For the record, I'm an engineer and I find the pseudo-engineering that most CS programs push out to be highly disturbing. Either do it right and call it software engineering, or remove the non-CS stuff and call it computer science.
Oh c'mon, you can't teach an engineering discipline with teaching at least the basic math/science underpinnings. Removing all the "CS stuff" from software engineering would be like trying to teach an Electrical Engineering program without ever discussing electrons, or electromagnetic fields, etc. Engineering is the application of science, ergo you need to understand at least the basics of the appropriate science, at least moderately well.
On the other hand, there is certainly a important place for a "pure science" track - i.e. one that is entirely academic and does not focus on techniques and practices for real-world application. Sorta like how you can get a Master's in EE (engineering), or in Electrophysics (academic). But the engineering track still has to include a fair amount of science (and the math necessary to describe/express the science) - although, at the same time, I think it is equally important to start emphasizing engineering itself as early as possible - i.e. with labs and courses that emphasize problem-solving, problem definition, functional decomposition, etc. in general, alongside courses that teach the discipline-specific math/science.
Between Amazon/Barnes&Noble/Half.com/etc, and all the various sources of reviews available on the Web, what does the average (i.e. non-academic, non-child, non-poor) person still need a library for? They don't even serve mochai caramelatte frappamacchiatos, do they?
It makes the track "With Teeth" on the NIN album of the same name unlistenable, because it means that I have to change volume quickly in order to make the quiet part audible and the loud parts the quiet part goes between not so loud it takes a day off the life of my ears.
Fine, then you can rip the CD, and compress it any way you like before putting it on your player. But are you seriously suggesting that the record companies should destroy their artists' creations just for you?
Ron Paul makes the ridiculously huge assumption that everyone that takes part in our society is totally informed on everything and that they will use that knowledge in making their choices. Reality has shown us time and time again that that is not the case.
Finally, the REAL reason why just about every phone nowadays comes with a built-in GPS receiver...... so the phone can tell the carrier-- and thus the government-- where it is.......
My phone has an option to turn off GPS unless I dial 911. Are you saying that this feature doesn't really work? Or that the phone company can override it?
Screw the second trilogy, Star Wars jumped the shark in Episode VI. It's like Dante Hicks said - "All 'Jedi' had was a bunch of Muppets."
And to answer another reply to the parent - this is not a case of "automatically slagging on sequels". Empire was, if anything, even better than the first movie. Episodes I-III, however, just plain suck. (Well, maybe Ep III doesn't outright suck, but it's no Empire.)
Odd by the way that a lot of americans seem to condemn hailing this guy as a hero, when their own space program was built upon a nazi war criminal. Russian spy vs nazi, oh yeah the ruskies are the baddies alright. Working people to their death vs taking a dangerous mission to protect your home country.
The other path is to not over-react. China isn't going to attack the US, if for no other reason they've invested too damn much money in us. I'd bet the Chinese economy would collapse if the US wasn't buying all that crap from them. Concentrate on the real threats, not the Chinese wanting to look like big-shots by sneaking up on a few inexperienced submariners (most of which is probably all still geared up to look for nuclear subs).
Talk about missing the point. This isn't about the Chinese being able to sneak up on our subs; it's about the Chinese being able to sneak past our subs to threaten our aircraft carriers, which are the US's first-use tool for projecting force around the world. We wanna scare someone, without going to the trouble of shipping 100K troops somewhere? We pull a carrier battle group or two up alongside the nearest stretch of coastline, and they get the picture damn quick. One of the countries that we occasionally tweak with such demonstrations is... China. Or at least, it was... Y'see?
As had been mentioned here many times, NASA has an important and worthwhile job yet lacks funding for many things. Is this how they spend their funds instead of spending it to do what they are mandated for? As you said, they are getting things done, so why should their budget increase (or in fact decrease) when they can just easily cut back the big budget parties?
So, what - everyone who works at NASA is supposed to live like a monk? No Christmas (excuse me, holiday) party, no spring picnic, nothing? Do you think that's a good way to attract the best and brightest people to work for NASA? Would you work for a company that didn't throw its employees a pat on the back now and then, just to minimize costs?
Yeah that's democracy for you, a bunch of unelected political bosses deciding whether to even give someone a *chance* for people to vote for them.
Only on a particular party ticket - he's only being prevented from running as a Democrat; he could still run as an independent if he wanted to. The Democrats are entirely within their rights to determine who they're going to run for President, by any means they like. Political parties do not have formally recognized existence in the Constitution; in fact, they're not even mentioned at all. They're like clubs - groups of like-minded people who get together on their own to choose and sponsor candidates they like. What's wrong with that?
Haha, buddy, you sound like you've been imbibing European opiates 24/7. As someone from India, the world's largest democracy, I'll tell you that not every Asian country is like Burma. I'll also tell you that the West were the biggest backers of China's dictatorship, prior to the fall of the USSR. SO please don't pretend to me that the West always supports democracy, because there have been plenty of democratic govts overthrown by Western powers.
You do realize that the core issue here is not democracy, but freedom, yes? Human rights? The two are loosely correlated at best. The complaint here is not that Putin isn't democratic, it's that he's tramping on the rights and freedoms of his own people. Not to mention violating his own country's constitution, which guarantees these rights and freedoms. And no, he's hardly alone in the world, but that doesn't make it all right.
Look, quit ducking the issues. Forget about which governments did what to whom back when. Leave the politicking out of it. I'm an American, and I have no problem saying that the governments of North America and of Europe have made their mistakes along with everyone else. But what do you believe? Are you actually condoning the acts of Vladimir Putin and his Kremlin?
Do you believe in free speech, or not?
Do you believe in human rights, or not?
Do you think it's OK to imprison or assassinate citizens who say less than complimentary things about their country, or not?
Do you think it's OK to deal with political opponents by locking them in mental institutions, or not?
These are not complicated questions. They have simple, straightforward answers.
The few areas you've had successes in science in Islamic countries
Are you fucking kidding us? The whole point of this thread is that, once upon a time, the Islamic Middle East completely dominated the civilized world in terms of mathematical and scientific achievement. These guys came up with, y'know, little things like zero, and the scientific method, and algebra, and natural selection (in the 9th Century!), etc. They made the Europeans of the time look like slobbering barbarians. The question is why, over the last 600 years or so, that has been almost completely reversed. It is too easy to simply say "because of Islam"; Islam held sway in the Middle East 600-1000 years ago, just as much as it does today. The answer must lie elsewhere. For instance, maybe it's Islamic fundamentalism, or Islamic dogmatism that are to blame - and, if so, then perhaps there is a lesson there for America, which (at least as I see it) is becoming more fundamentalist and dogmatic...
If you want to read about what central banks are up to, I suggest you read some books on economics - from the 19th century. It was clear to people back then why governments wanted to create fiat money, whether it was sustainable and that sort of thing. They hit it right on the money back then, any other commentary nowadays is just an addendum to what was figured out then.
You might also consider reading a paper by former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, called Gold and Economic Freedom, which suggests that the central banks might not always know what they're doing, or at least always do the right thing...
Slashdot Mirror
Perhaps a code number tattooed on the forearm^H^H^Hhead?
Fixed your post for you...
In reality, chances are that they just won't let you on the plane, let you into the IRS building, or let you vote, or something like that,...
Oh, so they'll just limit your right to travel, or your right to vote. Whew! And here I thought it might be serious.
For the record, I'm an engineer and I find the pseudo-engineering that most CS programs push out to be highly disturbing. Either do it right and call it software engineering, or remove the non-CS stuff and call it computer science.
Oh c'mon, you can't teach an engineering discipline with teaching at least the basic math/science underpinnings. Removing all the "CS stuff" from software engineering would be like trying to teach an Electrical Engineering program without ever discussing electrons, or electromagnetic fields, etc. Engineering is the application of science, ergo you need to understand at least the basics of the appropriate science, at least moderately well.
On the other hand, there is certainly a important place for a "pure science" track - i.e. one that is entirely academic and does not focus on techniques and practices for real-world application. Sorta like how you can get a Master's in EE (engineering), or in Electrophysics (academic). But the engineering track still has to include a fair amount of science (and the math necessary to describe/express the science) - although, at the same time, I think it is equally important to start emphasizing engineering itself as early as possible - i.e. with labs and courses that emphasize problem-solving, problem definition, functional decomposition, etc. in general, alongside courses that teach the discipline-specific math/science.
Meh. I think I'll wait for Powdered Toast Messenger to come out.
Between Amazon/Barnes&Noble/Half.com/etc, and all the various sources of reviews available on the Web, what does the average (i.e. non-academic, non-child, non-poor) person still need a library for? They don't even serve mochai caramelatte frappamacchiatos, do they?
It makes the track "With Teeth" on the NIN album of the same name unlistenable, because it means that I have to change volume quickly in order to make the quiet part audible and the loud parts the quiet part goes between not so loud it takes a day off the life of my ears.
Fine, then you can rip the CD, and compress it any way you like before putting it on your player. But are you seriously suggesting that the record companies should destroy their artists' creations just for you?
Ron Paul makes the ridiculously huge assumption that everyone that takes part in our society is totally informed on everything and that they will use that knowledge in making their choices. Reality has shown us time and time again that that is not the case.
And whose fault is that?
Nope, Dante. Look at this, about a quarter of the way down. Randal does the bit about the janitors on the Death Star.
Finally, the REAL reason why just about every phone nowadays comes with a built-in GPS receiver...... so the phone can tell the carrier-- and thus the government-- where it is.......
My phone has an option to turn off GPS unless I dial 911. Are you saying that this feature doesn't really work? Or that the phone company can override it?
Screw the second trilogy, Star Wars jumped the shark in Episode VI. It's like Dante Hicks said - "All 'Jedi' had was a bunch of Muppets."
And to answer another reply to the parent - this is not a case of "automatically slagging on sequels". Empire was, if anything, even better than the first movie. Episodes I-III, however, just plain suck. (Well, maybe Ep III doesn't outright suck, but it's no Empire.)
Information doesn't want anything. But I want information to be free, and if you oppose me, I'll kill you.
Ooooh, you big scary brute of a man. All tough and whatnot. You oughta be arrested for committing assault against every reader of Slashdot.
Odd by the way that a lot of americans seem to condemn hailing this guy as a hero, when their own space program was built upon a nazi war criminal. Russian spy vs nazi, oh yeah the ruskies are the baddies alright. Working people to their death vs taking a dangerous mission to protect your home country.
Um, the Soviets worked people to death, too.
The other path is to not over-react. China isn't going to attack the US, if for no other reason they've invested too damn much money in us. I'd bet the Chinese economy would collapse if the US wasn't buying all that crap from them. Concentrate on the real threats, not the Chinese wanting to look like big-shots by sneaking up on a few inexperienced submariners (most of which is probably all still geared up to look for nuclear subs).
Talk about missing the point. This isn't about the Chinese being able to sneak up on our subs; it's about the Chinese being able to sneak past our subs to threaten our aircraft carriers, which are the US's first-use tool for projecting force around the world. We wanna scare someone, without going to the trouble of shipping 100K troops somewhere? We pull a carrier battle group or two up alongside the nearest stretch of coastline, and they get the picture damn quick. One of the countries that we occasionally tweak with such demonstrations is... China. Or at least, it was... Y'see?
As had been mentioned here many times, NASA has an important and worthwhile job yet lacks funding for many things. Is this how they spend their funds instead of spending it to do what they are mandated for? As you said, they are getting things done, so why should their budget increase (or in fact decrease) when they can just easily cut back the big budget parties?
So, what - everyone who works at NASA is supposed to live like a monk? No Christmas (excuse me, holiday) party, no spring picnic, nothing? Do you think that's a good way to attract the best and brightest people to work for NASA? Would you work for a company that didn't throw its employees a pat on the back now and then, just to minimize costs?
C'mon folks - we're pissing away hundreds of billions of dollars in Iraq - makes quibbling over a few bucks for SETI seem kinda lame, don't it?
Pelosi is probably terrified of the prospect of Bush and Cheney both being thrown out.
Why? Then she gets to go around lording it over Hillary Clinton that she actually got to be the first female POTUS...
Yeah that's democracy for you, a bunch of unelected political bosses deciding whether to even give someone a *chance* for people to vote for them.
Only on a particular party ticket - he's only being prevented from running as a Democrat; he could still run as an independent if he wanted to. The Democrats are entirely within their rights to determine who they're going to run for President, by any means they like. Political parties do not have formally recognized existence in the Constitution; in fact, they're not even mentioned at all. They're like clubs - groups of like-minded people who get together on their own to choose and sponsor candidates they like. What's wrong with that?
Haha, buddy, you sound like you've been imbibing European opiates 24/7. As someone from India, the world's largest democracy, I'll tell you that not every Asian country is like Burma. I'll also tell you that the West were the biggest backers of China's dictatorship, prior to the fall of the USSR. SO please don't pretend to me that the West always supports democracy, because there have been plenty of democratic govts overthrown by Western powers.
You do realize that the core issue here is not democracy, but freedom, yes? Human rights? The two are loosely correlated at best. The complaint here is not that Putin isn't democratic, it's that he's tramping on the rights and freedoms of his own people. Not to mention violating his own country's constitution, which guarantees these rights and freedoms. And no, he's hardly alone in the world, but that doesn't make it all right.
Look, quit ducking the issues. Forget about which governments did what to whom back when. Leave the politicking out of it. I'm an American, and I have no problem saying that the governments of North America and of Europe have made their mistakes along with everyone else. But what do you believe? Are you actually condoning the acts of Vladimir Putin and his Kremlin?
Do you believe in free speech, or not?
Do you believe in human rights, or not?
Do you think it's OK to imprison or assassinate citizens who say less than complimentary things about their country, or not?
Do you think it's OK to deal with political opponents by locking them in mental institutions, or not?
These are not complicated questions. They have simple, straightforward answers.
Tinfoil hat?
No, I believe he said it had something to do with a piece of cake.
The few areas you've had successes in science in Islamic countries
Are you fucking kidding us? The whole point of this thread is that, once upon a time, the Islamic Middle East completely dominated the civilized world in terms of mathematical and scientific achievement. These guys came up with, y'know, little things like zero, and the scientific method, and algebra, and natural selection (in the 9th Century!), etc. They made the Europeans of the time look like slobbering barbarians. The question is why, over the last 600 years or so, that has been almost completely reversed. It is too easy to simply say "because of Islam"; Islam held sway in the Middle East 600-1000 years ago, just as much as it does today. The answer must lie elsewhere. For instance, maybe it's Islamic fundamentalism, or Islamic dogmatism that are to blame - and, if so, then perhaps there is a lesson there for America, which (at least as I see it) is becoming more fundamentalist and dogmatic...
If you want to read about what central banks are up to, I suggest you read some books on economics - from the 19th century. It was clear to people back then why governments wanted to create fiat money, whether it was sustainable and that sort of thing. They hit it right on the money back then, any other commentary nowadays is just an addendum to what was figured out then.
You might also consider reading a paper by former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, called Gold and Economic Freedom, which suggests that the central banks might not always know what they're doing, or at least always do the right thing...
Or perhaps more to the point in this case, there's the Jewish/Confucian version: "Do not do unto others as you would not have done unto you."
Aren't all lasers "photonic" by definition? Was this thing named by the Redundant Department of Redundancy Department?
The HOPE Scholarship made college so cheap that anybody can go, so the schools can all be a lot more selective.
But wouldn't that mean that... not anybody can go? Kinda defeats the purpose, don't it? Might as well keep the prices high, no?