>preferring current events by the reason that if something is true today it is because of people alive today not understanding the ramifications of generations of people before that shaped the present; I'm not so sure about that. Many of the things going on today are exactly the result of previous generations! A few examples, the entire middle east, the over-reliance of cars in Los Angeles, Africa's wars, relations between Japan and China, etc... That doesn't even touch upon the "deep" issues like the establishment and use of religion...
>I have no idea the value of well roundedness if it is is imposed with the danger of crushing interests that better suit the individual. Interesting point. The only problem I see is that what is interesting and/or needed at one stage of a person's life isn't necessarily interesting and/or needed at a different time. Being well rounded helps people discover paths that they wouldn't have normally thought about if they hadn't had any exposure. If they have to discover everything that takes a lot of time and doesn't take advantage of what others have learned. Ideally, that is what a teacher does; a teacher is supposed to help you navigate through a topic using the benefit of their experience. Admittedly, some phone it in but that's another issue.
>She uses peer discussion forums. I'm curious about these. Since these are peers are any of them subject experts? For example, how do you know if you understand the role of geography in the rise of Western civilization?
>I say leave the weak behind you Well, it's hard to tell when a person is or is not living up to their potential. People develop at different rates through different circumstances. One of the great things in the U.S., as far as I'm concerned, is that you can always go back to school to learn how to learn if you don't know how to (not everybody does). If we use a strict "leave the weak behind" approach we will end up with a system like India and China's which, although seems to be working OK now, works by virtue of grinding through a large number of people. You get some good results but we'll have to see how it affects stability in the long run. Also, we don't have their population to grind through...
That said, I think we both agree that we should try to show children that learning is interesting and allow them to flower to the best of their potential.
The only problems I see with these wonderful self-directed kids is that:
1. Study skills. Most kids don't have study skills and most don't learn how to overcome a situation they don't initially like without some prodding. Trying to get kids to educate themselves will work for some but not most.
2. I doubt they are well rounded. I don't know of anyone who, on their own, studies the breadth of material that you would cover in high school.
3. There are not that many of them. How many adults pursue multi-subject learning after they get out of school. I suppose you can conveniently blame "the system" for crushing those souls who yearn to be learners but let's be realistic.
4. What does she do when she has a question? Teachers are at their best when they can steer you in a direction that you have not considered before. It's difficult to get that from a web site.
5. What about handicapped kids? autistic? kids that aren't that smart? kids whose parents don't care? Can they learn on their own?
My son was talking about his favorite things in kindergarten class and one of the first things on the list was his pinball machine (a Simpsons). His classmates all asked him "What's a pinball machine?".
Same thing in Japan. My friend, who spoke WAY BETTER Japanese than I was often asked if she was retarded because she couldn't read Japanese whereas people were always singing my praises. Of course, that actually points out that you really suck but that is another post...
>To me the greatest strength of web-apps isn't ease of deployment. It's that is forces developers to write simple interfaces. If you want to make crappy interfaces like the old days you can always use Flash! Everything old is new again! Again!
>The earth's core is huge, and powered by nuclear power.
No. It's not. The Earth is hot inside because when the inner core "freezes" it release heat. This heat (heat of fusion for you chem/phys/geologists) heats the rest of the outer core and the mantle.
>I think its a culture thing though. Pixar is still new and it hasn't developped a thick crust of old timers who don't want to rock the boat,
Surely you must be joking! Pixar has Ed Catmull and John Lasseter who, while towering talents, are not exactly young. Ed is about as crusty as one can get in computer graphics and he is STILL the man (Catmull-ROM spline anyone)!
I think it is that Pixar is just more creative and they are far more story/character focused than Dreamworks. That's Lasseter's contribution.
Offtopic, but I think the more important question for us now is how many people would trade their political, civil, and economic freedom for security? I guess we're going to find out...
With the focus on trendy skills and certification you are basically getting a highly "outsourceable" degree. Ignoring the basics of learning and the "softer" skills will keep you in a small replaceable tech box and basically doom (not DOOM 3, MyDoom, etc.) your career. When are they going to hire Sally Struthers as a spokeswoman? Maybe they can hire Carly Fiorina in her place?
It actually wasn't a botch. Well, at least it wasn't a botch that they didn't figure on... They needed to get the graphics subsystem speed up and going through NT's Hardware Abstraction Layer HAL was just too slow. By pushing more functionality onto the video card this should mitigate some of the penalty a HAL-like interface would give them.
They will never learn. I used to work for Sony (in its research labs in Japan) and I can tell you that I have NEVER seen a worse case of Not-Invented-Here (NIH) syndrome EVER! I had begged them to let me buy a video card for some image processing research I was doing but since the card wasn't designed there I had to design and build a video card using static RAM(!) before they would let me work on algorithms. BTW, I had to use the NeWS workstations too....
>I haven't seen the Bush Administration's movie in my local theaters, so I can't comment on that. Well, you can pick up the Bush Administration's TV series on Fox "News"...
We have DDR (the Disney version of course) and it is a GREAT family game. We all play it and it's a good way to get moving when you don't want to go outside.It's also a game kids can play that you don't have to worry about...
Now if I could just find DDR: Vice City I'd be set.
Slashdot Mirror
Don't lie son, no one defeats sub-zero...
They're Jabbalicious...
>preferring current events by the reason that if something is true today it is because of people alive today not understanding the ramifications of generations of people before that shaped the present;
I'm not so sure about that. Many of the things going on today are exactly the result of previous generations! A few examples, the entire middle east, the over-reliance of cars in Los Angeles, Africa's wars, relations between Japan and China, etc... That doesn't even touch upon the "deep" issues like the establishment and use of religion...
>I have no idea the value of well roundedness if it is is imposed with the danger of crushing interests that better suit the individual.
Interesting point. The only problem I see is that what is interesting and/or needed at one stage of a person's life isn't necessarily interesting and/or needed at a different time. Being well rounded helps people discover paths that they wouldn't have normally thought about if they hadn't had any exposure. If they have to discover everything that takes a lot of time and doesn't take advantage of what others have learned. Ideally, that is what a teacher does; a teacher is supposed to help you navigate through a topic using the benefit of their experience. Admittedly, some phone it in but that's another issue.
>She uses peer discussion forums.
I'm curious about these. Since these are peers are any of them subject experts? For example, how do you know if you understand the role of geography in the rise of Western civilization?
>I say leave the weak behind you
Well, it's hard to tell when a person is or is not living up to their potential. People develop at different rates through different circumstances. One of the great things in the U.S., as far as I'm concerned, is that you can always go back to school to learn how to learn if you don't know how to (not everybody does). If we use a strict "leave the weak behind" approach we will end up with a system like India and China's which, although seems to be working OK now, works by virtue of grinding through a large number of people. You get some good results but we'll have to see how it affects stability in the long run. Also, we don't have their population to grind through...
That said, I think we both agree that we should try to show children that learning is interesting and allow them to flower to the best of their potential.
The only problems I see with these wonderful self-directed kids is that:
1. Study skills. Most kids don't have study skills and most don't learn how to overcome a situation they don't initially like without some prodding. Trying to get kids to educate themselves will work for some but not most.
2. I doubt they are well rounded. I don't know of anyone who, on their own, studies the breadth of material that you would cover in high school.
3. There are not that many of them. How many adults pursue multi-subject learning after they get out of school. I suppose you can conveniently blame "the system" for crushing those souls who yearn to be learners but let's be realistic.
4. What does she do when she has a question? Teachers are at their best when they can steer you in a direction that you have not considered before. It's difficult to get that from a web site.
5. What about handicapped kids? autistic? kids that aren't that smart? kids whose parents don't care? Can they learn on their own?
Of course it could, it is a government project!
> Now an eye-sore, it still can be.
WTF? Yoda posting to slashdot...
My son was talking about his favorite things in kindergarten class and one of the first things on the list was his pinball machine (a Simpsons). His classmates all asked him "What's a pinball machine?".
Sad, but true!
Same thing in Japan. My friend, who spoke WAY BETTER Japanese than I was often asked if she was retarded because she couldn't read Japanese whereas people were always singing my praises. Of course, that actually points out that you really suck but that is another post...
>To me the greatest strength of web-apps isn't ease of deployment. It's that is forces developers to write simple interfaces.
If you want to make crappy interfaces like the old days you can always use Flash! Everything old is new again! Again!
I don't see what you are complaining about you got full credit, 2 null-points out of 100 points.
over the Sorny...
>The earth's core is huge, and powered by nuclear power.
No. It's not. The Earth is hot inside because when the inner core "freezes" it release heat. This heat (heat of fusion for you chem/phys/geologists) heats the rest of the outer core and the mantle.
>I think its a culture thing though. Pixar is still new and it hasn't developped a thick crust of old timers who don't want to rock the boat,
Surely you must be joking! Pixar has Ed Catmull and John Lasseter who, while towering talents, are not exactly young. Ed is about as crusty as one can get in computer graphics and he is STILL the man (Catmull-ROM spline anyone)!
I think it is that Pixar is just more creative and they are far more story/character focused than Dreamworks. That's Lasseter's contribution.
Offtopic, but I think the more important question for us now is how many people would trade their political, civil, and economic freedom for security? I guess we're going to find out...
This technology is just Dance Dance Revolution in reverse. Maybe it is the Soviet Russian version of DDR?!
With the focus on trendy skills and certification you are basically getting a highly "outsourceable" degree. Ignoring the basics of learning and the "softer" skills will keep you in a small replaceable tech box and basically doom (not DOOM 3, MyDoom, etc.) your career. When are they going to hire Sally Struthers as a spokeswoman? Maybe they can hire Carly Fiorina in her place?
It actually wasn't a botch. Well, at least it wasn't a botch that they didn't figure on... They needed to get the graphics subsystem speed up and going through NT's Hardware Abstraction Layer HAL was just too slow. By pushing more functionality onto the video card this should mitigate some of the penalty a HAL-like interface would give them.
someone had to say it!
They will never learn. I used to work for Sony (in its research labs in Japan) and I can tell you that I have NEVER seen a worse case of Not-Invented-Here (NIH) syndrome EVER! I had begged them to let me buy a video card for some image processing research I was doing but since the card wasn't designed there I had to design and build a video card using static RAM(!) before they would let me work on algorithms. BTW, I had to use the NeWS workstations too....
>I haven't seen the Bush Administration's movie in my local theaters, so I can't comment on that.
Well, you can pick up the Bush Administration's TV series on Fox "News"...
I mean, would you have sex with Rosanne Barr or Hillary Rosen for only $1000? :o)
Of course I would. Once I removed my eyes and fingertips...
You can be Communist all you want as long as you have ONE BILLION CONSUMERS. Or should that be ONE BEEEELION CONSUMERS...
Jeez, what a looser. Irregardless of this I noticed that Windows embiggens all the virii on my boxen.
We have DDR (the Disney version of course) and it is a GREAT family game. We all play it and it's a good way to get moving when you don't want to go outside.It's also a game kids can play that you don't have to worry about...
Now if I could just find DDR: Vice City I'd be set.
It's only Armageddon to two sig figs...