Current Event 2

When I came across this article, I immediately reflected on the video we watched today. My mind was drawn to the idea of new technologies that could go viral, similar to the way the personal computer industry did. I don't know whether VR will be that next explosion of hardware and software. Certainly, more of the infrastructure is there, in the sense the the public is definitely used to this type of sensational device. Certainly VR has a chance to captivate the minds and hearts of consumers. But it also has a chance to fail dramatically. The reason for my uncertainty is due to the history of new super-devices that have come out in the time since the Apple II. Certainly, Apple has continued to be a leader, with the iPod and iPhone. These were both new leaps forward in the consumerist 'must have' mindset. However, other devices have seen almost no popularity despite their hype. I hold as examples the segway, and google glass. I give these examples because each of the items I have listed have represented not only a new device but a new field. Before the iPod there was no concept of the ".mp3 player." That has since become a staple of our culture and society. Before the segway there was no concept of effortless personal transportation. However, that never erupted as a common device. For this reason I cannot forecast the success of VR, but I eagerly await its release.

Study Journal 1

9/8/2015

*I’m reminded of a talk Elder Oaks gave in the october conference of 2000 about the process of being converted. He emphasize the importance of learning to do, and doing to become. Relating this to Aristotle’s ideas on (practical) ethics, it’s amazing to see how interrelated the two thoughts are.

*The note about the distinction between ethics and morality strikes me. It seems that today’s culture is even further gone, as we have delved into the realm of relative morality. I see a general trend to disestablish the validity of morality, so as to even further invalidate the hold of ethical standards on society.

*I feel like there’s another way you can distinguish between ethics and morality than those discussed in class. Ethics is something that can be taught or instructed in a very straightforward manner. Morality, however, is more usually rooted in someone’s core self perception, and not something that can be taught directly. The way to teach morality is to instruct by principle and guide the student to ponder on application. Which, I guess, takes us back to Aristotle and application.
*Conceptually, the implementation of Situational Ethics is not dissimilar to the way a faithful Latter Day Saint may live their day. The difference is that the LDSaint has a standard of principle that his actions are decided upon, consistent from one situation to the next. The Situational Ethicist’s standard is variable. Though the process of deciding to act goes through the same hoops, it is the standard that process is based on that makes the difference. Over the course of 500 situations, we will see consistent behavior from the LD Saint, but varying behavior from the Situational Ethicist.

9/10/2015

*Given that there is a “great difference between ethics and religion,” how much does it matter that there is lots of gray area? Obviously, we as latter day saints believe in consistent behavior no matter the situation. But can we really fault someone without that knowledge who believes it is okay to behave a certain way in one situation, and a different way in another situation?

*Ethics (at least insofar as Traditional Ethics and Situational Ethics) has an implied component which is that there is always a 3rd party to judge the actions and determine them right or wrong (“an action someone makes should be judged”). That’s what gets me about all these man-made ethical systems, is that they are subconsciously approaching a gospel standard but being man-made they never quite get there. But we can see those elements of truth there.

9/15/2015

*In reading about the observation of the fish, I’m reminded of times when I’ve kind of slowed down and really just looked at something. Because of the level of abstraction going on in our brains, I don’t often stop to really observe something for its unique qualities. But because of the times I have done this, I can appreciate the great amount of insight able to be gleaned from such a process.

*I’m very intrigued by Armour’s description of people’s processes, with their manuals and their complex methodologies. I’ve seen examples of these, but it never occurred to me that there was a classification that could encompass all those strategies. This Orders of Ignorance really calls to me; I like the areas of classification that it allows for, in software development as well as in other areas.

*I also really like Armour’s perspective of software development being a container of knowledge, and the idea of cleaning up code as an extension of that final goal. I’m definitely going to try and apply that perspective into my own coding forays.

9/17/2015

*As someone who has made a clear decision to never dramatically exceed the speed limit (I am always less than 5 mph over the posted limit), I find it very interesting that so many members of the class have immediate rebuttals to the idea that their going over the speed limit is unethical. It astounds me that people who claim to follow the 12th article of faith are so comfortable breaking these (perceived as ‘lesser’) laws, such as breaking the speed limit. I also see a lot of illegal downloading and contributing to pirating. The ethical system is in place, but even within our own (LDS) society, there are many who operate after their own set of morals.

*(This is something of a continuation of my previous thought) Given that the modern philosophical definition of morality is “religious and immutable,” I find it interesting that people within our class seem to have derived their own moral standards, somewhat departing from what is taught within our religious society. I also see this same ‘personal morality’ present in my peers from high school, which makes me think that the ‘modern philosophy’ definition of morality, as being something immutable, is somewhat out of date.

*Even though there are many relative moralistic ideals, there are still some things that people generally recognize as being moral, and respect such people who observe those standards. One such example is this idea of not allowing ourselves to be offended. Generally, people who are able to brush off offense are respected amongst their peers. This was especially shown in the story Prof. Dougal shared.

Current Event 1

Microsoft is going to court with the Federal Government. Our current area of focus in class, this being the beginning of the semester, is the foundation of ethics. Thus, it is appropriate to analyze this event within the context of basic ethics; where are the lines of right and wrong in this situation? Certainly, each party has their own right to hold their position. The government has long had a history of prioritizing national safety and information over the privacy of individuals. However, there is a valid question raised now as to how those old practices might apply to the digital, and indeed the cloud, age. True, Microsoft is a company based in the United States, but they serve a worldwide consumer base. Does their ultimate allegiance lie with their customers, or with the US law? What is ultimately the most right thing to do in this situation? The most intriguing aspect of this court case is that Microsoft is arguing over the correct process of obtaining information that is stored in other countries. However, the decision will affect much more than just that issue. It's going to set a precedent for the right of data to be protected for any number of reasons, only one of which has to do with physical location. The decision made will be a decision on the subsequent morality of requesting and/or denying requests for information.

久しぶり - It's been too long

So I still have this blog! For some reason, I haven't really touched it since I finished my stint as an RA. I guess having real friends (and not being in charge of 38 immature freshman) really diminishes my need to vent on the world about whatever is on my mind.

To make a long story short, I did a lot more ballroom dance and in doing so met the woman of my dreams and who is now my wife. See more details about that here: http://mcquivey2015.blogspot.com/

But this blog is called Ha-college matata, and I'm still in college so it's still (theoretically) valid. I figured I'd write a little note here because I'm actually enlivening my blog specifically for a class. Now, it's not some creative writing or journalism class that wants me to utilize various media of communication. No, this is actually a core major class about ethics within the world of computing. And most of our assignments are going to be part of this blog.

Why is this important? Well, if you happen to be one of the people who follow my blog (I think I have 8?), don't be surprised when I start posting short random blurbs. I figured that the things I would be posting were of similar enough quality to my previous posts, so why not just keep using it. And who knows? Maybe it will help me to pick back up writing in my blog!

Anyways, that's just my little update. Stay tuned for my thoughts on current events, class lectures, and more! So exciting :)

じゃね