Software Hypocrites

It is far too easy to get caught up in software piracy, and it is even easier to justify the use of that software. Either the software is too expensive, you need to learn it, or you want to use it for personal projects. Whatever the reasoning, there can be no justification for a software company to use illegitimate copies of other software. Software companies that use pirated software are hypocrites. How can you expect others to purchase your software when you are too cheep to purchase it from everyone else? If you know your company is using illegal software, it doesn't hurt to ask them to buy a license. If your company cannot afford a certain product, alternatives exist. Don't be a software hypocrite!

Forcing Women to Technology

Increasingly many nations are beginning to rise to the standards of innovation established by the western world. In an attempt to help the US stay on top, Senator Wyden explains how Title IX encourages more women into technological fields. However, with statements like "Women represent a largely untapped resource," and "Title IX has yet to be applied stringently enough" (emphasis added) it becomes clear that our government cheerleaders are actually political juggernauts forcing women to technology. Yes women are capable; yes they have much to contribute to the advancement of technology; and yes there still exists discrimination in the technical realm. But can we really coerce women into these disciplines?

Family History Can Save Your Life

Researching family history can be extremely rewarding and can satisfy a hunger rooted deep within us. It will answer questions such as: where did I come from, who am I, and why am I here? But among all the benefits of researching your family history, who knew that it could save your life? A knowledge of your family history helps identify common genetic traits that lead to certain cancers and other illnesses. If you are aware of a family line of genetic illness, talk to your doctor to see if you need to be screened or tested. Get tested early. Many illnesses can be discovered years before there are any symptoms. There have been numerous cases where family history has saved lives. You can not afford to be ignorant. Click here to learn more about family history and your risk of disease.

Feast Upon the Digital Word

The Gospel Library application was my very first iPad download. After lugging around binders, manuals, scriptures and notebooks with me to church, I was finally able to consolodate my church life into one digital tool. Not only did the iPad give me access to all the resources I needed at church, but I was also able to link General Conference talks to my scriptures, access every church manual, and become the coolest guy in my ward. People started asking me questions about the iPad during Sunday School. They would watch me scroll through scriptures, occasionally commenting on how cool something looked. A man in my ward even offered me a job doing logo design for his company because he had seen me drawing on the iPad during a church meeting. It didn't take long to realize the iPad was becoming a distraction to other people and to myself. Eventually, I resolved to abstain from the digital word of the Lord. After a few clean weeks, I began once again to crave the power of the iPad. Convincing myself that with proper use, the iPad could be a fantastic tool, I have resolved once again to use it at Church. Since then, the iPad has increased my participation in lessons by giving me an infinite number of resources to cite and speeding up the scripture search process. Thus, if used properly, the iPad will truly let you feast upon the digital word!

How bazaar is open source development?

Open source development is much like a regular production environment, but bigger. In "The Cathedral and The Bazaar", Eric Raymond lists several key aspects of open source development including, releasing often, having lots of users, and extensively testing the code. Each key point made by Raymond can be applied to closed-source development, the key difference being that open source has more users willing to find and contribute to bugs, more releases for collaboration, and more people developing the software all for free. But is more really more? There will be more people fooling around in the code base introducing bugs, more unhappy users that want a more stable product, and more people with completely different programming styles and semantics mucking up the code. I'll let you manage a code base with over 1,000 collaborators. I'm sticking to a small team.

Computer Science Mode

If you are a computer scientist, software engineer, or programmer of any kind, you have probably experienced it. It starts with a loss of connection to everything around you. You become so entranced that eating, sleeping, and even breathing become cumbersome. In this state, the only thing that matters is accomplishing the task. What is this condition that so many helpless people are developing, and should we be concerned?

My wife has endearingly termed this condition computer science mode. Although the term stems from my intense concentration while I am developing a tool at work, or finishing a computer science project, it is possible to enter this mode through other means. Clifford Stoll, in his book "The Cuckoo's Egg," was clearly suffering from CSM (Computer Science Mode) for over a year while he was tracking the German spy through his network. He would sleep by the computer printers waiting for the hacker to log in. The trance was so strong that he had a hard time focusing on schoolwork and other aspects of his life.

CSM is fueled by endorphins. Every time we create something we feel a little rush. For me, sometimes this rush is so powerful that I shout excitedly and do a little dance. The result of which usually draws awkward glances from my co-workers. Even so, the rush from accomplishment is very rewarding and is a strong motivational factor to continue.

Intellectual geniuses have been suffering from computer science mode for many years. Traces of CSM can include Einstein's non-matching socks, Bill Gates' lack of personal hygiene (he often forgot to shower), and Newton's lack of social etiquette*. So if you are one who suffers from CSM, do not worry. You are not alone. You are probably on the verge of discovering something really cool, so go for it.

*Brent Strong's History of Creativity describes Newton inviting his friends over for dinner. He was so engrossed in his work that he forgot to order dinner for his guests. His guests ordered the meal, and then proceded to eat his portion. When he looked up to see his plate empty, he declared that he wouldn't have remembered eating if the evidence wasn't right in front of his face.

If I had A Super Power...

It would be teleportation. Instead of a 10 min walk across campus for class, just teleport to your seat. Why drive 12 hours to get home over the summer? Simply jump through a worm hole to get there. You can bet my ears perked up when Fox News claimed that teleportation was 2010's greatest breakthrough. Have all of my childish dreams been realized? Unfortunately, the only thing teleporting are light particles. Because information is the only material that is transferred, the particle is dematerialized on one end of the teleportation and put back together on the other end. Unfortunately, humans are much more complex. Putting a human back together once his information has been transferred is unfathomable. The good news: Even without human teleportation, this technology is the next step in quantum computing. It provides the basis for computer processing lightyears ahead of current technology. Fortunately, lightening fast computing was my second preferred super power.