Welcome to the land of the defensive parent. I didn't note anything in the initial post that indicated that helmets on bike-riding kids was bad. He is right, however, in a sense. We are overprotecting our children, and look at the results...
I, too, make my kids wear helmets when riding a bike, rollerblading, and skateboarding. It's just good sense. I do not, however, sue every company that produces a toy that my children manage to cause themselves pain with. The point that you failed to see in the initial comment was simply that litigation has pulled MANY a good toy off the market, and will continue to do so. Attributing all toy cancellations to the greed of the corporation, no matter how good it feels is both cynical and inaccurate. Does greed factor in? Much of the time. Is it the only factor? Certainly not.
Now, before you leap back on your super-parent high-horse, try to remember that his opinion is no less worthy of being spoken than your own. Also remember than man is the only animal without a natural predator, the only animal that places more emphasis on the survival of the weakest than that of the strongest, and the only animal that the Darwin-esque "survival of the fittest" does not apply to. Something to mull over while you're congratulating yourself on your parenting prowess over your helmeted, marble-free children.
Hrmm....I don't remember saying that none of the recent Ask Slashdot questions passed muster. As a matter of fact, I distinctly remember citing specific examples of RAW FRIGGING STUPIDITY. There's no two ways about it. There are stupid questions, those are no problem... I'm sure I ask more than my share... It's the completely inappropriate drivel that springs up that I take exception to. Like the aforementioned "what softdrinks do geeks like" crap. Hello, ask the target audience... holy shit.
Incidentally, review your definition of troll if you think that's what I posted. What I posted was an on-topic observation of the quality of questions. And, judging from the response, it's something that SOME people wanted to discuss to some extent.
If my post offends you, follow your own advice, and move on. If you opt to reply, how can you bother me for doing the same? Oh, and no, these "mind-bending questions" do not "twist my soul into painful shapes". They barely even qualify as questions...
Excellent point... I'm getting sick of the stupidity that plagues the ask slashdot questions recently... I mean, what beverages are geeky enough for geeks? Which pets are geeky enough? Which laptops are geeky enough? Even how do you be geeky enough with a SO? Come on people, if you don't have a real question, don't bother sending it. If you need to know how to handle your girlfriend, ask Ann Landers. If you want to know what car to buy, go to Car and Driver. Oh well... maybe it's just me being tired, but it seems a bit ridiculous that so many people are suddenly asking themselves, AM I GEEKY ENOUGH? Buy an identity...
How about teaching them to use time/task/project management software to complete projects and assigments for their various classes. I suppose it's reasonably safe to assume that some of these kids aren't completing assignments solely because they aren't organized, and that's what a handheld does best.
Programming for the handheld. Teach them to make games, software, whatever gets them into it.
Well, my $0.02, and that's probably over priced.
Re:Funkified Variable Name
on
Pet Bugs?
·
· Score: 1
Hey, that's not stupid, that's job security. I pick the most irritating variables and the most difficult to understand commentary simply for the fun of watching the other programmers try to puzzle out my 220 line bubble sort...MUAHAHAHAHAH!
The best part of this whole article is this dweeb's take on the bathroom break. Any human that has gone this far down the greed path isn't doing his company any favors by spouting off and making the whole company sound like a crew of imbeciles...
I guess there's a certain amount of tolerance for going to the bathroom.
Some tolerance? SOME F-ING TOLERANCE? Sorry, that just struck me as funny.
I still prefer organism analogies to road (specifically superhighway) references... although I don't see why we can't just agree it's a large bundle of connected electronic devices and leave it at that...
Okay, this is a little offtopic, but which dolt came up with the brilliant idea that in IE, the web site should use tiny grey characters on a pure white background? Two paragraphs into this article and my eyes are about to bulge clean out of my skull...
I'm sorry, but I had to get that off my chest, Webmasters... LOOK AT YOUR SITE BEFORE RELEASING IT!
And it's not TOO bad. It's worth a buck to see a movie that I wasn't sure I wanted to see, if they fix the damn bugs... it's not worth a buck if I really wanna see the movie.
I created an account and started watching "American Pie 2". The first three things I noticed out the gate... the sound SUCKS, the picture at 300K is very small, and the subtitles (which you can't turn off) are almost always completely wrong. On the up side, there was NO slowdown or stutter in the video or audio over the course of the entire hour I was able to watch the movie.
After about an hour, the stream suddenly stopped, giving, instead, an error message that someone had just logged in as my user name, so I was being logged out. The message further indicated that it was likely my fault for handing out my login information.
I then spent over a half hour trying to log back in to no avail. It is apparently impossible to log in... period. Ultimately, I created a new account again, ran the free movie (Frankenstein in College), and was confronted with the same problems again... to include my "stolen account". I find the odds of that happening, TWICE, staggering...
At any rate, it could be a decent service if they offer a larger screen version, fix their sound, fix/remove the captions, and repair their screwy login system.
This must be a troll, because even Mr. Rogers isn't this naive. This is lying like every actor in Hollywood lies when they play a role. This is a lie like an undercover cop. In short, it's not a lie... posing, yes, a lie, no.
Wow, media in general has become rather disturbingly cynical, haven't they? I mean, 2 years ago, the web was going to change EVERYTHING... a bit optimistic, but that's just "the way things were".
Today, the web has changed NOTHING, even though it is obvious that it has made a number of impacts on millions of lives. The web has changed a great deal, and cynically copping out that the net is nothing but porn and ads and sales is cheap journalism.
No, but those intelligent people will adapt and ultimately overcome the situation, and be better for it, while the people whom we're calling stupid right now will ultimately rise to the level of their own incompetence and flounder around before being summarily dismissed at the age of 35, too old for a new tech job and "too old to learn something new" (a cop-out if I've ever heard one). I do feel for everyone that got laid off in the dot-com frenzy. I truly do; but I feel that those people that got dropped that are agressive and smart and motivated will find something, and good things will happen for them.
Okay, everyone constantly wants to play the "family" card when a discussion about job progression comes up. Quite frankly, I have a wife and two children and a circle of friends that I attempt to spend a great deal of time with. Long story short, if you can't balance your life and busy work schedule, you're probably not cut out for a busy work schedule.
This doesn't mean you should be relegated to destitution, it DOES mean that your chances of progressing into upper-middle or upper class are slim. That's a tradeoff YOU made by opting to spend 8 hours a day hanging out with the wife and kids rather than 6, for example.
My logic? If I spend slightly less time "hanging out" now, I can move myself into a position to retire early (around 40) and REALLY enjoy my family. Thus far I'm on track and have the full support of family and friends.
So please, no more of this "time with my family" crap as an excuse as to why a person isn't rich...it doesn't fly...
Wow, way to cry. Way to miss the point entirely, but mostly way to cry...
I don't think the topic of age was brought up there, glenda, we're discussing PEOPLE WHO ARE UNMOTIVATED OR UNWILLING TO LEARN/WORK. I know that sounds ALOT like "old folks" or "the infirm", but it's not the same thing... First, take high school english, you elitist prig.
That enters a whole new topic. Social welfare is a pathetically misguided idea in its current form. Darwinian philosophy has its place, and I think blatantly ignoring it has weakened society as a whole in the US. But, as I said, that's a digression that I'll not go completely into here. Suffice to say, I recognize that those without the stamina or self-control to continue will still exist. I also think that, with a lack of social welfare, these people would thin out, and the rest would work harder.
Excellent point, and I did misread your intended meaning when I initially read your post. My apologies. By the same token, I still primarily care about that top 20%, and perhaps the 10% out of the middle group. The 10% that wants to be and tries to be in the top 20%.
For the most part, I've found that I can balance my home and work lives fairly harmoniously, while still fending well for myself. Sure, it takes a great deal of effort, and I don't get to do some of the fun things I'd like to do sometimes (getting trashed on a weekend long bender comes to mind), but it's a worthwhile sacrifice, IMHO.
Yeah, there are more programmers, but it is arguable if there are more "good" programmers. Most of these new programmers are hack and slash pieces of crap like myself.
Mostly, I survive by knowing a decent amount about a LOT, which makes me very valuable to smallish operations. Who wants to buy a top notch programmer, network admin, security guru, and pc support technician for their site when they only have 35 people on site?
I think that there will remain a place for specialist programmers, as there is a need for GREAT code, not crap that works. There will also remain a place for the generalists, as not all companies can staff a full IT department. Just my opinion.
or rank very high in ambition or self-motivation, this type of world is a great place to live
Okay, frankly, those are the only people I really care about progressing in the world anyways. I'm not sure what your point is. I couldn't give two flying shits for those with no ambition or self-motivation. If you can't get yourself to spend the time to improve, screw you, those that wish to improve will survive, and you'll starve. (Not targeted at you, but those that don't "rank high in ambition or self-motivation").
I'm not worried about the average. I'm worried about the superior. No, I'm not saying kill off the average or sub-par, I AM saying, let them fend for themselves. Some will climb and find a way to survive, some will disappear. It's the law of the jungle.
You know the worst part? I'm reasonably sure that I'm among the "average" that is struggling to be higher than "average". You know what? I still feel the same way.
Slashdot Mirror
Welcome to the land of the defensive parent. I didn't note anything in the initial post that indicated that helmets on bike-riding kids was bad. He is right, however, in a sense. We are overprotecting our children, and look at the results...
I, too, make my kids wear helmets when riding a bike, rollerblading, and skateboarding. It's just good sense. I do not, however, sue every company that produces a toy that my children manage to cause themselves pain with. The point that you failed to see in the initial comment was simply that litigation has pulled MANY a good toy off the market, and will continue to do so. Attributing all toy cancellations to the greed of the corporation, no matter how good it feels is both cynical and inaccurate. Does greed factor in? Much of the time. Is it the only factor? Certainly not.
Now, before you leap back on your super-parent high-horse, try to remember that his opinion is no less worthy of being spoken than your own. Also remember than man is the only animal without a natural predator, the only animal that places more emphasis on the survival of the weakest than that of the strongest, and the only animal that the Darwin-esque "survival of the fittest" does not apply to. Something to mull over while you're congratulating yourself on your parenting prowess over your helmeted, marble-free children.
You spent the time to do that, and *I'M* the dimwit? Talk about your basic crossed set of values...
Hrmm....I don't remember saying that none of the recent Ask Slashdot questions passed muster. As a matter of fact, I distinctly remember citing specific examples of RAW FRIGGING STUPIDITY. There's no two ways about it. There are stupid questions, those are no problem... I'm sure I ask more than my share... It's the completely inappropriate drivel that springs up that I take exception to. Like the aforementioned "what softdrinks do geeks like" crap. Hello, ask the target audience... holy shit.
Incidentally, review your definition of troll if you think that's what I posted. What I posted was an on-topic observation of the quality of questions. And, judging from the response, it's something that SOME people wanted to discuss to some extent.
If my post offends you, follow your own advice, and move on. If you opt to reply, how can you bother me for doing the same? Oh, and no, these "mind-bending questions" do not "twist my soul into painful shapes". They barely even qualify as questions...
g'nite
Oh my freaking god do you have too much time on your hands :P Nevertheless, I'm impressed in a spooky sorta way :)
I thought her daughter was taking over her column though?
Excellent point... I'm getting sick of the stupidity that plagues the ask slashdot questions recently... I mean, what beverages are geeky enough for geeks? Which pets are geeky enough? Which laptops are geeky enough? Even how do you be geeky enough with a SO? Come on people, if you don't have a real question, don't bother sending it. If you need to know how to handle your girlfriend, ask Ann Landers. If you want to know what car to buy, go to Car and Driver. Oh well... maybe it's just me being tired, but it seems a bit ridiculous that so many people are suddenly asking themselves, AM I GEEKY ENOUGH? Buy an identity...
How about teaching them to use time/task/project management software to complete projects and assigments for their various classes. I suppose it's reasonably safe to assume that some of these kids aren't completing assignments solely because they aren't organized, and that's what a handheld does best.
Programming for the handheld. Teach them to make games, software, whatever gets them into it.
Well, my $0.02, and that's probably over priced.
Hey, that's not stupid, that's job security. I pick the most irritating variables and the most difficult to understand commentary simply for the fun of watching the other programmers try to puzzle out my 220 line bubble sort...MUAHAHAHAHAH!
I saw we challenge the system by...
GOING TO THE BATHROOM AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE
We will bring their commercialist regime crashing down around their necks....
The best part of this whole article is this dweeb's take on the bathroom break. Any human that has gone this far down the greed path isn't doing his company any favors by spouting off and making the whole company sound like a crew of imbeciles...
Some tolerance? SOME F-ING TOLERANCE? Sorry, that just struck me as funny.
I still prefer organism analogies to road (specifically superhighway) references... although I don't see why we can't just agree it's a large bundle of connected electronic devices and leave it at that...
Okay, this is a little offtopic, but which dolt came up with the brilliant idea that in IE, the web site should use tiny grey characters on a pure white background? Two paragraphs into this article and my eyes are about to bulge clean out of my skull...
I'm sorry, but I had to get that off my chest, Webmasters... LOOK AT YOUR SITE BEFORE RELEASING IT!
And it's not TOO bad. It's worth a buck to see a movie that I wasn't sure I wanted to see, if they fix the damn bugs... it's not worth a buck if I really wanna see the movie.
I created an account and started watching "American Pie 2". The first three things I noticed out the gate... the sound SUCKS, the picture at 300K is very small, and the subtitles (which you can't turn off) are almost always completely wrong. On the up side, there was NO slowdown or stutter in the video or audio over the course of the entire hour I was able to watch the movie.
After about an hour, the stream suddenly stopped, giving, instead, an error message that someone had just logged in as my user name, so I was being logged out. The message further indicated that it was likely my fault for handing out my login information.
I then spent over a half hour trying to log back in to no avail. It is apparently impossible to log in... period. Ultimately, I created a new account again, ran the free movie (Frankenstein in College), and was confronted with the same problems again... to include my "stolen account". I find the odds of that happening, TWICE, staggering...
At any rate, it could be a decent service if they offer a larger screen version, fix their sound, fix/remove the captions, and repair their screwy login system.
Well, my $0.02, and that's probably overrated...
This must be a troll, because even Mr. Rogers isn't this naive. This is lying like every actor in Hollywood lies when they play a role. This is a lie like an undercover cop. In short, it's not a lie... posing, yes, a lie, no.
Wow, media in general has become rather disturbingly cynical, haven't they? I mean, 2 years ago, the web was going to change EVERYTHING... a bit optimistic, but that's just "the way things were".
Today, the web has changed NOTHING, even though it is obvious that it has made a number of impacts on millions of lives. The web has changed a great deal, and cynically copping out that the net is nothing but porn and ads and sales is cheap journalism.
Umm...wrong.
The legal drinking age on bases in the US is 21, period. On post overseas is a different story, however.
It appears to be babbling nonsense day on /.
/.
From what I've seen, every day is babbling nonsense day on
No, but those intelligent people will adapt and ultimately overcome the situation, and be better for it, while the people whom we're calling stupid right now will ultimately rise to the level of their own incompetence and flounder around before being summarily dismissed at the age of 35, too old for a new tech job and "too old to learn something new" (a cop-out if I've ever heard one). I do feel for everyone that got laid off in the dot-com frenzy. I truly do; but I feel that those people that got dropped that are agressive and smart and motivated will find something, and good things will happen for them.
Okay, everyone constantly wants to play the "family" card when a discussion about job progression comes up. Quite frankly, I have a wife and two children and a circle of friends that I attempt to spend a great deal of time with. Long story short, if you can't balance your life and busy work schedule, you're probably not cut out for a busy work schedule.
This doesn't mean you should be relegated to destitution, it DOES mean that your chances of progressing into upper-middle or upper class are slim. That's a tradeoff YOU made by opting to spend 8 hours a day hanging out with the wife and kids rather than 6, for example.
My logic? If I spend slightly less time "hanging out" now, I can move myself into a position to retire early (around 40) and REALLY enjoy my family. Thus far I'm on track and have the full support of family and friends.
So please, no more of this "time with my family" crap as an excuse as to why a person isn't rich...it doesn't fly...
No, he didn't. What he did write, however, parallels society admirably. Think before you post, it saves everyone the trouble of reading absurd crap.
Wow, way to cry. Way to miss the point entirely, but mostly way to cry...
I don't think the topic of age was brought up there, glenda, we're discussing PEOPLE WHO ARE UNMOTIVATED OR UNWILLING TO LEARN/WORK. I know that sounds ALOT like "old folks" or "the infirm", but it's not the same thing... First, take high school english, you elitist prig.
That enters a whole new topic. Social welfare is a pathetically misguided idea in its current form. Darwinian philosophy has its place, and I think blatantly ignoring it has weakened society as a whole in the US. But, as I said, that's a digression that I'll not go completely into here. Suffice to say, I recognize that those without the stamina or self-control to continue will still exist. I also think that, with a lack of social welfare, these people would thin out, and the rest would work harder.
Excellent point, and I did misread your intended meaning when I initially read your post. My apologies. By the same token, I still primarily care about that top 20%, and perhaps the 10% out of the middle group. The 10% that wants to be and tries to be in the top 20%.
For the most part, I've found that I can balance my home and work lives fairly harmoniously, while still fending well for myself. Sure, it takes a great deal of effort, and I don't get to do some of the fun things I'd like to do sometimes (getting trashed on a weekend long bender comes to mind), but it's a worthwhile sacrifice, IMHO.
Yeah, there are more programmers, but it is arguable if there are more "good" programmers. Most of these new programmers are hack and slash pieces of crap like myself.
Mostly, I survive by knowing a decent amount about a LOT, which makes me very valuable to smallish operations. Who wants to buy a top notch programmer, network admin, security guru, and pc support technician for their site when they only have 35 people on site?
I think that there will remain a place for specialist programmers, as there is a need for GREAT code, not crap that works. There will also remain a place for the generalists, as not all companies can staff a full IT department. Just my opinion.