Electronic Areabook - The Modern Missionary

The Church has done good things with computer technology. The family history effort seems to be moving in the right direction, and mormon.org is a great resource. One area that I think could still be improved is computer usage for missionaries. I'm not suggesting it would work everywhere in the world yet, but it would be nice to replace the areabook with an electronic equivalent. The mission office could update a map program every transfer with area borders, so missionaries could know exactly what their area is. Addresses of former investigators, ward rosters, and current investigators could all be stored in a database. When the companionship plans where they will be during the day, the computer could suggest addresses to check up on. It would be easy to look up what has been recorded about a particular person without having to flip through pages and pages of records that are falling out of a stuffed, three-ring binder. The biggest issue to overcome would be to trust missionaries with a computer.

MMORPGs = :( x 1000

Knowing MMORPGs are addicting, it would be foolish to play one.  There is little difference between that choice and knowingly taking drugs.  No perceived benefit of playing justifies the risk.  Certainly, alternative forms of entertainment can be found.  Of the several people I have known personally that play MMORPGs, very few do so responsibly.  I know I didn't.  Ragnarok Online almost destroyed my freshman year of college.  A friend invited me to play the game with him, and I naively walked right in.  It seems likely to me that my entrance into the game is representative of how many others have found themselves involved in MMORPGs.  More like this article should be disseminated, giving the next generation the best chance of making an informed choice on the matter.