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Tom: We are at the LDSTech Service Day in August and I am talking to Hilton Campbell
about a couple of new applications he is working on. I just wanted to get his thoughts and
learn about what he is doing. So, Hilton, you’re working on an LDS art
application as well as a hymns application. What can you tell us about these?
Hilton: The LDS Hymns application is one that has been donated to us by a member of the
community who created a hymns app including sheet music for all of our hymns as well as
the Children’s Song Book app. He has kindly donated that to the Church so that we can
continue to improve upon it and add more content, and that is what we are working on now.
The major thing that we are trying to add beyond the sheet music he already includes
in it, is the ability to play music and also make a playlist, so you can listen to it on
a commute or you know in a classroom setting or at home.
Tom: And tell me little about the LDS Art application.
Hilton: So the LDS Art application is something that I thought of creating several months
back, and I created a prototype for my children, and it turned out that was really helpful
during sacrament meeting. For example, when we wanted to help my little three-year old
to be more reverent we just pull it out and she could flip through it just like the photo
application on the iPhone and see the picture of Jesus, New Testament and Book of Mormon
prophets, and zoom in and out of her favorite parts. She likes to look at the sheep next
to Jesus, that kind of thing. I found that was really, really helpful for keeping her
reverent but was also something that could be useful for again in a classroom study at
church or presentations or whatever. Tom: So the hymns app, that is an official
community project that is open right now, is that correct?
Hilton: Uh.. Tom: Or it is still in process?
Hilton: It is still in process. We have one community volunteer already who is doing some
work on it. He’s created a really cool prototype that makes it look like an iBook with flipping
pages. And again we have the source code donated by someone in the community who had released
it privately before. Tom: It is interesting, this model of somebody
who creates an app, and then takes it to a certain point, and then donates the code.
Have you ever done that similar with any of your projects? Or what do you think of that
model? Is that something you see as appealing? Because a lot of times the church prioritizes
certain projects. Say you want to make a certain app but the church says, “No, we want to
focus on these.” People code anyway and maybe at some future point they donate that
code. Hilton: Yeah, I think that is really a great
thing that happens, because like you say the church has only so many resources on what
we can focus on and do. And it often takes someone who is entrepreneurial and innovative
to come up with something that is really cool, that they think really needs to be done and
they have the resources to do it and put it together; they put it out there and people
love it. And you know they maybe don’t have the time to take is as far as they would like
to, so they donate it us so we can move it forward. It really helps to get it out there
to prove it so that we can see that this something that we should focus on and we can do that.
Tom: So you worked on some other community projects prior to this. One was about a Clean
Water app or something? Hilton: That is right.
Tom: Tell me little about that. Hilton: I came to the last LDSTech Conference
and was signed up to work on the Gospel Library Project so I came in and we were having a
meeting. And then someone came to the meeting to say
that “we need someone to work on this Clean Water project. We had some people signed up
for it today and haven’t shown.” So they were in need of a developer so I was able
to devote myself to do that. And I went and learned about this project where they were
creating this app for church service missionaries to visit sites in Africa where they had installed
water pumps, water wells, and used the app to evaluate the status of that well, to get
the geo-coordinates and take pictures of it and upload it all to the internet so we can
analyze it here at the church. Tom: That is a cool app. I remember we did
a post about that and showed some screen shots. It looked really interesting and intuitive.
So another question, you used to be just a community volunteer and now you have transitioned
to being an actual employee. What motivated you to come work for the church?
Hilton: It’s the church! It’s something that I have always wanted to do. I always
felt that it was great that I was able to program something that I really enjoy and
felt that was a talent that the good Lord gave me, something that I wanted to use give
back to the world and the church. So I’ve always felt it would be a really great thrill
to work for the church and do that kind of thing. It didn’t seem like the opportunity
was right when I had talked to the church a few times before, but this last time I was
approached by Dave Hamilton and we had a really good conversation and I just felt like this
was the right time to make this move. Tom: So how long have you been an employee
here now? Hilton: This is my third week.
Tom: Your third week! Where did you work previously? Hilton: At Google.
Tom: So how does that compare working for Google versus working for the church?
Hilton: (laughing) Tom: What are the main differences?
Hilton: Well, sadly there are not as many perks here at the church as there are at Google
– Sleep pods, massage on site… Tom: Sleep pods?
Hilton: …yes…take little naps in the afternoon, a doctor on site. I don’t even have to pay
a co-pay or anything. I just knock on the door and have him look at this or whatever.
I don’t know, the benefits go on and on. But nevertheless, working here at the church
is really great too. I feel that that the team that I am working with right now is fantastic;
people that share the same kind of vision. I feel like at Google I was a small fish in
a really great pond, filled with lots and lots of talented people, that my contributions
were not so great. But here at the church I think that there is a lot of opportunity
for talented saints to come and really contribute. And I think we need everything that the Lord
is blessing us with, to be here. Tom: Well great, do you have any last thoughts
or any closing remarks you would like to say? Hilton: No, thanks for your time.
Tom: Well, thanks Hilton. I appreciate you coming on here at LDSTech.