I agree that if a language is dying then it should not be saved to perpetuate its use. If the language is dying then it has essentially shown itself to be an inadequate means of expression for the modern world and that it is unable to adapt itself to express new ideas.
That said, I do believe that languages ought to be preserved for academic study since every language is a reflection of its culture and expresses ideas and concepts that are not easily expressed in other languages. For instance, you'll find in a language like Arabic, spoken by desert dwellers and nomads, figures of speech, proverbs, and other expressions depicting the importance of water which would not be found, for instance, in languages spoken by populations in lush, agricultural societies. Something similar could be said regarding regions that experience an abundance of water like South East Asia which has the monsoon season. Although the preceding example is mundane, what I'm getting at is that letting a language disappear is depriving oneself of novel modes of thought and expression.
I think every language has rich concepts to offer other languages. If we don't preserve the languages we do have, we may very well be shielding ourselves from potentially revolutionary ideas.
The problem is that corporations have drastically cut technology spending because the same dumb-asses who were overspending while managing companies during the bubble are still in management causing another disaster, this time underspending. So their quick and dirty solution is to axe people at home in favor of hiring hordes overseas. This is only going to lead to more problems at home since there's not enough incentive/money for innovative people to start technology ventures.
That being said, it's the people with vision, creativity, and the moxy to take risks during a bad economy that survive and prosper when the good times roll around. We need people who have ideas to strive their hardest to go take a shot at whatever venture capital is out there and start new companies and develop new/improved technologies to make what the offshore workers are doing obsolete.
My contribution in all of this? I'm genetically engineering a new Linux penguin that lays golden eggs...
Instead of using free clock cycles just use unused disk space across the networks! That way the mp3 providers will save thousands and thousands on storage! No need to sign me up, I'm already there!
Hold on, why were UT's internal data reporting systems hooked up to the internet? I thought sensitive information like this was only exchanged over secure intranet and stored in systems with no access to public networks?
Not only is the economy being affected by the loss in jobs nobody seems to be asking what kind of security risk this is posing. Foreign workers who are in the U.S./Canada are at least accounted for by our immigration laws, but we have no way of checking out and tracking workers overseas. This is particularly bad because we are allowing people who we have no idea about to work on our software. God knows who else gets a whiff of our stuff other than the people hired to work on it. I don't mean to be paranoid but we are talking about countries with emerging economies with a history of corruption at all levels of business and government. Petty bribery and kick backs are a way of doing business in some of the places our software is being made and it should be of no surprise if it gets passed around for 'nominal fees.'
On the upside though, I find that when times are hard that's when everyone is forced to use their ingenuity to come up with stuff that can't be done by anyone else but us. Time to put on your thinking caps...
Here's an idea: design projects so that they're testable! Yeah that's right design components and subcomponents so that they can be tested! This is the biggest problem I have found when tackling any project. Developers are always thinking in terms of quick and dirty solutions delving straight into implementation details without paying any attention to architecture
The fundamental problem is that most folks aren't thinking in terms of testing and architecture. I'm not convinced that the XP method works. Actually, after having read the case against it, it seems counter-intuitive and plain annoying. I'll say this though, XP is onto something by placing such a strong emphasis on testing. The first question on every developer's mind should not be "How can I solve this problem?" but "How can I solve this problem with a testable solution?" The project architecture should be subsetable and the only way to achieve that is by designing each piece of the total solution to be testable.
A project I'm currently working on has a portion of the team building a GUI enabled, unified test suite for testing the many components being developed. The developers in turn are making sure that each component has an interface available so that they can plug their components into the tester and test them. Not only can the developers test their own code with confidence but so can their peers without having to look at code written by someone else.
So far it seems as if the effort being invested into the dedicated testing environment is paying off...
The real utility, in regards to voice, of a scheme for handing off cell calls from a traditional cell network to a WLAN is that it will ameliorate the problem of signal loss and diminish the of multipath diveristy. With a couple of 802.11b nodes in place at the office, university, mall, grocery store, library, convention center, etc. calls won't drop anymore when walking into one of those places. In addition, since WLAN doesn't interfere with sensitive medical equipment, cell phone usage will be allowed in previously restricted areas such as hospitals.
Also, I have to agree with the previous poster who brought up the issue of power consumption by cell phones. 802.11b is no Bluetooth when it comes to power control and being lightweight. I would be really interested in seeing how they are able to get low power devices to form ad hoc (perhaps even mesh/scatter) networks.... I'm willing to bet that by the time this consortium is ready to deploy we'll be seeing some sort of next generation Bluetooth technology being used as transport instead of 802.11 seeing as how Bluetooth is now pretty much dead.
The idea of coupling ISPs with content packages is a bad idea. Rather Web content must ALWAYS remain decoupled from the ISP.
What happens if M$ cuts an EXCLUSIVE deal with a set of the most popular websites and packages them with MSN? How does that help me when I'm using some other ISP that is now locked out from providing me the content I want? I think a similar but better model for what you are suggesting is to have a web portal where a single sign-on allows you to pick, visit, pay, and view the content you want, when you want. This would encourage competition at the web level rather than the ISP level where different competing portals could have different value packages much like the cable/satellite model. Micropayments could be used by the web portal to pay for the content you have viewed. It would also be more convenient since you would be able to access your content anywhere at anytime rather than simply through your ISP.
Like practically all of you, this study comes as no suprise to me either. When I was in K-12 back in the mid 80's to late 90's the only thing I remember using a computer in class for was playing a game. I never wrote a single paper at school using a computer, nor did I ever use it to do research. Having a computer in the classroom meant one thing to students and one thing only... games. And the funny thing is none of the teachers I've ever had discouraged that attitude, or more accurately, encouraged the perception of the pc as a learning tool.
I've always beleieved the pc (like tv) has had minimal impact in my acquisition of knowledge because a pc cannot teach you to think. It is the attitudes and actions of the teachers and parents of students that set the stage for their apporach and attitude towards education.
That being said computers cannot be ignored as a tool for aiding students in becoming educated (internet, online encyclopedias, word processing, desktop publishing, blah, blah). For that reason I think school districts shouldn't spend money in purchasing and maintaining computer labs and should offer incentives to the parents of students by supplying them with vouchers to make purchasing a computer for their home more viable. That way the cost of maintaining/upgrading equipment is transferred from the school to the student who is the actual user of the equipment. After all, if a student has purchased a study guide to help him perform better in math or english and if it requires special software to be installed why shouldn't he be able to do so? Let the use and upkeep of computers be the responsibility of those who use them. A voucher system would also give students the opportunity to purchase a computer they are most comfortable with whether it's a Mac, pc (windows/linux), desktop, or laptop. Why should the student be forced to do his homework a certain way using a specific computer/application when he has a choice?
In my mind, there are a vast number of reasons for schools not to have computers in the classroom and having a voucher system in its place. From my own experience, a voucher system for purchasing a computer would have greatly eased the buying process of my family's first pc and I am absolutely positive that is true for millions of other people out there.
No joke. Duct tape is being used by doctors to treat warts. Apparently applying duct tape on warts consistently for a month or so causes some sort of antibacterial chemical in the skin to be released as a reaction to the glue in duct tape. The chemical has been shown to get rid of warts with an efficacy of 85%... duct tape: truly the doctor's... err, handy man's secret weapon.
I find it interesting that hardly anyone mentions Tesla's ether theories regarding the distribution of electric power wirelessly when discussing the most important scientific/revolutionary ideas of the last 100 years or so. I only recently became aware of such a theory (we never even heard about Tesla in school) and that it is actually possible to deliver unlimited power for FREEand without wires. How come this isn't a a more prominent subject and are scientists working on making this a reality?
Any Nikola Tesla groupies out there who would like sound off on that?
What I don't get is why mp3s have suddenly become the focus of anti-piracy groups. People have been going to their local libraries for years and checking out CDs and recording them on cassette or burning copies for themselves and friends. Where were the anti-pirates then? Why didn't they shutdown libraries for giving out copyrighted material?
Granted getting mp3s is more convenient than going down to your neighborhood library but it's no different than what was going on before. And unlike mp3s which are most accessible to those having the luxury of a pc + broadband, CDs at the library are available to EVERYONE.
I have often heard from my friends at MS that they like their engineers to have a strong UNIX/LINUX background. As laughable as that may seem given the immaturity of MS products, this seems to make sense if MS is looking to get into the Linux market.
For instance, if MS were to release Office for Linux I wouldn't be booting into Windows as often as I do (I have a dual-boot setup). I also think that by releasing Office they would succeed in luring in a whole new demographic into trusting MS that had previously only bashed them. The result would be Linux people using MS and Linux gaining respect in the eyes of non-techies. How is this good for MS? All MS would have to do is release MSLinux and everyone would migrate to it in a flash. If anything I think MS's OS business would grow along with their apps.
I hate to admit it but when it comes to usability (GUI, ease of software installation, system navigation) MS is tops. A lot of you are probably grimacing at that last statement but after having seen my grandmother (age: 70+) competently surf the net, write emails, and install software only after a day or two of help from my 10 year old cousin I'm a believer.
If MS comes out with Linux tomorrow I know I wouldn't have a dual boot anymore....
I have yet to understand how it is that a two-party system can be touted as a model democracy? Being a Canadian it is unfathomable for me that every person in a country as large as the U.S. could either be a Democrat or Republican. Granted you have the Green Party, some Independents, and the "miscellaneous" parties in the U.S. but both are treated as fringe elements with only the Democratic party and GOP considered mainstream.
I think it's the two party system that is the fundamental problem. We saw it during the last election where Ralph Nader wasn't allowed in the debates for no other reason other than that it would have showed a different/fresh point of view that did NOT conform to either the Democratic/Republican agenda. Both parties are so well bought out by industry that neither one could afford to allow Nader to speak. The sooner people realize that both the Democrats and Republicans share a mutual agenda that is formed and funded by the same set of corporations, foreign governments, and interest groups the sooner they will understand that the two-party system is only a pretext for a ONE-party system.
The fact is that it's a lot easier to pay off two political camps on a regular basis than it is three, four, or more. The two party system is a way to ensure the illusion of diversity while making sure bribery is as easy as (American) pie. Paying off the Democratic party to put aside its convictions on a Republican bill/resolution (or vice versa) is a lot easier than paying off several parties at once.
Given the current state of politics in the U.S. there is very little hope for campaign finance reform laws that will outlaw the shameless "donations" both parties so heavily rely on. Asking the gremlins in congress/senate to ratify such laws would be like you asking your employer to stop giving you such large bonuses to help the company- it ain't never gonna happen.
The challenge is to have more political parties that do NOT toe the line. There is strength in numbers and the more we have the less merry "donaters" will be.
Since when is forgetting a bad thing? Imagine what life would be like if we couldn't forget its ample unpleasantness- one long, intense, never ending, rickety emotional rollercoaster.
Ever stop to think why people don't have absolute control over their bodies regarding stuff like breathing, blinking, bowels, and all the other unseen, internal processes that magically keep them running? It's because the body is protecting itself from the person! People are sooooo stupid and lazy that they're willing to let their bladders explode waiting for a commerical during a Friends rerun! If we actually could control all the stuff we don't even think/know about concerning our bodies, the world would be one big dysfunctional planet (alright, alright it already is but it could be worse). A person would die from suffocation trying to sleep, would go blind from not blinking, and poison himself by not relieving himself. Just as these physical regulatory processes keep the body physically helathy, Similarly forgetting events, people, things, etc. regulates a person's mental health i.e. keeps him/her from going insane.
The mechanism for forgetting is a gift people! It keeps us alive in hopes of a better future and decouples us from the misfortunes and dark emotions of the past. Without forgetfulness life wouldn't be worth living...
Slashdot Mirror
I agree that if a language is dying then it should not be saved to perpetuate its use. If the language is dying then it has essentially shown itself to be an inadequate means of expression for the modern world and that it is unable to adapt itself to express new ideas.
That said, I do believe that languages ought to be preserved for academic study since every language is a reflection of its culture and expresses ideas and concepts that are not easily expressed in other languages. For instance, you'll find in a language like Arabic, spoken by desert dwellers and nomads, figures of speech, proverbs, and other expressions depicting the importance of water which would not be found, for instance, in languages spoken by populations in lush, agricultural societies. Something similar could be said regarding regions that experience an abundance of water like South East Asia which has the monsoon season. Although the preceding example is mundane, what I'm getting at is that letting a language disappear is depriving oneself of novel modes of thought and expression.
I think every language has rich concepts to offer other languages. If we don't preserve the languages we do have, we may very well be shielding ourselves from potentially revolutionary ideas.
The problem is that corporations have drastically cut technology spending because the same dumb-asses who were overspending while managing companies during the bubble are still in management causing another disaster, this time underspending. So their quick and dirty solution is to axe people at home in favor of hiring hordes overseas. This is only going to lead to more problems at home since there's not enough incentive/money for innovative people to start technology ventures.
That being said, it's the people with vision, creativity, and the moxy to take risks during a bad economy that survive and prosper when the good times roll around. We need people who have ideas to strive their hardest to go take a shot at whatever venture capital is out there and start new companies and develop new/improved technologies to make what the offshore workers are doing obsolete.
My contribution in all of this? I'm genetically engineering a new Linux penguin that lays golden eggs...
Instead of using free clock cycles just use unused disk space across the networks! That way the mp3 providers will save thousands and thousands on storage! No need to sign me up, I'm already there!
Hold on, why were UT's internal data reporting systems hooked up to the internet? I thought sensitive information like this was only exchanged over secure intranet and stored in systems with no access to public networks?
Not only is the economy being affected by the loss in jobs nobody seems to be asking what kind of security risk this is posing. Foreign workers who are in the U.S./Canada are at least accounted for by our immigration laws, but we have no way of checking out and tracking workers overseas. This is particularly bad because we are allowing people who we have no idea about to work on our software. God knows who else gets a whiff of our stuff other than the people hired to work on it. I don't mean to be paranoid but we are talking about countries with emerging economies with a history of corruption at all levels of business and government. Petty bribery and kick backs are a way of doing business in some of the places our software is being made and it should be of no surprise if it gets passed around for 'nominal fees.'
On the upside though, I find that when times are hard that's when everyone is forced to use their ingenuity to come up with stuff that can't be done by anyone else but us. Time to put on your thinking caps...
Here's an idea: design projects so that they're testable! Yeah that's right design components and subcomponents so that they can be tested! This is the biggest problem I have found when tackling any project. Developers are always thinking in terms of quick and dirty solutions delving straight into implementation details without paying any attention to architecture
The fundamental problem is that most folks aren't thinking in terms of testing and architecture. I'm not convinced that the XP method works. Actually, after having read the case against it, it seems counter-intuitive and plain annoying. I'll say this though, XP is onto something by placing such a strong emphasis on testing. The first question on every developer's mind should not be "How can I solve this problem?" but "How can I solve this problem with a testable solution?" The project architecture should be subsetable and the only way to achieve that is by designing each piece of the total solution to be testable.
A project I'm currently working on has a portion of the team building a GUI enabled, unified test suite for testing the many components being developed. The developers in turn are making sure that each component has an interface available so that they can plug their components into the tester and test them. Not only can the developers test their own code with confidence but so can their peers without having to look at code written by someone else.
So far it seems as if the effort being invested into the dedicated testing environment is paying off...
The real utility, in regards to voice, of a scheme for handing off cell calls from a traditional cell network to a WLAN is that it will ameliorate the problem of signal loss and diminish the of multipath diveristy. With a couple of 802.11b nodes in place at the office, university, mall, grocery store, library, convention center, etc. calls won't drop anymore when walking into one of those places. In addition, since WLAN doesn't interfere with sensitive medical equipment, cell phone usage will be allowed in previously restricted areas such as hospitals.
Also, I have to agree with the previous poster who brought up the issue of power consumption by cell phones. 802.11b is no Bluetooth when it comes to power control and being lightweight. I would be really interested in seeing how they are able to get low power devices to form ad hoc (perhaps even mesh/scatter) networks.... I'm willing to bet that by the time this consortium is ready to deploy we'll be seeing some sort of next generation Bluetooth technology being used as transport instead of 802.11 seeing as how Bluetooth is now pretty much dead.
The idea of coupling ISPs with content packages is a bad idea. Rather Web content must ALWAYS remain decoupled from the ISP.
What happens if M$ cuts an EXCLUSIVE deal with a set of the most popular websites and packages them with MSN? How does that help me when I'm using some other ISP that is now locked out from providing me the content I want? I think a similar but better model for what you are suggesting is to have a web portal where a single sign-on allows you to pick, visit, pay, and view the content you want, when you want. This would encourage competition at the web level rather than the ISP level where different competing portals could have different value packages much like the cable/satellite model. Micropayments could be used by the web portal to pay for the content you have viewed. It would also be more convenient since you would be able to access your content anywhere at anytime rather than simply through your ISP.
Like practically all of you, this study comes as no suprise to me either. When I was in K-12 back in the mid 80's to late 90's the only thing I remember using a computer in class for was playing a game. I never wrote a single paper at school using a computer, nor did I ever use it to do research. Having a computer in the classroom meant one thing to students and one thing only... games. And the funny thing is none of the teachers I've ever had discouraged that attitude, or more accurately, encouraged the perception of the pc as a learning tool.
I've always beleieved the pc (like tv) has had minimal impact in my acquisition of knowledge because a pc cannot teach you to think. It is the attitudes and actions of the teachers and parents of students that set the stage for their apporach and attitude towards education.
That being said computers cannot be ignored as a tool for aiding students in becoming educated (internet, online encyclopedias, word processing, desktop publishing, blah, blah). For that reason I think school districts shouldn't spend money in purchasing and maintaining computer labs and should offer incentives to the parents of students by supplying them with vouchers to make purchasing a computer for their home more viable. That way the cost of maintaining/upgrading equipment is transferred from the school to the student who is the actual user of the equipment. After all, if a student has purchased a study guide to help him perform better in math or english and if it requires special software to be installed why shouldn't he be able to do so? Let the use and upkeep of computers be the responsibility of those who use them. A voucher system would also give students the opportunity to purchase a computer they are most comfortable with whether it's a Mac, pc (windows/linux), desktop, or laptop. Why should the student be forced to do his homework a certain way using a specific computer/application when he has a choice?
In my mind, there are a vast number of reasons for schools not to have computers in the classroom and having a voucher system in its place. From my own experience, a voucher system for purchasing a computer would have greatly eased the buying process of my family's first pc and I am absolutely positive that is true for millions of other people out there.
No joke. Duct tape is being used by doctors to treat warts. Apparently applying duct tape on warts consistently for a month or so causes some sort of antibacterial chemical in the skin to be released as a reaction to the glue in duct tape. The chemical has been shown to get rid of warts with an efficacy of 85%... duct tape: truly the doctor's... err, handy man's secret weapon.
u ct ape.html
http://health.discovery.com/news/afp/20021014/d
I find it interesting that hardly anyone mentions Tesla's ether theories regarding the distribution of electric power wirelessly when discussing the most important scientific/revolutionary ideas of the last 100 years or so. I only recently became aware of such a theory (we never even heard about Tesla in school) and that it is actually possible to deliver unlimited power for FREE and without wires. How come this isn't a a more prominent subject and are scientists working on making this a reality?
Any Nikola Tesla groupies out there who would like sound off on that?
What I don't get is why mp3s have suddenly become the focus of anti-piracy groups. People have been going to their local libraries for years and checking out CDs and recording them on cassette or burning copies for themselves and friends. Where were the anti-pirates then? Why didn't they shutdown libraries for giving out copyrighted material?
Granted getting mp3s is more convenient than going down to your neighborhood library but it's no different than what was going on before. And unlike mp3s which are most accessible to those having the luxury of a pc + broadband, CDs at the library are available to EVERYONE.
I have often heard from my friends at MS that they like their engineers to have a strong UNIX/LINUX background. As laughable as that may seem given the immaturity of MS products, this seems to make sense if MS is looking to get into the Linux market.
For instance, if MS were to release Office for Linux I wouldn't be booting into Windows as often as I do (I have a dual-boot setup). I also think that by releasing Office they would succeed in luring in a whole new demographic into trusting MS that had previously only bashed them. The result would be Linux people using MS and Linux gaining respect in the eyes of non-techies. How is this good for MS? All MS would have to do is release MSLinux and everyone would migrate to it in a flash. If anything I think MS's OS business would grow along with their apps.
I hate to admit it but when it comes to usability (GUI, ease of software installation, system navigation) MS is tops. A lot of you are probably grimacing at that last statement but after having seen my grandmother (age: 70+) competently surf the net, write emails, and install software only after a day or two of help from my 10 year old cousin I'm a believer. If MS comes out with Linux tomorrow I know I wouldn't have a dual boot anymore....
I have yet to understand how it is that a two-party system can be touted as a model democracy? Being a Canadian it is unfathomable for me that every person in a country as large as the U.S. could either be a Democrat or Republican. Granted you have the Green Party, some Independents, and the "miscellaneous" parties in the U.S. but both are treated as fringe elements with only the Democratic party and GOP considered mainstream.
I think it's the two party system that is the fundamental problem. We saw it during the last election where Ralph Nader wasn't allowed in the debates for no other reason other than that it would have showed a different/fresh point of view that did NOT conform to either the Democratic/Republican agenda. Both parties are so well bought out by industry that neither one could afford to allow Nader to speak. The sooner people realize that both the Democrats and Republicans share a mutual agenda that is formed and funded by the same set of corporations, foreign governments, and interest groups the sooner they will understand that the two-party system is only a pretext for a ONE-party system.
The fact is that it's a lot easier to pay off two political camps on a regular basis than it is three, four, or more. The two party system is a way to ensure the illusion of diversity while making sure bribery is as easy as (American) pie. Paying off the Democratic party to put aside its convictions on a Republican bill/resolution (or vice versa) is a lot easier than paying off several parties at once.
Given the current state of politics in the U.S. there is very little hope for campaign finance reform laws that will outlaw the shameless "donations" both parties so heavily rely on. Asking the gremlins in congress/senate to ratify such laws would be like you asking your employer to stop giving you such large bonuses to help the company- it ain't never gonna happen.
The challenge is to have more political parties that do NOT toe the line. There is strength in numbers and the more we have the less merry "donaters" will be.
Since when is forgetting a bad thing? Imagine what life would be like if we couldn't forget its ample unpleasantness- one long, intense, never ending, rickety emotional rollercoaster. Ever stop to think why people don't have absolute control over their bodies regarding stuff like breathing, blinking, bowels, and all the other unseen, internal processes that magically keep them running? It's because the body is protecting itself from the person! People are sooooo stupid and lazy that they're willing to let their bladders explode waiting for a commerical during a Friends rerun! If we actually could control all the stuff we don't even think/know about concerning our bodies, the world would be one big dysfunctional planet (alright, alright it already is but it could be worse). A person would die from suffocation trying to sleep, would go blind from not blinking, and poison himself by not relieving himself. Just as these physical regulatory processes keep the body physically helathy, Similarly forgetting events, people, things, etc. regulates a person's mental health i.e. keeps him/her from going insane. The mechanism for forgetting is a gift people! It keeps us alive in hopes of a better future and decouples us from the misfortunes and dark emotions of the past. Without forgetfulness life wouldn't be worth living...