We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet

Humans struggle to grasp principles. Heavenly Father, through prophets of old, warned us against gaming addiction. God never used the words "gaming" or "MMORPG", but the warning was given. God knows our struggle. In His wisdom, He has given us prophets. Prophets help us apply eternal principles in temporary circumstances. Following the living prophets can keep us safe from the current storms of life.

Natural Diversity

Two Wrongs Do Not Make a Copyright

It is a little hypocritical for music producers to complain about losing money through file sharing because the same technology decreases the cost of producing music. However, this isn't justification for file sharing. I do think that consumers should receive some of the benefit that music is cheaper to produce now than ever i.e. it should cost less to buy an album today than it was 20 years ago. If we don't pay at all, the cost of producing music won't be worth the reward. This will lead to musicians leaving the market and consumers will not get what they want in the end.

The Invisible Hand

Negative consequences often accompany public policy. For instance, black markets are formed when the government regulates the price of a product with a price ceiling that is lower than the market price would be without the regulation. This means there are more consumers who would buy the product at the regulated price than there are products being produced at that price. The same could be said of regulations such as Title IX. The government needs to regulate the creation of monopolies; if men are using monopolistic practices to keep women out of the field of computer science, that needs to be addressed and fixed. Outside of that, no regulations should be put in place to even out the number of men and women in the computer science field because that would replace people who want to be in the field and are good at it with others who aren't as interested and do not contain the skill set to be in the field.

The Purpose of Life

Elder David A. Bednar said, "We were foreordained in the premortal existence and born into mortality to fulfill the covenant and promise God made to Abraham." This covenant includes gathering Israel on both sides of the veil. Heavenly Father has given us the tools; now we need to make it happen.

Our Most Effective Tool

New technologies come and go every day. If we learn how to use them, they can be tools to make us more effective in life, including in our church callings. However, the day will come when that technology will be replaced and become obsolete. In reality, our most effective tool is the Spirit. It will never be replaced and never become obsolete. Before we get carried away using technological tools, we need to get "carried away" by the Spirit.

The Linux Revolution

Revolution is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time. By this definition, the Linux Revolution hasn't happened; it's happening.

The Secret to Success is the Willingness to Fail

It is human nature to push blame to others. When mistakes are made, the first thought is, "Who can we blame for this?" Unfortunately, this does not foster an environment of innovation; in fact, it does the opposite. We are scared to get involved because we don't want to be associated with failure. The mere willingness to be wrong turned an unlikely astronomer into a leading expert in the world of computer security. That willingness could have a similar effect on us all.

The World is My Playground

Becoming a computer science major made me nervous. I did not grow up with a love of technology or gaming. Although I had and continue to have a thought process complementary of coding, computers never got my juices flowing. It was a great day when I realized that everything is influenced by computer science. If I like gaming, as a computer scientist, I can create games. If I like baseball, as a computer scientist, I can create applications that increase the satisfaction level of being a baseball fan. If I love missionary work, as a computer scientist, I can use technology to make missionary work easier. Computer science is a platform to the future; it is a limitless domain. With computer science, I can do anything I want. It now makes me nervous to think what I would be doing if I hadn't made the decision to major in computer science.

You Told Me This Was Regular Coffee!

Orders of ignorance make it especially important to effectively manage expectations in technical fields. Producers of technology go through the orders of ignorance naturally. Consumers of technology jump from not knowing what they don't know to knowing it. This "ignorance jump" brings with it confused expectations. The consequences of mismanaging expectations are hurting Netflix. Don't let it happen to you.

Click here if you don't understand the title (contains mild profanity).

Goal-Disoriented

The most horrific acts in history have been the realized goals of evil people. So much heartache and pain have been the bi-product of achieving goals. I would never allow my child to play a game that promotes goal setting. We see from the past that this can result in terrible consequences. When I hear a child say they want to accomplish something, I am quick to destroy their hopes and dreams. If you are the parent of one of these children, no "thank you" is necessary.

Isn't it About Time?

Time-wasting activities do not exist, only people who use activities to waste time. You become a time-waster when you participate in an activity for the activity's sake. You need to decide why you participate in specific activities and whether they help you achieve specific goals. As you prioritize your goals and focus your activities on achieving them, you will stop wasting time.