It's not like there is anything you actually learn in four years of CS education that you can't learn in 3 months with a pile of books.
I'd disagree. Going through those x years of higher education teaches you quite a bit. You may not remember half the stuff that prof tells you, but it is the other things that you learn that are _way_ more important.
Like how to teach others. You may be really strong in some aspect of a course that you are taking, so some of the other students ask you how it works/how to do it. The easiest way is to just give them the answer. The problem with that is that those people keep coming back looking for the easy answer, but if you spend 5-10 minutes initially explaining how/why something works, that student will (hopefully) understand how to do it, and won't come back. When you first start doing things like, you'll probably stumble a bit, and it'll take a while to explain things, but once you get the hang of it, then your teaching becomes much quicker, and much more effective. (a very strong asset for you to have)
Another thing that you will learn is how to ask questions, as above, you may just start out asking for the answer directly, then you start asking why, then (hopefully) after a while, you will be able to succinctly be able to describe a situation, the problem you are having, and what you have tried in a short order of time. (again a very good asset for you)
You learn how to deal with prick collegues, superiors, and aquaintances.
A lot of people will think that these are things that you can pick up in high school, or that you already know these things (they are pretty obvious), and yes that is true. But the concentration of these factors, coupled with the pressures of higher education really drive home these qualities, and it should be just second nature to you. So that it is just a reflex, not really something you have to think about.
yea, you could probably learn some or even all of the technical details in 3 months with a stack of books, 2 pencils (37 erasers!), and a couple computers...but you'd miss the whole point of University.
working in groups is a good idea, if done right. ie everyone shares in the burden. Now it would be up to the profs to have more creative marking...have each member of the team grade the other members in a non-public way.
of course, the easier solution is just to lower the value of assignments (not so much so that they are insignificant though), and make tests much more valuable to your grade. Heck, even throw some some questions from assignments into tests once in a while.
I would have to disagree on the battery life statement..I can easily get over 12 hours listening to MP3 CDs on a new set of duracell/energizers..I have yet to try rechargables though.
The skipping can be harsh though. I carry it in my inside pocket in a large winter jacket, and it skips a fair amount.
Do like the Israeli airlines and put an armed marshall on every plane. A cop with an assault rifle would make me a lot less likely to try to hijack a plane than a rent-a-cop with a metal detector.
Why simplify things for terrorists? One of the hardest things to do (especially now) is to get good weapons onto planes..putting an armed guard onto a plane guarentees that you will have easy access to a weapon once aboard the plane. All you need is a couple people to attack the guard at once, get the weapon away from him or her, shoot them, and the plane is theirs. Sure one or two of the terrorist will be killed, but they are all going to die any way.
No muss, no fuss at the security check in, just a couple of friends taking a trip together.
Lock the cockpit door you say? Won't work if any of the aircrew can unlock it, once a few people get killed, or seriously wounded, one of the air crew will break down garenteed. And the Terrorists now have control of the plane.
You now have terrorists armed with guns, and a large aircraft.
Something will be done about it "soon" (that is geologically soon, say in the next couple millenia). The earth is an ecosystem, after a while, the earth will balance out, and buck off our species. Sure a few million of us will survive, but most will die.
Don't worry about mankind destroying this planet, we can't do it, due to our ego's we think we can, but in real life, we can't. After a while, the problems that we are causing will balance out.
probably because their main product (Netscape Browser), does not make any money, but is very expensive to keep developing for. Not only is it not making any money, it would be _impossible_ for it to make money. It is free(beer).
They are a company, they need to make money.
Is an Internet Portal the way to do it? probably not:(
what about just using 3-way calling on the phone?
I would imagine that 3-way calling could be expanded to be n-way calling for a few more bucks a month.
that way you don't have to depend on various internet connections just to talk.
Seriously. If the information on those drives are at all important, then you should either move them to the other side of the lab, or out of that room (cooling maybe a factor if they leave the room).
I realize that this is not what you asked for, but maybe check out vcr. It'll do real-time divx encoding, as well as mpeg-4..it works great for me...I record 320x240@30fps and it looks great (on a dual 400 celeron with 256MB RAM..it only uses one processor though) I then use aviplay to watch the movie, and it scales up very cleanly to 1280x1024, very clear picture, and only uses about 10% CPU during playback.
It doesn't do mpg2, but it may be close enough for you..
(file sizes aren't too bad...for 30 minutes of TV, the file is about 380MB)
trying to find a location (good luck, not a lot of open office space in Ottawa) Nortel will probably be selling off a few buildings..5 or so from what I heard.. (ok that is not that many but still...)
I don't see what the big hype is over Kde. I've been using a steady combination of GNOME and icewm, and have had little need for Kde. What are some of uses anyone else has put it too?
See I have used it before with Kwm once upon a kernel 2.0.14 ago, and it seemed bloated as all hell to me so I stood away from it, as far
away as I could. Is it still bloated in comparison to other versions, does it make anyone's load go sky high? I don't mind tinkering with things but I
often think about back in the days when I was in school on a cruddy PC and how much installing rev's would just choke my machine up, and imagine
everyone who is reading this story about to snarf, wget, ftp to get this latest beta. Anyone with a comparison of Kde to anything else? I don't
wanna sound like a nitpicky pr#ck so early in the afternoon, but (mimmicking Captain Kirk) Damnit Jim I haven't.... Had... one......... sip of..
coffee............ yet
Linux was first started in 1991. OpenBSD forked off of NetBSD, in 1995. NetBSD was started in 1991 I believe..There is a Unix timeline here Nice try though.
there isn't one going per se (at least I haven't seen one yet), but all of the tools are there...on the hardware side, you'll need a tv tuner, and Big-Assed Harddrive (TM).
On the software side, grab vcr. VCR is a command line tool to record divx files..it eats processors though, so make sure you got a good one..if you would like something that is a little leaner on the processor, grab mp1e (sorry no web page), the files you write will be bigger, but the quality is good, and only take about 15% of my celery 400.
To see what is on TV, either grab xmltv, tvguide, or the cream of the crop Mister House
Mister House looks pretty sweet, since it already embeds links to record shows right in the listings for recording(you'll have to hack it a bit to get it to use vcr/mp1e, but it'll work), and there is already code there for remembering your favourite shows, sorting for movies, etc, etc etc...
Now if you want to get fancy, you'll grab a DVD anywhere from x10 (to lazy to throw in the link), a second sound card in your Linux box, and a second video card in your Linux box, and it will all get run from your machine sitting in your room so that you don't have a noisy machine sitting your Living Room.
And of course this also gets you access to your MP3s, and web browser while sitting on the couch...
So why haven't you built this yet Jose, you ask? I'm working on it OK, GET OFF MY BACK!! =P
Let's face it, most people are too self centered...
yes, but people like to think that they aren't self-centered. So a project like this could take advantage of that.
If all a person had to do was double-click[1] on some file, then have it install. (ie a _really_ easy install), then people would do it. They get to cure cancer in their spare time, that makes them feel good. Look at all those chain-letters bouncing around the net saying "forward this to ten people to make some sick and dying girl happy" or some shit. They'll do it...if it is _simple_.
[1]People will be somewhat scared that it is a virus or something, but will only hesitate for about 2.5 seconds, then run it.
Slashdot Mirror
It's not like there is anything you actually learn in four years of CS education that you can't learn in 3 months with a pile of books.
I'd disagree. Going through those x years of higher education teaches you quite a bit. You may not remember half the stuff that prof tells you, but it is the other things that you learn that are _way_ more important.
Like how to teach others. You may be really strong in some aspect of a course that you are taking, so some of the other students ask you how it works/how to do it. The easiest way is to just give them the answer. The problem with that is that those people keep coming back looking for the easy answer, but if you spend 5-10 minutes initially explaining how/why something works, that student will (hopefully) understand how to do it, and won't come back. When you first start doing things like, you'll probably stumble a bit, and it'll take a while to explain things, but once you get the hang of it, then your teaching becomes much quicker, and much more effective. (a very strong asset for you to have)
Another thing that you will learn is how to ask questions, as above, you may just start out asking for the answer directly, then you start asking why, then (hopefully) after a while, you will be able to succinctly be able to describe a situation, the problem you are having, and what you have tried in a short order of time. (again a very good asset for you)
You learn how to deal with prick collegues, superiors, and aquaintances.
A lot of people will think that these are things that you can pick up in high school, or that you already know these things (they are pretty obvious), and yes that is true. But the concentration of these factors, coupled with the pressures of higher education really drive home these qualities, and it should be just second nature to you. So that it is just a reflex, not really something you have to think about.
yea, you could probably learn some or even all of the technical details in 3 months with a stack of books, 2 pencils (37 erasers!), and a couple computers...but you'd miss the whole point of University.
do a google search for:
coke pepsi exclusive contract
working in groups is a good idea, if done right. ie everyone shares in the burden. Now it would be up to the profs to have more creative marking...have each member of the team grade the other members in a non-public way.
of course, the easier solution is just to lower the value of assignments (not so much so that they are insignificant though), and make tests much more valuable to your grade. Heck, even throw some some questions from assignments into tests once in a while.
I find it funny that a registered slashdot reader would say that.
(yes I realize the difference between required, and optional, it's just funny OK?)
why it is Klaatu Varata Niktu obviously...
uhhh...it was done on Kids in the Hall way before it was done on South Park..may have been done before Kids as well...
I would have to disagree on the battery life statement..I can easily get over 12 hours listening to MP3 CDs on a new set of duracell/energizers..I have yet to try rechargables though.
The skipping can be harsh though. I carry it in my inside pocket in a large winter jacket, and it skips a fair amount.
Do like the Israeli airlines and put an armed marshall on every plane. A cop with an assault rifle would make me a lot less likely to try to hijack a plane than a rent-a-cop with a metal detector.
Why simplify things for terrorists? One of the hardest things to do (especially now) is to get good weapons onto planes..putting an armed guard onto a plane guarentees that you will have easy access to a weapon once aboard the plane. All you need is a couple people to attack the guard at once, get the weapon away from him or her, shoot them, and the plane is theirs. Sure one or two of the terrorist will be killed, but they are all going to die any way.
No muss, no fuss at the security check in, just a couple of friends taking a trip together.
Lock the cockpit door you say? Won't work if any of the aircrew can unlock it, once a few people get killed, or seriously wounded, one of the air crew will break down garenteed. And the Terrorists now have control of the plane.
You now have terrorists armed with guns, and a large aircraft.
grab it here http://www.robertgraham.com/altivore/
Something will be done about it "soon" (that is geologically soon, say in the next couple millenia). The earth is an ecosystem, after a while, the earth will balance out, and buck off our species. Sure a few million of us will survive, but most will die.
Don't worry about mankind destroying this planet, we can't do it, due to our ego's we think we can, but in real life, we can't. After a while, the problems that we are causing will balance out.
probably because their main product (Netscape Browser), does not make any money, but is very expensive to keep developing for. Not only is it not making any money, it would be _impossible_ for it to make money. It is free(beer).
:(
They are a company, they need to make money.
Is an Internet Portal the way to do it? probably not
what about just using 3-way calling on the phone?
I would imagine that 3-way calling could be expanded to be n-way calling for a few more bucks a month.
that way you don't have to depend on various internet connections just to talk.
e^(pi*i) + 1 = 0
that has always been one of my favourites. (mostly because it brings several important numbers into one small formula)
this way, everything would be almost to slow todo, except for the old schoolers that are used to there old 200bps modems..
what?!? I think 200 Birds Per Second is pretty fast!!
move them.
Seriously. If the information on those drives are at all important, then you should either move them to the other side of the lab, or out of that room (cooling maybe a factor if they leave the room).
I realize that this is not what you asked for, but maybe check out vcr. It'll do real-time divx encoding, as well as mpeg-4..it works great for me...I record 320x240@30fps and it looks great (on a dual 400 celeron with 256MB RAM..it only uses one processor though) I then use aviplay to watch the movie, and it scales up very cleanly to 1280x1024, very clear picture, and only uses about 10% CPU during playback.
It doesn't do mpg2, but it may be close enough for you..
(file sizes aren't too bad...for 30 minutes of TV, the file is about 380MB)
trying to find a location (good luck, not a lot of open office space in Ottawa)
Nortel will probably be selling off a few buildings..5 or so from what I heard.. (ok that is not that many but still...)
I don't see what the big hype is over Kde. I've been using a steady combination of GNOME and icewm, and have had little need for Kde. What are some of uses anyone else has put it too? .... Had ... one ......... sip of ..
... ... ... ... yet
See I have used it before with Kwm once upon a kernel 2.0.14 ago, and it seemed bloated as all hell to me so I stood away from it, as far
away as I could. Is it still bloated in comparison to other versions, does it make anyone's load go sky high? I don't mind tinkering with things but I
often think about back in the days when I was in school on a cruddy PC and how much installing rev's would just choke my machine up, and imagine
everyone who is reading this story about to snarf, wget, ftp to get this latest beta. Anyone with a comparison of Kde to anything else? I don't
wanna sound like a nitpicky pr#ck so early in the afternoon, but (mimmicking Captain Kirk) Damnit Jim I haven't
coffee
Linux was first started in 1991. OpenBSD forked off of NetBSD, in 1995. NetBSD was started in 1991 I believe..There is a Unix timeline here
Nice try though.
Someone point me to a ReplayTV project.
there isn't one going per se (at least I haven't seen one yet), but all of the tools are there...on the hardware side, you'll need a tv tuner, and Big-Assed Harddrive (TM).
On the software side, grab vcr. VCR is a command line tool to record divx files..it eats processors though, so make sure you got a good one..if you would like something that is a little leaner on the processor, grab mp1e (sorry no web page), the files you write will be bigger, but the quality is good, and only take about 15% of my celery 400.
To see what is on TV, either grab xmltv, tvguide, or the cream of the crop Mister House
Mister House looks pretty sweet, since it already embeds links to record shows right in the listings for recording(you'll have to hack it a bit to get it to use vcr/mp1e, but it'll work), and there is already code there for remembering your favourite shows, sorting for movies, etc, etc etc...
Now if you want to get fancy, you'll grab a DVD anywhere from x10 (to lazy to throw in the link), a second sound card in your Linux box, and a second video card in your Linux box, and it will all get run from your machine sitting in your room so that you don't have a noisy machine sitting your Living Room.
And of course this also gets you access to your MP3s, and web browser while sitting on the couch...
So why haven't you built this yet Jose, you ask? I'm working on it OK, GET OFF MY BACK!! =P
why don't we all just use OpenBSD?
it's quite a nice OS..
Let's face it, most people are too self centered...
yes, but people like to think that they aren't self-centered. So a project like this could take advantage of that.
If all a person had to do was double-click[1] on some file, then have it install. (ie a _really_ easy install), then people would do it. They get to cure cancer in their spare time, that makes them feel good. Look at all those chain-letters bouncing around the net saying "forward this to ten people to make some sick and dying girl happy" or some shit. They'll do it...if it is _simple_.
[1]People will be somewhat scared that it is a virus or something, but will only hesitate for about 2.5 seconds, then run it.
Just being a hacker does _not_ make you an engineer. IMO that is a much worse mistake than the hacker/cracker mixup.
did you notice how I took the "fake-movie" bit out of the URL when I linked it...yeah, I noticed.
the trailer looks OK..Looks kinda similiar to Episode 1, but hey it's tough being creative. Check it out http://www.adcritic.com/content/star-wars-episode- 2.html