Great language? Can I have some of what you're smoking? Trying to do something as basic as pause for a given number of seconds is phenomenally difficult in Javascript. Your options are a busy wait loop, or an event that calls another function after a given number of seconds. Both of which have downsides that aren't acceptable (Choking the CPU, or turning your code calling structure to mud).
I disagree. Religions all require you to believe in things that cannot be proven, despite their being unlikely. Religion requires that you leave your brains at the door, at least on certain points. So when something damaging or wrong is suggested it can be justified or endorsed based on fantasy/fiction, and you're left without the defense of common sense or scientific method.
"With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion. " - Steven Weinberg
The trouble with that is that you're then forcing them to be assessed on the metric you're assessing on them or inadvertently game the system (intentionally or not). I can think of plenty ways to make hospitals more "efficient" if you can compromise patient care...
That's just a question of setting the metrics correctly. Include patient satisfaction, patient waiting times, quality of care when they see a physician are all measurable. The metrics for the administrators can also be skewed to favour patient care. Ultimately the top level administrator has to be interested in patient care, and not just to set up the metrics, or it won't happen.
Seriously, if you don't have improved efficiency after a tech implementation, you've done it wrong. Try tying vendor's and staff's earnings to efficiency.
Thanks for that. Very interesting. Not sure how it applies as I am in Australia. I'm not sure but I think the replacement occurred before this suite was settled. Pity.
2009: Physics/Mathematics: On the slashdotting of the Royal Society;-)
But seriously, this is fantastic to see! Amazing what's freely available if you have the time and inclination to learn (and the brains to filter out all the quakery!).
I use to own a Dell Inspiron 5150 that had to have a motherboard replaced out of warranty. (I've since given it to my wife as she is a lighter user and it'll probably last longer with her). The most likely cause is a known but never acknowledged issue where with normal use the case wears against a component on the motherboard severing it. It's not the first such issue I've heard of.
My current laptop is a Dell Inspiron 9400. I got it when they were giving away 3 years warranty for no extra cost. I'm so glad I did. I have had 2 hard disks replaced. (Issue finally fixed when I insisted on a different brand). I have had a hinge fixed after it broke (no misuse or abnormal use). I've had 2 screens replaced because they developed large dust bunnies behind the screen. I've had the CPU fan jam. It also has a habit of randomly taking 2 minutes to progress through the boot screen. No idea why. Dealing with warranty has been a hassle - worst experience was when they didn't show up for 3 appointments in a row. My wife or I had to be home to deal with it and then they wouldn't show up. The 3rd time they tried to arrange a technician that was 6 hours away at around 8pm. Well that wasn't going to work. But at least I didn't have to pay for parts for this machine. It's still my last Dell though.
...and it's just a company's way of being cheap. (They were charging clients for maintenance after all) When I'm on call at my current job I'm paid for it. Not a huge amount of money. Nothing that's going to make me rich, but it is some token compensation for the disruption to your life. Calls are infrequent, but I have to stay 15 minutes from my computer. If I am called and can fix it quickly I'm not paid anything above the on call rate. If it takes more than half an hour I get the usual overtime. It's a fair and reasonable compromise for staying 15 minutes from my computer. In theory I could be more mobile if I bought wireless broadband but as things stand it means I stay home when I'm on call.
What this Annie Fisher lady needs is someone calling her randomly 0-3 times a night for 2 weeks and being told she isn't allowed to go out. She'd soon change her tune.
I don't know how it works in the US, but here in Australia I believe (non-volunteer) fire fighters get paid to be at work regular hours. They aren't paid just for callouts, and they don't tend to "hang around the firestation" in their off duty hours. If US firefighters are only paid per fire that's not right.
People are getting worked up because of the perception, well-founded or not, that certain people's preferences for how and when to normalize improvements will become mandatory soon and thus result in less choice at a higher cost.
Yep.
I get worked up every time I get told a bunch of manipulations and lies by companies acting in their own interests under the guise of "environmentalism".
Every time that a shop has to move from "free" plastic bags to "enviro" bags that are actually worse for the environment, while simultaneously increasing the amount of dead tree advertising that goes to my letterbox I want to scream.
Every time people who support christmas lights and fireworks prattle on about supporting legislation that forces people to use mercury laden CFL lighting when it's not suitable (even though LED is looking like a far superior solution), I feel like I'm about to have a stroke.
Hey, there's nothing wrong with ego. I, for one, always wanted to be called The High Priest Of The Sun. But then the barstards switched from Sun to IBM servers:p
Your new title could be High Priest of IBuM. Your motto: The Sun doesn't shine out of IBuM you know!
I don't think Google will care in the slightest if all the newspapers removed themselves from its index. There are still plenty of online only news sites, specialist media sites and so
Don't forget bloggers. Newspaper's don't face the prisoner's dilemma. They face the under paid 3rd world factory worker's dilemma. The whole workforce could quit en mass, and there would STILL be plenty of people willing to take the jobs that have just been abandoned. Threatening to walk out, even if you organise with others, is just bunk.
Here's a bit of a dilemma, they crack down on filesharing, yet run a free usenet server for their customers with alt.binaries included with 5 days retention.
Will they issue a takedown to themselves?
Due to the repeated issuance of takedown notices (by our own company but we're not telling you that) we regret that we have been forced to remove free access to alt.binaries. If you wish to use that service please subscribe to our new service - PayPerViewBinaries - for just 12.99 per month (well until we increase it to 30.95 next month but we won't tell you that either).
Hell, I'd be very surprised if any serious politician didn't have a passing acquaintance with The Prince - the same way I expect any Philosophy major to have read some Ayn Rand. You might not agree with the content, but you should know what is in it so you won't be laughed at.
One name: Sarah Palin.
If she can't see it from her house she shouldn't comment on it.
And yeah you can call her "not a serious politician" till you go blue, but she was a contender in a presidential election.
Here in Australia we've had similar politicians. Competence is not a requirement on the paperwork.
If the guy I voted for won, I would rag on his ass every day and I would call out all the dumb shit he did and totally ignore the good shit he did because it's his job. Let's get politicians scared of citizens.
If you had your way I imagine no one in their right mind would then go into politics. Under your solution - treat someone like dirt whether or not they do a good job - there is no longer an incentive to do a good job. Though it's hard to imagine, I think things would get much much worse. Only the scum of the earth would do the job and they'd find every possible way to benefit from the "ungrateful citizens". Even moreso than now.
Apparently he sold them to some Admiral as potato chips but just as the admiral opens the packet and starts gobbling them he immediately notices that they are RICE chips. Not only that but they have a warning about anal leakage on the packet. Who puts anal leakage on their chips!?!!!?
I'm torn. On the one hand there are very very few opportunities for someone with basic education to help scientists, and especially astronomers do real work. On the other hand as a "game" this is about as boring as you can get. I think there are enough amateur astronomers who are willing to help , especially in bite sized chunks (just look at the amateur effort tracking variable stars!) so why not call it what it is - volunteer work - and drop the lame game interface?
Facebook developed their real-time chat application in Erlang
Do you normally like to make your opponent's point for them? Facebook chat is horrible and buggy in my experience. Messages go missing. It freezes Firefox. It's just plain awful!
I develop business software. Insurance and banking (mostly banking now), I'd love to develop games. What I don't want is 80-100 hour weeks as standard (pay for 30 hour weeks), competition with every upstart that thinks playing Quake for 20 hours straight makes them leet, companies that go bust and never pay you, a large percentage of projects cancelled, and fighting a perception that you're not doing anything serious with your life because all you do is play games. It just isn't for me.
By all means add more gaming components to the CS courses. Game programming is difficult and challenging and is an excellent excercise. Game physics is unforgiving and requires a good grasp of science. The creative side requires people to develop some very subtle skills. However don't expect your students to all like it or to become game programmers. That'll certainly be one path, but its not for everyone. I'd rather see this as an elective that can be taken early rather than having it forced as some incorporated part of a CS1/2 course. Access to the tools and mentoring on the methods would be useful to those interested in the field.
1. $5000 is not that much incentive. (Hell it wouldn't cover costs for a serious attempt. Many private investigators and bounty hunters wouldn't touch it). This would be much more valid a prize that would change someone's life - say $20 million.
2. People over-estimate the government's ability to track people down. Criminals seem to manage weeks, months or occasionally years in hiding. Mostly because the incentive for catching a petty criminal isn't all that great. Now if it were national secrets at stake that'd be different.
Who hijacked slashdot for this "story"? Is the slashdot torrent tracker next? I guess it's not too far a stretch. Instead of 100 inane "frist post" comments they're all be converted to "Please seed" instead. Instead of flamewars about Apple, Microsoft, or Google, we can all start flames about the torrents containing viruses or whose torrent of the latest 0 dayz warez is better than whose. Welcome to the new slashdot. Not so different to the old!
Slashdot Mirror
Great language? Can I have some of what you're smoking? Trying to do something as basic as pause for a given number of seconds is phenomenally difficult in Javascript. Your options are a busy wait loop, or an event that calls another function after a given number of seconds. Both of which have downsides that aren't acceptable (Choking the CPU, or turning your code calling structure to mud).
It isn't religion that is the problem
I disagree. Religions all require you to believe in things that cannot be proven, despite their being unlikely. Religion requires that you leave your brains at the door, at least on certain points. So when something damaging or wrong is suggested it can be justified or endorsed based on fantasy/fiction, and you're left without the defense of common sense or scientific method.
"With or without religion, you would have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, that takes religion. " - Steven Weinberg
The trouble with that is that you're then forcing them to be assessed on the metric you're assessing on them or inadvertently game the system (intentionally or not). I can think of plenty ways to make hospitals more "efficient" if you can compromise patient care...
That's just a question of setting the metrics correctly. Include patient satisfaction, patient waiting times, quality of care when they see a physician are all measurable. The metrics for the administrators can also be skewed to favour patient care. Ultimately the top level administrator has to be interested in patient care, and not just to set up the metrics, or it won't happen.
News at 11.
Seriously, if you don't have improved efficiency after a tech implementation, you've done it wrong. Try tying vendor's and staff's earnings to efficiency.
LEDs - $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.13442
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.24201
Price isn't such a limitation any more. Once we see true mass production it'll be sweet.
Incandescents have awful colour temp anyway.
I'm very use to typing Quakers (correct spelling). Forgive the muscle memory induced typo.
Thanks for that. Very interesting. Not sure how it applies as I am in Australia. I'm not sure but I think the replacement occurred before this suite was settled. Pity.
2009: Physics/Mathematics: On the slashdotting of the Royal Society ;-)
But seriously, this is fantastic to see! Amazing what's freely available if you have the time and inclination to learn (and the brains to filter out all the quakery!).
I use to own a Dell Inspiron 5150 that had to have a motherboard replaced out of warranty. (I've since given it to my wife as she is a lighter user and it'll probably last longer with her). The most likely cause is a known but never acknowledged issue where with normal use the case wears against a component on the motherboard severing it. It's not the first such issue I've heard of.
My current laptop is a Dell Inspiron 9400. I got it when they were giving away 3 years warranty for no extra cost. I'm so glad I did. I have had 2 hard disks replaced. (Issue finally fixed when I insisted on a different brand). I have had a hinge fixed after it broke (no misuse or abnormal use). I've had 2 screens replaced because they developed large dust bunnies behind the screen. I've had the CPU fan jam. It also has a habit of randomly taking 2 minutes to progress through the boot screen. No idea why. Dealing with warranty has been a hassle - worst experience was when they didn't show up for 3 appointments in a row. My wife or I had to be home to deal with it and then they wouldn't show up. The 3rd time they tried to arrange a technician that was 6 hours away at around 8pm. Well that wasn't going to work. But at least I didn't have to pay for parts for this machine. It's still my last Dell though.
...and it's just a company's way of being cheap. (They were charging clients for maintenance after all) When I'm on call at my current job I'm paid for it. Not a huge amount of money. Nothing that's going to make me rich, but it is some token compensation for the disruption to your life. Calls are infrequent, but I have to stay 15 minutes from my computer. If I am called and can fix it quickly I'm not paid anything above the on call rate. If it takes more than half an hour I get the usual overtime. It's a fair and reasonable compromise for staying 15 minutes from my computer. In theory I could be more mobile if I bought wireless broadband but as things stand it means I stay home when I'm on call.
What this Annie Fisher lady needs is someone calling her randomly 0-3 times a night for 2 weeks and being told she isn't allowed to go out. She'd soon change her tune.
I don't know how it works in the US, but here in Australia I believe (non-volunteer) fire fighters get paid to be at work regular hours. They aren't paid just for callouts, and they don't tend to "hang around the firestation" in their off duty hours. If US firefighters are only paid per fire that's not right.
People are getting worked up because of the perception, well-founded or not, that certain people's preferences for how and when to normalize improvements will become mandatory soon and thus result in less choice at a higher cost.
Yep.
I get worked up every time I get told a bunch of manipulations and lies by companies acting in their own interests under the guise of "environmentalism".
Every time that a shop has to move from "free" plastic bags to "enviro" bags that are actually worse for the environment, while simultaneously increasing the amount of dead tree advertising that goes to my letterbox I want to scream.
Every time people who support christmas lights and fireworks prattle on about supporting legislation that forces people to use mercury laden CFL lighting when it's not suitable (even though LED is looking like a far superior solution), I feel like I'm about to have a stroke.
Hey, there's nothing wrong with ego. I, for one, always wanted to be called The High Priest Of The Sun. But then the barstards switched from Sun to IBM servers :p
Your new title could be High Priest of IBuM. Your motto: The Sun doesn't shine out of IBuM you know!
So you're saying it'd be pretty painless?
Executions are small potatoes. Think suicide machines! Die painlessly now! Mind you this is the most expensive suicide booth I've ever heard of!
I don't think Google will care in the slightest if all the newspapers removed themselves from its index. There are still plenty of online only news sites, specialist media sites and so
Don't forget bloggers. Newspaper's don't face the prisoner's dilemma. They face the under paid 3rd world factory worker's dilemma. The whole workforce could quit en mass, and there would STILL be plenty of people willing to take the jobs that have just been abandoned. Threatening to walk out, even if you organise with others, is just bunk.
Without that information, all you'll get is a bunch of people suggesting their own pet projects.
Even if you just want to learn and play you might want to have a goal. Do you want to learn to administer ZFS? You seem to be fixated on it.
Here's a bit of a dilemma, they crack down on filesharing, yet run a free usenet server for their customers with alt.binaries included with 5 days retention.
Will they issue a takedown to themselves?
Due to the repeated issuance of takedown notices (by our own company but we're not telling you that) we regret that we have been forced to remove free access to alt.binaries. If you wish to use that service please subscribe to our new service - PayPerViewBinaries - for just 12.99 per month (well until we increase it to 30.95 next month but we won't tell you that either).
Hell, I'd be very surprised if any serious politician didn't have a passing acquaintance with The Prince - the same way I expect any Philosophy major to have read some Ayn Rand. You might not agree with the content, but you should know what is in it so you won't be laughed at.
One name: Sarah Palin.
If she can't see it from her house she shouldn't comment on it.
And yeah you can call her "not a serious politician" till you go blue, but she was a contender in a presidential election.
Here in Australia we've had similar politicians. Competence is not a requirement on the paperwork.
>I>The point of this is that believe it or not, every single president in the US or leader elsewhere has read that book.
I choose not. As does any rational person. Go take your pills.
If the guy I voted for won, I would rag on his ass every day and I would call out all the dumb shit he did and totally ignore the good shit he did because it's his job. Let's get politicians scared of citizens.
If you had your way I imagine no one in their right mind would then go into politics. Under your solution - treat someone like dirt whether or not they do a good job - there is no longer an incentive to do a good job. Though it's hard to imagine, I think things would get much much worse. Only the scum of the earth would do the job and they'd find every possible way to benefit from the "ungrateful citizens". Even moreso than now.
Chips? Chips!?
Apparently he sold them to some Admiral as potato chips but just as the admiral opens the packet and starts gobbling them he immediately notices that they are RICE chips. Not only that but they have a warning about anal leakage on the packet. Who puts anal leakage on their chips!?!!!?
I'm torn. On the one hand there are very very few opportunities for someone with basic education to help scientists, and especially astronomers do real work. On the other hand as a "game" this is about as boring as you can get. I think there are enough amateur astronomers who are willing to help , especially in bite sized chunks (just look at the amateur effort tracking variable stars!) so why not call it what it is - volunteer work - and drop the lame game interface?
Facebook developed their real-time chat application in Erlang
Do you normally like to make your opponent's point for them? Facebook chat is horrible and buggy in my experience. Messages go missing. It freezes Firefox. It's just plain awful!
I develop business software. Insurance and banking (mostly banking now), I'd love to develop games. What I don't want is 80-100 hour weeks as standard (pay for 30 hour weeks), competition with every upstart that thinks playing Quake for 20 hours straight makes them leet, companies that go bust and never pay you, a large percentage of projects cancelled, and fighting a perception that you're not doing anything serious with your life because all you do is play games. It just isn't for me.
By all means add more gaming components to the CS courses. Game programming is difficult and challenging and is an excellent excercise. Game physics is unforgiving and requires a good grasp of science. The creative side requires people to develop some very subtle skills. However don't expect your students to all like it or to become game programmers. That'll certainly be one path, but its not for everyone. I'd rather see this as an elective that can be taken early rather than having it forced as some incorporated part of a CS1/2 course. Access to the tools and mentoring on the methods would be useful to those interested in the field.
1. $5000 is not that much incentive. (Hell it wouldn't cover costs for a serious attempt. Many private investigators and bounty hunters wouldn't touch it). This would be much more valid a prize that would change someone's life - say $20 million.
2. People over-estimate the government's ability to track people down. Criminals seem to manage weeks, months or occasionally years in hiding. Mostly because the incentive for catching a petty criminal isn't all that great. Now if it were national secrets at stake that'd be different.
Who hijacked slashdot for this "story"? Is the slashdot torrent tracker next? I guess it's not too far a stretch. Instead of 100 inane "frist post" comments they're all be converted to "Please seed" instead. Instead of flamewars about Apple, Microsoft, or Google, we can all start flames about the torrents containing viruses or whose torrent of the latest 0 dayz warez is better than whose. Welcome to the new slashdot. Not so different to the old!