Twenty Minute Genealogist

Hey, everyone. Just letting you know about the next big thing in my small world. Our startup at BYU is going public; please help get the word out to anyone who you think might be interested.

See a mockup of the project and offer feedback at this link: http://twentygen.cs.byu.edu/

FYI: The 20 Minute Genealogist is an interface with the LDS church genealogical data base whose objective is to help you make REAL progress on your genealogy work in 20 minutes or less.

Specifically, 20MG focuses on:

• preserving context (remembers what you were doing)
• expert help (suggestions for what to do next based on input from expert genealogists)
• one stop (your data is automatically synched with the Church's huge database, so you don't need to try to maintain your data on multiple sites)

Silver Thread Takes Off!

I did get confirmation on my book; the first two copies were shipped September 23. Unfortunately, PublishAmerica thought it was a good idea to not let me post any clips from the book on the web, but a press announcement should be coming out soon and I'll probably post that here. In the meantime, all are welcome to check it out for themselves at http://publishamerica.org. I can probably get a lower price for interested buyers, if you ask me early. :)

I feel very blessed to have written the book and will be very happy to see it in print. Although I can't publish poetry from the book, I have other samples of my work - just let me know if you're interested in a comment to this post.

It's an Uncle!

Well, I thought I'd go ahead and share my good news in detail now: I'm an uncle. My nephew Edward Morgan Miller was born July 8, 2008, just a few days before the birthdays of his uncle, mother, and aunt. We Julians are getting more numerous!

At 7 pounds 9 oz. he also came within 4 1/2 oz. of his uncle. He has long strong fingers; another musician for sure! We're all fond of music (and babies) so here's wishing him a long, happy life. Welcome to the world, Ed!

My New Web Site

As a part of my new PublishAmerica title, Silver Thread and Other Poems (still in production), I now have a new website: http://www.publishedauthors.net/miller/index.html

Pretty empty, right now, but it looks nice. Tell me if there's anything you think I ought to add to the site (or the blog).

On Originality

"Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it." C. S. Lewis

It seems to me that our culture encourages young people to "be themselves" simply by being what everyone else is being. The idea of our being original is far overstated at best. As human beings, our only real liberty is the choice of who we will follow in life: God or Satan. Anything good we do is made possible and adds to the glory of God. Anything evil is simply fueling the power of the adversary. In our heart of hearts, everyone knows this.

Answers

A sole king sulking.

That’s “unheard dove."

The alphabet.

Envelope.

A handful.

A wishing well.

Use an elevator.

Because he was ‘poured’ and the food was ‘rich.’

Neither side. Roosters don’t lay eggs!

The puddle was out of sync, and the history book couldn’t keep up with the times, so only the
ruler was in line.

Disturbing the piece.

The fur, because he turned around and found a way (Wafer, get it?). The bee was too buzzy (busy), the rope got tied up with something, and the phone got hung up too many times.

They won’t know the answer because they are two egg ’n’ a runt.

“Time flies!” (Yeah, a little lame.)

A mew-sician.

Triumph!

A 2 E Z test!

Ketchup!

Four, because the preschoolers don’t count yet.

Fast, because his feet didn’t break.

An environmentalist, because he sorts out all the bugs.

A “not-he” boy.

Because he is an heir. (isn’t here)

Cherry; pear. (Chair repair)

The spider, cause it has more eyes. (ice)

Because they are doubles. A double is twice as much as the number, which makes the number… have a fit. (Half of it, get it? }88{ )

Boxing, cause they always make a square deal; envelopes are sometimes obtuse.

An empty hole (M.T. whole)

They go into the median because they are two left. (too left)

Riddles

I was going through some old stuff and found these. I'll post the answers later.

A bunch of crosspatch monarchs have a meeting, then all of them leave except one. What is that one called?
What do you call a singing dove in a soundproof box?
What English word has the most letters in it?
What begins with e, ends with e, and only has one letter in it?
How many wrinkles are on an old person’s hand?
What is it called when you offer your congratulations to someone?
How do you drop an egg 100 ft. without breaking it?
Why was the water jealous of the food?
A rooster lays an egg on top of a henhouse with a peaked roof. Which side does the egg roll off?
A puddle, a ruler, and a history book were arguing about who was the most stylish. Who was, and why?
What crime is committed when someone tips their king over in chess?
A bee, a rope, a telephone, and a fur were planning to go to a cookie party. Only one made it. Which was it, and why?
What happens when you ask an undersized mutt sucking two eggs a question?
What did the professor say when his alarm clock flew out the window?
What did the kitten want to be when he grew up?
What is it called when three umpires show up for one game?
You have a test coming up about Electricity, English, and Zoology. What kind of a test is this?
What is it called when the last runner in a race passes the first runner?
There are four first-graders in a classroom. They have five preschoolers come visit. Now how many children are there in the classroom?
A man fell out of tree, broke his arm and sprained an ankle. He limped to his car, then drove himself to the hospital. Was the man a fast driver or a slow driver?
Who’s a technician’s best friend?
What’s the wrong boy called?
Why do you always start royal meetings without the prince?
What kinds of fruit are good for broken furniture?
Which is colder, a frog or a spider?
Why do numbers hate numbers equal to them?
What is more dependably honest, envelope packaging or boxing?
What is it called when all the Microsoft Techies get together?
Three cars are in the far left lane of a four-lane street divided by a median. One car turns into the right lane. What happens to the other cars?

Internet Safety In and Out

With the constant influx of new material onto the Internet, community, family and individual safety can no longer be maintained by a one-sided approach. We must step up the pressure for international laws penalizing the authors of soul-numbing Internet trash: I refer chiefly to pornography. At the bare minimum, we must insist that morally controversial material be easily filterable by requiring it to bear a distinctive tag (such as .xxx). At the same time, we must intensify our commitment to a personal moral standard so that we can recognize and leave dangerous and corrupting sites instantly. Only a serious, sustained effort on both the individual and the community front will be enough to overcome the undesirable effects of a bottomless fountain of digital information.

Changing Style; Changing Society

The bazaar style of programming is a huge step not only in the history of software development, but in the history of society. It capitalizes on curiosity, diversity, and innovation in a world-wide community. Anyone with skills and interest can make a meaningful contribution, and all benefit. In the anti-trust fights of the last century, individual Americans came to value the individual over the corporate interests. In the new century, social phenomena like the bazaar style of programming will increasingly blur the distinction between corporate and individual interests.

Link to the Cathedral and the Bazaar:
http://catb.org/~esr/writings/cathedral-bazaar/cathedral-bazaar/index.html

Out with the Old; In with the New

Not surprisingly, music distributing corporations have developed over time a business model that maximizes their own profits. Lawsuits over free file-sharing provide a great opportunity to revisit that model. I believe that music diversity and individual artistic freedom would be best served by revising copyright law so that an artist’s work is licensed to the artist and not the sponsoring corporation. Technology means change for everything, including outdated business models.

Read a deeper analysis from The Ornery American.

Help Launch the Internet Safety Wiki

In the same vein as wikipedia, the Internet Safety Wiki is set up for us to share what we already know with others. Over time, this will become a valuable resource. This is your invite to come aboard and bring your friends.

http://www.wiki.internetsafetypodcast.com/

Universal Truths in a Flat World

Friedman ultimately concludes that the underpinning of the “flat” platform for global collaboration is trust. America is currently ahead of the game because of the environment of trust that has been fostered over the years (see p.334). However, all players could lose the flat platform if enough people turn their creativity to evil purpose. “Nuclear terrorism … would unflatten the world permanently,” writes Friedman (p. 603).

What should we do about it? First, we should make a concerted, determined effort to stamp out nuclear proliferation. Second, we should make a concerted, determined effort to “influence the imagination and intentions” that cause terrorism and nuclear proliferation.

Will capitalist arguments be strong enough to win potential terrorists over? While certainly part of the answer, money is not the complete solution. The key message to instill and proclaim is the same message given to Moses, thousands of years ago: “Love the Lord thy God with all thine heart” and “love thy neighbor as thyself” (Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18).

If our god is money or world dominance, we will never achieve lasting benefits for ourselves or our children, on any platform. The true key to America’s success is loyalty to our founding virtues, and to the God of this land. We should use the global platform to help make life better for people here and everywhere; but we should also remember that we will lose all if we drift from our foundations.

Read a summary of the book: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_is_Flat

Connecting the World

Is it possible to connect the world? Genealogists think so. With new free software for merging family trees, Famillion provides a way for all the computing world to get it on the action. Everyone with access to a computer will have to answer the question: is our past our own property, or should we leap into the “global family forest?” For me and for most, I believe the costs are far outweighed by the benefits of belonging to a larger social network today and a larger family tree. And you?

Famillion in the news

Society matters

I feel that most women avoid computer science for the same reason that most men avoid the humanities. It is tough to be a minority. You have to believe in what you do more strongly than the majority does. Women who pursue computer science must have a passion for computer science strong enough to overcome the social pressures that come with entering a male-dominated field. However, if enough women decide to nurture their talents in computer science, there’s no reason that the social landscape and accompanying pressures couldn’t change for the next generation.

Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way

Computer security, it would seem, is always one step behind breaking computer security. The real issue is how responsible we will be with the information we put on computers and read from others’ computers. Where there is a clear, legal need to know, the best technology can and should be used to further the investigation. Where there isn’t, just be cautious about who and what you let into your hardware.

Researchers Find Way to Steal Encrypted Data

The Cuckoo's Egg: What Do We Conclude?

Before his ten-month tracking ordeal, Cliff Stoll believes in creative anarchy: loosely interpreted, people can do whatever they want. After all, hackers expose flaws in the network’s security and even inspire better systems. But after the long, emotionally draining journey, Stoll concludes that there are at least two severe drawbacks to hacker freedom:

1. Hackers sap the workforce of time and resources.
Just like a burglar who robs a small town, Stoll argues, a hacker costs the system time and resources. Responsibility for the loss obviously belongs with the hacker.

2. Hackers undermine confidence in a system that networks need to function.
At the outset, a hacker may have a fairly harmless motivation (such as curiosity), but even then, his findings will inspire other hackers. It is naïve to suppose that they will all be similarly kind-hearted. Indeed, as the example of Hess shows, the original hacker’s motives can easily change for the worse down the road.

A third reason is implied but not stated explicitly: Because 1 and 2 are wrong, hackers’ activities undermine the moral principle of accountability for one’s actions. If hackers really wanted to help create safer systems, they could report the bugs to systems designers, and people would call them testers and pay them money. In actuality, hacking stems from disrespect for others’ privacy and for the universal law of justice. By contrast, it was a genuine desire to vindicate justice that drove Stoll, Steve, Wolfgang, and others on, often with little appreciation for their efforts.

In hindsight, it is easy to be complacent about the end result. After all, the bad guys were caught. But there is a more important lesson: If it had not been for the exertions of good, capable people like Stoll, the hackers might never have been caught. These people realized that, more than just a network, justice itself was under attack.

So what do we conclude? As Stoll hinted, what the world needs is not more network cops, but more honesty. But what the world will get is up to our individual choice. For posterity’s sake, let’s hope we choose wisely.

Read a summary of the book:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cuckoo's_Egg_(book)

When Will We Grow Up?

The activities of Jack Thompson are an important step in the right direction. But why stop with the kids? Violence as entertainment is as degrading and morally destructive for a 10-year-old as it is for a 20-year-old. Consumers ought to unite on a personal and a government level to ban so called “mature” video games from homes entirely. After all, you’re never old enough to destroy yourself … or others.

Link to the article:
Suing the Suer: Video Game Company Sues Jack Thompson

Know Your Purpose

The primary purpose of both family history work and technology is to connect us with other people. This may be counterintuitive at first. After all, don’t genealogy and computers drive us into our own virtual reality apart from real people and real relationships? Not necessarily. For example, Marvin Zautcke and Lindsey* were able to expand their network of friends by being diligent genealogists. If we feel that family history work and technology separate us from other people, perhaps we just need to readjust our attitude towards them.

* Family History via the Internet.

Technology and the Church - Blessing and Responsibility

Elder L. Tom Perry (Ensign, May 2000, 23) makes an interesting point: “technology will bring the messages to us [quicker, but it’s still our job] to internalize the messages of the gospel.” I would add that technology, by increasing our capability, adds to our responsibility to share the gospel. “[Where] much is given much is required.” (Doctrine and Covenants 82:3) I believe the Lord is pleased with all the attempts to use technology to do His work of saving souls. But He is likely far from satisfied. We can all do more than we are doing, and we will be blessed for the effort.

Brevity -- Friend or Foe?

Often just important as what you say is how long it takes you to say it. If you increase the complexity or the length of an idea, you risk losing your reader (in both senses of the word). I would argue that this is not necessarily a good state of affairs. “We want it now; and we want it fast” may lead us to more facts and quicker gratification, but true wisdom and character require time—time to care; time to ponder; and ultimately, time to understand.

Consumers and Computer Security

Whatever the application, the watchword for new software is security. The underlying fear is that “if vulnerabilities exist in any … system for a long enough time, someone’s going to exploit it.”

The particular case in this article is computer-based voting systems. One solution is to let consumers see the results by leaving a paper trail. This could revert to something just as clumsy as pre-computer days if the paper trail is actually needed. Still, it’s better than requiring the user to blindly trust secret tests. Not so with publicizing the certification process. This is just as likely to create new problems as solve old ones, since we cannot control who sees and analyzes.

My conclusion? Unless and until our increasingly connected world solves the problem of unscrupulous programmers, I vote for the paper trail.

Link to the article:
Machine Politics in the Digital Age

Thoughts on the Digital Age

The ushering in of the Digital Age is affecting how we think and what we do. But is it changing who we are? Some like to think so. The theory goes something like this: As technology progresses inexorably forward, society and education will advance with it. The reality is probably closer to something Elder Dallin H. Oaks said in April 2001: as technology progresses inexorably forward, people will live longer and have more free time. But what will determine what they do with that free time? Technology may and does increase the availability of information. But in the end it’s not important how much we know, but how what we know changes what we do.

On Writing

Now, some of my thoughts about writing itself:

It is difficult to overstate the importance of writing. Through it we explain, persuade, and instruct. Together with thought, speech and action, it forms the platform from which our thoughts and characters are forged. Of the four, writing has the unique power to capture thoughts which can then be released time and time again, even in different ways, by his audience. From a gospel standpoint, writing has always been part of our duty to God, whether we record the sacred text of scripture for all humanity, or our own private record for posterity. I have a strong love of writing, and its power for good.

Hi! I'm new to the blogging world, but it's never too late, right? I'm from Orem, Utah. I've been out of the U.S. once, to serve a 2-year LDS mission to Sonora. I loved it, and I hope to go back sometime. I think most of the important messages are out there, but I'll see if I can post some enlightening things as time goes on. The idea is for you to get better with practice, right?