The evolution of computing

Personal computers coupled with the technologies like the world wide web have literally transformed the world in which we live. Today we can find evidence that the field of machine learning will produce the next revolutionary technology to affect humanity for better or worse. Recently the National Science Foundation has supported a project that looks to use machine learning to manage the complexity in the fields of emergency response, product development, health care, education, and the economy. Although this sounds exciting, machine learning might ultimately put people out of a job. Engineers at Carnegie Mellon University are using techniques in machine learning to classify strawberry quality. They claim that their technology "harvested plants more consistently and faster than workers could, with a comparable error rate." This is one step in the evolution of the computer industry that shows computers making subjective decisions faster and as well as humans. We can only wonder how this evolution will affect our society.

Thoughts about women in computer science

An issue facing computer science today is the current and future roles of women in the computer science field. Thus far the article which has given me the most insight into how we can increase the amount of women in computer science was written by Professor De Palma from Gonzaga University. The article seeks to build on women's strengths in mathematics as they transition into programming. He proposes that we "keep things as close as possible to pure logic" and "if at all possible, teach computing without microcomputers." Those two points fundamentally teach abstraction which women have proven to excel at and which are extremely important for programmers. Although I know nothing about being a woman, my best guess as to why we don't see more women in computer science is the lack of a standard way to present computer science as a logical system.

A social addiction to computers

Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Youtube, and now Blippy? CNN Tech News reported this morning that you can now go to Blippy.com and see what others are buying. It is a takeoff of twitter, however instead of writing your own tweet, Blippy will create the posts for you. The purpose is to let the world know where you are shopping, how much you spent, and how frequently you shop there. I believe spending time on a site like that can be just as addictive to society as the world of warcraft is to online gamers. Think about it. How long does it take to read all the information on an average facebook, twitter, and rss reader each day? Add in the time to maintain the personal updates that are continually being posted and we begin to see how people manage their time. Even though it might seem harmless, these sites can lead our society to less productivity and generally more unemployment.

The line between real and virtual life

With all the rage that comes with neuro-networks deciding our future we should remember that artificial intelligence can never be a substitute for true intelligence. The Doctrine and Covenants teaches that all intellectual was never created or made and that it can act of itself. If we believe the scriptures we know that we are made from true intelligence in contrast to computers being made from artificial intelligence. We have the ability to reflect on the choices we make and feel something about it instead of merely executing instructions. As computers become a more every day part of our lives we must not forget to communicate our love and affection to the people the who matter most. We also should remember it is all right to draw from moral guidelines and inspiration that is outside the realm of a computer.