The stupid ones will always be stupid and the smart ones will always be smart no matter what I do.
Yeah, about that... I'm a physics teacher and in my experience there is certainly a point at which the lack of innate ability means that a student would be better employed trying to learn something else. Sure, we try to teach all of our students as much as we can, but if after a year or so of intensive teaching, extra support classes, peer supported group work &c. a student still struggles to grasp the basics of electrical circuit analysis or the process of resolving vectors into orthogonal components then it's time to run up the white flag and try something else.
The myth that anyone can be successful at anything has lead many young people to waste a great deal of time and effort trying to master ideas that are frankly beyond them. What I think we forget sometimes is just how intellectually / academically weak it is possible for some people to be. Life is short and youth even shorter. Surely it is better to spend your time productively rather than on impossible and ultimately fruitless pursuits?
Wow, a lesson in design tradeoffs. You can't have a large comfortable, safe car with several air bags, an enormous crumple zone with decent acceleration that gets 40 MPG.
I've always been bothered by the Daleks. Why would a super advanced battle machine made of 'bonded polly-carboid armour' have such a vulnerable and inefficient targeting system? The eye stalk just doesn't make any sense. And only one weapon? Again, that energy rifle thing just seems a bit daft.
I think the problem is that R.T. Davis wrote the Daleks to be the ultimate, unstoppable enemy of the Time Lords because they were one of the most well-known elements of the brand and useful for marketing.. This just doesn't fit well with their retro design. Right up until the end of the 7th doctor's time the Daleks were pretty scary, but hardly invincible (remember Ace taking one out with a baseball bat in Remembrance?)
No, it's not just you. I don't know anyone who has ever made a video call from a mobile phone. It's impractical and a load of hassle. If you want a video link, sit down in front of a web cam or something. Holding a mobile device up in front of you for the duration of the conversation is just lame.
If students are using laptops in my classes then it's easy to see if they are creating notes or recording data in some way. What's more of a problem is the use of smartphones for social netshirking and SMS communication. Phones are small and the students usually hold them under their desks so that it looks like they are fiddling with themselves. Also, it's easy to check that a laptop has been turned off but with a phone this is much more difficult. If it was up to me then I'd just jam the GSM spectrum when class is in session, but I suspect that this would be illegal.
I don't have a problem with students using laptops in my classes, as a laptop is obvious and I can easily check that it is being used for legitimate purposes (creating notes, logging data from experiments) and not social netshirking. What causes more problems is students surreptitiously using smart phones to SMS each other or browse facebook. This usually goes on with them holding the phone below a desk out of sight so that it looks like they are fiddling with themselves when they should be working on Physics problems. Also, getting people to shut down a laptop is easy while ensuring that a phone is actually switched off is difficult. If it was up to me I'd deploy some technique to block the GSM frequencies while teaching, but that's probably against the law.
A friend of mine just sold a load of electric motor bikes to the Hong Kong police force for use in patroling the city. I wonder if it's the difference in geography and demographics between the Far East and where I live (the UK) that drives this move towards electric vehicles, or if it is something to do with having more of a willingness to change the way that essesntial things like mass transportation are done.
Slashdot Mirror
The stupid ones will always be stupid and the smart ones will always be smart no matter what I do.
Yeah, about that... I'm a physics teacher and in my experience there is certainly a point at which the lack of innate ability means that a student would be better employed trying to learn something else. Sure, we try to teach all of our students as much as we can, but if after a year or so of intensive teaching, extra support classes, peer supported group work &c. a student still struggles to grasp the basics of electrical circuit analysis or the process of resolving vectors into orthogonal components then it's time to run up the white flag and try something else. The myth that anyone can be successful at anything has lead many young people to waste a great deal of time and effort trying to master ideas that are frankly beyond them. What I think we forget sometimes is just how intellectually / academically weak it is possible for some people to be. Life is short and youth even shorter. Surely it is better to spend your time productively rather than on impossible and ultimately fruitless pursuits?
Wow, a lesson in design tradeoffs. You can't have a large comfortable, safe car with several air bags, an enormous crumple zone with decent acceleration that gets 40 MPG.
Without looking too hard, I've found a car that gets 60MPG (Imperial - so about 50MPG US gallons) and will get you from 0 to 60 in 9 seconds witha top speed of around 130 mph. Seems like a long list of safety kit too. http://www.whatcar.com/car-reviews/alfa-romeo/giulietta-hatchback/2-0-jtdm-140-lusso-5dr/specifications/62201
shocked to find that gambling is going on in here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjbPi00k_ME (youtube)
I've always been bothered by the Daleks. Why would a super advanced battle machine made of 'bonded polly-carboid armour' have such a vulnerable and inefficient targeting system? The eye stalk just doesn't make any sense. And only one weapon? Again, that energy rifle thing just seems a bit daft. I think the problem is that R.T. Davis wrote the Daleks to be the ultimate, unstoppable enemy of the Time Lords because they were one of the most well-known elements of the brand and useful for marketing.. This just doesn't fit well with their retro design. Right up until the end of the 7th doctor's time the Daleks were pretty scary, but hardly invincible (remember Ace taking one out with a baseball bat in Remembrance?)
Then why not get a video camera to record the precious memories and then e-mail the files to whoever? Better quality footage and easier to use.
No, it's not just you. I don't know anyone who has ever made a video call from a mobile phone. It's impractical and a load of hassle. If you want a video link, sit down in front of a web cam or something. Holding a mobile device up in front of you for the duration of the conversation is just lame.
If students are using laptops in my classes then it's easy to see if they are creating notes or recording data in some way. What's more of a problem is the use of smartphones for social netshirking and SMS communication. Phones are small and the students usually hold them under their desks so that it looks like they are fiddling with themselves. Also, it's easy to check that a laptop has been turned off but with a phone this is much more difficult. If it was up to me then I'd just jam the GSM spectrum when class is in session, but I suspect that this would be illegal.
I don't have a problem with students using laptops in my classes, as a laptop is obvious and I can easily check that it is being used for legitimate purposes (creating notes, logging data from experiments) and not social netshirking. What causes more problems is students surreptitiously using smart phones to SMS each other or browse facebook. This usually goes on with them holding the phone below a desk out of sight so that it looks like they are fiddling with themselves when they should be working on Physics problems. Also, getting people to shut down a laptop is easy while ensuring that a phone is actually switched off is difficult. If it was up to me I'd deploy some technique to block the GSM frequencies while teaching, but that's probably against the law.
A friend of mine just sold a load of electric motor bikes to the Hong Kong police force for use in patroling the city. I wonder if it's the difference in geography and demographics between the Far East and where I live (the UK) that drives this move towards electric vehicles, or if it is something to do with having more of a willingness to change the way that essesntial things like mass transportation are done.
is that drinking a shed load of booze leads to an above average lifespan and general good health?