I lived in Switzerland for about a year and a half. I found it to be one of the cleanest places I had ever seen, and I was in quite a few small towns and a couple cities...
Returning to Canada I was shocked at all the litter. I had grown used to people cleaning up after themselves and *gasp* not just throwing thier garbage into the street. Meanwhile I was also amazed at how hard it was to recycle things here. It's much better now where I live (we have "green bins" for garden waste and alternate weeks with garbage pick-up and "green" waste, etc). In Switzerland there were recycling bins EVERYWHERE, and garbage cops went through the trash to figure out if people were playing along with the disposal rules. It made you feel that the government, and people, of Switerland actually meant it when they said "Please recycle".
That's one of the things I find so exciting. You could have a HUGE amount of redundancy built in. Why not store the same information on a bunch of electrons. Now if we can only get those electrons to change the state of other time and space separated electrons we would be in business! Instant communication and all that. I wonder how far we are from controlling THAT property?:)
The only way to achieve true search engine accuracy is to have an actual person search for pages on request. Why no company has thought of this, I'm not sure, as this could certainly be an explosive business opportunity here.
Dear GOD, those people at my local library! They must be part of some top secret start-up R&D initiative! So helpful, and for FREE! I KNEW they were up to something!!!:)
I've heard of somone running the non electronic stuff through a dishwasher but I'd be wary... He said to put the keys in a mesh plastic bag (like you might take to the beach or use to keep beer cold in a river) and just let it rip...
I am using my original keyboard here but I have picked up two others at a swap meet (5$) and a thrift store ($10)... Sweet. People must think they are too heavy to be useful!:) They have obviously never thought of the self-defense potential!
A few years ago I spilled some think-as-gravy homemade stout (beer like Guiness, dontchaknow?) into the numberpad region on my old IBM PS/2 keyboard. I rarely used the numberpad back then so I mopped up what I could and kept typing.
I didn't get killed by a jolt of electricity and the other keys worked fine so I just forgot the whole thing. It wasn't long before the stout dried to a glue-like mass. Working the keys for a while freed them and now the whole thing works like a charm...
I am still using the same keyboard and refuse to clean it due to a superstitious fear that if I disassemble the old beast it will never be the same again!
They probably do this as a precaution aganist the URL of the site the bookmark points to changing. It's a lot easier to change on redirect on thier site than it is to edit all the bookmark files for all the IE distributions, assembling the archive again, uploading it to the server, etc.
I think we can all see the sense in doing this. It also allows them to monitor how popular the bookmarks they include are. If no-one is visiting one they can replace it with something else, or re-word it, etc, in the next version of IE (which will also update EVERYTHING ELSE requiring you to download about 12 trillion gigs---I just HAD to get a dig in at MS after rationalizing thier behaviour like that!):)
It is interesting that you should ask this... I am a CS undergrad and for the last few years have heard almost every prof talk about smalltalk when discussion OOP languages or design. No-one has ever said anything bad about it and they all seemed to have used it at one time or another. Having said that, I have also not been required to learn (or even become familiar with) Smalltalk. I have used a few languages (both required and not) but have never had a reason to learn this one beyond having a passing interest in it.
It's one of those things I would like to do if I had the time... I kind of wish someone would assign a programming problem to be done with it so I would HAVE to learn it but I feel the same way about a lot of languages.
My question for Smalltalk is "what have you done lately"?:) No doubt a lot. I am always suprised by the way in which languages are being used... They seem to find niche environments (perhaps because the people using them are comforatable and skilled with the language and it does what they need---why change if this is the case?). Unfortunately, the fact is that unless a programming language is going to be used in the workplace or "for school" most people have very little motivation to learn it (with an exception being made for that Klingon one, of course).
--8<--
Re:Mysticism and Logic are Complimentary Principle
on
Hackers And Mysticism?
·
· Score: 1
Wow, one of the most interesting things I have read here for a very long time. Thank you for taking the time to set that down.
I don't see how someone prefers lightweight interfaces would like something like emacs....
Okay, guilty! But the fact is I can do just about everything I need to do on my machine in a daily workday using only emacs and Netscape or Mozilla (whichever is crashing less that day).:)
Emacs has a file browser, ftp, IDEs, you name it and it's all accessible through key strokes. That one major beef with GUIs is I don't like mousing too much, hence Emacs is great for me.
Why can't we easily get an install that works correctly with nothing more than a kernel, the gnu tools, x, a desktop and window manager of choice, and a couple of basic apps?
If Microsoft came up with a distribution of Windows that came with all the crap that Linux distributions come with, we'd all complain about it.
Amen, I have struggled with this paradox before as well. Time and again I have ended up letting it all get installed and removing stuff later. Great. I realize it's due to dependencies... and it is intended to make the system less confusing for new users, etc... but still...
Have you ever tried those minimal linux roll-yer-own systems? I keep meaning to but never quite get around to it. I am thinking that the kernel, some compiler stuff, networking, and an editor would be all I need to get started (and documentation, and printing, and maybe a light window manager, and maybe... DOH!):)
I'm just going to say what we are all thinking. Well half of us anyway...
Some people like stuff like Nautilus, evolution, Gnome panels, really loaded root window menus, etc... Others like about 4 items in thier root window menu, gno panels (and I mean gnone), run emacs (as file manager, editor, ftp client, eye-washing area, short-order cook, etc), and just think that click-heavy interfaces slow them down.
As someone who prefers lightweight interfaces (text) in a slimmed down windowing environment without gnome, etc. I can also appreciate the attraction of a richer interface experience. But since I am not into gnome, etc, I am not going to say anything for or against it other than to thank all the developers and testers out there for all their hard work.
I do have a question though. Most of us who have been using a system that is highly configurable and application rich (I don't want to say "Linux" because there are lots of others) settle into a rut after a while with respect to the tools we like and how we want to have them layed out---whether we like lazy focus or click-to-focus, auto-raise, emacs, vi, etc.
When I sit down at my friend's Linux machine it's a bit wierd. Nothing works exactly like it should and I don't know where to find anything:) then I sit down at a Solaris box and the same disorientation follows. I prefer this to being in a monotonous environment but I want to ask if Windows users experience this same mild disorientation when they use other boxes than the ones they are normally on (do other unix users or am I am freak)? I am pretty sure Mac users do (again due to it's high configurability).
It could just be the fact that the people who are attracted to high-tech jobs tend to be intelligent and metnally active and, over time, start to notice things. Not a few of them are given to speculation, contemplation, and looking for patterns. Not only that, we may find that "nerds" suffer from some social austracism (okay, we've been over this). This might lead to a tendency to look outside the herd for ideas and beliefs.
Add the fact that programming can require the ability to enter near-autistic states of concentration and you have people looking at Zen (actually meditation) seriously. You might also get people thinking about the mystical connectivity of the Internet and also the fact that it all just "works" (if you have ever written a program on one computer and compiled it on another you may know what I mean) and you have "faith" in the system.
None of us FULLY understands every aspect of computing and networking. We have faith that it all works most of the time. When we know what is wrong we fix it, but there is always some unknown factors. Refreshing isn't it?:)
Don't get me wrong... I've seen plenty of places that DON'T use it. Small wonder most software projects are over budget and late. This is why I am so sure I want to work somewhere that does "do things right" (in my opinion, anyway).
This is good to hear. I am also a comp. sci. student and really take software engineering, configuration management, and the like very seriously. Most of the industry horror stories I have heard have involved a "core developer" who kept the design plan close to his chest and left for a new job without leaving proper documentation behind (there are many other stories but the common thread is always "no documentation and someone/people left").
I have always thought that coding should be the easy part of the project. Fixing a design requires an eraser---fixing a partially completed project involves time, money, and hard work...
When I finally leave school I am hoping to find a place to work that employs these design techniques. I know they are out there!:) I even use this approach when tackling assignments and other small projects. Does anyone else do this or am I a freak?
One of the things about hacks is it takes some skill to use them. Sometimes it takes very little, sometimes a lot. Also people just won't go to the trouble. There will be tons of people who will but there will always be those who don't want to risk getting caught, voiding a warranty or service agreement, etc.
I have a question though: How would this affect devices like TiVo, etc... Would it make them illegal (or whatever)?
If countries such as India had sufficient employment, housing, health care, and food for its population base,
concerns about morality would be the least of the inhibitors to the utilization of birth control.
Agreed... Meanwhile the western world is consuming resources at an alarming rate and seems unwilling to share or even slow down while others catch up (what do I mean? I wish I knew... but some experts believe the world hunger problem is one of resource allocation and not availablity).
I am arguing neither in favour of nor in opposition to birth control---it's a personal decision. But when a family is living in poverty the addition of 8 children to the equation (many of whom die while children) hardly helps matters. I just wanted to bolster the argument that the availability of a technology does not mean it will get used the way we think it will, or get used at all.
And of course, that is supposing that technology is the only force currently driving social change. It isn't. As an example, take population growth...
Excatly! To further underscore your point look at the fact that the technology to control reproduction has been around (and when used properly, is almost 100% effective) for a really long time, and is even offered for free in some cases. This has still not been enough to stem the tide of over-population where people don't believe it is morally or culturally correct to practice birth control.
While access to technology like computers is not quite the same thing it is the case that there are many cultures who may not make use of computers the way people developed nations do (assuming they were provided the same level of access at no cost). It's hard to predict what might happen... They might do something really cool or they might swell the ranks of Yahoo Gamers.
The important commonality across all cultures and religions is communication. People like to talk---the more the better. So I think that while it is hard to predict exactly what will happen globally it will always revolve around interpersonal communication. Sometimes that can be enough to level the playing field (not enough to feed the world's hungry though---that would take compassionate communication and you can't pull that pull that out of thin air).
An entirely new reality will emerge in cyberspace, ruled by a cognitive elite
I don't really think that this is what will happen. Brains will rule over brawn, for sure, but there will be so many strata to the new ecomomic and social food chain that it will be difficult to say who is in charge at all.
Pretty much any good or service you can buy can is being reviewed, crituqed, and consumed via the web now. It won't be long before every garage mechanic has a discussion forum based on him, where digitally signed and authenticated contributors (who are themselves subject to these same reviews and trust evaluations) will rate the performance of the mechanic, etc. This will make integrity pretty important.
Sure, the local garage will be able to rip non-car-savvy people off like they have always done, but the person willing to dig for information will have a better chance at getting a good deal when they get thier car fixed.
The same principle will apply to large corporations, governments, criminal trial (maybe), etc. What is to prevent the rise of some system that gives ruling power to the politician/party who has the highest trust rating? Isn't this what voting does? Why not imagine the election as an ongoing and dynamic process that affects the balance of power. This would really make politicians accountable---it is also mob rule. And "Rome is the mob".
You know as well as I do that that doesn't mean shit.
OK, I'll give you that:) but it's better than nothing at all (50% of the time). I worked for a chef once (I used to be a cook) who said he'd rather hire someone who'd never cooked before because he wouldn't need to break any of thier bad habits (he was a "my way or the highway" guy).
I guess I am saying that different people are capable of different things and I would be willing to give a student a chance as long as all their work was thoroughly audited by someone who had a lot of industry experience. This would possibly be cheaper than having the industry-experienced guy do the whole thing (maybe not though... again, experience teaches where to direct efforts, what tools to chose, etc.). It is possible that the medical student we are discussing has some of this knowledge already.
Looks like he is investigating this as part of a larger project but there is no reason why a person in his position could not be skilled enough to do such a thing. Experience is the best teacher but sometimes reasearch and design can get you a lot of mileage as well. Besides we are talking about a guy with about 8-10 years of University under his belt. He's probably a pretty capable person.
Students do make incredibly dumb blunders at times (I should know---I am one) but often bring outside experience to tasks from previous work they have done, etc. This guy will be doing medicine in another few years. I hope we can trust him to design and implements a medical records database.
Yeah, I agree with what you are saying... If playing games helps you blow off steam and do your job better then go for it! There was a study done a few years ago about lost productivity due to workplace game playing (and general non-work related activites---goofing off) that claimed it was costing business billions each year, meanwhile another study came out claiming the opposite and went so far as to say that game playing helped people (as you say) to get more done, enjoy being at work,etc...
I am just the opposite. I like to plan out my projects and work on them in well structured chunks without a lot of break time during the day. One interesting study would be to see how well "mixed" groups of developers (all-business vs. take-a-break types) get along? Probably a difficult study to do!
Maybe this should be an "ask slashdot" question but I was wondering how much time the average gamer who mainly works with computers spends playing games after work (or during work)? (this is the second games-related story on slashdot lately, isn't it?).
I'll be the first to admit that I am "on the computer" too much already so even when I find a game I like that I can run on Linux (I don't have a 3d card or anything) I ussually don't end up playing it too often.
What do you people think? Do those who work with computers all day find they play these games all night or is it mostly people who are in non-computer related jobs that spend hours gaming?
In Bruce Streling's [1] Heavy Weather he talks alot about the fact that intellectual property is valuable for about 5 minutes after you publish it. Then someone else takes it, copies it, and posts it. This is going to happen more frequently in the coming years (I think everyone knows that---it's a question of whether you like it).
Another thing he discusses is the concept of Networked communities using Meritocracy to figure out who is trustworthy or valuable to them. Who is a good citizen? The same system could be (and is) applied to things like this theft of a website's look-and-feel. Everyone (well, everyone reading this maybe?) knows that Linux.com had the look first. If they have never seen Linux.com then they may believe the other guy came up with it, but there's not much anyone can do about that. However, if you want to do some research on the guy maybe your search will turn up a link to this slashdot discussion. If that happened you might view the guy (or at least his design skills) in a different light.
One final thought. What if he thought:
"there is a good, usable interface... Since I am no good at UI design I will copy it so I can spend more time on the backend code"?
Slashdot Mirror
I lived in Switzerland for about a year and a half. I found it to be one of the cleanest places I had ever seen, and I was in quite a few small towns and a couple cities...
Returning to Canada I was shocked at all the litter. I had grown used to people cleaning up after themselves and *gasp* not just throwing thier garbage into the street. Meanwhile I was also amazed at how hard it was to recycle things here. It's much better now where I live (we have "green bins" for garden waste and alternate weeks with garbage pick-up and "green" waste, etc). In Switzerland there were recycling bins EVERYWHERE, and garbage cops went through the trash to figure out if people were playing along with the disposal rules. It made you feel that the government, and people, of Switerland actually meant it when they said "Please recycle".
--8<--
That's one of the things I find so exciting. You could have a HUGE amount of redundancy built in. Why not store the same information on a bunch of electrons. Now if we can only get those electrons to change the state of other time and space separated electrons we would be in business! Instant communication and all that. I wonder how far we are from controlling THAT property? :)
--8<--
This kind of makes sense since more data would be stored by a longer signal...
--8<--
Like "Egon Spengler" of the Ghostbusters, but with an "I"---and say the "on" as "en"---then add states.
As far as what they are, I couldn't say, but it probably has something to do with the eigenvalues of a matrix describing the electron?
--8<--
The only way to achieve true search engine accuracy is to have an actual person search for pages on request. Why no company has thought of this, I'm not sure, as this could certainly be an explosive business opportunity here.
:)
Dear GOD, those people at my local library! They must be part of some top secret start-up R&D initiative! So helpful, and for FREE! I KNEW they were up to something!!!
--8<--
I've heard of somone running the non electronic stuff through a dishwasher but I'd be wary... He said to put the keys in a mesh plastic bag (like you might take to the beach or use to keep beer cold in a river) and just let it rip... I am using my original keyboard here but I have picked up two others at a swap meet (5$) and a thrift store ($10)... Sweet. People must think they are too heavy to be useful! :) They have obviously never thought of the self-defense potential!
--8<--
A few years ago I spilled some think-as-gravy homemade stout (beer like Guiness, dontchaknow?) into the numberpad region on my old IBM PS/2 keyboard. I rarely used the numberpad back then so I mopped up what I could and kept typing.
I didn't get killed by a jolt of electricity and the other keys worked fine so I just forgot the whole thing. It wasn't long before the stout dried to a glue-like mass. Working the keys for a while freed them and now the whole thing works like a charm...
I am still using the same keyboard and refuse to clean it due to a superstitious fear that if I disassemble the old beast it will never be the same again!
--8<--
They probably do this as a precaution aganist the URL of the site the bookmark points to changing. It's a lot easier to change on redirect on thier site than it is to edit all the bookmark files for all the IE distributions, assembling the archive again, uploading it to the server, etc.
I think we can all see the sense in doing this. It also allows them to monitor how popular the bookmarks they include are. If no-one is visiting one they can replace it with something else, or re-word it, etc, in the next version of IE (which will also update EVERYTHING ELSE requiring you to download about 12 trillion gigs---I just HAD to get a dig in at MS after rationalizing thier behaviour like that!) :)
--8<--
It is interesting that you should ask this... I am a CS undergrad and for the last few years have heard almost every prof talk about smalltalk when discussion OOP languages or design. No-one has ever said anything bad about it and they all seemed to have used it at one time or another. Having said that, I have also not been required to learn (or even become familiar with) Smalltalk. I have used a few languages (both required and not) but have never had a reason to learn this one beyond having a passing interest in it.
It's one of those things I would like to do if I had the time... I kind of wish someone would assign a programming problem to be done with it so I would HAVE to learn it but I feel the same way about a lot of languages.
My question for Smalltalk is "what have you done lately"? :) No doubt a lot. I am always suprised by the way in which languages are being used... They seem to find niche environments (perhaps because the people using them are comforatable and skilled with the language and it does what they need---why change if this is the case?). Unfortunately, the fact is that unless a programming language is going to be used in the workplace or "for school" most people have very little motivation to learn it (with an exception being made for that Klingon one, of course).
--8<--
Wow, one of the most interesting things I have read here for a very long time. Thank you for taking the time to set that down.
--8<--
Okay, guilty! But the fact is I can do just about everything I need to do on my machine in a daily workday using only emacs and Netscape or Mozilla (whichever is crashing less that day). :)
Emacs has a file browser, ftp, IDEs, you name it and it's all accessible through key strokes. That one major beef with GUIs is I don't like mousing too much, hence Emacs is great for me.
--8<--
Amen, I have struggled with this paradox before as well. Time and again I have ended up letting it all get installed and removing stuff later. Great. I realize it's due to dependencies... and it is intended to make the system less confusing for new users, etc... but still...
Have you ever tried those minimal linux roll-yer-own systems? I keep meaning to but never quite get around to it. I am thinking that the kernel, some compiler stuff, networking, and an editor would be all I need to get started (and documentation, and printing, and maybe a light window manager, and maybe... DOH!) :)
--8<--
I'm just going to say what we are all thinking. Well half of us anyway...
Some people like stuff like Nautilus, evolution, Gnome panels, really loaded root window menus, etc... Others like about 4 items in thier root window menu, gno panels (and I mean gnone), run emacs (as file manager, editor, ftp client, eye-washing area, short-order cook, etc), and just think that click-heavy interfaces slow them down.
As someone who prefers lightweight interfaces (text) in a slimmed down windowing environment without gnome, etc. I can also appreciate the attraction of a richer interface experience. But since I am not into gnome, etc, I am not going to say anything for or against it other than to thank all the developers and testers out there for all their hard work.
I do have a question though. Most of us who have been using a system that is highly configurable and application rich (I don't want to say "Linux" because there are lots of others) settle into a rut after a while with respect to the tools we like and how we want to have them layed out---whether we like lazy focus or click-to-focus, auto-raise, emacs, vi, etc.
When I sit down at my friend's Linux machine it's a bit wierd. Nothing works exactly like it should and I don't know where to find anything :) then I sit down at a Solaris box and the same disorientation follows. I prefer this to being in a monotonous environment but I want to ask if Windows users experience this same mild disorientation when they use other boxes than the ones they are normally on (do other unix users or am I am freak)? I am pretty sure Mac users do (again due to it's high configurability).
--8<--
It could just be the fact that the people who are attracted to high-tech jobs tend to be intelligent and metnally active and, over time, start to notice things. Not a few of them are given to speculation, contemplation, and looking for patterns. Not only that, we may find that "nerds" suffer from some social austracism (okay, we've been over this). This might lead to a tendency to look outside the herd for ideas and beliefs.
Add the fact that programming can require the ability to enter near-autistic states of concentration and you have people looking at Zen (actually meditation) seriously. You might also get people thinking about the mystical connectivity of the Internet and also the fact that it all just "works" (if you have ever written a program on one computer and compiled it on another you may know what I mean) and you have "faith" in the system. None of us FULLY understands every aspect of computing and networking. We have faith that it all works most of the time. When we know what is wrong we fix it, but there is always some unknown factors. Refreshing isn't it? :)
--8<--
Don't get me wrong... I've seen plenty of places that DON'T use it. Small wonder most software projects are over budget and late. This is why I am so sure I want to work somewhere that does "do things right" (in my opinion, anyway).
--8<--
This is good to hear. I am also a comp. sci. student and really take software engineering, configuration management, and the like very seriously. Most of the industry horror stories I have heard have involved a "core developer" who kept the design plan close to his chest and left for a new job without leaving proper documentation behind (there are many other stories but the common thread is always "no documentation and someone/people left").
I have always thought that coding should be the easy part of the project. Fixing a design requires an eraser---fixing a partially completed project involves time, money, and hard work...
When I finally leave school I am hoping to find a place to work that employs these design techniques. I know they are out there! :) I even use this approach when tackling assignments and other small projects. Does anyone else do this or am I a freak?
--8<--
One of the things about hacks is it takes some skill to use them. Sometimes it takes very little, sometimes a lot. Also people just won't go to the trouble. There will be tons of people who will but there will always be those who don't want to risk getting caught, voiding a warranty or service agreement, etc.
I have a question though: How would this affect devices like TiVo, etc... Would it make them illegal (or whatever)?
--8<--
concerns about morality would be the least of the inhibitors to the utilization of birth control.
Agreed... Meanwhile the western world is consuming resources at an alarming rate and seems unwilling to share or even slow down while others catch up (what do I mean? I wish I knew... but some experts believe the world hunger problem is one of resource allocation and not availablity).
I am arguing neither in favour of nor in opposition to birth control---it's a personal decision. But when a family is living in poverty the addition of 8 children to the equation (many of whom die while children) hardly helps matters. I just wanted to bolster the argument that the availability of a technology does not mean it will get used the way we think it will, or get used at all.
--8<--
Excatly! To further underscore your point look at the fact that the technology to control reproduction has been around (and when used properly, is almost 100% effective) for a really long time, and is even offered for free in some cases. This has still not been enough to stem the tide of over-population where people don't believe it is morally or culturally correct to practice birth control.
While access to technology like computers is not quite the same thing it is the case that there are many cultures who may not make use of computers the way people developed nations do (assuming they were provided the same level of access at no cost). It's hard to predict what might happen... They might do something really cool or they might swell the ranks of Yahoo Gamers.
The important commonality across all cultures and religions is communication. People like to talk---the more the better. So I think that while it is hard to predict exactly what will happen globally it will always revolve around interpersonal communication. Sometimes that can be enough to level the playing field (not enough to feed the world's hungry though---that would take compassionate communication and you can't pull that pull that out of thin air).
--8<--
An entirely new reality will emerge in cyberspace, ruled by a cognitive elite
I don't really think that this is what will happen. Brains will rule over brawn, for sure, but there will be so many strata to the new ecomomic and social food chain that it will be difficult to say who is in charge at all.
Pretty much any good or service you can buy can is being reviewed, crituqed, and consumed via the web now. It won't be long before every garage mechanic has a discussion forum based on him, where digitally signed and authenticated contributors (who are themselves subject to these same reviews and trust evaluations) will rate the performance of the mechanic, etc. This will make integrity pretty important.
Sure, the local garage will be able to rip non-car-savvy people off like they have always done, but the person willing to dig for information will have a better chance at getting a good deal when they get thier car fixed.
The same principle will apply to large corporations, governments, criminal trial (maybe), etc. What is to prevent the rise of some system that gives ruling power to the politician/party who has the highest trust rating? Isn't this what voting does? Why not imagine the election as an ongoing and dynamic process that affects the balance of power. This would really make politicians accountable---it is also mob rule. And "Rome is the mob".
--8<--
OK, I'll give you that :) but it's better than nothing at all (50% of the time). I worked for a chef once (I used to be a cook) who said he'd rather hire someone who'd never cooked before because he wouldn't need to break any of thier bad habits (he was a "my way or the highway" guy).
I guess I am saying that different people are capable of different things and I would be willing to give a student a chance as long as all their work was thoroughly audited by someone who had a lot of industry experience. This would possibly be cheaper than having the industry-experienced guy do the whole thing (maybe not though... again, experience teaches where to direct efforts, what tools to chose, etc.). It is possible that the medical student we are discussing has some of this knowledge already.
--8<--
Looks like he is investigating this as part of a larger project but there is no reason why a person in his position could not be skilled enough to do such a thing. Experience is the best teacher but sometimes reasearch and design can get you a lot of mileage as well. Besides we are talking about a guy with about 8-10 years of University under his belt. He's probably a pretty capable person.
Students do make incredibly dumb blunders at times (I should know---I am one) but often bring outside experience to tasks from previous work they have done, etc. This guy will be doing medicine in another few years. I hope we can trust him to design and implements a medical records database.
--8<--
Yeah, I agree with what you are saying... If playing games helps you blow off steam and do your job better then go for it! There was a study done a few years ago about lost productivity due to workplace game playing (and general non-work related activites---goofing off) that claimed it was costing business billions each year, meanwhile another study came out claiming the opposite and went so far as to say that game playing helped people (as you say) to get more done, enjoy being at work,etc...
I am just the opposite. I like to plan out my projects and work on them in well structured chunks without a lot of break time during the day. One interesting study would be to see how well "mixed" groups of developers (all-business vs. take-a-break types) get along? Probably a difficult study to do!
--8<--
Maybe this should be an "ask slashdot" question but I was wondering how much time the average gamer who mainly works with computers spends playing games after work (or during work)? (this is the second games-related story on slashdot lately, isn't it?).
I'll be the first to admit that I am "on the computer" too much already so even when I find a game I like that I can run on Linux (I don't have a 3d card or anything) I ussually don't end up playing it too often.
What do you people think? Do those who work with computers all day find they play these games all night or is it mostly people who are in non-computer related jobs that spend hours gaming?
--8<--
In Bruce Streling's [1] Heavy Weather he talks alot about the fact that intellectual property is valuable for about 5 minutes after you publish it. Then someone else takes it, copies it, and posts it. This is going to happen more frequently in the coming years (I think everyone knows that---it's a question of whether you like it).
Another thing he discusses is the concept of Networked communities using Meritocracy to figure out who is trustworthy or valuable to them. Who is a good citizen? The same system could be (and is) applied to things like this theft of a website's look-and-feel. Everyone (well, everyone reading this maybe?) knows that Linux.com had the look first. If they have never seen Linux.com then they may believe the other guy came up with it, but there's not much anyone can do about that. However, if you want to do some research on the guy maybe your search will turn up a link to this slashdot discussion. If that happened you might view the guy (or at least his design skills) in a different light.
One final thought. What if he thought: "there is a good, usable interface... Since I am no good at UI design I will copy it so I can spend more time on the backend code"?
[1] http://www.eff.org/pub/Publicatio ns/Bruce_Sterling/
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