Parenting and Technology

Patent Scared

I used to be involved in a few business ventures.  Even though most of my experiences were positive, I have seen first hand the personal toll that takes place when complications arise, partnerships sour, and litigation is threatened.  So when I hear of people loosing their businesses in patent lawsuits, I feel sickened, particularly when the patents in question are for ideas that should not be patentable.  The US government shouldn’t be handing out patents for software ideas as general as “backing up files online,” and “sharing pictures on the internet” (see When Patents Attack!).  I enjoy discussing with my friends ideas for new iPhone apps or social media ventures, but I am honestly scared to try an entrepreneurial venture that would make our ideas a reality for fear of litigation.  Aren’t my feelings counter to the type of innovation patent law is trying to protect?  We need to reform the system and get rid of software patents that are too general.

Whitehouse.gov Petition: "Direct the Patent Office to Stop Issuing Software Patents and to Void all Previously Issued Patents" and response

Reddit discussion on the issue

A possible solution

I can’t talk; I’m at my computer

The percentage of women in software engineering jobs and related degrees has never been very high, and in recent years, it’s been dropping even more (NY Times).  I asked my wife why she thinks computer science is uninteresting to her and other women.  She said, “It’s too anti-social.”  She pictured a guy in a lone cubicle or back room with only his computer for company for hours on end.  I explained to her that nothing could be further from the truth: Software engineers have to interact with customers, team members and managers on a regular basis in order to be successful with their jobs.  Some of my mentors in the industry tell me that good communication and social skills are crucial to a successful career.  The misconception by men and women alike that software engineering is a solo activity is one of many that keep women away from the field.  We need to better represent the reality of the workplace if we are going to be successful in attracting more women to computer science. 

Masses of Data

As new technology has made it easier to share information, the amount of data that we have available to us has grown exponentially.  This is a great thing, which also presents unique challenges.  Two important questions are how do we make it possible for people to find the data that’s most relevant to them, and how do we avoid error and duplication?  The first question is being addressed by amazing search engines.  A multi-billion dollar industry has grown up around providing relevant searches.  The second question is being addressed by crowd sourcing.  Wikipedia has proven that reliable information can be maintained by the masses.  These solutions that help us deal with huge amounts of data provide interesting possibilities. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and others are currently implementing these techniques to record and link personal records to fill in the entire family tree of humankind.  Just think of it!  Billions and billions of people will be able to trace their family histories back to the dawn of time.

"Enter to learn; go forth to serve."

One of the things that I love most about attending BYU is the way religion is incorporated into my studies.  Not only do I take a core of religion classes, but religious topics often come up in my other subjects—even my science classes.  And these insights, how religion and faith are applied to real life situations, have been very beneficial to me.  In an introductory information technology class my freshman year, my professor gave this advice: “When looking for a job, don’t get too caught up in matters of pay and prestige, but pray to get the Lord’s direction in finding a job where you can serve in some way.  And there are great opportunities to serve in many companies.”  That has stuck with me, and now that I’m looking for an internship next summer, I’m applying that advice.  My studies at BYU have given me more than just knowledge, they have given me direction.

Open and Closed

With the passing of Steve Jobs, Apple has been on the minds of many.  Apple has a unique development strategy: keep secrets closely guarded, prototype and test but don’t use focus groups, and directly control as many aspects of the design, hardware, and software as possible.  Apple’s incredibly closed process has produced extremely innovative products that have been huge successes.  Compare that to the open source development strategy pioneered by projects like Linux: keep everything out in the open with no secrets, let users drive the process by having access to early releases, and let anybody that is willing and capable contribute.  This has also led to extremely innovative products that are widely used.  So which is better: open or closed?  I say both are needed so that each continues to spur innovation in the other.  Opened and closed together open up the most possibilities.

Josh Grows Up

“Growing up” doesn’t have as much to do with your age as it does with learning from the hard lessons of life.  I’ve met kids that were mature beyond their years and adults that acted like kids.  In a book I recently read called TheCuckoo’s Egg, the author, Cliff Stoll, talks about his growing up experience as he spends two years tracking down a computer hacker.  When Cliff finds his personal privacy and the security and trust that form the foundation of computer networks threatened, he starts to shift his worldview.  Over the course of a two-year long hacker chase, Cliff gradually moves from being a hippy-anarchist-astronomer to becoming a respected authority on computer security.  Cliff writes, “I realize that I’ve become a grown-up (sob!)—A person who really has a stake” (393). 

My growing up story started 6 years ago.  At the time, I was trying to do too many things at once:  play music professionally, manage a motel and live music theater, be the next network marketing millionaire, run six minute miles, serve at church, and have a great family life.  I was too overcommitted; I couldn’t have excelled in any one of those areas, let alone all of them.  Then I started having health problems.  Instead of just getting tired when I pushed myself past my limits, my body started responding with pain.  I got so frustrated and discouraged when I couldn’t do half of what I used to do.  I felt like a failure.  Little did I know that my health problems would lead me to reshape my life into something much more rewarding. 

I used to compare myself to other people and think of myself as more capable.  What a joke!  I learned that everybody has his or her own problems, and mine finally put me in my place.  Because of more imposing physical limitations, I was forced to slow down.  Once I opened up my eyes to what slowing down meant for me, I stopped feeling like a failure, and I started to be happy again.  I could finally recognize the simple and most important things of life.  I found balance and that I too had a stake.  And while my plans may not seem as grand as they once were, they fit me much better.  I’m happy to say that I’m all grown up and right where I need to be.