When I was working on obtaining my MSCS degree, I took a class in programming languages - specifically designed to teach us that different programming languages are good at solving different problems. I learned more in that class than any other single class I took over the years. Struggling to solve a problem that requires recursion with a language that does not allow recursion is a real eye opener.
Looking at the results from a problem solving session like that, with one set of code taking many, many lines, and a second set of code taking only a few lines has an impact on you that can last your entire career.
Stay the course. You will be much better prepared to tackle problems in the "real world" if you have training across several languages, and you know the types of problems that each is best suited to address.
Just my two cent's worth...
smp
...Hrmmm seeing as how there is no where in the world this thing can go that a conventional helicopter or plane can't...
I believe there is an altitude limit for helicopters, above which, the air is simply too thin for them to fly. I am thinking of reaching up onto a *high* mountain for supplies and/or rescue efforts. It seems this vehicle certainly could potentially reach places in the world that helicopters cannot.
I agree totally with not wanting a hard drive in my cell phone, but... has anyone tried to buy a cell phone *without* a camera in it lately?
I don't want a camera in my cell phone either, because I work in the defense industry and I cannot take my phone into many buildings due to security restrictions. But, when I tried to purchase a cell phone without a camera, I found my only choice was a klunky offering that was too big for me and looked like it was several years old in design.
I fear that the idea of having a hard drive in one's cell phone will "catch on," and shortly after, one will not be able to find a cell phone without one.
Sigh!
smp
Read Prey by Michael Crichton. I've heard it said that the science in the story is not real, but it was one of the most frightening scifi stories that I've read.
You know, there is stupid, and then there's STUPID. Let's take tings one at a time. First this fellow created and released a virus that caused WebTV devices to call 911. This, of course is stupid on it's face, because flooding 911 with a lot of fake calls can obviously cause delays for real emergencies to get through, and possibly contribute to people dying or other physical destruction that might have been avoided.
As well, there's another stupidity here: did this guy think that there are actually enough WebTVs to cause mass mayhem? I'd guess they are probably widely dispersed around the country so any given 911 location might only have a few machines that would be calling in, and then only if he achieves 100% coverage. Stupid. Again.
And finally, the only way I could get my parents to communicate online was with a WebTV. These folks are not really tech savvy, and they often call me on the phone to ask what to do with this attachment thingie they received. I'd guess there are a fair number of WebTV users out there who might also not know what to do with an attachment, or not notice that it's there, and might never even open it up. This will also cut back on the virus coverage. Stupid. Again.
I guess this fellow either was not smart enough to figure this coverage issue out - or maybe he went for low coverage because he really was not trying to do much damage? Nah. Stupid. Just plaun stupid.
smp
I am going on travel this afternoon and I had already printed out my maps and directions from "another service (MapQuest).
Today, I did the same using Google Maps, and I found the interface much easier to use, the maps pretty good and the driving directions less complex and easier to read than the ones I usually get from other services.
I say "pretty good" on the maps, because of two things: First, several of the maps had slight discontinuities when I printed them, versus the way they looked on screen. At the left edge, there was a vertical seam where the map pieces were shifted with respect to each other. Not a big deal, as this had no great effect, but has anyone else seen this? Second, the shadows from the "start" and "end" push pins obscured some of the map information and blobbed the end of the route a bit. Does anyone know how to turn off the shadows?
Hey, how come no one has mentioned Tablet PCs? (Sorry if I missed it.) I have been a computer nerd since the days of Altair and IMSAI, and I must say that even though I have owned and still own a variety of PCs and Macs, my Tablet PC is the form factor that I've been waiting for, for a very long time. It's a small laptop when you have the keyboard attached, it's a real PC, not a PDA, and, with RitePen installed, you can write anywhere on the screen and the current text based application will capture the recognized text (and, yes the recognition is very good!). An excellent alternative for taking notes. As well, Micro$oft's Journal app lets you capture your handwriting as "digital ink" so you can write to your heart's content, and also draw, scribble, doodle or whatever.
My only disappointment is that Apple doesn't make one - I'd rather have OS X than Windows XP, but there's no doubt in my mind that a Tablet PC is the way to go for real mobile computing.
Slashdot Mirror
I respectfully submit my own choice, which is working for me in my work environment:
iPad,
WritePad app,
Griffen stylus.
I fully realize that this combination is working (very) well for me, but others will also have plenty of other opinions and options to offer.
smp
When I was working on obtaining my MSCS degree, I took a class in programming languages - specifically designed to teach us that different programming languages are good at solving different problems. I learned more in that class than any other single class I took over the years. Struggling to solve a problem that requires recursion with a language that does not allow recursion is a real eye opener. Looking at the results from a problem solving session like that, with one set of code taking many, many lines, and a second set of code taking only a few lines has an impact on you that can last your entire career. Stay the course. You will be much better prepared to tackle problems in the "real world" if you have training across several languages, and you know the types of problems that each is best suited to address. Just my two cent's worth... smp
of the company that created the Treminator? Great name! ;-)
smp
...Hrmmm seeing as how there is no where in the world this thing can go that a conventional helicopter or plane can't...
I believe there is an altitude limit for helicopters, above which, the air is simply too thin for them to fly. I am thinking of reaching up onto a *high* mountain for supplies and/or rescue efforts. It seems this vehicle certainly could potentially reach places in the world that helicopters cannot.
Just my two cents worth...
smp
I agree totally with not wanting a hard drive in my cell phone, but... has anyone tried to buy a cell phone *without* a camera in it lately? I don't want a camera in my cell phone either, because I work in the defense industry and I cannot take my phone into many buildings due to security restrictions. But, when I tried to purchase a cell phone without a camera, I found my only choice was a klunky offering that was too big for me and looked like it was several years old in design. I fear that the idea of having a hard drive in one's cell phone will "catch on," and shortly after, one will not be able to find a cell phone without one. Sigh! smp
Read Prey by Michael Crichton. I've heard it said that the science in the story is not real, but it was one of the most frightening scifi stories that I've read.
smp
According to this article at Computer World http://www.computerworld.com/hardwaretopics/hardwa re/story/0,10801,100808,00.html Transmeta is getting some new business from Sony to make derivatives of the new Cell processor.
smp
You know, there is stupid, and then there's STUPID. Let's take tings one at a time. First this fellow created and released a virus that caused WebTV devices to call 911. This, of course is stupid on it's face, because flooding 911 with a lot of fake calls can obviously cause delays for real emergencies to get through, and possibly contribute to people dying or other physical destruction that might have been avoided. As well, there's another stupidity here: did this guy think that there are actually enough WebTVs to cause mass mayhem? I'd guess they are probably widely dispersed around the country so any given 911 location might only have a few machines that would be calling in, and then only if he achieves 100% coverage. Stupid. Again. And finally, the only way I could get my parents to communicate online was with a WebTV. These folks are not really tech savvy, and they often call me on the phone to ask what to do with this attachment thingie they received. I'd guess there are a fair number of WebTV users out there who might also not know what to do with an attachment, or not notice that it's there, and might never even open it up. This will also cut back on the virus coverage. Stupid. Again. I guess this fellow either was not smart enough to figure this coverage issue out - or maybe he went for low coverage because he really was not trying to do much damage? Nah. Stupid. Just plaun stupid. smp
I am going on travel this afternoon and I had already printed out my maps and directions from "another service (MapQuest).
Today, I did the same using Google Maps, and I found the interface much easier to use, the maps pretty good and the driving directions less complex and easier to read than the ones I usually get from other services.
I say "pretty good" on the maps, because of two things: First, several of the maps had slight discontinuities when I printed them, versus the way they looked on screen. At the left edge, there was a vertical seam where the map pieces were shifted with respect to each other. Not a big deal, as this had no great effect, but has anyone else seen this? Second, the shadows from the "start" and "end" push pins obscured some of the map information and blobbed the end of the route a bit. Does anyone know how to turn off the shadows?
Just my experience, YMMV.
smp
Wow. That was fast. I can't get to the site already. Regards, smp
FYI, the Adventure game is available to try online at: http://games.xyzzy.net/xyzzy.html
Hey, how come no one has mentioned Tablet PCs? (Sorry if I missed it.) I have been a computer nerd since the days of Altair and IMSAI, and I must say that even though I have owned and still own a variety of PCs and Macs, my Tablet PC is the form factor that I've been waiting for, for a very long time. It's a small laptop when you have the keyboard attached, it's a real PC, not a PDA, and, with RitePen installed, you can write anywhere on the screen and the current text based application will capture the recognized text (and, yes the recognition is very good!). An excellent alternative for taking notes. As well, Micro$oft's Journal app lets you capture your handwriting as "digital ink" so you can write to your heart's content, and also draw, scribble, doodle or whatever. My only disappointment is that Apple doesn't make one - I'd rather have OS X than Windows XP, but there's no doubt in my mind that a Tablet PC is the way to go for real mobile computing.