"Zion must increase in beauty"

In our ultimate quest to create Zion, what are we going to achieve in media?

Currently there are huge corporations that own movie studios, TV stations, etc. Disney owns ABC and numerous other companies.
I don't believe Zion is meant to receive its entertainment, all its learning, all its glory from outside the church.
President John Taylor said:
“You mark my words, and write them down and see if they do not come to pass.
“You will see the day that Zion will be far ahead of the outside world in everything pertaining to learning of every kind as we are today in regard to religious matters.
“God expects Zion to become the praise and glory of the whole earth, so that kings hearing of her fame will come and gaze upon her glory. …” (September 20, 1857; see The Messenger, July 1953.)

Are we to merely sit by and watch while companies produce all the movies we put in our homes and while musicians and writers create all the music and literature we have on our shelves and in our Ipods?
Now, I am NOT saying that all the stuff other people produce is bad, but a lot of them are turning worse. Disney seems to be a good company but parts of it's conglomerated mass produce questionable material.

There will continue to be good people outside of the church that create good things and we should encourage them but I think there can be more.
If we are to create a Zion that will be the praise and glory of the whole earth, it will be that in many respects. Righteousness and faith will be first. How about the arts? I'm not talking about a Michael Mclean every once in a few years or a Lex de Azevedo or Janice Kapp Perry here or there.

What about new companies started and run by LDS men of honor, talent, and morality that rival today's media conglomerates?
What about a Gemini Digital Media that becomes part of the glory of Zion? As Zion increases in beauty and holiness, how about a company that stands for just that?

Simply a thought. The world is getting darker. Are we getting lighter?

Websites

I just interviewed a web designer who is making some interesting stuff. His social wallpaper page gets 4 million page views per month. It hit the front page of digg.com and amazon.com offered him a job on a web team. A company offered him $10,000 for another of his sites but he turned it down because he knows he can do more with it. Also check out yougetsignal.com. He has some neat tools on there. You can visually and geographically track where networks are, what networks are on the same server, etc.
Fascinating stuff. Why didn't I ever think about starting something cool like those?

Fringe Benefits of Failure and Imagination

J.K. Rowling spoke at the Harvard commencement. She spoke on the fringe benefits of failure and on imagination.

Stoking the fire

Remember that conversation we had in the computer lab at SUU? It may only have been Benjamin and I. It was about keeping the fire and passion for our arts. I had read "The Gospel Vision of the Arts" by President David O. Mckay and felt so inspired. I felt like I was on fire. I talked to Benjamin about keeping the fire going.
I've thought about that lately. I feel, today, like I am remembering dreams I've long forgotten. I'm coming back to the warmth of a fire I used to feel often. I read that talk again and gained new insight that touched me deeply.
I want to continue to dream things that never were and say "Why not?"

Why not go to the moon?

We didn't really go to the Moon

Ok, I'm just kidding about that, but did you ever see that TV show where they showed the shadows and evidence against a moon trip? Funny stuff.
I thought I'd drop in because it's been a little dead in here these days. Currently I am working two jobs. I am still a diligent custodian but I've received an internship with the Rollins Center for E-Business, writing their newsletter. So far they haven't given me much to do. Soon, I hope, I'll be writing a few articles a month about the fascinating world of E-business.
I am planning several trips over the summer, most of them scaled down from giant glob-trotting extravaganzas. Sometimes, you have to be more realistic and understand that there are bills to pay, even though they haven't come yet. So far I am going camping to Vernal next week, going to Nevada in early June, LA in late June, which will include a wedding reception and Disneyland (not combined). Then I have a friend who is planning a trip to her house in Mexico, which I plan on attending.
To fill up my other time I am playing and socializing a lot, reading, hiking, etc. I am reading Les Miserables, the unabridged version, which is 1200 pages long, but very good.
Oh YEAH! I almost forgot! It is sad to say that the mighty have fallen. For over three and a half years I have lived without a cell phone in my life. It has been bliss. Now my apartment complex is cutting off the land line so I had to get one. The only way I was really going to get one was if I was on a family plan and I am now.
My phone number is: 435-559-0388
Feel free to give me a jingle.
That's all for now. Ta ta 'til tea time!
Ked

We chose to go to the moon

I present to your reading this speech given by John. F. Kennedy in Houston on the subject of the Space program. The speech was given in 1962. One year previous to giving this speech, JFK announced a decision to put a man on the Moon by the end of the decade. I find the Apollo program to be an inspiring example of the fact that man (we) are capable of doing impossible things.

http://er.jsc.nasa.gov/seh/ricetalk.htm

I echo Splashboy's comments about the composition of the Herd. Rare and fine friends you all are. May we always remain such.

Yeah hope this makes some sense

Here I am still I guess and things are shaping up in many different ways. I have been trying to get through work each day and then each week and find what step I want to take next. Many different points have been touching my mind inciting different thoughts about where I want to be and what I want to be accomplishing. I started some hourly teaching work last week and that has been an interesting experience and I should say experiment. I have been looking at working towards a teaching certificate and the possibilities of getting into education for a career. Although the events of the past few days have woken me to thoughts I seem to have forgotten or repressed. I was not looking forward to school as much as I could have and all of the sudden I regained a desire to study. I think the time off has refreshed me and I think I could keep going and want to as well. Also over the weekend I have had opportunities in other perspectives I haven't seen for awhile. I was able to attend a mission reunion and felt a belonging even though I hardly knew anybody I felt a remembrance of who I am and what I can accomplish. I am trying to concentrate while listening to some other peoples conversations so I apologize for any disconnections that are present in my writing. More than anything I guess the feeling is that of renewed vision and hope to go forward with study instead of taking a more obvious path that in some regards may be selling myself short and trying to take the easy way out. Something about going downtown in Salt Lake last Friday stirred in me a desire to be in the city life. I get an excitement being downtown and thinking of the business world and how it could take me beyond my immediate surroundings. Interesting things and I should be able to find my way I just have to get out there and find my place. I wrote all of this on the way home last night and am posting it this morning once again I hope it make some semblance of sense.