I took IQ tests in elementary school, and was placed in the accelerated gifted program. Then I moved to another state, where I had to retake the IQ exam, and I just barely missed the cut. So, by one test I'm "gifted" and by another I'm not. I retook the test a year later, and what do you know? I'm gifted again!
This is why I think IQ tests are crap. They try to put a number on something as abstract as intelligence. It's hard to put a rigid cutoff to something abstract like this. I certainly didn't get dumber for that one year where I wasn't "gifted" by government standards. I would much rather see gifted programs that catered to student's ability to perform in areas like creativity and problem solving in a full on classroom or project environment, not some arbitrary number from a standardized tests. How can a single point on a test be the difference between a child that gets special attention and has their education more closely nurtured and the one that doesn't? I say gifted children are the ones that apply themselves the best in real-world situations and don't just memorize facts. But that's a much harder test to devise.
My parents did me a great service in that they never told me how I scored on any of the IQ tests. To this day, I still don't know. They were smart enough to realize the worthlessness of putting a number on something like intelligence. And there's no sense in penis-waving IQ scores, because they're just a general idea of where you fall over the whole populace and nothing more. And IQ tests should, therefore, not be treated like anything more.
So what draws this clear line for you between Scientology and "actual religion"? I'd really like to know.
Scientology refuses to even tell you what they believe without you spending large amounts of money. If you "convert", you do so without any knowledge or even opportunity to examine their beliefs. The beliefs, such as they are, are not revealed until after you've emptied your bank account for them.
More importantly, I think the difference between a "fake" and "actual" religion hinges upon the sincerity of the originators of said religion. Most main stream religions are old, which makes it impossible to know if the origins were founded in sincerity, but there's enough precedence amongst their various cultures that it would make sense for people to assume it's true.
Scientology on the other hand was created in modern times and we have a pretty good clue about how it got started. L. Ron Hubbard is famously quoted for saying that if he really wanted to make money, he'd start a religion. Being that he is the sole originator of Scientology, it is nearly impossible to trust its sincerity.
The fact that what you describe (not telling the beliefs until large sums of money have been paid) is a well-documented psychological phenomenon doesn't help its case any.
So bottom line: People will soon be faced with having to wait for the delayed DVD rental, or purchase it now.
You're forgetting the 3rd option: Not watching movies. This option is becoming easier and easier as they stop coming up with new ideas and remake the same old crap over and over again. Seriously they're remaking Nightmare on Elm Street? A billion sequels wasn't enough.
I'm gonna go read a book. The special effects are better.
The appeal of iPhone/Android development is not about gaining market share against the PC game market. It's that independent developers can make quality apps cheaply.
Developing and publishing a PC game is expensive. Even though digital distribution systems such as Steam are making it cheaper for independent game companies it is still very difficult for an individual to create a PC game that can compete with today's AAAAA titles.
However, no one expects to be playing AAAAA titles on their phone (at least not yet, anyway). That means games for these mobile platforms need not be grandiose explosions of eye candy, simply because the hardware isn't there (yet). That's great news for the Indie developer who could create a fun, lightweight, addictive game, and do it in his spare time.
When the barrier to entry into a market is small like this, we will see a lot of new players, which will lead to new ideas, competition, and true innovation. So yes, the "wide-open field" is terribly accurate. That's what makes this all the more exciting.
For individuals it isn't going to be about market share, because if I can spend $25 bucks and a few weekends to build an app that I make $100 off of, then it's worth it to me. It's a great addition to my resume and some beer money. "Market share" is a term for board members trying to maximize their effectiveness, not developers trying to create something new and interesting.
Steve Balmer. He is the target audience of this ad.
He wants Windows to be "cool" the way Macs are.
He wants a trendy viral marketing campaign. Those are all the rage these days.
He has to sign off on major marketing campaigns for the latest and greatest update to Microsoft's flagship product.
He is far enough removed from reality to think that people will buy into this crap.
His own Windows marketing shenanigans are just as absurd as this video.
This video is everything Steve Balmer wants out of a marketing campaign. The ad agency get's paid for doing what he wants, and he himself is a chair-throwing lunatic.
There are definitely good aspects to XBL, some of which make sense as a paid subscription service. However, to require me to pay an extra subscription to enjoy the multiplayer aspects of a game I've already bought is absolutely absurd. You might argue that someone has to pay for the servers to run said games, but that argument doesn't hold water with me because, well PC gaming has had free online play for over a decade, even games that do not require a monthly subscription.
I'm willing to pay for money for quality services, but don't expect me to get excited over paying for something I've enjoyed for free since the dawn of the Internet.
I've worked in a call center, and the technology that made us efficient mainly revolved around computer-telephone integration. Our phone system was linked into our CRM program, such that as soon as you answered a call that customer's data would pop-up right on our screen. This meant we didn't have to keep re-asking the customer for their ID, incident number, etc. , nor did we have to bother searching and waiting for the info to load. This is on top of all the things mentioned by the parent.
So, no, 'technology designed to make its employees more efficient' does not necessarily mean robocallers.
I'm very glad you pointed this out! Ever hear the expression that if you plant kudzu in the back yard, it'll beat you to the porch? This stuff is all over the place hear in Georgia, and it grows so thick that it can suffocate trees. People would probably consider it a great service if someone were to come and remove it. What's better is that it grows all along the highways, not on farm land that should much rather be used for food crops.
Why are we wasting time and energy (literally) on food crops as fuel when we can make it out of weeds? Another good example of this is switchgrass.
I'd be interested to see a company that offers landscapingl services which in turn and sells weeds/yard refuse as biofuel fodder.
Metal (in most of its various forms) is very musically complex. It's a genre that will often employ intricate time signatures and very complex rhythms. The speed and complexity alone requires great accomplishment as a musician, not to mention that the lyrics are often charged with interesting political and literary themes.
Most importantly, when a child catches an adult out by deductive reasoning, and receives the truth as a reward... there is no greater sense of achievement, nor a more powerful incentive for genuine curiosity, in a child.
I couldn't agree more. I was actually quite overjoyed when my suspicions regarding Santa Claus and The Tooth Fairy were confirmed. Not sad and dejected as my parents had anticipated.
If you look at these links these are list pertaining to why companies SHOULD hire international students not reasons as to why companies should avoid domestic students.
They are simply trying to "sell" certain types of students (international) to companies by stating the benefits of hiring those types of students, thereby catering to those student's interests.
Slashdot Mirror
Only until the Cylons are built!
I took IQ tests in elementary school, and was placed in the accelerated gifted program. Then I moved to another state, where I had to retake the IQ exam, and I just barely missed the cut. So, by one test I'm "gifted" and by another I'm not. I retook the test a year later, and what do you know? I'm gifted again!
This is why I think IQ tests are crap. They try to put a number on something as abstract as intelligence. It's hard to put a rigid cutoff to something abstract like this. I certainly didn't get dumber for that one year where I wasn't "gifted" by government standards. I would much rather see gifted programs that catered to student's ability to perform in areas like creativity and problem solving in a full on classroom or project environment, not some arbitrary number from a standardized tests. How can a single point on a test be the difference between a child that gets special attention and has their education more closely nurtured and the one that doesn't? I say gifted children are the ones that apply themselves the best in real-world situations and don't just memorize facts. But that's a much harder test to devise.
My parents did me a great service in that they never told me how I scored on any of the IQ tests. To this day, I still don't know. They were smart enough to realize the worthlessness of putting a number on something like intelligence. And there's no sense in penis-waving IQ scores, because they're just a general idea of where you fall over the whole populace and nothing more. And IQ tests should, therefore, not be treated like anything more.
Absolutely! Metallica has made a lot of great music. Here's a list of their albums:
Kill 'Em All, 1983
Ride the Lightning, 1984
Master of Puppets, 1986
And Justice For All, 1988
Metallica (The Black Album), 1991
Totally understandable to forget Metallica makes music, considering they haven't made a new album since the early '90's, though :P
So what draws this clear line for you between Scientology and "actual religion"? I'd really like to know.
Scientology refuses to even tell you what they believe without you spending large amounts of money. If you "convert", you do so without any knowledge or even opportunity to examine their beliefs. The beliefs, such as they are, are not revealed until after you've emptied your bank account for them.
More importantly, I think the difference between a "fake" and "actual" religion hinges upon the sincerity of the originators of said religion. Most main stream religions are old, which makes it impossible to know if the origins were founded in sincerity, but there's enough precedence amongst their various cultures that it would make sense for people to assume it's true.
Scientology on the other hand was created in modern times and we have a pretty good clue about how it got started. L. Ron Hubbard is famously quoted for saying that if he really wanted to make money, he'd start a religion. Being that he is the sole originator of Scientology, it is nearly impossible to trust its sincerity.
The fact that what you describe (not telling the beliefs until large sums of money have been paid) is a well-documented psychological phenomenon doesn't help its case any.
So bottom line: People will soon be faced with having to wait for the delayed DVD rental, or purchase it now.
You're forgetting the 3rd option: Not watching movies. This option is becoming easier and easier as they stop coming up with new ideas and remake the same old crap over and over again. Seriously they're remaking Nightmare on Elm Street? A billion sequels wasn't enough.
I'm gonna go read a book. The special effects are better.
Sorry. Star Wars geek moment...
But I want to know in how many Parsecs VASIMR can do the Kessel run!!!
The appeal of iPhone/Android development is not about gaining market share against the PC game market. It's that independent developers can make quality apps cheaply.
Developing and publishing a PC game is expensive. Even though digital distribution systems such as Steam are making it cheaper for independent game companies it is still very difficult for an individual to create a PC game that can compete with today's AAAAA titles.
However, no one expects to be playing AAAAA titles on their phone (at least not yet, anyway). That means games for these mobile platforms need not be grandiose explosions of eye candy, simply because the hardware isn't there (yet). That's great news for the Indie developer who could create a fun, lightweight, addictive game, and do it in his spare time.
When the barrier to entry into a market is small like this, we will see a lot of new players, which will lead to new ideas, competition, and true innovation. So yes, the "wide-open field" is terribly accurate. That's what makes this all the more exciting.
For individuals it isn't going to be about market share, because if I can spend $25 bucks and a few weekends to build an app that I make $100 off of, then it's worth it to me. It's a great addition to my resume and some beer money. "Market share" is a term for board members trying to maximize their effectiveness, not developers trying to create something new and interesting.
Steve Balmer. He is the target audience of this ad.
He wants Windows to be "cool" the way Macs are.
He wants a trendy viral marketing campaign. Those are all the rage these days.
He has to sign off on major marketing campaigns for the latest and greatest update to Microsoft's flagship product.
He is far enough removed from reality to think that people will buy into this crap.
His own Windows marketing shenanigans are just as absurd as this video.
This video is everything Steve Balmer wants out of a marketing campaign. The ad agency get's paid for doing what he wants, and he himself is a chair-throwing lunatic.
I once learned the trick that putting garlic cloves in the microwave for a few seconds makes the skin come off easier.
So they call up Alan Greenspan
And are surprised when Bernanke answers the phone.
There are definitely good aspects to XBL, some of which make sense as a paid subscription service. However, to require me to pay an extra subscription to enjoy the multiplayer aspects of a game I've already bought is absolutely absurd. You might argue that someone has to pay for the servers to run said games, but that argument doesn't hold water with me because, well PC gaming has had free online play for over a decade, even games that do not require a monthly subscription.
I'm willing to pay for money for quality services, but don't expect me to get excited over paying for something I've enjoyed for free since the dawn of the Internet.
I've worked in a call center, and the technology that made us efficient mainly revolved around computer-telephone integration. Our phone system was linked into our CRM program, such that as soon as you answered a call that customer's data would pop-up right on our screen. This meant we didn't have to keep re-asking the customer for their ID, incident number, etc. , nor did we have to bother searching and waiting for the info to load. This is on top of all the things mentioned by the parent.
So, no, 'technology designed to make its employees more efficient' does not necessarily mean robocallers.
I'm very glad you pointed this out! Ever hear the expression that if you plant kudzu in the back yard, it'll beat you to the porch? This stuff is all over the place hear in Georgia, and it grows so thick that it can suffocate trees. People would probably consider it a great service if someone were to come and remove it. What's better is that it grows all along the highways, not on farm land that should much rather be used for food crops.
Why are we wasting time and energy (literally) on food crops as fuel when we can make it out of weeds? Another good example of this is
switchgrass.
I'd be interested to see a company that offers landscapingl services which in turn and sells weeds/yard refuse as biofuel fodder.
Hear Hear!
Metal (in most of its various forms) is very musically complex. It's a genre that will often employ intricate time signatures and very complex rhythms. The speed and complexity alone requires great accomplishment as a musician, not to mention that the lyrics are often charged with interesting political and literary themes.
Rap is someone spewing ego into a drum machine.
Most importantly, when a child catches an adult out by deductive reasoning, and receives the truth as a reward... there is no greater sense of achievement, nor a more powerful incentive for genuine curiosity, in a child.
I couldn't agree more. I was actually quite overjoyed when my suspicions regarding Santa Claus and The Tooth Fairy were confirmed. Not sad and dejected as my parents had anticipated.
If you look at these links these are list pertaining to why companies SHOULD hire international students not reasons as to why companies should avoid domestic students.
They are simply trying to "sell" certain types of students (international) to companies by stating the benefits of hiring those types of students, thereby catering to those student's interests.
Nothing to see here.
That Explains why I played the most complex games when I was in High School.
"Hatena" doesn't really mean "enigma". It's actually an interjection, and a more accurate translation would be something like "Weird!" or "Oh man!".
"WTF", FTW!