Software Patents

Software patents are confusing and mysterious. Several large corporations buy into this mystery to to gain more profit. It hinders innovation. Only large companies are able to have enough of an arsenal of patents in order to truly innovate without excessive disruption. Hence, war is fought by taking on smaller, more innovative companies and seriously crippling them. Therefore, innovation is lost at the cost of a higher quarterly profit and decreasing the value of goods sold to the consumer. Hance, the patent system is fundamentally flawed and should be reformed.

Yahoo Mail Disaster

The Yahoo Mail disaster outlines the point that users should be placed first in any major decision. With the new design on October 8, several features are missing or broken. "We are working on this issue"  is the only response Yahoo wants to give. Yahoo lost its connection to its customers, which leads me to think there is a large disconnect between PR and QA. Yahoo needs to keep its existing user base alive and also attract new users to its email service. Stale products are unattractive and become quickly eclipsed by higher quality products. However, sufficient thought be put into product quality. Instead, Yahoo Mail backslaps it's users by providing a new inferior service to its customers in a feeble attempt to celebrate i's 20th anniversary. Useless new features were added and old critical features, like sending mail messages, were lost. While Yahoo Mail may never recover from this mishap, we learn that good PR is no substitute for bad QA.

Reference:
http://www.zdnet.com/anger-explodes-at-yahoo-mail-redesign-disaster-key-functions-removed-or-broken-7000021911/

Collaboration and Family History

In the digital age, family history collaboration occurs over the internet. Millions around the world can find their deceased ancestors through the powerful tools available online. In Mormon culture, family history is a demonstration of love for deceased loved ones by those who participate in it. With the internet resources now available, family history patrons are now connected to millions of other participators throughout the world. As a developer, I am especially interested in the software used. Family Search employs advanced algorithms, visualizations, and communication tools to better facilitate the needs of these users. Each record update notifies relevant users about change via email, providing a communication channel that didn't otherwise exist. Visualizations give the user an at-a-glance view of their progress, allowing faster additions and edits through this advanced viewing mode in the software. Advanced algorithms provide text recognition capabilities for old genealogical records and guide users to new ancestors that could be part of their family, thus increasing the amount of work done. Hence, the love of family history work increases as users collaborate over the internet in the digital age.

References
http://www.lds.org/ensign/1998/05/a-new-harvest-time?lang=eng
http://www.lds.org/ensign/1991/05/linking-the-family-of-man?lang=eng
http://www.lds.org/ensign/2000/07/family-history-via-the-internet?lang=eng
http://www.lds.org/church/news/updated-familysearch-to-bring-new-features-under-one-roof?lang=eng
http://www.lds.org/ensign/2010/12/future-of-familysearchorg-explained-at-seminar?lang=eng

Pocket-Sized Privacy

Privacy costs a premium. My smartphone sends my private information, such as my current location and browsing habits, back to services, like Google and NSA's PRISM project. John McAfee, a security expert, is developing a $100 device to protect my privacy. This pocket-size device uses the "dark Web" to bounce traffic back and forth between different peers, creating anonymity. Why do I need this? I, as a consumer, gain very little from someone else tracking my what I do on my smartphone. With that in mind, I'd rather keep my personal information secure rather than giving it away.  I need pocket-sized privacy in my life. How about you?

References

http://www.mercurynews.com/bay-area-news/ci_24198989/john-mcafee-reveals-details-gadget-thwart-nsa