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User: wkurzius

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Comments · 36

  1. Re:Realities and Incentives on Friends Don't Let Geek Friends Work In Finance · · Score: 1

    Oh god! Only 75k a year?? Did you have to apply for welfare?

  2. Re:Realities and Incentives on Friends Don't Let Geek Friends Work In Finance · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Since you obviously value money more than anything else, let's rewrite those choices for those that are bit more progressive.

    1) Start something great

    2) Be part of something great

    3) Fuck doing anything great and become a parasite

  3. Re:non-story on Apple: You Must Be 17+ To Use Opera · · Score: 1

    True, but it's a system that has led to a lot of bad PR ever since the App Store came around.

    I'm sure they think parental controls are a good thing. Parents can leave the room for 5 minutes and not worry about their kid ending up on meatspin or whatever. However, it leads to all these other seemingly stupid warnings and restrictions, and if Apple decided to not use them, they would be the primary target of every angry and irresponsible parent out there.

  4. Re:non-story on Apple: You Must Be 17+ To Use Opera · · Score: 1

    Wish I had mod points.

    If the finger should be pointed anywhere, it's at the over litigious society that we live in. I'm sure on some level Apple is cringing that they actually have to do this to cover their asses.

  5. Re:How to train: yaay! on Inception, The Social Network, TS3 Get Oscar Noms · · Score: 1

    The amount of advertising that this movie put out during the Olympics was offensive. I figured it had to be horrible if they were pushing it that much. Perhaps I was wrong.

  6. Re:Learn better on NAMCO Takes Down Student Pac-man Project · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The reason answers exist in the back of math textbooks is not for cheating. They are there so you can check your methods and determine if you are going about things the right way.

    One of my first programming experiences was making a tic-tac-toe game on the TI-83 my high school gave me. I knew the game already, I knew how it was supposed to look and work, and therefore allowed to me to concentrate on the method only. I had the answer, I just needed to figure out how to get there.

    Scratch is a learning tool, aimed at elementary students, perhaps going into high school bit. Maybe the students (assuming they're students) shouldn't have posted the project online, but I encourage them to rip off every game they need to until they're comfortable enough to make their own.

  7. Buy Once, Play On Anything on Steam Client for Mac Launches, Linux Client On the Way · · Score: 1

    I was very pleased to find that the copy of Torchlight I bought to play on Windows is available to me on OS X for no extra coin.

  8. Re:Why bother? on Superbowl Tech Ads, 1976–Present · · Score: 4, Funny

    The only people who think geeks don't care about social events are geeks who don't care about social events.

  9. Re:Why bother? on Superbowl Tech Ads, 1976–Present · · Score: 2

    Seriously - why bother?

    Geeks, at least the type of geek who cares who is making their cpu generally don't watch the superbowl.

    Based on your small circle of friends? I could make the opposite based on the "geeks" that I know. Computer science majors, run their own web-design company, as well as build their own computers as a hobby. We've been playing in a fantasy football league together for 5+ years now.

    You're also forgetting that the Super Bowl is more of a social event. I'm a Giants fan, so I barely paid attention to the playoffs, but I'm watching the game today because someone is having a party for it.

  10. Re:How can it be a run for it's money at $200? on Move Over BoxeeBox, Here Comes PopBox · · Score: 2, Funny

    If I remember correctly, the high-end Roku ($130) has a USB port, though its disabled by default and has no functionality.

  11. Re:Most ways are overrated or overstated. on Steve Jobs Crowned "Person of the Decade" · · Score: 0

    So? What did he do in the LAST decade? Shouldn't that be what matters?

    Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, and those first three years really set up everything Apple has done since his return. The iMac was in 98 and Final Cut was 99, but the rest of the big stuff came after 2000: iPod, OS X, Apple Store, iTunes Store, iPhone...

    I don't have an iPod. More Americans don't than do.

    Not everyone needs to be a part of something in order for and impact to made. Look at the iPhone, it has a 4% (I think) of the market as far as all cell phones go and it has heavily impacted who uses smart phones these days and also the infrastructure of cell phone networks.

  12. Crap on Police Arrest Man For Refusing To Tweet · · Score: 5, Informative

    According to police, the crowd was broken up after safety concerns were raised, but Bieber's record exec, James Roppo, Tweeted that the singer was still signing. This caused fans to go berzerk and rush forward, breaking down barriers.

    http://www.limelife.com/blog-entry/Fans-of-Tween-King-Justin-Bieber-Cause-Mall-Riot/26650.html

    Roppo continued to tweet about the autograph signing even after it was canceled and ended up being arrested for reckless endangerment among other crimes.

    http://military.rightpundits.com/2009/11/24/james-roppo-man-arrested-for-not-tweeting-cancellation-of-justin-bieber-event-photos/

    Crappy summary linking to crappy reporting.

  13. Re:I see a lot of weak people here in the story... on Vulgar Comment On Newspaper Site Costs Man His Job · · Score: 1

    OTOH, why the heck did the teacher resign at first being contacted? I wonder how much more there is to the story than we're seeing.

    You're probably right. He either didn't bother putting up a fight (which he probably would have won if he was a teacher because of his union) or was on his way out already.

  14. Re:Higher taxes needed on Public School Teachers Selling Lesson Plans Online · · Score: 3, Informative

    As for teachers selling lesson plans, I am concerned that teachers should be using their "on the clock" prep periods to create lesson plans (that's what teachers I know do, or claim to do).

    Following our district's format for lesson plans, it usually takes a couple of hours to plan lessons for the week. We get 50 minutes a day for a prep. In that time you need to contact parents, make copies, set up your classroom for the days activities, go to various meetings, and generally recuperate mentally since it's the only other time of the day besides your 30-minute lunch where you don't have 20-25 children hanging around. I could include grade papers in that list, but that's usually incredibly time consuming as well so most leave that for home.

    I don't agree with the selling of lesson plans as I believe in having these resources available freely, but what this is a quick fix to a complicated problem: teachers not getting paid enough while not having enough time in the workday to achieve what is asked of them.

  15. Apple Netbook on the Way on OS X Update Officially Kills Intel Atom Support · · Score: 1

    Another sign of the rumored Apple Netbook?

  16. Re:Vodka on A Tale of Two Windows 7s · · Score: 1

    I'll point out the obvious and remind you that your original statement claimed that the two machines are "comparable".

  17. Re:Vodka on A Tale of Two Windows 7s · · Score: 1

    You mean the one that has a 500GB hard drive as opposed to 1TB, comes with 3GB of DDR2 instead of 4GB of DDR3, and doesn't include a monitor, Bluetooth, a wireless card, built in mic, built in webcam, or a fancy multi-touch wireless mouse?

    http://www.staples.com/Compaq-Presario-CQ5210F-Desktop-PC/product_828021?cmArea=SC3:CG71:DP4119:CL161746 (couldn't find the $300 dollar one, assuming typo and meant $400)

    http://www.apple.com/imac/specs.html (the higher end 21.5" is the $1500 model)

  18. Time for Teachers on Obama Makes a Push To Add Time To the School Year · · Score: 2, Insightful

    How about an increase in time for teachers to prepare meaningful lessons for students? I get 50 minutes a day to prepare lessons, contact parents, and fulfill obligations to various other clubs and responsibilities. There's no overtime pay in teaching, but yet it's one of the professions that require the off-the-clock work.

  19. Re:Kinda like my school last year. on Chinese Schools Ax Green Dam Censorship Software · · Score: 1

    I have similar issues in my classroom. I would rather they leave everything unblocked and let the teacher keep an eye on the students. If the teacher is paying attention and makes sure everyone is busy, then there shouldn't be any issue.

    Instead, I have to worry about nytimes.com or Google getting blocked, or getting accused of looking at porn when a certain string of characters appears in an encrypted site address.

  20. Re:"18 foot" ? on 18-Foot Multitouch Wall and New Multitouch Tech Hit the Streets · · Score: 1

    Marketing. An 18' screen is easier to visualize for the general public than a 72 ft^2 one.

  21. Re:So it's a fnacy nmae on Schooling, Homeschooling, and Now, "Unschooling" · · Score: 1

    For the record I agree with you completely. I just see that comment way too often, and taking it out of context was perhaps unfair.

    The other thing that got to me was while reading most of these comments, is that most, if not all, of the people commenting have any idea about public education's current state. I cannot speak for all districts, especially inner city ones, but differentiated instruction and a focus on learning rather than teaching are a couple of the items that have been pushed for a a few years now.

  22. Re:So it's a fnacy nmae on Schooling, Homeschooling, and Now, "Unschooling" · · Score: 1

    But of course, that's not the purpose of the educational system in the US. The purpose is to create a functional workforce that is conditioned to structured systems.

    How come every time there is an education topic on /., this kind of comment shows up? How is this a bad thing? What is this magical alternative that is lurking just beyond reach?

    Our whole society RUNS on those things you speak so poorly of: a strong workforce and structure. We're not at the point where we have this Utopia where people can go around pursuing pleasures of the mind because there's no crime and everything you need is provided for you at no cost.

    Please leave our educational system out of your anti-establishment mindset.

    /rant

  23. They forgot single on Games Fail To Portray Gender and Ethnic Diversity · · Score: 1

    White, male, adult, and single.

  24. Algorithms? on New Leader In Netflix Prize Race With One Day To Go · · Score: 1

    I thought Vandelay was into manufacturing latex.

  25. Re:Self-downloading fonts... on Typography On the Web Gets Different · · Score: 1

    Name an innovation that hasn't been used for either sending out viruses or advancing the porn industry.