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?