I believe the field should be called "Algorithm Development".... the platform, hardware or software, is largely irrelevant to the mathematical development of algorithms.
I think this is more true than many "computer scientists" would admit. As a sysadmin (and occasional developer) I've been amazed at how little understanding comp.sci. grads have of the system as a whole. Some have no clue about the various interactions of the hardware components or other processes on a host, no apparent clue how to improve performance of an app and waste time reinventing functionality that is already available in the system libraries. Learning algorithms is a good thing but very incomplete in itself when you're actually trying to build software that actually accomplishes something useful in the real world.
I'm not trashing everyone with a computer sci. degree as I've worked with some who were exceptionally good. I think those were the ones who had a natural curiosity about how things work and were willing to learn on their own beyond their course work.
To say the US is having a hard time keeping up would imply that it is difficult to do that for US companies. It's not. It simply goes against their desire to get money for nothing. They want to put nothing into their infrastructure and so nothing improves.
Don't worry, the invisible hand of the marketplace will exert it's influence opening up more options for us. As soon as a competitor sees the opportunity to.... Oh, wait... Nevermind.
Let me be the first to say that I'm glad that our senators and representatives have passed this. With all the other issues this country has to solve, I'm glad to see our congressmen reach across the aisle and work together in a spirit of bipartisanship to solve major issues like this. It gives one a deep sense of optimism for the future of our country.
So what??? In the western world: Money == Power. Consolidation of power in a handful of entities (individuals and corporations) yields other other disparities. Why do you think we have such ridiculous copyright laws? How about business method and software patents on obvious things? How fair to the individual do you think laws are when they are directly written by lobbyists for various congressional subcommittees? Why do you think that it is primarily the wealthy who succeed in getting in high office? Who do you think is paying for the campaign expenses of these critters? Do you think big campaign contributors expect nothing in return? Who do you think are making the laws for the rest of us? Why do you think nobody has been prosecuted for the obvious fraud that occurred in the mortgage mess in this country? There are many, many other issues where the interests of the money holders bears more influence than any other factor. The deeper you look into how things run in our country the more you will see the few money holders who are either at the helm or giving the directions.
Beyond that, I don't care what the guy next to me is earning (as long as he isn't going hungry). I have enough for myself.
I listened to that speech last night. He lays out the situation for what it is pretty well. I almost linked to that youtube clip in my previous comment.
In the US, the divide between rich and poor has grown considerably over the past 30 years. Much of that growth has been in the last 10. In absolute terms I'm sure many other societies, past and present, have greater disparities but those tend to be countries where there is little pretense to the exploitation of the poor - not a "western" nation. The accumulation of wealth by the the upper 1% has increased dramatically. Feel free to google for the statistics - they're pretty easily found. They now hold roughly 1/3rd of the wealth in this country. The lower 40% hold about 1% of the wealth. Over the recent recession this disparity has only increased. Left to itself it will not naturally reverse. How you correct this, or IF you should correct this is topic for another debate (queue the left vs. right dogma stupidity) but the trend is well documented.
I keep having this horror vision/nightmare where, by some freak series of events, the 2012 election comes down to Sarah Palin vs. Hillary Clinton. While I readily agree that Clinton is the more intelligent of the two, a battle of the polarizing "unelectables" would be an incredible display to watch.
Well, billboards are not permitted in Vermont although they were not banned due to the distraction they create. It amazes me how ugly it is to travel through other states.
The sad thing is that you have to use your choice of browser to define yourself and make yourself feel superior to others. I don't need to resort to such immature behavior to validate my self worth. I'm a Mac owner.
Last year I led a group of college age students on a hike up a small local mountain (2700'). First thing that nearly every one of them did at the top was to whip out their cell phones and call someone to let them know where they were. I guess this falls under the "why not" category. Maybe it'll even help with rescue efforts for those who get lost or injured when on the mountain.
that this is the difference between our public schools and those in countries that are eating our lunch in math and the sciences. "If only our kids had good chairs like the schools in Japan...." School should be about productivity but learning. As a kid, I could never sit still long enough to notice the fit of the chair anyway. This sounds like someone has some chairs to sell at a nice profit margin.
Regardless, I know there's a Steve Ballmer/chair joke to be made here but I can't seem to put it together right now.
What difference exactly does it make if someone exclaims Fuck! instead of Custard!
How is the latter displaying a more advanced vocabulary? And why should anyone care?
Exclaiming either one is pretty stupid, in my opinion. The only reason anyone cares, is that swearing has generally been regarded as being offensive. It's not the collection of letters or sounds that they represent but the meaning behind those words. What purpose is there in communicating the word for intercourse/fornication/sex/whatever as an exclamation - especially using terminology that a large portion of our culture considers it to be offensive? Is the purpose to offend? What is the point?
Perhaps, but there's nothing in the phonetic structure of the swear words that helps your thumb feel better. It's just an emotional release. Next time try yelling out the name "Elmo" instead.
I find this to be a bit depressing. Generally, I view swearing as a demonstration of a lack of emotional self control or evidence of a limited vocabulary to effectively express thoughts or feelings. From the larger perspective, it reflects a general lack of civility in our society. Little kids don't choose their language, they only reflect the language of those around them. Pretty sad when the supposed parents of a small child end up teaching this at such a young age.
That case/box/cabinet/whatever is about the worst design I've seen in a long time. Did these jokers attend the Microsoft School of Compatability and Interoperability? It won't fit in a cabinet unless it's all by itself. It won't fit well in a component rack. It's too fat to slide behind anything. It's too wide to stand on edge. Ugly color green too. Thanks but I think I'll stick with my Revo and XBMC which I can cleanly hide behind my TV cabinet using its VESA mounting plate.
Slashdot Mirror
I hold a BS in Computer Science.
I believe the field should be called "Algorithm Development".... the platform, hardware or software, is largely irrelevant to the mathematical development of algorithms.
I think this is more true than many "computer scientists" would admit. As a sysadmin (and occasional developer) I've been amazed at how little understanding comp.sci. grads have of the system as a whole. Some have no clue about the various interactions of the hardware components or other processes on a host, no apparent clue how to improve performance of an app and waste time reinventing functionality that is already available in the system libraries. Learning algorithms is a good thing but very incomplete in itself when you're actually trying to build software that actually accomplishes something useful in the real world.
I'm not trashing everyone with a computer sci. degree as I've worked with some who were exceptionally good. I think those were the ones who had a natural curiosity about how things work and were willing to learn on their own beyond their course work.
Don't forget Emacs with gedcom.el. I haven't used it but if it runs in GNU/Emacs it must be great.
...which raises questions about where these companies are heading and what it means for the rest of the industry.
Total. World. Domination.
I'd be happy if I could get any service at all where I live. For many of us satellite is the only option and it sucks (just not as bad as dialup).
To say the US is having a hard time keeping up would imply that it is difficult to do that for US companies. It's not. It simply goes against their desire to get money for nothing. They want to put nothing into their infrastructure and so nothing improves.
Don't worry, the invisible hand of the marketplace will exert it's influence opening up more options for us. As soon as a competitor sees the opportunity to.... Oh, wait... Nevermind.
I'm the same way. I don't even want to tweak the machines I use on a daily basis hence why I buy Apple products.
That's exactly why I've had Macs for the past 6 years or so. That and a real Unix command line when I want it.
Even better is to turn the TV off entirely.
I haven't had "TV" since the early 90s. Best thing I ever did with my time.
Let me be the first to say that I'm glad that our senators and representatives have passed this. With all the other issues this country has to solve, I'm glad to see our congressmen reach across the aisle and work together in a spirit of bipartisanship to solve major issues like this. It gives one a deep sense of optimism for the future of our country.
So what??? In the western world: Money == Power. Consolidation of power in a handful of entities (individuals and corporations) yields other other disparities. Why do you think we have such ridiculous copyright laws? How about business method and software patents on obvious things? How fair to the individual do you think laws are when they are directly written by lobbyists for various congressional subcommittees? Why do you think that it is primarily the wealthy who succeed in getting in high office? Who do you think is paying for the campaign expenses of these critters? Do you think big campaign contributors expect nothing in return? Who do you think are making the laws for the rest of us? Why do you think nobody has been prosecuted for the obvious fraud that occurred in the mortgage mess in this country? There are many, many other issues where the interests of the money holders bears more influence than any other factor. The deeper you look into how things run in our country the more you will see the few money holders who are either at the helm or giving the directions.
Beyond that, I don't care what the guy next to me is earning (as long as he isn't going hungry). I have enough for myself.
I listened to that speech last night. He lays out the situation for what it is pretty well. I almost linked to that youtube clip in my previous comment.
In the US, the divide between rich and poor has grown considerably over the past 30 years. Much of that growth has been in the last 10. In absolute terms I'm sure many other societies, past and present, have greater disparities but those tend to be countries where there is little pretense to the exploitation of the poor - not a "western" nation. The accumulation of wealth by the the upper 1% has increased dramatically. Feel free to google for the statistics - they're pretty easily found. They now hold roughly 1/3rd of the wealth in this country. The lower 40% hold about 1% of the wealth. Over the recent recession this disparity has only increased. Left to itself it will not naturally reverse. How you correct this, or IF you should correct this is topic for another debate (queue the left vs. right dogma stupidity) but the trend is well documented.
I keep having this horror vision/nightmare where, by some freak series of events, the 2012 election comes down to Sarah Palin vs. Hillary Clinton. While I readily agree that Clinton is the more intelligent of the two, a battle of the polarizing "unelectables" would be an incredible display to watch.
It obviously doesn't belong here. Someone needs to find the galaxy that this planet belongs to and send it back.
Well, billboards are not permitted in Vermont although they were not banned due to the distraction they create. It amazes me how ugly it is to travel through other states.
The sad thing is that you have to use your choice of browser to define yourself and make yourself feel superior to others. I don't need to resort to such immature behavior to validate my self worth. I'm a Mac owner.
Last year I led a group of college age students on a hike up a small local mountain (2700'). First thing that nearly every one of them did at the top was to whip out their cell phones and call someone to let them know where they were. I guess this falls under the "why not" category. Maybe it'll even help with rescue efforts for those who get lost or injured when on the mountain.
that this is the difference between our public schools and those in countries that are eating our lunch in math and the sciences. "If only our kids had good chairs like the schools in Japan...." School should be about productivity but learning. As a kid, I could never sit still long enough to notice the fit of the chair anyway. This sounds like someone has some chairs to sell at a nice profit margin.
Regardless, I know there's a Steve Ballmer/chair joke to be made here but I can't seem to put it together right now.
But, except for Clippy, I am hard pressed to think of many situations where Microsoft felt like it was innovating.
Microsoft Bob?
I'd be more likely to blame the wi-fi transmitter than heat from the laptop.
What difference exactly does it make if someone exclaims Fuck! instead of Custard!
How is the latter displaying a more advanced vocabulary? And why should anyone care?
Exclaiming either one is pretty stupid, in my opinion. The only reason anyone cares, is that swearing has generally been regarded as being offensive. It's not the collection of letters or sounds that they represent but the meaning behind those words. What purpose is there in communicating the word for intercourse/fornication/sex/whatever as an exclamation - especially using terminology that a large portion of our culture considers it to be offensive? Is the purpose to offend? What is the point?
Perhaps, but there's nothing in the phonetic structure of the swear words that helps your thumb feel better. It's just an emotional release. Next time try yelling out the name "Elmo" instead.
I find this to be a bit depressing. Generally, I view swearing as a demonstration of a lack of emotional self control or evidence of a limited vocabulary to effectively express thoughts or feelings. From the larger perspective, it reflects a general lack of civility in our society. Little kids don't choose their language, they only reflect the language of those around them. Pretty sad when the supposed parents of a small child end up teaching this at such a young age.
That case/box/cabinet/whatever is about the worst design I've seen in a long time. Did these jokers attend the Microsoft School of Compatability and Interoperability? It won't fit in a cabinet unless it's all by itself. It won't fit well in a component rack. It's too fat to slide behind anything. It's too wide to stand on edge. Ugly color green too. Thanks but I think I'll stick with my Revo and XBMC which I can cleanly hide behind my TV cabinet using its VESA mounting plate.
Now, we're one step closer to replacing members of congress with automated robotic labor.
Is it still arrogance if I actually am better than everyone else?