Well, you have fallen into the typical trap. Computer Science is not really about writing code. That's like saying that being an architect is about cementing together bricks. Or being an aeronautical engineer is about bolting a wing onto an airplane.
Computer Science is about researching and developing the mathematical theories behind the code. Why are certaing queing algorithms or sorting algorithms "better" than others? What is the "best" way to implement a neural network for a k-class classifier? What is the fastest way to get a packet from point a to point b? These problems have more to do with math, and almost nothing to do with if, switch, and for.
Excellent article. I like the line, you need to come to grips with one important fact first: computer science has more to do with math than computers. I couldn't agree more, and this is something that many freshman CS majors need to realize quickly.
Heh, I just finished my CS Masters which included a class on Advanced Neural Networks (SVMs and classifiers).
You would not believe how much math is involved! There was one proof in a whitepaper I read that used calculus, algebra, trig, linear algebra, and geometry. In one proof!
My recommendation: take all the math you can. Make sure you take linear algebra (vectors/matrices), trigonometry, calculus, probability, statistics, and anything else that looks interesting.
Why does a CS major need math? Let's see:
Graphics engines - trig, geometry Physics engines - Calculus, trig AI - Statistics, probability, calculus, linear algebra Basic GUIs - Geometry, algebra Networking - Statistics, linear algebra
And of course, you can't do ANY of the above without algebra.
Another interesting quote: If you have the chance to take calculus in high school, I may surprise you with my advice. I would not automatically jump at the opportunity for a couple reasons. I think I agree on this one. You're going to start at ground zero when you take Calc I in college. So use high school to become badass proficient in algebra and trig.
There is some twisted little defect in the American culture that makes their young people actually want to go into dangerous combat situations on the other side of the world and expose themselves to discomfort, death, and dismemberment against people that they have never even heard of. No one else seriously wants to do this.
Change against to to help and you have a different point of view, eh?
Maybe her instructor *wasn't* ignorant. In fact, assigning this to the students would certainly teach them what "free as in speech" really means, don't you think?
I'm Googling...and I can't find anything that definitely shows that consoles are/are not sold at a loss. All I can find is a bunch of stupid forum posts.
Too bad they didn't have Hironobu Sakaguchi or Hideo Kojima involved. They probably could have come up with a decent love story, considering their game experience and all.
I'm curious...if this actually happened and there was suddenly a zillion tons of gold to spread around on Earth, wouldn't that make the value of gold go down? So you wouldn't necessarily get a huge return on investment.
Instead, I think we need to be looking for materials in the asteroid belt that are actually useful from an industrial or technical standpoint, such as raw materials for building things instead of mining the Earth (thus allowing the Earth to become more of a "nature preserve" and less of a "toolbox"). Or perhaps even "offshoring" certain dangerous factories, such as chemical plants.
Now if only more console developers would actually *use* them.
Don't get me wrong...I think its great. I can't wait for the day I can play keyboard/mouse games on my PS2. Then I can finally get rid of my Windows OS.
Hopefully this was made in humor...regardless, it made me grin.
But actually, you help me make my point. When I can play PC-caliber games on my console, then I don't need my Windows PC anymore. I can use Linux (or *gasp* even a PowerMac) as my desktop for surfing, email, office apps, coding, cd-burning....without having to worry about my desktop system satisfying my gaming needs.
Now that consoles can play online, to me the biggest difference is PC/mouse versus gamepad. That's why I bought Splinter Cell for the PC version instead of PS2, for the better control. And BF42 with a gamepad? Not in this lifetime! And without a keyboard and mouse, I'll NEVER be able to play any RTS or even NeverWinter.
The other big difference is screen resolution. This one is close to being solved. With an HDTV you can get the high-res graphics from a console (as long as the game supports it). Also, with surround sound systems you get the better sound, too.
As a last parting shot, if you are a *real* hardcore gamer then you realize that true gaming bliss comes from a mixture of PC and consoles. There are experiences on the console that cannot be replicated on the PC, and vice versa.
But I think its getting close to where the PC experience *can* be replicated on the console. I eagerly await that day, so I can get rid of my Windows box.
Well, except for all the games that *don't* have Linux ports.
Is the UT Linux client a "good thing"? Absolutely. I love Linux, run it on all my servers (and my desktop) at work, and I'd like to see some penetration to the home market.
But just because ONE new game has a Linux port doesn't mean I can throw my WinXP box out the window.
Personally, I'm waiting for the day when all my gaming needs are satisfied by consoles. *THEN* I can get rid of Windows and run Linux on my home PC. And I think console gaming is growing faster than Linux gaming.
Here's an idea....get a real job with a decent paycheck and some job security.
Then do level design on weekends for fun and give 'em out for the whole world to enjoy!
I suspect you'll be much more fulfilled that way.
After all, aren't you interested because you want people to see your work? You want to create something for people to enjoy? I've had more fun downloading NWN mods and playing Natural Selection, Team Fortress, operation flashpoint, and desert combat than buying new games.
Slashdot Mirror
Interesting...a few hours later I'm looking back at my own post and thinking "What a troll".
Too bad you can't moderate yourself down.
Well, you have fallen into the typical trap. Computer Science is not really about writing code. That's like saying that being an architect is about cementing together bricks. Or being an aeronautical engineer is about bolting a wing onto an airplane.
Computer Science is about researching and developing the mathematical theories behind the code. Why are certaing queing algorithms or sorting algorithms "better" than others? What is the "best" way to implement a neural network for a k-class classifier? What is the fastest way to get a packet from point a to point b? These problems have more to do with math, and almost nothing to do with if, switch, and for.
Excellent article. I like the line, you need to come to grips with one important fact first: computer science has more to do with math than computers. I couldn't agree more, and this is something that many freshman CS majors need to realize quickly.
Heh, I just finished my CS Masters which included a class on Advanced Neural Networks (SVMs and classifiers).
You would not believe how much math is involved! There was one proof in a whitepaper I read that used calculus, algebra, trig, linear algebra, and geometry. In one proof!
My recommendation: take all the math you can. Make sure you take linear algebra (vectors/matrices), trigonometry, calculus, probability, statistics, and anything else that looks interesting.
Why does a CS major need math? Let's see:
Graphics engines - trig, geometry
Physics engines - Calculus, trig
AI - Statistics, probability, calculus, linear algebra
Basic GUIs - Geometry, algebra
Networking - Statistics, linear algebra
And of course, you can't do ANY of the above without algebra.
Another interesting quote: If you have the chance to take calculus in high school, I may surprise you with my advice. I would not automatically jump at the opportunity for a couple reasons. I think I agree on this one. You're going to start at ground zero when you take Calc I in college. So use high school to become badass proficient in algebra and trig.
I never realized before, the GIMP slashdot icon is animated. Is it the only animated category icon, or are there more?
Finnish school. Other jobs will come along. But the longer you wait to finish school the harder it gets.
Here's a good one for hacking your game boy advance.
There is some twisted little defect in the American culture that makes their young people actually want to go into dangerous combat situations on the other side of the world and expose themselves to discomfort, death, and dismemberment against people that they have never even heard of. No one else seriously wants to do this.
Change against to to help and you have a different point of view, eh?
Well, obviously part of the point was the *gameplay*. I mean, if Yorda hadn't been helpless then the game wouldn't have been very interesting.
Maybe her instructor *wasn't* ignorant. In fact, assigning this to the students would certainly teach them what "free as in speech" really means, don't you think?
I'm Googling...and I can't find anything that definitely shows that consoles are/are not sold at a loss. All I can find is a bunch of stupid forum posts.
Too bad they didn't have Hironobu Sakaguchi or Hideo Kojima involved. They probably could have come up with a decent love story, considering their game experience and all.
I'm curious...if this actually happened and there was suddenly a zillion tons of gold to spread around on Earth, wouldn't that make the value of gold go down? So you wouldn't necessarily get a huge return on investment.
Instead, I think we need to be looking for materials in the asteroid belt that are actually useful from an industrial or technical standpoint, such as raw materials for building things instead of mining the Earth (thus allowing the Earth to become more of a "nature preserve" and less of a "toolbox"). Or perhaps even "offshoring" certain dangerous factories, such as chemical plants.
Now if only more console developers would actually *use* them.
Don't get me wrong...I think its great. I can't wait for the day I can play keyboard/mouse games on my PS2. Then I can finally get rid of my Windows OS.
$550? That's not a cutting edge system.
From PriceWatch:
Radeon 9800 Pro 256 - $300
GeForce FX 5900 256 - $300
CPU/MoBo combo, Athlon XP 3200 - $225
CPU/MoBo, P4 3.4 - $440
Plus sound card (Audigy2 is $60), case ($80), RAM (512 - $80).
So far, $800. Versus a $300 console (launch price).
PC games seem to be $10-$20 cheaper than console.
The key point of your post, of course, is the line "Get a good system".
How much does a "good system" cost? How much does a console cost?
Of course, until consoles get decent keyboard/mouse support the gameplay will always be different.
I guess this is...
Wright - Will Wright, Sims series
Meier - Sid Meier, Civiliation series
Koster - Ralph Koster, Star Wars Galaxies/Everquest
Spector - Warren Spector, Thief, System Shock, Deus Ex
Watamaniuk - I have no idea...
Cooke - I have no idea
I personally cannot name the 5 designers of my five favorite games, but I can at least name the developer houses in addition to the publisher.
Excellent...now I can make my displeasure known to him.
Although, considering he's one of the wealthiest men in the US, and there's actually little that I can do to hurt Viacom, he probably won't care.
I mean, there's not really a product to boycott. A company like Viacom...what can we, as consumers, do to hurt them? Not much, unfortunatley.
Interesting...I cannot find Viacom contact information on their website.
http://www.viacom.com/factsandfig.tin#contact yields nothing...no phone numbers, addresses, email, nothing.
Anyone know how I can email Sumner Redstone? (grin)
Hopefully this was made in humor...regardless, it made me grin.
But actually, you help me make my point. When I can play PC-caliber games on my console, then I don't need my Windows PC anymore. I can use Linux (or *gasp* even a PowerMac) as my desktop for surfing, email, office apps, coding, cd-burning....without having to worry about my desktop system satisfying my gaming needs.
Now that consoles can play online, to me the biggest difference is PC/mouse versus gamepad. That's why I bought Splinter Cell for the PC version instead of PS2, for the better control. And BF42 with a gamepad? Not in this lifetime! And without a keyboard and mouse, I'll NEVER be able to play any RTS or even NeverWinter.
The other big difference is screen resolution. This one is close to being solved. With an HDTV you can get the high-res graphics from a console (as long as the game supports it). Also, with surround sound systems you get the better sound, too.
As a last parting shot, if you are a *real* hardcore gamer then you realize that true gaming bliss comes from a mixture of PC and consoles. There are experiences on the console that cannot be replicated on the PC, and vice versa.
But I think its getting close to where the PC experience *can* be replicated on the console. I eagerly await that day, so I can get rid of my Windows box.
Well, except for all the games that *don't* have Linux ports.
Is the UT Linux client a "good thing"? Absolutely. I love Linux, run it on all my servers (and my desktop) at work, and I'd like to see some penetration to the home market.
But just because ONE new game has a Linux port doesn't mean I can throw my WinXP box out the window.
Personally, I'm waiting for the day when all my gaming needs are satisfied by consoles. *THEN* I can get rid of Windows and run Linux on my home PC. And I think console gaming is growing faster than Linux gaming.
That's actually a really cool idea. I wish I could pay only per channel, say .99/month/channel.
I've noticed a lot of people in this thread saying how much of a waste of time television is.
What about:
- History channel
- Discovery Channel
- PBS
- Home and Garden
TV is not all crap. You just have to be selective about what you watch.
Look at consoles instead. Seems like the "better" console developers still code to the metal.
Here's an idea....get a real job with a decent paycheck and some job security.
Then do level design on weekends for fun and give 'em out for the whole world to enjoy!
I suspect you'll be much more fulfilled that way.
After all, aren't you interested because you want people to see your work? You want to create something for people to enjoy? I've had more fun downloading NWN mods and playing Natural Selection, Team Fortress, operation flashpoint, and desert combat than buying new games.
A few problems with no TV at all...
- Sports. I love watching college ball. Solution: Go to a sports bar.
- News. Its kinda cool to watch the "State of the Union" speech live.
- History Channel. Discovery Channel. Animal Planet. Good shows still exist out there.