The new GCSE science curriculum has been branded "sound bite science" which takes a back-to-front approach.
Sir Richard Sykes, rector of Imperial College London, is among the scientists to attack the core qualification, in which pupils discuss topical issues.
He warned a "dumbed down syllabus" may stop those who did not study chemistry, physics and biology individually from getting into good universities.
The Department for Education said the new GCSEs did involve academic rigour.
In recent years most pupils have studied a "combined science" double GCSE, rather than separate science subjects which are largely confined to grammar and independent schools.
But from this September, most are taking a GCSE in "scientific literacy for the 21st Century" - covering issues including global warming and mobile phone technology.
The expectation is they will also do an Additional Science GCSE - either "general", with a more factual basis, or "applied", with a more practical focus.
Science is going to be relegated to the position of Latin and Greek and will only be taught in the independent schools Baroness Mary Warnock.
However, Sir Richard told BBC News: "If you wish to have a dumbed-down syllabus for the general population that's fine. But for those who really want to go on and study a subject in depth, and particularly go to a good university like Imperial, then they'll never get there unless they study the individual subjects and take A-levels in these individual subjects."
He believes the new GCSEs will make it harder for pupils from state schools to study science at top universities as science departments prefer more traditional courses.
UK students today, if they can use MS-Word and can use a web browser, they can use a computer to an expert level. And there in lies the problem.
We have little teaching of actual programming and use of a computer (setting up a simple network, installing and configure software), just how to use a word processor. Although, the state of dumbed down education today, you'd half expect exams in how to send a SMS (text) message on a mobile phone, or how to get the top score in Tetris on a phone.
There are alternatives to Microsoft Windows, but you have to factor in the following two problems;
1. The consumer is lazy and ignorant. If you have Windows installed (or pre-installed), then the consumer thinks about upgrading and just buys Microsoft again because they cannot be bothered to learn a slightly different way of doing things. (Or might not even know of an alternative OS).
2. Whilst Linux does not have the top killer apps like Photoshop, Adobe Premier or games, it is most certainly good enough for regular consumers to use now. Same goes for the Apple Mac.
If the developers actually bothered to write their heavyweight applications for Linux then I'm sure not everything would be going Microsoft's way, especially as Linux costs $0 versus Vista's who knows how many insane $ depending on which version you buy, let alone the implications of DRM and UNtrusted computing.
Generally, we have no politicians with a degree in IT, but all useless subjects like politics, art, history etc. and these people are the ones pulling the technology strings of government (and hence your country). Many politicians don't even know how to send an e-mail!!!
Politicians only believe in headline grabbing nonsense like we must crack down on internet porn, without understanding what they are saying and complexities. It helps that the masses are equally as thick so don't see right through the politicians, so they can say what they like.
Okay, move to Linux and then what? There are still no 64bit versions of a PDF reader (from Adobe), no 64 bit Flash, no 64 bit Java (browser plug-in), no 64 bit Skype. You need to involve 32 bit libraries which may cause problems with other applications to pretend to the system the 32 bit versions of applications are 64 bit applications.
Being dependent on closed source means you are dependent on update cycles that favour one OS over the other. While there may not be a 64 bit version of the above for Windows, you know that Linux versions will come last and for some things, have less features then the Windows version.
In the dim distant past I applied for a job for PC-World (I didn't get it). The store managers reason was, you know too much about computers, and might scare people away when they most need advice. They were interested in sales people and not people that could give the correct advice and make a sale.
Just try it out, go into their stores and ask them a basic question (if you can ever find anyone) and see how far they get with it. Usually you'll get the "I'll just go check for the answer", and the sales rep runs away to the stock room until you've given up and left (to order gadget online instead).
The store is good for getting emergency supplies like ink, paper or DVD's etc., although not particular cheap.
For a new person, not having a "desktop" background makes the floating toolbars complicated, especially if you have other applications open at the same time.
In the Linux version (don't know for Windows version), when you go to print an image, you can setup a printer, give it a name etc. But if you get rid of the printer or you just don't like the settings, you can't delete the printer from The Gimp's Print setup, and you can't change the printer settings easily.
In the UK the digital tv signals are in spectrum space, close to the analogue stations so you don't necessarily need to buy a new terrestrial aerial.
However, the quality of the analogue tv, both the audio and video have been progressively been made worse to make digital tv look good. Digital FTA (free to air) tv is over-compressed to hell and back video and very substandard low bitrate audio. Satellite digital tv is better than terrestrial FTA. Both systems suffer from idiotic channel number changes for seemingly no reason meaning people re-tuning boxes (complicated thing for older people / technophobes), mucking up the order of many user pre-set stations lists. Analogue tv you just setup and forget about it.
And these problems are just talking of standard definition tv, you don't even want to think what will happen if they ever put HD video out, more compression, more rubbish etc.
The same problems exist with DAB-radio (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Audio_Broadcasting Digital Audio Broadcasting). The quality of FM radio, (DAB hopes to replace FM), is being made worse and worse. DAB in the UK is seriously low bitrate MP2 audio, some of the lowest bit-rates in the world, and many stations that are in stereo on FM are in mono on DAB, saves money. The DAB CODEC is a seriously old, and the error correction for DAB radio is cr@p.
While many countries around the world are going straight to DAB+ (more up-to-date CODEC and error correction compared to DAB), the UK is flogging DAB because the companies don't want to spend money on the more efficient and better system.
So, from the UK point of view, digital tv and digital radio are horrible technologies being used to squeeze as many cr@p stations as possible into the space, whilst making the experience of viewing and listening painful to eyes and ears.
There will be a Vista version of BBC iPlayer available this year. We are actively working on Mac and cross platform support.
It shows where their priority is
What do you expect the BBC to support, when they have stuff like day long free* adverts for Vista when it launched all over their website, tv, and radio stations.
Civil liberties campaigners and MPs have raised doubts about the national DNA database after the Home Office confirmed it contained more than 500,000 false or wrongly recorded names.
Suspects arrested over any imprisonable offence, including rape and murder, can have their DNA held even if they are not charged or are acquitted.
The database, the biggest in the world, contains about four million names.
But it has been dogged by problems. Statistics released by the Home Office show it contains around 550,000 files with wrong or misspelt names.
Lynne Featherstone, a Liberal Democrat frontbencher, told The Daily Telegraph that she wanted a full parliamentary inquiry into the "shocking" number of errors.
So for whatever reason (and spelling seems to be common), a huge amount of the database is wrong. Those are amazing figures.
Slashdot Mirror
Unfortunately, I do believe education is being dumbed down for traditional HARD subjects... for full article read the URL, but there's a bit of it:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6038638.stm/The new GCSE science curriculum has been branded "sound bite science" which takes a back-to-front approach.
Sir Richard Sykes, rector of Imperial College London, is among the scientists to attack the core qualification, in which pupils discuss topical issues.
He warned a "dumbed down syllabus" may stop those who did not study chemistry, physics and biology individually from getting into good universities.
The Department for Education said the new GCSEs did involve academic rigour.
In recent years most pupils have studied a "combined science" double GCSE, rather than separate science subjects which are largely confined to grammar and independent schools.
But from this September, most are taking a GCSE in "scientific literacy for the 21st Century" - covering issues including global warming and mobile phone technology.
The expectation is they will also do an Additional Science GCSE - either "general", with a more factual basis, or "applied", with a more practical focus.
Science is going to be relegated to the position of Latin and Greek and will only be taught in the independent schools Baroness Mary Warnock.
However, Sir Richard told BBC News: "If you wish to have a dumbed-down syllabus for the general population that's fine. But for those who really want to go on and study a subject in depth, and particularly go to a good university like Imperial, then they'll never get there unless they study the individual subjects and take A-levels in these individual subjects."
He believes the new GCSEs will make it harder for pupils from state schools to study science at top universities as science departments prefer more traditional courses.
Or for dire situation on modern languages:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/08/23/ngcse123.xml/
UK students today, if they can use MS-Word and can use a web browser, they can use a computer to an expert level. And there in lies the problem.
We have little teaching of actual programming and use of a computer (setting up a simple network, installing and configure software), just how to use a word processor. Although, the state of dumbed down education today, you'd half expect exams in how to send a SMS (text) message on a mobile phone, or how to get the top score in Tetris on a phone.
There are alternatives to Microsoft Windows, but you have to factor in the following two problems;
1. The consumer is lazy and ignorant. If you have Windows installed (or pre-installed), then the consumer thinks about upgrading and just buys Microsoft again because they cannot be bothered to learn a slightly different way of doing things. (Or might not even know of an alternative OS).
2. Whilst Linux does not have the top killer apps like Photoshop, Adobe Premier or games, it is most certainly good enough for regular consumers to use now. Same goes for the Apple Mac.
If the developers actually bothered to write their heavyweight applications for Linux then I'm sure not everything would be going Microsoft's way, especially as Linux costs $0 versus Vista's who knows how many insane $ depending on which version you buy, let alone the implications of DRM and UNtrusted computing.
Generally, we have no politicians with a degree in IT, but all useless subjects like politics, art, history etc. and these people are the ones pulling the technology strings of government (and hence your country). Many politicians don't even know how to send an e-mail!!!
Politicians only believe in headline grabbing nonsense like we must crack down on internet porn, without understanding what they are saying and complexities. It helps that the masses are equally as thick so don't see right through the politicians, so they can say what they like.
Okay, move to Linux and then what? There are still no 64bit versions of a PDF reader (from Adobe), no 64 bit Flash, no 64 bit Java (browser plug-in), no 64 bit Skype. You need to involve 32 bit libraries which may cause problems with other applications to pretend to the system the 32 bit versions of applications are 64 bit applications.
Being dependent on closed source means you are dependent on update cycles that favour one OS over the other. While there may not be a 64 bit version of the above for Windows, you know that Linux versions will come last and for some things, have less features then the Windows version.
In the dim distant past I applied for a job for PC-World (I didn't get it). The store managers reason was, you know too much about computers, and might scare people away when they most need advice. They were interested in sales people and not people that could give the correct advice and make a sale.
Just try it out, go into their stores and ask them a basic question (if you can ever find anyone) and see how far they get with it. Usually you'll get the "I'll just go check for the answer", and the sales rep runs away to the stock room until you've given up and left (to order gadget online instead).
The store is good for getting emergency supplies like ink, paper or DVD's etc., although not particular cheap.
I* am on [Facebook/Myspace/etc.]** and have 128 social network friends... and they ALL know me and are interested in me... honest!
It's all a fad type website idea, it'll pass.
* I personally don't use those kind of sites.
** Delete as appropriate.
For a new person, not having a "desktop" background makes the floating toolbars complicated, especially if you have other applications open at the same time.
In the Linux version (don't know for Windows version), when you go to print an image, you can setup a printer, give it a name etc. But if you get rid of the printer or you just don't like the settings, you can't delete the printer from The Gimp's Print setup, and you can't change the printer settings easily.
Think of Compiz as the uncool (problematic*) parent of Beryl. Even the name Compiz is uncool IMO.
* I've tried to use Compiz, it never works, but Beryl works flawlessly.
In the UK the digital tv signals are in spectrum space, close to the analogue stations so you don't necessarily need to buy a new terrestrial aerial.
However, the quality of the analogue tv, both the audio and video have been progressively been made worse to make digital tv look good. Digital FTA (free to air) tv is over-compressed to hell and back video and very substandard low bitrate audio. Satellite digital tv is better than terrestrial FTA. Both systems suffer from idiotic channel number changes for seemingly no reason meaning people re-tuning boxes (complicated thing for older people / technophobes), mucking up the order of many user pre-set stations lists. Analogue tv you just setup and forget about it.
And these problems are just talking of standard definition tv, you don't even want to think what will happen if they ever put HD video out, more compression, more rubbish etc.
The same problems exist with DAB-radio (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Audio_Broadcasting Digital Audio Broadcasting). The quality of FM radio, (DAB hopes to replace FM), is being made worse and worse. DAB in the UK is seriously low bitrate MP2 audio, some of the lowest bit-rates in the world, and many stations that are in stereo on FM are in mono on DAB, saves money. The DAB CODEC is a seriously old, and the error correction for DAB radio is cr@p.
While many countries around the world are going straight to DAB+ (more up-to-date CODEC and error correction compared to DAB), the UK is flogging DAB because the companies don't want to spend money on the more efficient and better system.
So, from the UK point of view, digital tv and digital radio are horrible technologies being used to squeeze as many cr@p stations as possible into the space, whilst making the experience of viewing and listening painful to eyes and ears.
...it could be defeated if we started writing the correct words or not, or txt spk?
Bombay not Mumbai!
Or how words sound?
Moscow -> Moskva
Paris -> Parii
Warsaw -> Varshava
There will be a Vista version of BBC iPlayer available this year. We are actively working on Mac and cross platform support.
It shows where their priority isWhat do you expect the BBC to support, when they have stuff like day long free* adverts for Vista when it launched all over their website, tv, and radio stations.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/technology/6309651.st(Hard to find more links, the BBC seem to have eradicated their blatant adverts).
* At the BBC tax payers expense, the "unique" way the BBC extorts money to exist.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/n
Civil liberties campaigners and MPs have raised doubts about the national DNA database after the Home Office confirmed it contained more than 500,000 false or wrongly recorded names.
Suspects arrested over any imprisonable offence, including rape and murder, can have their DNA held even if they are not charged or are acquitted.
The database, the biggest in the world, contains about four million names.
But it has been dogged by problems. Statistics released by the Home Office show it contains around 550,000 files with wrong or misspelt names.
Lynne Featherstone, a Liberal Democrat frontbencher, told The Daily Telegraph that she wanted a full parliamentary inquiry into the "shocking" number of errors.
So for whatever reason (and spelling seems to be common), a huge amount of the database is wrong. Those are amazing figures.Java is popular... let's check out that 64-bit Sun Java plug-in for Firefox on Linux, oh wait, it doesn't exist.