I agree that sports are given too much emphasis --- for boys. But look at the other side of the coin, the long dark years before Title IX when girls didn't have the opportunity to play sports at all. I wrote a long screed about this in January after an 11 year old friend of mine (whose winter sports are/have been indoor soccer, ice hockey and downhill racing) asked me what I sports I did when I was her age. Answer: none.
Here's my take on some important life lessons that can be learned from participating in team sports, even if, or maybe especially if, you suck:
1) no matter how bad you are when you start, you get better with practice
2) no matter how overmatched or behind you are, you play to the end of the game
3) even if you happen to be winning, you still have to pay attention.
Back in December Tim O'Reilly wrote a thoughtful essay about why he isn't worried about piracy, he mentions the Safari system there. Some of his conclusions:
Lesson 1: Obscurity is a far greater threat to authors and creative artists than piracy.
Lesson 2: Piracy is progressive taxation
Lesson 3: Customers want to do the right thing, if they can.
Lesson 4: Shoplifting is a bigger threat than piracy.
Lesson 5: File sharing networks don't threaten book, music, or film publishing. They threaten existing publishers.
Lesson 6: "Free" is eventually replaced by a higher-quality paid service.
A lot of the evidence regarding an Iraq/Al Queda link is classified,
There is solid, non-classified evidence of an al-Qaeda / Saudi Arabia link. Have a look at the nationalities of the 9-11 hijackers and where they obtained their visas. (15/19 were form Saudi Arabia.) link to article It's well known that Saudi money funds Islamic fundamentalist groups all across the Middle East.
Oh, and that Osama Bin Laden guy? Remind me again where he was from...
It's tempting to believe that because both Hussein and Bin Laden hate the US so much, they must consider themselves to be on the same side. Not the case at all --- there are more than two sides.
There is no reason to believe that an attack on Iraq will weaken al-Qaeda, and lots of reasons to suppose that it will strengthen the appeal of Islamic fundamentalism.
Thinking and having opinions is a bunch of crap.
on
Open Source Code And War
·
· Score: 1, Informative
Actually, if you read the article, you'll see that the developer being interviewed (Anthony L. Awtrey) works directly with the U.S. Dept. of Defense on military applications of open source software. How is this not "helping the 'U.S. go to war with Iraq'"?
To Awtrey's credit, he has thought the issue through and considered the effects of his actions, and is willing to engage in a reasoned discussion of his decisions. What I can't understand is other people's unwillingness to go through the same process with regards to their own opinions and actions.
If you are doing anything at all productive in society somebody can use that to their benifit in a way that you may not agree with.
I think this "all or nothing" argument is a cop out, a "reductio ad absurdum" excuse for people who can't or won't consider the potential ramifications of their actions in the world at large.
Everyone, no matter what their position in society or what work they do, has a responsibility to consider how their actions affect other people both in the short and long term. We can no longer afford short-sighted short term thinking -- the earth is too small a place these days.
Furthermore, this comment (and others) don't seem to be based on the content of the articles. (No, I am not new to slashdot! I just haven't let my standards sink to the lowest common denominator. Yet.) The anti-war link to the bluefish site in the original article is a discussion of whether or not to put an anti-war banner on the bluefish, not whether or not to develop code. Anthony L. Awtrey's remarks in the article presents his contrasting opinions in support of military action against Iraq, based in part on his wife's personal experience. Serious public discussion of these issues is what democracy is (supposed to be) all about.
Maybe the prospect of a major war in the Middle East makes you *yawn* but I'm glad to see that not everyone shares this view.
The decision to have a psychologist on staff at DriveSavers could be a purely practical one --- it seems like they are a high end service so customer satisfaction is key ingredient. They want people to feel like they got something for their $900 even if they didn't actually get their data back.
Also, people who are hysterical or uncontrollably angry are not likely to provide useful info to the people trying to do the recovery. It's probably cheaper and faster to pass distraught customers off to someone trained to deal with people in (real or perceived) crises rather than having technical staff trying to calm people down. It's just another form of specialization and division of labor.
BTW, for people who would like to have more perspective on crisis situations and better control over afflictive emotions like anger, I recommend Thubten Chodron's book Working with Anger published by Snow Lion Press.
we never encountered someone that lost a dissertation.
I lived with a woman who deleted the literary criticism portion of her MFA thesis. On purpose. Because she had a paper copy. Which she couldn't find when she went to hand it in because a year had gone by and she had moved and her stuff had been in storage ins someone's basement. Not only did she try to have someone recover it from the hard drive, she called a psychic to locate the hard copy. Unsuccessfully. Eventually she had to rewrite it.
Well, what can you expect from someone getting a degree from "The Jack Kerouac Institute of Disembodied Poetics"?
Hmmm, tongue in cheek ? but some economists make this same argument against cleaning up the environment now --- why should we husband resources for the use of future generations when those generations will already be wealthier than us because of technological progress? If we let the economy grow as fast as possible and improve technology without regard to the environment, people in the future will be even richer and even better equipped to invest in environmental clean up.
The great thing about being a geek/nerd in high school is that you end up being protected from all that.
And I would add that it's also one of the great things about being a geek/nerd as an adult --- skipping a lot of needless interpersonal drama acted out by people who might as well still be in high school. I sometimes joke that I like hanging out with nerds because they lack the social skills to be manipulative. I'd rather spend my time discussing weird science facts or making lame computer jokes or analyzing the LOTR or heck, even reading/., than having conversations about conversations about who is or isn't getting along with their significant other.
One would HOPE that the UN would be laying the groundwork for something useful, like world-wide civil rights, healthcare standards, public health, preventing hunger
Humor registered, but for the record, those appointments at the UN are rotating, and Iraq announced a few days ago that it will not be chairing the disarmament committee when its turn comes, as reported in this Reuters article.
A fine option to consider if you have the resources, but most people who work near minimum wage jobs do so because they have no other choice. (And many work two jobs at that.) For a brilliant account of what it's really like out there check out Nickel and Dimed: On (not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich. It's a fascinating account of her attempt to get by on service sector jobs, and a real eye opener for people with lots of education. A short review from my website.
I also tried to write down the pecking order in my junior high school with a friend once, and we gave up in frustration --- it was impossible to come up with a single ordinal ranking. Many years later in grad school I learned about graph theory (now networks) and thought aha! this is what we needed for that junior high project.
I was not, however, a nerd in high school. I was a dork, which is like a nerd, but without the good grades.
I don't read Dave Barry regularly, but I did think this was funny:
I AM NOT JEALOUS of the woman who writes the Harry Potter books. It does not bother me that her most recent book,
Harry Potter and the Enormous Royalty Check, has already become the best-selling book in world history, beating out her previous book, Harry Potter Purchases Microsoft.
It does not make me bitter to know that this woman's books are selling like crazy, while my own books -- some of which took me hours to write -- have become permanent nesting grounds for generations of bookstore-dwelling spiders.
And I disagree with the critics who charge that the Harry Potter books teach witchcraft and Satanism. Yes, I'm aware of the recent case in Pittsburgh, where a 9-year-old boy recited a so-called "magic spell" from a Harry Potter book, and his piano teacher turned into a singing walnut. At first glance, this incident seemed alarming, but it turned out that there was a "perfectly innocent explanation," according to a police source, who spoke on the condition that his head be changed back to its normal size.
a chess program that will make him cry while beating him mercilessly
Simple. Make the computer wear a dress so Kasparov thinks he's been beaten by a woman. His opinions regarding women are so appalling that I always root for the machine.
Actually, the port goes into your spine, and attaches to this slimy pulsating organ thing that lets you play a really cool game that was invented by an astonishingly beautiful woman who isn't too picky about who she hangs out with...
The
commons is a general term for shared resources in which each stakeholder has an equal interest.
They go on to note that:
Research on commons usually focuses on some aspect of the relation between the physical resource and human institutions designed in the use and maintenance of that resource.
The statement that If you have an institution managing a common resource, then it's not a commons is not consistent with the standard usage of the term, at least as it used by academics and public policy analysts.
It's a mistake to posit altruism and the market as the only alternative institutions --- the Balinese example does not rely on altruism, it's consistent with a game theoretic model with rational actors.
As to the benefits of introducing market-mechanisms into the internet, I would pose the following question: how many viruses, worms, etc. would we expect to see released in an environment where there was a potential monetary payoff for such actions?
Enron made a huge mess of the electricity markets in California, partly through fraud and deceit, but mainly because the people who designed the rules of the market didn't think the problem through. Let's not repeat that mistake with the Internet based on some theoretical ideas about the efficiency of markets.
This summary of the Balinese water temple system is from an article by Bradley J. Ruffle and Richard H. Sosis that looks at the use of religious practice to encourage cooperation via field experiments in kibbutzim.
It follows that multinational corporations and foreign institutions investing in
the developing world and dependent on collaboration with the indigenous people may
profit from preserving indigenous ritual practices and the environment in which they
take place. The well-documented water temple system of Bali represents a case in
point (see Lansing, 1991, for an authoritative study). A lake in a volcanic crater on the
island as well as the rains that run off of the volcano irrigate Bali's rice fields. The
Balinese have developed what has proven to be an ingenious cooperative system of
aqueducts to supply water in equitable amounts to the surrounding farmers. At the
heart of this coordinated effort lies an indigenous religion that worships, among other
deities, Dewi Danu, the goddess of the waters emanating from the volcano in whose
honor an immense temple stands at the volcano's summit. Smaller temples for
worship are located at every branch of the irrigation system and at the fields onto
which the aqueducts empty.
The wisdom and success of the Balinese water temple
system became clear when the Asian Development Bank imposed a farming
alternative on the Balinese in the 1980s. The Asian Development Bank concluded in
1988 that, "The substitution of the "high technology and bureaucratic" solution
proved counter-productive and was the major factor behind the yield and cropped
areas declines experienced between 1982 and 1985... The cost of the lack of
appreciation of the merits of the traditional regime has been high. Project experience
highlights the fact that the irrigated rice terraces of Bali form a complex artificial
ecosystem which has been recognized locally over centuries" (quoted from Lansing,
1991, p. 124).
Lansing, J. S. (1991) "Priests and Programmers: Technologies of power in the
engineered landscape of Bali ", Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Leviatan, U., H. Oliver, J. Quarter (1998)
The Tragedy of the Commons , often cited by environmentalists, describes 14th-century Britain, where each household tried to gain wealth by putting as many animals as possible on the common village pasture. Overgrazing ruined the pasture, and village after village collapsed.
The "tragedy of the commons" that Hardin's article is devoted to is increasing world population. What evidence is there for overgrazing in England before as opposed to during and after the forced transition to private ownership? Most cultures with a common land tradition also have a set of rules for governing land use that avoids such tragedies, for example, irrigation systems in Bali where the farmer who gets the water last controls the water flow. Ones that didn't solve the problem of overuse of resources are conspicuous by their non-existence (Easter Island, some settlements in the Southwest US, some populations on islands in the South Pacific ).
The 'tragedy of the commons' is one of the most misunderstood and overused metaphors of our times. The idea that a system with resources held in common is necessarily unworkable is false --- what is needed is institutions that effectively manage common resources, and such institutions have emerged repeatedly and continue to exist. Often it is when these cultures come into contact with market-oriented societies that the traditional systems are undermined and collapsed. Often what happens is not "the tragedy of the commons" but "the tragedy of failed privatization" in which a traditional management system is destroyed without establishing a viable alternative.
How does this relate to the internet? It's a cautionary tale --- be very very careful when introducing monetary incentives into a system that has previously relied on cooperation and cultural norms.
Wow, six people in your class were named "RatBastard"?
I am guessing that your name is Jason.
When I was teaching I used to tell my students, if I can't remember your name and you're a guy, I'll guess 'Jason', if you're a girl, I'll guess 'Jennifer". I once had a class with 8 women, 3 of whom were named Jennifer.
Slashdot Mirror
Here's my take on some important life lessons that can be learned from participating in team sports, even if, or maybe especially if, you suck:
That's because terrorists that are bankrolled by the US military are called "freedom fighters".
There is solid, non-classified evidence of an al-Qaeda / Saudi Arabia link. Have a look at the nationalities of the 9-11 hijackers and where they obtained their visas. (15/19 were form Saudi Arabia.) link to article It's well known that Saudi money funds Islamic fundamentalist groups all across the Middle East.
Oh, and that Osama Bin Laden guy? Remind me again where he was from...
It's tempting to believe that because both Hussein and Bin Laden hate the US so much, they must consider themselves to be on the same side. Not the case at all --- there are more than two sides.
There is no reason to believe that an attack on Iraq will weaken al-Qaeda, and lots of reasons to suppose that it will strengthen the appeal of Islamic fundamentalism.
To Awtrey's credit, he has thought the issue through and considered the effects of his actions, and is willing to engage in a reasoned discussion of his decisions. What I can't understand is other people's unwillingness to go through the same process with regards to their own opinions and actions.
I think this "all or nothing" argument is a cop out, a "reductio ad absurdum" excuse for people who can't or won't consider the potential ramifications of their actions in the world at large.
Everyone, no matter what their position in society or what work they do, has a responsibility to consider how their actions affect other people both in the short and long term. We can no longer afford short-sighted short term thinking -- the earth is too small a place these days.
Furthermore, this comment (and others) don't seem to be based on the content of the articles. (No, I am not new to slashdot! I just haven't let my standards sink to the lowest common denominator. Yet.) The anti-war link to the bluefish site in the original article is a discussion of whether or not to put an anti-war banner on the bluefish, not whether or not to develop code. Anthony L. Awtrey's remarks in the article presents his contrasting opinions in support of military action against Iraq, based in part on his wife's personal experience. Serious public discussion of these issues is what democracy is (supposed to be) all about.
Maybe the prospect of a major war in the Middle East makes you *yawn* but I'm glad to see that not everyone shares this view.
Also, people who are hysterical or uncontrollably angry are not likely to provide useful info to the people trying to do the recovery. It's probably cheaper and faster to pass distraught customers off to someone trained to deal with people in (real or perceived) crises rather than having technical staff trying to calm people down. It's just another form of specialization and division of labor.
BTW, for people who would like to have more perspective on crisis situations and better control over afflictive emotions like anger, I recommend Thubten Chodron's book Working with Anger published by Snow Lion Press.
I lived with a woman who deleted the literary criticism portion of her MFA thesis. On purpose. Because she had a paper copy. Which she couldn't find when she went to hand it in because a year had gone by and she had moved and her stuff had been in storage ins someone's basement. Not only did she try to have someone recover it from the hard drive, she called a psychic to locate the hard copy. Unsuccessfully. Eventually she had to rewrite it.
Well, what can you expect from someone getting a degree from "The Jack Kerouac Institute of Disembodied Poetics"?
I wish I was making this up. I'm not.
And I would add that it's also one of the great things about being a geek/nerd as an adult --- skipping a lot of needless interpersonal drama acted out by people who might as well still be in high school. I sometimes joke that I like hanging out with nerds because they lack the social skills to be manipulative. I'd rather spend my time discussing weird science facts or making lame computer jokes or analyzing the LOTR or heck, even reading /., than having conversations about conversations about who is or isn't getting along with their significant other.
One would HOPE that
that posters have a vague familiarity with the UN before launching such a broadside.
I was not, however, a nerd in high school. I was a dork, which is like a nerd, but without the good grades.
Simple. Make the computer wear a dress so Kasparov thinks he's been beaten by a woman. His opinions regarding women are so appalling that I always root for the machine.
Well, I'd root for the machine anyway.
It's a mistake to posit altruism and the market as the only alternative institutions --- the Balinese example does not rely on altruism, it's consistent with a game theoretic model with rational actors.
As to the benefits of introducing market-mechanisms into the internet, I would pose the following question: how many viruses, worms, etc. would we expect to see released in an environment where there was a potential monetary payoff for such actions?
Enron made a huge mess of the electricity markets in California, partly through fraud and deceit, but mainly because the people who designed the rules of the market didn't think the problem through. Let's not repeat that mistake with the Internet based on some theoretical ideas about the efficiency of markets.
blog-O-rama
Lansing, J. S. (1991) "Priests and Programmers: Technologies of power in the engineered landscape of Bali ", Princeton: Princeton University Press. Leviatan, U., H. Oliver, J. Quarter (1998)
blog-O-rama
The Tragedy of the Commons , often cited by environmentalists, describes 14th-century Britain, where each household tried to gain wealth by putting as many animals as possible on the common village pasture. Overgrazing ruined the pasture, and village after village collapsed.
The "tragedy of the commons" that Hardin's article is devoted to is increasing world population. What evidence is there for overgrazing in England before as opposed to during and after the forced transition to private ownership? Most cultures with a common land tradition also have a set of rules for governing land use that avoids such tragedies, for example, irrigation systems in Bali where the farmer who gets the water last controls the water flow. Ones that didn't solve the problem of overuse of resources are conspicuous by their non-existence (Easter Island, some settlements in the Southwest US, some populations on islands in the South Pacific ).
The 'tragedy of the commons' is one of the most misunderstood and overused metaphors of our times. The idea that a system with resources held in common is necessarily unworkable is false --- what is needed is institutions that effectively manage common resources, and such institutions have emerged repeatedly and continue to exist. Often it is when these cultures come into contact with market-oriented societies that the traditional systems are undermined and collapsed. Often what happens is not "the tragedy of the commons" but "the tragedy of failed privatization" in which a traditional management system is destroyed without establishing a viable alternative.
How does this relate to the internet? It's a cautionary tale --- be very very careful when introducing monetary incentives into a system that has previously relied on cooperation and cultural norms.
blog-O-rama
I am guessing that your name is Jason.
When I was teaching I used to tell my students, if I can't remember your name and you're a guy, I'll guess 'Jason', if you're a girl, I'll guess 'Jennifer". I once had a class with 8 women, 3 of whom were named Jennifer.
blog-O-rama
1) pr0n variation a
...
2) pr0n variation b
3) pr0n variation c
and so on until you get down to about 7). Not sure where goatse.cx falls in the list.
blog-O-rama