But we would tera-form Mars, Venus, and the moon...
Hmmm. Mars has already lost most of its atmosphere, Venus has a seriously advanced case of runaway global warming, while there is no chance of making any kind of atmosphere stick to the moon at all. Good thinking.
Those who say that life is beautiful and people are wonderful--well yes, the glass is half full.
Just twice as big as it needs to be.
I can't think of anything more tedious or stupid than being immortal. In an already overpopulated world, the last thing we need is a few generations of people who refuse to accept a finite lifespan. Far better that we should be here for a good time rather than a long one.
Don't worry, neither can the Western Australian Meteorological Office. But I suspect their success rate would be vastly improved by the installation of a few windows.
Yeah, right. While bacteria work well with circular chromosomes, mice and men might have some difficulty with that, not least with all the machinery relating to genetic expression. Lots of scary scenarios (scenaria?) come to mind, but the simple fact is that us eukaryotes are not biochemically equipped to deal with circularised chromosomes, and our lives would be very short.
Similarly, I run Arch Linux, and have found its rolling release to be at least as bombproof as Ubuntu's cadenced release. The difference is simply that your upgrade cycle happens at a time when you and the individual program developers are ready for it, and you can be as selective as you like.
[shudder]. The only thing I hated more then DESQView was Gem. That was truly awful.
Back then, there were lots of approaches to getting applications started (given that DOS was/is a single-tasking OS, so stopping programs wasn't an issue). Many went down the path of using LeMenu and similar menu systems. I recall setting up a lot of machines with suites of menus constructed using Norton's extensions for batch files, which allowed us to create menus similar to the kind of thing we can do with ncurses. I can't remember what the collection was called offhand, but those menus survived even through the advent of the 386 machines, simply because they were totally bombproof and had zero overhead. Perfect for commercial environments where the emphasis is on getting work done...
Schools seem more bent on teaching basic Math, English, Reading and such...
Maybe we need something like what I had when I was a boy:
Maths, English (Literature and Language), Latin, Greek Classical Studies and History.
Little of this might be considered "relevant" in a modern context, but I still believe I got a more worthwhile education than the drones currently being churned out. Given how history has an unwelcome habit of repeating itself, a bit of attention to the past is not necessarily a bad thing.
I enjoyed "The colour of Magic", but have to admit I found the next two iterations on the same theme a bit tiresome. I suspect Pratchett might have used up all his best ideas in one go.
Also the hobbit is great for that age range, and also a bit younger
Well said; "The Hobbit" is easily accessible to a 6-year-old, and has the merit of being a fucking good book, with lots of choices of really cool illustrations from third parties if you want them.
Actually, the Harry Potter stories are NOT badly written. They certainly stand at least equal to the best of children's literature from any decade of the 20th century, and they make good reading for adults too.
I enjoy reading what some people insist on referring to as "great" literature, but there is a place for reading works that are meant to be fun. The Harry Potter books (even the last ones) fall squarely into the category of "fun", and have done a lot to get children reading for pleasure rather than as an imposition.
Talking of dated books, I might suggest the Richmal Crompton "William" books ("Just William" and so on), and there's still a lot to be said for unadulterated copies of Enid Blyton novels, such as "Five Go Mad On Mescalin". OK, that title was a joke, but my point is that introducing a perspective from before the evolution of the internet or gaming consoles can only be a good thing in an age where children are typically entertained by plugging them into some form of electronic device.
When I was a kid, I was given this great encyclopedia of science. It was a big fat tome of a book (surprisingly, given its market), but so well presented that I found myself spending ages browsing through it. I can still visualise some parts of it now, nearly half a century later. I can't remember who gave me the book, but whoever it was clearly had a very good grasp of what might attract the attention of a young boy.
I wish I could say that girls are the same, but unfortunately they're not. I know any number of otherwise (supposedly) enlightened parents whose daughters are allowed or encouraged to pursue "girlie" activities like dressing up dolls and so forth. As a thinking male, I am not ashamed to admit these kids make me want to puke. In their case, board games are the best option, especially if they require a degree of skill, so they have an opportunity to out-think male opponents.
Agreed, all of those. I was given a basic carpentry kit (bits of which I still have over 40 years later) when I was a kid, and ended up making violins and lutes.
But another idea, which might be something rarely seen nowadays: Meccano. When I was a kid, I was given a few basic kits, which were supplemented by more that my father had owned when he was a boy in the '30s. Lego is cool, but Meccano is beyond cool.
If you collected all pennies that were ever cut off from you in your lifetime...
Well, a number of people that I know live like that and are quite prosperous. Unfortunately, this is a trait that often manifests in geeks, which gives the rest of us a bad rap as cheapskates. I have never been able to live like that, and so it's probably just as well I don't have any heirs to squabble over my non-existent fortune when I drop off my perch.
the micro-transaction model (where things cost $1, not $0.000056) is already becoming established.
I'm not sure about where you are, but here in Australia we are seeing a lot of infrastructure being installed for this, but the transactions are drawn against a normal banking account without any requirement for authentication. To me, this seems like a hole where funds can trickle out with none of the usual advantages of user identification, and none of the anonymity of cash.
Seems to me the only advantage of this system accrues to businesses that want to collect information about you (and maybe share it around), and criminals who can buy as much foul coffee from Starbucks as their guts can stand using your card. Pass.
I can understand the usefulness of an anomymous pre-paid card (very much like the sort of thing used for fares on many urban transport networks), and I would probably use that, but present solutions seem to be offering more snakes than ladders.
Indeed they are, but IMO they are much better appreciated as an adult. Those are all books that have a tendency to be studied at school, which usually takes the fun out of them.
I would suggest entering (or exiting the US), have nothing on your HD/SSD but an OS with a few games/media player and a phone that empty and can be used once for a short time.
In that case, why carry a computer and phone at all?
You don't know how many times I have read that all spams are coming from China when they in fact come from USA.
This (in my experience) is true. I haven't quantified this figure very recently (I have more useful ways to spend my time, since my anecdotal impression is unchanged), but last time I checked the proportion was over 98%.
However, the Chinese take the prize in the number of scam sites. I apologise in advance if the following comes across as racist, but sometimes it seems almost as if there is some wide and deep-seated national streak of dishonesty that they have to feed in order to validate their existence. I never cease to find it scary that our governments and larger corporations all fall over themselves scrambling to do business with the Chinese when they keep showing us, time and again, that they are not to be trusted.
At the bottom of that page it does in fact mention that "the Z designation is separate from the Student Conduct Process, which may include additional sanctions such as disciplinary warning, disciplinary probation, disciplinary suspension, or expulsion". Not that it matters to me, I was just curious enough to look.
You mean you went to a college where they stayed in the room when you took tests?
My lecturers/profs always hung around, at least for a while, just in case there was any last-minute clarification that had to be made with any questions on the paper.
Slashdot Mirror
But we would tera-form Mars, Venus, and the moon...
Hmmm. Mars has already lost most of its atmosphere, Venus has a seriously advanced case of runaway global warming, while there is no chance of making any kind of atmosphere stick to the moon at all. Good thinking.
Those who say that life is beautiful and people are wonderful--well yes, the glass is half full.
Just twice as big as it needs to be.
I can't think of anything more tedious or stupid than being immortal. In an already overpopulated world, the last thing we need is a few generations of people who refuse to accept a finite lifespan. Far better that we should be here for a good time rather than a long one.
But I can't predict the weather! :)
Don't worry, neither can the Western Australian Meteorological Office. But I suspect their success rate would be vastly improved by the installation of a few windows.
Yeah, right. While bacteria work well with circular chromosomes, mice and men might have some difficulty with that, not least with all the machinery relating to genetic expression. Lots of scary scenarios (scenaria?) come to mind, but the simple fact is that us eukaryotes are not biochemically equipped to deal with circularised chromosomes, and our lives would be very short.
What country are you in that requires people to sign a 3 year contract?
Here in Australia, the standard contract is 24 months. Given that I tend to keep my handsets for about double that term, I'm happy enough with that...
Similarly, I run Arch Linux, and have found its rolling release to be at least as bombproof as Ubuntu's cadenced release. The difference is simply that your upgrade cycle happens at a time when you and the individual program developers are ready for it, and you can be as selective as you like.
DESQviewX was pretty elite back in the day...
[shudder]. The only thing I hated more then DESQView was Gem. That was truly awful.
Back then, there were lots of approaches to getting applications started (given that DOS was/is a single-tasking OS, so stopping programs wasn't an issue). Many went down the path of using LeMenu and similar menu systems. I recall setting up a lot of machines with suites of menus constructed using Norton's extensions for batch files, which allowed us to create menus similar to the kind of thing we can do with ncurses. I can't remember what the collection was called offhand, but those menus survived even through the advent of the 386 machines, simply because they were totally bombproof and had zero overhead. Perfect for commercial environments where the emphasis is on getting work done...
OS/2 rightfully isn't on that list...
...but then, of course, OS/2 was 1/2 of an operating system.
Schools seem more bent on teaching basic Math, English, Reading and such...
Maybe we need something like what I had when I was a boy:
Maths, English (Literature and Language), Latin, Greek Classical Studies and History.
Little of this might be considered "relevant" in a modern context, but I still believe I got a more worthwhile education than the drones currently being churned out. Given how history has an unwelcome habit of repeating itself, a bit of attention to the past is not necessarily a bad thing.
I enjoyed "The colour of Magic", but have to admit I found the next two iterations on the same theme a bit tiresome. I suspect Pratchett might have used up all his best ideas in one go.
Also the hobbit is great for that age range, and also a bit younger
Well said; "The Hobbit" is easily accessible to a 6-year-old, and has the merit of being a fucking good book, with lots of choices of really cool illustrations from third parties if you want them.
Actually, the Harry Potter stories are NOT badly written. They certainly stand at least equal to the best of children's literature from any decade of the 20th century, and they make good reading for adults too.
I enjoy reading what some people insist on referring to as "great" literature, but there is a place for reading works that are meant to be fun. The Harry Potter books (even the last ones) fall squarely into the category of "fun", and have done a lot to get children reading for pleasure rather than as an imposition.
Talking of dated books, I might suggest the Richmal Crompton "William" books ("Just William" and so on), and there's still a lot to be said for unadulterated copies of Enid Blyton novels, such as "Five Go Mad On Mescalin". OK, that title was a joke, but my point is that introducing a perspective from before the evolution of the internet or gaming consoles can only be a good thing in an age where children are typically entertained by plugging them into some form of electronic device.
When I was a kid, I was given this great encyclopedia of science. It was a big fat tome of a book (surprisingly, given its market), but so well presented that I found myself spending ages browsing through it. I can still visualise some parts of it now, nearly half a century later. I can't remember who gave me the book, but whoever it was clearly had a very good grasp of what might attract the attention of a young boy.
I wish I could say that girls are the same, but unfortunately they're not. I know any number of otherwise (supposedly) enlightened parents whose daughters are allowed or encouraged to pursue "girlie" activities like dressing up dolls and so forth. As a thinking male, I am not ashamed to admit these kids make me want to puke. In their case, board games are the best option, especially if they require a degree of skill, so they have an opportunity to out-think male opponents.
Agreed, all of those. I was given a basic carpentry kit (bits of which I still have over 40 years later) when I was a kid, and ended up making violins and lutes.
But another idea, which might be something rarely seen nowadays: Meccano. When I was a kid, I was given a few basic kits, which were supplemented by more that my father had owned when he was a boy in the '30s. Lego is cool, but Meccano is beyond cool.
If you collected all pennies that were ever cut off from you in your lifetime...
Well, a number of people that I know live like that and are quite prosperous. Unfortunately, this is a trait that often manifests in geeks, which gives the rest of us a bad rap as cheapskates. I have never been able to live like that, and so it's probably just as well I don't have any heirs to squabble over my non-existent fortune when I drop off my perch.
the micro-transaction model (where things cost $1, not $0.000056) is already becoming established.
I'm not sure about where you are, but here in Australia we are seeing a lot of infrastructure being installed for this, but the transactions are drawn against a normal banking account without any requirement for authentication. To me, this seems like a hole where funds can trickle out with none of the usual advantages of user identification, and none of the anonymity of cash.
Seems to me the only advantage of this system accrues to businesses that want to collect information about you (and maybe share it around), and criminals who can buy as much foul coffee from Starbucks as their guts can stand using your card. Pass.
I can understand the usefulness of an anomymous pre-paid card (very much like the sort of thing used for fares on many urban transport networks), and I would probably use that, but present solutions seem to be offering more snakes than ladders.
Indeed they are, but IMO they are much better appreciated as an adult. Those are all books that have a tendency to be studied at school, which usually takes the fun out of them.
I would suggest entering (or exiting the US), have nothing on your HD/SSD but an OS with a few games/media player and a phone that empty and can be used once for a short time.
In that case, why carry a computer and phone at all?
You don't know how many times I have read that all spams are coming from China when they in fact come from USA.
This (in my experience) is true. I haven't quantified this figure very recently (I have more useful ways to spend my time, since my anecdotal impression is unchanged), but last time I checked the proportion was over 98%.
However, the Chinese take the prize in the number of scam sites. I apologise in advance if the following comes across as racist, but sometimes it seems almost as if there is some wide and deep-seated national streak of dishonesty that they have to feed in order to validate their existence. I never cease to find it scary that our governments and larger corporations all fall over themselves scrambling to do business with the Chinese when they keep showing us, time and again, that they are not to be trusted.
Of course. Everybody should know by now that 95% of statistics are made up on the spot.
At the bottom of that page it does in fact mention that "the Z designation is separate from the Student Conduct Process, which may include additional sanctions such as disciplinary warning, disciplinary probation, disciplinary suspension, or expulsion". Not that it matters to me, I was just curious enough to look.
cheating only works when it's a small number of people who can keep a secret. Preferably one.
If more than one person knows, then it's not a secret.
You mean you went to a college where they stayed in the room when you took tests?
My lecturers/profs always hung around, at least for a while, just in case there was any last-minute clarification that had to be made with any questions on the paper.
A quick search of their website shows that apparently it does.