Don't you think he would if he could?!? Don't you think he's trying to figure out a way to do it right now? Hell, he already tried to kill Bush Sr., i'm sure he's got guys working on the problem 24/7.
Besides, when it comes to dictators, legitimacy is not a concern. Saddamn doesn't care what the international community thinks of him, he's a tyrant. He's going to do everything in his power to get as much as he can, by any means necessary. And if we don't do everything we can to protect ourselves from those kinds of people, we won't be around much longer to debate the finer points of international relations.
Any society that is not willing or able to go to war to protect it's citizens will eventually disappear from the earth. History has proven this time and again.
To call this "revenge" is simply ignorant. All nations, including the big, bad United States, have inalienable right to self-defense. Yes, innocent people will die. Innocent people have already died. But if we don't take responsibility for our own safety, and do something about it now, many, many more innocent people will die. If Neville Chamberlain had accepted this responsibility, Hitler may very well have been stopped at the Polish border. If we had actually done something about Al Queda after the African embassy and U.S.S. Cole bombings, 9/11 might never have happened. If we don't do something about it now, we condem our own citizens to death.
Why stop there? If check fraud is really that big of a problem, why not just take a hair sample from everyone who writes a check. Then, if you get a fraudlent check, just do a DNA test. I mean "...if you are not guilty of anything, it's not going to matter..." Right?
Wrong. If information is power, you disempower yourself when you give up your personal information to a store, to the government, or to anyone. And I, for one, would never shop at a store with such a blatant disregard for my privacy. Here's an idea. If check fraud is that big of a problem...stop taking checks!
I would say the main reason the best laid plans of telecoms to convert everyone over to broadband failed because the high quality/high datarate content never appeared.
The reason for this 'more infrastructure than content' phenomona, I believe, is that the telecoms overestimated how willing the entertainment industry (@see MPAA and RIAA memebers) would be to move their content to digital formats. For example, if all the major record labels all had their entire libraries online, available for purchace and download in a fair-use friendly format, then the demand for broadband would be much higher. If you could buy, download and burn DVD's over the web, people would probably be complaining that current broadband isn't fast enough and might be willing to pay more for access to all those fiber networks out there, which currently, are sitting dark.
The real problem here is software development has moved beyond what a scientific discipline can handle. Much like modern electrical engineering evolved from the findings of early 20th century experiments with electricity, the need for real software engineering is starting to become apparent.
But, as always, acedemia is behind the curve. Not that they should be on the bleeding edge, but now it's time to catch up. Computer Science programs across the country have started to straddle the fence when it comes to coursework. Do we teach theoretical science, or applied science? This is a mistake; Nothing done half-assed is ever worthwhile. Do not make Computer Science more like an engineering discipline. Instead, make Software Engineering an undergrad degree unto itself.
You should be able to teach CS101 in any language. If you can't, then you're trying to teach engineering in a science class. A stack is a stack regardless of what langauge it's written in. Don't pollute computer science by trying to make it something it isn't. Instead, make a new Class (pun!)...Software Engineering 101. There you can teach design methodologies (Like OOP), proper use of the latest tools, automated testing methods, and other applied theory that has no business in a computer science class.
This is not to say they there wouldn't be a great deal of overlap between a C.S. and S.E. degree. After all, you have to learn physics before you can be a Civil Engineer. But it's just not possible to teach you everything there is to know in 4 years. I've learned so many formalisms and techniques since I recieved my B.S. in C.S. that I wondered why I hadn't heard anything about them while I was in school. The answer, I realized, is the days of the computer Renaisannce man are ending. Developing an algorithm and developing a software system are two completely different tasks. Just as a physicst can't build a bridge and a Civil Engineer didn't invent Superstring thoery, you can't ask a computer scientist to build a software system or ask a software engineer to develop a new compression algorithm...it's just the wrong skillset for the job.
Well if you want to get snippy about it, a real _Computer Scientist_ shouldn't care one way or the other what language he's using. I like Java, I like C++, I'm even starting to like C#, but if I don't know how to use a stack, I'm not going to be able to do jack shit with any of them.
This is what school is for: Learning the language-independent computer science theory that is the foundation of good software engineering. The ins and outs of a particular language is best learned in your free time by people who are motivated to do so. What language/tool/platform you choose to learn is really irrelevant, as long as you learn something and enjoy working with it.
However,
Since the orginal poster was putting together a booklet for Java and OOP courses, it's probably best to give them tips on how best to use those tools and techniques. Anyway, if any of these programmers are worth their salt, eventually they'll diversify on their own.
...maybe I'm being to harsh. Here's a few tips and resources:
1) The one thing that MUST be taught in Undergrad C.S. classes (that really isn't, it seems) is design patterns. Whether you use them or not, if you don't at least understand what they are, you're a step behind everyone else.
2) I'm sure lots of people will mention Bruce Eckel's "Thinking in Java"...but just in case they don't: Get Bruce Eckel's "Thinking in Java"!
3) Use JavaDoc. Know what the tags mean. Know how to use the tools to generate the documentation. When working in teams, it can save you hours and hours of stepping through code to see how things work. This is especially important when group members need to be able to work alone for logistical reasons
4) Know how use set up and use source control (www.cvshome.org). This will also save you hours and hours when working on group projects.
Don't help these people. Let them fail. Seriously.
1) There are already way, way too many bad programmers out there. Every profession has the standard bell curve of skilled vs. lame, but software is 10 times more skewed toward the lame end due to too many people dropping out of school to go work at a dotcom. Don't add fuel to the fire.
2) Every good programmer I know learned 90% of his skills on his own. Yes, you can learn things at school that are difficult to learn on your own, but quite frankly, these things shouldn't require special help to pick up (outside of normal coursework). If you can't figure them out on your own, your chances of applying them correctly are pretty damn low.
3) [and most important] Too many people go into Computer Science because the money's good, or because it seems like a better idea than the alternatives, or because they like playing Quake and they think that's what C.S. is all about. Then they get into their 3rd year and decide that they hate programming and switch majors. The sooner these people figure out what it is they REALLY want to do, the better, for them and us. It takes a special kind of person to actually ENJOY (not just tolerate) programming, and if you don't enjoy it you're going to regret making it your life's work.
I don't see the difference between a cop on every streetcorner and a camera on every streetcorner (except that the camera can't shoot anyone...not yet anyway).
As long as the cameras aren't positioned in a way that they can spy on people in their homes or other private places, it's no big deal. When they put a camera on the lightpole outside my bedroom window, I'll complain. But until then I'd say they do more good than harm.
Those codeset and checksum digits, along with the code that seperates the manufacturer ID from the, Product ID, are two thin right-alligned lines, which is also the code for the number 6.
Meaning that every barcode has the number 666 on it.
"And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of man; his number is 666."(REVELATION 13:16-18)
Make of this what you will. Personally, I think it's the world's best practical joke.
1) Wait until this insane law passes 2) Set up a webpage with a lot of "warez" & "mp3z" stuff on it. (Don't forget to include the popups!) 3) As content, however, include only songs for which you own the copyrights. Name the files to look like popular songs for which you do not own the copyright. 4) Log everyone who downloads those files and wait until someone from riaa.com downloads one. 5) Follow all the procedures laid out in the law for launching a DoS attack and do so. 6) Issue a press release. Get as much publicity as you can. "I hacked the RIAA website and it was COMPLETELY LEGAL!" etc...
I have a PIII 600 in my car, and I live in Houston, so heat was a big issue in my design. Here's what I learned:
1) You MUST put everything heat sensitive in the trunk. The windows of your car act like a greenhouse, making the cab much hotter than the air outside. The trunk will usually be no hotter than the outside air
2) It helps not to have a black car.
3) Add as many fans as you can...and point them all blowing out of the case to try and reduce the pressure inside.
4) Check the operating temps on your CPU and Hard Drive. If they're not up to snuff, consider replacing them.
5) If you have a metal bottom in the trunk, you can use it as a heat sink. Just get a metal case and bolt it on there with some thermal paste between the joints. That metal will get fairly cool if you're going along at 70mph.
6) This is not a heat issue, but I'd recommend mounting your HD vertically. That way, when you hit a bump, the RW heads don't smack into the HD platter.
And if all else fails, buy a Peltier cooling unit and build a mini-air conditioner. I've never tried this (never had to) but it's my backup plan in case it ever gets too hot.
Please, please, please...for the love of God...do not abuse this law. I don't want to hear anything about anyone trying to defend sharing their MP3 collection by saying they were just trying to teach people about audio compression schemes. This is a damn good law and I don't want the 3l33t w4rez d00d's messing it up for the rest of us.
AOL used a trick similar to this back in the day (which is why I stuck with my good ol' PPP dialup) where in order to get the free hours you had to give them a credit card number for "verification". Of course, once your free hours ran out, they just started charging you. (Do they still do this?)
Why do I get the feeling that Microsoft will probably not be more honest than AOL when it comes to making sure that your credit card is only used to buy things when you actually want to buy them:
"I've noticed that you're not running Windows XP! Don't click on 'cancel' to decline acceptance of the purchace of a new copy of Windows XP, which will be automatically installed when you accept this offer."
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Don't you think he would if he could?!? Don't you think he's trying to figure out a way to do it right now? Hell, he already tried to kill Bush Sr., i'm sure he's got guys working on the problem 24/7.
Besides, when it comes to dictators, legitimacy is not a concern. Saddamn doesn't care what the international community thinks of him, he's a tyrant. He's going to do everything in his power to get as much as he can, by any means necessary. And if we don't do everything we can to protect ourselves from those kinds of people, we won't be around much longer to debate the finer points of international relations.
Any society that is not willing or able to go to war to protect it's citizens will eventually disappear from the earth. History has proven this time and again.
To call this "revenge" is simply ignorant. All nations, including the big, bad United States, have inalienable right to self-defense. Yes, innocent people will die. Innocent people have already died. But if we don't take responsibility for our own safety, and do something about it now, many, many more innocent people will die. If Neville Chamberlain had accepted this responsibility, Hitler may very well have been stopped at the Polish border. If we had actually done something about Al Queda after the African embassy and U.S.S. Cole bombings, 9/11 might never have happened. If we don't do something about it now, we condem our own citizens to death.
Why stop there? If check fraud is really that big of a problem, why not just take a hair sample from everyone who writes a check. Then, if you get a fraudlent check, just do a DNA test. I mean "...if you are not guilty of anything, it's not going to matter..." Right?
Wrong. If information is power, you disempower yourself when you give up your personal information to a store, to the government, or to anyone. And I, for one, would never shop at a store with such a blatant disregard for my privacy. Here's an idea. If check fraud is that big of a problem...stop taking checks!
I thought sugar in your gas tank was a BAD thing...
I would say the main reason the best laid plans of telecoms to convert everyone over to broadband failed because the high quality/high datarate content never appeared.
The reason for this 'more infrastructure than content' phenomona, I believe, is that the telecoms overestimated how willing the entertainment industry (@see MPAA and RIAA memebers) would be to move their content to digital formats. For example, if all the major record labels all had their entire libraries online, available for purchace and download in a fair-use friendly format, then the demand for broadband would be much higher. If you could buy, download and burn DVD's over the web, people would probably be complaining that current broadband isn't fast enough and might be willing to pay more for access to all those fiber networks out there, which currently, are sitting dark.
The real problem here is software development has moved beyond what a scientific discipline can handle. Much like modern electrical engineering evolved from the findings of early 20th century experiments with electricity, the need for real software engineering is starting to become apparent.
But, as always, acedemia is behind the curve. Not that they should be on the bleeding edge, but now it's time to catch up. Computer Science programs across the country have started to straddle the fence when it comes to coursework. Do we teach theoretical science, or applied science? This is a mistake; Nothing done half-assed is ever worthwhile. Do not make Computer Science more like an engineering discipline. Instead, make Software Engineering an undergrad degree unto itself.
You should be able to teach CS101 in any language. If you can't, then you're trying to teach engineering in a science class. A stack is a stack regardless of what langauge it's written in. Don't pollute computer science by trying to make it something it isn't. Instead, make a new Class (pun!)...Software Engineering 101. There you can teach design methodologies (Like OOP), proper use of the latest tools, automated testing methods, and other applied theory that has no business in a computer science class.
This is not to say they there wouldn't be a great deal of overlap between a C.S. and S.E. degree. After all, you have to learn physics before you can be a Civil Engineer. But it's just not possible to teach you everything there is to know in 4 years. I've learned so many formalisms and techniques since I recieved my B.S. in C.S. that I wondered why I hadn't heard anything about them while I was in school. The answer, I realized, is the days of the computer Renaisannce man are ending. Developing an algorithm and developing a software system are two completely different tasks. Just as a physicst can't build a bridge and a Civil Engineer didn't invent Superstring thoery, you can't ask a computer scientist to build a software system or ask a software engineer to develop a new compression algorithm...it's just the wrong skillset for the job.
Well if you want to get snippy about it, a real _Computer Scientist_ shouldn't care one way or the other what language he's using. I like Java, I like C++, I'm even starting to like C#, but if I don't know how to use a stack, I'm not going to be able to do jack shit with any of them.
This is what school is for: Learning the language-independent computer science theory that is the foundation of good software engineering. The ins and outs of a particular language is best learned in your free time by people who are motivated to do so. What language/tool/platform you choose to learn is really irrelevant, as long as you learn something and enjoy working with it.
However,
Since the orginal poster was putting together a booklet for Java and OOP courses, it's probably best to give them tips on how best to use those tools and techniques. Anyway, if any of these programmers are worth their salt, eventually they'll diversify on their own.
...maybe I'm being to harsh. Here's a few tips and resources:
1) The one thing that MUST be taught in Undergrad C.S. classes (that really isn't, it seems) is design patterns. Whether you use them or not, if you don't at least understand what they are, you're a step behind everyone else.
2) I'm sure lots of people will mention Bruce Eckel's "Thinking in Java"...but just in case they don't: Get Bruce Eckel's "Thinking in Java"!
3) Use JavaDoc. Know what the tags mean. Know how to use the tools to generate the documentation. When working in teams, it can save you hours and hours of stepping through code to see how things work. This is especially important when group members need to be able to work alone for logistical reasons
4) Know how use set up and use source control (www.cvshome.org). This will also save you hours and hours when working on group projects.
Don't help these people. Let them fail. Seriously.
1) There are already way, way too many bad programmers out there. Every profession has the standard bell curve of skilled vs. lame, but software is 10 times more skewed toward the lame end due to too many people dropping out of school to go work at a dotcom. Don't add fuel to the fire.
2) Every good programmer I know learned 90% of his skills on his own. Yes, you can learn things at school that are difficult to learn on your own, but quite frankly, these things shouldn't require special help to pick up (outside of normal coursework). If you can't figure them out on your own, your chances of applying them correctly are pretty damn low.
3) [and most important] Too many people go into Computer Science because the money's good, or because it seems like a better idea than the alternatives, or because they like playing Quake and they think that's what C.S. is all about. Then they get into their 3rd year and decide that they hate programming and switch majors. The sooner these people figure out what it is they REALLY want to do, the better, for them and us. It takes a special kind of person to actually ENJOY (not just tolerate) programming, and if you don't enjoy it you're going to regret making it your life's work.
On the other hand...
The MOWBOT!
I don't see the difference between a cop on every streetcorner and a camera on every streetcorner (except that the camera can't shoot anyone...not yet anyway).
As long as the cameras aren't positioned in a way that they can spy on people in their homes or other private places, it's no big deal. When they put a camera on the lightpole outside my bedroom window, I'll complain. But until then I'd say they do more good than harm.
Those codeset and checksum digits, along with the code that seperates the manufacturer ID from the, Product ID, are two thin right-alligned lines, which is also the code for the number 6.
Meaning that every barcode has the number 666 on it.
"And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of man; his number is 666."(REVELATION 13:16-18)
Make of this what you will. Personally, I think it's the world's best practical joke.
Here's the right way to do this:
1) Wait until this insane law passes
2) Set up a webpage with a lot of "warez" & "mp3z" stuff on it. (Don't forget to include the popups!)
3) As content, however, include only songs for which you own the copyrights. Name the files to look like popular songs for which you do not own the copyright.
4) Log everyone who downloads those files and wait until someone from riaa.com downloads one.
5) Follow all the procedures laid out in the law for launching a DoS attack and do so.
6) Issue a press release. Get as much publicity as you can. "I hacked the RIAA website and it was COMPLETELY LEGAL!" etc...
The Chinese government announced a new tactic for enforcing state-controlled censorware: Lightning.
...the RIAA would attack your machine if they found THIS mp3 on it?
...would my firewall be illegal under this law and the DMCA?
...do they eat babies too?
I use this.
I have a PIII 600 in my car, and I live in Houston, so heat was a big issue in my design. Here's what I learned:
1) You MUST put everything heat sensitive in the trunk. The windows of your car act like a greenhouse, making the cab much hotter than the air outside. The trunk will usually be no hotter than the outside air
2) It helps not to have a black car.
3) Add as many fans as you can...and point them all blowing out of the case to try and reduce the pressure inside.
4) Check the operating temps on your CPU and Hard Drive. If they're not up to snuff, consider replacing them.
5) If you have a metal bottom in the trunk, you can use it as a heat sink. Just get a metal case and bolt it on there with some thermal paste between the joints. That metal will get fairly cool if you're going along at 70mph.
6) This is not a heat issue, but I'd recommend mounting your HD vertically. That way, when you hit a bump, the RW heads don't smack into the HD platter.
And if all else fails, buy a Peltier cooling unit and build a mini-air conditioner. I've never tried this (never had to) but it's my backup plan in case it ever gets too hot.
Please, please, please...for the love of God...do not abuse this law. I don't want to hear anything about anyone trying to defend sharing their MP3 collection by saying they were just trying to teach people about audio compression schemes. This is a damn good law and I don't want the 3l33t w4rez d00d's messing it up for the rest of us.
3DFilm does realtime modeling AND video compositing. I use it a ton....
yaBOOOooooooooo!!!!!!!!
You be the judge
This solution to this is to use voice control instead, which is what I did in my car computer
AOL used a trick similar to this back in the day (which is why I stuck with my good ol' PPP dialup) where in order to get the free hours you had to give them a credit card number for "verification". Of course, once your free hours ran out, they just started charging you. (Do they still do this?)
Why do I get the feeling that Microsoft will probably not be more honest than AOL when it comes to making sure that your credit card is only used to buy things when you actually want to buy them:
"I've noticed that you're not running Windows XP! Don't click on 'cancel' to decline acceptance of the purchace of a new copy of Windows XP, which will be automatically installed when you accept this offer."