40yrs ago when I started high school they told me boys were not allowed to learn how to type because only girls grew up to be typists. The typewritter is now dead and all but forgotten but the skill of touch typing would sure have come in handy over the last 20yrs as a developer.
Computers are a universal tool, keeping kids away from them makes as much sense as keeping kids away from crayons and paste.
I had childhood asthma and I could trigger a mild attack by eating a pickled onion, I passed on the genetics for this strange reaction to my oldest son who also had childhood asthma.
I don't know if they can find the optimal solution for the TSP, and even if they could I'm sure they would screw up from time to time. I was just trying to point out that from my own observations there is definitely something more complex than "go to the nearest flower" going on.
You don't have to watch a bee for very long to see that it does not simply go to the nearest flower. It will hop from flower to flower for a while and then fly up and hover (or slowly circle). Sometimes it goes back down and hops around some more flowers, other times it increases its hovering altitude in a series of steps (as if to get a wider view). It will repeat this process until its hovering altitude reaches about six feet, at this point it seems to decide its done and will suddenly fly away at high speed.
I like supercomputers and elegant algorithims as much as the next geek but I also realise their capabilities don't even come close to the wetware technology of the blind watchmaker.
"A cursory read of this would make one thing this woman was getting the death penalty for having an affair."
A more thourough research effort would indeed confirm she was originally convicted of adultery and sentenced to death for it. The fact that such a primitive and barbaric law is still on the books of a so-called modern nation is the real travistry.
Newton's laws of motion specifically stated the assumption that time is constant, Einstien demonstrated it wasn't, but that does not mean Newton's laws are wrong. All theories are based on certain assumptions, why is Malthus attacked for doing the same thing?
The Romans also had an extensive network of wooden semaphore towers. Roman legions were so well organised they could put up a temporary wooden fort big enough to hold 1000 men in under 12 hours, starting with nothing but trees and some hand tools. The completed fort would be surrounded by a 2 meter trench and a 3 meter wooden wall, it also contained several huts and a 3 storey semaphore tower. They could easily have put up 50km of semaphore towers in the time it would take most of us to light a fire with two sticks.
Indeed, and even if you do have the the intelligence, ability, and drive to teach yourself you're still let with the problem that the teacher is always at the same level of ignorance as the student.
I don't understand the (mainly US-centric) vitriol against Malthus, his theory is mathematically sound and easy to comprehend, it does not say circumstances WON'T change, it says you can accurately predict the extinction of a population if (and only if) circumstances DON'T change.
"This is where regulation meets the marketplace, and how proper regulations and policies can work together with market forces to drive sustainability. But, it does require forces outside the market (such as government regulation) to internalize those costs so that they get accounted for up front."
I agree with your post and am not picking on you personally but what a great deal of people do not understand is that the "market" is a set of rules that governs trade, ie: "The market" is a set of regulations and everyone is "free" to buy/sell/barter within those regulations.
Gold miners know the price of gold fluctuates and open/close thier mines accordingly, oil companies open/close their wells in response to OPEC, why would rare earth miners be "traumatised" doing the same thing? Sure there is a time lag between price movements and mine output but that lag also applies to China's mines.
"Genius is 5% inspiration and 95% perspiration" - Edison.
"Will one million monkeys with one million typewriters someday come up with the entire works of Shakespeare?"
No, someone actually tried this with a few monkeys and got several pages of the letter 's' before the alpha male attacked the keyboard with a rock and the others pissed and shitted over the remains. Monkeys are not random generators, they have intent.
Slashdot Mirror
You beat me to it.
40yrs ago when I started high school they told me boys were not allowed to learn how to type because only girls grew up to be typists. The typewritter is now dead and all but forgotten but the skill of touch typing would sure have come in handy over the last 20yrs as a developer.
Computers are a universal tool, keeping kids away from them makes as much sense as keeping kids away from crayons and paste.
I had childhood asthma and I could trigger a mild attack by eating a pickled onion, I passed on the genetics for this strange reaction to my oldest son who also had childhood asthma.
I don't know if they can find the optimal solution for the TSP, and even if they could I'm sure they would screw up from time to time. I was just trying to point out that from my own observations there is definitely something more complex than "go to the nearest flower" going on.
Or as Douglas Adams put it - "If you try and take a cat apart to see how it works, the first thing you have on your hands is a non-working cat."
You don't have to watch a bee for very long to see that it does not simply go to the nearest flower. It will hop from flower to flower for a while and then fly up and hover (or slowly circle). Sometimes it goes back down and hops around some more flowers, other times it increases its hovering altitude in a series of steps (as if to get a wider view). It will repeat this process until its hovering altitude reaches about six feet, at this point it seems to decide its done and will suddenly fly away at high speed.
I like supercomputers and elegant algorithims as much as the next geek but I also realise their capabilities don't even come close to the wetware technology of the blind watchmaker.
"So they are claiming to be able to predict the unpredictable?"
No, that's just the all to familiar sensationalist headline.
"A cursory read of this would make one thing this woman was getting the death penalty for having an affair."
A more thourough research effort would indeed confirm she was originally convicted of adultery and sentenced to death for it. The fact that such a primitive and barbaric law is still on the books of a so-called modern nation is the real travistry.
Thanks BAG, you made my day!
Can you name an instance where the "General Perception" DOESN'T at least relate to verifiable facts?
Congress.
Newton's laws of motion specifically stated the assumption that time is constant, Einstien demonstrated it wasn't, but that does not mean Newton's laws are wrong. All theories are based on certain assumptions, why is Malthus attacked for doing the same thing?
"but I dunno it could be suffering heat death and all the stars burning out."
Unlikely, the oldest known star in the milky way is a 13.2 billion year old red giant called HE 1523-0901.
The BB is still occuring, we are part of it.
The Romans also had an extensive network of wooden semaphore towers. Roman legions were so well organised they could put up a temporary wooden fort big enough to hold 1000 men in under 12 hours, starting with nothing but trees and some hand tools. The completed fort would be surrounded by a 2 meter trench and a 3 meter wooden wall, it also contained several huts and a 3 storey semaphore tower. They could easily have put up 50km of semaphore towers in the time it would take most of us to light a fire with two sticks.
"Oh, I didn't realize a criminal record was still required before going to Australia."
No worries mate, if you don't have a criminal record one of our customs officers will give you one at the border.
Indeed, and even if you do have the the intelligence, ability, and drive to teach yourself you're still let with the problem that the teacher is always at the same level of ignorance as the student.
"as Ray Bradbury taught us all, ignites at around 451 degrees
Unfortunately Ray stated his own myth, paper actually ignites at 451 Celcius.
I don't understand the (mainly US-centric) vitriol against Malthus, his theory is mathematically sound and easy to comprehend, it does not say circumstances WON'T change, it says you can accurately predict the extinction of a population if (and only if) circumstances DON'T change.
"If that statement were true, we'd be starving (needing 1.5 earths to survive). Clearly the fellow has no idea what he's talking about."
If you're serious then clearly you're unfamiliar with the concept of buffer's.
"This is where regulation meets the marketplace, and how proper regulations and policies can work together with market forces to drive sustainability. But, it does require forces outside the market (such as government regulation) to internalize those costs so that they get accounted for up front."
I agree with your post and am not picking on you personally but what a great deal of people do not understand is that the "market" is a set of rules that governs trade, ie: "The market" is a set of regulations and everyone is "free" to buy/sell/barter within those regulations.
Gold miners know the price of gold fluctuates and open/close thier mines accordingly, oil companies open/close their wells in response to OPEC, why would rare earth miners be "traumatised" doing the same thing? Sure there is a time lag between price movements and mine output but that lag also applies to China's mines.
May he Replicate In Peace
A sane researcher would stick pins in other people's eyes. ;)
LOL, pity the mods missed that.
"Can diligence replace genius?"
"Genius is 5% inspiration and 95% perspiration" - Edison.
"Will one million monkeys with one million typewriters someday come up with the entire works of Shakespeare?"
No, someone actually tried this with a few monkeys and got several pages of the letter 's' before the alpha male attacked the keyboard with a rock and the others pissed and shitted over the remains. Monkeys are not random generators, they have intent.