Patents

The current patent system needs a very serious reform, but any changes need to be thought out carefully. Patents are necessary because they encourage innovation - I would be much less willing to spend my precious time to develop a new technology if I wasn't guaranteed that I would get paid when people use it. The problem is when EVERYTHING is patented. It is important to realize that the new technology you developed is built upon technology others have developed. Hopefully in the future, people will use your new technology to continue to create more technology. Patents discourage this. Short term patents of only a couple years could prove as a possible solution. This would allow the creator to get some money in the beginning, but prevent the halt of innovation.

The Cuckoo's Egg

Do I have information that other people want? This question has prevented me from thinking too much about password security. I know a password on your computer or phone is important, because it discourages theft - the thief wants your computer or phone from which they can wipe all your stuff. Passwords on a FaceBook account, on the other hand, don't give a thief a shiny new piece of hardware that they can claim as their own. The same is true with a CS account password and most other websites that use usernames and passwords.
Reading The Cuckoo's Egg has given me a new view on password protection. There is a section where the hacker logs into a normal account with a simple password, then becomes a superuser through the vulnerability. This user had no idea that his easy password would allow a hacker to break into the rest of the system. This showed me that I have no idea what can be done with access to the various accounts that I have.
Using difficult passwords is also very important. It does not take very long for computers with gigahertz of processing power to use brute strength to iterate through all the words in the English language. I'm sure it wouldn't even take too long to iterate through a small combination of all words in the English language. This is why many companies are requiring that you have capitals, numbers, or punctuation in your passwords. This protection can be compounded when you don't even use derivatives of English words - the more random, the better.
The main problem I see with our world today is the fact that every single website asks you to create an account with a password. Then you have two options: develop a photographic memory to enable you to remember different passwords to each of your different accounts, or use the same (or similar) passwords for each of your accounts. Unfortunately, most people choose the latter. As soon as a hacker discovers the password to your seemingly innocent Twitter account, he has the password to bank account, and every other account that you've created. It is so important to choose different passwords, but it is so difficult to remember so many different passwords!

#LDSConf

Following #LDSConf on Twitter during conference was surprisingly insightful. I found the value coming from two distinct directions. First, Whenever I would get sleepy, I would turn on my phone and look at all the tweets coming in about the current speaker. For some reason, it is much easier to stay awake while on your phone than listening to the speaker. Second, I would look periodically at the hashtag conversation and be able to pick up all the important things that the speakers have said in the recent past.

Violent Video Games

http://games.slashdot.org/story/13/10/08/1442242/red-cross-wants-consequences-for-video-game-mayhem

People play video games to get out of the real world. How boring would a video game be if your character went to school, watched TV, and spend 8 hours of the day sleeping? This is clearly shown though a fake news clip showing the most recent war game, Modern Warfare 3, where the majority of the game is spent hauling equipment and filling out paperwork. Of course no one would play this because it is just real life. Therefore, imposing laws in video games that exactly mirror real life is ridiculous. I have never played the newly released Grand Theft Auto V, but it is enticing to me because I have the ability to do things I would never do in real life, with the added benefit of minimal consequences.

Family History

The Internet has boosted the advance of family history like nothing else in the history of mankind. The Internet has taken something that was difficult, time consuming, and, honestly, not very much fun, and turned it into something that even kids can enjoy. In my opinion, the largest benefit comes from the fact that family history is now a group project rather than an individual assignment. For example, if I enter the information for my grandparent, that information will now show up on the family history for my siblings, cousins, and anyone else that could be associate with my grandparent. When I first logged onto FamilySearch, I simply had to enter my ancestors who are still alive (my parents and grandparents), then it automatically connected me to all my ancestors dating back to the 1600s. That was amazing! This is because others in my family had entered that information, and it is visible to anyone connected to that family tree.

Surfaces on Delta Flights

http://tech.slashdot.org/story/13/09/30/2338230/delta-replacing-flight-manuals-with-surface-tablets

Good job Delta. You have finally entered the 21st century. I can't believe that up until today, pilots from Delta Airlines have had to carry up to 34 pounds of manuals and maps with them as they go from plane to plane. I can't believe that they have just now decided to save themselves $13 million per year in fuel and other costs by adopting Surface tablets. It's amazing to me how reluctant some people are to embrace the technological world - especially in an environment that is already so digitally-centered. Most modern, commercial airplanes have a "glass cockpit", meaning that all the instruments and controls are already digital and computer-based. While other airlines have used iPads for the past year, I admire Delta and their willingness to analyze which tablet will help them the best, rather than simply using the tablet that everyone else is using.