Well, in fairness, the books did teach the concepts too. But all the "how-to's"and examples were shown on TI's. And all the exercises and problems presumed the student had a TI and had learned how to use it.
It would be possible for a student to use a different model. But they would have had to learn to use it completely on their own--as the text was aimed squarely at the TI-84 and the instructor probably wouldn't have been able to help with "But how do I do that on my X calculator?" questions
That is a very polite way of putting the question I would have asked, which is "How does it feel to work on a lame network sitcom whose premise is that nerds and autistic people are F U N N Y ?" and the follow-up question "Do you yourself like laughing at nerds, geeks, spazes, and people suffering from Aspergers Syndrome--or do you just pretend to every day because your desire for a paycheck is much greater than any sense of shame you may have once possessed?"
You would find things very different today. I went to school for my first undergrad degree about the same time as you. My experience was similar. We barely used calculators at all in the classroom, and when we did it was for just basic calculations. But I recently went back and took some math courses at a local college and was shocked at how much the TI-84 and algebraic graphing is integrated into *everything* now. No more point-plotting by hand--now EVERYTHING is done as a graph on a TI-84. Every textbook example is shown on a TI-84. Almost every test question assumes you have one. The instructors teach specifically to it.
There should have been an opportunity for some competitor (e.g. Casio or HP) to use 2014 technology to deliver the same capabilities
It should be noted that this is very difficult to do, because many modern math textbooks are actually built around the assumption that students are using TI-84's. I took an algebra course a couple of years ago at a local college and every example in the text actually used illustrations and instructions on how to do the graphing on a TI-84 specifically. So unless the competitor could copy the look, functionality, and layout of a TI-84 exactly (and I'm sure that would get them sued), profs and instructors would be inundated with "But how do I do that on my Casio?" questions that they aren't going to want to deal with. And so they would probably still make the TI-84 a requirement for the course, just to avoid that hassle.
Most people at the indie level do it all-in-one these days. If you can afford to hire specialists to just do compositing, or just editing, or just graphics, then more power to you. But if you see an smaller shop asking for a Premiere or Vegas developer these days, you can expect to be asked do all that (and probably some FX too). Luckily today's software makes all that pretty easy to do.
Even a simple sequence with no major FX can involve composting many video layers these days. I can count probably two dozen layers in the opening sequence for my local news. The old days of a single video layer and single title overlay were becoming obsolete even before MTV and Avid came along.
More than one is unusual, unless you're on an NLE that puts titles and dissolves on second tracks.
That's exactly what Vegas is and does. And believe me, on the front end of the editing process, it can go WAY over 10 video tracks, even for a relatively simple video. Hell, I've used more than that just for one title sequence.
Last time I checked, the cheaper version of Vegas sucked, mainly because it had a *very* limited limitation on the number of video tracks allowed on the cheaper non-pro version. That makes it fine for amateurs, but off-limits to anyone looking to do serious work. I love their professional version though, and it blows Premiere away as a stand-alone product (though Premiere has a lot more add-ons).
I'm tempted to do that. But I've had some bad experiences in the past with groups like that. Gaming people can be just as cliquish as any other group. And I've found a some groups in the past where you would show up and everyone would have that fucking "This is OUR party and no one else is invited" attitude in full effect, or where they wanted you to run a gauntlet for the privilege of joining their exclusive club, or where they would constantly insult any newbie for their ignorance of whatever game they were playing (as if they were BORN knowing how to play it themselves).
We used to have to deal with this back in the fraternity in college. A lot of people decide that, once they're part of a group, then no one else should be able to join (or they should have to walk through fire to do so). So you got some guys (not most, but always a few) who would haze pledges brutally if not kept in check, and drive away prospective members with that arrogant attitude. A few of those guys could really turn something fun and friendly into something ugly and annoying.
You would think that nerds who had been bullied would be more likely to treat their fellow nerds with friendliness and acceptance. But sadly, it's often the bullied who can become the WORST bullies themselves. Once they get any power in any realm, they can turn into the nastiest of creatures.
No need for sad music. I have met more than a few fellow nerds who have had similar experiences, particularly with the D&D thing. I told that story once to a group and two other guys (from my generation) came forward and admitted that they had done the same thing and thought they were the only ones. Growing up in the time and place I did, there weren't exactly a lot of D&D players around (or they were in hiding). In my hometown, you had two options for things to be a fan of: Jesus or Football. And if you weren't a fan of either of those, you were pretty much alone (since nerds were in hiding even from each other).
Can anyone tell me why I don't see more articles about the gender gap in elementary eduction? There is a HUGE 87% to 13% gender imbalance there that hasn't changed in decades. And yet I don't ever seem to see any articles about it anywhere. All I see are tons of articles about much smaller imbalances in the STEM fields.
If the point of electrical cars is to SAVE energy and reduce emmissions (as proponents claim), then a tech that wastes 25% of said energy (and the coal that produces it) just for a little convenience sort of defeats the purpose. May as well drive a fuel-efficient hybrid.
These cars are SUPPOSED to save the planet, remember? They're not supposed to be just be status symbols for smug assholes.
That's what I was thinking too. Just set up pit stops and the design the cars so that the battery can be popped out and replaced just like the tires. Maybe have pit stops like oil change garages with dug-outs that the car can drive over, with the guys under the car pulling and replacing the battery at the same time the guy up top is replacing the tires. Easy peasy.
Slashdot Mirror
How is algebra taught nowadays?
Graphing, graphing, graphing. Here is a typical test question in the elementary class:
Which of these five graphs represents the equation "x + 22 = y - 5"?
Well, in fairness, the books did teach the concepts too. But all the "how-to's"and examples were shown on TI's. And all the exercises and problems presumed the student had a TI and had learned how to use it.
It would be possible for a student to use a different model. But they would have had to learn to use it completely on their own--as the text was aimed squarely at the TI-84 and the instructor probably wouldn't have been able to help with "But how do I do that on my X calculator?" questions
That is a very polite way of putting the question I would have asked, which is "How does it feel to work on a lame network sitcom whose premise is that nerds and autistic people are F U N N Y ?" and the follow-up question "Do you yourself like laughing at nerds, geeks, spazes, and people suffering from Aspergers Syndrome--or do you just pretend to every day because your desire for a paycheck is much greater than any sense of shame you may have once possessed?"
Yeah, and textbooks SHOULD be cheap and/or open-source too. But good luck with that.
You would find things very different today. I went to school for my first undergrad degree about the same time as you. My experience was similar. We barely used calculators at all in the classroom, and when we did it was for just basic calculations. But I recently went back and took some math courses at a local college and was shocked at how much the TI-84 and algebraic graphing is integrated into *everything* now. No more point-plotting by hand--now EVERYTHING is done as a graph on a TI-84. Every textbook example is shown on a TI-84. Almost every test question assumes you have one. The instructors teach specifically to it.
Did something change? I took the EIT back in the 90s and the very programmable HP-48G was allowed.
Yeah, the dinosaurs finally caught on to the fact that students were using them to cheat.
There should have been an opportunity for some competitor (e.g. Casio or HP) to use 2014 technology to deliver the same capabilities
It should be noted that this is very difficult to do, because many modern math textbooks are actually built around the assumption that students are using TI-84's. I took an algebra course a couple of years ago at a local college and every example in the text actually used illustrations and instructions on how to do the graphing on a TI-84 specifically. So unless the competitor could copy the look, functionality, and layout of a TI-84 exactly (and I'm sure that would get them sued), profs and instructors would be inundated with "But how do I do that on my Casio?" questions that they aren't going to want to deal with. And so they would probably still make the TI-84 a requirement for the course, just to avoid that hassle.
You really shouldn't use that sort of language, Father.
All your base are belong to DMCA
So is 4chan going to hack 4chan for supporting the man?
"Your Holiness, people are accusing our priests of molesting their children!"
"My son, send out a missive immediately--chastising the parishioners for letting their children seduce our priests."
It's THEIR fault. Apple MAKES NO MISTAKES!!!
Most people at the indie level do it all-in-one these days. If you can afford to hire specialists to just do compositing, or just editing, or just graphics, then more power to you. But if you see an smaller shop asking for a Premiere or Vegas developer these days, you can expect to be asked do all that (and probably some FX too). Luckily today's software makes all that pretty easy to do.
They work cheap.
Even a simple sequence with no major FX can involve composting many video layers these days. I can count probably two dozen layers in the opening sequence for my local news. The old days of a single video layer and single title overlay were becoming obsolete even before MTV and Avid came along.
More than one is unusual, unless you're on an NLE that puts titles and dissolves on second tracks.
That's exactly what Vegas is and does. And believe me, on the front end of the editing process, it can go WAY over 10 video tracks, even for a relatively simple video. Hell, I've used more than that just for one title sequence.
Musk vs. Bezos? So many egos...So hard to choose which to loathe slightly less in this fight.
Last time I checked, the cheaper version of Vegas sucked, mainly because it had a *very* limited limitation on the number of video tracks allowed on the cheaper non-pro version. That makes it fine for amateurs, but off-limits to anyone looking to do serious work. I love their professional version though, and it blows Premiere away as a stand-alone product (though Premiere has a lot more add-ons).
Does that include protecting your cloud apps with basic security so that pics of Jennifer Lawrence's pussy don't get leaked?
Just need more corruption and less jobs.
I'm tempted to do that. But I've had some bad experiences in the past with groups like that. Gaming people can be just as cliquish as any other group. And I've found a some groups in the past where you would show up and everyone would have that fucking "This is OUR party and no one else is invited" attitude in full effect, or where they wanted you to run a gauntlet for the privilege of joining their exclusive club, or where they would constantly insult any newbie for their ignorance of whatever game they were playing (as if they were BORN knowing how to play it themselves).
We used to have to deal with this back in the fraternity in college. A lot of people decide that, once they're part of a group, then no one else should be able to join (or they should have to walk through fire to do so). So you got some guys (not most, but always a few) who would haze pledges brutally if not kept in check, and drive away prospective members with that arrogant attitude. A few of those guys could really turn something fun and friendly into something ugly and annoying.
You would think that nerds who had been bullied would be more likely to treat their fellow nerds with friendliness and acceptance. But sadly, it's often the bullied who can become the WORST bullies themselves. Once they get any power in any realm, they can turn into the nastiest of creatures.
No need for sad music. I have met more than a few fellow nerds who have had similar experiences, particularly with the D&D thing. I told that story once to a group and two other guys (from my generation) came forward and admitted that they had done the same thing and thought they were the only ones. Growing up in the time and place I did, there weren't exactly a lot of D&D players around (or they were in hiding). In my hometown, you had two options for things to be a fan of: Jesus or Football. And if you weren't a fan of either of those, you were pretty much alone (since nerds were in hiding even from each other).
Can anyone tell me why I don't see more articles about the gender gap in elementary eduction? There is a HUGE 87% to 13% gender imbalance there that hasn't changed in decades. And yet I don't ever seem to see any articles about it anywhere. All I see are tons of articles about much smaller imbalances in the STEM fields.
Someone? Anyone?
If the point of electrical cars is to SAVE energy and reduce emmissions (as proponents claim), then a tech that wastes 25% of said energy (and the coal that produces it) just for a little convenience sort of defeats the purpose. May as well drive a fuel-efficient hybrid.
These cars are SUPPOSED to save the planet, remember? They're not supposed to be just be status symbols for smug assholes.
That's what I was thinking too. Just set up pit stops and the design the cars so that the battery can be popped out and replaced just like the tires. Maybe have pit stops like oil change garages with dug-outs that the car can drive over, with the guys under the car pulling and replacing the battery at the same time the guy up top is replacing the tires. Easy peasy.