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User: mmortal03

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  1. At my university... on What Math Courses Should We Teach CS Students? · · Score: 1

    At my university, for the Computer Science students, the core math classes taught are Calculus I, Calculus II, Discrete Mathematics, Linear Algebra, and Probability and Statistics. Then, depending on the track you choose, you will either take Differential Equations and Numerical Analysis, or Theory of Numbers or Discrete Mathematics II.

    From what I have been told, multiple semesters of Numerical Analysis used to be required. I don't know why it was changed. Maybe they thought it was overkill for an undergraduate?

    I have heard good arguments for placing Linear Algebra above Calculus in importance in today's digital world, however, it looks like Calculus is still what is being required for a full year.

    I personally would like to be able to fit in some sort of Computer Statistical Analysis/Computational Statistics course before I graduate (I am a Software Engineering student, not a Computer Science major, and interested in sports statistics) but I doubt I'll be able to. There is just too much material to cover these days in an undergraduate Engineering curriculum, especially if you, like me, switched your major at some point. I hear that probability theory is a good one to take if you are interested in getting a job in some sort of prediction-based industry.

    It seems like there are never too many possibly useful math classes one can take. I'd like to know myself which ones are the most practical, by their industrial application, however.

  2. Re:Not a shortage of IT workers.... on IT Worker Shortages Everywhere · · Score: 1
    As for IT, is that even a degree offered in 4-year universities? I'm not sure I understand why anyone would need a 4-year degree to work at a helpdesk or work in an IT department handling operating system installations, service patch application, server maintenance, etc.

    Some universities have a BSIT program, traditionally in the College of Business or the College of Arts and Sciences and is more of a half tech school, half business management (maybe even CIS) type of thing. However, quoting Wikipedia:

    "Information Technology (IT) is concerned with the use of technology in managing and processing information, especially in large organizations. In particular, IT deals with the use of electronic computers and computer software to convert, store, protect, process, transmit, and retrieve information. For that reason, computer professionals are often called IT specialists or Business Process Consultants, and the division of a company or university that deals with software technology is often called the IT department. Other names for the latter are information services (IS) or management information services (MIS), managed service providers (MSP)."

    I personally am in a fairly new program at the University of Miami where our BSIT program covers the former definition, and it is in our College of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Our curriculum falls somewhere between Computer Engineering and Software Engineering, Networks, and Databases.

    We take all the math that any other Engineering student takes, a similar amount of general science and physics courses, and a good bit of Computer Engineering coursework (Intro to Engineering, Intro to C++, Data Structures w/ C++, Advanced C++, Intro to Electrical Circuit Theory, Intel Microprocessors/Microcontrollers (Assembly), Computer Organization & Design (More Assembly), Logic Design, Internet Computing (Java, etc), Engineering Probability (more math), UNIX Systems and Servers (C-Shell Scripting and UNIX C functions), Database Design and Management (SQL)).

    Then where we break off, they do more Electronics, Circuits, and Digital Hardware Systems coursework, and we instead take more software, network, and database design-related courses like Network Client-Server Programming (File Sharing), Data Network Design and Management, and Internet and Intranet Security (Encryption). We then get to choose tech electives from any of the upper-level Engineering and some of the Computer Science course catalog.

    I am personally taking the Software Engineering route, where I take Software Engineering, Software Architecture, Software Design and Testing, Computer Operating Systems, and then will choose to take Computer Architecture, Interactive Multimedia Computing, Multimedia Databases, and probably Data Mining. The also throw in a choice of a Management of Technology or Analysis of Information Systems course. So there you go.
  3. Re:Not a shortage of IT workers.... on IT Worker Shortages Everywhere · · Score: 2, Interesting
    You don't go to a university to learn practical skills. You go to learn theory and foundations so that you can have a true mastery of a subject. You can learn practical skills on your own if you have the talent to earn a university degree.
    Then shouldn't the job market logically expect to TEACH you these practical skills that you need, since you spent your time in college actually working hard to learn the fundamentals? They are already wanting you to have 5 years experience with skills that what you are saying aren't worth the time to teach them in the classroom. Companies should either offer to teach these practical skills to you or at least provide you with the materials to teach yourself.

    If you just want practical skills, go to a trade school. You don't get a mechanical engineering degree to become an auto mechanic and work at your local Chevy dealership. Why would you get a Computer Science degree to write applications in C++/C#?
    Let me ask you this, then: What are some jobs that someone with a BS in either Computer Science or Information Technology SHOULD be expected to be getting, if their degree means they are too qualified to be a .Net programmer?
  4. But what about the girls? on Next Generation of iPods to have Wi-Fi? · · Score: 1
    Microsoft has announced its new iPod competitor, Zune. It says that this device is all about building communities. Are you worried?
    Jobs: In a word, no. I've seen the demonstrations on the Internet about how you can find another person using a Zune and give them a song they can play three times. It takes forever. By the time you've gone through all that, the girl's got up and left! You're much better off to take one of your earbuds out and put it in her ear. Then you're connected with about two feet of headphone cable.
    So Apple made their wireless transfer work faster?

    I'm still confused by his earbud method to pick up the chicks, though, because with girls that use the Zune, you can still use your Jedi Mind Trick skills on them (you know, because girls using a Microsoft product are usually weak minded.) There's no such luck using that on girls that choose Apple.
  5. Re:Reverse correlation? on TV Really Might Cause Autism · · Score: 1

    Right, also, if you had a TV back then, then you were probably more likely to have a higher public awareness of things like autism. Heck, if you owned a TV, you would have more money, and would likely have had a higher education and were therefore more publicly aware.

  6. Re:Nothing can kill the iPod on iPod Killers For the Holidays · · Score: 1

    I don't think that anything will do just what the iPod does and take over its market, but something that has new and innovative features like the Pioneer Inno might. It is a portable XM radio, it also plays MP3s, it allows you to record up to 50 hours of XM radio content w/ a robust scheduling feature, it is integrated with Napster to remember the songs that you liked, and is smaller than some of the iPod line.

    The ability to discover new music with this thing is great...and it also has a built-in sports ticker feature.

  7. Re:useful tip on Firefox 2.0 RC2 Review · · Score: 1

    Right, the silly thing about removing the green arrow is that it is very useful when you are copy and pasting in an url with your mouse, and then going to that url using your mouse. Sometimes you don't want to have to move over to use your keyboard.

  8. Re:RD Offsored Too. Everyone SOL. on Globalization Decimating US I.T. Jobs · · Score: 1

    I guess that is why GE and Microsoft recruit so much at the University of Miami: Our student body is one of the most diverse in the nation, meaning that our students might just be able to work well with and accept the diversity of foreigners when they graduate.

  9. Re:Push homebrew, maybe? on Sony Struggles To Define the PSP · · Score: 1

    Actually, I think they should open up the UMD format. What would they be losing now?

    I said from the beginning that they should have allowed the consumer to write to the UMD discs. If they had built in a UMD writer into the PSP, the thing would have exploded in popularity.

  10. Re:Increasing IQ's? on Modern Humans Far More Robust Than Ancestors · · Score: 1

    True. Or you could just test to see if they use the word correctly or not! :) You are right that smart people don't always take advantage of their intelligence...but then, I'd say they'd be stupid.

  11. Re:Increasing IQ's? on Modern Humans Far More Robust Than Ancestors · · Score: 1

    Yeah, there was slight sarcasm in that original post, however, I will say that I've always noticed how those who are more intelligent seem to care more about learning new vocabulary so that they can more properly express themselves. So, even though it is rote memorization, if they don't have the interest in learning the words, they won't encode them and commit them to memory. I'm sure language testing would be flawed in some respect in trying to use it to test intelligence, but I think there is something to it, as well.

  12. Is the submitter a fanboy? on The Top 100 Games of the 21st Century · · Score: 1

    Ground Glass, are you a fanboy? The only way you wouldn't know that Smash Bros sold so many copies is if you are a Microsoft or Sony fanboy, or are just not that knowledgeable about video games. Most gamers who aren't fanboys know that Smash Bros did exceptionally well. I can see it now: "But Nintendo is too kiddie! They COULDN'T have sold that many games!!!!11!!"

  13. Re:Increasing IQ's? on Modern Humans Far More Robust Than Ancestors · · Score: 1

    How are you replying to my post AND getting points over a day later?

  14. Re:Increasing IQ's? on Modern Humans Far More Robust Than Ancestors · · Score: 1

    They say that we are getting better at visual-type tests that are part of the IQ test (could be learned behavior), but we are getting worse on vocabulary tests (SAT, ACT).

    Could it reach the point where the vocabulary test will be a better measure than the IQ test to measure overall intelligence?

  15. Re:Because I'm a Roman Catholic... on 'Predecessor' Neurons to Human Brain Discovered · · Score: 1

    I think you are confusing homosexuality in general with homosexual marriage. The Church does not allow for homosexual marriage. I don't follow why you would assume that it would be okay by the Church to marry two men or two women. They don't allow for it, in and of itself.

    You mention "homosexuals who want to become artificially inseminated or (try to) adopt."

    Artificial insemination is not within the anthropological (and other adjectives) design of God, according to the Church. It does not have all the proper components to make it ordered. It doesn't matter if they want to have children. That is why I said "anthropological ability AND propensity", and not OR. There are often many AND statements in what the Church requires. Also, don't forget about heterosexual couples who want to artificially inseminate because one or the other is sterile. This is not allowed either. The church suggests adoption.

    Also, in the next part, you are lumping Opposite-sex couples who can't have children in with opposite-sex couples who don't want to have children. There is a difference there. Not wanting to have children is not favored by the Church, not that I guess you couldn't still choose to not have kids.

    "Why would it matter why they can't? They can't, that's the bottom line, you don't have to read into it."

    It isn't simply that they can't, it has to do with the anthropology of it. The Church holds that God created humans in a certain way for a reason, again, anthropologically speaking. THAT is the difference. It is along the lines of, "God didn't create humans to have homosexual relationships and/or marriage." It goes much deeper philosophically, and the Church is definitely more articulate on the issue than I am, but I am just trying to summarize it as best as I can to apply to the current discussion.

    "This is news to me. As far as i knew the Church's feelings on the matter were that you were OK as long as you controlled the urge (they realize that homosexuality itself may not controllable, a surprisingly humane position for them)."

    You are right that they DO realize that homosexuality itself may be difficult to control, and they also have TONS of support for those who are homosexual, and even more for those who have AIDS. Also, I am not saying that the persons themselves are wrong here at all. It is always the actions. Even heterosexual feelings, outside the context of what the Church defines as marriage, can be lust, too. The difference I was pointing out was that since a homosexual marriage within the Church is not possible, not allowed, and considered disordered, any sexual thoughts within that arrangement would be disordered as well. Homosexual marriage is an action that does not lead to what the Church considers an ordered relationship, i.e. how God created it to be.

  16. Re:Because I'm a Roman Catholic... on 'Predecessor' Neurons to Human Brain Discovered · · Score: 1

    Going along with what you are saying, are you arguing that homosexual marriage is therefore not a sin according to the Bible and the Catholic Church, as long as the two men or the two women do not have sex? This is incorrect.

    As far as the Catholic Church is concerned, what would be considered a marriage between two men or two women is a greatly disordered arrangement, one reason being because the anthropological ability and propensity towards the propagation of mankind is never present in that relationship. (Note that I did not say that the physical ability had to be there, e.g. women or men who cannot physically have children are not disallowed from being married)

    This makes the very relationship forbidden in the eyes of the Church, and, down the line from what I wrote of the above definition, lust, which we all know as a sin, would be the very categorization of any sexual feelings within this relationship, even if no physical act occurs, because the marriage itself would not be valid, and so there would be no context for proper sexual conduct even in ones thoughts.

    This is similar to the Churches rules regarding birth control: What God defined as inherently anthropological limitations to having children are deemed what would be considered "natural" (the time in a woman's rhythm where she is infertile can be applied, under certain circumstances, to postpone when a couple has children, i.e. Natural Family Planning). Any other form of birth control is not "natural" in light of how we were designed for procreation, but more importantly, when we use some artificial form of birth control, we are absolutely determining that we are the ones that get to choose, not God, when it comes to the creation of life, which is like saying, "Hey God, you don't have any say on THIS possibility for life, because WE are going to choose take away any significant chance for conception."

    But, getting back to the main issue, just as an FYI to let you know of my socio-political viewpoint, and not what my Church defines, I would personally like the US government to completely remove "marriage" from its jurisdiction, and only legally permit "civil unions" of which can be unisexual or male-female in their possible partner combinations. That would solve the gay marriage issue politically.

  17. Re:Because I'm a Roman Catholic... on 'Predecessor' Neurons to Human Brain Discovered · · Score: 1

    Marriage actually has a lot to do with intercourse. And yes, I know that that doesn't mean that you can't have intercourse outside of marriage.

  18. Re: spending on Engineers Working Harder for Their Paycheck · · Score: 1

    I totally agree with what you are getting at here, but don't forget to include taxes into the equation if you didn't.

  19. Re: spending on Engineers Working Harder for Their Paycheck · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I am not criticizing your overall cutting of corners, because I don't know what you are already doing, but sometimes when you think that you can't cut anymore corners, you actually can. You gave the example of Subway, and what the price is now. I actually go to Subway as well, but I don't get a drink; I drink water. If I want chips, I buy my own chips in bulk at the supermarket instead. That saves more than you might guess. It gets the price down to about what you used to pay for the meal with the drink. Yes, you did originally get the drink for the same price, but that doesn't mean that you really ever needed to. We Americans "just get the drink" due to habit, and this applies to many other categories of our spending in our daily lives as well. And, back to the Subway example, it is true that most businesses really do get your money with the pricing of their drinks. Speaking of which, all of the fast food options have high fructose corn syrup in them, which isn't good for us anyway, and extra calories.

    Obviously, the above is not a solution to all of your problems, and I am not meaning it to be, but instead I am simply reminding everyone that EVERYTHING adds up, not just the big purchases. Good Luck!

  20. Re:I don't see the use on Mice Produced Using Artificial Sperm · · Score: 1

    Yeah, well, when I read the title, I thought that a story had broke that some company was producing computer mice made out of artificial sperm...and so, immediately, I jerked my hand off and away! (no pun intended)

  21. Re:hmmm . . . on Samsung Ships the First Blu-Ray Player · · Score: 1

    Here is an example of some good upsampling: http://gear.ign.com/articles/701/701720p1.html

    Really cool what they can get out of SD material.

  22. Yep... on A Database for the Office? · · Score: 3, Funny

    "Most of the time they loose interest" As opposed to "tight interest"?

  23. Re:They've planned for this already. on Pact Not to Use Image Constraint Token Until 2010? · · Score: 1

    I see what you mean, because theoretically it will get people to buy the Blu Ray players now because they won't have to buy a new HDTV to fully support the maximum resolution along with it. The problem with that, though, is that it ISN'T going to get people to buy a new HDTV once they do enforce the ICT flag, because they will realize that they are getting gypped. No one is going to upgrade their HDTV for the sake of a copy protection when they already had the full quality in the first place. Plus, the Xbox 360 and 499 PS3 buyers will be in an even crappier situation, because their players won't even be able to play full resolution movies anymore even WITH a new HDTV.

    Basically, if they ever enforce the ICT, they will be signing the death certificate of their format.

  24. If you have enough variables you can fit anything on One Big Bang, Or Many? · · Score: 1

    Hopefully this isn't a situation where if they can arbitrarily pick a certain number of expansion/compressions, then the variables work. That would seem like in statistics, where if you do a regression to a high enough power, you can fit it to any curve you want, which would be counter intuitive.

  25. A better article, with picture & entire line i on Nokia's New All-In-One Phone · · Score: 1

    Here is a better article with a picture of the phone, and the entire new line described. Plus, they are opening a store in Chicago. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1953830,00.as p