Peer Help Groups

Blog Action Day

2008-08-14T23:38:00.001-07:00

I received an email informing me that the 2nd Annual <a href="http://blogactionday.cmail4.com/l/487919/xtdj4dir/4">Blog Action Day</a> is coming up on Oct. 15th. This year's theme is poverty. I find it surprising that Global Warming was the first thing that bloggers felt a need to take change on and poverty was second. Especially since global warming can't really be helped until poverty is taken care of (a href="http://www.businessandmedia.org/printer/2008/20080711182959.aspx">source</a>). You would think that it would be in reverse order, unless people are just blogging to blog and not really looking for real solutions. Just a thought.

On the flip side, for counter-argument, I might add that according to the <a href="http://www.gapminder.org">Gapminder</a> graph, the higher the income per person in a nation, the higher CO2 emissions per person that nation experiences.

Txt Msgs

2008-07-21T23:42:00.001-07:00

You'll notice a new means of communication on the contact us page. I think I have been fairly liberal in handing out my phone number to anyone that needs it, but if you don't have it, and don't want to call, you can now send a text to get a conversation started. Let me know what you think. Dan

Cognitive Dissonance in the Scriptures

2008-04-20T12:32:00.001-07:00

Two weeks ago, I went to conference with a group of friends. It was a great experience, especially participating in the solemn assembly in person. That's something that I had never done. The conference was wonderful. But I want to talk about something I realized about myself on the way home. My friends and I were driving back to California (never driving again, Jet Blue is just too great of a deal) and it was Sunday afternoon/evening. I know that people have different opinions about traveling no Sunday, but we had decided to come home that afternoon. Normally, I don't go to places of business on Sundays. Obviously, I had to change this because we needed gas. I also felt that since I had not planned ahead and I was going to be driving straight for the nine hours, I would also need some drinks and snacks to help me stay awake. Pretty soon, our group had all decided that we would stop at McDonald's for dinner. Now that we had already bought gas and snacks, McDonald's wasn't that much further from what we would normally accept as appropriate Sunday behavior. All except for one member of our group who simply said she wasn't hungry. I knew it was because it was Sunday that she did not want any McDonald's.

Now, you see the difference between me and this girl is that when I saw an excuse not to obey rules, I took it. Obviously you can see where my heart is. When she saw a need that kept us from obeying, she tried to do what she could to still observe the sacredness of the Sabbath. Her heart was on keeping the Sabbath holy. Mine was not. But even if my heart was not set on it, this is still behavior that I would normally not participate in. So how did I justify it so quickly?

Turn with me to Alma 49:13-17. Go ahead and read those four verses. In these verses we learn that the Lamanites had come upon the city of Ammonihah to attack but found that it had been strengthened and fortified beyond their own preparations. So, they swore they would attack the city of Noah, which they knew from previous experience was a weak city. Now in vs 14, we see that they were really surprised because the city of Noah was actually stronger than they had expected, and it had Lehi, a great commander, as the chief captain over the city. The Lamanites were afraid. Under normal circumstances, they would not have attacked this city. But here they found themselves, already in enemy territory and already having passed up one city. From that point, it isn't hard to justify their attack in which they know many will die (In economics we call this a problem of sunk costs, but that's for another discussion).

So, basically they had found themselves on a slippery slope, just as I had. This is called cognitive dissonance. This happens anytime we find ourselves justifying action that normally would have found inappropriate. When I was standing in front of McDonald's (or before), I had a choice. Do I realize that my actions are not what I want them to be and try and fix it or do I justify my actions so that I feel okay doing what I'm about to do? The chief captains of the Lamanite armies had the same choice when they came upon the city of Noah. Do we realize that our actions (swearing an oath to destroy the people of Noah) are not what I want them to be and try and mend it or do I justify my actions so that I feel okay doing what I'm about to do? I realize that there is a difference in the reason for action. I had not sworn an oath to get food no matter what, but in the end, both I and the chief captains where in a situation that we would not have normally chosen and we decided to move forward anyways. I bought a cheeseburger and "they were slain with an immense slaughter." So, when you are faced with such a decision, don't worry about what you've already come through. Don't think about the past few experiences. Base your decision on what you know is right and wrong, not what you're feeling at the moment. Don't be a slaughtered chief captain.

Mending the Relationship

2008-03-19T20:10:00.001-07:00

I recently had an experience which provides an example for how to repent and turn to the Lord. I am in the habit of giving out books as gifts. They're usually books that I really enjoy and that I think everyone should read because of the message they contain. I slightly consider who I am giving the gift to and then pick from a selection of books that I have pre-bought for that purpose. You can see that these are not gifts that I put a lot of time and thought into, but I still think they're great gifts. One friend recently thanked me for the gift and informed me that they probably wouldn't read it, but it was nice of me anyways. We're good enough friends that it was okay to say that. Here's the story that relates to repentance. A few weeks later, that friend felt like they had done something which offended me (they hadn't, but they thought they had). I received an email the next day that said this:

"Alright so I'm still feeling bad for last night and I was trying to
think of a way to make it up to you. I didn't really come up with
anything. But I thought, he seems to really want me to read
that book, so I started reading that story, I forget what it's called
but it has "to be filed" somewhere in the title. I'm not very far
yet, so far, who is it, Kipplinger? he is introducing some drunk guy
and taking him to his house, & that's as far as I've gotten."

You see, when my friend thought he had offended me and wanted to make it up, he tried to think of something he could do to show me how much he cared. He chose something that he didn't want to do, but he knew was important to me. He thought that this would mend the relationship. So, when we're trying to mend our relationship with Heavenly Father, why would we do anything different? I have to admit, when I read that email, I felt loved. I thought, "Wow, my buddy really cares." Isn't that what we want Heavenly Father to think and feel towards us? So, when I was later confronted with sin and being separated from the Spirit, needing to repent, the story of my friend came to mind. Instead of going through some repetitive motions, I asked myself what Heavenly Father has wanted me to do that I haven't done, that would show him how much I cared and how much I was willing to give up to mend our relationship. For me personally, this meant fasting for 24 hours (which I hadn't been doing) and going to sleep earlier and waking up earlier than I had been doing. This was a way of submitting myself to His will and also showing that I cared enough about the relationship to do what I could to make it up to Him.

So, next time you find yourself saying, "I'm sorry" in prayer, ask yourself, "What has Heavenly Father asked of me lately that I have not yet fulfilled?" Do that thing. See if it allows you to feel closer to Him. Maybe the change is in you and not Him (most likely), but whatever the reason, see if it brings you closer to Him.

Happy Valentine's - Elder Holland Address

2008-02-14T22:01:00.001-07:00

Hope you had a great Valentine's day. In the spirit of this holiday, I'd like to recommend a talk given by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland on Feb 15, 2000 called, "How do I Love Thee?." He talks about how we are to love each other, especially in romantic relationships, dating and marriage. I hope you enjoy it. You can read it or download the mp3.

Mitt's Concession

2008-02-07T23:22:00.001-07:00

The video where Mitt Romney concedes shows some real logic to his choice and shows that he is thinking of what is best for everyone.

Patterns

2008-02-01T19:49:00.001-07:00

Do you ever ask yourself, "How stupid can I be?"

Well that is the question that I just finished asking myself. I don't think that there are many situations where it's appropriate to talk to yourself that way, but this might be one of them. It's one thing to make a mistake that requires repentance. It's another to make a mistake that requires repentance after having seen the same pattern leading up to the mistake. There's a pattern that I'm familiar with in my own life, so familiar with in fact that when I realized I had not noticed it, I said to myself, "How could I not have noticed, that's MY pattern."

Here's the pattern: If I have not been reading my scriptures in the right manner, or praying in the right manner, or just not connecting with Heavenly Father, my first sign is a hunger for things of righteousness. I start to hunger and thirst for the scriptures. Not an uncontrollable hunger, just a strong desire in my heart. When I'm observant, I say to myself, "Wow, I'd better sit down and read my scriptures" or "I need to spend some more time on my knees." When I'm not observant, I cut corners and think, "This will do." When I'm not observant, it's usually about 1 or 2 days before I find myself on my knees repenting of something. I felt this hunger a few days ago. I didn't remember it until just a few minutes ago, I was sitting at my computer and looked across my bed. And guess what I saw: My scriptures.

This may not be significant to you, but the reason those scriptures are sitting on my bed is because about 2 nights ago, I was hungering for them. I was already in bed, so I just grabbed them from off my desk and held them close. I went to sleep like that. Do you think that I woke up early the next morning to read them? Do you think that I remembered that hunger and supped from them the next day? Or do you think that I might have even missed reading them at all that day?

It was the latter. And yes, I ended up on my knees today, repenting, knowing that my heart had not been in the right place or my actions those of a worthy priesthood holder who is engaged in the work of God. I knew that pattern. It isn't a new one. So, now I have to figure out why I didn't respond the way that I know I should have. What was I doing that kept the right response far from my mind and heart? Any insight would be appreciated.

How did you find out?

2008-02-01T18:53:00.001-07:00

How did you find out about the Prophet's death? It seems like most young people had a similar story. This group ended up dressing up for school in order to show respect for Pres. Hinckley, all made possible by modern technology.

Pres. Hinckley's Funeral

2008-02-01T16:58:00.001-07:00

In case you haven't heard, Pres. Hinckley's funeral will be broadcast tomorrow (Sat) at 10am Mountain time. Here is Broadcast Information for BYUTV.

In times like these, it's important to remember a quote by Elder McConkie, who was speaking of the passing of Pres. Lee and the subsequent calling of Pres. Kimball. Adapted for our situation, he said:

"Now, no one can say too emphatically or too strongly or praise too highly the leadership of President [Hinckley], but this is a forward-looking Church. We do not look backward. We do not do other than go forward and onward. Our destiny is to proclaim the everlasting gospel into every ear. This Church will roll on until the knowledge of God covers the earth as the waters cover the sea. And so we look to the future. We now look to a new prophet who will wear the mantle of leadership and who will, with dignity and honor and inspiration and with the guidance of heaven, do things that are appointed for his time and his season that no one else could have done. The Lord's hand is in the work, and [Thomas Monson] is the prophet of God, the mouthpiece of the Almighty for the time and the season that are appointed ahead. God grant that it may be extensive and long and that we may continue to get the inspiration and guidance that come through his newly appointed servant."

You can read the entire talk by Elder McConkie, Succession in the Presidency.

Pres. Hinckley Passes

2008-01-27T23:26:00.001-07:00

Pres Hinckley passed away tonight. My family received a phone call about two hours after it happened. I immediately sent text messages to many people. I was on my way to a fireside with Elder Joe J. Christensen. They announced the passing at the fireside and Elder Christensen spoke on the passing. We all stood to sing "We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet" and we watched a video of some of Pres. Hinckley's counsel. A large portion of the church membership knew within hours. This was a unifying experience for many and I'm glad that I could spend it with the Saints. I'm also glad for the blessings of technology and what it has done for our lives to enable such communication.

Online Resources

2008-01-26T10:34:00.001-07:00

I've updated the online resources section of both LDSTeenHelp and HelpforGuys. Some of the changes include adding the "Let Virtue Garnish Thy Thoughts" pamphlet that the Church has put out for those struggling with pornography. Also, if you go to Audio Downloads and follow the link through from the Purifying Power of Gethsemane talk to the video, the video is posted for download and you can download it through the end of January. I'll be removing it next week. If there are any other changes you'd like to see, let me know.

Purifying Power Video

2008-01-19T18:58:00.001-07:00

I am posting the video of the talk by Elder McConkie "The Purifying Power of Gethsemane" on two webstites through the end of the month. I'll take them down after that because of bandwidth issues. There are two versions of the talk. There is the original, which is just him talking and it is a lower quality recording. There is also the video that I have posted on my youtube account, which includes some music and scenes from the Lamb of God video with his voice dubbed over. This is a much larger file and will take awhile to download.

Again, these will only be up through the end of January. If you know someone with a DVD burner, they can take this file, author it, and then burn a DVD.

You can find the files at:
http://www.helpforguys.com/purifyingpowervideo.html
http://www.ldsteenhelp.com/purifyingpowervideo.html

Thanks,

Dan

Can ye feel so now?

2008-01-19T10:17:00.001-07:00

I have been reading Clean Hands, Pure Heart, by Phil Harrison. So far, it is one of the best books I have ever read on leaving behind sin and changing as we turn to God. Dr. Harrison gave us permission to post his first three chapters on our website. I am very excited about that. The first three chapters deal with his story, undoing the lies about God, and undoing the lies about ourselves. After that, he launches into the 12 step program with an LDS perspective. I would recommend it to anyone, whether or not you struggle with addiction.

Reading this book has opened my eyes in many cases to a new understanding of some scriptures. One that was mentioned today was Alma 5:26. "And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?"

I had always read this scripture as a great invitation at the end of a series of soul-searching questions that Alma asks the people of Zarahemla, right before launching into another series of soul-searching questions. I thought that he was telling the people, "You've felt this before, feel it again now." It had never occurred to me that this was just another one very long series of soul-searching questions which are designed to help the people see accurately their current state before God. It had never occurred to me that he was saying, "Even if you have felt to sing the song of redeeming love in the past, the real question before God is can ye feel so now? It doesn't matter if you have had an amazing spiritual experience while kneeling down and praying for help. Can ye feel so now? It doesn't matter if you have felt the love of the Savior reaching down and helping you out of temptation and strengthening you beyond your natural comprehension. Can ye feel so now? Every day, we need to be able to answer honestly, I can feel so now. Every day, we need to keep our sins in remission by making sure that we can feel so now. Every day, we need to make sure that we can face temptation with that same spiritual experience in our hearts, with that same love of the Savior reaching down and helping us out of temptation and strengthening beyond our natural comprehension. This cannot be a one-time experience we have. This needs be something that we can feel so now.

Non-sexual Male Affection

2008-01-05T17:22:00.001-07:00

I made a video, which I expect to drum up some controversial comments. That isn't necessarily why I did it, but I expect it. The basic point of the video is that there are a lot of young men who want non-sexual male affection but have very few places to turn to in order to explore that world unless they are willing to deal with the sexual aspect in order to receive male affection, mainly from the gay community. This isn't just my theory. There are quotes from young men in the video that some of you may know from our websites. Simply put, some men enter the gay community and are willing to be sexual with other men, even if they realize (and many probably don't realize), that what they really want is non-sexual affection from other guys. They want to be part of manliness but don't know how to explore it. That is all the video is saying. No doubt, others will read further into the message and extrapolate different ideas. They may be right or they may be wrong, but either way, the point of the video is fairly simple. Boys need non-sexual affection, a lot of young men still yearn for it, but don't know where to get it. That's all. Here it is:

Porn Industry and Incentives

2007-12-29T15:34:00.001-07:00

I heard an interesting idea on a recorded radio show today. This was non-LDS and the topic was the dangers of pornography on society, specifically heterosexual, main-stream pornography, just to clarify. A gentleman calling into the show had an idea that I had never thought of or heard discussed before. He said the government should remove pornography from the list of copyright protected items. His reasoning was that our tax dollars should not be used in the courts to protect such things. I think a much better reasoning is simply that this removes the incentives of the producers. Many producers probably have political and moral beliefs that they would like to be spread, but really what it all comes down to is money. If pornography was not copyright protected, there would be absolutely no financial incentive to produce it. The expert on the show thought that this wasn't the right course simply because we should focus on highlighting the dangers of pornography before trying to influence public policy. I agree with the caller over the expert. Pornography is becoming increasingly accepted and by the time people realize the dangers of pornography, it will be too late. The effects will be in place and even then, most people will not connect the cause with the effect. If we do not start working on public policy now, it will go from what we can do to what we should have done rather quickly. I do not know the name of the radio show caller, but I believe that he is on to something. There will be effects that I am not considering. I don't know what they are, but this line of thinking could do a lot of good, not to mention please any economics professor.

Zero Sum Society

2007-12-29T14:54:00.001-07:00

I was listening to an audio interview of Harvey Mansfield, author of Manliness, in which he argues that our society is becoming feminized and there should be a return to manliness in men. The radio show interviewing him had on some other guests which disagreed, saying that manliness was hurtful, that it was sexist to say what he was saying, that women were equal and just as courageous, etc. Now, I could easily post on this subject of manliness, but the point of my post today is that it occurred to me that the arguments really dealt with zero-sum competition. Those who were opposed to Dr. Mansfield, were attempting to argue that by saying men should become more manly, this somehow took away from women. They are treating it like a zero-sum game where giving to one party automatically means taking from another. Any lower level economics course will teach you that we do not live in a zero-sum economy. One nation gaining riches does not mean another nation must be poorer. Apparently a lot of people still don't understand that. Attributing qualities to men and allowing them more responsibility in some situations does not, in any way, take away from the importance of women. This is not a zero-sum competition. Building up women does not mean degrading men. We can build up one sex or gender and not be hurting the other. We see these zero-sum arguments in many areas. This is an argument many have used against the LDS church. We believe that God, the Father and God, the Son are two separate physical persons. We also believe in eternal progression of man. Many believe that these two beliefs of ours somehow take power away from God the Father. Somehow, they think, it makes Him less of a God when He shares His power with His children or builds up His children to become more like Him. They think that God operates in a zero-sum world of power and authority. But like Paul said, "Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God..." (Phil 2:5-6). Why do we have so much trouble understanding the concept of non-zero-sum? What is about our society that teaches zero-sum so that it is almost ingrained in us? It seems like most of these beliefs surround power. Giving men power takes away from women. Giving man power takes away from God. Maybe we just don't understand power because so many examples use power in the wrong way, exercising unrighteous dominion, which treats power as zero-sum. If we can learn to live non-zero-sum with power, perhaps we will begin to see the changes in many other areas of our lives. Any comments are appreciated.

Work on the Other Side

2007-12-27T17:40:00.001-07:00

I attended a funeral service yesterday where a member of the Los Angeles Temple Presidency spoke. He spoke briefly, but spoke with the Spirit. He related a story where one of the ordinance workers in the temple was put on long-term leave while he dealt with the shingles. A few months had passed and no one had heard from the worker, so this member of the presidency called his home. His wife informed the caller and speaker that her husband had passed away. It had happened suddenly. They were at a family reunion in southern Utah when he noticed a lump near his shoulder which was hindering the movement of his arm. He had a dream while at the reunion in which an angel appeared to him and said that all would be well. After arriving home, he went to the doctor and they found that one of his lungs was completely covered with cancer and another was partially covered. He was told that he wouldn't have long. He then had another dream where the same angel appeared to him and said that he was being called home where he would fill the assignment to escort his ancestors to the temple when their work was being performed. He related this to his wife and passed away a few days later. The member of the Los Angeles Temple Presidency said that the other side is very real and the work continues. To anyone that may be remembering a loved one who has passed on, remember that they are still very alive and active. They are just as busy in this work as we should be.

Focus

2007-12-25T22:34:00.001-07:00

I really liked Scott Young's example of the power of focus as he discussed the importance to not set too many goals this next year.

"How long would it take to set a piece of paper on fire in midday sun? The paper could stay there for hundreds of years and never catch fire because the heat never reaches a critical threshold. But if you put a magnifying glass, the paper can start to singe in just a few minutes."

The sun has intense power and when focused, it can certainly light things up. But if you spread out that power, nothing catches on fire. So, don't spread the power that you have over to large of an area. Set a fire and move on to the next area. (I am not advocating starting fires, it's an analogy for creating change in your life and increasing your desire to do things.)

Good luck this next year. You're a great person.

Beating the Little Hater

2007-12-18T18:15:00.001-07:00

illdoctrine recently posted on how to beat the little hater inside of you that throws you into a cycle where you miss an obligation/goal and so you feel like you have to do something extra special to make up for it, which makes it harder to do which throws you into the trap of procrastination because it's harder to come up with something extra special and then you go a little bit longer, having unmet obligations and you feel like you have to do something twice as extra special, which you then procrastinate. It's a cycle.

Underlying this is also the fact that when you aren't doing something, your desire to do it deceases and when you are doing something, you're desire to do it increases. That's because of flow. If you're in a flow where you aren't doing the thing, you don't want to disrupt it, even unconsciously. If you're doing it, you feel it and you feel the benefits and it wasn't that hard getting started, so you want to keep going, also because there's something else that you don't want to do. I've experienced this in many things, like home teaching. I don't want to home teach until I home teach. I don't want to read my scriptures until I'm reading them. I don't want to write until I start writing. I haven't posted in a long time. So, part of me thinks that this should be an extra special post. Well, it isn't. It's just a normal post. And if you haven't done something in a long time, don't wait for the perfect moment or some extra special reason to do it. Just do it now.

Gifts for Young Men

2007-11-22T14:44:00.001-07:00

There are three books that I think every young man should read. They inspire character and teach what it's like to become a man. In no particular order, they are:

1. The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay (also a movie) (the young man should be at least a teenager)
2. That Printer of Udells by Harold Bell Wright
3. Kipling's Stories for Boys by Rudyard Kipling (a large collection of stories, the most important, in my mind being: The Drums of the Fore and Aft, Wee Willie Winkie, Baa Baa, Black Sheep, and To Be Filed for Reference. You can buy a smaller book called, Kipling's Boy Stories that has 3 of the 4 but doesn't include To Be Filed for Reference. Luckily, Google has digitized To Be Filed for Reference if you search for it at print.google.com)

If there was a fourth, and I think there should be, it would be "As a Man Thinketh." You know that I created mp3s of me reading that if you would like to download them here.

So, if you're buying Christmas gifts for a young man, you may want to consider those three or four books. If your young man is really young, you may consider getting just Kipling's Stories for Boys and another book called, "The Dangerous Book for Boys." That last one includes lots of fun things and activities they can do, but wasn't mean to necessarily inspire manhood except for the acquisition of certain skills. Your comments on any of these are welcome.

CleanSearch.org

2007-11-15T18:54:00.001-07:00

We just launched CleanSearch.org. It's not a web-filter, like you might think by the name, but it's just a one-stop shop for searching LDS content. It's created using Google Custom Search Engines and the Church's own search service. We will be adding new websites to those included in the search almost daily. Any suggestions are welcome. Right now, if you want to reach a conference talk prior to the early 90s, you'll have to use the Church's search at the bottom of the page. Let us know what you think.

Bubble Burst

2007-11-01T17:48:00.001-07:00

Not too long after the tech bubble burst, we started hearing many say that it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Turns out that bubbles are necessary for the economy. During a bubble growth, investors and eager to pour money into projects. When the bubble bursts, the investors hold back, skeptical of where they'll put their money. However, the investments from the bubble are not without value even though the investors may have felt like they bottomed out. Many of those investments provide the infrastructure for future growth. Basically, without bubbles, we wouldn't have a lot of the growth that we have a few years afterwards.

I believe that the same thing can happen with relationships or anything else that the Lord might be preparing us for. We might have one bubble of a relationship, which will burst and we will think was a complete failure, especially looking at it from the standpoint of an investor. However, that relationship may have laid the infrastructure for future relationships that the Lord is preparing us for. So, don't be afraid of bubble relationships either. Just be afraid of getting married at the top of the bubble, right before it bursts.

New Church Commercials

2007-11-01T11:23:00.001-07:00

In case you haven't seen the new church commercials, check out http://youtube.com/user/LDSPublicAffairs . The very last two videos of Don and Betty are the new commercials. A very different style for the church, and one that I love. I think this is some of the best ads we've seen. I really like how well it goes along with the new mormon.org.

Conference Tickets and Incentives

2007-10-15T09:34:00.001-07:00

The Church has a small issue with conference tickets that I believe they are trying to work out. The organizers of conference do not want just anyone getting tickets to conference because those tickets could wind up in the hands of antagonistic individuals who will try to disrupt the meeting. The perfect system, as it has been laid out, is that tickets are sent to Bishops, Stake, District, and Branch presidents around the world. Those tickets are then given to individuals in the church units who come to conference. Of course, not every ticket will be used, so there is a stand-by line where those that have come in hopes of getting in without tickets can wait and fill the empty seats. The stand-by line passes through security where there are church employees/volunteers who look at those coming in to make sure they are not known protesters. It seems like a perfect system, but with one small problem. The incentive to use tickets. If a ward unit is given ten tickets to conference, there is incentive to make sure that all ten get used. If not, this information is used to calculate the number of tickets that will be distributed to the ward at the next conference. If a ward in Washington state is only going to be using an average of 3 tickets each conference, let's only send them three. If another ward in California is going to be using 15, let's send them 15. Send the number of tickets the ward needs. This seems to be reasonable, but it provides incentive to make sure that every ticket gets used because even if a ward is not going to use a ticket, they might want the same number next conference, so they better make sure that it gets used. This leads to ticket exchanges (I don't want to refer to it as scalping). People holding signs in front of the conference center asking for extra tickets and people with extra tickets anxious to make sure the tickets get used. I am one of those that has been able to get into any session I've wanted to because I'm willing to beg for tickets. I've only had one person ever tell me that they would not give up their extra ticket. There's just too much incentive for everyone else to make sure that the tickets get used even though the Church would prefer that we all use the system, that of getting tickets from priesthood leaders or waiting in the stand-by line. The incentive to use the extra tickets is a guaranteed seat in the conference center. We have a tendency to believe that stating the Church's system is enough incentive for members to submit. That, however, isn't the case. So, I propose a solution. If each church unit had it's own bar code that could be reproduced as many times as desired, those coming in standby line could request copies of the bar code from their Bishop or Branch President and be scanned as they went in. These scans could then be taken into consideration when tickets were distributed for the next conference. This creates an incentive to using the standby line. There is still the incentive to beg for tickets, that of getting a guaranteed seat. But it might not be enough to outweigh the incentive of possibly more tickets in the future. And I imagine that priesthood leaders, upon learning of someone's upcoming trip to conference, would encourage everyone to use the unit's bar code. So, we just need to switch the incentives. Give people incentive to wait in the standby line. It always comes down to incentives.

What do Utahns Google?

2007-10-12T10:49:00.001-07:00

There was an article in the Deseret News that indicates Utahns may be googling for inappropriate content. This is no surprise, but the surprise might be that Utah ranks number one in the nation on Google Trends which normalizes the data. The article basically explores why a state that ranks number one in religious terms might also rank number one in inappropriate content search terms, implying that it is because we are expected to conform to certain standards and the internet provides an opportunity to break away from that conformity. Without a doubt, this explains some of it. But I think there is more to the story.

First, Utah does not even rank in the word "Porn," only pornography. Salt Lake City ranks number one in the world for "pornography addiction." This does not mean that it is the only place people have addictions, but of all google searches performed within SLC, has the highest average of people that are searching for information on it. That's a good thing. I buy keywords for my websites in Utah and Idaho on "pornography addiction" because I know people there that are searching for those terms are not actually searching for pornography, but rather for help with it. So, I guess you could say that it's the number one state trying to fight it. This does not explain why Utah ranks so highly on other terms, but that might be explained below.

On searches for nudity, strip tease, and strip poker, Utah ranked number one but did not have enough data to break down the amount of searches by city within the state. That means that the total amount of searches are not very many at all, but the amount of searches on Google dedicated to those terms are. And on the terms that do have enough volume to break down by city, Spanish Fork consistently ranks very high, often number one, as the cities within Utah for that term. Spanish Fork only has 20,000 people, so even for the search terms that do have enough data, it seems like the absolute numbers are not that high. Now, forty percent of Spanish Fork's population is under the age of 18, which is extremely high compared with the national average and even high compared with the Utah average. It would be interesting if the reason that Utah is ranking high in all of these is because Spanish Fork's teen population is particularly having a struggle with pornography. Spanish Fork was also the first city in Utah to provide high speed internet and cable television to its local businesses and residents.

When you take that into consideration along with the following, things start to look different. Utah is the state the ranks the highest for computers in the home, but along with Idaho has the greatest discrepancy of internet access in the home (source). That means that a lot of homes have computers, but no internet access. I imagine that this is for moral reasons. So the state is technologically advanced, but more prone to block all internet access. That means that you have a skewed demographic on the search engine. Those using the search engines are the ones not blocking the internet. If all of those homes that had computers also allowed the internet, the normalized data would be very different because they would be doing google searches on nicer terms. At least that's a possibility. It's also interesting to note that Utah ranks number one in internet, software, and computer, which isn't surprising considering that there are more computers per home in Utah than any other state and Utah Valley has one of the largest tech/startup industries on the west coast. Also, Spanish Fork is a part of the Utah Valley tech section.

With all of these tidbits of information combined, I think there might be more to the story than just Utah rankings showing a seedier side of the state. Just a possibility.