...Beginning next week "all overtime going forward will be entirely optional, so if we want to work the extra hours and earn the extra money (As well as make yourself look better for progression)...
Here's an idea: you get considered for "progression" when you do the work you were hired to do, doing it well and during the agreed upon work week.
Me thinks someone did not do so well in psych 101. Just because you do not understand something does not mean it is a pseudoscience.
There is plenty of biomedical (e.g., structural and functional brain studies), behavioral, and genetic research that converge on the same conclusions, conducted by people with big egos who have no interest is propping up other peoples cute little pet theories. In other word, the science of psychological disorders is cut-throat and you better have evidence to support you're claim or else you will be intellectually mowed down and decapitated.
This is not a tiny self-contained group of people patting each other on the back and playing a game of "Yes, and...". These are not members of the Lone Gunmen.
If you're just looking to keep abreast of recent/current developments in your favourite science I'd recommend http://www.sciencedaily.com/. It's not comprehensive but it does highlight some of the coolest stuff going on that is of probable interest to edumacated types rather than the great unwashed herds of popular Everyman news about the latest diet pill to lose 50 lbs while eating nothing but pizza and cheeseburgers.
Granted, however, of the two the scientific method (SM) is more powerful. One is deductive (SM) while the other is inferential (extrapolation). While extrapolation has it's uses, it also has limits. Ask the engineers of the Tacoma Narrows bridge. They were extrapolating common accepted bridge engineering principles beyond what had been empirically tested. Sometimes it works, othertimes it doesn't and requires a complete rethink of the problem.
While, observing real violence can produce a longer lasting cortical change than cartoon violence or VG violence there are SO many variables that need further investigation (duration, intensity, frequency, personality, cultural....) that this is a situation where extrapolation, inference and commonsense would not be a productive approach. I'll stick with the scientific method.
Looked at the suggested PDF.
Hey look! There's the foramen, and the hippocampus and the cortex and the..... just where they should be relative to one another. Sure the structures are squished together due to the enlarged ventricles but it not like the hippocampus is now on the surface and the cortex is next to the ventricular space. It's just distorted.
While in principle you are correct and everyone has different neural networks, there is an amazing amount of redundancy in the brain. The hippocampus is always located in the same place in every person. so too is the thalamus, the substantia nigra, visual cortex, somatosensory cortex etc. These structures also have very conservative pathways (that is, the connections between structures are also highly conserved and the same in every person). So while each person will have somewhat unique areas of activation/deactivation they overlap considerably (and I do mean considerably) across individuals.
We might like to think we are unique but we not. The only thing unique is how our eninvornmental stimuli fine tune these highly conserved brain pathways.
Every measuring tool has limits. The key is to use different tools that compensate for the weakness of otherS and study the same question. When you find similar results with different tools that is called convergent evidence and greatly increases the probability that your conclusion is accurate.
You are correct to be hesitant to accept the results of a single study but remember this study is in the context of many others (i.e., the cited references) and while it may not be the final piece of the puzzle it does fill a gap and add further converging evidence. It's called the scientific method http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Experiment .
Excellent point! I too read the paper and the inferences fellow/.'s are making are WAY beyond what the authors discuss. As mentioned above, pretty much any external stimuli will effect a change in brain activity and it is not really that surprising that watching violent images activates or inhibits the networks associated with aggression.
I thought the paper was pretty cool and a nicely designed scientific study with lots of potential for interesting follow ups. For example, how long did this change last? They tested participants immediately after the experimental manipulation but it is well known that that change can return to normal within a few minutes (if not less) and has no long term affect on an individuals behavior.
Don't dismiss or embrace the results just because it fits with your pre-conceived notions. Read it, understand it for what it IS not for what it MIGHT mean. This is truly a clever experiment with lots of potential for further research that actually SPECIFICALLY addresses the "do violent games cause violent behavior or does voes violence on TV cause or increase the probability of violence in real life" question. This study did not, but it did suggest a new perspective on how we might actually learn more about this issue.
The issue is quite simple really. If the poster/commenter wishes to be taken seriously that person merely (and I say this with with a certain amount of skepticism) supports the arguments presented with evidence from credible sources (links or offline sources). Or frankly, any source and let the reader judge the credibility of the source.
Why should a name be required of add credibility or call into question the credibility of any critique of a particular issue. In academia, one of the hallmarks of manuscript review is anonymity. The individual submits a piece of research for independent review and the names of all involved are kept off the record such the the work can be fairly judged on it's merits.
Granted the web is a little, OK a lot, different, but the basic principle still holds. If the argument and critique has merit the vast majority of the readers will accept it, follow up and support the argument or find flaws and debunk the argument. At no time does the author have any relevance to the issue.
This is exactly what I have setup. I have it hardwired to my N router and while the NAS has two USB 2 ports, I've attached a USB hub to 1 port and have 4+ drives attached and accessible from XP, Vista 64, and Ubuntu OS's. Buy the cheap NAS server + the biggest and cheapest External drives and you're good to go.
Re:Spend your $$ on buying political muscle ...
on
Replacing a Thinkpad?
·
· Score: 1
Frankly, I appreciate you cynical outlook. Global industry is much more pervasive than we are willing to admit . When made in America means 50% +.000000...1 what action is possible to alter world politics? Well, my perspective is to do what YOU can. There is this thing, I don't know if you've heard about it, called the internet. Search for where parts are sourced, invest in companies promoting human rights, have third party verified labour practices. You will find that there is a large and GROWING community that is pushing shareholder votes on these issues. Why do think that DELL is offering recycling and vostro lines of computers? Take advantage. Get involved. One person can and does make a difference.
I was one of those suckers that went and upgraded to Vista Ultimate. One small thing was not mentioned however. Unlike Shakespeare's, "A rose by any other name...". Vista is not vista. Software that is "vista" ready is most likely vista 32 ready NOT 64bit ready. I upgraded to the 64bit version. In fact, I purchased an alienware AMD64x2 laptop a YEAR ago in anticipation of this 64 bit OS. Now I have an inoperable wireless card, a Digital Video converter than is inoperable until march... mmm april.... mmm who knows when the drivers will be released, 32bit apps that are broken and 64 bit apps that crash. Vista is not vista. So, if I'm not mistaken M$ is now got: XPHome, XPPro, XPPro64, vistaHomeBasic32, VistaBusiness32, VistahomePremium32, VistaEnterprise32, vistaHomeBasic64, VistaBusiness64, VistahomePremium64, VistaEnterprise64 + legacy and only real support for the Vista32 OS versions. Vista ready software? which version? This has got to be one of the most bungled launches I've seen from M$. Sure you expect bugs and drivers to lag a little but the "automatic" updates.... Security fixes! Not drivers or optimizers. Please, please please! make my life simpler not more confusing! Sometimes "choice" is not good. sometimes different names and logos are better when dealing with 32 vs. 64 bit OS. The name "Vista" is essentially meaningless. Pure marketing. Software Vista ready? Hah! Maybe M$ should have marketed the new OS as Macular degeneration, an OS for the ages.
Rant? No. Frustration? Yes
Give me 1, a single example, of a XXXX-proof anything. Outside of 1-time pads http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_time_pads , given enough time and power, everything is crackable. The real issue is how much time and power (read $$ & cycles) can/will someone throw at a system to break it. If the break-cost is high enough, the implementation-cost is low enough, and the time between implementation and use is short enough, it would be very difficult to defraud the electorate. That's all we can ask for.
Fair enough, FreeDos not Linux but it is a free OS. WRT OSs other than M$, options are not on their front page or in typical "configure your system" options. That was the essential point I was trying to make.
If you know where to look - being a geek, I can get a Dell with Linux but for your average user it's no where to be found and part of the reason Linux scares/intimidates the average user is that they would need to configure their own system, which requires a not insubstantial familiarity with how computers work. Having all that done at the factory so you can just use it out of the box makes a tremendous difference. Turn it on and start working. The average user doesn't care what OS it used as long as they can get stuff done.
A couple of things may be at work here. First there is the AMD vs. Intel lawsuit http://www.amd.com/us-en/assets/content_type/Downl oadableAssets/AMD-Intel_Full_Complaint.pdf that may have loosened Dell's willingness/ability to use AMD in it's line. Second, with Dell being such a large company (the Wal-mart of computer manufacturers) that should set up an ATI vs Nvidia type competition where this quarter it's Intel, next quarter it's AMD with the fastest/best chip. Fun for all!:).
Finally, Dell has a little known linux box (freeDOS). If it can break the Intel stranglehold, maybe M$ is next and we will see preloaded Ubuntu's (sigh's wistfully). I'm all a tingle with these fantasies:)
Content. Content. Content. Just like in real estate (location location location) these are the three things media corps care about the most. Until they make it easy (i.e., open standardized protocols) for information to be moved around, any media center is going to be locked in to proprietary difficult to use formats and only/. esque users will really be able to take advantage of these possibilities. The average user will never pay for something they need to spend more than 5 min trying to get to work. Trying new approaches to media delivery and exchange is veerrryy scary for corps that think their livelihood depends on "owning" the rights of Green Acres and Two's Company.
I'm thinking that problem will be solved with the advent of holographic memory http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx? id=14742&ch=infotech. No moving parts, light speed access and 60X info density per unit volume. Didn't the original Star Trek use memory cubes? The past shall become the future!
I'm currently reading essays for 1st - 4th year psychology students. If I were to identifiy aspects of writing that could use a lot of emphasis I would suggest two key elements. 1) A need to clearly state at the beginning of the essay what they are going to discuss. I'm not interested in clever or subtle methaphors etc. I have limited time and effort to devote to technical reports. Tell me what you are going to say and the pieces you will use to support this idea in the FIRST paragraph. Then follow that outline. 2) A good conclusion is key. Students need to to be able to create a relatively simple summary of complex topics such that of the reader remember nothing else about the essay it will be the conclusion. Tie all the different pieces of the essay together into the "take home" message.
I'm not generally in favor of technology that leaves hazardous waster around for 100's of thousands of years but there is a VERY interesting article in this months issue of American Scientist that essentially says new Nuclear reactor designs have fewer moving parts and dramatically increased safety margins, can use current spent fuel, reduced overall waste production by 99.9%, the waste that is produced has a half live of decades rather than thousands of years and it more difficult to produce material that can be used for bombs. Hmmmm..... Maybe I should at least open my mind to the possibility of nuclear power
Slashdot Mirror
...Beginning next week "all overtime going forward will be entirely optional, so if we want to work the extra hours and earn the extra money (As well as make yourself look better for progression)...
Here's an idea: you get considered for "progression" when you do the work you were hired to do, doing it well and during the agreed upon work week.
Me thinks someone did not do so well in psych 101. Just because you do not understand something does not mean it is a pseudoscience. There is plenty of biomedical (e.g., structural and functional brain studies), behavioral, and genetic research that converge on the same conclusions, conducted by people with big egos who have no interest is propping up other peoples cute little pet theories. In other word, the science of psychological disorders is cut-throat and you better have evidence to support you're claim or else you will be intellectually mowed down and decapitated. This is not a tiny self-contained group of people patting each other on the back and playing a game of "Yes, and...". These are not members of the Lone Gunmen.
If you're just looking to keep abreast of recent/current developments in your favourite science I'd recommend http://www.sciencedaily.com/. It's not comprehensive but it does highlight some of the coolest stuff going on that is of probable interest to edumacated types rather than the great unwashed herds of popular Everyman news about the latest diet pill to lose 50 lbs while eating nothing but pizza and cheeseburgers.
Power assisted exoskeleton?! Stay away from me you Bitch!!
mod down troll/flamebait
Granted, however, of the two the scientific method (SM) is more powerful. One is deductive (SM) while the other is inferential (extrapolation). While extrapolation has it's uses, it also has limits. Ask the engineers of the Tacoma Narrows bridge. They were extrapolating common accepted bridge engineering principles beyond what had been empirically tested. Sometimes it works, othertimes it doesn't and requires a complete rethink of the problem. While, observing real violence can produce a longer lasting cortical change than cartoon violence or VG violence there are SO many variables that need further investigation (duration, intensity, frequency, personality, cultural ....) that this is a situation where extrapolation, inference and commonsense would not be a productive approach. I'll stick with the scientific method.
Looked at the suggested PDF. Hey look! There's the foramen, and the hippocampus and the cortex and the..... just where they should be relative to one another. Sure the structures are squished together due to the enlarged ventricles but it not like the hippocampus is now on the surface and the cortex is next to the ventricular space. It's just distorted.
+2 from me dude. Hilarious humour.
While in principle you are correct and everyone has different neural networks, there is an amazing amount of redundancy in the brain. The hippocampus is always located in the same place in every person. so too is the thalamus, the substantia nigra, visual cortex, somatosensory cortex etc. These structures also have very conservative pathways (that is, the connections between structures are also highly conserved and the same in every person). So while each person will have somewhat unique areas of activation/deactivation they overlap considerably (and I do mean considerably) across individuals. We might like to think we are unique but we not. The only thing unique is how our eninvornmental stimuli fine tune these highly conserved brain pathways.
Every measuring tool has limits. The key is to use different tools that compensate for the weakness of otherS and study the same question. When you find similar results with different tools that is called convergent evidence and greatly increases the probability that your conclusion is accurate. You are correct to be hesitant to accept the results of a single study but remember this study is in the context of many others (i.e., the cited references) and while it may not be the final piece of the puzzle it does fill a gap and add further converging evidence. It's called the scientific method http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Experiment .
Excellent point! I too read the paper and the inferences fellow /.'s are making are WAY beyond what the authors discuss. As mentioned above, pretty much any external stimuli will effect a change in brain activity and it is not really that surprising that watching violent images activates or inhibits the networks associated with aggression.
I thought the paper was pretty cool and a nicely designed scientific study with lots of potential for interesting follow ups. For example, how long did this change last? They tested participants immediately after the experimental manipulation but it is well known that that change can return to normal within a few minutes (if not less) and has no long term affect on an individuals behavior.
Don't dismiss or embrace the results just because it fits with your pre-conceived notions. Read it, understand it for what it IS not for what it MIGHT mean. This is truly a clever experiment with lots of potential for further research that actually SPECIFICALLY addresses the "do violent games cause violent behavior or does voes violence on TV cause or increase the probability of violence in real life" question. This study did not, but it did suggest a new perspective on how we might actually learn more about this issue.
The issue is quite simple really. If the poster/commenter wishes to be taken seriously that person merely (and I say this with with a certain amount of skepticism) supports the arguments presented with evidence from credible sources (links or offline sources). Or frankly, any source and let the reader judge the credibility of the source. Why should a name be required of add credibility or call into question the credibility of any critique of a particular issue. In academia, one of the hallmarks of manuscript review is anonymity. The individual submits a piece of research for independent review and the names of all involved are kept off the record such the the work can be fairly judged on it's merits. Granted the web is a little, OK a lot, different, but the basic principle still holds. If the argument and critique has merit the vast majority of the readers will accept it, follow up and support the argument or find flaws and debunk the argument. At no time does the author have any relevance to the issue.
This is exactly what I have setup. I have it hardwired to my N router and while the NAS has two USB 2 ports, I've attached a USB hub to 1 port and have 4+ drives attached and accessible from XP, Vista 64, and Ubuntu OS's. Buy the cheap NAS server + the biggest and cheapest External drives and you're good to go.
Frankly, I appreciate you cynical outlook. Global industry is much more pervasive than we are willing to admit . When made in America means 50% + .000000...1 what action is possible to alter world politics? Well, my perspective is to do what YOU can. There is this thing, I don't know if you've heard about it, called the internet. Search for where parts are sourced, invest in companies promoting human rights, have third party verified labour practices. You will find that there is a large and GROWING community that is pushing shareholder votes on these issues. Why do think that DELL is offering recycling and vostro lines of computers? Take advantage. Get involved. One person can and does make a difference.
I was one of those suckers that went and upgraded to Vista Ultimate. One small thing was not mentioned however. Unlike Shakespeare's, "A rose by any other name...". Vista is not vista. Software that is "vista" ready is most likely vista 32 ready NOT 64bit ready. I upgraded to the 64bit version. In fact, I purchased an alienware AMD64x2 laptop a YEAR ago in anticipation of this 64 bit OS. Now I have an inoperable wireless card, a Digital Video converter than is inoperable until march... mmm april .... mmm who knows when the drivers will be released, 32bit apps that are broken and 64 bit apps that crash. Vista is not vista. So, if I'm not mistaken M$ is now got: XPHome, XPPro, XPPro64, vistaHomeBasic32, VistaBusiness32, VistahomePremium32, VistaEnterprise32, vistaHomeBasic64, VistaBusiness64, VistahomePremium64, VistaEnterprise64 + legacy and only real support for the Vista32 OS versions. Vista ready software? which version? This has got to be one of the most bungled launches I've seen from M$. Sure you expect bugs and drivers to lag a little but the "automatic" updates.... Security fixes! Not drivers or optimizers. Please, please please! make my life simpler not more confusing! Sometimes "choice" is not good. sometimes different names and logos are better when dealing with 32 vs. 64 bit OS. The name "Vista" is essentially meaningless. Pure marketing. Software Vista ready? Hah! Maybe M$ should have marketed the new OS as Macular degeneration, an OS for the ages.
Rant? No. Frustration? Yes
Give me 1, a single example, of a XXXX-proof anything. Outside of 1-time pads http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_time_pads , given enough time and power, everything is crackable. The real issue is how much time and power (read $$ & cycles) can/will someone throw at a system to break it. If the break-cost is high enough, the implementation-cost is low enough, and the time between implementation and use is short enough, it would be very difficult to defraud the electorate. That's all we can ask for.
Fair enough, FreeDos not Linux but it is a free OS. WRT OSs other than M$, options are not on their front page or in typical "configure your system" options. That was the essential point I was trying to make.
n ews.jhtml?articleId=192201386
If you know where to look - being a geek, I can get a Dell with Linux but for your average user it's no where to be found and part of the reason Linux scares/intimidates the average user is that they would need to configure their own system, which requires a not insubstantial familiarity with how computers work. Having all that done at the factory so you can just use it out of the box makes a tremendous difference. Turn it on and start working. The average user doesn't care what OS it used as long as they can get stuff done.
A case in point is the news article on CRN.com about linux being installed on Illinois machines and the students not giving a cr@p whether it was M$ or Linux http://www.crn.com/sections/breakingnews/breaking
A couple of things may be at work here. First there is the AMD vs. Intel lawsuit http://www.amd.com/us-en/assets/content_type/Downl oadableAssets/AMD-Intel_Full_Complaint.pdf that may have loosened Dell's willingness/ability to use AMD in it's line. Second, with Dell being such a large company (the Wal-mart of computer manufacturers) that should set up an ATI vs Nvidia type competition where this quarter it's Intel, next quarter it's AMD with the fastest/best chip. Fun for all! :).
:)
Finally, Dell has a little known linux box (freeDOS). If it can break the Intel stranglehold, maybe M$ is next and we will see preloaded Ubuntu's (sigh's wistfully). I'm all a tingle with these fantasies
Content. Content. Content. Just like in real estate (location location location) these are the three things media corps care about the most. Until they make it easy (i.e., open standardized protocols) for information to be moved around, any media center is going to be locked in to proprietary difficult to use formats and only /. esque users will really be able to take advantage of these possibilities. The average user will never pay for something they need to spend more than 5 min trying to get to work. Trying new approaches to media delivery and exchange is veerrryy scary for corps that think their livelihood depends on "owning" the rights of Green Acres and Two's Company.
I'm thinking that problem will be solved with the advent of holographic memory http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx? id=14742&ch=infotech. No moving parts, light speed access and 60X info density per unit volume. Didn't the original Star Trek use memory cubes? The past shall become the future!
I'm currently reading essays for 1st - 4th year psychology students. If I were to identifiy aspects of writing that could use a lot of emphasis I would suggest two key elements. 1) A need to clearly state at the beginning of the essay what they are going to discuss. I'm not interested in clever or subtle methaphors etc. I have limited time and effort to devote to technical reports. Tell me what you are going to say and the pieces you will use to support this idea in the FIRST paragraph. Then follow that outline. 2) A good conclusion is key. Students need to to be able to create a relatively simple summary of complex topics such that of the reader remember nothing else about the essay it will be the conclusion. Tie all the different pieces of the essay together into the "take home" message.
I'm not generally in favor of technology that leaves hazardous waster around for 100's of thousands of years but there is a VERY interesting article in this months issue of American Scientist that essentially says new Nuclear reactor designs have fewer moving parts and dramatically increased safety margins, can use current spent fuel, reduced overall waste production by 99.9%, the waste that is produced has a half live of decades rather than thousands of years and it more difficult to produce material that can be used for bombs. Hmmmm..... Maybe I should at least open my mind to the possibility of nuclear power