I've found that in the last few years, apparently the definition of the word "help" has changed to mean "do this entire thing for me and hand it back so I can take credit." Not to mention that "training" seems to mean "Give the final steps without explaining why any of this is required."
I believe this is almost entirely due to the state of the higher education system. Computer Science seems to be focused on two things: proving the the professor is smarter than everyone else in the room, and teaching people how to claim the work of the smartest person they are working with.
As long as professors are required to do more research than teach, and allowed to teach without being taught how, the value of a college degree will continue to decline.
As to your point, few people with a computer science degree have ever been taught anything. The professors get away with not teaching a damn thing by using the "group project" system where they can be sure that those in the class that know what they are doing, have good research skills, or a talented friend, will do all of the work for the group. This allows 50% or more of the students to pass their class without understanding a thing. It's just another memorize key facts and puke experience for most of them.
Instead of complaining about how people ask for help, or how they train others, show them the right way. It takes a little time and patience, but it does wonders for the group.
Yes, your state is so very progressive that Prop 8 passed easily. Add that to your comment and it begins to look like California is a bunch of people that hate everyone, but expect those people to pay for what they consume.
Apparently, I was wrong about the meaning of progressive. Of course, so is the Democratic party.
I hate the politicization of words, 'they' never bother to look them up first.
The performa line from the mid 90s was probably their worste move. I know a number of mac fans that went out and purchased one of these machines not knowing how gimped they really were. Tons of the "good" mac software couldn't run on those machines as they had much lower quality components. The bigest problem was that they had no math co-processor.
Virtually none of the documentation for these systems mentioned that they were less than a real mac, so most of the people that purchased them just ended up thinking that the whole platform was a joke.
This is when I went from a strictly mac guy to a *nix fan, eventually being forced to move to the PC. I must say OSX has got me saving my pennies to get back into the mac world.
I had the same problem when I started my current job. I did a bit of looking around online and off, and found that most laptop backpacks I found were just normal packs with a little sleeve for the computer. These offer very little protection. Then I ran across Spire USA. At that time all they had was the Zoom backpack, but now they have a large number of packs and bags designed around the notebook computer. I love my zoom, I have had it for nearly 6 months and I have taken it everywhere. Spire's packs have about 3 times as much padding as any other laptop case I have seen, and the materials are second to none. Spire even offers a line just for those of you with iBooks they call it the iPak, imagine that.
I wish I had thought of asking/. When I was looking... it might have made things easier.
is it just me or is everyone missing the requirements stated in the patent?
"The device includes a hard drive, a modem for connection to a data base via an on-line service, a keyboard, a display, and an audio system."
none of the new digital audio devices like the rio or the nomad fit this description; none of them have hard drives, modems, or keyboards (unless this term refers to any input device with buttons). the newly released or soon to be released devices based around mp3s store things in solid state memory of one kind or another and although they do comunicate with your computer they have no modem (modulator/demodulator), they use some type of digital comunication (USB, serial, etc.). these devices themselves do not have anything to do with the downloading of the files.
also the patent states that the device will be capable of "ordering the program material from a service; receiving acknowledgment of the order and receiving the program material via automatic download for storage in a hard drive". does the rio do that?
I wish more people would take the time to do their homework before stirring up trouble for this company. the patent is vague but not nearly as vague as everyone seems to think it is, and that is necisary considering that the device does not yet exist.
I know that the abstract section of the patent has been posted to/. and that alone was enough for me to rule out the portable mp3 players on the market or in development (at least those I've heard of), yet I was still curious enough to scan the full text of the patent before speaking my mind. I suggest everyone else that reads about this patent and is angry about it do the same.
and just to be fair...
Whoever the idiot was that wrote that press release should go back to school or at least find someone to show him the diference between a good informative press release and one that make his company look like a lying sack of $**t. (translation: that press release said they had patented things like laptops or the rio or nomad.... it sould have said that it patents things simmilar but quite a bit more advanced.)
my ramblings are deteriating now so I'll stop.
P.S. please excuse the spelling, I am a product of the US public school system.
----- "No one expects the spanish inquisition" -- Monty Python
Slashdot Mirror
I've found that in the last few years, apparently the definition of the word "help" has changed to mean "do this entire thing for me and hand it back so I can take credit." Not to mention that "training" seems to mean "Give the final steps without explaining why any of this is required."
I believe this is almost entirely due to the state of the higher education system. Computer Science seems to be focused on two things: proving the the professor is smarter than everyone else in the room, and teaching people how to claim the work of the smartest person they are working with.
As long as professors are required to do more research than teach, and allowed to teach without being taught how, the value of a college degree will continue to decline.
As to your point, few people with a computer science degree have ever been taught anything. The professors get away with not teaching a damn thing by using the "group project" system where they can be sure that those in the class that know what they are doing, have good research skills, or a talented friend, will do all of the work for the group. This allows 50% or more of the students to pass their class without understanding a thing. It's just another memorize key facts and puke experience for most of them.
Instead of complaining about how people ask for help, or how they train others, show them the right way. It takes a little time and patience, but it does wonders for the group.
Yes, your state is so very progressive that Prop 8 passed easily. Add that to your comment and it begins to look like California is a bunch of people that hate everyone, but expect those people to pay for what they consume.
Apparently, I was wrong about the meaning of progressive. Of course, so is the Democratic party.
I hate the politicization of words, 'they' never bother to look them up first.
The performa line from the mid 90s was probably their worste move. I know a number of mac fans that went out and purchased one of these machines not knowing how gimped they really were. Tons of the "good" mac software couldn't run on those machines as they had much lower quality components. The bigest problem was that they had no math co-processor.
Virtually none of the documentation for these systems mentioned that they were less than a real mac, so most of the people that purchased them just ended up thinking that the whole platform was a joke.
This is when I went from a strictly mac guy to a *nix fan, eventually being forced to move to the PC. I must say OSX has got me saving my pennies to get back into the mac world.
I wish I had thought of asking /. When I was looking... it might have made things easier.
--Sultin
is it just me or is everyone missing the requirements stated in the patent?
/. and that alone was enough for me to rule out the portable mp3 players on the market or in development (at least those I've heard of), yet I was still curious enough to scan the full text of the patent before speaking my mind. I suggest everyone else that reads about this patent and is angry about it do the same.
"The device includes a hard drive, a modem for connection to a data base via an on-line service, a keyboard, a display, and an audio system."
none of the new digital audio devices like the rio or the nomad fit this description; none of them have hard drives, modems, or keyboards (unless this term refers to any input device with buttons). the newly released or soon to be released devices based around mp3s store things in solid state memory of one kind or another and although they do comunicate with your computer they have no modem (modulator/demodulator), they use some type of digital comunication (USB, serial, etc.). these devices themselves do not have anything to do with the downloading of the files.
also the patent states that the device will be capable of "ordering the program material from a service; receiving acknowledgment of the order and receiving the program material via automatic download for storage in a hard drive". does the rio do that?
I wish more people would take the time to do their homework before stirring up trouble for this company. the patent is vague but not nearly as vague as everyone seems to think it is, and that is necisary considering that the device does not yet exist.
I know that the abstract section of the patent has been posted to
and just to be fair...
Whoever the idiot was that wrote that press release should go back to school or at least find someone to show him the diference between a good informative press release and one that make his company look like a lying sack of $**t. (translation: that press release said they had patented things like laptops or the rio or nomad.... it sould have said that it patents things simmilar but quite a bit more advanced.)
my ramblings are deteriating now so I'll stop.
P.S.
please excuse the spelling, I am a product of the US public school system.
-----
"No one expects the spanish inquisition"
-- Monty Python