11/19/2015
*Why do we not receive liahonas in front of our doors today? It’s because the Lord doesn’t need to give us that any more. From a practical stand point. we already have devices that can do the directing that the Liahona did. The things the Lord gives us today are the same as what He gave Lehi: the means of carrying out the Lord’s commandments.
*It is no coincidence that the world wide church has come to pass in the same age as the world wide web. The Lord has provided the means for managing the needs of a world wide church with the technologies of today; needs that wouldn't even have been conceived of in prior dispensations.*Church leaders are talking to us about the internet in a different way than they've talked about anything in the past. Joseph F.Smith taught that members should not use face cards. It was a complete 'no'. However, now leaders are instructing use to use the internet; with caution, but to use it. The members ourselves are growing up and becoming more responsible. The Lord can trust us to make these individual efforts.
12/1/2015
*The truth about computerization and automation in translation (and indeed in any industry) is not that it will replace jobs, but it will require a different set of skills in order to take advantage of the benefits offered by said automation/computerization. The perfect example of this was that computer aided translation is more about fast editing than fast translation.
*The church is always going to be working on things that the rest of the world is ignorant of, simply because they don't need them to the same degree that the church does. A lot of people don't recognize the amount of work the church does in different areas. I'm sure that the day will come that people will suddenly realize that they need a translation software that meets their capacitance needs, and will discover that the church has been building it for years.
*The video showing the estimation that complete machine translation would be possible within 5 years is a great example of the hubris of man. And yet, it sets up a great contrast to the power of God, who has been able to cause so much to come about in His church. Similar to the tower of Babel, the men who set too lofty of goals inevitably end up not reaching them, while those who follow God's direction are those who gain the greatest heights.
12/3/2015
*A question of responsibility: we're in a time of such rapid discovery and creation that we lose track of the ethical foundations that should be underpinning our discovery and creations. This is a good thing to remember, even when I'm in my future job(s): just because it's part of my job responsibilities, does that mean it's the right thing to do? This kind of introspection will not only help me feel good about my work, but also help me to stay focused on it.
*Given that "Communication is the sinew that binds the Church as one great family" (Pres. Hinckley), it is paramount that our communications reflect that. How many times do I think of a facebook post or tweet as being an archetype of my communication with the other members of the church?
*The sheer variety of ways in which we can spread the gospel is another proof of the increased trust the Lord puts in us today. The brethren advise us not only on why we must share the gospel, but also how. 100 years ago it consisted of "go here and preach to the people." Now there are so many ways and that also opens the opportunity up to so many more people.
12/8/2015
*All the things that needed to be in place for the current state of family history to be able to take place is simply astounding. Even thinking about monks in the middle ages who were “compelled to preserve records.” Up until now that drive might not seem so relevant. It makes me think about how much else has happened in the past that with more context we’d realize was really inspired/driven by the spirit
*Given the speed of the databases and the sheer amount of records, we’re getting to the point where you can automagically populate the list of ancestors who need ordinances. The question that arises is whether that is something that we should let happen, because half of the blessings of genealogy is doing the work to find that information. So do those blessings go away if it’s automagically applied? Do they get applied to the blessings of doing temple work then, because a machine did all the work?*I love hearing the little witnesses of the spirit. Hearing the story of the engineer who came up with the method to scan the microfilm strips is a great reminder that the Lord is in all the small details, and that he will guide me in my life as much as he guides the greater work of the church.
