Extra Reading

Ceruzzi in A History of Modern Computing focused mostly on hardware, giving very detailed descriptions of how the great mainframes were built and be whom. He also discusses how transistors and microchips were developed and came into use in computer. Overall, this book is fast-paced and very well organized, written, and researched.

Technology and the church

Technology has improved the quality of life and makes our jobs easier. The great benefit of technology in the Church is the ability for each Church member to be more efficient in the work they do. With the vast amount of information on the internet today, any individual can learn almost everything about the LDS Church. A member of the LDS Church simply referring an individual to www.mormon.org, alone, is not enough. Technology is allowing us to do more work with less effort.

Online Gaming Addiction

Video games may look innocent, but can be addictive as gambling or drugs. This addiction often exists as a sidekick to other addictive behaviors or psychological problems. I don't have a problem with gaming, as it doesn't really interest me, but what Elder Ballard said, about keeping a balanced life and not idling away our time, is something I still have to work on. I probably spend more time than I should keeping up on shows and programming, and less than I should exercising and caring about other things in my life.

Internet addiction

Internet addiction is on the rise. It is a lot more than constantly surfing the internet. More and more young people getting hooked on the interactive online games, compulsively spending hours playing them. The other day I was talking to a friend about addictive behaviors; he plays poker on the Internet and his opinion was that although some people ruin their lives gambling, it is possible to gamble responsibly. At first, the conversation did not seem to apply to me; don't I avoid all addictive behaviors? However, upon further reflection, I realized that the answer is no. With the Internet, it is possible to get addicted and ruin our lives. Responsible Internet usage is a must in today's society; it is important for all of us to recognize the danger and realize that we are not immune.

The world is flat

Recently, I read Thomas L. Friedman's book entitled The World is Flat. If you want to better understand the world that we are living in today, I would strongly suggest this book. Friedman does a great job describing the modern world, identifying the important issues that we are facing, and presenting all the information about each issue - both the good and bad. One of many points that Friedman makes in his book is that in today's world to be marketable we need to have specialized skills, often that span previously separate disciplines. This point is especially relevant to students graduating with computer science degrees; we are moving into a world where just writing code will ne longer be a top of the line source of income.

One of the advantages of the flat world is that companies no longer have to rely on local employees in order to build a viable business. Remote and off-site work allow companies to hire from places like China or India to get quality work for a much lower cost. We have already started to see this trend happening in the software engineer industry. There is an increasing number of companies moving their coding work to foreign engineers who will work for less money.

But there is still a way for computer science majors to be highly marketable in a flat world. As simple coding jobs fall out of the market in the United States, employers will be looking for Software engineers with a level of expertise in other subjects. Engineers who can not only write code, but also contribute in other ways, will be in high demand.

As the lower-skill jobs disappear for computer science graduates, they will need further specialization in other areas in order to be competitive in a flat world.

Smallish Post 5

This post is a response to the following article:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/11/09/apple.tablet.jobs/index.html

Experience. Feeling. These are the true notions that drive Steve. All i-things are just reflections of an idea that you do not seem to acknowledge in your romance. Steve revived Apple and remade entire industries, defying the worst economic conditions since the Great Depression. Think different. Be different.

Copyright Law

I was always surprised when some of my classmates would comment that a particular science class was boring. I was always fascinated by what the teacher had to say and always wanted to take some time and really think about the implications of what they were saying. It was only later that I would realize that while some of my friends weren't fascinated by science, they were enthralled by things that I generally avoided, things like law, business and economics. I am grateful to live in a world where we all can choose our own specialty. I can worry about science and discovery and someone else can worry about something dull, like copyright law.

Kids on Social Media

This post is a response to the following article:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/11/02/kids.social.networks/index.html

I'm little bit worried about the children the age of 13 being involved with social sites. I think that children will "get addicted" to these sites and spend all their times in front of computer. I know how addicted college students are to Facebook and MySpace. I can only imagine how they would be if they learned about these sites at a younger age. Physical activity is critical for people of all ages but vital for children. Instead of sitting in front of a computer, children need to be playing outside. There will be plenty of time for them to learn about social networking site when they are older.

Smallish Post 3

There is no specific degree available to train women who have aspirations to raise children full time. Aspiring Software Engineers getting training through Computer Science; aspiring mothers should also get as much education they can. Whether the degree is in elementary education, mathematics, engineering, or history, the skills learned in that degree program will be invaluable when it comes to raising children in today's world.

Windows 7 ready to launch

This post is a response to the following article:
http://money.cnn.com/2009/10/21/technology/windows7_launch/index.htm?postversion=2009102111

When Microsoft launches Windows 7 next week, its biggest competitor will not be Linux or Apple's Mac OS X, but Windows XP. As a student programmer, I use XP for workstation. Vista was a horrifying disaster for Microsoft, but I'll admit Windows 7 has hope. I've played a bit with the beta and it looks like what Vista really should have been. I will stick with XP for the near future and may consider upgrading to Windows 7 in five months to eight months - let the rest of the world beta tests for them.

The Cuckoo's Egg

Recently, I read Cliff Stoll's book entitled The Cuckoo's Egg. This book is an exciting look at how computer hackers were originally traced before the world of Windows and anti-software. The book includes discussion on many topics, however, one theme stood out to me throughout the book: Stoll is an astronomer, not a computer scientist or an intelligence officer, yet it was he who tracked down the spy! As Stoll relates his experience of how he left his speciality of astronomy in order to chase a spy, he teaches the important principle of being willing to take advantage of new opportunities, even if those opportunities do not fall in line with one's area of expertise.

Although a bachelor degree requires large time taking general education courses, the bulk of a college education is specialization. This is even more the case in graduate class. Stoll spent many years specializing to be an astronomer through his undergraduate and graduate work. After all the work that Stoll did to specialize in astronomy, it might seem that he should stay in the field and make a difference with his education. However, Stoll did not stay with astronomy. As his career progressed, he found himself faced with an opportunity to track down a spy, something that was not related to his area of experise.

Stoll teaches the importance of being willing to branch out and learn new skills. When Stoll became an expert in astronomy, he probably never supposed that one of his career accomplishments might come from spy hunting. However, when the chance came, Stoll was able to make a real difference in the world because of his willingness to learn new skills.

In a few years I will be specializing in my career. As my career progresses, I will need to learn new things, and take advantage of each opportunity as it comes.

Digital Dirt

This post is a response to the following article:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/worklife/10/12/cb.digital.trail.job.search/index.html#cnnSTCText

Employers are looking online for information about their candidates. For many people, this is just a reminder of all that goes to public, stays public. If you haven't thought about what your online profiles look like, now is the time. Have you googled yourself lately? If not, you'll need to log out of your profiles before the search. What do you find? It it's not appropriate for a potential employer to see, remove it or change your privacy settings. We need to check our profiles, photos, and all the rest if we are looking for a job. The content may make the difference between landing the interview or not.

Smallish Post 2

My bishop recently pointed out that when Christ was on Earth, he did not have a desk or computer. Christ did his work among the people; He loved the people, served them, and came to know them. Although the Church continues to find new technologies and exploit them, the salvation of souls is still, and always will be, the purpose of the Church and our lives. It is important to not get so involved in new technology that we forget to go out among the people. Turn off the computer and visit someone who needs a friend. Technology can help God's work will move forward as long as technology does not become God's work in the minds of the members.

Advice for Computer Science College Students

This post is a response to the following article:
http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/CollegeAdvice.html

Through, all the courses I have taken, from programming development, software engineer, and operating systems, and more there is one thing I have learned. I have learned how to play the education game. I've attended lectures, listened to what I was told and carried out assignments to test my ability to listen to what I was told. Are these skills really going to get me my dream job? Sadly , the answer is No. This article provides the great advice for college students. Indeed. Some of the other points in Joel's post, like learning C and learning economics, are also excellent tips for students, but learning how to write is such good advice that I need to improve.

Welcome

I'm excited, this is the first time I'm blogging. My blogging journey starts here.