I've been trying to save time by learning Quantum during my daily commute. It's tough going:
"The time-dependent one-dimensional Schrödinger equation is given by i hbar partial psi over partial t equals minus h squared over 2 m times partial squared psi over partial x squared plus V of x times psi of x and t where i is the imaginary unit, psi is the time-dependent wavefunction, and V(x) is the potential. However, the equation can be separated into temporal and spatial parts using separation of variables to obtain..."
With all the free web servies out there, I don't understand why nobody bothered to upload this PDF to one of them. I've uploaded it to rapidshare. Follow the directions:
Click on the "Free" button at the bottom of the screen
Wait for the "download ticket" counter to reach zero. When it does, you'll be presented with a link that you can right-click and save to your hard drive.
Why does this tufte guy get so much credit for so little, much of whih is either wrong or opinions on design, which, by definition, are subjective matters.
Judging from the spelling in your post, I'm guessing this is a troll but I'll bite anyhow. One of Tufte's messages is to maximize the data-ink ratio. One way of doing that is by doing "so little" as you put it. Many of the standard plot styles (e.g., bar chart) and be redesigned slightly by removing extraneous graphical elements to make the data really stand out. So doing "so little" is an advantage. Note that it takes a lot of thought to do "so little" so implying that anyone can do it is just plain wrong.
Part of the reason I am wasting time replying to this troll is because I wanted to tell slashdot readers that if they have an interest in Tufte or this type of material that I would strongly encourage you to go to one of his seminars. I was fortunate enough to see one and it was worth every penny ($320 and that includes the price of his three books, that PowerPoint pamphlet, and the famous Napolean march poster). I was scribbling notes as fast as I could for most of the day. He will give you a very good overview of the material he covers in his books. For example, he starts off the day stating about 10-12 key principles of information design. The principles are never really listed in any of his books. They are all covered, of course, but having him rattle them off -- with examples of each -- was worth the cost right there.
I'm not one to recommend seminars and conferences. If you ask me, they are oftentimes just an excuse to get the company to pay for a semi-vacation from the office. People ought to stay in their fucking offices and get some god damn work done. But this Tufte course is a rare exception. Again, I strongly recommend taking his course if he comes to your area.
3) Prepare oral arguments (the old fashioned Powerpoints or whatever your favorite pesentation software is will do here), as well as a brief (no more than 5 page) written argument to leave with him.
I've got a better idea. Why don't you just sit down and talk with him/her face-to-face? Standing up in front of a few PowerPoint slides is going to make you look like some kind of salesman. Make sure you rehearse your 'casual conversation' before going in but don't make it look like a rehearsed speech. Please no Powerpoint slides. That will make your arguments look like some slick, over-marketed bullshit. Just sit down and TALK TO HIM/HER. Tell them what your concerns are and make sure you answer every one of the questions satisfactorially.
Gee, thanks for the links to the House of Representatives and to a definition of Open Source and software patents. I would have been completely lost without these.
I agree with king-manic that technological gulfs, while huge, could be reduced significantly through interstellar trade. What is more signficant -- and I never see mentioned in these types of discussions -- are the huge gulfs in intelligence and mental abilities. There are going to be species out there that are vastly more intelligent or have incredible memories. In the movies and TV shows, all aliens have pretty much the same brainpower. That's just unrealistic.
Consider the following scenario: a race of technologically advanced reptiles are being attacked by intelligent insects from another world. The insects are more intelligent than the reptiles and have the same level of technological development. The reptiles are fucked unless they can get some help. They approach a world called Earth that contains intelligent bipedial mammals named humans. These mammals show promise but are relatively young and do not have sophisticated technology. They also are highly unpredictable and warlike. Knowing the risks, the reptiles make an offer: if the humans agree to enter the war by serving as tactical officers onboard their warships, the reptiles will provide the humans with advances in medicine, communications, power generation, and warp drive. Humans, eager for a chance to obtain technologies necessary to solve problems on their planet, leap at the chance. The highly-logical insects are used to the methodical, logical battleplans of the reptiles and are baffled by the unconventional tactics of the humans. They are quickly and easily defeated. Fearing they have created a monster, the reptiles quickly sever ties with the humans but not before they have transfered a signficant amount of technological know-how. Within a few decades, humans become a threat to the very reptiles who kick-started their space exploration.
Technology gaps are easily solved. Huge gaps in cognitive function are what make long-duration star wars unlikely.
related to the cohabitation of humans and Gungans on NabooSeth Shostak states, "So maybe it's possible to share, as long as neither species has the technology to obliterate, enslave, or merely cook and eat each other."
Doesn't that qualify more as "The Sociology of Star Wars"?
Yeah, it does seem as though the authors are making the assumption that all species are going to beat the crap out of each other. I realize that competition for resources is common among many species here on earth but we all come from a common ancestor if you look far enough back. Does this need for conquest really have to be the same for all life everywhere? If one species really had a superior advantage over another, does it necessarily follow that they will try to dominate them? I think it's at least possible that some species will learn to share resources with other creatures on their planet right away.
No shit. And check out this choice quote from TFA: "The nationally representative telephone survey...". Telephone survey? Okay, so now this "representative" sample is skewed towards those who (a) still have landlines and (b) are willing to talk to some stranger on the phone about aliens. I was the last of my friends to get a cell phone and now not even *I* still have a landline. This is a really skewed sample. It's also not clear to me whether they made a strong differntiation between life and intelligent life in their questions. The article kinda muddles the two.
This is a great example of a terrible and useless survey. It certainly isn't representative of the entire US.
You're splitting hairs to justify doing something that is clearly ethically wrong, that is pirating movies, music, and software.
It's more than splitting hairs. Piracy is not a synonym for copyright infringement. Piracy and theft are charged words designed to generate a strong emotional response. Unconsciously, the word 'piracy' conjures up images of barbarians who murder and rape without remorse. 'Theft' is used to dig at the fear that everyone has of having their material items stolen from their house. Yes, consciously, we know that a 13-year old 'pirate' is not a raping, murdering, theiving monster but the MPAA wants to generate fear, anger, and other emotions in the public. Using 'copyright infringement' -- the correct term -- just won't do that for them. So they continue to use incorrect terminology. We're not being grammar nazis by insisting that they use less-neutral terms. Yes, copyright infringement is wrong. But it's a different class of wrong from the actions of pirates and thieves.
Yes, Bittorrent was at fault, and the economic impact was so huge, that Star Wars didn't make a single penny this weekend. And George Lucas is broke! John Williams is selling pencils on the street corner! Hayden Christensen... well let's not even talk about what he's doing to make ends meet!
I'd rather talk about what Nathalie Portman is doing to make ends meet!:)
It's interesting to note that the copy making rounds on the p2p networks is a workprint and not a cam-copy, suggesting an inside job. Given that everyone knew how high-profile ROTS was going to be, it doesn't seem too improbable that the MPAA purposely leaked the print just so they could make a big deal about it. I mean, ROTS is pretty much review-proof and p2p-proof; anyone who was interested in the film was going to the theater to see it anyhow. So there really wouldn't be a big loss by leaking this copy and it gives them a perfect opportunity to bang on the drum again. If ever they were going to leak a blockbuster, ROTS would be the one to do it for.
Slashdotters may wish to look through the comments in the article posted two years ago when they were first breaking ground. And, hey, who's that handsome stud who submitted the article?
Give me a break. That was my first accepted submission to slashdot. I'm very proud. I've got a printout of it hanging up in my cubicle next to my stuffed Tux doll, a defaced photo of Bill Gates, and a poster of that blonde swordswoman from Lord of the Rings in a chain-mail bikini!
And Lucas isn't quite done fiddling with Star Wars. Two more TV spinoffs are in the works - one a live-action series, the other in the vein of Cartoon Network's Clone Wars - plus he's overseeing yet another rerelease of all six films, this time digitally remastered in 3-D.
Looks like you'll get your wish! Greedo firing first in 3D! Maybe the new version will have Solo dodging the shot in Matrix-esque bullet time!
Remote-control sounds fine, but automatically? Do we have software capable of reliably distingushing between a civilian and an enemy combatant (at least as well as a human soldier can, anyway...)?
Well, no, but that wouldn't be necessary. I'm sure the robots would use some form of Identification Friend or Foe [IFF] method. I'm not saying those arne't foolproof but that doesn't really require any type of automatic target recognition (ATR) or image recognition software.
Note, I'm not saying that IFF makes these robots a great idea. I'm just pointing out that the idea isn't completely idiotic.
I think Shatner is by far, by far, my favorite Trekker. He's got a sense of humor about himself and his work, yet he's not even remotely afraid to take chances.
Really, I think that's a bit shortsighted. Shatner has only become that way in the last decade or so. Prior to that, he's tried to distance himself from the Trek fans as much as possible. Compared to how much he has benefited from Trek fandom, Shatner has given very little back. Contrast this with George Takei, Deforest Kelly, or Jimmy Doohan who have always been big supporters of Trek fandom. In a previous message, I talked about how Jimmy Doohan took it upon himself to use his fame to help a single fan back to health. Shatner would never do anything like this -- then or now. I'll admit that Shatner is likeable but that's been a recent thing. Read Takei's book sometime and listen to the shit that Shatner used to do. Shatner didn't even show up at Roddenberry's funeral, for chrissake!
You're entitled to your opinion but I'm baffled how you can consider him a Trekker at all, let alone your favorite.
I think agility is very important. Yesterday, I was using typing on the computer to repair damage done to our system by one of our clueless lusers (Bob) while simultaneously delivering a series of side kicks and back kicks to his abdomen to make sure he understood the gravity of his mistake. This involves both balance and agility. Lucy walked in on us and was about to cry for help when I immediately executing a beautiful spinning roundhouse kick to her temple. Again, fast reaction times and the ability to rapidly change direction and momentum -- agility -- saved the day. In the meantime, Bob was able to gasp a breath of air and was about to run away. Seeing Lucy drop to the ground, I whipped around a delievered a picture-perfect forearm smash right into Bob's teeth! Knocked him out cold. I continued typing on the computer, repairing the mess while simultaneously flicking the door to my office closed with my foot to conceal the physical mess.
Agility is the key to sanity as a sysadmin, my friends. If you can't multitask like that, you're gonna have a tough life. They don't teach you this shit in school.
To me, the saddest part about all this is that the only companies willing to do any practical research in robotics are Japanese car companies because they look farther into the future than the next quarterly earnings report. The Japanese car companies are pumping R&D dollars into developing new technologies that will help them in the long run. The American car companies are taking that money and pumping it into bonuses for CEOs so they can buy a new ivory backscracther every year.
Face it, we just don't have the drive to improve that companies in other countries do.
As an interesting side-note, the original Star Wars was slated to get a G rating. Lucas was already worried about having his film seen as kiddie fodder and the G rating really bothered him. So left in the scene of Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru's remains burning in the fire when Luke finds them. That was sufficiently gruesome to get the rating raised to PG.
I wonder if Lucas's shooting for a PG-13 rating with Revenge of the Sith is supposed to be some kind of tribute to what he did with A New Hope.
Only on slashdot would someone be requesting software to perform a task that any woman would do for free or actually pay you to do. Next on Ask Slashdot: "Can someone recommend an open-source software tool that assists me in selecting shoes?"
You point out that IT people would ideally be more people-friendly than the Average Joe. Interestingly enough, one data recovery service actually employs a psychologist with no computer training to help calm distraught callers. She helps provide some of the people-soothing skills necessary to get the hysterical callers to calm down enough so they can describe their problem to tech support. Wouldn't it be even better if the tech support could provide that human touch? Why employ two seperate people? We can argue all day about whether women really, truly empathize more than men as the common belief goes. But there is definitely a need for IT people of either sex to be more understanding and friendly than they are. I know I've talked with some people on the phone who are borderline rude. Please, no replies here about how it's a thankless job (I'm getting to that below) and I should be understanding of how they treat me.
People in IT get treated pretty badly sometimes. Think about it: they work long and hard for little to no thanks. No one walks up to their sysadmin and says "Hey, thanks for all you do. My system worked perfectly today!" No, the only time co-workers take notice of them is when things are going badly. In many ways, IT and sysadmin-ing in general is a thankless job. Now, I have no idea whether women are more able to put up with this kind of situation or not. But I can see where it would take a very unique kind of person to feel happy in such a job. And I see no reason why only men would have the necessary outlook on life, their career, and their role within a company.
By the way, I happen to know a female sysadmin who works out at the local gym. This is no typical-looking geek girl. She is really damn sexy. We're talking blond, super-fit, and breast implants. I mean everyone in the gym watches her with envious eyes (she's married). And when I was in grad school, the syadmin in our department was this asian cutie who was so pretty she made your teeth hurt! So the idea that only unpopular girls who don't care about their appearance go into IT is definitely not true.
I suppose this is getting a bit nit-picky but your post about how people associate robots with computers instead of mechanics is a bit bizarre since the same thing could be said about computers themselves! Recall that Babbage and Huygens had working mechanical computers long before there was freely-available electricity. I could rewrite your above comment replacing "robots" with "computers" and it would be equally true of the first non-digitial computers:
I'm really impressed that they had something like that over 60 years ago....that's before electricity! Computers now are inherently thought of as electronic I think... it's interesting to see that there really are mechanical versions of them. (I know there are still mechanical computers, but they're almost always controlled by electricity - this one clearly wasn't).
Actually, I think it probably has more to do with protecting themselves against some of the natural hazards associated with nuclear energy in Southest Asia.
Somedays I'm convinced that China will become the sole economic superpower in the world in our lifetime. The US may still have a powerful military decades from now but it really looks like the Chinese want success more than we do. The fact that they are moving ahead with nuclear power is an example. Here in the US, you just can't get any kind of nuclear power plant built. We continue to use rediculous amounts of electricity but resist any attempts at becoming self-sufficient. The Chinese are hungry to improve their country while we Americans have become complacent and feel like we will always be on top. Once our debt gets to the point that other countries will no longer invest in us, we'll sink like a stone and China will take over (economically). They just want success more than we do.
First off, I love the word "likely" which means that they really don't know.
Actually, it's very possible that they are using the word "likely" to refer to the probabilistic nature of the data they have. You can't say that everytime you are involved in a conversation there is a 100% chance that that you will be a poorer driver. "Likely" refers to "likelihood".
Slashdot Mirror
I've been trying to save time by learning Quantum during my daily commute. It's tough going:
Yeah, that drive is extra-special fun now.
GMD
With all the free web servies out there, I don't understand why nobody bothered to upload this PDF to one of them. I've uploaded it to rapidshare. Follow the directions:
That should be good for at least 30 days.
GMD
Why does this tufte guy get so much credit for so little, much of whih is either wrong or opinions on design, which, by definition, are subjective matters.
Judging from the spelling in your post, I'm guessing this is a troll but I'll bite anyhow. One of Tufte's messages is to maximize the data-ink ratio. One way of doing that is by doing "so little" as you put it. Many of the standard plot styles (e.g., bar chart) and be redesigned slightly by removing extraneous graphical elements to make the data really stand out. So doing "so little" is an advantage. Note that it takes a lot of thought to do "so little" so implying that anyone can do it is just plain wrong.
Part of the reason I am wasting time replying to this troll is because I wanted to tell slashdot readers that if they have an interest in Tufte or this type of material that I would strongly encourage you to go to one of his seminars. I was fortunate enough to see one and it was worth every penny ($320 and that includes the price of his three books, that PowerPoint pamphlet, and the famous Napolean march poster). I was scribbling notes as fast as I could for most of the day. He will give you a very good overview of the material he covers in his books. For example, he starts off the day stating about 10-12 key principles of information design. The principles are never really listed in any of his books. They are all covered, of course, but having him rattle them off -- with examples of each -- was worth the cost right there.
I'm not one to recommend seminars and conferences. If you ask me, they are oftentimes just an excuse to get the company to pay for a semi-vacation from the office. People ought to stay in their fucking offices and get some god damn work done. But this Tufte course is a rare exception. Again, I strongly recommend taking his course if he comes to your area.
GMD
3) Prepare oral arguments (the old fashioned Powerpoints or whatever your favorite pesentation software is will do here), as well as a brief (no more than 5 page) written argument to leave with him.
I've got a better idea. Why don't you just sit down and talk with him/her face-to-face? Standing up in front of a few PowerPoint slides is going to make you look like some kind of salesman. Make sure you rehearse your 'casual conversation' before going in but don't make it look like a rehearsed speech. Please no Powerpoint slides. That will make your arguments look like some slick, over-marketed bullshit. Just sit down and TALK TO HIM/HER. Tell them what your concerns are and make sure you answer every one of the questions satisfactorially.
GMD
Gee, thanks for the links to the House of Representatives and to a definition of Open Source and software patents. I would have been completely lost without these.
GMD
I agree with king-manic that technological gulfs, while huge, could be reduced significantly through interstellar trade. What is more signficant -- and I never see mentioned in these types of discussions -- are the huge gulfs in intelligence and mental abilities. There are going to be species out there that are vastly more intelligent or have incredible memories. In the movies and TV shows, all aliens have pretty much the same brainpower. That's just unrealistic.
Consider the following scenario: a race of technologically advanced reptiles are being attacked by intelligent insects from another world. The insects are more intelligent than the reptiles and have the same level of technological development. The reptiles are fucked unless they can get some help. They approach a world called Earth that contains intelligent bipedial mammals named humans. These mammals show promise but are relatively young and do not have sophisticated technology. They also are highly unpredictable and warlike. Knowing the risks, the reptiles make an offer: if the humans agree to enter the war by serving as tactical officers onboard their warships, the reptiles will provide the humans with advances in medicine, communications, power generation, and warp drive. Humans, eager for a chance to obtain technologies necessary to solve problems on their planet, leap at the chance. The highly-logical insects are used to the methodical, logical battleplans of the reptiles and are baffled by the unconventional tactics of the humans. They are quickly and easily defeated. Fearing they have created a monster, the reptiles quickly sever ties with the humans but not before they have transfered a signficant amount of technological know-how. Within a few decades, humans become a threat to the very reptiles who kick-started their space exploration.
Technology gaps are easily solved. Huge gaps in cognitive function are what make long-duration star wars unlikely.
GMD
related to the cohabitation of humans and Gungans on NabooSeth Shostak states, "So maybe it's possible to share, as long as neither species has the technology to obliterate, enslave, or merely cook and eat each other."
Doesn't that qualify more as "The Sociology of Star Wars"?
Yeah, it does seem as though the authors are making the assumption that all species are going to beat the crap out of each other. I realize that competition for resources is common among many species here on earth but we all come from a common ancestor if you look far enough back. Does this need for conquest really have to be the same for all life everywhere? If one species really had a superior advantage over another, does it necessarily follow that they will try to dominate them? I think it's at least possible that some species will learn to share resources with other creatures on their planet right away.
GMD
No shit. And check out this choice quote from TFA: "The nationally representative telephone survey ...". Telephone survey? Okay, so now this "representative" sample is skewed towards those who (a) still have landlines and (b) are willing to talk to some stranger on the phone about aliens. I was the last of my friends to get a cell phone and now not even *I* still have a landline. This is a really skewed sample. It's also not clear to me whether they made a strong differntiation between life and intelligent life in their questions. The article kinda muddles the two.
This is a great example of a terrible and useless survey. It certainly isn't representative of the entire US.
GMD
You're splitting hairs to justify doing something that is clearly ethically wrong, that is pirating movies, music, and software.
It's more than splitting hairs. Piracy is not a synonym for copyright infringement. Piracy and theft are charged words designed to generate a strong emotional response. Unconsciously, the word 'piracy' conjures up images of barbarians who murder and rape without remorse. 'Theft' is used to dig at the fear that everyone has of having their material items stolen from their house. Yes, consciously, we know that a 13-year old 'pirate' is not a raping, murdering, theiving monster but the MPAA wants to generate fear, anger, and other emotions in the public. Using 'copyright infringement' -- the correct term -- just won't do that for them. So they continue to use incorrect terminology. We're not being grammar nazis by insisting that they use less-neutral terms. Yes, copyright infringement is wrong. But it's a different class of wrong from the actions of pirates and thieves.
GMD
Yes, Bittorrent was at fault, and the economic impact was so huge, that Star Wars didn't make a single penny this weekend. And George Lucas is broke! John Williams is selling pencils on the street corner! Hayden Christensen... well let's not even talk about what he's doing to make ends meet!
I'd rather talk about what Nathalie Portman is doing to make ends meet! :)
GMD
It's interesting to note that the copy making rounds on the p2p networks is a workprint and not a cam-copy, suggesting an inside job. Given that everyone knew how high-profile ROTS was going to be, it doesn't seem too improbable that the MPAA purposely leaked the print just so they could make a big deal about it. I mean, ROTS is pretty much review-proof and p2p-proof; anyone who was interested in the film was going to the theater to see it anyhow. So there really wouldn't be a big loss by leaking this copy and it gives them a perfect opportunity to bang on the drum again. If ever they were going to leak a blockbuster, ROTS would be the one to do it for.
GMD
Slashdotters may wish to look through the comments in the article posted two years ago when they were first breaking ground. And, hey, who's that handsome stud who submitted the article?
Give me a break. That was my first accepted submission to slashdot. I'm very proud. I've got a printout of it hanging up in my cubicle next to my stuffed Tux doll, a defaced photo of Bill Gates, and a poster of that blonde swordswoman from Lord of the Rings in a chain-mail bikini!
GMD
He could always reinvent his movies.
Looks like you'll get your wish! Greedo firing first in 3D! Maybe the new version will have Solo dodging the shot in Matrix-esque bullet time!
GMD
Remote-control sounds fine, but automatically? Do we have software capable of reliably distingushing between a civilian and an enemy combatant (at least as well as a human soldier can, anyway...)?
Well, no, but that wouldn't be necessary. I'm sure the robots would use some form of Identification Friend or Foe [IFF] method. I'm not saying those arne't foolproof but that doesn't really require any type of automatic target recognition (ATR) or image recognition software.
Note, I'm not saying that IFF makes these robots a great idea. I'm just pointing out that the idea isn't completely idiotic.
GMD
I think Shatner is by far, by far, my favorite Trekker. He's got a sense of humor about himself and his work, yet he's not even remotely afraid to take chances.
Really, I think that's a bit shortsighted. Shatner has only become that way in the last decade or so. Prior to that, he's tried to distance himself from the Trek fans as much as possible. Compared to how much he has benefited from Trek fandom, Shatner has given very little back. Contrast this with George Takei, Deforest Kelly, or Jimmy Doohan who have always been big supporters of Trek fandom. In a previous message, I talked about how Jimmy Doohan took it upon himself to use his fame to help a single fan back to health. Shatner would never do anything like this -- then or now. I'll admit that Shatner is likeable but that's been a recent thing. Read Takei's book sometime and listen to the shit that Shatner used to do. Shatner didn't even show up at Roddenberry's funeral, for chrissake!
You're entitled to your opinion but I'm baffled how you can consider him a Trekker at all, let alone your favorite.
GMD
Sure, these aren't "hardcore" SF offerings, but its hard to imagine another guy, other than Lucas, who consistently churns out enjoyable Scifi fare.
I hate to nitpick but your sentence seems to be implying that Lucas makes enjoyable SciFi fare.
GMD
I think agility is very important. Yesterday, I was using typing on the computer to repair damage done to our system by one of our clueless lusers (Bob) while simultaneously delivering a series of side kicks and back kicks to his abdomen to make sure he understood the gravity of his mistake. This involves both balance and agility. Lucy walked in on us and was about to cry for help when I immediately executing a beautiful spinning roundhouse kick to her temple. Again, fast reaction times and the ability to rapidly change direction and momentum -- agility -- saved the day. In the meantime, Bob was able to gasp a breath of air and was about to run away. Seeing Lucy drop to the ground, I whipped around a delievered a picture-perfect forearm smash right into Bob's teeth! Knocked him out cold. I continued typing on the computer, repairing the mess while simultaneously flicking the door to my office closed with my foot to conceal the physical mess.
Agility is the key to sanity as a sysadmin, my friends. If you can't multitask like that, you're gonna have a tough life. They don't teach you this shit in school.
GMD
To me, the saddest part about all this is that the only companies willing to do any practical research in robotics are Japanese car companies because they look farther into the future than the next quarterly earnings report. The Japanese car companies are pumping R&D dollars into developing new technologies that will help them in the long run. The American car companies are taking that money and pumping it into bonuses for CEOs so they can buy a new ivory backscracther every year.
Face it, we just don't have the drive to improve that companies in other countries do.
GMD
As an interesting side-note, the original Star Wars was slated to get a G rating. Lucas was already worried about having his film seen as kiddie fodder and the G rating really bothered him. So left in the scene of Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru's remains burning in the fire when Luke finds them. That was sufficiently gruesome to get the rating raised to PG.
I wonder if Lucas's shooting for a PG-13 rating with Revenge of the Sith is supposed to be some kind of tribute to what he did with A New Hope.
GMD
Only on slashdot would someone be requesting software to perform a task that any woman would do for free or actually pay you to do. Next on Ask Slashdot: "Can someone recommend an open-source software tool that assists me in selecting shoes?"
GMD
You point out that IT people would ideally be more people-friendly than the Average Joe. Interestingly enough, one data recovery service actually employs a psychologist with no computer training to help calm distraught callers. She helps provide some of the people-soothing skills necessary to get the hysterical callers to calm down enough so they can describe their problem to tech support. Wouldn't it be even better if the tech support could provide that human touch? Why employ two seperate people? We can argue all day about whether women really, truly empathize more than men as the common belief goes. But there is definitely a need for IT people of either sex to be more understanding and friendly than they are. I know I've talked with some people on the phone who are borderline rude. Please, no replies here about how it's a thankless job (I'm getting to that below) and I should be understanding of how they treat me.
People in IT get treated pretty badly sometimes. Think about it: they work long and hard for little to no thanks. No one walks up to their sysadmin and says "Hey, thanks for all you do. My system worked perfectly today!" No, the only time co-workers take notice of them is when things are going badly. In many ways, IT and sysadmin-ing in general is a thankless job. Now, I have no idea whether women are more able to put up with this kind of situation or not. But I can see where it would take a very unique kind of person to feel happy in such a job. And I see no reason why only men would have the necessary outlook on life, their career, and their role within a company.
By the way, I happen to know a female sysadmin who works out at the local gym. This is no typical-looking geek girl. She is really damn sexy. We're talking blond, super-fit, and breast implants. I mean everyone in the gym watches her with envious eyes (she's married). And when I was in grad school, the syadmin in our department was this asian cutie who was so pretty she made your teeth hurt! So the idea that only unpopular girls who don't care about their appearance go into IT is definitely not true.
GMD
I suppose this is getting a bit nit-picky but your post about how people associate robots with computers instead of mechanics is a bit bizarre since the same thing could be said about computers themselves! Recall that Babbage and Huygens had working mechanical computers long before there was freely-available electricity. I could rewrite your above comment replacing "robots" with "computers" and it would be equally true of the first non-digitial computers:
I'm really impressed that they had something like that over 60 years ago. ...that's before electricity! Computers now are inherently thought of as electronic I think... it's interesting to see that there really are mechanical versions of them. (I know there are still mechanical computers, but they're almost always controlled by electricity - this one clearly wasn't).
GMD
Actually, I think it probably has more to do with protecting themselves against some of the natural hazards associated with nuclear energy in Southest Asia.
GMD
Somedays I'm convinced that China will become the sole economic superpower in the world in our lifetime. The US may still have a powerful military decades from now but it really looks like the Chinese want success more than we do. The fact that they are moving ahead with nuclear power is an example. Here in the US, you just can't get any kind of nuclear power plant built. We continue to use rediculous amounts of electricity but resist any attempts at becoming self-sufficient. The Chinese are hungry to improve their country while we Americans have become complacent and feel like we will always be on top. Once our debt gets to the point that other countries will no longer invest in us, we'll sink like a stone and China will take over (economically). They just want success more than we do.
GMD
First off, I love the word "likely" which means that they really don't know.
Actually, it's very possible that they are using the word "likely" to refer to the probabilistic nature of the data they have. You can't say that everytime you are involved in a conversation there is a 100% chance that that you will be a poorer driver. "Likely" refers to "likelihood".
GMD