The who? Oh the Therac-25.

I had never heard of the Therac-25 until this week. What an intriguing story to read and to learn from! It's common knowledge that software has bugs, but what is interesting in this case is the exclusion of software as the culprit in initial investigations. Hardware malfunction was the assumption from the beginning. Only in later examinations was it found that there were serious software defects.

Critical safety software today still may have some bugs in it, although hopefully not of this magnitude. I imagine companies are better about extensively reviewing the software, just as they do the hardware. Still, the responsibility ultimately lies with the programmer to do everything possible to build safety into the software design and the software itself.

That can be tricky for newer programmers who often sacrifice safety for time. Perhaps it stems from the university mindset that when the program compiles and runs, it is complete. If better software design principles were incorporated in university courses, maybe the caliber of software produced in industry would increase.

Now to convince students that every "hello world" program could result in damage to property or loss of life...

The Biggest Entertainment Event of the Year

What event could prompt my roommate to plan a month in advance to request a week off work, and spark a 14-day countdown until that time? A vacation in the tropics? Not quite. A religious holiday? Getting closer. It's the long-awaited Halo 3 release.

I love video games. I remember waiting for some of my favorite games (also the 3rd part of a series) such as Super Mario Bros. 3, Final Fantasy III, and Mega Man 3, and enjoying them in their 8-bit and 16-bit glories. A lot has changed in the past 20 years. The third installment of the Halo series is expected to bring in $150 million the first day. It's more than any film or TV premiere. These games are no longer sitting on the sidelines of the entertainment playing field. They're the main players.

What is most intriguing about Halo 3 and similar games is the replay value, particularly online. The amount of man-hours that will be allocated to Xbox LIVE in the name of Halo will be in the billions.

It's too late to discuss whether or not the investment is worth it. The game is here and billions of hours will be spent. It's up to us to decide how we will react individually. Only recently has mankind had the resources (particularly time) to live a second life in a virtual world. Balance is the key.

So let's evaluate our time budget and make sure we're not neglecting our primary life (the one that doesn't plug in to the wall). Then once we're done, we'll grab some game fuel and join in on the action...

Selfish Technologies?

In the past century, technology has made life much more convenient, and for that I am deeply grateful. I don't know how I would live without the modern conveniences and luxuries to which I have grown so accustomed. They make me much more productive. However, I often find the following equation to be true: increased productivity equals increased free time equals increased time in front of the TV (or insert other indulgences here). The question is how do we use these technologies in a way that keeps us from being selfish and spiritually lacking?

For the answer, I turn to my grandpa. After working for several decades as an ophthalmologist, he could have retired and retreated from the world. However, his interest in technology helped him to remain current in relevant medical knowledge. This allowed him to serve two medical missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He spent nearly two years in Ghana, teaching individuals how to perform cataract surgery in a nation plagued by blindness. He later spent a year in South Africa as Area Medical Advisor. To this day he freely serves his neighbors in any way he can.

My grandpa often remarks, "What would my parents think if they saw that I can press a button inside my car and my garage door opens?" Good question. What would my great-grandparents think if they saw how I use technology? Would they be impressed with how much good I accomplish or would they be full of sorrow at the sight of spiritual depravity? Hopefully the former, but I suspect that dichotomy exists within each of us.

Technology is not something to be shunned in the name of spiritual development. Nevertheless, we must embrace it in a way that not only better serves ourselves, but enables us to better serve our fellow men. That will be one of the true tests of mankind in the 21st century.

The Cost of Convenient Data

The digital age has put information at our fingertips in unprecedented amounts and at unprecedented speeds. It's the reason why I can write this blog post while listening to any subset of the songs in my library, without getting up to find a new CD. (tape? record?) I can browse through all of my photos without removing the old Rubbermaid tub from the closet and searching for the album I want.

Neil Postman pointed out that "culture always pays a price for technology." What price do we pay for this convenience? Desensitization. Just over 20 years ago, the space shuttle Challenger disintegrated and time stopped. In 2003, Columbia disintegrated on re-entry and it made its way in and out of everyone's RSS feeds for a couple weeks. Even on September 11, 2001 - arguably the day with the largest historical impact thus far in my life - my day was relatively routine.

Cost/benefit analysis? As long as a few keystrokes allow me to listen to Debussy rather than finding the 8-track (and the 8-track player?), the benefits outweigh the costs. However, society needs a way to "re-sensitize." My guess is that this will happen on an individual level, rather than societal. For me, I take a step back from the constant stream of information and realize the magnitude of the events transpiring around me. Then I plug myself back in.