Tech and the Gospel

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Saints is a church that is very plugged in and aware of the impact and reach that technology can have. Currently the Church is active on facebook and twitter. Members are encouraged to share the gospel through blogs and other online social outlets. These are powerful tools that can be used for great good, but come with a word of caution I think that Elder Ardern said it well in his address this last conference,

There is much that is good with our easy access to communication and information. I have found it helpful to access research articles, conference talks, and ancestral records, and to receive e-mails, Facebook reminders, tweets, and texts. As good as these things are, we cannot allow them to push to one side those things of greatest importance.

That's good solid advice for all aspects of our lives. Use the tools that have been given us, but make sure they're used appropriately and in moderation.

Stallman

So after recently watching revolution OS, a film about the rise of Linux and the open source movement, I was struck by something; Richard Stallman is completely nuts. Now, you have to respect the commitment that Stallman has to his principles. Stallman's belief in the importance of building community is inspiring. However, the lengths that he will go to avoid using software that is not free is pathological. His belief that all software should be free is itself crazy. Clearly there are some business models where free software works and can be profitable. However that doesn't mean it's the only reasonable model and that others are wrong. Like many zealots Stallman is dedicated to his cause to a point of unreasonableness. I mean, should everybody refuse to use MP3s just because the MP3 algorithm isn't GPL licensed?

Hackers in Society

Recently I've been thinking a lot about the effect that hackers have on society and the position that they play. Having recently finished the Cukoo's Egg, the topic has been on my mind. There are basically two type of hackers (although the line can be really fuzzy), people who want to see how stuff works and poke at vulnerabilities and those that wish to wreak havoc and steal. Because of the latter group the former becomes necessary. People who find weakness in systems without breaking things in necessary in a world where people want to wreck havoc. Fortunately basically ever computer nerd in the world likes doing that sort of things and most of them are pretty nice guys.