At one point in my career I worked for several organizations on public education advocacy issues. Since I was the resident geek at these places, my boss at the time assigned me the unenviable task of researching the relationship between education spending and test scores. He hoped to convince the legislature that increased spending on public education would result in an improvement in public education.
I looked at the average per-pupil expenditures for the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. I looked at the average scores on SAT, ACT, NAEP, and other nationwide tests. What did I find?
No correlation whatsoever.
I told my boss. He referred to the statistics and asked me to find three states --three states-- that I could plot on a graph to show that more money resulted in higher test scores. He didn't want me to show causation; just correlation. And not even solid correlation. Any positive correlation was fine for his purposes.
I couldn't.
There were not (as of three years ago) three states out of 53 jurisdictions where there was a correlative, let alone causal, relationship between spending and test scores.
Don't get me wrong; I support well-funded public schools and well-paid teachers, even if it means my tax dollars are being used.
But there is no substantive evidence that more funding than currently available will result in a superior education.
What's the solution? David Goodstein is right when he suggests that well educated teachers are required and that the teaching profession needs more respect. But that's only treating a symptom, not a root cause.
The way I see it, there are four problems:
Class sizes are way too big. Research has repeatedly shown that when student:teacher ratios exceed 15:1, teachers do not have enough time to effectively evaluate the needs of individual students and discover what goals, techniques, and interventions would be most likely to enhance the student's abilities.
Removing incompetent teachers and administrators is too difficult. Part of this is related to union representation and seniority; but just as often it is because of good 'ol boy networking and groupthink.
Credentialling requirements are overly bureaucratic and frequently unrelated to the knowledge and abilities individuals need to be effective teachers.
The school buildings themselves are overcrowded and in poor condition. Too many students are in too few poorly maintained classrooms. Buildings are literally falling apart and the kids can see (while around them luxurious office buildings, sports complexes, and 3000 square foot homes are the norm) that their learning environment is not valued.
What can we do about these problems? Get involved. Volunteer at a local school. Serve on a school site council. Run for the school board. Offer workshops for teachers. Tutor students. When the opportunity presents itself, vote in favor of reforms (no, that doesn't include school vouchers). There are many more ways, of course; you're smart (or you wouldn't be reading Slashdot!), You figure 'em out.
CRTs are great for cost/image resolution, but LCDs and OLED win on power consumption and temperature. This article was a bit light on details for the new IBM tech, but I doubt a CRT can rival LCD and OLED in these categories.
when aliens finally do intercept our transmissions they will think we all speak giberish.
Yet one more reason to procure an aluminum foil deflector beanie; when the aliens, thinking they're helping, begin transmitting quantum-encrypted mind control beams to counteract those of the military-industrial complex, if we don't have adequate protection we'll all go into convulsions, frothing at the mouth as our brains are overwhelmed by gibberish instructions. Society will end as we know it and the forces behind black helicopters and Jimmy Hoffa's unexplained disappearance will emerge from their hiding places to take over the world!
It's not open source, and many of the development tools are exclusive to a Windows environment; but the application server can be hosted on a *nix box and talk to Oracle and other SQL databases. It's reasonably fast, allows for ad hoc and batch reporting, and can produce output in HTML, DHTML (IE-specific or standards-compliant), Excel, PDF, XML, and other formats.
Vivid Entertainment Group, which has expanded its online team in the last few months, says that 35% of its technical staff hail from the dot-com world. And officials with Playboy.com, the New York-based Internet subsidiary of the Chicago-based publishing company, say that "almost all" of its technical employees have--at one time--worked at traditional dot-coms.
I'm just wondering what the hell a "traditional dot-com" is...
Because, unless you handed over the key upon demand, then not only would you be guilty of obstruction of justice, but also contempt of court for failing to produce documents during discovery.
The analogy would be to read emails from, say, the white house in 200 years. Do you think the white house is saving their emails? You bet.
Apparently, George W. was an inveterate user of email right up until the inauguration. At that point, he sent a farewell missive to his correspondents, in effect saying he could no longer use email because all such correspondence would be a public record and he didn't want his private musings made public.
So, no, many important communications will not be retained, unless someone is placing a wiretap on the president's phone.
If I recall correctly, many attorneys are now advising clients to proactively delete archived email and other correspondence stored electronically, so that in presumed future legal actions the discovery process won't turn up incriminating evidence in the defendant's files.
The deletion, apparently, if prescheduled on all documents doesn't consititute obstruction of justice, whereas conscious destruction of only selected material may be construed as obstruction.
Part of the problem in maintaining a useful archive into the future is storage media, but a bigger part is the attitude that we should be afraid to allow our routine communications to be stored permanently.
Among the new capabilities in Qt 3.0 are: database support; data-aware widgets that provide automotive synchronization between the GUI and the underlying database...
I mean, what precisely are you expecting? That after the majority is familiarized with your ideas, the planet will convert to Mormonism, "the one true faith", "the sole voice of the Creator"? It's not like every other religion on the planet doesn't have "uncomfortable ideas"...
More precisely, I'm expecting that if people become comfortable -- not familiar, comfortable -- with these ideas, then yes, they would seek to become members of the church that espouses those very ideas.
That's not to say, of course, that a majority of the global population will ever accept the doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Nevertheless, it should be noted that there are more Mormons outside the United States than inside -- more than 10 million worldwide, most of whom do not have ancestors who endured religious persecution in the midwest. In fact, most of them either converted from another religion or are the first generation following such a conversion.
The tendency to actually believe [apocalyptic] prophecy amongst Mormons is the most worrisome thing, I think, in regards to the political scene (which was the point of this/. article). The attributes of actually believing that all other religions are provably false, and having the political power to try to enforce such beliefs, seem limited to Mormons in Utah & Islams in the Middle East & Indonesia; also several nations in Sub-Saharan Africa -- not really a noble club to be in.
You've made several points here, which deserve separate attention.
First, the vast majority of Americans believe apocalyptic prophecy. Maybe not the Mormon version, but certainly Nostradamus, St. John (you know, the guy who wrote the Book of Revelation at the end of the Bible), or the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, etc... That's why the National Enquirer continues to sell so many copies and demonstrates that in and of itself, belief in prophecy doesn't make Mormons unusual.
Second, Aside from, say, Unitarians, most religious traditions believe that others are full of falsehoods and pretention. That's why many Baptists, Jews, and Muslims are so frequently condemning Mormons. Or maybe I'm projecting.
Third, the idea that a group should be forbidden from exercising political power based on religion is clearly wrongheaded. Further, such an idea is runs counter to the founding ideals of the American republic. And by religion, I include atheism, polytheism, and any other philosophical basis that includes thought about seeking, finding, or making meaning out of life. Any group is entitled to seek the protection of law for its ideals.
Finally, suggesting that any religion is ignoble based on the practices of a few who do not understand the principles on which it is based is prejudiced. Most muslims do not blow up embassies. Most animists do not slaughter rival ethnic groups. Look at the individuals, look at what they believe and what motivates them, and then make a judgement based on the individual.
It's late, and I value my Karma (how ironic!), or I'd go on.
Also, just FYI, multiple partners (serially, not consecutively) is not particularly a Western thing.
No question that multiple partners (both serially and consecutively, just not concurrently) isn't a particularly western thing. However, I could have been more clear that the prohibition on polygamy is a western thing, rather than a global thing.
Seriously, maybe, just maybe the fact that there are millions of devout cultists (aka Mormons) in this state is the reason that everyone stays the hell away.
That's ad hominem, but I'll let it slide to make my point:
Some things they preach:
- The end of the world by fire and mass destruction is coming any day now! Really!
The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists has been saying the same thing for years. Who's more geeky than an atomic scientist?
- If you are a righteous Mormon you will become a GOD! With your own worlds and people, and creating billions of spritual children with your many wives in heaven! (yes, they do believe that you can have multiple wives in heaven!)
How many geeks consider themselves to be programming gods, whose glorious work will endure forever (aside from the geeks who left us the Y2K legacy to clean up, because clearly they weren't thinking long term)? Secondarily, how many modern westerners (including a large proportion of geeks) have multiple partners over the course of their lives? In what way is serial monogamy a superior morality to polygamy, if all parties concerned are consenting adults?
- Their temples, like the endowment cerimony, [sic] are straight from the occult! They used to swear on their LIVES! that they would never tell what happened in their cerimonies lest their tongue be cut out, their guts spilled and so on! Crazy stuff...
Apparently, someone didn't keep those vows, or you wouldn't know about that part of the ceremony. In any case, many religious and non-religious traditions include both explicit and implied consequences for failure to adhere to the standards of the group. Ask any soldier about the consequences of failure to abide by an oath to uphold principles. And, it should be noted, that only fully-informed adults who want to make a clear commitment to their faith are making these vows. Finally, as you noted, the part about tongues and guts is no longer a part of the ceremony.
and all sorts of other stuff. Having a majority of the population that beleives in things like this would be seriously discomforting to most people.
By definition, a majority of people believing these things would mean that only a minority of people would be discomfited. That logical fallacy aside, you are correct. Most people are uncomfortable with these ideas. Which is why members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints continue to be a minority except in places like Utah (outside of Salt Lake City), southeastern Idaho and northern Arizona.
NASA is preparing to test a hypersonic scramjet Real Soon Now (tm). The difference is that NASA's scramjet will be propelling itself, not falling from near LEO altitudes after being launched by a rocket.
That's all well and good, but even NASA's test is going to be launched from an in-flight B-52, rather from the ground. Until one of these things is self-propelled from the ground to hypersonic speeds and then lands in a condition suitable for re-use, this technology won't be ready for prime time.
Motorola's on to an interesting marketing gimmick enforcement mechanism. But what about the legal/contract law implications?
For example, If I buy a CD player, will I be required to agree to a license? If I don't agree and the device suicides, will I be able to sue the manufacturer, the distributor, or the retailer? After all, if I buy the device at the local Circuit City but the sales clerk didn't point out the agreement to me, or I bought the device on the gray market, I shouldn't be bound by the terms of the license, should I?
This looks like one more insidious possibility of UCITA shrink-wrap licenses causing grief in the marketplace.
Don't forget to read the unbiased news about UCITA, also (Not that Stallman's opinion doesn't explain enough...).
I do not see any inherent worth in engineering. Show me your evidences, then maybe I'll believe.
Show me how the empire of Genghis Khan was founded on the classics of any previous empire. Furthermore, I challenge you to define classics, given your statement in item 5.
Without physics, there is no engineering. In what way is that overrating physics?
Engineering is vulnerable to misuse by tyrants in everything from spears and catapults to artillery and atomic weapons.
Who says that Truth, Beauty and Goodness are unattainable, besides you?
The quality of our lives is just as important as anything we may build. Quality has no immediate and apparent application, but is a good greatly to be sought after.
...kids are not only failing to learn how to think, they don't even know what to think about anymore. This is why you see much greater emphasis on arts and other trivial applications of human talents, instead of engineering and classical studies.
Just curious, but in what qualitative and quantitative measures do you believe arts are trivial compared to engineering and classical studies? Truth, Beauty, and Goodness can all be found in arts, as well as sciences; and each of these is defined in classical studies, if not by the laws of physics.
Was this study peer reviewed? Or did the researchers forget that part?
Seriously, this is only one, small study. I'd like to see what data is being used as a baseline, especially when hearing claims like, "In the past two years, more people in their twenties and thirties have presented themselves with memory impairment," as Dr Takashi Tsukiyama is quoted in the article. Did he participate in the research? Or is he some random MD?
Finally, what, if any, link was found for computerization of personal data being the cause of the reported memory loss? computerized PIMs and paper-based day planners have been around for a long time, and nobody's mentioned those in peer-reviewed journals claiming they cause memory loss... Other than portablility, how are PDAs different from PIMs, and other than computerization, how are PDAs different than day planners?
Assuming they can print at 300dpi (which I believe is high for mass printing) on 8inx11in media
Commercial-grade printing starts at about 1200 dpi and goes up to around 2400 dpi fairly inexpensively. Assuming similar characterstics of absorption and viscosity with the materials being contemplated here, the actual print density would be more like:
Slashdot Mirror
At one point in my career I worked for several organizations on public education advocacy issues. Since I was the resident geek at these places, my boss at the time assigned me the unenviable task of researching the relationship between education spending and test scores. He hoped to convince the legislature that increased spending on public education would result in an improvement in public education.
I looked at the average per-pupil expenditures for the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. I looked at the average scores on SAT, ACT, NAEP, and other nationwide tests. What did I find?
No correlation whatsoever.
I told my boss. He referred to the statistics and asked me to find three states --three states-- that I could plot on a graph to show that more money resulted in higher test scores. He didn't want me to show causation; just correlation. And not even solid correlation. Any positive correlation was fine for his purposes.
I couldn't.
There were not (as of three years ago) three states out of 53 jurisdictions where there was a correlative, let alone causal, relationship between spending and test scores.
Don't get me wrong; I support well-funded public schools and well-paid teachers, even if it means my tax dollars are being used.
But there is no substantive evidence that more funding than currently available will result in a superior education.
What's the solution? David Goodstein is right when he suggests that well educated teachers are required and that the teaching profession needs more respect. But that's only treating a symptom, not a root cause.
The way I see it, there are four problems:
What can we do about these problems? Get involved. Volunteer at a local school. Serve on a school site council. Run for the school board. Offer workshops for teachers. Tutor students. When the opportunity presents itself, vote in favor of reforms (no, that doesn't include school vouchers). There are many more ways, of course; you're smart (or you wouldn't be reading Slashdot!), You figure 'em out.
CRTs are great for cost/image resolution, but LCDs and OLED win on power consumption and temperature. This article was a bit light on details for the new IBM tech, but I doubt a CRT can rival LCD and OLED in these categories.
Clearly, you weren't using either:
Yet one more reason to procure an aluminum foil deflector beanie; when the aliens, thinking they're helping, begin transmitting quantum-encrypted mind control beams to counteract those of the military-industrial complex, if we don't have adequate protection we'll all go into convulsions, frothing at the mouth as our brains are overwhelmed by gibberish instructions. Society will end as we know it and the forces behind black helicopters and Jimmy Hoffa's unexplained disappearance will emerge from their hiding places to take over the world!
Protect yourself now!
<snip>
</snip>
<snip>
</snip>
Only on Slashdot... a linguistics geek asking the rest of us (non-linguistics) geeks whether "people's" is a word.
IANAL...G (I am not a linguistics geek), but I think it is
Pathologically Eclectic Rubbish Lister?
Actuate e.Reporting Suite?
It's not open source, and many of the development tools are exclusive to a Windows environment; but the application server can be hosted on a *nix box and talk to Oracle and other SQL databases. It's reasonably fast, allows for ad hoc and batch reporting, and can produce output in HTML, DHTML (IE-specific or standards-compliant), Excel, PDF, XML, and other formats.
I'm just wondering what the hell a "traditional dot-com" is...
Don't be fooled by the kindly demeanor, bushy white beard, and unhealthy weight problem.
This meme is brainwashing our children into accepting 24/7/365 surveillance of their activities.
It's clear that you've been enthralled by this technique.
Because, unless you handed over the key upon demand, then not only would you be guilty of obstruction of justice, but also contempt of court for failing to produce documents during discovery.
Apparently, George W. was an inveterate user of email right up until the inauguration. At that point, he sent a farewell missive to his correspondents, in effect saying he could no longer use email because all such correspondence would be a public record and he didn't want his private musings made public.
So, no, many important communications will not be retained, unless someone is placing a wiretap on the president's phone.
If I recall correctly, many attorneys are now advising clients to proactively delete archived email and other correspondence stored electronically, so that in presumed future legal actions the discovery process won't turn up incriminating evidence in the defendant's files.
The deletion, apparently, if prescheduled on all documents doesn't consititute obstruction of justice, whereas conscious destruction of only selected material may be construed as obstruction.
Part of the problem in maintaining a useful archive into the future is storage media, but a bigger part is the attitude that we should be afraid to allow our routine communications to be stored permanently.
Oh. And by the way, IANAL.
From Linuxprogramming.com's QT 3.0 Preview story:
Wow! Now I can put a Linux GUI in my car!
Even when Microsoft's not involved, it's involved. Did no one else notice the title of the suit PepsiCo v. Redmond (1995)?
Damn. I've been watching too many Disney flicks with my kids:
Coincidence? Or Vast Media Conspiracy?
More precisely, I'm expecting that if people become comfortable -- not familiar, comfortable -- with these ideas, then yes, they would seek to become members of the church that espouses those very ideas.
That's not to say, of course, that a majority of the global population will ever accept the doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Nevertheless, it should be noted that there are more Mormons outside the United States than inside -- more than 10 million worldwide, most of whom do not have ancestors who endured religious persecution in the midwest. In fact, most of them either converted from another religion or are the first generation following such a conversion.
You've made several points here, which deserve separate attention.
First, the vast majority of Americans believe apocalyptic prophecy. Maybe not the Mormon version, but certainly Nostradamus, St. John (you know, the guy who wrote the Book of Revelation at the end of the Bible), or the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, etc... That's why the National Enquirer continues to sell so many copies and demonstrates that in and of itself, belief in prophecy doesn't make Mormons unusual.
Second, Aside from, say, Unitarians, most religious traditions believe that others are full of falsehoods and pretention. That's why many Baptists, Jews, and Muslims are so frequently condemning Mormons. Or maybe I'm projecting.
Third, the idea that a group should be forbidden from exercising political power based on religion is clearly wrongheaded. Further, such an idea is runs counter to the founding ideals of the American republic. And by religion, I include atheism, polytheism, and any other philosophical basis that includes thought about seeking, finding, or making meaning out of life. Any group is entitled to seek the protection of law for its ideals.
Finally, suggesting that any religion is ignoble based on the practices of a few who do not understand the principles on which it is based is prejudiced. Most muslims do not blow up embassies. Most animists do not slaughter rival ethnic groups. Look at the individuals, look at what they believe and what motivates them, and then make a judgement based on the individual.
It's late, and I value my Karma (how ironic!), or I'd go on.
No question that multiple partners (both serially and consecutively, just not concurrently) isn't a particularly western thing. However, I could have been more clear that the prohibition on polygamy is a western thing, rather than a global thing.
That's ad hominem, but I'll let it slide to make my point:
The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists has been saying the same thing for years. Who's more geeky than an atomic scientist?
How many geeks consider themselves to be programming gods, whose glorious work will endure forever (aside from the geeks who left us the Y2K legacy to clean up, because clearly they weren't thinking long term)? Secondarily, how many modern westerners (including a large proportion of geeks) have multiple partners over the course of their lives? In what way is serial monogamy a superior morality to polygamy, if all parties concerned are consenting adults?
Apparently, someone didn't keep those vows, or you wouldn't know about that part of the ceremony. In any case, many religious and non-religious traditions include both explicit and implied consequences for failure to adhere to the standards of the group. Ask any soldier about the consequences of failure to abide by an oath to uphold principles. And, it should be noted, that only fully-informed adults who want to make a clear commitment to their faith are making these vows. Finally, as you noted, the part about tongues and guts is no longer a part of the ceremony.
By definition, a majority of people believing these things would mean that only a minority of people would be discomfited. That logical fallacy aside, you are correct. Most people are uncomfortable with these ideas. Which is why members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints continue to be a minority except in places like Utah (outside of Salt Lake City), southeastern Idaho and northern Arizona.
Scene: [Australian outback, near rocket gantry. White mist sprays from the base of the small rocket standing on the pad.]
Cut to Mission Control
Controller 1: ...launch is green! She's away!
Cut to Gantry [Flames roar from the rocket as it lifts swiftly into the air.]
Cut to Mission Control
Controller 2: We have liftoff! All systems are go.
Controller 1: Telemetry is coming through clear. Altitude 120 kilometers and speed 4000 KMH.
Controller 2: Speed and altitude confirmed by radar track.
Controller 1: The onboard computer will perform the turnaround manoeuver at 350 kilometers.
Close up of computer monitor: [showing picture of a wide parabolic arc with rocket graphic near the top of the arc.]
Controller 2: Manoeuver confirmed by telemetry.
Controller 1: Scramjet engine ready to fire.
Controller 2: 350 kilometer altitude reached. Scramjet ignition should happen any moment...
Controller 1: Negative confirmation on scramjet ignition. Repeat, negative confirmation on scramjet ignition!
Close up of computer monitor: [Showing picture of a narrow parabolic arc, the rocket now near the bottom.]
Close up of computer monitor: [text types across screen]
Close up of computer monitor: This device has been activated beyond the approved zone. This device will now autodestruct.
Controller 2: Telemetry from the payload is offline! Repeat, offline!
Controller 1: [Staring aghast at monitor] It's coming straight down at Sydney!
Controller 2: Damn Motorola GPS-enabled CPU! It killed the Scramjet ignition!
Cut to Sydney Harbor [Fireball blasts upwards behind opera house.]
NASA is preparing to test a hypersonic scramjet Real Soon Now (tm). The difference is that NASA's scramjet will be propelling itself, not falling from near LEO altitudes after being launched by a rocket.
That's all well and good, but even NASA's test is going to be launched from an in-flight B-52, rather from the ground. Until one of these things is self-propelled from the ground to hypersonic speeds and then lands in a condition suitable for re-use, this technology won't be ready for prime time.
Motorola's on to an interesting marketing gimmick enforcement mechanism. But what about the legal/contract law implications?
For example, If I buy a CD player, will I be required to agree to a license? If I don't agree and the device suicides, will I be able to sue the manufacturer, the distributor, or the retailer? After all, if I buy the device at the local Circuit City but the sales clerk didn't point out the agreement to me, or I bought the device on the gray market, I shouldn't be bound by the terms of the license, should I?
This looks like one more insidious possibility of UCITA shrink-wrap licenses causing grief in the marketplace.
Don't forget to read the unbiased news about UCITA, also (Not that Stallman's opinion doesn't explain enough...).
You, sir, are a troll. But to refute your points:
The quality of our lives is just as important as anything we may build. Quality has no immediate and apparent application, but is a good greatly to be sought after.
Just curious, but in what qualitative and quantitative measures do you believe arts are trivial compared to engineering and classical studies? Truth, Beauty, and Goodness can all be found in arts, as well as sciences; and each of these is defined in classical studies, if not by the laws of physics.
Was this study peer reviewed? Or did the researchers forget that part?
Seriously, this is only one, small study. I'd like to see what data is being used as a baseline, especially when hearing claims like, "In the past two years, more people in their twenties and thirties have presented themselves with memory impairment," as Dr Takashi Tsukiyama is quoted in the article. Did he participate in the research? Or is he some random MD?
Finally, what, if any, link was found for computerization of personal data being the cause of the reported memory loss? computerized PIMs and paper-based day planners have been around for a long time, and nobody's mentioned those in peer-reviewed journals claiming they cause memory loss... Other than portablility, how are PDAs different from PIMs, and other than computerization, how are PDAs different than day planners?
Commercial-grade printing starts at about 1200 dpi and goes up to around 2400 dpi fairly inexpensively. Assuming similar characterstics of absorption and viscosity with the materials being contemplated here, the actual print density would be more like:
1.2672x10^8
Or roughly 127 million dots per page.