You know Usenet rule that says that any post criticizing another's spelling or grammar will inevitably contain a spelling or grammar error? I seem to have applied it recursively to myself.
With any luck, I'll be able to get throught this post without making a stupid mistake.:)
because he won't apply himself, then I want her to
I was thinking about my son when I first wrote that sentence, then decided to change it to refer to my daughter by replacing "him" with "her", missing the initial "he".
To save you the trouble of commenting on that, let me be the first to mention that none of my kids are hermaphrodites. There dad just happens to be a lousy editor.
Even in programming for biz apps, one does not use much algebra, and zero Calculus.
You're joking, right? If you're a programmer, then you understand big-O notation (and the calculations behind it) and apply that knowledge to your daily job. If don't understand the math behind the code (even non-mathematical functions), then you are not a programmer. A code-writer, perhaps, or an interested amateur, but not a programmer.
I agree that it is a nice skill to have, but it may be costing tens of thousands of dollars per student to force them into something not used that often.
I guess that mindset is so alien to me that I simply can't understand it. How can you look at this amazing world we live in and not wonder how it works? In order to do that, you have to understand math, even if you don't formally recognize it as such.
Math isn't about moving little numbers around. It's about being able to describe how things happen, why they break, and how to fix them. If we don't attach an extremely high value to that ability then we are well and truly screwed.
Does Korea spend much time or money worrying about how their children feel about their school performance versus helping them improve it? For that matter, is any country as concerned with their childrens self esteem as the United States?
I have three kids that will be starting school soon (one of them being in Montessori preschool already). Do I want them to feel good about themselves? Sure, as long as it's because they're doing so well in the classes that they're working hard to excel in. If my kid's flunking math because he won't apply himself, then I want her to feel embarrassed about her performance and not proud of the fact that the school would probably advance her to the next grade anyway.
There are some cripplingly serious problems with the American educational system. A severe overemphasis on underserved self esteem is high on that list.
It really depends on your perception of RSS. If you think of it as a way to get mini web-pages, then it would make sense to view a feed in a browser. On the other hand, if you think of RSS as a customizable message delivery system or a read-only mailing list, then it makes sense to view a feed from the same client you use to view your other incoming messages.
Personally, see it as the latter. For me, it seems perfectly reasonable for RSS feeds to appear as folders in my mail client where I already use common actions like "view unread messages", "delete this message", "search for this subject", and so on.
I don't see a substantial difference between downloading an XML file of news story summaries from Slashdot and subscribing to the "Daily Headlines" email (under your "Messages" preferences). It's the same content either way, so why shouldn't I want to view it in the same client?
I don't have my head in the sand. If there are problems, then I want to see them exposed publically and remedied as best possible.
However, I'd much rather find out that this whole thing was a hoax to get a few minutes of attention. When I said that "you'd like to find out that your republic had been destroyed?", I didn't mean that I'd want that information to be hidden, but that I'd rather find out that it was incorrect.
You, sir, are freakin' insane. You'd like to see the bloodbath that would probably ensue if it turned out to be true? You hate the results of the election so much that you'd like to find out that your republic had been destroyed?
I desperately want not to believe this. As long as most of us have reasonable faith in our electoral process, we can get through pretty much anything. The alternative is probably not far short of civil war.
1) Mainly to blow off steam without repercussions. Telling off one AC as another AC after a long work week is just a little release valve.
2) Pretty much. I wouldn't assume that high karma == whoring, though. Some of the darnedest things get modded up, so it's not like you have to be a Nobel prize winner to get some anonymous moderator to toss a point in your direction. As much as anything, karma seems to correlate with longevity. Stick around long enough and don't spend too much on trolling and it's bound to max out eventually. It'd be interesting to see what would happen if karma decayed with time, so that you'd have to actively maintain it or lose it.
In reality, watch as the $400k+ starter home market finally adjusts to national standards (or to within, say, not more than 100% above them) and you have to eat the -$150,000 in negative equity.
Can't happen? Remember that in 1999, dotcom stockholders though that a P/E of 150 was OK because the "old economy" rules didn't apply to them.
Be a professional. There's a lot of heavy industry in my town (and the amount is growing), so there are a lot of management and skilled technical jobs to be had. The accountants, doctors, lawyers, IT people, and other white collar workers aren't exactly going hungry either.
I just moved here about 3 years ago. I'm a practicing Southern Baptist, and this town is about 96% Catholic and Lutheran. Trust me - atheism wouldn't be more eyebrow-raising than that. However, you darn well better like to eat meet. Nebraskans can overlook religious differences, but vegetarianism? That's asking too much.;-)
I didn't say anything about moving to the boonies. I live in a nice town with quite a few high-tech jobs, dirt-cheap broadband, and open hotspots all over the place.
Move to someplace with a lower cost of living.:-) In all seriousness, since most Slashdotters are in largish cities (based on political trends here, and correlating them with national trends), that's probably a reasonable assumption.
If this is true, then consider that I live in a small city (pop. 25,000+) in a midwestern state with extremely low crime, a very high quality of life, good schools, and a good economy. I bought a six bedroom, four bathroom house (4,800 square feet) on a half-acre lot in a nice part of town for well under $200,000. If you're a Californian dreaming of buying a $750,000 starter home once you save $100,000 for a down payment, then realize that there are some pretty nice alternatives available if you know where to look.
You're right. However, by poisoning the water they're ruining their product. Understand this, TV decision makers: I only watch recorded material now. Not some recorded / some live; not mostly recorded / a little live; but all recorded and no live television.
If you make it difficult for me to be advertiser-bait, then I'll watch something friendlier to my viewing habits. I don't have to see your shows, but if you can't convince me to do so anyway then you lose your advertisers and go bankrupt. There are three non-negotiable rules I'm setting down for you:
No broadcast flag. If I can't record it, I won't watch it.
This is directed to your advertisers: you can't make me watch your commercials - get over it and move along. However, I do laugh at the Enzyte Bob ads and other amusing advertisements, so it's still within your power to get me to voluntarily quit skipping commercials. Make it so that I don't mind seeing your ads and I may actually stay tuned. Fair 'nuff?
I am a young professional with a young professional wife, several small children, and plenty of disposable income. I am your target demographic. Although you receive no money from me, neither will your advertisers unless you learn how to treat me right and respect my decisions. If you do not do this, then your advertisers will lose money and so will you.
There is nothing you can do about this, and any misguided attempts at legislation or technological trickery will only make it worse for you. The world has moved on, and you can adapt or be left behind. Your news organizations are learning this the hard way, and you would be wise to learn from their example before it's too late.
I can dig up a copy of the XBox licensing agreement that came in the box
Did you sign it and mail it in? In what way could Microsoft possibly hope to enforce their dearest wishes that you were only leasing the equipment that you paid for in expectation of actually purchasing it?
They made you sign a lease contract before you paid them and took it home? Why did you do that, when you can buy an X-Box from any number of stores?
my software almost all of it on "lease"
See above. Unless you signed a contract stating otherwise (click-through EULAs not having widely found to be legitimate contracts), you own your copy of the software. Anyone who tells you otherwise has ulterior motives.
It really depends on what you want to do. I graduated from a state university and have had no problems at all getting jobs in my desired field. If you're planning on entering the workforce after graduation, then a solid education at any decent school should be sufficient to get your foot in the door.
If you're planning a career in academia, a "brand name" degree may be slightly more beneficial. However, your school's reputation credentials are likely to be as important as the impressiveness of its name. My little college (within the large university) is jointly accredited by the IEEE and ACM, and therefore quite adequate to get its graduates into grad school if they so chose.
So, unless you're really bent on being a professor at CalTech, a BSCS at a well-accredited state school should get you where you want to go. Frankly, after more than 5-10 years or so after graduation, your diploma will be a check-off item on a potential employer's list of job requirements. I've never had an interviewer ask about the details of my educations, other than to confirm that I actually had one.
Don't get me wrong: it would be cool to have a diploma from a big-name university. However, don't let that be your litmus test. An additional factor to consider when picking your educational path? Sure - why not. The deciding factor? You'd be crazy.
Slashdot Mirror
I've been around here too long not to have seen that one coming. :-)
You are correct. I thought (and still think) that my original post was fairly clear about that, but I seem to be in the minority.
With any luck, I'll be able to get throught this post without making a stupid mistake. :)
I was thinking about my son when I first wrote that sentence, then decided to change it to refer to my daughter by replacing "him" with "her", missing the initial "he".
To save you the trouble of commenting on that, let me be the first to mention that none of my kids are hermaphrodites. There dad just happens to be a lousy editor.
You're joking, right? If you're a programmer, then you understand big-O notation (and the calculations behind it) and apply that knowledge to your daily job. If don't understand the math behind the code (even non-mathematical functions), then you are not a programmer. A code-writer, perhaps, or an interested amateur, but not a programmer.
I agree that it is a nice skill to have, but it may be costing tens of thousands of dollars per student to force them into something not used that often.
I guess that mindset is so alien to me that I simply can't understand it. How can you look at this amazing world we live in and not wonder how it works? In order to do that, you have to understand math, even if you don't formally recognize it as such.
Math isn't about moving little numbers around. It's about being able to describe how things happen, why they break, and how to fix them. If we don't attach an extremely high value to that ability then we are well and truly screwed.
I have three kids that will be starting school soon (one of them being in Montessori preschool already). Do I want them to feel good about themselves? Sure, as long as it's because they're doing so well in the classes that they're working hard to excel in. If my kid's flunking math because he won't apply himself, then I want her to feel embarrassed about her performance and not proud of the fact that the school would probably advance her to the next grade anyway.
There are some cripplingly serious problems with the American educational system. A severe overemphasis on underserved self esteem is high on that list.
Personally, see it as the latter. For me, it seems perfectly reasonable for RSS feeds to appear as folders in my mail client where I already use common actions like "view unread messages", "delete this message", "search for this subject", and so on.
I don't see a substantial difference between downloading an XML file of news story summaries from Slashdot and subscribing to the "Daily Headlines" email (under your "Messages" preferences). It's the same content either way, so why shouldn't I want to view it in the same client?
I don't have my head in the sand. If there are problems, then I want to see them exposed publically and remedied as best possible.
However, I'd much rather find out that this whole thing was a hoax to get a few minutes of attention. When I said that "you'd like to find out that your republic had been destroyed?", I didn't mean that I'd want that information to be hidden, but that I'd rather find out that it was incorrect.
You, sir, are freakin' insane. You'd like to see the bloodbath that would probably ensue if it turned out to be true? You hate the results of the election so much that you'd like to find out that your republic had been destroyed?
I desperately want not to believe this. As long as most of us have reasonable faith in our electoral process, we can get through pretty much anything. The alternative is probably not far short of civil war.
That's what you get for expecting a razor-sharp scan of a picture of fuzz.
Ummm, I'm pretty sure more coffee isn't going to make Charlie go away - or the darn bugs crawling under my skin, for that matter.
2) Pretty much. I wouldn't assume that high karma == whoring, though. Some of the darnedest things get modded up, so it's not like you have to be a Nobel prize winner to get some anonymous moderator to toss a point in your direction. As much as anything, karma seems to correlate with longevity. Stick around long enough and don't spend too much on trolling and it's bound to max out eventually. It'd be interesting to see what would happen if karma decayed with time, so that you'd have to actively maintain it or lose it.
Hah! I didn't realize that I had a dossier. :)
Dang it, I try to post as AC whenever I want to be gratuitously insulting. Sorry about that!
It's not all that. Newbie. ;-)
That's the post ID, toolshed.
In reality, watch as the $400k+ starter home market finally adjusts to national standards (or to within, say, not more than 100% above them) and you have to eat the -$150,000 in negative equity.
Can't happen? Remember that in 1999, dotcom stockholders though that a P/E of 150 was OK because the "old economy" rules didn't apply to them.
Be a professional. There's a lot of heavy industry in my town (and the amount is growing), so there are a lot of management and skilled technical jobs to be had. The accountants, doctors, lawyers, IT people, and other white collar workers aren't exactly going hungry either.
I just moved here about 3 years ago. I'm a practicing Southern Baptist, and this town is about 96% Catholic and Lutheran. Trust me - atheism wouldn't be more eyebrow-raising than that. However, you darn well better like to eat meet. Nebraskans can overlook religious differences, but vegetarianism? That's asking too much. ;-)
Forgive me for finding humor in that grouping. ;-)
I didn't say anything about moving to the boonies. I live in a nice town with quite a few high-tech jobs, dirt-cheap broadband, and open hotspots all over the place.
If this is true, then consider that I live in a small city (pop. 25,000+) in a midwestern state with extremely low crime, a very high quality of life, good schools, and a good economy. I bought a six bedroom, four bathroom house (4,800 square feet) on a half-acre lot in a nice part of town for well under $200,000. If you're a Californian dreaming of buying a $750,000 starter home once you save $100,000 for a down payment, then realize that there are some pretty nice alternatives available if you know where to look.
If you make it difficult for me to be advertiser-bait, then I'll watch something friendlier to my viewing habits. I don't have to see your shows, but if you can't convince me to do so anyway then you lose your advertisers and go bankrupt. There are three non-negotiable rules I'm setting down for you:
There is nothing you can do about this, and any misguided attempts at legislation or technological trickery will only make it worse for you. The world has moved on, and you can adapt or be left behind. Your news organizations are learning this the hard way, and you would be wise to learn from their example before it's too late.
Did you sign it and mail it in? In what way could Microsoft possibly hope to enforce their dearest wishes that you were only leasing the equipment that you paid for in expectation of actually purchasing it?
They made you sign a lease contract before you paid them and took it home? Why did you do that, when you can buy an X-Box from any number of stores?
my software almost all of it on "lease"
See above. Unless you signed a contract stating otherwise (click-through EULAs not having widely found to be legitimate contracts), you own your copy of the software. Anyone who tells you otherwise has ulterior motives.
If you're planning a career in academia, a "brand name" degree may be slightly more beneficial. However, your school's reputation credentials are likely to be as important as the impressiveness of its name. My little college (within the large university) is jointly accredited by the IEEE and ACM, and therefore quite adequate to get its graduates into grad school if they so chose.
So, unless you're really bent on being a professor at CalTech, a BSCS at a well-accredited state school should get you where you want to go. Frankly, after more than 5-10 years or so after graduation, your diploma will be a check-off item on a potential employer's list of job requirements. I've never had an interviewer ask about the details of my educations, other than to confirm that I actually had one.
Don't get me wrong: it would be cool to have a diploma from a big-name university. However, don't let that be your litmus test. An additional factor to consider when picking your educational path? Sure - why not. The deciding factor? You'd be crazy.