Shocked, I'm completely and utterly shocked. There is cheating at competing, even when playing digital games.
My world falls apart when hearing operators of apparatus do things with it that are perceived as dishonest. My respect for presentations of ordered bits lies smashed and shattered on the floor.
I'm a programmer and I carry a notebook almost anywhere I go. It's my destiny.
Although my eye sight gets poorer over the years and I'd be better off with large fonts, I'd be damned to carry a mini PC like the iPhone around. So I have an Android phone.
I don't see a single reason for me to carry a notebook sized [ig]Phone with a crappy keyboard next to my notebook.
Sure YMMV, but here on/. I expect a higher than average amount of critical opinions towards these gadgets.
'The American people have a right to expect that White House employees are working to advance the public interest and not the interests of the lobby shops who formerly employed them,'
In US politics this an utterly preposterous proposition.
Every time I am forced to do something half-smart* on windows in invariably install Cygwin. It sort of covers all the crucial gaps. As soon as viable I take anything I need away from that god forsaken platform, process it and send the results back.
* half-smart: E.g. diff 2 files, edit 1 file, strip off \r, add \r, analyse XML, beautify XML, search files, run fortune
I have very vivid remembrances at compiling pretty complex C programs for various platforms and all using the same code base. Perl for instance.
Sure, the code base is infested with cpp macros and complex configuration mechanisms, making it something for the advanced programmer to grasp but this surely isn't something new. Also, not all libraries may be available on each platform. But I take most projects on a budget which are led by intelligent people, where human resource usage must be optimised will use a single code base.
It's when money creeps in that problems start. Suddenly some cretin is appointed as responsible for a specific platform -as opposed to have one group managing porting generally- and his targets will have "keeping single code base" as a last priority and that's where Babylon starts.
Sure, having a GUI toolkit performing identically or highly similar on multiple platforms is a challenge but single code base is the essence of any half decent project or product.
So his kid may have to go through life with an arbitrarily bad name, because it will help this guy's career and/or home town?
I wonder what other kinds of crap this guy is going to pull over the next 18 years. Poor kid.
Nah. I take he took into account that both names were pretty common. There are lots of Sergeis and Larries around. I take he wouldn't have come up with a similar idea concerning Mr. Obama. Simply because the name Barak is not heard very often -I never heard of it before Obama was in the news- and it will inevitably be directly associated with Mr. Obama.
The earth is trembling. I bet those Luddites at Google didn't think of that! Ha! Distinguished engineer Ken, changed the CS world with his buddy Dennis, but I bet he didn't see this coming!
Kidding aside, grab a deck chair and enjoy -well, appreciate- the spectacle unfold.
If it's better than Gmail, I'll try it. I know, I sleep with the devil. But she's a pretty woman, does the things I like, doesn't seem to gossip and is quite taciturn.
There's a shortage of donors as it is where too many are dragging their feet when it comes to registering. This new rule seems to make the "game" fairer.
I've never really seen it as a game myself. To me it is just a way to turn your own grief in to someone's joy. Is that really so bad? While I do not possess a donor card, I've made my wishes perfectly clear to those who would be making decisions on my behalf should something happen.
Well, my view on society should mostly be a game played with sportsmanship. I know it isn't but it should IMHO and that's my take on life. I'll spare/. a long and corny analogy but at the end of the game you want to leave in a joyful spirit.
Donating your organs is very sporty. As is not humiliating a much weaker adversary. As is not imposing your tactics and strategies onto other teams.
If the same rules apply for all students and if only one programming language is allowed, CPU shouldn't be an issue.
What are the objectives? If it's a thorough introduction of the system that lies at your finger tips, choose C as it is intended to access the hardware as directly as possible (without having to write assembly.) Choose an OO language if you want to teach OO. If you want the kids to actually use the language think of applicability.
For instance, I'm very proficient in Perl but I would never ever teach it as a first language because getting to the basics is too tough. The data types are too general and friendly and don't make you think enough about what you're doing. For an OO language I'd take openness, applicability and development environment into consideration. In short, I'd choose between C and Java.
Apparently this initiative faces resistance from Orthodox rabbis, who hold that organ donation is against religious law.
There's a shortage of donors as it is where too many are dragging their feet when it comes to registering. This new rule seems to make the "game" fairer.
But how I understand it, orthodox who explicitly refuse donating organs apparently want to dictate rules for matches they don't even participate in. What's it then? Do they want be in front of the queue for accepting organs? Play the game or leave the table. Another fine example of religious representatives imposing themselves, interpreting the word of God.
If you want Safety, then you're not free to do things that may hurt yourself or others.
If you want Freedom, then you or others *will* be hurt.
No one is ever free to do anything. Not here in EU and certainly not in the US.
Want to test freedom in the US?
Try exercising very mild nudity on prime time TV like Janet Jackson did. Over here in the EU we would have looked up for a brief moment and then we would have continued doing whatever it was we did. Maybe a few politicians would have tried to ride the wave and puritan idiots that would have tried to condemn it. Maybe the football fans would have asked the protagonists to piss off so they could continue watching the game. Most likely no trial would have taken place and certainly no $550,000 would have changed hands. What's in a tit? We all have -or should have- sucked on them in our lives.
Try swearing mildly on prime time TV. I take in the you'd have the same exaggerated reactions and the courts would be involved. Over here, we'd have mild frowning for the lack of taste shown and we would go on.
Watch "Philip Howard: Four ways to fix a broken legal system" and see how free the US society got.
Why limit mild sex and street language on TV? Why make laws that inhibit teachers in using common sense in school? And why not thinking about limiting gun possession?
As I alluded to before, I'm just rising questions and watching. I do think the US will improve. Hell, maybe the US is just ahead of what's coming our way here in EU.
The gun doesn't kill but the guy behind the trigger. I say resuscitate the toddler and give him the chair!
I know I will burn in violent flames for this. But karma really is irrelevant here.
We'll hear people defending arms with: "You need a gun in case of self-defence.", "It's a fundamental right for it is in the constitution.", "Speaking loud is in many ways ruder that carrying a gun." or "If we outlaw them only criminals will have guns." Old hat.
In many ways the USA people set an example to the world. Science, free speech, entrepreneurship and lots of other fields. But when it comes to guns the majority of the USA people completely loose it. It doesn't get into their heads that loosely controlled gun possession and violent deaths are stronger linked together than pollution and climate change.
In civilised countries you are hardly ever attacked and hence you don't need guns for self defence. Your constitution was written in a completely different era. It would take time but eventually very few guns will be in circulation and even criminals will use guns less and less.
Go on, call me a tree hugging hippy. Easy enough. But don't escape from the fact that many lives could be spared if the US people wouldn't allow themselves to be played by the gun lobby. Us living outside the US can only observe and see the lunacy. I distract myself from occurrences like this one either through very dark, bitter and cynical jokes or through a sad, respectful silence. I now will choose the latter.
He was appalled only by what was done to him. The aversion therapy twisted his love of the music into revulsion, even though he still wanted to love it.
Otherwise, Alex enjoyed the pain and suffering of any other human for any reason whatsoever.
Very true. I wonder though whether he would have generally agreed with people not being able to enjoy Beethoven. His sadism and his love for Beethoven could well contradict in this matter. I don't remember a passage where a conclusive answer was given. Then again, I've seen this film more than 20 years ago and my memory may be playing tricks on me. Feel free to expand.
If anything, Mozart appealed to his lustful public. Dancing a waltz can be pretty arousing. Hell, when danced well, even at today's standards.
Completely discarding Mozart for composing "popular" music is just as easy as discarding classical music* altogether. For simplicity's sake, maybe Mozart should be compared to modern composers with a distinct oeuvre, whose music is very danceable and will pass the test of time. The likes of Nile Rodgers & Bernard Edwards, Duke Ellington or Stevie Wonder for instance.
And that doesn't imply we all should want to be confronted with their music. Then again, refraining from negative comment is usually the graceful option.
Possibly a cure against disliking Mozart is perhaps taking waltz classes and -once proficient at it- visiting Vienna during Christmas and new year.
*I'm using the term classical music very freely here. Strictly speaking Mozart lived and composed in the classical period and Bach for instance in the Baroque.
PS: In retrospect I realise I'm writing this for a/. audience. I don't know what came over me and I apologise.
"Youths" don't stay young forever. Before very long they'll be adults, with legitimate reasons to be at stores and train stations and bus stops, but they still won't like the music. Any place that continues to play it will be driving away a whole lot of customers.
You are basically saying today's youths are so much different than youths a century ago. Possibly, taking into consideration that intelligence increases over generations, their intellect is more advanced and their reasoning for disliking classical music is taken with a great deal of consideration.
I'll give you that I represent your words very freely indeed. But consider that Bach and Mozart are among the most skilled musicians that ever lived and that their works have stood against the tooth of time. I would not be surprised when a percentage of the "recalcitrant youths" will start liking and maybe appreciating classical pieces.
My take is that the dislike of classical music is fed by group pressure, possibly to stand up against one's parents. And, as less and less parents show an exclusive liking of classical music, it will become less and less "uncool" to listen to it.
I recall Jaco Patorius, possibly the most virtuoso and influential bass guitar player that ever lived, saying he liked any kind of music as long as it's played well. He even liked country and western.
Now, let me find my ropes, straitjacket, eye clamps, artificial tears and the almost forgotten long play records of Ludwig Von. Then I'll invite a "youth" over and "we" will have a swell time appreciating classical music.
Eagerly awaiting cheap shots at MS being intrinsically a bunch of communists, where as Linux isn't. Don't know how this will be pulled of, but it will, undoubtedly.
I'm all strapped down with a bucket of popcorn, waiting to enjoy the ride.
Yes, I'm Italian and quite ambivalent about it. Don't think, however, that I would trade in my nationality that lightly. It's certainly not the best nationality to have but I haven't came across a better one so far. I trust most feel the same about their own nationality.
As near as I can tell, you are contradicting yourself. On one hand, you say being Italian is not the best, but then turn around and say that there aren't any better (defacto: the best). Really, which is it?
It clearly never crossed your mind that a set of "equally best" leaves a possibility that not a single one is "the best" and still there isn't a "better one" than anyone in the "equally best" set. Think before being a smart arse.
This says that you are not happy with your situation,....
Buddy, if a shrink was what I needed, I wouldn't waste my time here. Go practice your management skills onto someone else.
On a brighter note, somewhere a wonderful team manager career in Scandinavia or in the Netherlands is lurking for you.
In Italy defamation is a beloved way to make people shut up. In two occasions I was threatened to be sued over defamation.
For the record, both times a car driver behaved like an arse and I told them they were 1) "un coglione" which is best translated as knobhead/dickhead/idiot and 2) "stronza" (bitch.) Both times the defamation threat came instantaneously. Knowing it would cost me US$ 100 tops, I actually enjoyed the frigging beggars -their motives were mostly financial IMHO- winding themselves up.
I suppose I actually deserved a bit of verbal thrashing and intimidation in those cases. But imagine much worthier goals being seriously hampered by this. You very quickly defame someone in Italy on the base that they actually deserve it.
We Italians sort of cherish elaborated, concocted, ridiculous laws. It makes us feel "save" in a way that if push comes to shove we will find some way to delay or attack the adversary.
Yes, I'm Italian and quite ambivalent about it. Don't think, however, that I would trade in my nationality that lightly. It's certainly not the best nationality to have but I haven't came across a better one so far. I trust most feel the same about their own nationality.
How, exactly, does one get one's privacy back - once it has been violated?
Sure, a breach in the privacy is very serious indeed. The question is, did such e thing happen? Were indecent images gathered and forwarded? Was this scheme set up intentionally by pervs? I say first assess the situation and then come up with punishment.
Sure, hitting the wrongdoer in their pockets is NOT a bad thing at all. But why should one victim be overcompensated? I mean, consider the fact the his picture was taken eating candy.
By rewarding major sums of money in cases like these you eventually reward being a sissy. That's neither the image or impression I have of the US nor the one I should want to gather.
The fact that you seem to think that wholesale spying is a "minor offence", deems you worthy of being figuratively burned at the stake.
Well, the first one got in. Should I bring my own fuel?
I'd say the school very clumsily and stupidly tried to do something good. Stop the practice, tell them they are idiots and that they broke the law. Then, asses the situation and analyze the actual damages. I'd wager this will NOT be organized crime but a hand full of overzealous teachers and other staff.
OK, maybe a bunch of pervs at eh..., well..., "best", if you will. But I didn't read anything in that direction.
Slashdot Mirror
Shocked, I'm completely and utterly shocked. There is cheating at competing, even when playing digital games.
My world falls apart when hearing operators of apparatus do things with it that are perceived as dishonest. My respect for presentations of ordered bits lies smashed and shattered on the floor.
Now pardon me but I'll carry on working.
I'm a programmer and I carry a notebook almost anywhere I go. It's my destiny.
/. I expect a higher than average amount of critical opinions towards these gadgets.
Although my eye sight gets poorer over the years and I'd be better off with large fonts, I'd be damned to carry a mini PC like the iPhone around. So I have an Android phone.
I don't see a single reason for me to carry a notebook sized [ig]Phone with a crappy keyboard next to my notebook.
Sure YMMV, but here on
'The American people have a right to expect that White House employees are working to advance the public interest and not the interests of the lobby shops who formerly employed them,'
In US politics this an utterly preposterous proposition.
Every time I am forced to do something half-smart* on windows in invariably install Cygwin. It sort of covers all the crucial gaps. As soon as viable I take anything I need away from that god forsaken platform, process it and send the results back.
* half-smart: E.g. diff 2 files, edit 1 file, strip off \r, add \r, analyse XML, beautify XML, search files, run fortune
I have very vivid remembrances at compiling pretty complex C programs for various platforms and all using the same code base. Perl for instance.
Sure, the code base is infested with cpp macros and complex configuration mechanisms, making it something for the advanced programmer to grasp but this surely isn't something new. Also, not all libraries may be available on each platform. But I take most projects on a budget which are led by intelligent people, where human resource usage must be optimised will use a single code base.
It's when money creeps in that problems start. Suddenly some cretin is appointed as responsible for a specific platform -as opposed to have one group managing porting generally- and his targets will have "keeping single code base" as a last priority and that's where Babylon starts.
Sure, having a GUI toolkit performing identically or highly similar on multiple platforms is a challenge but single code base is the essence of any half decent project or product.
So his kid may have to go through life with an arbitrarily bad name, because it will help this guy's career and/or home town?
I wonder what other kinds of crap this guy is going to pull over the next 18 years. Poor kid.
Nah. I take he took into account that both names were pretty common. There are lots of Sergeis and Larries around. I take he wouldn't have come up with a similar idea concerning Mr. Obama. Simply because the name Barak is not heard very often -I never heard of it before Obama was in the news- and it will inevitably be directly associated with Mr. Obama.
The earth is trembling. I bet those Luddites at Google didn't think of that! Ha! Distinguished engineer Ken, changed the CS world with his buddy Dennis, but I bet he didn't see this coming!
Kidding aside, grab a deck chair and enjoy -well, appreciate- the spectacle unfold.
If it's better than Gmail, I'll try it. I know, I sleep with the devil. But she's a pretty woman, does the things I like, doesn't seem to gossip and is quite taciturn.
From the summary: "steaming video-on-demand services"
Does the new router dry-clean and iron the services, too? Or do they mean "steaming" as in "pile of stuff that my dog just left behind on a cold day"?
... Is this router ... A woman?! ...
Clunk That was the sound of my SO kicking me in the wedding's vegetables.
Monsieur, as a therapeutic ring tone, may I propose a composition by Matthew Bianco? It is called "Get Out of Your Lazy Bed."
There's a shortage of donors as it is where too many are dragging their feet when it comes to registering. This new rule seems to make the "game" fairer.
I've never really seen it as a game myself. To me it is just a way to turn your own grief in to someone's joy. Is that really so bad? While I do not possess a donor card, I've made my wishes perfectly clear to those who would be making decisions on my behalf should something happen.
Well, my view on society should mostly be a game played with sportsmanship. I know it isn't but it should IMHO and that's my take on life. I'll spare /. a long and corny analogy but at the end of the game you want to leave in a joyful spirit.
Donating your organs is very sporty. As is not humiliating a much weaker adversary. As is not imposing your tactics and strategies onto other teams.
If the same rules apply for all students and if only one programming language is allowed, CPU shouldn't be an issue.
What are the objectives? If it's a thorough introduction of the system that lies at your finger tips, choose C as it is intended to access the hardware as directly as possible (without having to write assembly.) Choose an OO language if you want to teach OO. If you want the kids to actually use the language think of applicability.
For instance, I'm very proficient in Perl but I would never ever teach it as a first language because getting to the basics is too tough. The data types are too general and friendly and don't make you think enough about what you're doing. For an OO language I'd take openness, applicability and development environment into consideration. In short, I'd choose between C and Java.
Apparently this initiative faces resistance from Orthodox rabbis, who hold that organ donation is against religious law.
There's a shortage of donors as it is where too many are dragging their feet when it comes to registering. This new rule seems to make the "game" fairer.
But how I understand it, orthodox who explicitly refuse donating organs apparently want to dictate rules for matches they don't even participate in. What's it then? Do they want be in front of the queue for accepting organs? Play the game or leave the table. Another fine example of religious representatives imposing themselves, interpreting the word of God.
You can have Freedom or you can have Safety.
If you want Safety, then you're not free to do things that may hurt yourself or others. If you want Freedom, then you or others *will* be hurt.
No one is ever free to do anything. Not here in EU and certainly not in the US.
Want to test freedom in the US?
Try exercising very mild nudity on prime time TV like Janet Jackson did. Over here in the EU we would have looked up for a brief moment and then we would have continued doing whatever it was we did. Maybe a few politicians would have tried to ride the wave and puritan idiots that would have tried to condemn it. Maybe the football fans would have asked the protagonists to piss off so they could continue watching the game. Most likely no trial would have taken place and certainly no $550,000 would have changed hands. What's in a tit? We all have -or should have- sucked on them in our lives.
Try swearing mildly on prime time TV. I take in the you'd have the same exaggerated reactions and the courts would be involved. Over here, we'd have mild frowning for the lack of taste shown and we would go on.
Watch "Philip Howard: Four ways to fix a broken legal system" and see how free the US society got.
Why limit mild sex and street language on TV? Why make laws that inhibit teachers in using common sense in school? And why not thinking about limiting gun possession?
As I alluded to before, I'm just rising questions and watching. I do think the US will improve. Hell, maybe the US is just ahead of what's coming our way here in EU.
The gun doesn't kill but the guy behind the trigger. I say resuscitate the toddler and give him the chair!
I know I will burn in violent flames for this. But karma really is irrelevant here.
We'll hear people defending arms with: "You need a gun in case of self-defence.", "It's a fundamental right for it is in the constitution.", "Speaking loud is in many ways ruder that carrying a gun." or "If we outlaw them only criminals will have guns." Old hat.
In many ways the USA people set an example to the world. Science, free speech, entrepreneurship and lots of other fields. But when it comes to guns the majority of the USA people completely loose it. It doesn't get into their heads that loosely controlled gun possession and violent deaths are stronger linked together than pollution and climate change.
In civilised countries you are hardly ever attacked and hence you don't need guns for self defence. Your constitution was written in a completely different era. It would take time but eventually very few guns will be in circulation and even criminals will use guns less and less.
Go on, call me a tree hugging hippy. Easy enough. But don't escape from the fact that many lives could be spared if the US people wouldn't allow themselves to be played by the gun lobby. Us living outside the US can only observe and see the lunacy. I distract myself from occurrences like this one either through very dark, bitter and cynical jokes or through a sad, respectful silence. I now will choose the latter.
I think you're getting Mozart confused with Strauss? Strauss is responsible for the waltzes. Menuets were the dance of the day for Mozart.
You're absolutely right. Where's a corner for me to hide?
He was appalled only by what was done to him. The aversion therapy twisted his love of the music into revulsion, even though he still wanted to love it.
Otherwise, Alex enjoyed the pain and suffering of any other human for any reason whatsoever.
Very true. I wonder though whether he would have generally agreed with people not being able to enjoy Beethoven. His sadism and his love for Beethoven could well contradict in this matter. I don't remember a passage where a conclusive answer was given. Then again, I've seen this film more than 20 years ago and my memory may be playing tricks on me. Feel free to expand.
If anything, Mozart appealed to his lustful public. Dancing a waltz can be pretty arousing. Hell, when danced well, even at today's standards.
/. audience. I don't know what came over me and I apologise.
Completely discarding Mozart for composing "popular" music is just as easy as discarding classical music* altogether. For simplicity's sake, maybe Mozart should be compared to modern composers with a distinct oeuvre, whose music is very danceable and will pass the test of time. The likes of Nile Rodgers & Bernard Edwards, Duke Ellington or Stevie Wonder for instance.
And that doesn't imply we all should want to be confronted with their music. Then again, refraining from negative comment is usually the graceful option.
Possibly a cure against disliking Mozart is perhaps taking waltz classes and -once proficient at it- visiting Vienna during Christmas and new year.
*I'm using the term classical music very freely here. Strictly speaking Mozart lived and composed in the classical period and Bach for instance in the Baroque.
PS: In retrospect I realise I'm writing this for a
You are aware that A Clockwork Orange was fiction, aren't you? It was a movie and not a documentary.
Don't forget that Alex DeLarge actually liked Ludwig Von. He was appalled by what was done in order to let people dislike his music.
"Youths" don't stay young forever. Before very long they'll be adults, with legitimate reasons to be at stores and train stations and bus stops, but they still won't like the music. Any place that continues to play it will be driving away a whole lot of customers.
You are basically saying today's youths are so much different than youths a century ago. Possibly, taking into consideration that intelligence increases over generations, their intellect is more advanced and their reasoning for disliking classical music is taken with a great deal of consideration.
I'll give you that I represent your words very freely indeed. But consider that Bach and Mozart are among the most skilled musicians that ever lived and that their works have stood against the tooth of time. I would not be surprised when a percentage of the "recalcitrant youths" will start liking and maybe appreciating classical pieces.
My take is that the dislike of classical music is fed by group pressure, possibly to stand up against one's parents. And, as less and less parents show an exclusive liking of classical music, it will become less and less "uncool" to listen to it.
I recall Jaco Patorius, possibly the most virtuoso and influential bass guitar player that ever lived, saying he liked any kind of music as long as it's played well. He even liked country and western.
Now, let me find my ropes, straitjacket, eye clamps, artificial tears and the almost forgotten long play records of Ludwig Von. Then I'll invite a "youth" over and "we" will have a swell time appreciating classical music.
Eagerly awaiting cheap shots at MS being intrinsically a bunch of communists, where as Linux isn't. Don't know how this will be pulled of, but it will, undoubtedly.
I'm all strapped down with a bucket of popcorn, waiting to enjoy the ride.
Yes, I'm Italian and quite ambivalent about it. Don't think, however, that I would trade in my nationality that lightly. It's certainly not the best nationality to have but I haven't came across a better one so far. I trust most feel the same about their own nationality.
As near as I can tell, you are contradicting yourself. On one hand, you say being Italian is not the best, but then turn around and say that there aren't any better (defacto: the best). Really, which is it?
It clearly never crossed your mind that a set of "equally best" leaves a possibility that not a single one is "the best" and still there isn't a "better one" than anyone in the "equally best" set. Think before being a smart arse.
This says that you are not happy with your situation, ....
Buddy, if a shrink was what I needed, I wouldn't waste my time here. Go practice your management skills onto someone else.
On a brighter note, somewhere a wonderful team manager career in Scandinavia or in the Netherlands is lurking for you.
In Italy defamation is a beloved way to make people shut up. In two occasions I was threatened to be sued over defamation.
For the record, both times a car driver behaved like an arse and I told them they were 1) "un coglione" which is best translated as knobhead/dickhead/idiot and 2) "stronza" (bitch.) Both times the defamation threat came instantaneously. Knowing it would cost me US$ 100 tops, I actually enjoyed the frigging beggars -their motives were mostly financial IMHO- winding themselves up.
I suppose I actually deserved a bit of verbal thrashing and intimidation in those cases. But imagine much worthier goals being seriously hampered by this. You very quickly defame someone in Italy on the base that they actually deserve it.
We Italians sort of cherish elaborated, concocted, ridiculous laws. It makes us feel "save" in a way that if push comes to shove we will find some way to delay or attack the adversary.
Yes, I'm Italian and quite ambivalent about it. Don't think, however, that I would trade in my nationality that lightly. It's certainly not the best nationality to have but I haven't came across a better one so far. I trust most feel the same about their own nationality.
How, exactly, does one get one's privacy back - once it has been violated?
Sure, a breach in the privacy is very serious indeed. The question is, did such e thing happen? Were indecent images gathered and forwarded? Was this scheme set up intentionally by pervs? I say first assess the situation and then come up with punishment.
Sure, hitting the wrongdoer in their pockets is NOT a bad thing at all. But why should one victim be overcompensated? I mean, consider the fact the his picture was taken eating candy.
By rewarding major sums of money in cases like these you eventually reward being a sissy. That's neither the image or impression I have of the US nor the one I should want to gather.
The fact that you seem to think that wholesale spying is a "minor offence", deems you worthy of being figuratively burned at the stake.
Well, the first one got in. Should I bring my own fuel?
I'd say the school very clumsily and stupidly tried to do something good. Stop the practice, tell them they are idiots and that they broke the law. Then, asses the situation and analyze the actual damages. I'd wager this will NOT be organized crime but a hand full of overzealous teachers and other staff.
OK, maybe a bunch of pervs at eh..., well..., "best", if you will. But I didn't read anything in that direction.