I remember as a child playing the button game. For those unfamiliar with the game, here is how it is played: Line up all of the players in a straight line. Select one person to be the tailor and pull him from the line. The tailor hands a button to the very first player in the line. This player cups the button in his hands and then holds his hands over the next player's cupped hands. He can either drop the button into the player's hands or may keep the button and conceal it in his own hands. The second player goes through the same procedure with the third player. He may either keep the button or pass it along. If a player does not receive the button, he will still pretend to pass a button along to the next player. The tailor is to watch each player very closely as each turn is taken. When the last player in the line has been reached, the tailor is asked, “Button, button, who has the button?” If the tailor answers correctly, he receives a prize and moves to the end of the line, and the player at the beginning of the line becomes the tailor.

Information technology is instrumental in furthering the mission of the Church. But even before the first IBM computers, members have been envisioning a future in which computers would improve essential data processes for the Church and better the lives of others.

Implementing information technology into the infrastructure of the Church came about gradually through the faith and dedication of many people.

George Y. Jarvis, head of the newly formed Financial Department in 1953, hired Alfonso Gerrit Pia to mechanize the accounting functions of the Church that same year. The Church Financial Department then became the first department of the Church to use a punch card system for accounting purposes, the direct predecessor to computing, in 1954. In the early 1960s an IBM 1401 became the Church's first computer and was also used for accounting.

To be successful in the tech industry, we need to be highly productive, we need to stay current with new technology, and we need to work really well with others. We also need to enjoy our jobs. We can improve our results in all of these areas if we will place a higher priority on having good lunches. Lunch is important!

Bad Lunch

We have all experienced them, but let's touch on what a bad lunch is for a moment. There are two common offenders: eating lunch alone at your desk, and the standing lunch meeting. Of course, there are exceptions. Sometimes you just have to eat your lunch at your desk, and sometimes your boss just won't accept no for an answer when she calls a lunch meeting. However, these are far too common in our workplace. We are so accustomed to bad lunches that we hardly realize the damage they do.

Why is this bad?

Without reasonable rest and refueling, we can't perform as well. When we don't take breaks, we lose focus and energy and our performance suffers. Just as athletes tire the longer they spend in a game, the longer we stay "on task," the more fatigued we feel. Higher performers take regular breaks from their work because they know the benefits of recharging.

Internet Mission Office System (iMOS) is a Web application designed to help mission office staff manage mission information and perform other tasks. iMOS shares data with other applications that contain missionary information, so less manual data entry is required. For example, shortly after missionary calls are recorded in Missionary Management System (MMS) at Church headquarters, the missionaries' information appears in iMOS for the missions to which they are assigned. All missions with an Internet connection will be able to use iMOS, which will replace the current Mission Office System (MOS) during 2008.

The activity on the Internet surrounding President Hinckley has been huge this and last week.

Newsroom has an article pointing to some of the major coverage.

How many of you would take your computer to a public place and leave it running?

The second action was to compose a set of general principles to guide further actions. To be effective, principles need to be few in number and of general applicability. Deriving the “right” set of principles is not a trivial matter. Below I share the set of principles I have proposed for information governance, and I invite your feedback, comments, and suggestions.

In this post over at CIO.COM, Susan Cramm makes the point that the average I.T. professional who feels he is ready to be a CIO isn’t ready at all. She makes a call to CIOs to inform their people that they need to get more “business experience” and to develop “senior-level relationships.”

As most readers are aware, technology and the Internet have transformed how Church work—particularly genealogy—is done. FamilySearch, the official Church genealogy site, is currently adding features and options that will enrich your genealogy research experience. Improvements include the following:

1. FamilySearch Developer Network. This is a community where developers can learn about the FamilySearch API, which allows them to build applications that work in conjunction with FamilySearch. They can also communicate with one another and FamilySearch personnel about technical issues concerning the family history and genealogy industries.

2. The beta version of the FamilySearch Wiki. This is a place to share research techniques and tricks and to learn from experts in the field.

Last week brought a most excellent event: pinewood derby.

Oh yes. Pinewood derby.

Pinewood derby is a cub scout event where dads cub scouts take a block of pine wood, four nails, and four plastic wheels and create a car. They then race the cars along a track against all of the other dads cub scouts. Dads Cub scouts look forward to this event all year long.

Talk about a rich environment for potential blog entries!