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This is no secret... And yet it's not really done enough. At Griffith University a language called MaSH is used to lower the bar and allow people to actually make stuff happen, while still being a good introduction to *real* coding (it's a subset of Java and a few specialised APIs). Simple text processing, simple graphics, simple robotic control. http://www.ict.griffith.edu.au/arock/MaSH/

Good employers know that having fun and creative (but non-offensive) things in one's personal space can enhance productivity. Having nothing in one's cubicle except things with "legitimate business need" dulls creativity and depresses morale, silently killing productivity. My work place is sad enough, with its grey-fabric cubicle walls, lack of sunlight, and fluorescent lighting. It would be unbearable without the plants I alternately neglect and pamper, the magnetic ball sculptures, The Brain Puzzle, the Office Space Red Stapler and "Is This Good For The Company?" (no, not my office, notice the sunlight) sign. I suspect that the reason your workplaces have no zombies on your walls is because you have them in your cubicles.

My dad retired from rockwell at 65 and I was worried for while because spent a couple of years cruising around the country with his girlfriend in their winnebago. Not very stimulating and a recipe for a second heart attack IMHO.

But now he is getting into U3A and spending seemingly half the week there. He is teaching courses, taking courses. Reorganising their local area network, installing servers, griping and moaning about this guy who built the sites databases in access, and generally having a fantastic time.

I just wish I could get him to walk or cycle to U3A rather than driving. Its only five km or so and he can't afford to have his heart seize up again.

I think there used to be this expectation that retirement was a time when you could catch up on all that TV you were missing and create the lawn. Baby boomers have different expectations and this may be helping their prospects.

Recently somebody pointed me to Scratch. Its a simple, fun, programming tool. It is aimed at kids eight years and above but I am sure it would be appropriate for some 14 year olds too. My dad is teaching computer skills at U3A. He is interested in using this tool in his classes.

The Griffith university site has well over a dozen pages sparsely filled and with essentially zero technical information about this. Amazing.

"The massive amount of CO2 in the air is having a strong impact on the enviroment. Out side of politics and religion, this is the accepted fact. It has mountains of evidence."

No, no and no. Maybe you just need to read up on the subject?

To start with; http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=23387

followed by;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDX2ExKYyqw&feature=related (see the sidebar for the other three parts)

and;

http://www.griffith.edu.au/conference/ics2007/pdf/ICS176.pdf

Happy studying!

http://www.griffith.edu.au/conference/ics2007/pdf/ICS176.pdf

(PDF)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDX2ExKYyqw&feature=related

(four parts, only linking to the first)

The CO2 theory is out the door. It doesn't hold up to scrutiny. Falsifying data (temperature adjustments) for political reasons (NASA) won't help.

Would you care to quote some legislation to support that point? Because I don't think 'the right to dub my compact disks to tape' is an inalienable human right, set down in the UN Charter or something.

I know it's hard to understand that there are countries outside of America, but have a look at this - in, say, Australia, "fair use" is called Fair Dealing and in short is soley for use by individuals for the purposes of:

• Research and Study
• Criticism and Review
• News Reporting
• Reproduction for Purposes of Judicial Proceedings or Legal Professional Advice

Ok. I agree that you shouldn't have to buy a new copy of 'Thriller' everytime SAAB upgrade the audio system in their new sets of wheels, but at the same time you have to understand that if you want to be able to buy music online, it is all about compromise.

The only reason Apple ( or any of the other vendors except eMusic [ who have nothing ] ) could wheedle distribution rights out of the record companies was due to their promises about reproduction control. Big Music had no reason to come to the party otherwise, but a compromise was reached - 99c a track, in exchange for limited play rights.

However, the notion of 'compromise' seems to be alien to most geeks - they always get greedy and want to take more than they've paid for. People cracking these schemes are just pissing in the pool for the rest of us, and continuing to give the internet a reputation in the mass media as a den of thieves. I would like to see the great buy-music-online experiment get to my country before it gets killed off by skittish executives.

Grr.

I work for a University further north in Australia and we are installing a wireless network that supports Macs as first class citizens ... it helps a lot that I do all the design work and I have a Powerbook. We are using a Cisco VPN solution as they have an excellent client that supports Mac even if its not pretty and Linux as well.