I'm with AkiraRoberts - I think Stephenson writes beautifully and the writing by its very nature is pleasurable to read. It doesn't matter to me what he writes about; I'll read it.
That said, I also saw the Anathem music video and also thought it was crap.
Still, I'm super excited about Mongoliad.
My perspective as a content creator is probably biased, but I'm happy to subscribe to this content and I believe it is probably the future of media...
Still, the parent author has a good point about the nature of computers. There was a time when you could grasp every detail of the system. Now, to understand any one component means a lifetime of specialization. This is good because it makes computers extremely powerful, but it is bad in a way because it makes the world a mysterious place.
When I started learning html around 1997, it was simple. I could know every tag. I kept up with it through frames and into a small amount of javascript and css. Thirteen years later, many sites are extremely sophisticated, accounting for the nuances of various browsers, etc. It's certainly a formidable hobby at this point.
When the world is a mysterious place, it is a frightening place. A child growing up in the modern world sees all of our amazing technology as magic. Everything is a mysterious black box that just works, or when it doesn't, you call someone to fix it, or toss it and replace it. That's why I always respected Fred Rogers. Even if it was something as simple as taking children "behind the scenes" at the supermarket, he always strived to debunk the modern world at a pace anyone could keep up with.
We shouldn't resist technological progress, but we should be aware of how living in a high tech world affects people. Happiness is linked strongly to control. If you choose only to control your own thoughts, you will probably be very happy because success is almost guaranteed. But if, like most people, you choose to try to control the world around you, technology is a double edged sword. While in some senses it has afforded people unprecedented power, in other ways, growing up surrounded by inscrutable sophisticated electronics can be alienating.
Being able to know things is good for your health. Scientia potentia est!
If this opportunity sounds interesting to you but you grew up with high level languages, definitely check out the book Code by Charles Petzold. I could really only keep up with the first 500 pages or so, but it is still incredibly insightful and interesting if you want to know how a computer really works. You could basically use it to learn how to build a computer from scratch and program it.
I honestly don't understand why there is such bias against electronic voting on Slashdot since, in theory, it's a "nerd community".
We are biased because we are painfully aware how easy it is to manipulate digital electronic information systems. There is no "record of electrons" - it is always possible to alter information without a trace.
But home schooling pretty much fails to develop a kid's social skills. And I've always felt that one of the more important things that public schooling does is develop social skills.
Yes, because being segregated by age and ability level helps develop social skills!
imaged a waved Real Estate contract
on
Why Wave Failed
·
· Score: 1
I believe wave is a solution to many existing problems.
Think about a real estate contract. The brokers, attorneys, and clients all need to sign and approve any changes. So we end up faxing and mailing things all over the place saying "please change paragraph n to read: ____ " and everyone has to sign.
Imagine if all these parties could interact with a single document through a wave. An enormous effort would be saved!
Pidgin is actually a very sensible name. From Wikipedia: A pidgin language is a simplified language that develops as a means of communication between two or more groups that do not have a language in common.
I think the mac mini server would take off if apple made it very easy to cluster them into a high availability environment. Imagine just being able to add them to an office environment for increased capacity and redundancy. Apple is very good at making things easy to set up.
"Mac OS X Server has found the following servers: o add to high availability cluster?"
"Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe we can get broadband to every community in America through a combination of reform of the Universal Service Fund, better use of the nation's wireless spectrum, promotion of next-generation facilities, technologies and applications, and new tax and loan incentives."
What if my books about travel, ethnicity, feminism and music, along with music CDs covering folk, classic and modern rock, as well as art supplies, movie tickets and travel memorabilia, are neatly stowed away in a well lit room?
My computers are named after the characters of Harry Potter. The network is called Hogwarts. The computers are named Fred & George, (those two have identical specs), and my laptop is named Hedwig since it's mobile.
This is probably not a good system if you have a lot of computers, as you might be running into the more obscure characters...
I just wanted to take this opportunity to apologize for being "that guy" going the speed limit + ~2.5mph (road conditions permitting, of course).
What's amazing is that though much of the time I am the slowest car on the road, I would say just as often I am the fastest, whipping by other cars.
My conclusion is this: no one really cares about any laws. People just do whatever they want. It just so happens that most people are good. But laws don't influence anyone's behavior; no one cares what the speed limit is. People just drive at whatever speed they are comfortable driving, slowing down up hills and speeding down them.
When's the last time you thought, "I want to murder someone, but I won't because it would be unlawful"...? Murder still happens even though it's illegal. No one cares what the law says. People go by their own moral compass.
People who infringe on copyright law by failing to pay for what they use are not customers.
Therefore, a business should not consider those people at all. They should concentrate on making the experience for paying customers as excellent as possible.
Consider how orchestral musicians are hired: the best possible soloist (often the most bombastic) is auditioned, but expected to fit in and know their place once hired.
The role of the conductor is as much political--the tamer of egos--as it is musical. How soon ASIMO will take over these duties I cannot say.
Personally, the idea of an orchestra, with so many people trying to do the same thing at the same time, might as well be replaced with robots. A small ensemble where the musicians have room to improvise and explore their personal creativity is much more interesting to me.
Slashdot Mirror
Being Happy, Healthy, Wise and Wealthy isn't everything. The 5th element, a "give the best of yourself to the world" sort of ideal, also exists.
Slashdot has undergone the same transformation as iTunes.
I remember when I used to get a spam-prevention timeout for posting comments too quickly.
Now, the preview window takes so long to load that such a fault would be impossible!
I'm with AkiraRoberts - I think Stephenson writes beautifully and the writing by its very nature is pleasurable to read. It doesn't matter to me what he writes about; I'll read it.
That said, I also saw the Anathem music video and also thought it was crap.
Still, I'm super excited about Mongoliad.
My perspective as a content creator is probably biased, but I'm happy to subscribe to this content and I believe it is probably the future of media...
Fortunately we've moved on
Still, the parent author has a good point about the nature of computers. There was a time when you could grasp every detail of the system. Now, to understand any one component means a lifetime of specialization. This is good because it makes computers extremely powerful, but it is bad in a way because it makes the world a mysterious place.
When I started learning html around 1997, it was simple. I could know every tag. I kept up with it through frames and into a small amount of javascript and css. Thirteen years later, many sites are extremely sophisticated, accounting for the nuances of various browsers, etc. It's certainly a formidable hobby at this point.
When the world is a mysterious place, it is a frightening place. A child growing up in the modern world sees all of our amazing technology as magic. Everything is a mysterious black box that just works, or when it doesn't, you call someone to fix it, or toss it and replace it. That's why I always respected Fred Rogers. Even if it was something as simple as taking children "behind the scenes" at the supermarket, he always strived to debunk the modern world at a pace anyone could keep up with.
We shouldn't resist technological progress, but we should be aware of how living in a high tech world affects people. Happiness is linked strongly to control. If you choose only to control your own thoughts, you will probably be very happy because success is almost guaranteed. But if, like most people, you choose to try to control the world around you, technology is a double edged sword. While in some senses it has afforded people unprecedented power, in other ways, growing up surrounded by inscrutable sophisticated electronics can be alienating.
Being able to know things is good for your health. Scientia potentia est!
If this opportunity sounds interesting to you but you grew up with high level languages, definitely check out the book Code by Charles Petzold. I could really only keep up with the first 500 pages or so, but it is still incredibly insightful and interesting if you want to know how a computer really works. You could basically use it to learn how to build a computer from scratch and program it.
For a minute there I was hoping PrestaShop was the new name for the single-window version of Gimp. Ah well.
Thank you.
I honestly don't understand why there is such bias against electronic voting on Slashdot since, in theory, it's a "nerd community".
We are biased because we are painfully aware how easy it is to manipulate digital electronic information systems. There is no "record of electrons" - it is always possible to alter information without a trace.
But home schooling pretty much fails to develop a kid's social skills. And I've always felt that one of the more important things that public schooling does is develop social skills.
Yes, because being segregated by age and ability level helps develop social skills!
I believe wave is a solution to many existing problems.
Think about a real estate contract. The brokers, attorneys, and clients all need to sign and approve any changes. So we end up faxing and mailing things all over the place saying "please change paragraph n to read: ____ " and everyone has to sign.
Imagine if all these parties could interact with a single document through a wave. An enormous effort would be saved!
I continue to be amazed at how little some programmers understand about their trade
What makes you think programming is different from any other profession?
You'd be amazed at how many "professionals" have absolutely no idea what they're doing, in any industry!
Pidgin is actually a very sensible name. From Wikipedia: A pidgin language is a simplified language that develops as a means of communication between two or more groups that do not have a language in common.
I think the mac mini server would take off if apple made it very easy to cluster them into a high availability environment. Imagine just being able to add them to an office environment for increased capacity and redundancy. Apple is very good at making things easy to set up.
"Mac OS X Server has found the following servers:
o add to high availability cluster?"
And get the kids to learn the curriculum, not how to fake it by Wikipedi-ing the answers and surfing for porn the rest of the class.
If students can answer questions by looking them up on Wikipedia, perhaps the questions are not worth asking.
"Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe we can get broadband to every community in America through a combination of reform of the Universal Service Fund, better use of the nation's wireless spectrum, promotion of next-generation facilities, technologies and applications, and new tax and loan incentives."
Is this of interest to anyone around here?
What if my books about travel, ethnicity, feminism and music, along with music CDs covering folk, classic and modern rock, as well as art supplies, movie tickets and travel memorabilia, are neatly stowed away in a well lit room?
My computers are named after the characters of Harry Potter. The network is called Hogwarts. The computers are named Fred & George, (those two have identical specs), and my laptop is named Hedwig since it's mobile.
This is probably not a good system if you have a lot of computers, as you might be running into the more obscure characters...
No, they're supposed to be maximizing shareholder profits.
I just wanted to take this opportunity to apologize for being "that guy" going the speed limit + ~2.5mph (road conditions permitting, of course).
What's amazing is that though much of the time I am the slowest car on the road, I would say just as often I am the fastest, whipping by other cars.
My conclusion is this: no one really cares about any laws. People just do whatever they want. It just so happens that most people are good. But laws don't influence anyone's behavior; no one cares what the speed limit is. People just drive at whatever speed they are comfortable driving, slowing down up hills and speeding down them.
When's the last time you thought, "I want to murder someone, but I won't because it would be unlawful"...? Murder still happens even though it's illegal. No one cares what the law says. People go by their own moral compass.
Businesses should only pander to their customers.
People who infringe on copyright law by failing to pay for what they use are not customers.
Therefore, a business should not consider those people at all. They should concentrate on making the experience for paying customers as excellent as possible.
Only after the voter has verified the paper matches his/her intent, then the voter finally casts his/her ballot.
Umm??? Anything can happen after the vote has been "cast."
We're talking about digital electronics. No one can observe their workings. Things can always be changed without anyone ever knowing.
Silly old me!
P.S. Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America -- Wikipedia
Aren't people in Australia really laid back and easy going? That's what my friends have told me who lived there.
North Americans are relatively anal by comparison, what with the puritan work ethic and all.
Good luck with that.
YALD (Yet Another Linux Distribution) features:
1. YAPM package management
2. YAD desktop environment
3. YATK toolkit
Bonuses include Still No Drivers For Your Wireless Hardware & Good Luck With That Built In Sound Card.
YALD - just what you didn't know you didn't need!
Consider how orchestral musicians are hired: the best possible soloist (often the most bombastic) is auditioned, but expected to fit in and know their place once hired.
The role of the conductor is as much political--the tamer of egos--as it is musical. How soon ASIMO will take over these duties I cannot say.
Personally, the idea of an orchestra, with so many people trying to do the same thing at the same time, might as well be replaced with robots. A small ensemble where the musicians have room to improvise and explore their personal creativity is much more interesting to me.
...they'll be bundling QuickTime with iTunes!