Oh, WoW!

MMORPGs are just plain scary. At the core are the whirlpools of the Internet Age, waiting to suck victims into a bottomless pit where time doesn't exist. If victims ever escape, they find literal days, weeks, and even months have passed. Realizing the world has left them behind, they jump back in for another swim. As a freshman in Anthropology 101, I did a study on the effects of playing World of Warcraft on students. One good friend that I interviewed had over 45 days of logged playing time in a space of seven months. His classes had left him behind, and his grades showed it. Anthropology 101 taught me a very important lesson: stay away from World of Warcraft. Some can argue all they want that there's no danger swimming in MMORPGs. You just have to be smart and get out of the water and take a break. I can't do it. I've seen what the whirlpool will do to you, and it's simply not worth my time.

Spread the Word

A Win for Everyone

History is written by the winners. As victors tell their tale, the losing side is painted as dim and in denial, unaware that they would soon be obsolete. In hindsight, their pending demise seems obvious, just as the victory of the winners seems so assured. But anyone knows that in the moment, victory or defeat is anything but sure. Can the fastest man sit out the deciding race, knowing he would win? No, he runs against the other contenders, and his victory is decided by a photo finish as he collapses across the finish line.

History not only tells us the story of heroes in battle and the winning nations in wars, but of winning technologies. A winning technology wins not necessarily because it is better, but because its adaptation makes former technology a faint memory. Here Comes Everybody is a fantastic commentary of this trend in society. My generation grew up with the Internet, but the world is still reeling at its effects. Free information and the ability to for us to share our individual stories is natural to us, but is a novel concept in history. The power of the press has not become obsolete; it has become more powerful, yet resides in the hands of everyone who shares online. Dictatorships are toppled and industries collapse because the human family can finally speak its mind without being told what to do. So speak up mankind. One day our cutting-edge technologies will probably fade into the dust as another piece of history, but let's hope humanity's newfound voice does not.

Aaaarrrgggghhh!!!!

I always wanted to be a pirate. It's life at sea with your comrades, broken English, and treasure hunts! That's the life for me. Don't bother me with details like murdering and pillaging, scurvy, and running from the law. Pirates aren't really bad guys, they're just misunderstood, right? Wrong. Pirates are some nasty dudes that would maroon their mothers for an extra share of the treasure. Music pirates are the same: evil racketeers making a killing on illegal copies of DVDs and CDs. Our generation is just as bad. We're poor like pirates. We like to stick it to the man. We know the best price is free, so why not get our music free? Because it's wrong, and it's stealing. Everyone wants a free treasure chest of their favorite music, but don't leave your favorite artists in rags. There's no glory about tossing your integrity away over a dollar. But we don't have to steal. Use services like Pandora, Youtube, and Spotify, and share the riches with everyone.

Jack & Jill

Apparently a lot of people are worried there aren't enough women studying computer science. Personally, I'm not too worried. The computer science major at BYU has no formal application process; one simply needs to pass CS 240. Any guy or girl is welcome to take CS classes. Regardless of gender, people should study whatever they like. The ratio of guys to girls in the CS program seems to indicate more guys than girls want to study computer science, but no one is outside our classes bouncing female students. It is important to recognize that guys and girls are different, and have different interests. That is fine as long as we do not exclude people from their interests simply based on gender. The choice for women to study computer science is there, and maybe one day more women will. After all, Jill eventually tumbled along after Jack fell down the hill.

It's a Family Thing

To think that the entire human family is connected into one gigantic tree is mind-boggling. Everyone of us is a leaf on that tree, and we all fit perfectly onto one of its branches. Finding our place in the tree certainly isn't a trivial task, but tools like New Family Search help make it possible.  In my software engineering class we are seeking to simplify this process further with a project called the Twenty Minute Genealogist. Essentially, the project stems from this question: "If I had only 20 minutes in a week to do genealogy, what would software have to do for me to make that time effective?" I work on the iOS application, specifically the portion of the app that deals directly with the New Family Search servers. It can get pretty difficult and sometimes I just want to pull my hair out. Rough it may be, but developers like me work on tools like New Family Search and the Twenty Minute Genealogist with the hope that they will be used by our brothers and sisters to one day unite our human family together forever.

For Better Or Worse

I am grateful for the recent emphasis in technology by my church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Just a few weeks ago, I watched online as our Church leaders spoke to members worldwide. There was a clear theme that the Lord has provided many tools in the form of technology to help us spread the Gospel. But in the same general conference Church leaders warned of the many dangers we face from addictions to technology. In the last few decades, the world has seen phenomenal advances in technology, but whether that is for better or worse remains to be seen. I believe the Lord gave us these marvelous tools to connect the human family, spread the Gospel, and declare Eternal Truths. It is up to the human family to decide whether we use these gifts to the blessing of our lives or our ultimate destruction.