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User: Ghoser777

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  1. A little too soon to tell on Despite Push From Tech Giants, AP CS Exam Counts Don't Budge Much In Most States · · Score: 1

    There are a lot of factors in play here. As noted above, the effects of the Hour of Code and other pushes to get more into programming won't be felt in the first year. My anecdotal situation - AP CS classes at my school increased from about 40 students to over 60 this year. I don't know if this trend is seen throughout the US or not.

    There is also the issue of preparation. Not every school has a teacher who is "qualified" to teach the rigorous material in AP CS. My guess is the vast majority of AP Calc teachers have successfully finished Calc 3 and beyond, but that's not true for many AP CS teachers who might be a Business teacher or a Math teacher with a couple of CS courses. There are some schools that require students to take the AP test if they are enrolled in the course (and I believe the schools pay for them), which may account for many 1's.

    Additionally, not all schools have a program that leads into AP CS. Unlike subjects like AP Calc where there is past curriculum that builds from past years, AP CS might be the first experience to coding that many students have ever had. I think efforts that are getting younger kids into coding will eventually lead to a very nice bump in AP scores in the future.

    When the AP CS Principles curriculum starts being implemented more broadly, there should also be a positive effect on scores. Students who might have struggled in a more theoretical class like AP CS will gain a great deal of foundational knowledge in the Principles course. It will be a great way for kids to find out what CS is all about before deciding whether to choose the AP CS course.

  2. This is terrible on Kmart Says Its Payment System Was Hacked · · Score: 2

    That's 10 more people who have had their personal information compromised.

  3. Re:Awesome! on Icons That Don't Make Sense Anymore · · Score: 2

    I actually despise auto-save. There are countless times that I make changes to a document to see what would happen as opposed to making permanent changes. The worst case is the grade book program from my school - we used to have to hit save to write our changes to the grade book server. Now, if I accidentally overwrite a students grade, there's no way to get the old grade back.

  4. Credit Transfers? on Stanford 'Intro To AI' Course Offered Free Online · · Score: 1

    Can I earn college credit that will transfer to other institutions? That's what I want to know.

  5. Toto...?! on Egypt Cuts the Net, Net Fights Back · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Would that be a homage to the group Toto, "famous" for the song "Africa"?

    It's gonna take a lot to take me away from you
    There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
    I bless the rains down in Africa
    Gonna take some time to do the things we never have

  6. Some are good on Your Online Education Experience? · · Score: 2, Informative

    I had an excellent experience with Walden University. I was able to attend virtual lectures from distinguished professors from Duke to Carnegie-Mellon. The work was at an appropriate level, and I feel like I learned a great deal. Your mileage may vary in different areas (I got my MA in Comp Sci).

  7. But-Related on Porn Sites More Infected Than Thought · · Score: 3, Funny

    Haha, you said but-related.

  8. I should run for office on US Officials Flunk Test On Civic Knowledge · · Score: 1

    93% right isn't too bad for someone who got C/B's in US History. I'm ashamed I got the Gettysburg Address question wrong on #7 (I am from the land of Lincoln) and I rushed through #33 too fast, otherwise it's pretty obvious.

    Ghoser777 in 2012!

  9. Definitions on Rubik's Cube Algorithm Cut Again, Down to 23 Moves · · Score: 1

    It really depends if solvability is implied in the definition of a rubik's cube. The game of Solitaire is not always winnable from initial given cards - does that mean that the dealt cards aren't a legal Solitaire game, or just not winnable?

  10. Re:Texas voter here: This is simply untrue. on Clinton Takes Ohio, Texas; McCain Seals The Deal · · Score: 1

    You make sound like Obama set up the Texas system. Did he also tell Florida and Michigan to move up their elections so they'd be DQ'd? It's one thing to criticize the system (I'm ok with that) and another to start criticizing a guy for playing by the rules of the game. Hillary looks more mischievous to me as she didn't object to what happened in Florida and Michigan, and what has just happened in Texas, until after it became clear that it was in her own interest to object.

  11. New Travel Destination on Japan to Start Fingerprinting Foreign Travelers · · Score: 0

    Since I won't want to go to Japan anytime soon, any other suggestions for Asian or Pacific countries to visit?

  12. Understandable Description on A New Theory of Everything? · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://aimath.org/E8/e8.html

    I found this site easier to understand than the wikipedia link. I warned my trig students about higher dimensions - wait till I tell them about 8-d vectors, they'll love it!

  13. Is this retroactive? on Free Tuition for Math, Science, and Engineering? · · Score: 1

    I've already got my math degree and have taught for four year... and I've got some loans that need paying off. Does it matter that I live in Illinois, not Montana?

  14. What worries me... on Brain/Machine Interfaces Approaching Usefulness · · Score: 4, Insightful

    is what happens when you think something that you don't want to actually carry out? I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who has random thoughts that enter their mind and then you dismiss and don't actually do anything with. How can you tell between idle thoughts and thoughts that are supposed to bring about actions?

  15. Did anyone else read the title wrong? on GoDaddy Bobbles DST Changeover? · · Score: 4, Funny

    I swore it said GoDaddy Boobies Changeover.

  16. Re:if it breeds discontent, so be it. on Paying for Better Math and Science Teachers · · Score: 1

    The only way this system would work is if it was based on improvement. So if you give me a kid with a 4th grade math level and I get him to th 8th grade through one year, that's considered great success even though the kid doesn't meet state standards as a sophomore in high school. I don't know what a fair scale is, but it should be somehow relative how far the kid has come.

  17. Re:2.13 Ghz dual versus 4.5 Ghz on Intel 45nm Fab Process Launched And Penryn Preview · · Score: 1

    I hope you realize that clock speed is only one measure of the performance of a machine, and that increasing clock speed can trade off with other important factors.

  18. Re:Gotta mention the obligatory Steve Jobs story h on Why Do Computers Take So Long to Boot Up? · · Score: 4, Funny

    Hate to imagine the amount of human lifetimes lost on slashdot...

  19. Saturn on Next Generation Stack Computing · · Score: 1
  20. That's odd.. on Excerpt from Kessler's 'The End of Medicine' · · Score: 1

    "Read 12683 More Bytes.."

    Yes, because that's a descriptive way to tell a person how long a piece of text is.

  21. Re:ARM? on ARM Offers First Clockless Processor Core · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    I want a TA sequel :(

  22. Here's an idea on Theaters Unhappy About Faster DVD Releases · · Score: 2, Interesting

    How about I get a copy of the DVD for going to the theater? Or make the DVD an optional part of the ticket price? Or you can decide if you want to buy the DVD when you leave?

  23. Slashdot fortune has the answer on Heads Roll As Microsoft Misses Vista Target · · Score: 1

    If at first you don't succeed, redefine success.

  24. Re:Liability on Tagging Devices To Aid In Car Chases · · Score: 1

    You're talking about how it should be, while I'm talking about how it is. I totally believe the blame should fall on the the criminal, but think about it from a purely selfish, financial standpoint - who would you rather sue, the two bit criminal with no money to his name, or a department of the city that has money to burn? From that standpoint, it's a no brainer.

  25. Liability on Tagging Devices To Aid In Car Chases · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If the police pursue a criminal in a high speed chase and someone else gets hurt as a result of it, the police have a good chance of being sued. The tagger would help tremendously in this department, as it encourages the person being pursued to ditch the car at some point instead of flying around the roads like a maniac.