I've got to admit that I've been apprehensive ever since I heard they were developing a fourth edition - 3.0/3.5 is a good system, even with all its flaws.... plus I have enough of an investment in it that I shrink back at the idea of doing it all over again.
My D&D got a set of the "preview books" (no sense in giving WotC more money for fluff than necessary) and we've been passing it around. They are very limited on implementation details, but there does seem to be enough interesting parts that I'll likely pick up a set of books when they're published. If the implementation is lame, there's always E-bay to dump them on and I can fall back on my 3e books....
At the risk of going too far off topic, I learned on a tricycle C150, then moved up to a tricycle C172 and C172RG. Then I went and got my tailwheel endorsement, and I have to say it *did* make me a better pilot. After my time in the tailwheel plane (Aeronca Champ), I never botched a landing in a Cessna - they are so much easier to land. A month ago I started in helicopters, which require yet another degree of skill. It's all fun, after all, flying is flying!
Of course I paid for my tuition, and I value every bit of the education I got. Working to get a paycheck is an entirely different thing. I don't know very many people who are still working in the field they got their degree in. Sure, there are a few, but they are, by and large, the exception. A good education will see to it that you are capable of adapting to life.
As far an engineering and tech types, I think I agree with you. However, I think that there is a certain segment of the science industry that really ought to be government sponsored (fundamental and long-range research that may not be carried out in private industry due to no apparent profit to motivate).
On another note, I wish I'd been more like you as an undergrad. I managed a BS in physics, and have barely even cracked a physics book since then. Hell, I'm still trying to figure out what to do with myself in terms of a "career".
One thing I find intersting is how many in the US like to talk about how "we" put a rover on mars, or landed and astronaut on the moon, etc, making it sound like thay had *anything* to do with it. The same is true of other countries, I'm sure. No, it's not the start and talented scientist, engineers and technologists working in labs for the government or for a corporation, it's "we".
Smart and talented people are quite transplantable that's, after all, how the US got a lot of the smart people that landed astronauts on the moon. And yet, it's still "we". hrmph
Yep, I've been following it pretty closely. I'm a private pilot (well, at least I was 2 years ago when I was current; hopefully my finances will stablize enough in a few months to let me start again), and am looking at a career shift into helicopter flying. I just need to motivate myself to actually write to the local congress critters... I just wish I could feel like it would do any good.... but I guess apathy is the way to make sure nothing happens....
Actually, updating the airspace system is a big, big priority these days. In fact, in the aviation community, there has been a huge debate which has been going on for about a year now, but really flared up in the last several months when Congress was considering various funding models which would provide the extra funding to do just that: update the national air space system. Most of the controvery was due to the funding model proposed by the FAA which off-loaded a lot of the financial responsibility from the airlines to general aviation, while providing *less* revenue (according to a GAO study) than the current funding model. Fortunately, it looks like Congress was paying attention, and the funding bills most likely to pass are much more GA-friendly.
A couple of years ago, I spent a semester teaching pre-calc at the local community college (the pay sucked and I couldn't keep up the schedule of teaching part-time, not with the time requirements of my full-time job), and this was their approach. One of the head instructors did his PhD dissertation on pedagical techniques for math and came to the conclusion that the "traditional" approcah of teaching math is - at least in the US - ass backward.
Provide a concrete example and develope the abstractions from there. Don't simply provide the abstrations and then wonder why the students don't see the relevance.
This reminds me of a similar situation in Oregon about 10 years back.
I guy had legally purchased public automobile registration records and built a webpage where one could type in a license-plate number and get all the public information on the owner: name, address, phone number, etc. His rationale was that people might choose to drive in a more civil fashion if they knew that the person who they just cut off could track them down later.
I don't remember how that played out in the end, but I think that the state ended up redefining exactly what information is really "public".
I must admit that I didn't take the time to read all of your links, but of the ones I did follow, it appears that these high levels of CO2 are the result of isolated incidents (a "mid-Cretaceous super-plume", in the first article, for example). The difference between that and athropogenic emissions is that we have been emitting large amounts of CO2 on a more-or-less continuous basis for several centuries now. A single release event will have it's effects nullified by natural equilibrium processes. The ongoing emissions of humans, however, hasn't given these equilibrium processes the chance to do so.
As an analogy, think of it this way: you take a hammer and hit a bell with it. The bell will ring, but eventually the ringing will stop. Now hit the bell, wait until the ringing has almost faded, then hit the bell again. Now, slowly start hitting the bell at a faster rate, and slowly start hitting it harder.
Yes, I've been of this opinion for... hmmm... I guess it's getting close to a decade now. I started a CS master program in '97-'98 and quickly grew tired of the people who wanted their degree so they could get that kick-ass programming job. Programming? Go get a two-year programming degree at the local community college. You'll spend less time, less money, and be making more soon than if you have the bachelor degree. Of course, the four-year degree is appropriate for someone who is into software engineering (design and architecture) that simple programming.
I wonder what this will mean to the people who are currently using GPUs for data parallel-ish computation? This is sort of a specialization of the GPGPU idea... I wonder if it would work well for doing "real" physics computation?
Slashdot Mirror
Does anyone really care?
I've got to admit that I've been apprehensive ever since I heard they were developing a fourth edition - 3.0/3.5 is a good system, even with all its flaws.... plus I have enough of an investment in it that I shrink back at the idea of doing it all over again.
My D&D got a set of the "preview books" (no sense in giving WotC more money for fluff than necessary) and we've been passing it around. They are very limited on implementation details, but there does seem to be enough interesting parts that I'll likely pick up a set of books when they're published. If the implementation is lame, there's always E-bay to dump them on and I can fall back on my 3e books....
Why does it always have to be "Intelligent"? Couldn't it easily be Stupid Falling?
At the risk of going too far off topic, I learned on a tricycle C150, then moved up to a tricycle C172 and C172RG. Then I went and got my tailwheel endorsement, and I have to say it *did* make me a better pilot. After my time in the tailwheel plane (Aeronca Champ), I never botched a landing in a Cessna - they are so much easier to land. A month ago I started in helicopters, which require yet another degree of skill. It's all fun, after all, flying is flying!
Of course I paid for my tuition, and I value every bit of the education I got. Working to get a paycheck is an entirely different thing. I don't know very many people who are still working in the field they got their degree in. Sure, there are a few, but they are, by and large, the exception. A good education will see to it that you are capable of adapting to life.
As far an engineering and tech types, I think I agree with you. However, I think that there is a certain segment of the science industry that really ought to be government sponsored (fundamental and long-range research that may not be carried out in private industry due to no apparent profit to motivate).
On another note, I wish I'd been more like you as an undergrad. I managed a BS in physics, and have barely even cracked a physics book since then. Hell, I'm still trying to figure out what to do with myself in terms of a "career".
One thing I find intersting is how many in the US like to talk about how "we" put a rover on mars, or landed and astronaut on the moon, etc, making it sound like thay had *anything* to do with it. The same is true of other countries, I'm sure. No, it's not the start and talented scientist, engineers and technologists working in labs for the government or for a corporation, it's "we".
Smart and talented people are quite transplantable that's, after all, how the US got a lot of the smart people that landed astronauts on the moon. And yet, it's still "we". hrmph
Yep, I've been following it pretty closely. I'm a private pilot (well, at least I was 2 years ago when I was current; hopefully my finances will stablize enough in a few months to let me start again), and am looking at a career shift into helicopter flying. I just need to motivate myself to actually write to the local congress critters... I just wish I could feel like it would do any good.... but I guess apathy is the way to make sure nothing happens....
Actually, updating the airspace system is a big, big priority these days. In fact, in the aviation community, there has been a huge debate which has been going on for about a year now, but really flared up in the last several months when Congress was considering various funding models which would provide the extra funding to do just that: update the national air space system. Most of the controvery was due to the funding model proposed by the FAA which off-loaded a lot of the financial responsibility from the airlines to general aviation, while providing *less* revenue (according to a GAO study) than the current funding model. Fortunately, it looks like Congress was paying attention, and the funding bills most likely to pass are much more GA-friendly.
Yep - gotta move faster than that. Ah well. Still a bit underwhelmed.
So... this is how it feels? I'm underwhelmed, I think
A couple of years ago, I spent a semester teaching pre-calc at the local community college (the pay sucked and I couldn't keep up the schedule of teaching part-time, not with the time requirements of my full-time job), and this was their approach. One of the head instructors did his PhD dissertation on pedagical techniques for math and came to the conclusion that the "traditional" approcah of teaching math is - at least in the US - ass backward. Provide a concrete example and develope the abstractions from there. Don't simply provide the abstrations and then wonder why the students don't see the relevance.
Wish I had some mod points for ya... :-)
This reminds me of a similar situation in Oregon about 10 years back.
I guy had legally purchased public automobile registration records and built a webpage where one could type in a license-plate number and get all the public information on the owner: name, address, phone number, etc. His rationale was that people might choose to drive in a more civil fashion if they knew that the person who they just cut off could track them down later.
I don't remember how that played out in the end, but I think that the state ended up redefining exactly what information is really "public".
I knew a guy in management who said he had learned everything he needed to about working with people from LARPing...
As an analogy, think of it this way: you take a hammer and hit a bell with it. The bell will ring, but eventually the ringing will stop. Now hit the bell, wait until the ringing has almost faded, then hit the bell again. Now, slowly start hitting the bell at a faster rate, and slowly start hitting it harder.
Yes, I've been of this opinion for... hmmm... I guess it's getting close to a decade now. I started a CS master program in '97-'98 and quickly grew tired of the people who wanted their degree so they could get that kick-ass programming job. Programming? Go get a two-year programming degree at the local community college. You'll spend less time, less money, and be making more soon than if you have the bachelor degree. Of course, the four-year degree is appropriate for someone who is into software engineering (design and architecture) that simple programming.
"Goldmoon was smoking."
That's always been kind of a turn-off for me. I prefer chicks with clean lungs..
Are you saying "boo" or "Boo urns"?
</oblig>Any lawyers here? Can I sue?
Of course you can sue! This is the USA after all. Whether or not you get laughed out of court is another matter.... altogether!
That's nothing. I've been 21 for 12 years now. :-D
I wonder what this will mean to the people who are currently using GPUs for data parallel-ish computation? This is sort of a specialization of the GPGPU idea... I wonder if it would work well for doing "real" physics computation?
Top Secret! is great! I picked it up on DVD several years ago, and it is one of the few in my "regularly rewatched" stack ;-)
I hate to be one of those "me too" posters, but...
me too
Jack Chick? Is that you?