He said that the Lord “has revealed the technology that enables the Church to take full advantage of these advances,” and that we should, “never forget that while we have computers, cameras, microphones, fiber-optic networks, clouds, and satellites, we have failed if we do not rely on the Holy Ghost.”

Speaking of the Savior, he said, “If our technology does not improve the lives of others and help bring them home to Him, we have missed the mark.”

Check out these links to read more about his talk.

http://ldsmediatalk.com/2011/08/23/president-eyring-on-technology/

http://lds.org/church/news/president-monson-dedicates-byu-broadcast-building?lang=eng

http://news.byu.edu/archive11-aug-byubdedication.aspx

Youth.lds.org – an outstanding site if you’re teaching the youth.  Free music and inspirational videos may support the lesson materials that you’re assigned to give.

Music.lds.org – try using an inspiration song or hymn  - it can help bring the spirit into your lesson.

You can also use recent General Conference talks, media, and stories to help support your lesson material.

So prepare well, spend some time, and make your class inspirational and motivational for your students while sticking to the lesson curriculum.

All you need to do is start at the left (or right) and take pictures one after another capturing the entire scene with a little overlap between pictures.  Then, when you get home, put them all on your computer and fire up Windows Live Photo Gallery.  Windows 7 computers come with this, or you can download it at http://explore.live.com/windows-live-photo-gallery?os=other.

Once open, browse to where your pictures are located. Click on all of your sequence of pictures while holding down the CTRL key.  Then, go to the “Make” menu item and select “Create panoramic photo.”  The software will do its thing and out will pop a single picture.  Cool.

Occasionally you may find a few errors in the transitions between pictures but you can use a photo editor such as Photoshop or Gimp to smooth those out.

Good luck!

But, how do I know what to buy?

Here are a few tips that I’ve found helpful.  First, give yourself a budget – how much do you want to spend?  Then look at online sites such as HP, Dell, and various search engines.  Look at what computers are offered.  Look for those priced about $100 below what you want to spend because of shipping, taxes, and a couple little upgrades.

Once you’ve picked out a couple potential candidates that fit your budget, do a search for reviews on the models.  There will normally be lots of input from other people of the pros and cons of buying a particular model.  Many vendor sites will include reviews on the same site where they sell the item.

Once you’ve decided on the lucky steed, look at what various vendors charge.  You can also see if Nextag shows a price history on the item.

Finally, you can shell out the cash and begin enjoying the wind flashing past you with your new speed and power.  As with any new item, think of how you can use it to accomplish many good things.

Assuming you already have an internet connection, Skype allows you and your loved ones to carry on a conversation for free over the internet.  All you have to do is head over to the Skype web page, make sure you have the required equipment, and sign up for an account.  Your loved ones will have to do that as well.  Once your both setup, exchange your contact information and wait for that magic ringing sound.

Don’t let cost keep you from talking with family and loved ones that live far away.  Answer the call today and re-kindle those precious relationships.

How do I do it?  The IRS has a great page that will help you get started.  You can then pick from a selection of free options for filling out and filing your taxes.  Many of these solutions are entirely online and do not require you to download or install anything.

With the April 18th deadline fast approaching,  you’ll appreciate the help that the online filing will give you.  File your taxes today and then on the 18th you can just relax with a delicious snack and a good movie while others stand in the long lines at the post office.

Consider the possibilities…

You could watch Mormon Messages videos on Youtube for Family Home Evening – in all it’s big and flat screened goodness.

You could attach your computer to the TV and bring up a giant version of the scriptures right there on your flat screen.  Now you can all sit around in your comfy recliner’s with drink holders and do some family scripture study.

You can watch General Conference like never before with the speakers being nearly life size (well at least their heads).

The possibilities are nearly endless…

How can you use your new technology for good?

Give it some thought.

One idea for preserving these scriptures is to take out your cell phone and snap a picture of the scripture that you want to remember.  You can then refer to it over the next few days or as long as you want.

Another idea, is to use http://www.lds.org to do your scripture study.  You can then use the Study Notebook (https://lds.org/study-tools/folders?lang=eng) to preserve your thought about each scripture so that you can refer to it later and remember what you were thinking.

Take a few minutes and think about how you can help scripture study more effectively influence your life for good.

Fitday.com

Fitday is a tool to help you achieve your nutrition, weight loss, diet & fitness goals. It’s a food journal, calorie counter, exercise log, weight loss tracker, and nutrition facts book all rolled into one. Combine that with analysis and graphical reporting. It’s free, easy, personalized, and accessible anywhere using the web.

http://www.fitday.com

Sparkpeople.com

At SparkPeople, their mission is to SPARK PEOPLE to reach their goals and lead healthier lives. They offer nutrition, health, and fitness tools, support, and resources that are free. Their weight loss program aims to teach people to stop dieting and transition to a permanent, healthy lifestyle. SparkPeople tries to help everyone learn to eat better and exercise regularly—for life.

http://www.sparkpeople.com/

Want to buy some software to help you track your eating?  Check out this review of the top ten products.

http://nutrition-software-review.toptenreviews.com/

There are some great tools out there to help you become resolute in your efforts to get in shape and drop those extra pounds.  Check them out and pick the one that works for you.

Good Luck!

Consider opening a Google account and creating a shared Google Document as a family log or journal.  Everyone in the family can have access to input and edit what’s there.  Pictures make a great addition as well.  You can even access and edit the documents from mobile devices like Android phones, iPhones, iPad, etc.

You’ll likely have some people put in a lot, and others not very much.  But, overall, you’ll get a decent account of the history of your family for the year.  Then, you can print it off and save it in your very own family journal.

Now, when it comes time to write those Christmas cards, you can sit by a nice warm fire, smile, and chuckle to yourself.