? What do our children and friends see? We are the passionate ones in this subject and as such, we must be the first to lay down our theoretical weapons of social isolation to converse and interact with one another. Would you go to a dentist that never brushes his teeth? While our hypocrisy may not be as socially unaccepted, the consequences on those we are trying to help and guide will be similar, disbelief and loss of authority. Practice what we preach, and preach what is right, not what is socially accepted.

How Much is Enough?

When we play a sport, we become tired, it may get dark, we may have to go inside or come home. Enough is almost self-defined by our own physical limits and by the demands of others. We and those responsible for us set those limits. In contrast, playing Candy Crush or Halo doesn't have those natural limitations, by the time my eyes hurt from playing too much it could have been days or many hours. I have my smartphone everywhere I go, my gaming or social media use could really only be determined by its battery life or social norms of the situations and people around me. How much is enough in those cases? Every user, and all users under that users influence, should strive to put a limit on their use of technology. Some professions may have to be on longer than others for work purposes but for recreational or at-home use, restrictions still need to be made. The same goes for our children, they should have opportunities to build friendships and socialize, not "texting" buddies and online friends, and we are responsible for helping them. In the end, no one can or really should tell how much is enough, we should be responsible and set limits upon ourselves and upon those we care for.

Teenagers and Technology

Mass of Amateurization

Isolation used to dominate cultures due to the difficulties of communicating, traveling, and understanding each other. Now, information has flooded the earth to the point where there is almost nowhere that you can go to escape the inundation. Everyone has an opinion, whether good or bad, and we have to filter through that the sea of trash to find the truly worthwhile treasures. This has made our problem, the problem of mass amateurization. Instead of a few professionals giving us advice and services, hundreds and even thousands of amateurs feed us there thoughts. The old often look to the young to help them with all the new technology, but even the youth are no more than users, limited in their knowledge and abilities. We can not spread ourselves too thin that we don't even know more than the superficial things that we are doing; we can not fall completely to amateurism. We have to keep a balance; we have to filter what comes our way and be active participants, not idle users. Facebook, Twitter, and even LinkedIn, captivate and distract their users past their own beneficial usefulness. The power that used to be held by a few: communication, publication, specialization; is substituted by millions of semi-reliable sources. This mass of new sources, however, has enabled many wonderful gems to be placed before the world. We need to find those gems, and strive to become producers of quality items, and not just consumers of mediocre junk.

Equality in the Sciences

In a meeting with the Skype division lead at Microsoft, he asked the only female intern in our entire division, "What made you want to major in CS?". Her answer hits one of the core ways to achieve diversity in the sciences, mathematics, and engineering careers; It was, that she grew up playing with a self-programmable robotics toy that interested her. The stereotype that programmers, mathematicians, scientists, and engineers are only men and that it's a "man's" job prevents many brilliant women from pursuing a career in those fields. These positions are becoming essential in today's society and women can, and should, play a role in that development. How can we stop the spread of this contagious way of thinking? By addressing it at the heart of problem, the family and early childhood development. Math, science, and engineering are not only for men! Women need to know that they are welcome in those fields and we are the ones that can help our and rising generations to partake in the glorious future we are making.

The Development Cycle

Big corporations like Microsoft and Apple are finally learning a lesson that open source developers have known for years, release early and release often. Yearly releases of the Apple OS has become a staple and expectation of their clientele over the past few years. Microsoft Office 365 is a constantly changing and updating software that users can subscribe to in order to receive the latest and greatest. Yet open source developers have adhered to this principle since the development of Linux and even earlier. Consumers of a product want to see their feedback and their ideas change and shape what they use; this is the idea to which the "new" development cycle of software companies is accommodating. Agile or bazaar, whatever you want to call it, is a change and one that is for the betterment of software.

The Church and Technology

"I am a Mormon". This ad campaign has helped in bridging the great divide of public opinion on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I first heard about the "I am a Mormon" campaign in Uruguay during my mission for the Church and sadly, I missed the brilliance of it. Ignorance about our faith has been one of the major causes of persecution throughout the years and technology brings information to people. The Church realized that. As a result, Mormons are no longer those preppy people in white shirts and ties, but normal people with jobs, lives and difficulties. No longer are Google searches about Mormons polluted with lies and false information, but links to real profiles of members and resources provided by the Church. The Church has harnessed technology to fight ignorance and to help others get to know our purpose better, as members, we should too.

Advancing Intellectual Property into the Digital Age

Technology is growing at an exponential rate, but it is leaving the laws that govern the intellectual properties that come with it in the dust. Laws such as copyrights and patents still exist in a world of physical goods and services, not in the digital world. Court rulings and decisions on the matter are heavily influenced by the corporations, such as non-practicing entities, that feed upon these aging laws, rather than by those whose lives they could change. Are the corporations suffering? No, instead they are using these systems to stifle innovation, curb creativity and prevent a more rapid growth. They feed on the system like a leech. What can be done to pluck off the leeches and move on with technology? Change and fast. Well thought-out rules and legislation that are geared towards the future, not the past. The interest of the general public needs to be given priority and those corporations that cannot keep up with the laws that protect intellectual property will fall behind.

Privacy vs Publicity

People are unaware of the vulnerability of their publicly known information. Our personal habits, likes, and dislikes are more available than ever with technology.  Social media shows some of the most intimate aspects of our lives; aspects that others could use against us. Our trust is now requested rather than gained. Where do we draw the line between what we share or keep private? Penetrating eyes pry to know more about us than ever before; are we protecting ourselves? Most publish their life just to seek public acknowledgement, but, by doing so, ignorantly give hackers, manipulators, and impersonators their whole life. We, the technologically knowledgeable, must take a crusade to protect those we care about most and inform them. Cyber warfare is real and coming closer to home every day. A person could easily use your check-in at the nearby restaurant to rob your house, assault your loved ones or even you. A total lock-down, however, is not necessary, but precaution and education is beneficial. Every one that learns to search the web should learn its weaknesses and how to protect themselves. We cannot rely on the government to protect what means most to us because it may mean nothing to them. Availability of information is advancing at an alarming rate and we can stay ahead of it or have it sweep us away: a lost person in the sea of information. 

Is the Government Broken?

The government shutdown; what does that tell us? If they can't decide on something shouldn't we reconsider it as well. This shutdown should be a wake up call for us dormant Americans to realize that this is our country, our laws and our responsibility. Too often we put in the hands of the few the decisions that affect us. Those few, who are our representatives in government, don't know what we want unless we tell them. I, myself, am guilty of electing an official but then not actively following or watching decisions made by that person I elected. What good is a democratic government if we, the people, don't participate. Our active participation will hold the representatives we chose responsible for the choices and votes they make.


http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/10/08/votes-are-there-to-break-shutdown-but-not-the-will/?hpt=hp_t1

Twitter at General Conference

I found being on twitter to be very helpful and yet frustrating at the same time. It was very nice to have quotes that I might have missed in a lapse of thought or some key points reiterated. That was very helpful for me. I did, however, find the amount of negative or distracting comments as a irritation during the time I wanted to be spiritual. I think it's interesting enough that I will continue following during the next General Conferences or until I find it more annoying than helpful.

Genealogy, it's important.

At age ten, I lost my paternal grandpa; 16: my paternal grandma, 18: my maternal grandma, 21: my maternal grandpa, and 23: my own son. Families are and always will be the most important unit and group here on the face of the earth. When I think of my family, I can't help but love them no matter what they do. My son, parents, and grandparents mean the world to me so why wouldn't their parents and their grandparents matter. Genealogy is a binding of generations. It allows us to catch a glimpse of our relatives through our loved ones eyes, and to see how much they mean to them. I hope to learn more about my parent's grandparents, so that when they meet their great grandson they can be proud that I know who they are too. I hope we all can learn more about those that have done so much for us, before they even knew us.

Second Life or a Strangers Wife?

The worlds presented by Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs), such as the game Second Life, are like drugs, addicting and a way for Satan to pull us from the world that really matters. I believe that everyone needs an outlet to release the stresses and troubles of life, but fleeing to a world where there are no consequences is not the answer. It is, however, that pull of a care free life that gets so many people pulled into these games like a black hole. When I look at those games I see a fundamental flaw, they miss families, human interactions and joys that only real life can bring. They also cause people to neglect their real lives as they become more wrapped up in their easy online life. They forget about children, and those that depend on them, they forget about jobs and their future. All of this is because these games are built on lies, everyone lying about who they are, what they look like, you never know who each person you meet is and whether it is some strangers wife or husband or a total stalker. MMORPG's have become just one more way for us to be lost and distracted from this important mission we have here on earth and to be sucked into the lures of Satan.

http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/24/4698382/second-lifes-strange-second-life

The Good in Technology

In contrast to my last post, I want to focus on the good that technology can do with society. Being as I was born and raised in Arizona, I know that wildfires are a constant problem due to the heat and dry weather. This article has helped me to realize that even problems such as wildfires can be addressed with technology. Technology isn't all bad, in fact, it can be great when applied in the right way. There are many ways to use it, but when applied for the right reasons, it truly is amazing what can be accomplished. I often reflect on the many conflicts in the world; stretching from the troubles to the joys, the disasters to the successes. It appears that technology plays a more frequent role in all of them. I hope it will play a larger role in the joys and accomplishments as we learn to harness it, and use it for the benefit of us all.

Kevin Hinton

http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/21/4753164/fighting-fire-with-maps-how-gis-tech-helped-beat-back-the-rim-fire

The Digital Age

Technology often has the mob mentality behind it, a new phone or a new tablet and everyone says, I need that or I want that, and I know because too often have I fallen into wanting the latest and greatest. But for what, what is the purpose of information if its never used? In reality, what are the costs of this new technology? Less time with our families and friends, more time learning what? We are often too quick to adopt a technology before really analyzing what are the effects of it is in our lives. Many advances in technology are great, and a blessing to everyone but not all, and I feel that we need to remember that not everything that is new, or old for that matter, will be the best for us all. The gospel teaches us moderation in all things, and I believe many of us are falling to the extreme of technology, and bringing others with us. We need to carefully look at the technology around us and make good decisions based on true principles as to what will really benefit us, our families, our communities and our countries. Only then can we truly benefit from the Digital Age.

Kevin Hinton