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In case this sparks someone's interest, a good book on HM is "Memory's ghost", by Philip Hilts. It's a fascinating read that does of good job of explaining the backgound of why this was done at the time, and what HM's day to day experience may be like.

Why wait? Amazon is your friend!

You can order the FireFly Series on DVD...

or the Serenity Movie (Widescreen, of course!)...

And yes, Amazon ships to Japan!

I would watch the series first, though, as the characters are introduced in much more detail, and it has many very comical scenes (especially concerning Shepherd and River... I giggle just thinking about her "fixing" the bible...)

Salud!

Why wait? Amazon is your friend!

You can order the FireFly Series on DVD...

or the Serenity Movie (Widescreen, of course!)...

And yes, Amazon ships to Japan!

I would watch the series first, though, as the characters are introduced in much more detail, and it has many very comical scenes (especially concerning Shepherd and River... I giggle just thinking about her "fixing" the bible...)

Salud!

Why wait? Amazon is your friend!

You can order the FireFly Series on DVD...

or the Serenity Movie (Widescreen, of course!)...

And yes, Amazon ships to Japan!

I would watch the series first, though, as the characters are introduced in much more detail, and it has many very comical scenes (especially concerning Shepherd and River... I giggle just thinking about her "fixing" the bible...)

Salud!

He he! I remember doing that for the book Mr Happy on my 16K BBC Micro over 20 years ago. Had to type in the whole book myself. To think that you can now do it for non-trivial chunk of the complete corpus of published human writing boggles the mind!

wrote about a theory that sounds a lot like this in his excellent novel "the Genesis Machine"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/074343597 4/sr=1-1/qid=1138221672/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-7250775-9 459838?_encoding=UTF8
Recommended

This book is a lot of fun as it focuses on many interesting ideas for Java programmers. Do not expect complete solutions to complex problems. Instead it highlights many open source Java packages and APIs and gives very simple examples of how they can be used. It is up to the reader to go to the web, download the various packages, and play with them. For example, in the area of music, the author discusses JMusic, which provides a solid framework for computer-assisted composition in Java, and is also used for generative music, instrument building, interactive performance, and music analysis. The book just shows a simple program that generates a filtered sawtooth wave, and a few other simple examples. The readers are expected to explore the API themselves for meatier applications. Other open source packages that are highlighted and explored on a simple level are JFugue, another API for music programming, Javolution for embedded programming applications, and Piccolo, an API from the University of Maryland that supports the development of 2D structured graphics programs in general and Zoomable User Interfaces (ZUIs), in particular.

The book also explores the more interesting parts of the Java language itself such as using the AWT Robot class for automating key/mouse events, using the new enum types in Java 5, and several off-beat applications of the various Java classes that handle XML data.

None of the ideas shown here lead to full blown applications that will make you rich. Instead, the idea is to get you thinking in creative ways about what can be accomplished with the Java language and also to introduce you to some interesting open source API's that are out there on the web that are both labor-saving and creative. I would recommend this book to any experienced Java programmer. I notice that Amazon does not show the table of contents so I do that here:

The above was from an Amazon spotlight review.

Save yourself $4.19 by buying the book here: Wicked Cool Java. And if you use the "secret" A9.com discount, you can save an extra 1.57%!

This book is a lot of fun as it focuses on many interesting ideas for Java programmers. Do not expect complete solutions to complex problems. Instead it highlights many open source Java packages and APIs and gives very simple examples of how they can be used. It is up to the reader to go to the web, download the various packages, and play with them. For example, in the area of music, the author discusses JMusic, which provides a solid framework for computer-assisted composition in Java, and is also used for generative music, instrument building, interactive performance, and music analysis. The book just shows a simple program that generates a filtered sawtooth wave, and a few other simple examples. The readers are expected to explore the API themselves for meatier applications. Other open source packages that are highlighted and explored on a simple level are JFugue, another API for music programming, Javolution for embedded programming applications, and Piccolo, an API from the University of Maryland that supports the development of 2D structured graphics programs in general and Zoomable User Interfaces (ZUIs), in particular.

The book also explores the more interesting parts of the Java language itself such as using the AWT Robot class for automating key/mouse events, using the new enum types in Java 5, and several off-beat applications of the various Java classes that handle XML data.

None of the ideas shown here lead to full blown applications that will make you rich. Instead, the idea is to get you thinking in creative ways about what can be accomplished with the Java language and also to introduce you to some interesting open source API's that are out there on the web that are both labor-saving and creative. I would recommend this book to any experienced Java programmer. I notice that Amazon does not show the table of contents so I do that here:

The above was from an Amazon spotlight review.

Save yourself $4.19 by buying the book here: Wicked Cool Java. And if you use the "secret" A9.com discount, you can save an extra 1.57%!

For an historical perspective, recall that Walt Disney was much the same as Ronald Reagan in denouncing his colleagues in the entertainment industry to the Homeland Sec^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^h^HHouse Committee on Unamerican Activities after 9/11^h^h^h^h^h^h in the 1950's.

You also might want to check out Ariel Dorfman's take on Disney.

For a more up-to-date account of research in this area, consider reading The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene (available at Amazon of course). I heard Brian Greene give a talk and it was an excellent explanation of complex theories (relativity, string theory) for a general audience. I have not read The Elegant Universe, but I'm told it's a good book.

In terms of what has been disproven, I think the major changes that are worth noting are:

1. At the time the book was written, it was assumed that the universe was expanding, but the rate of expansion was slowing. The question was: how much mass is there in the universe? Will the universe re-contract at some point (Big Crunch) or expand forever? However, modern measurements have actually shown that the universe is expanding, and the rate is accelerating! This has required the introduction of a new concept into cosmology: dark energy, which is not at all understood.

2. As in point #1, it was previously assumed that the mass of the universe would control the shape/topology of the universe (open vs. closed)... Modern measuremens (of the CMB for instance) show that the curvature of the universe is nearly zero. That is, the universe is flat on large scales.

3. Previously, Hawking was very clear about the fact that information that goes into a black hole can never be recovered. He even made a bet that this would never be disproven. However, Hawking recently admitted defeat. Actually, it is Hawking himself who claims to have proven that information can escape from a black hole. However, the rest of the scientific community does not agree (yet--they are looking into the matter).

4. Modern versions of string theory have added alot to the discussion, although none of them have experimental evidence backing them up (yet).

That's all that I'm aware of... there may be more changes. Still, most of the content in "A Brief History of Time" is a general explanation of relativity and cosmology. None of that has been disproven. Modern experimental results have further validated those theories, in fact, which is interesting in and of itself!

Try it and SEE!

In the case of Germany, if you read Mein Kampf or the unpublished sequel to Mein Kampf which focuses on foreign policy, you'll see that Hitler opposed the fundamental tenets of capitalism. For instance:

• he argued for the nationalization of key industries instead of purely private ownership;
• did not believe in the free market and wanted substantial protectionism to protect German industry;
• did not support self-interest as a motivation but argued solely for the primacy of the interest of the German race;
• did not support private enterprise, but instead supported the Corporative guild-like organization;
• did not believe in the ability of industry to continuously increase productivity levels;
• did not believe in economic mobility, but supported traditional societal roles and jobs;
• did not support self-organization of the economy, but rather top-down directions from the Nazi party, organized around the "national rejuvenation" of Germany;

In sum, he was about as openly anti-capitalist as one could get. Mussolini only slightly less so. Both decried the bourgeois liberal capitalist system, especially as it manifested in Britain and the United States.

There are many instances of capitalist or mixed-economy systems run under dictators, Chile under Pinochet for example, or Spain under Franco. But there is no consensus within academia that these could be called fascist countries. There is certainly no consensus that China could be called fascist either. Saying "dictator + capitalism = fascism" simply reveals a profound ignorance of both capitalism and fascism.

This is a little off-topic, but since this story may attract knowledgeable people, I'd thought I'd ask: is there anything in Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time that has been proven inaccurate over the last twenty years since the original edition (or the last few years since the 10th anniversary edition)? I read the book many years ago and loved it, and so I was planning to read it again, but am not sure if there's anything I should watch out for.

I notice that there is now a book called A Briefer History of Time which seems to be a drastic simplification of Hawking's original by Leonard Mlodinow. Worth reading?

This is a little off-topic, but since this story may attract knowledgeable people, I'd thought I'd ask: is there anything in Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time that has been proven inaccurate over the last twenty years since the original edition (or the last few years since the 10th anniversary edition)? I read the book many years ago and loved it, and so I was planning to read it again, but am not sure if there's anything I should watch out for.

I notice that there is now a book called A Briefer History of Time which seems to be a drastic simplification of Hawking's original by Leonard Mlodinow. Worth reading?

Try reading this book Disney: The Mouse Betrayed for a good idea of some of the evil that goes on under the name of Disney.

One of the theories of Freakonomics
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/006073132X/ref=pd _bbs_null_1/002-8602761-4144069?v=glance&n=283155
is that abortion has had the single largest affect on reducing crime in the US in the 1990's. Offensive, but interesting.

- If you are looking for something that can do "everything" and be extended left and right, Etomite is not for you.

For that, my friends, you need to call Dolemite with his all girl army of Kung-Fu killers!

Disney owned all the sequel rights to Pixar movies, so a few months back Disney was saying they were going to do Toy Story 3 without Pixar. If that'd happened it would've produced a better Disney movie, but a worse Pixar movie -- if you follow me.

Despite popular fanboy and media opinion, John Lasseter is the mind behind the success of Pixar's movies. Steve Jobs is the owner, distribution negotiator, but Lasseter is the talent.

BTW, there's a great chapter in THE SECOND COMING OF STEVE JOBS about the history of Pixar. Check it out.

boxlight

You are the administrator. You tell THEM what's required to maintain the system properly. Your training is an essential component of network administration. They promoted you to the position, meaning they didn't go outside to hire someone who already had all the essential skills.

You obviously didn't sit down with management and get clear about all the responsibilities and outcomes; what's expected on both sides. You need to design a Win-Win solution and get them to buy in for their own benefit. If they pay for it, you should agree to an arrangement that doesn't leave them in the position of throwing money away. If you pay for it, you deserve a big raise and you are under no obligation to stay when another corporation offers you a raise and better benefits. Consider thinking up three alternatives that would satisfy you, and then negotiate the best elements of all of them for a Win-Win solution.

It may require some research to identify the gap between the skills you have and the skills you have to learn. Do it now, before the situation solidifies.

Some organizations will willfully ignore your plight, and before you know it you've spent years in the electronic sweatshop. Know what you want. For clarity, you might use the flowchart and worksheet from Robert Mager's, "Anayzing Performance Problems". http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1879618176/102-90 82980-8475324?v=glance&n=283155

There is a modified version of Mager's flowchart in this document: http://www.archertraining.co.uk/Documents/The%20Pe rformance%20Trainer.pdf

Here's a spot that could help you determine your learning goals, although it's aimed at people designing courseware: http://www.bryanhopkins.co.uk/learning_design/lear ning_map.htm

Lastly, remember it's your life. The company doesn't care for you like your family does. Nobody ever died and said, "I wish I'd spent more time at the office." (unless they were married to my ex-wife). Your work and the rest of your life need to be in alignment.

These are my opinions, of course, based on 40 years of programming.

Now I found I'd made enough money to meet any personal requirements 1 might conceivably have in the foreseeable future. 1 made a headstrong snap decision to forget all about work thereafter and to concentrate on playing, on enjoying myself.

My decision was influenced--at least in part--by the fact that there was a war raging in Europe. Although the United States had not yet entered World War One, I felt certain that American participation in the conflict was inevitable. I'd already filed official applications to serve in either the Air Service--my first choice--or the Field Artillery when and if the U.S. declared war. I was sure it would be only a matter of time before I received my orders, and I wanted to relax and have fun before they arrived.

My mother, father and I had made our permanent home in Los Angeles, California, since 1906. I'd attended school and college in California before going on to Oxford and then, later, starting my business career in the Oklahoma oil fields. I loved California and the easy, informal and extremely pleasant life that prevailed there in those days. Thus, it was only natural that I should choose Los Angeles as the place to enjoy the money I'd made in the oil fields.

"I've made my fortune--and I'm going to retire," I announced blandly to my startled parents.

Neither Mother nor Father was pleased with my decision. Both of them had worked very hard in their own youth. When first married, my mother had continued to work as a schoolteacher to help provide my father with the money he needed to put him through law school. Both of them firmly believed that an individual had to work to justify his existence, and that a rich person had to keep his money working to justify its existence. My father tried to impress upon me that a businessman's money is capital to be invested and reinvested.

"You've got to use your money to create, operate and build businesses," he argued. "Your wealth represents potential jobs for countless others--and it can produce wealth and a better life for a great many people as well as for yourself."

I'm afraid I didn't pay much attention to him--then. Later, I was to realize the truth of what he said, but first I had to try things my own way. I owned a spanking new Cadillac roadster, good clothes and had all the money I could possibly need. I had made up my mind I wanted to play, and with these prerequisites, I encountered no difficulty plunging full tilt into the Southern California-Los Angeles-Hollywood whirl of fun and frolic. Although the United States entered the war, my call-up was first delayed, then postponed by bureaucratic snarls, and finally I was informed that my "services would not be needed." I consequently spent the World War One years playing and enjoying myself.

It took me a while to wake up to the fact that I was only wasting time and that I was bored. By the end of 1918, I was thoroughly fed up. Early in 1919, I was back in the oil business--not a little abashed by the "I told you so" smile I got from my father when I informed him that, having retired at 24, I was coming out of retirement at 26!

There's a lot of bad advice on here. It's great that your daughter wants to learn chess. I have two daughters, 3 and 7, and I'm teaching them the game. My younger daughter asked to play with me this morning (she mostly just sets up the pieces).

First, I'm disappointed that so many posters assumed that there's some hidden meaning in your daughter's interest. I can say from experience that, when my daughters don't feel like playing chess, no promises of quality time will get them near the board. I think it's fair to assume that your daughter is genuinely interested, which is great. Also, if she's interested in chess, don't be afraid to teach her chess. Go is a great game, but there's no reason not to teach her chess.

Over the board play is best for learning chess, as people suggest, but I've found that it's not always the best way to interest my older daughter in the game. I bought Fritz and Chesster, and she enjoys working with it over working with me. It does a great job of breaking down the game into practical lessons that are fun to play. It may be a bit advanced for your daughter, but I think it's better than using Chessmaster on the easiest level. I have noticed that it's geared toward a male player and a lot of the humor is distinctly Teutonic, but I didn't find it particularly offensive. I think it's probably all you really need for software until she's a tournament player, and it's reasonably priced. I even caught my wife working with my daughter when she got stuck on the king and rook mate. My wife never gets involved in over-the-board games.

I'd also say that, contrary to what others are writing, chess is not easy for a parent to teach, nor is it an easy game in any sense. It's difficult to play on the same level as your kid if you're at all good, my older daughter doesn't want to play with a handicap, and she as soon as she makes a few opening moves, she gets bogged down and confused. I've had some success setting up chess mazes for her, where I sprinkle pawns on the board and she has to move pieces through the pawns. I've also had success getting her interested in puzzles. I can't blame you for looking for ways to supplement her learning.

Don't just buy any chess book. Most chess books, even beginner ones, are written for an adult audience, and you'll have to translate what you're reading into lessons that are appropriate for a kid. Plus, for the poster that recommended Lasker's Manual, it's in descriptive notation. No child or parent should have to deal with descriptive notation. Make sure any book you buy is in algebraic notation.

I can't recommend beginner books for children from my experience, but Chess for Juniors and How to Beat Your Dad at Chess are universally acclaimed. I got my daughter Simple Checkmates, and she's able to work through it on her own. Kudos to the person who mentioned Dan Heisman. His Novice Nook columns are a great resource for beginning tournament players, and he's the author of A Parent's Guide to Chess. He does online tutoring, and I have a friend who is an online student of his who recommends him highly. I haven't read it, but Susan's Polgar's instruction book might also be of interest. She's one

There's a lot of bad advice on here. It's great that your daughter wants to learn chess. I have two daughters, 3 and 7, and I'm teaching them the game. My younger daughter asked to play with me this morning (she mostly just sets up the pieces).

First, I'm disappointed that so many posters assumed that there's some hidden meaning in your daughter's interest. I can say from experience that, when my daughters don't feel like playing chess, no promises of quality time will get them near the board. I think it's fair to assume that your daughter is genuinely interested, which is great. Also, if she's interested in chess, don't be afraid to teach her chess. Go is a great game, but there's no reason not to teach her chess.

Over the board play is best for learning chess, as people suggest, but I've found that it's not always the best way to interest my older daughter in the game. I bought Fritz and Chesster, and she enjoys working with it over working with me. It does a great job of breaking down the game into practical lessons that are fun to play. It may be a bit advanced for your daughter, but I think it's better than using Chessmaster on the easiest level. I have noticed that it's geared toward a male player and a lot of the humor is distinctly Teutonic, but I didn't find it particularly offensive. I think it's probably all you really need for software until she's a tournament player, and it's reasonably priced. I even caught my wife working with my daughter when she got stuck on the king and rook mate. My wife never gets involved in over-the-board games.

I'd also say that, contrary to what others are writing, chess is not easy for a parent to teach, nor is it an easy game in any sense. It's difficult to play on the same level as your kid if you're at all good, my older daughter doesn't want to play with a handicap, and she as soon as she makes a few opening moves, she gets bogged down and confused. I've had some success setting up chess mazes for her, where I sprinkle pawns on the board and she has to move pieces through the pawns. I've also had success getting her interested in puzzles. I can't blame you for looking for ways to supplement her learning.

Don't just buy any chess book. Most chess books, even beginner ones, are written for an adult audience, and you'll have to translate what you're reading into lessons that are appropriate for a kid. Plus, for the poster that recommended Lasker's Manual, it's in descriptive notation. No child or parent should have to deal with descriptive notation. Make sure any book you buy is in algebraic notation.

I can't recommend beginner books for children from my experience, but Chess for Juniors and How to Beat Your Dad at Chess are universally acclaimed. I got my daughter Simple Checkmates, and she's able to work through it on her own. Kudos to the person who mentioned Dan Heisman. His Novice Nook columns are a great resource for beginning tournament players, and he's the author of A Parent's Guide to Chess. He does online tutoring, and I have a friend who is an online student of his who recommends him highly. I haven't read it, but Susan's Polgar's instruction book might also be of interest. She's one

There's a lot of bad advice on here. It's great that your daughter wants to learn chess. I have two daughters, 3 and 7, and I'm teaching them the game. My younger daughter asked to play with me this morning (she mostly just sets up the pieces).

First, I'm disappointed that so many posters assumed that there's some hidden meaning in your daughter's interest. I can say from experience that, when my daughters don't feel like playing chess, no promises of quality time will get them near the board. I think it's fair to assume that your daughter is genuinely interested, which is great. Also, if she's interested in chess, don't be afraid to teach her chess. Go is a great game, but there's no reason not to teach her chess.

Over the board play is best for learning chess, as people suggest, but I've found that it's not always the best way to interest my older daughter in the game. I bought Fritz and Chesster, and she enjoys working with it over working with me. It does a great job of breaking down the game into practical lessons that are fun to play. It may be a bit advanced for your daughter, but I think it's better than using Chessmaster on the easiest level. I have noticed that it's geared toward a male player and a lot of the humor is distinctly Teutonic, but I didn't find it particularly offensive. I think it's probably all you really need for software until she's a tournament player, and it's reasonably priced. I even caught my wife working with my daughter when she got stuck on the king and rook mate. My wife never gets involved in over-the-board games.

I'd also say that, contrary to what others are writing, chess is not easy for a parent to teach, nor is it an easy game in any sense. It's difficult to play on the same level as your kid if you're at all good, my older daughter doesn't want to play with a handicap, and she as soon as she makes a few opening moves, she gets bogged down and confused. I've had some success setting up chess mazes for her, where I sprinkle pawns on the board and she has to move pieces through the pawns. I've also had success getting her interested in puzzles. I can't blame you for looking for ways to supplement her learning.

Don't just buy any chess book. Most chess books, even beginner ones, are written for an adult audience, and you'll have to translate what you're reading into lessons that are appropriate for a kid. Plus, for the poster that recommended Lasker's Manual, it's in descriptive notation. No child or parent should have to deal with descriptive notation. Make sure any book you buy is in algebraic notation.

I can't recommend beginner books for children from my experience, but Chess for Juniors and How to Beat Your Dad at Chess are universally acclaimed. I got my daughter Simple Checkmates, and she's able to work through it on her own. Kudos to the person who mentioned Dan Heisman. His Novice Nook columns are a great resource for beginning tournament players, and he's the author of A Parent's Guide to Chess. He does online tutoring, and I have a friend who is an online student of his who recommends him highly. I haven't read it, but Susan's Polgar's instruction book might also be of interest. She's one

There's a lot of bad advice on here. It's great that your daughter wants to learn chess. I have two daughters, 3 and 7, and I'm teaching them the game. My younger daughter asked to play with me this morning (she mostly just sets up the pieces).

First, I'm disappointed that so many posters assumed that there's some hidden meaning in your daughter's interest. I can say from experience that, when my daughters don't feel like playing chess, no promises of quality time will get them near the board. I think it's fair to assume that your daughter is genuinely interested, which is great. Also, if she's interested in chess, don't be afraid to teach her chess. Go is a great game, but there's no reason not to teach her chess.

Over the board play is best for learning chess, as people suggest, but I've found that it's not always the best way to interest my older daughter in the game. I bought Fritz and Chesster, and she enjoys working with it over working with me. It does a great job of breaking down the game into practical lessons that are fun to play. It may be a bit advanced for your daughter, but I think it's better than using Chessmaster on the easiest level. I have noticed that it's geared toward a male player and a lot of the humor is distinctly Teutonic, but I didn't find it particularly offensive. I think it's probably all you really need for software until she's a tournament player, and it's reasonably priced. I even caught my wife working with my daughter when she got stuck on the king and rook mate. My wife never gets involved in over-the-board games.

I'd also say that, contrary to what others are writing, chess is not easy for a parent to teach, nor is it an easy game in any sense. It's difficult to play on the same level as your kid if you're at all good, my older daughter doesn't want to play with a handicap, and she as soon as she makes a few opening moves, she gets bogged down and confused. I've had some success setting up chess mazes for her, where I sprinkle pawns on the board and she has to move pieces through the pawns. I've also had success getting her interested in puzzles. I can't blame you for looking for ways to supplement her learning.

Don't just buy any chess book. Most chess books, even beginner ones, are written for an adult audience, and you'll have to translate what you're reading into lessons that are appropriate for a kid. Plus, for the poster that recommended Lasker's Manual, it's in descriptive notation. No child or parent should have to deal with descriptive notation. Make sure any book you buy is in algebraic notation.

I can't recommend beginner books for children from my experience, but Chess for Juniors and How to Beat Your Dad at Chess are universally acclaimed. I got my daughter Simple Checkmates, and she's able to work through it on her own. Kudos to the person who mentioned Dan Heisman. His Novice Nook columns are a great resource for beginning tournament players, and he's the author of A Parent's Guide to Chess. He does online tutoring, and I have a friend who is an online student of his who recommends him highly. I haven't read it, but Susan's Polgar's instruction book might also be of interest. She's one

There's a lot of bad advice on here. It's great that your daughter wants to learn chess. I have two daughters, 3 and 7, and I'm teaching them the game. My younger daughter asked to play with me this morning (she mostly just sets up the pieces).

First, I'm disappointed that so many posters assumed that there's some hidden meaning in your daughter's interest. I can say from experience that, when my daughters don't feel like playing chess, no promises of quality time will get them near the board. I think it's fair to assume that your daughter is genuinely interested, which is great. Also, if she's interested in chess, don't be afraid to teach her chess. Go is a great game, but there's no reason not to teach her chess.

Over the board play is best for learning chess, as people suggest, but I've found that it's not always the best way to interest my older daughter in the game. I bought Fritz and Chesster, and she enjoys working with it over working with me. It does a great job of breaking down the game into practical lessons that are fun to play. It may be a bit advanced for your daughter, but I think it's better than using Chessmaster on the easiest level. I have noticed that it's geared toward a male player and a lot of the humor is distinctly Teutonic, but I didn't find it particularly offensive. I think it's probably all you really need for software until she's a tournament player, and it's reasonably priced. I even caught my wife working with my daughter when she got stuck on the king and rook mate. My wife never gets involved in over-the-board games.

I'd also say that, contrary to what others are writing, chess is not easy for a parent to teach, nor is it an easy game in any sense. It's difficult to play on the same level as your kid if you're at all good, my older daughter doesn't want to play with a handicap, and she as soon as she makes a few opening moves, she gets bogged down and confused. I've had some success setting up chess mazes for her, where I sprinkle pawns on the board and she has to move pieces through the pawns. I've also had success getting her interested in puzzles. I can't blame you for looking for ways to supplement her learning.

Don't just buy any chess book. Most chess books, even beginner ones, are written for an adult audience, and you'll have to translate what you're reading into lessons that are appropriate for a kid. Plus, for the poster that recommended Lasker's Manual, it's in descriptive notation. No child or parent should have to deal with descriptive notation. Make sure any book you buy is in algebraic notation.

I can't recommend beginner books for children from my experience, but Chess for Juniors and How to Beat Your Dad at Chess are universally acclaimed. I got my daughter Simple Checkmates, and she's able to work through it on her own. Kudos to the person who mentioned Dan Heisman. His Novice Nook columns are a great resource for beginning tournament players, and he's the author of A Parent's Guide to Chess. He does online tutoring, and I have a friend who is an online student of his who recommends him highly. I haven't read it, but Susan's Polgar's instruction book might also be of interest. She's one

"My System" by Aron Nimzowitsch is the book that got me interested in serious chess. I stumbled upon it by accident at a library when I was 12ish, back then I had no idea there were such things as chess books! It's actually a very readable and accessible book, a good read for any beginner+ player: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1880673851/102-65 69902-2362538?v=glance&n=283155

I haven't personally used F & C, but I have heard the offensive banter of Fritz 7 first-hand. It's really in poor taste. As far as why no-one cares, that's easy. The world of chess is dominated by men, almost to the point of exclusion. Girls are not encouraged to play serious chess. At my local chess club I've seen precisely one female player out of dozens of players I've seen there. The only female player to ever get any traction in the "men's" league is Judit Polgar. All of the rest play in the league that is specifically for women. Hell I've even seen insulting emails posted online by GMs lambasting a strong player for trying to attain a GM title part of which said that the WIM (Women's International Master) title was not even a possibility, let alone a "real" title. Chessbase's "news" articles are especially awful. More often than not, you'll see exactly 0 articles discussing women in chess on the front page. If there are any, it's more likely to be a tounament that includes both men's and women's divisions, or glamour shots of Alexandra Kosteniuk, than a serious piece.

Perhaps I was quick to judge F & C as having sexist content, but given Chessbase's modus operandi, I'm not going to find out by sitting my daughters in front of it.

Although I do admit that universal college education is needed, I would like to refer you to the book Brave New World http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060929871/qid=11 38068687/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-6170400-1980812?s=b ooks&v=glance&n=283155.

The society in the book had a social structure so that purposefully damaged embryos became the less intelligent working class. This class did all the hard labor and jobs the educated alpha class did not want to do.

Our society is not bad enough to the point where we engineer brainless people. However, the comparison I would like to make for instance is the United States would not have enough food, if illegal immigrants didn't farm for us.

So if everyone was educated who would do the hard labor? Robots?
We are not yet to the point of a complete set of autonomous robots that do everything.

The prism_cs hostap_cs & orinoco_cs wireless chipsets are well supported by native linux drivers. My Openzaurus 3.5.3 runs a 802.11 CF card
(http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00008W9PW/qid=1 138067272/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl147/102-7968 491-5466514?n=507846&s=pc&v=glance)
just fine.

Also, the ACX chipset is well supported natively (http://acx100.sourceforge.net./ Typically, TI & DLink cards run on them.The drivers above are ones that I have personally compiled &/or used.
There are many cards that work well natively &/or using ndiswrapper. Just google for the info before you buy one. USB-WLAN adapters are a bit of a problem on linux because of proprietary technology.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0713484640/104-36 92773-3719953?v=glance&n=283155

by Irving Chernev. When I was 8, I learned chess with that book. It's fundamental to know the apertures, and this book teaches them by explaining each move.

You should also buy her a book on endings. Apertures and endings can be memorized. Then it's up to her to do the difficult combination stuff and taking into account the possibilities yadda yadda.

Software is fine for practicing the combinations and helping her develop her deduction abilities, but without theory, she's a thousand years behind.

I'm an intermediate chess player, and I'm currently teaching my 9 year old son to play.

You should teach your daughter yourself, rather than look for chess software. She'll be able to ask you questions as you go, and it'll be quality time that you can share with her.

I don't know what your level of chess knowlege is, but you could read some books to pick up the basics of tactics and strategy so that you're prepared to teach her. If you begin by teaching her the mechanics (how the pieces move and capture), by the time she's ready to learn basic tactics (pins, forks) and strategy (control the center), you should know enough about these topics that you'll be able to teach her.

I would recommend two classic books for any beginner to read to pick up the basics:

Chess Fundamentals http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1857440730
Lasker's Manual of Chess http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0486206408

These are both considered essential reading for anyone interested in grasping the basic concepts of chess. If read these these (or any other) books on chess strategy, you'll be prepared to teach your daughter for at least a couple of years, and you'll improve your chess as well. If you get to the point where you are unable (or unwilling) to continue studying, and your daughter starts beating you regularly, then she will probably be ready to start reading on her own, or you might want to consider a chess coach at that point.

I'm an intermediate chess player, and I'm currently teaching my 9 year old son to play.

You should teach your daughter yourself, rather than look for chess software. She'll be able to ask you questions as you go, and it'll be quality time that you can share with her.

I don't know what your level of chess knowlege is, but you could read some books to pick up the basics of tactics and strategy so that you're prepared to teach her. If you begin by teaching her the mechanics (how the pieces move and capture), by the time she's ready to learn basic tactics (pins, forks) and strategy (control the center), you should know enough about these topics that you'll be able to teach her.

I would recommend two classic books for any beginner to read to pick up the basics:

Chess Fundamentals http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1857440730
Lasker's Manual of Chess http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0486206408

These are both considered essential reading for anyone interested in grasping the basic concepts of chess. If read these these (or any other) books on chess strategy, you'll be prepared to teach your daughter for at least a couple of years, and you'll improve your chess as well. If you get to the point where you are unable (or unwilling) to continue studying, and your daughter starts beating you regularly, then she will probably be ready to start reading on her own, or you might want to consider a chess coach at that point.

When I was in elementary school, our chess club used Chessmates to help younger players learn. It's a Win 9x piece of software, but it is great. It has 10 levels of play, easy being really easy and hard actually being pretty tough. More importantly, it has great tutorials illustrating various tactics. There are animated characters who guide you through the various skills, complete with puzzles, and when you master something it generates a nice printable certificate. (Example: to illustrate a fork, a handsome prince has to choose between saving a damsel in distress and a treasure chest from a dragon. May sound a bit silly, but it's really effective. And throughout the program Wigby the Wizard can give hints and help.) It's a great program for younger kids.

I started playing around 6 as well, and the one thing that kept me going was playing with my father; I was given many computer programs/games to use but they weren't what made me want to continue. Playing with my dad was the draw.
Just some food for thought.

The chessmaster series has good tutorials at any level.

Don't tell me that none of you ever read Harry Harrison's famous "The Stainless Steel Rat for President" http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553276123/qid=11 38052026/sr=1-18/ref=sr_1_18/102-5041110-1773764?s =books&v=glance&n=283155. explaining how to rig an electronic voting system (for the good of the people, though...)
See, I have been living the last few years down in sunny MX, which, in its best days, always reminds me of "Paraiso Aquí", the subject of this book. In the others, though, it reminds me of "Make Room! Make Room!" http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0425023907/qid=11 38052026/sr=1-11/ref=sr_1_11/102-5041110-1773764?s =books&v=glance&n=283155 by the same author (Soylent Green). I find it fun that these techniques float slowly north to G.WLand.
On the other hand, rigging elections has always been my country's most popular sport (i'm from Corsica....), so that I am nobody to comment.
If you have not read that book, do it, it quite worth it, and funny too...
It's a Proud and Lonely Thing to be a Stainless Steel Rat....

Don't tell me that none of you ever read Harry Harrison's famous "The Stainless Steel Rat for President" http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553276123/qid=11 38052026/sr=1-18/ref=sr_1_18/102-5041110-1773764?s =books&v=glance&n=283155. explaining how to rig an electronic voting system (for the good of the people, though...)
See, I have been living the last few years down in sunny MX, which, in its best days, always reminds me of "Paraiso Aquí", the subject of this book. In the others, though, it reminds me of "Make Room! Make Room!" http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0425023907/qid=11 38052026/sr=1-11/ref=sr_1_11/102-5041110-1773764?s =books&v=glance&n=283155 by the same author (Soylent Green). I find it fun that these techniques float slowly north to G.WLand.
On the other hand, rigging elections has always been my country's most popular sport (i'm from Corsica....), so that I am nobody to comment.
If you have not read that book, do it, it quite worth it, and funny too...
It's a Proud and Lonely Thing to be a Stainless Steel Rat....

Please HL was not written in the context of an "interactive story", it was simply a script where every decision leads you down a pretermined path, hardly interactive.

Chris Crawford is the one everyone should be listening to. Especially his latest book. Every game "writer" should have this on their shelf.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Crawford_(game_ designer)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321278909/qid=11 38049708/sr=8-2/ref=pd_bbs_2/102-9723489-7707326?n =507846&s=books&v=glance

A good book that talks about this is The Myth of Ability http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802777074/qid=11 38047634/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-7011275-1712105?n =507846&s=books&v=glance. It's written by the guy that plays the grad student in Good Will Hunting. He too hated math and did poorly at it - until he found out how to learn.

My father used to be a Dale Carnegie Course instructor and always talks about workers getting promoted to their level of incompetence. The basic theory in a huge unchecked corporate environment is that when a worker starts doing their job too well they get promoted as a reward for their hard work. When they learn their new job and start doing that job too well they get promoted again. Eventually they get promoted to just above their incompetence level and spend the rest of their lives floundering as a middle manager getting made fun of by their subordinates.

Save yourself $2.64 by buying the book here: he Adobe Photoshop Elements Crafts Book. And if you use the "secret" A9.com discount, you can save an extra 1.57%!

Save yourself $2.64 by buying the book here: he Adobe Photoshop Elements Crafts Book. And if you use the "secret" A9.com discount, you can save an extra 1.57%!

This is the beginning of microsoft's death. Anyone who's read "In the beginning was the command line" by Neal Stephenson should recognize these early signs. It's the same reason apple never got really big: they used proprietary hardware and therefore limited the amount of users that could use their OS. Therefore, prices stayed relatively high, and most users chose the more flexible PC platform. Microsoft is requiring their users to use (sort of) proprietary software and drivers. This will of course result in the fact that other (more flexible) OS's will become more popular. I'm just now getting to see the usefulness in Linux. I've used it off and on for the past 6 years, but now it's getting to the point where my machine is in Linux mode for a week at a time before I need to do some Maple or Matlab stuff. All I can say is that I will most definitely have a dual-boot system from now on, and that the more restrictive MS gets, the more I will stay in Linux to rip MY OWN FRIGGIN CD's and whatever else they consider potentially unlawful at MS. It's a self-stabilizing situation within the market, so don't worry too much about it. It's the beginning of a new era where Windows will not have the majority of the market.

There are so many arguments for switching. One of the best was laid out by Wil Shipley. If you have not read his blog, I strongly suggest that you do.

I have been a developer for over 20 years. I have gone through numerous languages and operating systems in that time. When I started working with Objective-C and Cocoa is was like coming in from the cold.

I think Shipley said it best in a podcast interview over at Cocoa Radio (paraphrased):

Microsoft is it's own best customer. As long as their development tools work for them, they do not really care if they are hard to use by anyone else. The harder their tools are to use, the less competition they will have. Apple needs developers. It is incumbent upon them to make development for OS X as easy as possible.

If you want to get into Objective-C Aaron Hillegass has an excellent book out. Follow through the examples in that book and you will be up to speed in no time. If you already have Java, C and/or C++ under your belt, the transition is simple.

after a powerbill I decided to add a switch that would cut the power to my projector, VCR, DVD, Radio etc..

I actually bought one of those power outlet meters to try to reduce my home energy usage.

But after I tested two or three appliances, I realized that this whole endeavor is completely nonsense except in summertime. If my computer, power amp, water heater, or even incandescent lights, are running during the winter... every watt of power they generate will reduce my heating bill by almost exactly that watt.

Now yes, I do have electric heating. The tradeoff may differ for those who don't. But the fact remains that powering devices in the home is much less wasteful than it seems, for those who live in colder climates. Since this study was done in Britain, I wonder if they controlled for this factor.

In the summer, of course, I try to keep things off as much as possible. But this is primarily because it's too hot, and only secondarily to save power.

--
Dum de dum.

learn to use google, it's not that hard.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1585423092
http://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/article.asp?ID=117 3

Yeah, see "A World Out Of Time" for the great spin on this.

Basically, guy wakes up in someone else's body hundreds of years in the future, where the State controls everyone and everything... from their point of view, they gave a convicted criminal a new personality (by extracting it from his frozen corpse). He has no rights, no family, no money, no nothing... except for the knowledge that if he doesn't prove useful to the state, they'll just wipe him and move on to the next frozen personality...

An excellent book, BTW -- one of Niven's better work, IMHO.

Well, for the oil, basically. But interestingly, from reading Perkin's excellent book, Confession's of an Economic Hit Man, he points out a couple of other advantages of holding Iraq: the valley is strategic, however holds that controls the region, and secondly, it is an area rich in water resources, which in the future will be even more crucial than oil. Finally, one other "hedge" is that, speaking of the Saudis, this corrupt Kingdom is on the brink of destruction. People forget that Bin Laden, Al-qaeda, for them the U.S. is just a side interest, their real aim is to overthrow the Saudis. [In fact that's why the whole Saddam is a bad guy is such a joke. Saudi's are just as bad or worse.]

The reason for this is more than 'apathy', it's active suppression. The major news outlets that aren't actually controlled by the same people who are behind Diebold and its ilk are intimidated by the constant barrage of 'media bias' attacks from the segment of the media that is allied with Diebold & Co. There is a perfectly good book that documents the theft of our last several elections by Mark Crispin Miller, just published a few months ago. But he can't get PBS or NPR (specifically WHYY) to let him appear and promote it. I have submitted stories on this but only get rejected. Can anyone figure how to get this information about censorship onto the main page of slashdot?

Mark Crispin Miller's Blog

The story on his blog noting Joe Bageant's recent essay on his inability to get airtime on WHYY's "Fresh Air"

Joe Bageant is a journalist and recently a very popular blogger of the plight of the 'redneck' culture in the neo-con political machine. His most recent essay is specifically about the refusal of WHYY to allow Mark Crispin Miller to appear on Fresh Air or otherwise promote his book -- Fooled Again: How the Right Stole the 2004 Election and Why They'll Steal the Next One, Too (Unless We Stop Them) He hits tha nail on the head:

It is safe to say that WHYY and the rest of the public media gang are simply scared to death of uttering the book's title on the airwaves. They know that the neocons will jump up all over their asses claiming liberal bias. Maybe even launch one of their infamous letter writing campaigns. The Republican game plan of unrelenting bullshit, that steady grinding away day in day out -- it works. They have managed to wear down those media they don't already control from the top, make them either doubt themselves or make them damned afraid of repercussions. We can well imagine what the GOP assault on public radio and television has created around places like WHYY. Hell, if they can get Bill Moyers they can get anybody. Right?

It's censorship by intimidation. Large numbers of people are never going to hear about htis book because they don't search Amazon.com for new books about election fraud or by Mark Crispin Miller on a regular basis. They rely on the mass media to keep them informed, and it isn't working anymore. I also agree with his suggestion to contact WHYY directly and let them know that their fear of 'conservatives' reactions will attract the wrath of lots of 'liberals' whom they depend on for their funding at least as much as corporations or the government:

By the way, if you wanna give WHYY hell personally, the phone number is (215) 351-1200. Email is talkback@whyy.org

Who says large computer companies can't be both competent and not evil sleazebags.

The law. Unfortunately, executives are bound by law to maximize the price of stock to benefit shareholders, and morality isn't an excuse for making a business decision that results in a notable downturn.

Oh, and watch The Corporation :

Since the late 18th century American legal decision that the business corporation organizational model is legally a person, it has become a dominant economic, political and social force around the globe. This film takes an in-depth psychological examination of the organization model through various case studies. What the study illustrates is that in the its behaviour, this type of "person" typically acts like a dangerously destructive psychopath without conscience.

I don't agree with everything in the film, but it is generally sobering.