Unless these kids already have a programming proficiency, go with your gut.
The exercise is as much about allowing them to test the programming waters as it is about them winning. If you are starting with a blank slate, that means you need to create an environment that is intriguing. If YOU think Python is the thing, you'll be passionate... and that is a lot of what makes a good coach/tutor in an olympiad.
Further, I think you could do a lot worse than Python. It is really a great language and is popping up in a lot of disciplines as the scripting tool of choice. It will perform well and has great characteristics that make it well suited for someone learning the ropes. Plus, the language is modern enough to be relevant should they desire to pursue IT further.
I would stay away from C/C++. In the hands of novices in a timed activity, I would wager it would be more trouble than it's worth.
Certainly, you're right... I hand waived a bit driving toward the dynamics where atmospheric oxygen was predominantly due to water disassociation. There is substantially no hydrogen and almost all oxygen is locked in CO2.
Re:Stupid terraforming..
on
Water Ice On Mars
·
· Score: 3, Interesting
Actually, that argument can be made for any atmospheric gas constituent, not just water vapor.
There is less water in the Martian atmosphere oxygen while the water is more massive, so the oxygen would leave at a proportionally greater rate (assuming we are observing a long term steady state). One theory of the rapid loss has more to do with disassociation of H and O by UV radiation. H would quickly leave by your molecular motion argument leaving a relatively larger amount of O.
If that's the case, we'd be much better off leaving it subsurface for life sustaining purposes - sublimed ice is lost water. Now, we could use a bunch of nukes to lift dust to the increase greenhouse effect...:)
Clearly, Fermilab lost out funding over much more worthy initiatives. These include:
$7,556,660 for grape and wine research.
$22,716,664 for 18 projects by Senate appropriator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), including $1,574,400 for a cooperative agreement between the Department of Energy and Inyo County and $107,256 for long term sediment management at Humbolt Bay.
$787,200 by House appropriator Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) for advanced green design at the Museum of Natural History in Minneapolis.
$19,942,000 for four projects funding presidential libraries.
$50,000,000 for REAL ID grants.
$16,833,240 for eight projects by Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee member Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), including: $3,937,600 for the Tongass Timber Supply Pipeline; $3,937,600 for the United States Geological Survey Volcano Observatory; $2,953,200 for the Alaska Conveyance Program; and $492,200 for the Craig Recreation land transfer.
$5,906,400 by Rep. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.) for Great Smokey National Park, North Shore Road Settlement.
$6,700,000 for two projects funding fitness centers at two military facilities.
$14,878,000 added by the House for the International Fund for Ireland (IFI).
$33,005,420 for 35 projects by Senate appropriator Christopher (Kit) Bond (R-Mo.), including: $1,470,000 for statewide bus and bus facilities; $551,250 for the Heart of America Bicycle/Pedestrian Bridge; $367,500 for improvements to Downtown Square Street in Grant City; $367,500 for redevelopment of the 11th and Grand neighborhood in Kansas City; and $183,750 for restoration of the Poplar Bluff Historic Depot.
$18,071,200 for 17 projects by House appropriator John Olver (D-Mass.), including: $5,880,000 for development and construction of the MBTA Fitchburg to Boston Rail Corridor Project; $1,470,000 for downtown streetscape in Pittsfield; $784,000 for the Franklin Regional Transit Center; $735,000 for MART bus and commuter facilities; $269,500 for the Barrington Stage Company for the renovation and buildout of the Berkshire Music Hall and Octagon House in Pittsfield; and $196,000 for the Massachusetts Landscape Connectivity Study.
Since the private list members are the OpenSSH maintainers, not trusting them at this point is a bit split-brain. It's like asking someone to hold your wallet and refusing to give them your coat because you don't trust them to keep it safe. In for a penny...
The problem with this is the most instructive bits of the topic would never really be covered in a course. All wrapped in the climate change topic are examples that:
* politicians will sensationalize for votes * scientists will overstate for grants * media will embellish for attention * countries will argue for/against for power
and, really, the science of the matter - ie., the FACTS... the stuff most people really don't want to hear about - only really served to be a platform on which to stand to "look out for number one."
And, just to be clear, I was also one of those climate change research types that got involved before it was fashionable and when Gore was still in Congress looking to make a mark. I was disgusted then; I'm disgusted now.
The best thing you can take away from the study is a healthy measure of skepticism.
When it comes to aesthetics, designers decided to stray from the Jetsons-style House of the Future - an all-plastic cross design with four wing-shaped bays that appeared to float. The house was so tough that wrecking balls bounced off it when Disney ripped it down in 1967.
The new home will be made of wood and steel and finished in muted browns and beiges, said Sheryl Palmer, president and chief executive of Taylor Morrison in North America.
I dunno... I kinda think a house tough enough to withstand a wrecking ball has a lot of forward thinking utility.
Investigator: "They did it. I found out about it." Defense Attorney: "How did you find out?" Investigator: "Sorry; can't tell you that. It's a secret." Defense Attorney: "Then, how do we know it's valid or legal?" Investigator: "I'm a professional - you can take my word on it." Defense Attorney: "Do you have a professional license or certification that backs up your word?" Investigator: "Sorry - I don't see how that's relevant."
Sure this isn't something from a Monty Python sketch?
If a subscriber provides a proper "counter-notice" claiming that the material does not infringe copyrights, the service provider must then promptly notify the claiming party of the individual's objection. [512(g)(2)] If the copyright owner does not bring a lawsuit in district court within 14 days, the service provider is then required to restore the material to its location on its network. [512(g)(2)(C)]
Indeed... though the fireworks begin before the material is restored. Under the DMCA, a counter-notice starts the clock on a lawsuit filing deadline. If a lawsuit isn't filed in district court within 14 days, the material must be restored.
... the cellphone dynamical system is less straight forward than the desktop. Cellphone subsidies and long-term contracts play heavily into the success of a particular platform. The incumbent has a clear advantage but not an insurmountable one.
Let's consider Palm OS. It is still out there on MANY devices and actively peddled by cell providers. They really stopped innovating - maybe - 4-5 years ago. It has taken that long for others to eat their lunch. Even a minor amount of work to really stay current and they would still be plugging. They simply stopped paying attention to the important bits (interface is critical, display usage is important, speed is a concern...).
Now, that's not to say Microsoft isn't guilty of not paying attention (IE, for example). But, they do watch the trends and will throw MAJOR horsepower at catching up after a stupid decision.
Long term relationships with vendors help them because it gives them time to recover and they KNOW how to do that. Shoot, they practically invented it and they certainly perfected it. You can absolutely bet that the non-committal public attitude by Verizon and AT&T is playing to that - they smell a deal to be made. They want to see how sweet it can be by playing Google & Microsoft against one another. Microsoft is not afraid to spend lots of money; they are experienced with how to turn a lost leader (XBox) into a money maker.
The bottom line is that, short of a critical miscalculation on the part of Microsoft, Google's battle will be very tough indeed. They are going to have to expend a lot of capital to keep the pressure on and produce something real - assuming they aren't just generating hype.
Actually, I think classification standard of vaporware has to be expanded a little to include this.
Just a bit of CYA maneuvering. Allows them to recover from an unintended consequence (alienating a campaign funding source, damaging journal paradigms in a way that undermines science, etc.) without having to go through the pain of introducing a bill to repeal an existing law (ie., sent to committee, debated and reworded, sent to the floor,...).
If it ain't working right, it just disappears in a year without having to debate the point. If it is, then it's a slam-dunk for renewal.
A few years back, I bought a couple of shrink wrapped USB webcams from CompUSA. One box was just fine. The other box contained a piece of pipe and a roll of toilet paper (OK, vultures... a straight line. Queue the wisecracks).
I stressed about the fact that there was absolutely NO proof regarding my version of the story. Fortunately, the CS rep just took it back with no grief.
As a result, however, I now open every shrink wrap in BB, Circuit City, whatever... period. If they don't like the delay, they can either supply me with a signed letter saying they'll take it back no questions or they can sod off. Caveat emptor.
Actually, the paper makes an minor reference to lead-based paint. Their representation is that the absorption mechanism is less effective - it requires consumption of paint chips.
As a previous poster represented, inhalation of exhaust is a very efficient vector. Also, there is contact with materials on which exhaust is deposited - soils and water. Like pesticides (or nuclear waste, for that matter), a widespread low-level exposure is all that is necessary if total dosage characteristics come into play. An organism living continually exposed to low levels of a toxin that has cumulative effects may not be noticeably damaged immediately, but it will eventually manifest.
'B-52' was the aircraft designation for the bomber that coincidentally had its maiden flight on April 15, 1952 (the YB-52). The designation was assigned to the design in 1948.
The fact is the original patch post was on Tue, 28 Aug 2007 12:00:50. Since then, the discussions are ongoing as how best to proceed. Recently, this was posted:
Date Wed, 29 Aug 2007 08:35:05 -0200 From "Jiri Slaby" Subject Re: [PATCH 4/5] Net: ath5k, license is GPLv2
On 8/29/07, Johannes Berg wrote: > On Tue, 2007-08-28 at 12:00 -0400, Jiri Slaby wrote: > > > The files are available only under GPLv2 since now. > > Since the BSD people are already getting upset about (for various > reasons among which seem to be a clear non-understanding) I'd suggest > changing it to:
yes, please. Can somebody do it, I'm away from my box.
> + * Parts of this file were originally licenced under the BSD licence: > + * > > * Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software for any > > * purpose with or without fee is hereby granted, provided that the above > > * copyright notice and this permission notice appear in all copies. > > * > > * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND THE AUTHOR DISCLAIMS ALL > WARRANTIES > > * WITH REGARD TO THIS SOFTWARE INCLUDING ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF > > * MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR BE LIABLE FOR > > * ANY SPECIAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR ANY DAMAGES > > * WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS, WHETHER IN AN > > * ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION, ARISING OUT OF > > * OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE. > + * > + * Further changes to this file since the moment this notice was extended > + * are now distributed under the terms of the GPL version two as published > + * by the Free Software Foundation > > johannes >
As mentioned before, it is the LKML, not the Rosetta stone. Things change...
... but hardly unique to computers. Newspaper, books, pictures, movies - they are all recording media that (presumably) never forgets. It's just a computer does a better job of finding where it put things.
Actually, it strikes me that the problem is not "forgetting" as much as it is remembering too well. We all remember the "good ole days"; the crux of the problem is the human mind looks back on events through the fog of experience. Events become shadows of their former appearances.
It would probably be easier to collectively "lighten up" about stuff...
I beg to differ. Equal share has nothing to do with individual income. However, equal share is not the same as fair share.
Suppose you have a city in which 70% of the populous are above the poverty line while the remainder is below (a few are very much below). The city services are understandably geared to the majority which, given the constituency, can be substantial (larger houses = a more responsive fire department, more police, greenways, and many amenities). Many of these services are not required or desired by those with more modest incomes. How is it "fair" to ask them to pay a substantial percentage of their income to cover costs for services they do not benefit from and do not need?
If that condition is not met, then the cost of government is either too large or disproportionately applied. Together, these alternatives get us politics and a tax code.
In the forecasting vernacular, that method describes forecasting based on "persistence".
Persistence is the yardstick all forecasters use to determine if they should find another line of work (or be asked to do so by others). If you can't demonstrate an understanding of the processes and data such that extend beyond the data source everyone else has (ie., the weather their experiencing), it's just snake oil.
Slashdot Mirror
Unless these kids already have a programming proficiency, go with your gut.
The exercise is as much about allowing them to test the programming waters as it is about them winning. If you are starting with a blank slate, that means you need to create an environment that is intriguing. If YOU think Python is the thing, you'll be passionate ... and that is a lot of what makes a good coach/tutor in an olympiad.
Further, I think you could do a lot worse than Python. It is really a great language and is popping up in a lot of disciplines as the scripting tool of choice. It will perform well and has great characteristics that make it well suited for someone learning the ropes. Plus, the language is modern enough to be relevant should they desire to pursue IT further.
I would stay away from C/C++. In the hands of novices in a timed activity, I would wager it would be more trouble than it's worth.
Certainly, you're right ... I hand waived a bit driving toward the dynamics where atmospheric oxygen was predominantly due to water disassociation. There is substantially no hydrogen and almost all oxygen is locked in CO2.
Actually, that argument can be made for any atmospheric gas constituent, not just water vapor.
There is less water in the Martian atmosphere oxygen while the water is more massive, so the oxygen would leave at a proportionally greater rate (assuming we are observing a long term steady state). One theory of the rapid loss has more to do with disassociation of H and O by UV radiation. H would quickly leave by your molecular motion argument leaving a relatively larger amount of O.
If that's the case, we'd be much better off leaving it subsurface for life sustaining purposes - sublimed ice is lost water. Now, we could use a bunch of nukes to lift dust to the increase greenhouse effect ... :)
Clearly, Fermilab lost out funding over much more worthy initiatives. These include:
$7,556,660 for grape and wine research.
$22,716,664 for 18 projects by Senate appropriator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), including $1,574,400 for a cooperative agreement between the Department of Energy and Inyo County and $107,256 for long term sediment management at Humbolt Bay.
$787,200 by House appropriator Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) for advanced green design at the Museum of Natural History in Minneapolis.
$19,942,000 for four projects funding presidential libraries.
$50,000,000 for REAL ID grants.
$16,833,240 for eight projects by Senate Interior Appropriations Subcommittee member Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), including: $3,937,600 for the Tongass Timber Supply Pipeline; $3,937,600 for the United States Geological Survey Volcano Observatory; $2,953,200 for the Alaska Conveyance Program; and $492,200 for the Craig Recreation land transfer.
$5,906,400 by Rep. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.) for Great Smokey National Park, North Shore Road Settlement.
$6,700,000 for two projects funding fitness centers at two military facilities.
$14,878,000 added by the House for the International Fund for Ireland (IFI).
$33,005,420 for 35 projects by Senate appropriator Christopher (Kit) Bond (R-Mo.), including: $1,470,000 for statewide bus and bus facilities; $551,250 for the Heart of America Bicycle/Pedestrian Bridge; $367,500 for improvements to Downtown Square Street in Grant City; $367,500 for redevelopment of the 11th and Grand neighborhood in Kansas City; and $183,750 for restoration of the Poplar Bluff Historic Depot.
$18,071,200 for 17 projects by House appropriator John Olver (D-Mass.), including: $5,880,000 for development and construction of the MBTA Fitchburg to Boston Rail Corridor Project; $1,470,000 for downtown streetscape in Pittsfield; $784,000 for the Franklin Regional Transit Center; $735,000 for MART bus and commuter facilities; $269,500 for the Barrington Stage Company for the renovation and buildout of the Berkshire Music Hall and Octagon House in Pittsfield; and $196,000 for the Massachusetts Landscape Connectivity Study.
Others can be found at http://www.cagw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=reports_pigbook2008.
What is it with geeks and magnifying glasses?
Since the private list members are the OpenSSH maintainers, not trusting them at this point is a bit split-brain. It's like asking someone to hold your wallet and refusing to give them your coat because you don't trust them to keep it safe. In for a penny ...
Yeah! Was it too much to ask to be able to fire one lousy missile?
... not even a grenade?
... were the handcuffs really necessary?
Not ONE
SHEESH
The problem with this is the most instructive bits of the topic would never really be covered in a course. All wrapped in the climate change topic are examples that:
... the stuff most people really don't want to hear about - only really served to be a platform on which to stand to "look out for number one."
* politicians will sensationalize for votes
* scientists will overstate for grants
* media will embellish for attention
* countries will argue for/against for power
and, really, the science of the matter - ie., the FACTS
And, just to be clear, I was also one of those climate change research types that got involved before it was fashionable and when Gore was still in Congress looking to make a mark. I was disgusted then; I'm disgusted now.
The best thing you can take away from the study is a healthy measure of skepticism.
When it comes to aesthetics, designers decided to stray from the Jetsons-style House of the Future - an all-plastic cross design with four wing-shaped bays that appeared to float. The house was so tough that wrecking balls bounced off it when Disney ripped it down in 1967.
... I kinda think a house tough enough to withstand a wrecking ball has a lot of forward thinking utility.
The new home will be made of wood and steel and finished in muted browns and beiges, said Sheryl Palmer, president and chief executive of Taylor Morrison in North America.
I dunno
Investigator: "They did it. I found out about it."
Defense Attorney: "How did you find out?"
Investigator: "Sorry; can't tell you that. It's a secret."
Defense Attorney: "Then, how do we know it's valid or legal?"
Investigator: "I'm a professional - you can take my word on it."
Defense Attorney: "Do you have a professional license or certification that backs up your word?"
Investigator: "Sorry - I don't see how that's relevant."
Sure this isn't something from a Monty Python sketch?
How about disruption of commerce? An excuse for a bunch of suits to come knocking.
FYI: Chilling Effects
If a subscriber provides a proper "counter-notice" claiming that the material does not infringe copyrights, the service provider must then promptly notify the claiming party of the individual's objection. [512(g)(2)] If the copyright owner does not bring a lawsuit in district court within 14 days, the service provider is then required to restore the material to its location on its network. [512(g)(2)(C)]
Indeed ... though the fireworks begin before the material is restored. Under the DMCA, a counter-notice starts the clock on a lawsuit filing deadline. If a lawsuit isn't filed in district court within 14 days, the material must be restored.
Yeah, but ... how you gonna keep the webcam from sliding? :)
... the cellphone dynamical system is less straight forward than the desktop. Cellphone subsidies and long-term contracts play heavily into the success of a particular platform. The incumbent has a clear advantage but not an insurmountable one.
...).
Let's consider Palm OS. It is still out there on MANY devices and actively peddled by cell providers. They really stopped innovating - maybe - 4-5 years ago. It has taken that long for others to eat their lunch. Even a minor amount of work to really stay current and they would still be plugging. They simply stopped paying attention to the important bits (interface is critical, display usage is important, speed is a concern
Now, that's not to say Microsoft isn't guilty of not paying attention (IE, for example). But, they do watch the trends and will throw MAJOR horsepower at catching up after a stupid decision.
Long term relationships with vendors help them because it gives them time to recover and they KNOW how to do that. Shoot, they practically invented it and they certainly perfected it. You can absolutely bet that the non-committal public attitude by Verizon and AT&T is playing to that - they smell a deal to be made. They want to see how sweet it can be by playing Google & Microsoft against one another. Microsoft is not afraid to spend lots of money; they are experienced with how to turn a lost leader (XBox) into a money maker.
The bottom line is that, short of a critical miscalculation on the part of Microsoft, Google's battle will be very tough indeed. They are going to have to expend a lot of capital to keep the pressure on and produce something real - assuming they aren't just generating hype.
Actually, I think classification standard of vaporware has to be expanded a little to include this.
Just a bit of CYA maneuvering. Allows them to recover from an unintended consequence (alienating a campaign funding source, damaging journal paradigms in a way that undermines science, etc.) without having to go through the pain of introducing a bill to repeal an existing law (ie., sent to committee, debated and reworded, sent to the floor, ...).
If it ain't working right, it just disappears in a year without having to debate the point. If it is, then it's a slam-dunk for renewal.
A few years back, I bought a couple of shrink wrapped USB webcams from CompUSA. One box was just fine. The other box contained a piece of pipe and a roll of toilet paper (OK, vultures ... a straight line. Queue the wisecracks).
... period. If they don't like the delay, they can either supply me with a signed letter saying they'll take it back no questions or they can sod off. Caveat emptor.
I stressed about the fact that there was absolutely NO proof regarding my version of the story. Fortunately, the CS rep just took it back with no grief.
As a result, however, I now open every shrink wrap in BB, Circuit City, whatever
Actually, the paper makes an minor reference to lead-based paint. Their representation is that the absorption mechanism is less effective - it requires consumption of paint chips.
As a previous poster represented, inhalation of exhaust is a very efficient vector. Also, there is contact with materials on which exhaust is deposited - soils and water. Like pesticides (or nuclear waste, for that matter), a widespread low-level exposure is all that is necessary if total dosage characteristics come into play. An organism living continually exposed to low levels of a toxin that has cumulative effects may not be noticeably damaged immediately, but it will eventually manifest.
Forty-seven percent of tech pros admit they've kissed a co-worker
... in your dreams! (specifically the 50% that have fallen asleep)
Yeah
'B-52' was the aircraft designation for the bomber that coincidentally had its maiden flight on April 15, 1952 (the YB-52). The designation was assigned to the design in 1948.
The fact is the original patch post was on Tue, 28 Aug 2007 12:00:50. Since then, the discussions are ongoing as how best to proceed. Recently, this was posted:
...
Date Wed, 29 Aug 2007 08:35:05 -0200
From "Jiri Slaby"
Subject Re: [PATCH 4/5] Net: ath5k, license is GPLv2
On 8/29/07, Johannes Berg wrote:
> On Tue, 2007-08-28 at 12:00 -0400, Jiri Slaby wrote:
>
> > The files are available only under GPLv2 since now.
>
> Since the BSD people are already getting upset about (for various
> reasons among which seem to be a clear non-understanding) I'd suggest
> changing it to:
yes, please. Can somebody do it, I'm away from my box.
> + * Parts of this file were originally licenced under the BSD licence:
> + *
> > * Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software for any
> > * purpose with or without fee is hereby granted, provided that the above
> > * copyright notice and this permission notice appear in all copies.
> > *
> > * THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND THE AUTHOR DISCLAIMS ALL
> WARRANTIES
> > * WITH REGARD TO THIS SOFTWARE INCLUDING ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
> > * MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR BE LIABLE FOR
> > * ANY SPECIAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR ANY DAMAGES
> > * WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS, WHETHER IN AN
> > * ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION, ARISING OUT OF
> > * OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.
> + *
> + * Further changes to this file since the moment this notice was extended
> + * are now distributed under the terms of the GPL version two as published
> + * by the Free Software Foundation
>
> johannes
>
As mentioned before, it is the LKML, not the Rosetta stone. Things change
... but hardly unique to computers. Newspaper, books, pictures, movies - they are all recording media that (presumably) never forgets. It's just a computer does a better job of finding where it put things.
...
Actually, it strikes me that the problem is not "forgetting" as much as it is remembering too well. We all remember the "good ole days"; the crux of the problem is the human mind looks back on events through the fog of experience. Events become shadows of their former appearances.
It would probably be easier to collectively "lighten up" about stuff
Wishful thinking.
I beg to differ. Equal share has nothing to do with individual income. However, equal share is not the same as fair share.
Suppose you have a city in which 70% of the populous are above the poverty line while the remainder is below (a few are very much below). The city services are understandably geared to the majority which, given the constituency, can be substantial (larger houses = a more responsive fire department, more police, greenways, and many amenities). Many of these services are not required or desired by those with more modest incomes. How is it "fair" to ask them to pay a substantial percentage of their income to cover costs for services they do not benefit from and do not need?
... but only when
fair tax individual citizen income
If that condition is not met, then the cost of government is either too large or disproportionately applied. Together, these alternatives get us politics and a tax code.
In the forecasting vernacular, that method describes forecasting based on "persistence".
Persistence is the yardstick all forecasters use to determine if they should find another line of work (or be asked to do so by others). If you can't demonstrate an understanding of the processes and data such that extend beyond the data source everyone else has (ie., the weather their experiencing), it's just snake oil.
(IAAM)