Tim's Blog

Personal and Professional Ethics

2010-04-07T18:23:00.000-07:00

The business world would be drastically better if every person and company shared the same ethics. Some companies believe that ethics are irrelevant to the business world, thus making it extremely difficult for their competitors to act ethically. However, a company can gain motivation to practice good ethics by thinking about the consequences to their actions. An unethical company might benefit in the short run, but the long term consequences can be devastating. Employees, customers, and competitors all lose when any company practices unethical behavior.

Vlog

2010-03-30T18:04:00.000-07:00

The LDS Church and Technology

2010-03-22T16:35:00.000-07:00

Church work can be done much faster and easier now thanks to modern technology. Hopefully this won’t lull church members into becoming lazy. Technology enables us to finish our work quickly. We should not use this as an excuse to play more and work less. We have been blessed with these amazing technological tools so we can accomplish more with our church service time, not so we can spend less time in the work of the Lord.

The Cathedral and the Bazaar

2010-03-17T17:29:00.000-07:00

Open source software is a miracle. When something incredibly good happens, chances are that it came from God. That seems to be the case with the open source movement. An obvious reason why the Lord would assist the open source movement is to help The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with family history work. Open source has led to the creation of the Family History API, which allows anyone to create applications that can link up to the genealogical database. It is exciting to see the hand of the Lord inspire and guide men to further His purposes.

The World is Flat

2010-03-15T16:06:00.000-07:00

As I read The World is Flat, I kept thinking about how technology has made many everyday tasks easier. These advances in technology have brought people more free time than ever, regardless of where they live. However, many people don’t know how to spend time wisely in the technological world. I have a couple of ideas on how we can better manage our time.

One side effect of technology is the tendency it has to distract us. Some things aren’t evil by nature, but they will waste countless hours of our time if we aren’t careful. Video games, television, iPods, and other forms of technological entertainment can be beneficial if we use them in moderation. It’s a wise idea to set a time limit on how much entertainment time to spend a day.

The amount of information that is available in the flat world is overwhelming. Much of this info is essential to know. Other knowledge is not evil, but is not necessary to know. An important skill to develop in the flat world the the ability to discern the important topics from the irrelevant ones. To keep pace in the flat world, it is necessary to master time management.

Copyright

2010-03-03T18:19:00.000-08:00

I’m not sure why artists and inventors freely sign the rights of their creations away to companies. Perhaps many feel that they won’t be able to earn money from their work if they don’t sign a contract with a particular company. Maybe others don’t read the fine print in the contracts. Whatever the reason, I hope that people are beginning to understand that most companies end up with the majority of the profit. The creator, not the company, should maintain the rights to a creative work.

Drivers and Cell Phones

2010-03-01T20:20:00.000-08:00

Every day I see drivers endanger others by texting while driving. It’s become a big annoyance of mine. That’s why reading this article made me happy. In New York, they are producing barely-marked police cars to make it easier for cops to catch drivers who are using their cell phones. I don’t know why some states still do not have laws banning cell phone use while driving. Drivers know that using cell phones greatly inhibits their driving ability, but they continue to do it. In two steps, the government could minimize the problem. The first step is to have more cops driving in disguised police cars. The other step is to fine drivers a ridiculously high amount of money so they can’t afford to be caught using their cell phone while driving. It is a simple solution, and I guarantee that it would get rid of the problem.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/28/nyregion/28ghost.html?pagewanted=2

Preventing Computer Theft

2010-02-22T19:04:00.000-08:00

Several school districts are lending out computers to their students. Some of the schools decided to use the laptops’ webcams to prevent thievery. They can use the webcam to take photographs of the person using the computer. This seems like a wise idea until you think of the ways that school administrators could abuse the webcams. A school district in Philadelphia is being accused of using a webcam to spy on students while they were getting dressed. This situation could have been avoided by both sides. Students using borrowed computers should only use them when they are not in a potentially embarrassing situation. School districts have the right to prevent thievery of their laptops, but they should warn students before they remotely turn on the camera. Even better, the webcam should remain off until the computer is reported as stolen.

Online Actions

2010-02-16T18:36:00.000-08:00

As I read The Cuckoo’s Egg, I thought about how laws and rules do not always keep up with technology. For a long time, the government did not have laws against breaking into other people’s computers. Similarly, it seems that some people do not think that moral laws apply to the Internet and computers. The moral problems on the Internet can’t all be fixed by the government. However, many problems in the digital world would be solved if everyone followed two basic principles.

Make the same decisions in both worlds.
Stealing music, movies, and software is a big problem in the digital word. Many people would never even think about stealing a CD or DVD from the store, but those same people have no problem illegally obtaining music or movies online. If we would act the same way in the digital world as we do in the real word, then online stealing would decrease.

Use common sense.
In The Cuckoo’s Egg, there wasn’t a law against breaking into other people’s computers, but obviously it was wrong to do so. The law can’t tell us how we should act in every situation. New technology doesn’t come coupled with new laws, so people must use their conscience to choose the right in areas where laws don’t exist.

Technology and Genealogy

2010-02-03T20:58:00.001-08:00

Doing genealogical work can be intimidating. Many don’t know where to start, while others have trouble finding additional names. Fortunately, the Lord has blessed us with technology to ease the burden of doing family history work. It is astounding to think about how much easier doing family history work is thanks to modern technology. The saints in Wilford Woodruff’s day couldn’t have imagined how computers and the Internet would assist in doing family history work. Just as they couldn’t have anticipated how the Lord would aid in doing genealogy, we shouldn’t be surprised when we receive divine help in our sincere efforts to do our ancestral work.

Gadget Manners

2010-01-27T20:49:00.001-08:00

An unexpected side effect of new gadgets and devices is how they contribute to rudeness in society. I often observe this phenomenon. I see it when I’m at church and a cell phone rings. It occurs during my classes when other students play on their computers, thus distracting those around them. It happens at work when employees don’t step outside to have a private phone conversation. The good news is that these problems can be easily fixed. It’s not hard to set a phone to silent during a meeting, or to take your headphones off when someone is talking to you. Hopefully, people will start to have the motivation to improve their technology manners.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tech-etiquette-outlaws-are-you-one-of-them-poor-gadget-manners-in-the-workplace-increasing-cio-survey-reveals-82673332.html

Women in Computing

2010-01-25T20:21:00.000-08:00

Women should learn all that they can about computers, because both sides can benefit from each other. Mothers and wives who become more computer savvy can protect other members of their family from the evils on the Internet. Mothers who have an understanding of computers can help their children use computers for school assignments. The computer industry can benefit from having more female employees who have new ideas, fresh perspectives and solid problem-solving skills. If the worlds of computers and women combine, they will create a symbiotic relationship.

Digital Aid

2010-01-20T19:38:00.000-08:00

For two years, I lived on the island of Hispaniola. During my time there, I saw how difficult a Haitian’s life is. When I heard about the earthquake that occurred in Haiti last week, I knew that there would be unimaginable death and destruction. One thing that I didn’t anticipate was how technology would play such a big role in the relief effort. The first reports of the destruction were sent through Twitter and Facebook. Many Haitians who were buried under buildings were able to text that they were trapped under a building, and rescuers were able to save them. Residents were able to contact family members through email to tell them that they were okay. And in this article, it reports that millions of dollars have been raised solely through text messages. It will be interesting to see how modern technology continues to play a role in the recovery.

The Digital Age

2010-01-13T17:57:00.000-08:00

Not long ago, the only way for sports fans to get information about their favorite teams was to attend a game or read a newspaper. Being a sports fan didn’t consume much time. However, the digital age has changed many sports fans into sports addicts. It is now possible for a sports fan to waste an entire day with their sports addiction. Fans can follow athletes’ Twitter feeds, watch sporting events online, read sports blogs, chat on message boards, or view television channels that are devoted solely to a single sport. While this information can enhance fans ability to follow and enjoy their favorite teams, it can also become highly addicting. In the digital age, fans should be careful to not allow their interest in sports to dominate their lives.

Technorati

2010-01-11T17:11:00.001-08:00

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