I'm not convinced a republic is any better. We sit starry-eyed at the fact that the hoi polloi don't get to bludgeon us with whatever bigotry is currently fashionable, but the republic system produces oligarchy very easily with the resulting party systems. Rising up in the party requires in-party connections and orthodoxy and without it you can't succeed. Like weeds, the big parties prevent smaller parties from emerging and gaining prominence in the media.
We do not live in a true democracy, so we can fault it as much as possible, while we live in a republic and tend to be more tolerant of its flaws. I say neither works. And, nothing works. I think we're screwed no matter what we do, and I don't recommend ANYTHING (or nothing)...
Nah, I bet you expected this. I did too. Obama is a politician first and foremost; don't expect any question to be answered in-depth that isn't pre-screened and approved by Obama. This kind of thing is great for making the gullible think they are involved when they are really not. It's like the youtube questions during the debates where they so obviously cherry pick the most benign and frankly uninteresting questions.
It impresses the generally uninformed or not-tech savvy masses, but I think many can see past the bullshit (at least, I hope so).
I expect that Obama's team will also remove uncomfortable questions themselves, only really keeping ones that address Obama's agenda directly instead of bringing to light issues that aren't discussed so often in the mainstream media, such as, well, the DMCA.
Okay, I'd concede that as a very basic intro VB can be useful to introduce variables and a few other concepts. But a full semester of VB, I agree, is not ideal. It's really a waste of time and is windows-centric. IMO, I'd rather not shove an OS-specific language down intro student's throats so they don't get the wrong idea.
Re:Just when you thought japan couldn't get weirde
on
Inventor Builds Robot Wife
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· Score: 2, Informative
Actually, this was a guy in Canada, according to the article.
This is probably the best thing I've seen on Idle so far.
I was going to take C++ but found out that VB was a prereq for it. I was not pleased. I easily passed the class as I have had the experience with VB already but if you're going to go on learning more programming I wouldn't recommend VB simply because of habits it promotes etc.
I'm not saying VB doesn't have its uses. But as a serious teaching tool? Come on.
DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT do what many comp sci departments and high schools do, and that is "begin with Visual Basic".
NO! NO NO NO NO NO! Okay, so they learn about variables and shit, but, just, NO. Terrible programming practices and weird little things where commenting is done with apostrophes and other typical retarded shit is what you'll end up teaching them.
Visual Basic is OK for a quick and dirty Windows program. But if you want to teach the basics of what "real" programming is, I wouldn't recommend VB.
I'm a complete capitalist myself, at least a *free enterprise* one.
But there's a disturbing... paradigm, for lack of a better word... where the assumption is, by default, that something 1) cost money and 2) if you didn't pay for it, it is stolen.
*WHY* should we assume music, computer programs, even ebooks or such are NOT free to distribute? That's the premise many laws seem to be based around. An MP3 is generally just am MP3, why should I assume that the music is "stolen" or not free to distribute and not one freely released--to download, or distribute? Often there is no realistic way to tell. This is a huge problem with IP law.
Autonomy is dead. Socialism and consideration for society--for others--is what comes first nowadays. Others must be considered ahead of the individual.
The article mentions the NRC report concluding that data mining is ineffective as a tactic against terrorism Anyone wanna bet that Obama won't do a damn thing about these obvious attempts to spy on American citizens?
There is. Come out with something better than Google. Not gonna happen? Tough. Suck it up, it's not like we even pay for the services Google provides (well, most of them).
The average consumer is a spoiled brat. Yeah, I just took a swing at the Middle Class, tar and feather me. In my world, you have no right to Google's servers or services, and if they are too good at providing it, then it's your own damn fault for letting it happen and for letting it continue to happen. Nobody wants responsibility.
Since when did "monopoly" in any given field or industry mean "getting an even larger market share?"
Google is *already* a monopoly if you use this twisted, perverted definition. I can't wait until the left starts arguing that Google is too big, that we need search engine competition, and demands they be broken up for being too good at what they do.
The same people that say a free market needs an X amount of competition (where X is whatever appeals to their gut on that time of the day) betray a free market by limiting success or otherwise interfering with it. What the hell is a "free market" supposed to be if you're just going to knock down the king of the hill eventually? That's *not* a free market, whether you like free markets or not. A free market is a market without government interference, not some mystical "my perfect li'l market" fantasy.
Why did the DOJ call off the attack on Microsoft, yet decide to go after Google and Yahoo on this...? Microsoft is a much bigger "monopoly" than either of the two and effects a much more crucial market.
I guess someone didn't donate enough to the Bush administration...?
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I'm not convinced a republic is any better. We sit starry-eyed at the fact that the hoi polloi don't get to bludgeon us with whatever bigotry is currently fashionable, but the republic system produces oligarchy very easily with the resulting party systems. Rising up in the party requires in-party connections and orthodoxy and without it you can't succeed. Like weeds, the big parties prevent smaller parties from emerging and gaining prominence in the media.
We do not live in a true democracy, so we can fault it as much as possible, while we live in a republic and tend to be more tolerant of its flaws. I say neither works. And, nothing works. I think we're screwed no matter what we do, and I don't recommend ANYTHING (or nothing)...
What did you expect?
Nah, I bet you expected this. I did too. Obama is a politician first and foremost; don't expect any question to be answered in-depth that isn't pre-screened and approved by Obama. This kind of thing is great for making the gullible think they are involved when they are really not. It's like the youtube questions during the debates where they so obviously cherry pick the most benign and frankly uninteresting questions.
It impresses the generally uninformed or not-tech savvy masses, but I think many can see past the bullshit (at least, I hope so).
I expect that Obama's team will also remove uncomfortable questions themselves, only really keeping ones that address Obama's agenda directly instead of bringing to light issues that aren't discussed so often in the mainstream media, such as, well, the DMCA.
Okay, I'd concede that as a very basic intro VB can be useful to introduce variables and a few other concepts. But a full semester of VB, I agree, is not ideal. It's really a waste of time and is windows-centric. IMO, I'd rather not shove an OS-specific language down intro student's throats so they don't get the wrong idea.
Actually, this was a guy in Canada, according to the article.
This is probably the best thing I've seen on Idle so far.
I was going to take C++ but found out that VB was a prereq for it. I was not pleased. I easily passed the class as I have had the experience with VB already but if you're going to go on learning more programming I wouldn't recommend VB simply because of habits it promotes etc.
I'm not saying VB doesn't have its uses. But as a serious teaching tool? Come on.
DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT do what many comp sci departments and high schools do, and that is "begin with Visual Basic".
NO! NO NO NO NO NO! Okay, so they learn about variables and shit, but, just, NO. Terrible programming practices and weird little things where commenting is done with apostrophes and other typical retarded shit is what you'll end up teaching them.
Visual Basic is OK for a quick and dirty Windows program. But if you want to teach the basics of what "real" programming is, I wouldn't recommend VB.
I'm a complete capitalist myself, at least a *free enterprise* one.
But there's a disturbing... paradigm, for lack of a better word... where the assumption is, by default, that something 1) cost money and 2) if you didn't pay for it, it is stolen.
*WHY* should we assume music, computer programs, even ebooks or such are NOT free to distribute? That's the premise many laws seem to be based around. An MP3 is generally just am MP3, why should I assume that the music is "stolen" or not free to distribute and not one freely released--to download, or distribute? Often there is no realistic way to tell. This is a huge problem with IP law.
You can have nearly everyone supporting a thoughtcrime, so long as that thought is disgusting or unpopular enough.
If this was a story about Bush no one would be complaining. But Messiah Obama, on the other hand... he's untouchable.
Uh, if autonomy is a selective consideration then it's not really autonomy, is it?
Autonomy is dead. Socialism and consideration for society--for others--is what comes first nowadays. Others must be considered ahead of the individual.
You are a cog, a part of a greater machine. If you do not turn, you will be made to turn, or be removed.
The article mentions the NRC report concluding that data mining is ineffective as a tactic against terrorism
Anyone wanna bet that Obama won't do a damn thing about these obvious attempts to spy on American citizens?
LOL! Just like a lot of taxes, eh?
Nope.
There is. Come out with something better than Google. Not gonna happen? Tough. Suck it up, it's not like we even pay for the services Google provides (well, most of them).
The average consumer is a spoiled brat. Yeah, I just took a swing at the Middle Class, tar and feather me. In my world, you have no right to Google's servers or services, and if they are too good at providing it, then it's your own damn fault for letting it happen and for letting it continue to happen. Nobody wants responsibility.
Very good point.
This is
Since when did "monopoly" in any given field or industry mean "getting an even larger market share?"
Google is *already* a monopoly if you use this twisted, perverted definition. I can't wait until the left starts arguing that Google is too big, that we need search engine competition, and demands they be broken up for being too good at what they do.
The same people that say a free market needs an X amount of competition (where X is whatever appeals to their gut on that time of the day) betray a free market by limiting success or otherwise interfering with it. What the hell is a "free market" supposed to be if you're just going to knock down the king of the hill eventually? That's *not* a free market, whether you like free markets or not. A free market is a market without government interference, not some mystical "my perfect li'l market" fantasy.
Why did the DOJ call off the attack on Microsoft, yet decide to go after Google and Yahoo on this...? Microsoft is a much bigger "monopoly" than either of the two and effects a much more crucial market.
I guess someone didn't donate enough to the Bush administration...?
fyi, it really is "viruses", not virii.
http://impressive.net/games/barney/fun.cgi
This has been on the internet FOREVER. It's time to take those years of torment out on the purple monstrosity, my friend.
Good luck, and God speed.
More like "Israeli" or "Anti-Semite!"
That's not completely true. You can also do well going to a trade school instead of college.
It is to people nowadays.
The government can do anything, as long as it promotes the general welfare. That's the biggest defense of the new deal.
You can even defend FDR sending all the "japs" away to little concentration, er, internment camps. He did it for the general welfare, so it's OK.
Next when martial law is declared, it'll be constitutional as long as it was done for the general welfare.