require a certain level of knowledge on the part of both parties, however, there are some games with very low learning curves.
In the Sporting Genre: Wakeboarding Unleashed (PS2) is coop in that you one can drive the boat and one can be on the board.
In the Puzzle Genre (which I'm addicted to btw): Super Monkey Ball 2 (GameCube) Amplitude and it's predecessor Frequency (PS2) all offer some sort of cooperative/competitive play. Dance Dance Revolution/DDR Max (PS/PS2 respectively) offer excellent interactive play, plus it's just plain fun if you have nothing better to do on a low budget weekend.
Another thing to consider is getting a temporary (henna sp?) tatoo and going about your daily life with it for a couple weeks. Did you feel comfy? Were you okay with the looks (if any)?
Try it a few times in different places and see how you feel.
I applaud your desire to make an informed decision, but if you can't carry it off yourself it will ALWAYS stand out in a negative fashion.
Further more, as a programmer/analyst, I can say that the circumstances vary as to how appropriate it would be. The law firm I used to work for would definitely frown upon such an adornment if it were not very easily hidden, whereas the dot com I work for now couldn't care less.
I work in a very liberal part of the country as it is, but it still has an effect no matter how good you are, or how confident you are. A customer would necessarily get the full brunt of your confidence or knowledge.
It's a common wimpy ass fallback that "I can't do anything about it from here." That's a cop out and you know it.
If you were truly interested in doing something about it, you would make sure to call up his office. You would also make sure to email, write, phone anybody you personally know, and anybody you know who knows someone in his constituency and TELL THEM ABOUT IT!
Stop sitting on your ass whining about what you CAN'T do and actively participate ins what you CAN do. </RANT>
That's not ironic. That's politics. Check the record of any legislator and I'm sure you'll find everyone has more than their share of reversals of position on key and not-so-key issues.
Um... you voted for him, or helped him to get in by not questioning the candidates involved on the issues that are/were important to you, OR (and this is the biggy) YOU DIDN'T FSKNG VOTE!!!
Come off the high horse for a minute and think about this rationally. How many tech savvy individuals, much like the sort that hang about slashdot actually participate in the legislative process. I'd be very surprised if CmdTaco put up a poll asking how many slashdotters have written to their state and federal representatives regarding:
1. Privacy Issues and Technology
2. Open Source Legislation
3. Microsoft
4. Piracy
5. Any other technical issue currently facing the legislature.
I'd further be surprised if more than 20% of the slashdot audience actually responded yes. What we, who are have the knowledgeable advantage tend to do is:
1. Bitch about it ad nauseum. (Including, but not limited to flaming random forums across the net.)
2. Pirate music/movies/software in protest (This one chaps my hide because if you're too cheap/poor to pay for your goods, for GOD'S SAKE just ADMIT IT!!!)
3. Boycott (This one is aimed specifically at anti-M$ trolls)
It seems quite clear to me that if those of you who know about the technological issues facing the legislature and don't agree with the way they're being dealt with actually participated in directing the process, we'd be a lot farther along than we are now.
While you may have a point, and I don't deny that ego does tend to play a role in these things, there are more practical reasons for having a title/naming scheme that more accurately depicts what you do. If you've ever taken a good look at how HR works you would know that they look up your TITLE in the Department of Labor's Occupational Handbook based closely to the description your manager fed them of what you do. Then, they look up pertinent salary surveys in your area for the Title picked from the handbook and determine based on your education, experience, and their budget how much to pay you. Finally, after a couple of years, your company might decide to do some organizational and financial restructuring which requires them taking a look at TCO for employee expenditures, which in english means they look at how much they pay you based on what some obscure government book says you do by title. Most of the time, the Department of Labor titles are way off, which contributes greatly to most of us getting underpaid and some of us being way overpaid because a job title was missapplied. IF we were to come up with titles that more accurately fit what we do, we could expect it to be easier for people to hire folks, for organizations to plan their employee loads (how many people they need to do what), and for negotiating salary. I grant you this is totally idealistic and that there are several arguments that could be made either way. However, the whole point of this post was to point out that it is NOT always a TOTALLY egotistical issue when considering titles. Who hasn't gone on a job interview for a specific job title only to be given a description of the work to be expected that had absolutely NOTHING to do with the title (and in most cases made you cringe). I've personally been burned by this. Better titles would give laymen who are in a position to make your life miserable a better understanding of what your skills are and where best to apply them in the scheme of a given organization.
My 2 cents have long since been spent.
Am I the only one who had to diagram sentences up until the 7th grade. I'm sure I can't be as there were countless children in my schools and in my classes that shared the same curriculum I went through. Did teaching of grammar actually completely cease circa 1986? I remember the spaceship and sentences broken down to look like _____ / _____ / _____. And perhaps I was affluent, at the time I had absolutely no concept of such things, but I was very familiar with words like subject, object, predicate, direct object and so on. It seems as if to me, there is none of this going on in today's educational arena. My teenaged daughter and I talk all the time, and I have read a lot of the written communication between her and her friends. I swear there is not a period to be found in any of it. It's all one enormous run on sentence. I once pointed it out, and she gave me a blank look. I think it's valid that kids express themselves in a manner with which they are most comfortable. However, it is exceedingly important to be cognizant of context. This above all else is the point I strive to get across to my daughter. Let me see that you can decipher context, and behave accordingly from one to the other, and you can speak however you damn well please. BTW, I am not an old fogey. I haven't even hit thirty yet.
The principal issue at hand is that anyone who is determined enough will find a way to circumvent the law. Pulling the draw strings on our little baggie of freedoms to close the ever widening gap between the effectiveness of such laws and the people who choose to circumvent them (which is one of those little freedoms) serves no purpose. Legislature needs to be focusing more on educating the people about the laws and their purpose. If we knew how to behave from the beginning, this wouldn't be a problem...
OMFG! You DON'T see a problem with SMTP?!?! What RFC did you read? The very very first one?!?! (Ref.)
Part of the reason that SMTP does NOT work is because no one strictly follows it. They don't strictly follow it because it has GAPING holes in it that spammers have been using for years. (If you need an example, find a mailserver that actually responds truthfully to a VRFY cmd or RCTP TO for that matter) There is absolutely no reason to adhere to a standard that no longer encompasses the needs of the bigger picture.
I find it absolutely amazing that only after the minority population (if you check the last census that is what you are) is THREATENED to be disenfranchised, does everyone decide that the government is doing, has the power to do, and has done for quite some time, horrible things as it pertains to human rights. When the rights of various other so-called "minority groups" (i.e. immigrans, blacks, indigenous peoples) have been abused for CENTURIES, and the most prevalent response was, has been, and will always be, what's the big deal?
People have to realize that those so-called inalienable rights only apply to those who are the most greedy (i.e. corporate citizens, and government agencies). Anyone who doesn't have enough clout or money, as many recently publicized court cases have confirmed, do not have the ability to protect or even assert their "inalienable rights". The justice system DOES NOT work.
This country may have been founded on the basis of freedom, but is has been perpetuated by greed since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. If we don't wake up soon, we will continue to move away from that foundation, even if the present uproar is about the POTENTIAL loss of human rights and freedoms. As long as there is some group to attempt to dominate, the US will make such an attempt. It's ironic that people are only JUST NOW realizing that the capability to dominate can and has also apply to the American People.
It won't stop at your library record. Do you honestly believe that they aren't also using those department/grocery store discount cards to track your habits as well? The movement towards more electronically inclined processes only gives the government more power to abuse. I'm not suggesting that we technologically regress, but I do think that people should pay more attention to the information they share. Sure, I don't really care that CompUSA asks me for my zip code everytime I buy something...hell I shop with my debit card so they can track me if they want right there. I am concerned, however, by the fact that it is becoming far easier for the government and other parties to obtain information about the common man than it is for the common man to obtain information regarding the practices and habits of same...think about it...
I'm surprised no one has really mentioned Andromeda or Earth:Final Conflict. Both of those were shows that started out with decent intentions, and even managed to meet those intentions on some level, but cast changes and drastic storyline direction changes, even random redirection of character objectives have driven them into the ground. (i.e. Is Tyr good, bad, or indifferent, and when will they make up their mind). All these shows are sci-fi-ish because in todays capital driven tv market, demographics forces any show that features technology that is either not currently availabe or in small market usage as a Sci-Fi or Science Fiction genre show. I think these things are developed with the same kind of planned obselesence model that Sony uses for its products. They lure you in with decent characters, good visuals, great plots and such, then wait for you to soak up the merchandising. Then, just before the market gets saturated, they pull it right out from under you. "We are no longer supporting this product. Sux to be you if you bought it." Hasn't anyone noticed that the average life span of a television show has been getting shorter and shorter since the days of Cheers, M.A.S.H., and Hill Street Blues. They don't even PLAN for these shows to last long in the beginning. Every new show that has come out is now starting to be marketed for "Post Original Broadcast" merchandising, so everyone can pick it up on DVD if they really like it. The Soprano's is a prime example of this. My advice, as much as I love these shows, is to try not to get too attached. Something better will come along. And they'll take that from you too. They're only really good for the first couple seasons anyway. Then they start to suck so you won't be quite as pissed when they go away.
Where I go to school, there is no CS only CIS which is a combination of the two (CS/MIS). We are required to minor in business (with 18hrs of business/accounting courses) and something like 70hrs of straight CS stuff, along with discrete, and finite maths and calc. So I like this kind of well roundedness (based on what I'm reading here)...I may absolutely hate the accounting courses, but I can understand ammortization and cost accounting with the best of em. I just prefer to set my own hours and hack away at my desk because it's something I love. The simple fact that you stuck with something long enough to achieve a degree (regardless of what it is) tends to impress most people.
JM2C
Slashdot Mirror
require a certain level of knowledge on the part of both parties, however, there are some games with very low learning curves.
In the Sporting Genre:
Wakeboarding Unleashed (PS2) is coop in that you one can drive the boat and one can be on the board.
In the Puzzle Genre (which I'm addicted to btw):
Super Monkey Ball 2 (GameCube)
Amplitude and it's predecessor Frequency (PS2)
all offer some sort of cooperative/competitive play.
Dance Dance Revolution/DDR Max (PS/PS2 respectively) offer excellent interactive play, plus it's just plain fun if you have nothing better to do on a low budget weekend.
Another thing to consider is getting a temporary (henna sp?) tatoo and going about your daily life with it for a couple weeks.
Did you feel comfy?
Were you okay with the looks (if any)?
Try it a few times in different places and see how you feel.
I applaud your desire to make an informed decision, but if you can't carry it off yourself it will ALWAYS stand out in a negative fashion.
Further more, as a programmer/analyst, I can say that the circumstances vary as to how appropriate it would be. The law firm I used to work for would definitely frown upon such an adornment if it were not very easily hidden, whereas the dot com I work for now couldn't care less.
I work in a very liberal part of the country as it is, but it still has an effect no matter how good you are, or how confident you are. A customer would necessarily get the full brunt of your confidence or knowledge.
It's a common wimpy ass fallback that "I can't do anything about it from here." That's a cop out and you know it.
If you were truly interested in doing something about it, you would make sure to call up his office. You would also make sure to email, write, phone anybody you personally know, and anybody you know who knows someone in his constituency and TELL THEM ABOUT IT!
Stop sitting on your ass whining about what you CAN'T do and actively participate ins what you CAN do.
</RANT>
That's not ironic. That's politics.
Check the record of any legislator and I'm sure you'll find everyone has more than their share of reversals of position on key and not-so-key issues.
Um... you voted for him, or helped him to get in by not questioning the candidates involved on the issues that are/were important to you, OR (and this is the biggy) YOU DIDN'T FSKNG VOTE!!!
Come off the high horse for a minute and think about this rationally. How many tech savvy individuals, much like the sort that hang about slashdot actually participate in the legislative process. I'd be very surprised if CmdTaco put up a poll asking how many slashdotters have written to their state and federal representatives regarding: 1. Privacy Issues and Technology 2. Open Source Legislation 3. Microsoft 4. Piracy 5. Any other technical issue currently facing the legislature. I'd further be surprised if more than 20% of the slashdot audience actually responded yes. What we, who are have the knowledgeable advantage tend to do is: 1. Bitch about it ad nauseum. (Including, but not limited to flaming random forums across the net.) 2. Pirate music/movies/software in protest (This one chaps my hide because if you're too cheap/poor to pay for your goods, for GOD'S SAKE just ADMIT IT!!!) 3. Boycott (This one is aimed specifically at anti-M$ trolls) It seems quite clear to me that if those of you who know about the technological issues facing the legislature and don't agree with the way they're being dealt with actually participated in directing the process, we'd be a lot farther along than we are now.
While you may have a point, and I don't deny that ego does tend to play a role in these things, there are more practical reasons for having a title/naming scheme that more accurately depicts what you do. If you've ever taken a good look at how HR works you would know that they look up your TITLE in the Department of Labor's Occupational Handbook based closely to the description your manager fed them of what you do. Then, they look up pertinent salary surveys in your area for the Title picked from the handbook and determine based on your education, experience, and their budget how much to pay you. Finally, after a couple of years, your company might decide to do some organizational and financial restructuring which requires them taking a look at TCO for employee expenditures, which in english means they look at how much they pay you based on what some obscure government book says you do by title. Most of the time, the Department of Labor titles are way off, which contributes greatly to most of us getting underpaid and some of us being way overpaid because a job title was missapplied. IF we were to come up with titles that more accurately fit what we do, we could expect it to be easier for people to hire folks, for organizations to plan their employee loads (how many people they need to do what), and for negotiating salary. I grant you this is totally idealistic and that there are several arguments that could be made either way. However, the whole point of this post was to point out that it is NOT always a TOTALLY egotistical issue when considering titles. Who hasn't gone on a job interview for a specific job title only to be given a description of the work to be expected that had absolutely NOTHING to do with the title (and in most cases made you cringe). I've personally been burned by this. Better titles would give laymen who are in a position to make your life miserable a better understanding of what your skills are and where best to apply them in the scheme of a given organization. My 2 cents have long since been spent.
Am I the only one who had to diagram sentences up until the 7th grade. I'm sure I can't be as there were countless children in my schools and in my classes that shared the same curriculum I went through. Did teaching of grammar actually completely cease circa 1986? I remember the spaceship and sentences broken down to look like _____ / _____ / _____. And perhaps I was affluent, at the time I had absolutely no concept of such things, but I was very familiar with words like subject, object, predicate, direct object and so on. It seems as if to me, there is none of this going on in today's educational arena. My teenaged daughter and I talk all the time, and I have read a lot of the written communication between her and her friends. I swear there is not a period to be found in any of it. It's all one enormous run on sentence. I once pointed it out, and she gave me a blank look. I think it's valid that kids express themselves in a manner with which they are most comfortable. However, it is exceedingly important to be cognizant of context. This above all else is the point I strive to get across to my daughter. Let me see that you can decipher context, and behave accordingly from one to the other, and you can speak however you damn well please. BTW, I am not an old fogey. I haven't even hit thirty yet.
The principal issue at hand is that anyone who is determined enough will find a way to circumvent the law. Pulling the draw strings on our little baggie of freedoms to close the ever widening gap between the effectiveness of such laws and the people who choose to circumvent them (which is one of those little freedoms) serves no purpose. Legislature needs to be focusing more on educating the people about the laws and their purpose. If we knew how to behave from the beginning, this wouldn't be a problem...
OMFG! You DON'T see a problem with SMTP?!?! What RFC did you read? The very very first one?!?! (Ref.)
Part of the reason that SMTP does NOT work is because no one strictly follows it. They don't strictly follow it because it has GAPING holes in it that spammers have been using for years. (If you need an example, find a mailserver that actually responds truthfully to a VRFY cmd or RCTP TO for that matter) There is absolutely no reason to adhere to a standard that no longer encompasses the needs of the bigger picture.
I find it absolutely amazing that only after the minority population (if you check the last census that is what you are) is THREATENED to be disenfranchised, does everyone decide that the government is doing, has the power to do, and has done for quite some time, horrible things as it pertains to human rights. When the rights of various other so-called "minority groups" (i.e. immigrans, blacks, indigenous peoples) have been abused for CENTURIES, and the most prevalent response was, has been, and will always be, what's the big deal?
People have to realize that those so-called inalienable rights only apply to those who are the most greedy (i.e. corporate citizens, and government agencies). Anyone who doesn't have enough clout or money, as many recently publicized court cases have confirmed, do not have the ability to protect or even assert their "inalienable rights". The justice system DOES NOT work.
This country may have been founded on the basis of freedom, but is has been perpetuated by greed since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. If we don't wake up soon, we will continue to move away from that foundation, even if the present uproar is about the POTENTIAL loss of human rights and freedoms. As long as there is some group to attempt to dominate, the US will make such an attempt. It's ironic that people are only JUST NOW realizing that the capability to dominate can and has also apply to the American People.
It won't stop at your library record. Do you honestly believe that they aren't also using those department/grocery store discount cards to track your habits as well? The movement towards more electronically inclined processes only gives the government more power to abuse. I'm not suggesting that we technologically regress, but I do think that people should pay more attention to the information they share. Sure, I don't really care that CompUSA asks me for my zip code everytime I buy something...hell I shop with my debit card so they can track me if they want right there. I am concerned, however, by the fact that it is becoming far easier for the government and other parties to obtain information about the common man than it is for the common man to obtain information regarding the practices and habits of same...think about it...
I'm surprised no one has really mentioned Andromeda or Earth:Final Conflict. Both of those were shows that started out with decent intentions, and even managed to meet those intentions on some level, but cast changes and drastic storyline direction changes, even random redirection of character objectives have driven them into the ground. (i.e. Is Tyr good, bad, or indifferent, and when will they make up their mind). All these shows are sci-fi-ish because in todays capital driven tv market, demographics forces any show that features technology that is either not currently availabe or in small market usage as a Sci-Fi or Science Fiction genre show. I think these things are developed with the same kind of planned obselesence model that Sony uses for its products. They lure you in with decent characters, good visuals, great plots and such, then wait for you to soak up the merchandising. Then, just before the market gets saturated, they pull it right out from under you. "We are no longer supporting this product. Sux to be you if you bought it." Hasn't anyone noticed that the average life span of a television show has been getting shorter and shorter since the days of Cheers, M.A.S.H., and Hill Street Blues. They don't even PLAN for these shows to last long in the beginning. Every new show that has come out is now starting to be marketed for "Post Original Broadcast" merchandising, so everyone can pick it up on DVD if they really like it. The Soprano's is a prime example of this. My advice, as much as I love these shows, is to try not to get too attached. Something better will come along. And they'll take that from you too. They're only really good for the first couple seasons anyway. Then they start to suck so you won't be quite as pissed when they go away.
Where I go to school, there is no CS only CIS which is a combination of the two (CS/MIS). We are required to minor in business (with 18hrs of business/accounting courses) and something like 70hrs of straight CS stuff, along with discrete, and finite maths and calc. So I like this kind of well roundedness (based on what I'm reading here)...I may absolutely hate the accounting courses, but I can understand ammortization and cost accounting with the best of em. I just prefer to set my own hours and hack away at my desk because it's something I love. The simple fact that you stuck with something long enough to achieve a degree (regardless of what it is) tends to impress most people. JM2C