Charity in the Workplace

Our readings for this week focused heavily on Christlike attributes, especially charity. I chose to interpret these attributes in the scope of my coming professional life as a software developer. With graduation and full-time employment just around the corner, now is the time for all of us to decide what kind of employee, co-worker, and leader we want to be throughout our careers. I appreciated the focus on charity in our readings. It is obviously a hugely important Christlike attribute for our life now and the eternities, and it is just as important in the scope of ethics in the workplace. We wouldn't discriminate against other co-workers if we felt charity towards them. We wouldn't misuse the powers of technology to exploit people or steal intellectual property. In all ways, our behavior should uplift and inspire those we work with. The code we write and the products we create should be appropriate and wholesome and designed to benefit people as much as possible.

Screen Dependencies (Vlog Post)

So, I'll be honest - I missed the bulk of the smartphone and tablet wave that swept through society 3 or 4 years ago. Before my mission, everyone had flip or slide phones; after it, everyone had smartphones and was crazy about games like Angry Birds. Now, I don't feel like "smart" devices are bad; however, they are very powerful devices. They have a lot of potential to suck us in and consume our time and attention if we aren't careful. But, in my opinion, even worse than the adults consumed by their screens are the children who are being raised by their parents' "smart" devices. I'm not just advocating less screen time for kids - though I do think that is a good idea. But it just saddens me to see parents who must resort to their tablet or phone to keep children quiet and behaved. What are we teaching children who must play Angry Birds in order to behave during church meetings? If we show our kids that they cannot be happy without a screen in front of them, we are setting them up to fail in life.

Balancing Priorities

I spend the vast amount of my time on the computer. These days, that time is almost entirely spent doing homework. Over the summer, my time was consumed with work. On the weekends, I find time to do personal programming projects. As a programmer, it makes sense that my time is often spent in front of a screen. However, even when I'm not doing "busy" stuff like homework, I do tend to spend most of my relaxing time on electronics. I like to play games to unwind at the end of the day. I chat with people on Skype. I even draw on my computer. However, I do feel like I live a balanced life. I don't waste all my time browsing social media or doing raids on MMOs - as the readings for our class make all forms computer overuse sound like. I don't neglect my classes or my work, and I certainly don't neglect my family life. I feel like it is definitely possible to use computers heavily without being unbalanced. You must know where your priorities are - God first, family second, work third, and fun last.

Big Brother is Stopping You from Watching

Book post response to Access Denied: The Practice and Policy of Global Internet Filtering by Ronald J. Deibert.

Internet filtering is a touchy subject. On the surface, it feels wrong, Preventing people from seeing or reading about certain topics - especially while hiding that you are doing so - seems dishonest and even manipulative. This is particularly the case when the material being filtered is political in nature Many of the countries "featured" in Access Denied utilized their internet filtering for this purpose. I suppose the biggest question we need to ask ourselves is, is the internet something that should be filtered by the Powers That Be? Filtering on a personal or family level seems fine. Parents have the responsibility to raise their children in righteousness, and protecting their family from inappropriate material is an important part of that responsibility. But there is something immoral with governments deciding what should or should not be allowed to be viewed or posted by the people - be it internet or TV or print. I guess this is really a freedom of speech issue, when you get right down to it.

The Top 5%

I have had a fair amount of exposure to open-source projects, but I have contributed basically nothing to any of them. However, I do feel like being able to contribute to such projects is a sign of a great programmer. In Eric Raymond's The Cathedral and the Bazaar, Raymond quotes a friend who suggests that "open source has been successful partly because its culture only accepts the most talented 5% or so of the programming population." If I haven't been able to find my way into open source, does that mean that I'm not among the top 5% of the world's programming population? Do I want to be? What does it take to reach this level? I think about some of the developers I know who participate in open source a lot. A major difference between them and myself is the level of drive they seem to have. These people never stop programming. They seem full of good ideas and creative solutions. I want to be more like that. I want to be in the top 5%.

Should Software Be Free?

Why is there such conflict over free software or open source software vs proprietary software? I honestly feel like there is a place for both in our world. Open source software is fantastic for its collaborative value. Developers can all contribute their good ideas or come to the source to learn from other great developers. Additionally, users can find a free program to serve just about any purpose they need fulfilled (e.g. Linux for a free OS). In general, I feel like open source contributes a lot to programming as a whole. However, paid software also serves an important role. I feel like proprietary software is much more important and widely-used by companies rather than individuals. In general, paid software feels like a more complete and polished product. It comes with better support and more accountability on the part of the developers who are selling the product. I don't think there should be big debates on free vs proprietary software; we should utilize them both.

So What If My Facebook Icon Isn't "I'm a Mormon"

When I hear church leaders talk about the proper uses of modern technology, I have to pause and analyze the way I use computers. I know that technology is a morally neutral thing; it is not good or bad in and of itself, but it can be used to good or evil ends. I personally don't use a computer for many 'good' ends, but I also certainly don't use it for evil. For example, I program. I enjoy programming. I feel like spending time programming is a good thing to do because it helps me grow and develop my talents--but it's certainly not indexing or building my family tree or sharing Mormon Messages on Facebook. Still, I feel okay about my personal use of technology. I do find opportunities to share the gospel and just be a good example to the people I interact with in digital areas. I try very hard to not let my computer use get in the way of living life--especially my family life. Overall, I do feel like I put technology to good use in my life.