LDS IT executive requests help for internal IT projects
David May 21st, 2009
No, the LDS Church hasn’t released the source code for its internal applications to Open Source, but it is looking for help from the community. They need help with project management, design, development, and testing (QA). From the blog of Joel Dehlin, the LDS CIO,
The Church has been working to figure out a way to allow folks who want to contribute to its missions to do so. We’re ready for help!
We now have applications you can work on, a sandbox with web services, source control, bug tracking and even a requirements for participation.
The most immediate need is the re-write of the stake and ward web site. We are working on an International web site (10 languages to start with) which will allow members to log in, and view or print their stake/ward directory, see a list of ward leaders, read the ward/stake blog, edit & view the ward/stake/Church calendar, and so forth.
Interested?
Read more here.
The first component you can start on immediately is the calendar portion. It’s built on our Java stack, which you can read about here. You can also read up on our “community development best practices.”
Even though the Stake and Ward Web Site project will be using Java, there are other projects mentioned on the site which are architected around web services for more flexibility in the actual implementation of the project.
New Mormon Radio
David May 21st, 2009
The LDS Church made the following announcement on May 20 regarding a new internet radio service they launched.
We are pleased to announce that the Church has launched an official radio station called the Mormon Channel. The channel originates from Temple Square in Salt Lake City and broadcasts 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Content for the station comes from the vast audio archives of the Church along with 20 new series created specifically for the station. The Mormon Channel also features programming from various partner organizations, including Deseret Book, Bonneville International, Deseret News, LDS Business College, and the campuses of Brigham Young University.
You can listen to the Mormon Channel live online anytime at radio.lds.org. There are also downloads and podcasts of content available at the same address.
In addition to online delivery, the channel is available on HDRadio in every Bonneville International radio market. Among those markets are Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Chicago, Phoenix, and Seattle. Additionally, you will soon be able to listen via an iPhone application and a Mormon Channel widget. Other distribution options are currently being explored, including satellite radio and other mobile devices.
For LDS Church members who don’t live in areas where traditional Church broadcasts have been made available, this is a great new service and an excellent option for those who don’t have bandwidth which supports the streaming video during General Conference broadcasts.
Tracking pandemic flu outbreaks
David April 28th, 2009
It can be so difficult to visualize exactly how widespread a health risk is but when you see it plotted on a map relevant to your current location, it suddenly becomes real. Here is the H1N1 Swine Flu plotted on Google Maps. Before you let a growing sense of dread overwhelm you, what can you do? Help get the word out about preparing now while supplies are still available. The Totally Ready blog has some great ideas about how to stay hydrated when you have the flu and setting up a recovery room to limit the spread of the flu when it hits your household. There are other posts about how to prevent getting it in the first place, but you get the idea.
Google Maps was also used with tracking disasters such as earthquake and forest fires. Like any emergency preparedness pursuit, are you prepared to integrate disaster data with a mapping service such as Google Maps or Live Search Maps? A little time to prepare now opens whole realms of possibilities that wouldn’t be available without that preparation.
Answers about Mormon Temples
David March 12th, 2009
The Mormon Messages channel on YouTube is an official source of information regarding the LDS Church, its practices, and teachings. A new video (ebedded below) regarding the reasons why the LDS Church builds temples has been created in order to inform the public regarding this sacred practice, including discussion by LDS and non LDS experts in ancient scriptural temple practices. I applaud this proactive approach using current technology / media solutions particularly in anticipation of questions which the public may have regarding HBO’s episode of Big Love which portrays the sacred temple ceremony on national television.
The LDS Newsroom has also published a statement regarding this episode and documented other instances when negative publicity regarding LDS Church practices have proved to have little impact on Church affairs.
FamilySearch Developers Conference 2009
David March 10th, 2009
The second annual FamilySearch Developers Conference will be held at BYU on March 11, 2009 in conjuction with the BYU Family History Technology Workshop and Conference on Computerized Family History and Genealogy Conferences, March 12-14, 2009. Those interested in more information can go to familyhistoryconferences.byu.edu/familysearch or call 1-801-422-8925.
I attended the conference last year which proved to be quite interesting, particularly to see the first generation apps written to interface with the new FamilySearch APIs. I have since been able to use products from Ohana Software http://www.ohanasoftware.com/ (Family Insight) and PHPGedview http://phpgedview.net/ which have both been written to take advantage of this new data source. Both are still relatively immature in their functionality but promising in what will soon be available to genealogists.
This year, FamilySearch will discuss version 2 of the web service APIs which promise to expand on the basic functionality available in version 1 but which proved to be limiting to 3rd party apps which attempted to provide full functionality to their users.
Advanced Debugging with JavaScript
David February 4th, 2009
Though targeted for designers, A List Apart offers a good article on debugging JavaScript. The projects at http://tech.lds.org/wiki include several which include an AJAX front-end and Restful Web Services on the back, so having a good understanding of debugging JavaScript is important. Using JavaScript frameworks such as jQuery are very helpful, but it is still important to know how to debug your code at a foundational level.
New Google Earth Release Offers New 3D Features
David February 2nd, 2009
Today Google released Google Earth 5.0 which includes new 3D features including navigating the ocean floor, historical imagery (viewing landscape changes over time), user-created tours of landmarks, and a 3D view of the surface of Mars.
From Google Blog,
We were joined at the Academy by many of the dozens of ocean scientists and advocates who helped make this project a reality: friends from National Geographic, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, the US Navy, Scripps Oceanography, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, to name just a few. Above all, I would like to acknowledge the work of Dr. Sylvia Earle, who cornered me at a conference three years ago and told me that Google Earth was great but that it wasn’t finished (you can read more about that encounter on the Lat Long blog). As much as I hated to admit it, she was right. We on the Google Earth team had been working hard to build a rich 3D map of the world, but we had largely ignored the oceans — two thirds of the planet. Inspired by Sylvia, the team got to work. I hope you are as excited as I am to explore our new Ocean and all of the fascinating stories and images our partners have contributed.
Computer slow? Make sure you aren’t hacked.
David January 4th, 2009
Five to ten years ago the PC industry was really pushing anti-virus software, even as the most popular versions became large and bloated, taking up scarce computer resources. Just a couple years ago anti-popup and anti-spyware software were all the rage. With free alternatives to the expensive Norton and McAfee software services, the focus seems to be less on installing the expensive versions of this software. But with more people not keeping their computers protected, that leaves open the opportunity for new viruses and trojans to spread across the internet.
Some computers have been compromised by just visiting compromised web sites. Recently Microsoft published warnings that Internet Explorer was particularly susceptible to attack, prompting a massive migration to other browsers. In some cases the trojan software won’t even prompt you for confirmation to installation. If you discover that your PC is running slower that it has in the past even without you installing new software, you may have a virus or be hacked by a trojan.
Here are a few resources: (anyone out there have other favorites?)
Trend Micro online virus scanner
Do You Run Antivirus Software?
Avast (popular virus checker… a free version is available)
AVG (another popular free virus checker)
Americans closely watching record setting election
David November 4th, 2008
Media sources anticipate a record-setting participation from Americans this election. Despite polling predictions of a presidential win by Obama, GOP supporters continue to be optimistic. I, like many of you, will be closely watching as the results start to come in, not only for the Presidential election but for significant issues such as California’s Prop 8.
