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.
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.
Been threatened because of your religious beliefs lately?
David October 29th, 2008
I continue to be amazed at the amount of controversy that has come up because of the position of the LDS Church to support the California Proposition 8 in support of marriage. Religious organizations across California have come out in support of the proposition. What I am most surprised about is how opponents of this proposition have come out in droves to attack anyone who supports it. If you see any videos or articles on YouTube or the major news sites about Prop 8 which allow public comments, you will find that the negative comments number 20 to 1, filled with acusations of biotry and intolerance despite by the very nature of the commentators acting as with intolerance towards the religious beliefs of those who support this measure.
Respectfully disagreeing because of someone’s religious beliefs is one thing but it goes to a whole new level when you slander and directly attack is another. Like a page straight out of early Mormon persecution comes inactive LDS member Nadine Hansen (Cedar City, Utah) who created mormonsfor8.com which encourages users to identify Mormons listed from public donation sources on behalf of Proposition 8 (similar data also available at San Francisco Chronicle), or Signing For Something which solicits pro-gay users to sign a petition against Church Leaders. From the Daily Kos, a popular liberal blog,
But when the church and its members invest millions of dollars in an attempt to write discrimination into my state’s constitution and divorce my friend Brian against his will, there will be hell to pay.
So what am I asking you to do?
Some distributed research.
There is a list of a bunch of Mormon donors to the Yes on Proposition 8 campaign (in case that one goes down, here’s a mirror with slightly worse formatting.
Here’s what I’m asking for:
This list contains information about those who are big donors to the Yes on 8 campaign–donors to the tune of at least $1,000 dollars. And, as you can see, there are a lot of them. It also indicates if they’re Mormon or not.
If you’re interested in defeating the religious right and preserving marriage equality, here’s how you can help:
Find us some ammo.
Use any LEGAL tool at your disposal. Use OpenSecrets to see if these donors have contributed to…shall we say…less than honorable causes, or if any one of these big donors has done something otherwise egregious. If so, we have a legitimate case to make the Yes on 8 campaign return their contributions, or face a bunch of negative publicity.
There are a crapload of donors on this list–so please focus on the larger ones first. $5,000 or more is a good threshold to start with.
Feel free to use Lexis-Nexis searches as well for anything useful, especially given that these people are using “morality” as their primary motivation to support Prop 8…if you find anything that belies that in any way…well, you know what to do.
If you find anything good, please email it to:
equalityresearch at gmail dot com.
Here’s the bottom line for me: if someone is willing to contribute thousands of dollars to a campaign to take away legal rights from some very dear friends of mine, they had damn well make sure their lives are beyond scrutiny–because I, for one, won’t take it lying down.
This one is for Brian and the millions like him all across the nation.
As a nation who prides itself on freedom, free speech, and respect of diversity, would you expect for people to actually attack others based on their religion? Ask Michele Sundstrom, 47, of San Jose, who has been married for 18 years and has five children.
She and her husband gave $30,000 to the Yes on 8 campaign and put a sign on their home. But in response, two women parked an SUV in front of their home, with the words "Bigots live here" painted on the windshield.
LDS Development Projects Looking for Volunteers
David October 14th, 2008
There are three community development projects currently managed by the LDS Church. Rather than calling them "open source" projects, these are still Church projects but offer an opportunity for the development community to serve in a meaningful way. Existing Church resources are limited from many possible projects because of limited time and money but external resources can be leveraged where possible. Here are the current projects currently under way:
- Home Teaching / Visiting Teaching Application
- EBuilder Application
- Church Historical Timeline Application
General information regarding volunteering and additional opportunities can be found at LDSTech Wiki.
Going to church made easier with Google Maps
David June 19th, 2008
This week the LDS Church has launched a beta for the new meeting house locator at http://beta.maps.lds.org. The current site at http://www.lds.org/basicbeliefs/meetinghouse has been adequate, but the new site utilizes both Microsoft and Google mapping technologies to provide the kind of mapping experience that most of us have come to expect from online maps. Here are a few features that really seemed to stand out, beyond the expected address lookup, mapping, and directions:
- Ability to switch between Google and Microsoft maps. Some locations are more current with one map versus the other.
- Ability to switch to Microsoft 3D view of the current location if Virtual Earth 3D is installed (also in beta)
- Even if you don’t know the address or your address isn’t found, you can use your mouse to place a marker on the map to identify your location.
- Not only will the application return the closest meeting locations, congregations and times, but it will provide a local contact name and number if you have questions.
I noticed a few bugs switching between maps, particularly when my connection was running slow, but for a beta launch it looks very promising!
Using Technology for Humanitarian Projects
David May 20th, 2008
The LDS Church has received great appreciation for its efforts from Hurricane Katrina. President Henry B. Eyring even mentioned a personal phone call from Pres George W. Bush to Gordon B. Hinckley at a recent multi-Stake Conference address, admiring the quick and effective efforts of local church members. But even the best organizations would be amiss if they didn’t take advantage of what they may learn from others.
With thousands of people affected by the Sichuan, China earthquake, Google China staff members rolled up their sleeves and joined other rescue organizations.
At the request of the government, we obtained new satellite images of Sichuan province (Earth KML) to help them better focus their recovery efforts. We developed and launched a “lost loved one” search based on our Custom Search Engine (CSE). To populate the CSE index, hundreds of Googlers worked around the clock looking through published tables, hospital records, news reports, and community sites. We tuned our Chinese news search, video search, image search, blog search, and oneboxes. We also partnered to build community sites, and launched both homepage promotions and a map-based information page. Google China has an extremely dedicated and passionate team and I am deeply honored to work alongside them.
Google has also set up a donation page so that you can donate directly towards recovery efforts. Similarly, donations can be made on the LDS Philanthropies donation page for any of the humanitarian projects around the world or using a donation slip at your local congregation.
What do Mormons and Scientologists have in common?
David May 14th, 2008
Ars Technica has documented the efforts of various organizations to remove confidential documents from Wikileaks.org, including both the LDS Church and the Church of Scientology. Apparently Wikileaks.org has posted a copy of the LDS Handbook of Instruction, which is not available to general church membership rather only to Bishops and Stake Presidents in the Church.
The Mormons clearly "get" the Internet in some sense (you can chat online with a missionary, for instance), but they appear determined to follow in the footsteps of groups like Bank Julius Baer that have managed to draw widespread attention to confidential documents without managing to have them removed from Wikileaks.
Wikipedia.org entries related to LDS Church doctrine or history are often the target of anti-Mormon commentary, but LDS members and the general public have been good about removing such inaccuracies. Hopefully there will be some options available for similar action with Wikileaks.
Catholic church doesn’t understand LDS doctrine of baptism
David May 7th, 2008
After looking into the story about the Catholic church’s concerns about LDS baptism a bit more, it sounds to me like the Catholic church doesn’t really understand the LDS doctrine of baptism and hasn’t taken the time to research or ask about it. From Catholic World News,
The Catholic Church objects to the Mormon practice of "rebaptism" for two reasons: first because baptism is permanent, and cannot be repeated; second because the "baptism" practiced by Mormons is invalid, since the faithful are not baptized "in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit."
The Catholic officials quoted here haven’t looked at the exact wording of the LDS baptismal ordinance from D&C 20:73
Having been commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
OK… we have "Holy Ghost" here instead of "Holy Spirit"… but looking the actually wording of the Catholic baptismal prayer from the Catholic Encyclopedia we get…
I baptize thee in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.
Hmmm… if we are concerned with actual wording, the Catholic news source doesn’t even know exact Catholic doctrine, much less LDS doctrine.