Awesome! So you think a mathematician or physicist or biologist needs to learn programming too (!!!!) to be able to maximally participate in research!
Wonderful idea... but guess what... machines are here to serve man and make things easier! Hardcore researchers should have intuitive and easy to use tools to help with their research. They do have those in Star Trek. If you can't match Star Trek considering all the gizmos we have that Star Trek TOS couldn't imagine --- hand in your "nerd goggles" --- you are disqualified and Wesley Crusher would own you!
The article is spot-on, but from the perspective of the present.
It used to be that you had to have incredible discipline to do math. Then they invented the calculation. Then they invented the spreadsheet (i.e. Excel... but to the hardcore Lotus 1-2-3 or VisiCalc??).
Coding sucks today because our programming languages and our compilers require more machine understanding than problem solving ability.
And eventually that will change.
But today, the mastering the tools and intricacies is FAR MORE IMPORTANT than actually being able to describe the problem.
And like I said, eventually intuitive problem solving applications will emerge and trump programming languages.
I shouldn't have to know the scope of a variable, whether I want to allocate some memory, how many bytes and whether or not I want it static to solve a problem. But today, our computers aren't actually really that fast either. They just seem fast compared to the snail speed ones of the past. But someday....
The escape velocity of a neutron star is about 1/3 the speed of light --- and getting mass to 1/3 the speed of light is absolutely impossible.
Escape velocity from the Sun is 617 km/per second --- not even New Horizons at 35,000 kph is anywhere close to that!
Jupiter's escape velocity? About 60 kps --- so if New Horizons was 8 or 9 times faster, would match that.
But black holes --- are not especially dangerous to humans in any way that any other massive objects (gas giants included) aren't. For some reason, we teach kids and adults that blackholes are "evil" and suck up everything --- but blackholes are very helpful holding galaxies together and binding our galaxies together so that they are warm and stable for extremely long periods of time.
Without blackholes, the universe may not be able to support life without the stability that blackholes give to galaxies.
So quit dogging our friends, the blackholes, you insensitive jerks!
The US's homegrown religious fundamentalists -- who mostly talk and argue about goofy things like the presentation of views inside textbooks.
OMG! Those dangerous people start political debates about the contents of science in textbooks!
And actually --- they are right! Science deserves to be continually challenged --- because science deserves to be continually challenged -- that is why it is science because science is skepticism! I think any true science can hold its own against skeptics fine, that is why it is science!
This standard is supposed to help out people using Linux so you can still watch movies without installing an operating system that has a Flash player or SliverLight.
It could also help out with emerging platforms --- like say a video toaster.
> We forced content providers to choose: Roll your own DRM product and fail, or adopt a DRM-free standard, and make money.
Apple's DRM worked acceptably and looked great compared to the nightmarish DRM from other companies. The media companies realized that DRM was quickly giving Apple huge leverage over them and locking their customers into Apple-only --- and then Apple would tell them "you can only charge $0.99 cents for a song".
Then they realized The DRM was working great! Really great! For Apple. For the music companies? Not so much.
[Classic "Beware, you might get what you want!" Pie in the Face story.]
| I couldn't give less of a shit what they do with consumer-targeted products that are used entirely or mostly for dicking around. I mean, Android is cute, but some of
| us actually need our computers to work.
The PC back in the day was accused of being "consumer-targeted" and not a real machine for businesses to get work done. Same with the internet.
| has malware and exploit issues (I have some sort of pesky nuisance-ware on my Android phone, apparently from installing some free game outside the Google Play ecosystem)
"So, you turned off the thing which prevents you from side loading, side loaded something, and have problems with it? You can do the exact same thing in Windows. But it was you who took responsibility for that and did it. Google just provided the option to shoot yourself in the foot."
True except.... consider this. I view this as a sandboxing weakness in current application design on any platform. iOS generally handles this the best --- at the expense of any kind of true freedom --- why does an Android app get to decide what kind of permissions it receives --- ALL or Nothing?
My bank --- which I like --- their "mobile site" doesn't work on Android and my bank's Android App needs access to my contacts and email!
I should be able to tell my bank's app "No!" or let it "think" it does have that access --- but really not. To check my balance of my checking account should not require granting an app broad access to a littany of access rights.
So this just points back to not really being some future paradigm Windows couldn't provide, I see the only the openness and "Not Being Windows" as the only advantages to Android --- at this point.
Android is loved as a phone and tablet OS because it is open source and easy to work with.
As a desktop operating or some sort of mobile computing operating system, aside from the open source angle and the general openness, I don't see Android being any better of an alternative than Windows.
Android has quite a bit of fragmentation, has malware and exploit issues (I have some sort of pesky nuisance-ware on my Android phone, apparently from installing some free game outside the Google Play ecosystem) -- and if ends up encroaching onto the traditional desktop/laptop space --- then you are back to hardware interoperability/printer drivers/etc.
So setting aside the open nature and potentially the "cost" (i.e. Microsoft tax) --- I don't see this being an improvement over Windows.
But I would definitely welcome Microsoft's near-monopoly to start feeling the heat and would be nice to get more utility out Android apps or developing them personally.
You are on to those rat bastards! Expect the NSA to identify you, catalogue you and send you to Gitmo for unspecified crimes. You represent a threat to the "natural order of things" are deemed "dangerous". Or you can live in an airport with Snowden! Decide NOW!
>"How can you expect to have a well functioning democracy when your population isn't well educated? The answer is, you can't. You get what we have today."
Your right! And I don't!
Feudalism is the natural state of things. I don't believe in Feudalism, but I understand that most people do NOT seek to better themselves are easily swayed by propaganda. Which leads to feudalism --- using the United States as an example --- we already have news with "left" and "right" talking points --- as if those are the only possible angles to interpret events.
But for maybe as much as 87% of the population, their mind isn't on deep thinking for what is best for the future, they want to watch TV and complex news that isn't the simple "there are only 2 sides" is too much for them.
And we are gonna get feudalism again --- perhaps a friendlier version --- but "left/right" politics is a checkmate-only game of chess!
85% to 92% of jobs in an advanced economy are "plug-and-play". The creative and educated jobs are the most important --- but they are the fewest in number. Fair or not fair, someone still needs to handle the basics --- and there is no dishonor in those jobs -- they still need to be done and are an important part of the job ecosystem.
The so-called "Rich" and "Powerful" Americans --- who cares? They change every day. If being rich achieved long-term power, why doesn't the British Royal Family run the planet these days? Where are the Vanderbilts these days? What about Howard Hughes?
Rich? Powerful? The history books tell us these things never last for very long... and the cemetery is full of these people.
Most jobs don't involve a lot of math or english these days.
More whether or not you can socially function and whether you know the basics of using a computer.
Plumbing, paving roads, being a cashier, managing people, checking meter readings, working an assembly line don't involve much math or English.
Perhaps society only needs a few people per hundred that are great at math? People don't need math skills to drive a semi-truck or make the donuts or take an order or stock a warehouse.... Similar to how most companies only need a few elite coders?
If we could subscribe to cars like how we pay for cable or pay for cell phones, your idea would work.
And it would be optimal --- why should we buy instead of lease --- ideally! Then again, some people would argue we should all rent instead of own homes. What is the answer? Only the future can know that!
Sounds like one of those posts rooting that Microsoft will die.
Amazon.com and EBay have tried to do this for 15+ years. But very few people are going to make a $20-$50 thousand dollar purchase online.
Wanting something to be true and successful won't make it so.
Most people looking for a car end up going to several different dealerships to do research to determine what they want to buy. How can they do that online?
What you want would be perfect and I agree, but the crappy truth is like Soylent Green: OMG! The world is made out of people! It's people!
Think of the guy at McDonalds who spends 5 minutes looking at the menu before making a decision. Sad but true, life is like that. Sometimes even for people like you or me.
Emotionally, your thoughts win. But in reality, 3 years from now --- people are still going to dealerships trying to make up their mind on what to buy and why because cars are a big-ticket item costing tens of thousands of dollars --- it is huge decision.
What if you have a trade-in? How can you do that online?
How do you know if you want to buy versus lease a car?
Only 2% of people buy cars online and almost without exception these people are brokers.
There have been plenty of "no haggle" dealerships in the past, present and future --- but generally it doesn't work because few people are willing to spend $20,000 to $50,000 without trying out the merchandise and there are always a variety of incentives. And this ignores the entire issue of trade-in values for someone's current vehicle.
No one buys houses online or rents apartments online because it is a major purchase.
And for most people buying a car is 2nd biggest purchase they will make. Buying a computer or a vacuum cleaner is one thing --- but a major purchase with a 5 year loan or 3 year lease costing 30% of one's annual salary after taxes isn't something anyone will take lightly.
Slashdot Mirror
Awesome! So you think a mathematician or physicist or biologist needs to learn programming too (!!!!) to be able to maximally participate in research!
... but guess what ... machines are here to serve man and make things easier! Hardcore researchers should have intuitive and easy to use tools to help with their research. They do have those in Star Trek. If you can't match Star Trek considering all the gizmos we have that Star Trek TOS couldn't imagine --- hand in your "nerd goggles" --- you are disqualified and Wesley Crusher would own you!
Wonderful idea
The article is spot-on, but from the perspective of the present.
... but to the hardcore Lotus 1-2-3 or VisiCalc??).
....
It used to be that you had to have incredible discipline to do math. Then they invented the calculation. Then they invented the spreadsheet (i.e. Excel
Coding sucks today because our programming languages and our compilers require more machine understanding than problem solving ability.
And eventually that will change.
But today, the mastering the tools and intricacies is FAR MORE IMPORTANT than actually being able to describe the problem.
And like I said, eventually intuitive problem solving applications will emerge and trump programming languages.
I shouldn't have to know the scope of a variable, whether I want to allocate some memory, how many bytes and whether or not I want it static to solve a problem. But today, our computers aren't actually really that fast either. They just seem fast compared to the snail speed ones of the past. But someday
I love how we treat blackholes specially.
The escape velocity of a neutron star is about 1/3 the speed of light --- and getting mass to 1/3 the speed of light is absolutely impossible.
Escape velocity from the Sun is 617 km/per second --- not even New Horizons at 35,000 kph is anywhere close to that!
Jupiter's escape velocity? About 60 kps --- so if New Horizons was 8 or 9 times faster, would match that.
But black holes --- are not especially dangerous to humans in any way that any other massive objects (gas giants included) aren't. For some reason, we teach kids and adults that blackholes are "evil" and suck up everything --- but blackholes are very helpful holding galaxies together and binding our galaxies together so that they are warm and stable for extremely long periods of time.
Without blackholes, the universe may not be able to support life without the stability that blackholes give to galaxies.
So quit dogging our friends, the blackholes, you insensitive jerks!
David Cameron is British. A few years ago, he moved to the US to play soccer in California.
Welcome to the world! And --- yuck --- the world is made out of --- ewww --- it's people! It's people!
And people suck!
And people argue and posture --- and often irrationally!
But there is a clear difference between a constant unlikable argument vs. violence and advocating violence.
And what makes the civilized world "civilized" is that we argue instead of resort to violence.
There will always be arguing. And there will always be stupid arguing. Which is quite a step up from Medieval Times.
The US's homegrown religious fundamentalists -- who mostly talk and argue about goofy things like the presentation of views inside textbooks.
OMG! Those dangerous people start political debates about the contents of science in textbooks!
And actually --- they are right! Science deserves to be continually challenged --- because science deserves to be continually challenged -- that is why it is science because science is skepticism! I think any true science can hold its own against skeptics fine, that is why it is science!
Uh ... Steam = DRM = store for secure distribution. Do you need a dunce cap or a bonk on the head?
Or are you shooting for "Dumb post of the year" or what?
I mean, come on, video toaster as an example of an emerging platform? And you took that as serious?
You just got owned by a LOL-Truck. Google it!
Jokes. They exist. In my posts. You didn't read my sig.
For you, my friend:
In Soviet Russia, Waldo finds you!
This standard is supposed to help out people using Linux so you can still watch movies without installing an operating system that has a Flash player or SliverLight.
It could also help out with emerging platforms --- like say a video toaster.
> We forced content providers to choose: Roll your own DRM product and fail, or adopt a DRM-free standard, and make money.
Apple's DRM worked acceptably and looked great compared to the nightmarish DRM from other companies. The media companies realized that DRM was quickly giving Apple huge leverage over them and locking their customers into Apple-only --- and then Apple would tell them "you can only charge $0.99 cents for a song".
Then they realized The DRM was working great! Really great! For Apple. For the music companies? Not so much.
[Classic "Beware, you might get what you want!" Pie in the Face story.]
> In a post Snowden world, built in DRM'd browsers don't stand a chance. Why? Was Snowden against Netflix or Flash or something?
| I couldn't give less of a shit what they do with consumer-targeted products that are used entirely or mostly for dicking around. I mean, Android is cute, but some of
| us actually need our computers to work.
The PC back in the day was accused of being "consumer-targeted" and not a real machine for businesses to get work done. Same with the internet.
History repeats itself again and again.
I'm not a shill. And what does crappy Microsoft Word have to do with this? Microsoft would eventually make an Office for Android, anyway.
Do you think compared to Linux that the apps model for Android is "secure" like Linux?
I don't either. Which is my point.
| has malware and exploit issues (I have some sort of pesky nuisance-ware on my Android phone, apparently from installing some free game outside the Google Play ecosystem)
.... consider this. I view this as a sandboxing weakness in current application design on any platform. iOS generally handles this the best --- at the expense of any kind of true freedom --- why does an Android app get to decide what kind of permissions it receives --- ALL or Nothing?
"So, you turned off the thing which prevents you from side loading, side loaded something, and have problems with it? You can do the exact same thing in Windows. But it was you who took responsibility for that and did it. Google just provided the option to shoot yourself in the foot."
True except
My bank --- which I like --- their "mobile site" doesn't work on Android and my bank's Android App needs access to my contacts and email!
I should be able to tell my bank's app "No!" or let it "think" it does have that access --- but really not. To check my balance of my checking account should not require granting an app broad access to a littany of access rights.
So this just points back to not really being some future paradigm Windows couldn't provide, I see the only the openness and "Not Being Windows" as the only advantages to Android --- at this point.
Android is loved as a phone and tablet OS because it is open source and easy to work with.
As a desktop operating or some sort of mobile computing operating system, aside from the open source angle and the general openness, I don't see Android being any better of an alternative than Windows.
Android has quite a bit of fragmentation, has malware and exploit issues (I have some sort of pesky nuisance-ware on my Android phone, apparently from installing some free game outside the Google Play ecosystem) -- and if ends up encroaching onto the traditional desktop/laptop space --- then you are back to hardware interoperability/printer drivers/etc.
So setting aside the open nature and potentially the "cost" (i.e. Microsoft tax) --- I don't see this being an improvement over Windows.
But I would definitely welcome Microsoft's near-monopoly to start feeling the heat and would be nice to get more utility out Android apps or developing them personally.
You are on to those rat bastards! Expect the NSA to identify you, catalogue you and send you to Gitmo for unspecified crimes. You represent a threat to the "natural order of things" are deemed "dangerous". Or you can live in an airport with Snowden! Decide NOW!
>"How can you expect to have a well functioning democracy when your population isn't well educated? The answer is, you can't. You get what we have today."
Your right! And I don't!
Feudalism is the natural state of things. I don't believe in Feudalism, but I understand that most people do NOT seek to better themselves are easily swayed by propaganda. Which leads to feudalism --- using the United States as an example --- we already have news with "left" and "right" talking points --- as if those are the only possible angles to interpret events.
But for maybe as much as 87% of the population, their mind isn't on deep thinking for what is best for the future, they want to watch TV and complex news that isn't the simple "there are only 2 sides" is too much for them.
And we are gonna get feudalism again --- perhaps a friendlier version --- but "left/right" politics is a checkmate-only game of chess!
85% to 92% of jobs in an advanced economy are "plug-and-play". The creative and educated jobs are the most important --- but they are the fewest in number. Fair or not fair, someone still needs to handle the basics --- and there is no dishonor in those jobs -- they still need to be done and are an important part of the job ecosystem.
... and the cemetery is full of these people.
The so-called "Rich" and "Powerful" Americans --- who cares? They change every day. If being rich achieved long-term power, why doesn't the British Royal Family run the planet these days? Where are the Vanderbilts these days? What about Howard Hughes?
Rich? Powerful? The history books tell us these things never last for very long
Perhaps you bought a Zune, a Surface RT and really like the new Blackberry phones too!
Or maybe you are a market of one.
By the way, what car did you buy online and what price did you pay --- I mean, why withhold details for a true story if you see what I say?
Well ... what you can do ... rent a 5 passenger vehicle for $50 a day or rent a camper.
That is what the rental places are for --- I came to your same conclusion a long time ago. We don't need to own everything we ever use.
Most jobs don't involve a lot of math or english these days.
.... Similar to how most companies only need a few elite coders?
More whether or not you can socially function and whether you know the basics of using a computer.
Plumbing, paving roads, being a cashier, managing people, checking meter readings, working an assembly line don't involve much math or English.
Perhaps society only needs a few people per hundred that are great at math? People don't need math skills to drive a semi-truck or make the donuts or take an order or stock a warehouse
If we could subscribe to cars like how we pay for cable or pay for cell phones, your idea would work.
And it would be optimal --- why should we buy instead of lease --- ideally! Then again, some people would argue we should all rent instead of own homes. What is the answer? Only the future can know that!
But you raise great points!
Sounds like one of those posts rooting that Microsoft will die.
Amazon.com and EBay have tried to do this for 15+ years. But very few people are going to make a $20-$50 thousand dollar purchase online.
Wanting something to be true and successful won't make it so.
Most people looking for a car end up going to several different dealerships to do research to determine what they want to buy. How can they do that online?
What you want would be perfect and I agree, but the crappy truth is like Soylent Green: OMG! The world is made out of people! It's people!
Think of the guy at McDonalds who spends 5 minutes looking at the menu before making a decision. Sad but true, life is like that. Sometimes even for people like you or me.
Emotionally, your thoughts win. But in reality, 3 years from now --- people are still going to dealerships trying to make up their mind on what to buy and why because cars are a big-ticket item costing tens of thousands of dollars --- it is huge decision.
Would you buy a house online?
What if you have a trade-in? How can you do that online?
How do you know if you want to buy versus lease a car?
Only 2% of people buy cars online and almost without exception these people are brokers.
There have been plenty of "no haggle" dealerships in the past, present and future --- but generally it doesn't work because few people are willing to spend $20,000 to $50,000 without trying out the merchandise and there are always a variety of incentives. And this ignores the entire issue of trade-in values for someone's current vehicle.
No one buys houses online or rents apartments online because it is a major purchase.
And for most people buying a car is 2nd biggest purchase they will make. Buying a computer or a vacuum cleaner is one thing --- but a major purchase with a 5 year loan or 3 year lease costing 30% of one's annual salary after taxes isn't something anyone will take lightly.