DRM Doesn't Work!

Do the Impossible

Steve Jobs did the impossible, and he did so on more than one occasion. What was his secret? He explored various religious views, and eventually settled on a sort of personal zen Buddhism. He experimented with different drugs in high school and college, ranging from marijuana to LSD. He was a free spirited, yet deeply conflicted individual, with a unique way of thinking. He just never let himself believe that anything was impossible.

Jobs' friend and associate Steve Wozniak built a circuit board that everyone else thought was impossible to build. Jobs and Wozniak together built the Apple II. Jobs took over a floundering Macintosh team and turned the product around to save Apple. Over 10 years after being ousted from the company he created, he was brought back in and saved Apple yet again. His 'reality distortion field' would simply take over situations and make them be the way he wanted them to be. The secret to doing the impossible is to bend reality to your will. Make the impossible possible.

Major of Choice

Women are vastly outnumbered in the field of Computer Science. Several of my CS classes in college have been all males. While the concern over dwindling numbers of women in Computer Science is valid, a more pressing concern is the discrepancy of wages between men and women. On average, women still make over $10,000 less than men. Additionally, CS is not the only field that is male dominated. Notably, Aviation and many of the Engineering disciplines are just as skewed. Some of the wage gap may be explained by major choice. Thus achieving the goal of making CS a more balanced field between men and women would likely also have a positive effect on the wage gap.

Why does God need computers?

Scientists in general tend to be less than religious. Technology and religion don't usually mix. This begs the question, what use could computers be to God? Computers allow for more work, church related and otherwise, to be done in far less time. Missionary work is much more efficient when using computers. Temple ordinances are recorded with more consistency and less duplication. Building schematics for meeting houses and temples can be created and modified much easier with the aid of computer drafting programs. God doesn't need computers, but they make things a lot easier for us to do his work.

"Make copies for all your friends."

I enjoy going to concerts, in part because I get to discover new music. On one occasion, I arrived at the venue in time to listen to the opening band. I had never heard of Lady Danville before that night. Their performance was upbeat, energetic, enjoyable, and different. After their set, the band members came out into the crowd and hung out near the merchandise table where they were selling CDs and t-shirts. My friend bought one of their EPs and had them autograph it. They encouraged us to make copies of the disk and share it with our friends. The landscape of the music industry is changing. Bands no longer have to rely on big studios to produce and distribute their music. The internet is revolutionizing the dissemination of music to the masses. Copyright laws have their place, but they have become obsolete. If the concept of copyright cannot be updated to coexist with the internet generation, it would be better to leave it in the past.

Hackers - Evolution of the Label

The word 'hacker' has a very different meaning today than it did 20-30 years ago. In Cliff Stoll's book "The Cuckoo's Egg" he points out that the word was generally used within the community of programmers to describe a very skilled coder. Being called a hacker was high praise coming from your peers. The advent of networking computers across the globe had begun to change the connotation of 'hacker' to mean something quite different. A hacker was now a derogatory term used to describe programmers who used their skills to break into other computers and cause some sort of detrimental effect. A hacker is still obviously a skilled programmer, but now calling someone a hacker implies ill will.

The evolution of this term reflects the gradual increase in technical knowledge among the general public. Stoll showed that hackers were able to gain access to others computers because even the system admins didn't know how to protect their computer systems. Since that time, technology has gotten more complex and likewise the systems used to protect them have as well. Operating systems on modern computers include safety precautions such as firewalls and anti-virus software to discourage hackers. That being said, hackers are also improving their methods. Vigilance and care are required to avoid the malicious effects of hackers and viruses.

Gamification of Genealogy

The world has become impatient. People want things now, not later. Games on mobile phones are played in chunks of 15 minutes or less. Doing genealogy is not fast. It takes a long time to get anything meaningful done. I rarely have 2 hours at a time to devote to any single activity. If doing family history can be made fun, quick, and enjoyable, more people will actually want to do it. If I could take 15 minutes out of my day and actually make some meaningful progress in family history, I would be much more inclined to do so. Make genealogy a game, and I'll play it.

Paying with your smartphone

A part of Google's new Wallet service has been temporarily suspended. This project is rather ambitious, giving smartphone users the ability to pay for things with their phone rather than having to carry around credit cards. As with all new advancements in web related technology, security is an important issue. Two new hacks have been discovered allowing malicious users to access their victim's funds. This brings up the question of how secure Google Wallet can be. Is paying with your phone any more secure than paying with a piece of plastic? Software is written by humans, and humans are fallible. Thus, software is prone to have vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit for their gain. Regardless of whether you use Google Wallet or not, you need to be careful with any sensitive financial information.

The Importance of Aesthetics

Apple's iPhone is taking over. During the fourth quarter of 2011, there were more iPhones sold every day than there were babies born. The top three selling smartphones during that quarter were the iPhone 4S, the iPhone 4, and the iPhone 3GS, which was originally released in 2009. A three year old device is outselling brand new phones from Apple competitors. Android is still the most popular smartphone OS, holding 48% of the market, but there are many different device manufacturers making phones for Android. The 43% of the market owned by Apple means all of that profit going straight into their pocket. Apple's business model is obviously working. Functionality is not always the most important thing to consumers. The overall feel of an Apple device is just different. Some people like it, some don't. Rather than releasing a middling device that some people might marginally enjoy but nobody will hate, Apple creates polarizing designs that don't appeal to everyone. Those who do buy into Apple's design fall in love and become Apple fans and customers for life.

things i do instead of homework

Sitting here on my couch, I should be reading Oedipus the King for my philosophy class. Instead, I'm writing this blog post while listening to Thriving Ivory. I've gotten pretty good at putting off homework over the years, yet somehow it all ends up getting done. I've stopped really worrying about how it works out, I kind of just go with the flow. I've found that when I worry too much about things, I just get stressed and don't make any progress anyway. Just don't worry. "Things will work out." - Gordon B. Hinckley

Video Games: a Push Towards Digital Distribution

I am not an Xbox fan; I prefer Nintendo consoles and games. I buy most of my games new, but every once in a while I buy one used to save a few dollars. While it is not my primary source of games, having the option to buy used games completely removed does not sit well with me. A recent report states that the next Xbox will include a restriction that will not allow customers to play any used games. This would be like shipping a Blu-ray player that would not play used movies. It makes no sense. The article points out that media is moving towards a digital distribution model, which will eventually get rid of used games altogether. While I agree that this is the direction that the industry is headed, I don't think that an attempt to force this progression will be welcomed by the people that Microsoft is depending on to purchase their consoles.

The Digital Age

In the digital age, people communicate using ones and zeros. Computers flipping binary bits back and forth bring us the internet, video games, spreadsheets, and presentations. In this way, nearly everything can be represented using only two symbols; one and zero, light and dark, high and low. This is in stark contrast to the moral ambiguity that the digital age has helped to usher in. The world preaches relative morality; whatever you believe is right actually is right. Imagine trying to send a message in the digital version of this world, where one and zero are not absolutely defined, but rather are whatever the sender wants them to be. The message would have no meaning to the receiver, since his or her definition of one and zero is completely different. The entirety of modern computing is based on a definition that is widely accepted by everyone. Without this, modern computing could not exist, as it would have no meaning. Likewise, without moral absolutes, life itself can have no inherent meaning.

countdown

Four months from today, I will have the privilege of marrying my best friend.  She's everything to me.  I hope and pray that I can live worthy of her.  I can't wait to begin this new and exciting adventure together.

in the beginning

I've started several blogs before.  I never stuck with one for very long though.  This one probably won't be much different.  I'll probably use this one for a few months and then move on.  But for now, this is the place that I will post my thoughts.  Thoughts about whatever.  A good portion of these posts will likely be for school.  Some will be just random thoughts.  This blog may have a life of its own eventually.  Rawr.....