The bigger problem IMHO, is the requirements that are needed to get a license. I'm sure it has changed by now, but 10 years ago or so, to get a license in NJ, you never even had to take the car out into traffic. License tests were administered in coned parking lots. I'm sure there would be far fewer accidents with young people behind the wheel, if the testing to get a license was more stringent, and actually proved that you were a good driver.
That's very different from Finland. Here you have to be 18 to get your license, although you can start taking the required courses earlier. (I think I took the actual test on my birthday actually.)
But it's like 20 hours of driving with a professional instructor here, and about as much of theory lessons. The driving lessons also include driving in the dark (nighttime lesson) and driving on slippery surfaces (winters here). Finally there's an actual independent test, which if failed leads to more mandatory lessons.
And I still think most 18-year-olds behind the wheel are a huge risk, myself at that age included. Then again you have to start sometime...:)
I find that scary. Then again I live in an area where public transport actually works, might be different in a country planned with the assumption that everyone has a car...
In Finland, where I live, driving cars is for over 18 year olds only. While an 18-year-old is by no mean (emotionally) an adult, it's still a far cry from 16.
So, how does it work in the states? I understand 16-year-olds are allowed to drive under some circumstances?
I think it's the opposite: Digital distribution makes it possible to cheaply have both a compressed-to-hell mp3 and a FLAC with proper dynamic range. With a CD it's one or the other.
One cheap visual aid would be an old computer and or server, so you can show them what it looks like inside a computer. My kids tend to like watching me swapping components, at least.
I think my kids (2 and 4 now) will find the whole notion of physical media for consumable media ridiculous.
Once (hopeful here) this silly DRM thing is over and prices are low enough for piracy to be less attractive physical media will simply become impractical.
Sure, there will always be the collectors who keep stuff for whatever reason, but most people are only after the music/video/whatever...
Javascript frameworks deal with the major hurdles of modern web design: Abstracting browser differences, and avoiding reinventing the wheel with the kind of AJAXy effects that are increasingly more common these days.
I wonder how this will affect Prototype. It's always had different design goals than jQuery, but will this diminish it's popularity?
Also, will the jQuery API eventually be integrated into the browser instead of being a huge JS blob for every page?
2. It also really bugs me that they haven't used a standard headphone jack. I know this is not a problem unique to this handset, but it annoys the hell out of me that manufacturers can't just use the standard jack size. I don't want multiple different headphones, one for each device, I want one set which I can use with all of them.
While this is annoying, the size of a modern cell phone really does make it pretty darn hard to put in a normal 3.5 mm jack. As much as I hate it, it's just too darn big. If you've ever worked with female jacks this should be pretty obvious.
What is annoying on the other hand is that there has to be a different charger for each darn phone. Fortunately mini/micro USB is slowly being adopted, but it's still rare. And don't give me the "USB doesn't have enough juice" -argument... It's a data cable, and implementing a way for the phone and charger to handshake should be more than possible.
A CV can be read in many ways. I think that testing is a good way to see that the skills, CV and open position match. That being said, testing can be done in many ways.
Someone recommended me to Google once, and the Google HR department obviously read my CV looking for the skills they were after. While I had them to a degree, that was only part of the truth. A later phone interview with one of their engineers clarified the situation a lot: He tested my skill set with a bunch of oral test questions that made it obvious to both that my skills were of the right sort but at the wrong layer of abstraction. (Scripting vs. assembly-level knowledge.) That test saved both parties a lot of time.
But like I said, there is good testing and bad testing. Often tests test passive knowledge, but not problem solving skills. Unfortunately the hardest to quantify stuff is also the most essential in terms of actual productivity.
As a programmer I constantly refer to Murhy's law. It helps me through the day by expecting the worst and being positively surprised when my code does what it's supposed to.;)
Superstition? Why the hell not? It's not very rational is it... But it seems to work for me.
But those elaborate see-a-black-cat-throw-salt-and-spit-over-your-shoulder superstitions? Naah...
Maybe I should add that the summary shown when mail arrives it also good for evaluating if I should open the email client window or just do it later and avoid a context switch...
I check my email maybe a few times a day. When I get a message Thunderbird shows a nice little box telling me who it's from and a bit of the subject. If I miss that there's an icon in the system tray. Why on earth should I bother to keep opening my email client window?
Unfortunately I've yet to find a job where I don't have to deal with fools to some degree. Nor one where I get to code python professionally either, in fact.
But I still think it's easier to make people indent with tabs (for everything, not just Python) than implementing some more advanced whitespace handling over a bunch of different editors...:)
on the whole Python indentation=block thing... It's not perfect, but only use spaces and it won't be a problem.
Blegh, use tabs properly and it won't be a problem either. It's shocking how people can't even get a trivial thing like that right, though, is it really that difficult to configure your editor not to mix the two? Hint: Set your editor to highlight leading whitespace, doing tabs and spaces differently, then you'll never be surprised by either.
Anyone who has ever worked in a larger organization will know that it's impossible to get people to configure their software identically, unless we're forcing every one.
Also, a lot of people aren't that smart anyway...
That's why I advocate spaces only: There is a single way to render a single space, so the margin for error is smaller.:)
It's too bad everyone and their dog are excited about Ruby on Rails, when a great platform like Django is out there as well.
I use Django on my own site, and CakePHP (a poor RoR clone) at work. While using PHP has advantages, CakePHP is really not anywhere near Django in terms of the ORM stuff and actually using your data in any complex way.
The one really great thing about Django is that it's consistent. There is usually one way of doing things, instead of a million different ways that apply in different situations.
I didn't mean I feel indifferent about what happens in our society. But the fact is that I have to shield myself emotionally to some degree. I don't want my kids to be raised by a father who is down all the time because of all the frankly fucked up stuff that happens in this world.
So in order to stay positive, I do, to a degree, avoid reminding myself about the less positive things in this world. People die somewhere more or less every second, and not nearly everyone of old age and happy. I'd rather focus on the good things than stay bummed about the bad.:)
Frankly, while it's sad that people hurt each other, personally the loss of a (to me) random life among billions is not something I have time to worry about. I offering my condolences to the family of the deceased and leave it at that.
On the other hand, the ReiserFS / Reiser4 code is something I feel could be worth saving still. But will the stigma of the Reiser name hamper any efforts to keep the project alive?
Maybe it could be worthwhile to rename / fork the project under a totally new name, as to disassociate the code from this unfortunate event.
New versions of IE is a Good Thing... Competition is good with something like browsers.
For the average Joe having features which normally require extensions just be there is probably a good thing. Perhaps Firefox should have the option to enabling a set of officially sanctioned extensions while installing? Bloating is not the solution, but checking the "enable feature X" checkbox beats searching for the actually good ones...
Private browsing is a two-sided thing. It's a good feature, but sort of pointless if you actually want to store bookmarks of things like your favorite naughty sites... I run two Firefox profiles personally. Unfortunately it's a bit difficult to set up, but I get the best of both worlds.
Some of use nerds have "wives", and desks messed up with mountains of chargers has a low WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor)... Anything with a low WAF will lower the chances of wife-provided entertainment, a.k.a. sex.
I try to hide whatever chargers and wiring in general I don't have to unplug. That way I can wrap it all up with cable ties and keep it managed somehow. Fastening power strips to the bottom of the desk can be a good option. (The double sided tape thing never works... Use something more permanent.)
Also non-brand chargers can make sense when space is a premium. TinyPlugs are excellent for Nokia phones, for instance.
Having an off switch on the power strip with all the chargers can be a good idea too, if you aren't charging anything you can turn the whole thing off and save power. (No leeching.)
Slashdot Mirror
The bigger problem IMHO, is the requirements that are needed to get a license. I'm sure it has changed by now, but 10 years ago or so, to get a license in NJ, you never even had to take the car out into traffic. License tests were administered in coned parking lots. I'm sure there would be far fewer accidents with young people behind the wheel, if the testing to get a license was more stringent, and actually proved that you were a good driver.
That's very different from Finland. Here you have to be 18 to get your license, although you can start taking the required courses earlier. (I think I took the actual test on my birthday actually.)
But it's like 20 hours of driving with a professional instructor here, and about as much of theory lessons. The driving lessons also include driving in the dark (nighttime lesson) and driving on slippery surfaces (winters here). Finally there's an actual independent test, which if failed leads to more mandatory lessons.
And I still think most 18-year-olds behind the wheel are a huge risk, myself at that age included. Then again you have to start sometime... :)
I find that scary. Then again I live in an area where public transport actually works, might be different in a country planned with the assumption that everyone has a car...
In Finland, where I live, driving cars is for over 18 year olds only. While an 18-year-old is by no mean (emotionally) an adult, it's still a far cry from 16.
So, how does it work in the states? I understand 16-year-olds are allowed to drive under some circumstances?
I think it's the opposite: Digital distribution makes it possible to cheaply have both a compressed-to-hell mp3 and a FLAC with proper dynamic range. With a CD it's one or the other.
Yep, indeed... I hear myself going: "Welcome to Fingland, where the summers are wet and cold, and the winters are wetter and colder..." lately.
One cheap visual aid would be an old computer and or server, so you can show them what it looks like inside a computer. My kids tend to like watching me swapping components, at least.
I think my kids (2 and 4 now) will find the whole notion of physical media for consumable media ridiculous.
Once (hopeful here) this silly DRM thing is over and prices are low enough for piracy to be less attractive physical media will simply become impractical.
Sure, there will always be the collectors who keep stuff for whatever reason, but most people are only after the music/video/whatever...
Javascript frameworks deal with the major hurdles of modern web design: Abstracting browser differences, and avoiding reinventing the wheel with the kind of AJAXy effects that are increasingly more common these days.
I wonder how this will affect Prototype. It's always had different design goals than jQuery, but will this diminish it's popularity?
Also, will the jQuery API eventually be integrated into the browser instead of being a huge JS blob for every page?
2. It also really bugs me that they haven't used a standard headphone jack. I know this is not a problem unique to this handset, but it annoys the hell out of me that manufacturers can't just use the standard jack size. I don't want multiple different headphones, one for each device, I want one set which I can use with all of them.
While this is annoying, the size of a modern cell phone really does make it pretty darn hard to put in a normal 3.5 mm jack. As much as I hate it, it's just too darn big. If you've ever worked with female jacks this should be pretty obvious.
What is annoying on the other hand is that there has to be a different charger for each darn phone. Fortunately mini/micro USB is slowly being adopted, but it's still rare. And don't give me the "USB doesn't have enough juice" -argument... It's a data cable, and implementing a way for the phone and charger to handshake should be more than possible.
The mice will interfere if need be.
A CV can be read in many ways. I think that testing is a good way to see that the skills, CV and open position match. That being said, testing can be done in many ways.
Someone recommended me to Google once, and the Google HR department obviously read my CV looking for the skills they were after. While I had them to a degree, that was only part of the truth. A later phone interview with one of their engineers clarified the situation a lot: He tested my skill set with a bunch of oral test questions that made it obvious to both that my skills were of the right sort but at the wrong layer of abstraction. (Scripting vs. assembly-level knowledge.) That test saved both parties a lot of time.
But like I said, there is good testing and bad testing. Often tests test passive knowledge, but not problem solving skills. Unfortunately the hardest to quantify stuff is also the most essential in terms of actual productivity.
As a programmer I constantly refer to Murhy's law. It helps me through the day by expecting the worst and being positively surprised when my code does what it's supposed to. ;)
Superstition? Why the hell not? It's not very rational is it... But it seems to work for me.
But those elaborate see-a-black-cat-throw-salt-and-spit-over-your-shoulder superstitions? Naah...
Maybe I should add that the summary shown when mail arrives it also good for evaluating if I should open the email client window or just do it later and avoid a context switch...
I check my email maybe a few times a day. When I get a message Thunderbird shows a nice little box telling me who it's from and a bit of the subject. If I miss that there's an icon in the system tray. Why on earth should I bother to keep opening my email client window?
I agree with both. :)
Unfortunately I've yet to find a job where I don't have to deal with fools to some degree. Nor one where I get to code python professionally either, in fact.
But I still think it's easier to make people indent with tabs (for everything, not just Python) than implementing some more advanced whitespace handling over a bunch of different editors... :)
This can be an advantage, but it can also be a disadvantage. One size doesn't always fit all.
Very true. But doing the almost same thing in insanely different ways for almost the same use case seldom makes sense... :)
I've seen solutions like that, and it just ends up hampering productivity.
on the whole Python indentation=block thing... It's not perfect, but only use spaces and it won't be a problem.
Blegh, use tabs properly and it won't be a problem either. It's shocking how people can't even get a trivial thing like that right, though, is it really that difficult to configure your editor not to mix the two? Hint: Set your editor to highlight leading whitespace, doing tabs and spaces differently, then you'll never be surprised by either.
Anyone who has ever worked in a larger organization will know that it's impossible to get people to configure their software identically, unless we're forcing every one.
Also, a lot of people aren't that smart anyway...
That's why I advocate spaces only: There is a single way to render a single space, so the margin for error is smaller. :)
It's too bad everyone and their dog are excited about Ruby on Rails, when a great platform like Django is out there as well.
I use Django on my own site, and CakePHP (a poor RoR clone) at work. While using PHP has advantages, CakePHP is really not anywhere near Django in terms of the ORM stuff and actually using your data in any complex way.
The one really great thing about Django is that it's consistent. There is usually one way of doing things, instead of a million different ways that apply in different situations.
Take a look at the Django tutorial:
http://docs.djangoproject.com/en/dev/intro/tutorial01/
And the Django book:
http://www.djangobook.com/
I don't think you'll be sorry.
PS. And on the whole Python indentation=block thing... It's not perfect, but only use spaces and it won't be a problem.
I didn't mean I feel indifferent about what happens in our society. But the fact is that I have to shield myself emotionally to some degree. I don't want my kids to be raised by a father who is down all the time because of all the frankly fucked up stuff that happens in this world.
So in order to stay positive, I do, to a degree, avoid reminding myself about the less positive things in this world. People die somewhere more or less every second, and not nearly everyone of old age and happy. I'd rather focus on the good things than stay bummed about the bad. :)
Frankly, while it's sad that people hurt each other, personally the loss of a (to me) random life among billions is not something I have time to worry about. I offering my condolences to the family of the deceased and leave it at that.
On the other hand, the ReiserFS / Reiser4 code is something I feel could be worth saving still. But will the stigma of the Reiser name hamper any efforts to keep the project alive?
Maybe it could be worthwhile to rename / fork the project under a totally new name, as to disassociate the code from this unfortunate event.
And frankly, the MurderFS joke is old by now...
Then again, I have IPTV at home... The kids alone stream multiple gigabytes per day watching TV.
This is multicast though, so not the same thing. But still, 250GB is not a lot when streaming video, even just SD resolution.
New versions of IE is a Good Thing... Competition is good with something like browsers.
For the average Joe having features which normally require extensions just be there is probably a good thing. Perhaps Firefox should have the option to enabling a set of officially sanctioned extensions while installing? Bloating is not the solution, but checking the "enable feature X" checkbox beats searching for the actually good ones...
Private browsing is a two-sided thing. It's a good feature, but sort of pointless if you actually want to store bookmarks of things like your favorite naughty sites... I run two Firefox profiles personally. Unfortunately it's a bit difficult to set up, but I get the best of both worlds.
Some of use nerds have "wives", and desks messed up with mountains of chargers has a low WAF (Wife Acceptance Factor)... Anything with a low WAF will lower the chances of wife-provided entertainment, a.k.a. sex.
It matters, my friend. It truly matters. ;)
I try to hide whatever chargers and wiring in general I don't have to unplug. That way I can wrap it all up with cable ties and keep it managed somehow. Fastening power strips to the bottom of the desk can be a good option. (The double sided tape thing never works... Use something more permanent.)
Also non-brand chargers can make sense when space is a premium. TinyPlugs are excellent for Nokia phones, for instance.
Having an off switch on the power strip with all the chargers can be a good idea too, if you aren't charging anything you can turn the whole thing off and save power. (No leeching.)
One of the sad rules of the Universe is that it is a lot easier to destroy than to create.
And unlike most scientific experiments, this one can be proven with a simple adult vs. toddler scenario in a sandbox... ;)