Why are the costs going up? The main reason is that the cost of living is going up, while the states keep cutting the portion of the tuition that they pay so that they can spend that money on other programs. Most universities are getting smaller and smaller portions of their operating budget from the state, which inevitably means that they have to charge higher and higher tuition to make up the difference. There's no market magic involved here. There's no supply and demand at work. The demand is fixed; everyone wants an education. The supply is also fixed; every school can handle only a certain number of people. There's no profit margin—most schools are purely nonprofit and cannot make money except as temporary savings towards future costs—therefore, the cost is purely driven by the cost of operation. Any statements to the contrary, at least as far as public universities are concerned, are just plain wrong.
From 1992-93 to 2012-13, the sticker price of tuition and fees has gone from $17,040 to $29,060 while the net price has gone from $10,010 to $13,380. The net price is a much more reasonable increase both in terms of percentage and total change in cost.
This pricing model has allowed for the universities to segment their market effectively and have people of different income levels pay what the universities feel is proper. So while it seems that universities have been getting MUCH more expensive, in reality, the pricing increases have been modest.
For more pricing trends for universities, try this link.
Sorry, but here in the States, anyone may take photographs of whatever they want when they are in a public place, as long as there is no specific statute or ordinance in place prohibiting such activity (military bases, etc.)
Not all people with CS degrees become coders. Nor should they. There are a lot better jobs out there for people with CS degrees that don't result in "all the hours of a doctor at 1/3 the pay" situations. This is a bad comparison. First off, doctors go through 4 years of medical school plus 4 years of residency before they start making any money. Coders can do well there first year out of college.
Furthermore, coders do not work nearly the hours doctors do. While there is a federal law that residents cannot work more than 80 hours per week, this law is ignored much like the federal government ignores the 10th amendment. The average resident works 100+ hours per week making 40k per year. This is after 4 years of college and 4 years of medical school.
A doctor does not start making good money until they are about 30. A good programmer will have figured out how to make excellent money by this time. Coding is a good prerequisite for many other opportunities from technical management to entrepreneurship to business administration. If you look at it as a stepping stone, it is much more financially lucrative per hour work than medicine.
And you would have no rights, either. No right to assembly, all land is private. No right to free speech, ditto. Any owner could tell you to shut up or leave their property. So you imagine that all resources are not owned now? It strikes me that bureaucrats working for the government setup rules for accessing "public" land. What is ownership if it is not the ability to setup usage rules?
When the republican national convention came to New York, 1800 protesters were arrested for public assembly. Almost all of those arrested had the charges dropped. (a wikipedia link)
Critical mass cyclists are routinely arrested for using "public" roads. (another wikipedia link)
It is becoming increasingly popular to charge for use of public roads. See the latest news with Bloomberg planning to charge a congestion fee in NYC a la London or Paris.
The list of restricting uses to public land is very long. These are just a few samples. If this land were paid for purely through charges such as the congestion fees, things would be run much more efficiently than the way they are now with tax dollars. Since we are forced to pay the government for all sorts of public property without any guarantees about how our money is spent, there is not enough incentive to setup usage rules for this land according to what the people paying for it would want. If all payments became usage payments, then the usage would necessarily match the desires of the users.
Slavery is about one individual being owned by another. It is not about not owning things oneself. One should have the right not to be oppressed by others and the obligation not to oppress others. One does not have the right to own lots of land; that is a privilege earned.
I know a number of employees at Google who all get to use their 20% time. Furthermore, while working on my masters thesis, I actually collaborated with 3 Google employees who used their 20% time to help me with my project. Perhaps some people don't get to use their 20% time but anecdotally, I can assure you that some do.
I work at a trading firm now. In the long run, I would prefer a place like Google. While it is nice to be able to measure your value in dollars and cents, it is also nice to have the flexibility to work on creative projects. At the end of the day, in finance, you can only be as creative as coming up with new methods to work the market. At Google, the only limitations you have in terms of what you will work on is your own ability and the information in the world.
Slashdot Mirror
The "sticker price" of universities are going up much faster than the "net price." For example, look at the average net price for private institutions over time.
From 1992-93 to 2012-13, the sticker price of tuition and fees has gone from $17,040 to $29,060 while the net price has gone from $10,010 to $13,380. The net price is a much more reasonable increase both in terms of percentage and total change in cost.
This pricing model has allowed for the universities to segment their market effectively and have people of different income levels pay what the universities feel is proper. So while it seems that universities have been getting MUCH more expensive, in reality, the pricing increases have been modest.
For more pricing trends for universities, try this link.
Really? The iMac is reaching end of release cycle, so isn't at its peak of value, but...
27" iMac built from scratch (prices from newegg):
27" 2560x1440 S-IPS monitor including camera: $999 (from apple, 1099 if you buy it from dell)
Of course it is $814.99 if you buy it from Amazon. This is H-IPS vs S-IPS but from what I read, it is essentially the same thing.
Sorry, can't resist:
"I was just thinking we could take care of it right here, in Brainerd."
There actually was a very funny Gates/Seinfeld short.
There is a Starbucks in your mom's basement?
I'm actually partial to:
"The jerk store called, they're running out of you!"
or
"I slept with your wife."
+1 heartless bastard.
Not in New York City either
Furthermore, coders do not work nearly the hours doctors do. While there is a federal law that residents cannot work more than 80 hours per week, this law is ignored much like the federal government ignores the 10th amendment. The average resident works 100+ hours per week making 40k per year. This is after 4 years of college and 4 years of medical school.
A doctor does not start making good money until they are about 30. A good programmer will have figured out how to make excellent money by this time. Coding is a good prerequisite for many other opportunities from technical management to entrepreneurship to business administration. If you look at it as a stepping stone, it is much more financially lucrative per hour work than medicine.
When the republican national convention came to New York, 1800 protesters were arrested for public assembly. Almost all of those arrested had the charges dropped. (a wikipedia link)
Critical mass cyclists are routinely arrested for using "public" roads. (another wikipedia link)
It is becoming increasingly popular to charge for use of public roads. See the latest news with Bloomberg planning to charge a congestion fee in NYC a la London or Paris.
The list of restricting uses to public land is very long. These are just a few samples. If this land were paid for purely through charges such as the congestion fees, things would be run much more efficiently than the way they are now with tax dollars. Since we are forced to pay the government for all sorts of public property without any guarantees about how our money is spent, there is not enough incentive to setup usage rules for this land according to what the people paying for it would want. If all payments became usage payments, then the usage would necessarily match the desires of the users.
Slavery is about one individual being owned by another. It is not about not owning things oneself. One should have the right not to be oppressed by others and the obligation not to oppress others. One does not have the right to own lots of land; that is a privilege earned.
I know a number of employees at Google who all get to use their 20% time. Furthermore, while working on my masters thesis, I actually collaborated with 3 Google employees who used their 20% time to help me with my project. Perhaps some people don't get to use their 20% time but anecdotally, I can assure you that some do.
I work at a trading firm now. In the long run, I would prefer a place like Google. While it is nice to be able to measure your value in dollars and cents, it is also nice to have the flexibility to work on creative projects. At the end of the day, in finance, you can only be as creative as coming up with new methods to work the market. At Google, the only limitations you have in terms of what you will work on is your own ability and the information in the world.