As an avid (almost rabid) green lantern fan - I must say that the movie made my soul weep. Gaudy, stilted and utterly ridiculous, even for a story about a flying aliens with magic decoder rings.
Why oh Why would anyone let that man touch a classic like Blade Runner?! Will be as bad that horrible re-make of "Total Recall" where Colin Farrell bored everyone to tears and Kate Beckingsale just scowled and pouted for 2 hours?
Living in LA, this is not surprising, but rather pathetic. In Bell, CA for those not in the Golden State, has been in an uproar because city officials were pulling more money than the President or members of Senate. So, we lay off teachers -- but we build a giant planned city and call it a school. Some city contractor is getting major baller cake to build this monstrosity. No one makes any real bank increasing teachers' salaries or more books.
Yeah, I noticed this recently. I popped in the name of my favorite porn sample aggregator and it loaded, as did all the sites it linked to. Later, I tried to go to youtube - blocked! It turns out my VPN was off the whole time and I hadn't noticed. These porno sites were all blocked before. I don't believe it's de jure illegal to access porn sites, but it is illegal to host them for sure. Online porn is one of the things that the Chinese mafia does in its IT divisions.
What China needs is to produce its own domestic porn. There is no shortage of women ready and willing to do whatever is required. They have Taiwanese and HK porn but it sucks (ask for "yellow DVD/huang1 de DVD" at your friendly neighborhood DVD shop). To many mainland Chinese, the only context they see white women in is pornos or mainstream media. This distorts their viewpoint of all white women. A couple of my friends get harassed all the time because they have blonde hair and nice chests. Everyone assumes they're prostitutes because they look like the women that the Chinese see in pornos. Come on, how many of you immediately think of "kung fu" (or worse, "karate") when you see a Chinese person? Associations are there and they are real.
Well, many educated, middle class Asians have a very distorted view of Americans in general. If your only view of America is MTV and few ignorant tourists, you'd think we're all uber-violent jackasses.
Sadly, there are plenty of educated folks in China, India, Korea and Japan who think young African American male in baggy jeans equals 'drug dealer' or 'rapper'.
In college, I had plenty of overseas students from Europe and Asia who were shocked that there were African Americans who read books and didn't care for basketball.
Come to think of it, there were a few folks from the Midwest who thought that way too. Not a lot, but maybe 5 or so cats treated my over read behind like I was some sort of pink poodle. They wised up by junior year.;-)
Did you go to public school? Do you have public drinking water? Do you use electricity? Do you call the cops if your house is robbed? Do you use a public road? Do you eat meat out of a grocery store?
If the answers to any of these is yes then shut up and pay your taxes. Your argument makes no sense.
It's time to admit that government makes everyone worse off than we would otherwise be. And before anyone says "but wait, they built the roads!", yes, I believe roads could be provided voluntarily without taxation. along with every other important function they do.
You are an idiot. Taxation is no more theft than paying your cable bill. You're a citizen, you benefit from clean water, not getting blown up terrorists, the internet and a crap load of other things the government either pays for directly or has subsidized for development. Unless you like brown water and having the rent cops and firemen, stop whining. Please get over your Ayn Rand fantasy -- even Jesus told his disciples to pay their taxes.
Roads provide voluntarily? By who? Whose gonna pay for the asphalt, upkeep or to make some knuckle head doesn't cause a 10 car pile-up because he's doing 110 at rush hour? And seeing as UNIX and ARPNET were both military (read government) creations, Slashdot wouldn't have existed with US taxpayers money.
Wow, I guess kids who aren't going to be politicians shouldn't have to take history or civics. Or because I had no intention in becoming the next Tennessee Williams or William Shakespeare then I wasted my time in AP English?
First, you miss one of the main points of public education is to develop well rounded, grounded citizens. Just "training kids in their inclinations" is counter to everything western thought has to say about education and would undermine our democracy (i.e. ill informed citizens who are trained to be very good drones and little more.)
Second, what harm will taking harder course in High School really do? Give you a taste of college? Teach that true knowledge takes real work? Make you a well rounded thinker? Oh, suck horrible things. High School is about learning....losing site of that for the sake of grades will leave you in the slow lane in the end.
I'm often asked what I would have been if I didn't become a systems analyst. My answer is that I would have been a pastor. I still think about joining the clergy today, but I realize that my own demons to work out before I would trust myself to minister to God's people.
That being said, as a faithful Christian (I'm home this morning from service b/c I getting ready for a Memorial Day trip) and a scientist, I'm baffled and somewhat disturbed by the strident anti-intellectualism within the church. I've always know that religion and the denial of new discoveries go hand and hand (how long did it take the Catholic Church to accept that the world ain't flat?!), but damn!! Is it me, or have mainstream Christianity gotten dumber since I was a kid? I don't remember hearing about creationism in the 80's. My Bible-thumping mom always doubted evolution (growing up in the rural south with no running water) but that never stop her from letting me go to the local natural history museum. But then again, this is the age of Prosperity Ministry where everyone thinks that God is gonna give them a BMW they sprinkle holy water on and where people actually don't vote b/c they think the Apocalypse is going to start before the '08 election.
Maybe its because my pastor had a degree in Mathematics and my Sunday School teacher was also my Junior High biology teacher, but we didn't have this conflict when I was growing up. Nobody in my congregation. Even little old ladies who actually remember and protested the Scopes trial, didn't bat an eye when I said I wanted to study evolutionary biology. (I ended up studying engineering and physics.) And I guarantee you that even back in the 80's, we didn't think pollution and Global warming were tree-hugger pipe dreams. Then again, my church, despite their conservative leanings, support needle exchange and condom distribution. I used to think that my church was backwards -- now I realize that by church standards I went to worshiped with Churchills and Einsteins.
The more a think about it, the more its seems like I was in the Twilight Zone -- where people in the faith community actually encouraged rational scientific thought. As I walk through churches now, I feel like Luke Wilson in 'Idiocracy' where short of Halleluiah and patent Holy Roller babble, nobody likes to think anymore. Example: I was asked about speaking in tongues by a woman I know here in New York. When I explained what it actually meant in the Bible, I was told that I was too book smart and that I had no faith. WTF?! Substitute 'faggy' for 'no faith' and you have Idiocracy court room scene. Sad part about it, this woman is my age, not some old sharecropper like my parents who didn't have alot of formal education. Whether it be this ignorant ass creationism crap or Harry Potter, its almost as if I stepped I'm alien stranded on a planet of Pod People where TD Jakes and the recently deceased Jerry Falwell do all the thinking. Forget about substantive debates like euthenasia, abortion, global warming or gay marriage. We literally had a TV minister teaching people that Tinky Winky was going to make your children gay and fossils are a trick of the devil. Hell, people give me funny looks when I reference AW Tozier, St Augustine or CS Lewis. I bet more of you guys know who these people are than an average church goer.
A lot of young adults I know throughly reject going to church b/c they feel they need to be idiots to sit through service. Right now, I'm disillusioned in general with the Church as a body, because I feel as if the barbarians have taken over. Maybe I should just stay home -- except I still have some faith in God and I refuse to let stupidity keep me from worshipping Him.
First, I would like to stand up and say, "BRAVO!!" Its about time SOMEBODY pointed out how Nader has essentially turned the Greens into his own extended middle finger to the Dems who won't kiss his crusty old ass. He's done alot of good, but he's got an ego just as big (if not bigger) than President Shrub.
Second, I wouldn't run a Green at all. Why? Because Greens haven't managed to a Congressional candidates.
I'm with others who feel that Obama is too much of a stealth Clinton acolyte to be a real reformer. Not as scary as Guillani or Attila...er... I mean Senator Clinton. But, unless we get Bill Richardson or Dennis Kuicinch in office, he or Edwards are probably the most sane people out in the field.
For the Republicans, its Ron Paul by a longshot -- because a) he's man enough to admit that Iraq is a royal cluster-fuck and we need to get out know and b)he didn't spend the debate trying to convince the audience that they're just like the brain-dead FBI mole Ronald Reagan. He's too libertarian for my taste, but he's a saint compared to the war monger juntas.
In the end, the real power in the Congress and Senate. Change that, and we can probably clean this nation up.
Wow, its as if Mike Judge's Idiocracy is quickly coming to life. Reminds of the Hal Jordan fans back when I was in high school. Even at that age, I realize getting worked up over a comic book character but not knowing who your city councilman was or what the Bill Rights is shows just has screwed up we are as a nation.
How many people know more about Rosie O'Donnell going bat shit in the View on Elisabeth Hasselbeck than what they were actually talking about. We just had an article about how some idiots in Kansas are opening a creationist museum.
We're dealing with a nation of slack-jawed, loudmouth twits who are going nuts (pardon the pun) over a TV show but don't seem to bat an eye that working class survivors of Katrina are still effectively homeless.
May God Have Mercy on TV-hypontized, junk food gouring souls -
If I may add:
10)Get involved in your local government (school board, zoning meetings)
11) Get involved in your church, mosque or synagogue if you're religious.
12) Read a book
13) Go out on a Saturday night.
Nowdays both France and England are filled with pakis and arabs hating the West, kind of a bomb about to explode (in fact already started exploding). You know its ironic that westerns are complaining about brown people from their former colonies moving to the mother land when its was our policies and meddling that screwed these places in the first place. The five permanent members of the UN (France, US,UK, Russia and China) have been meddling in 3rd affairs and robbing these countries blind for decades. Its called chickens coming home to roost. And until we change the way we do a lot of things, we are going to be complaining about Brown people (b/c Sarkozy, Dobbs or any of these other Western Xenophobes ain't complaining about white Russians) invading our lily white landscape.
Speaking of politically correct, the word 'Paki' is equivalent to calling a Black person the N-word. Its offense slashdotters, lets ry not use it.
Take a degree in something that interests you. Take a job in something you're good at and can enjoy. Don't worry about whether the two match.
On that we agree. I told my kid brother that he could still major in psych, while getting a few internships as a journalist if he wants to be film and video game reviewer.
then they might be failing because they are more math degrees than what I would consider "computer science". That is why I changed my major to web development here. I didn't want a math degree and that is exactly what I was getting.
At its basis, computer science is nothing more than discrete algerbra and graphy theory. It is applied mathemtics, pure and simple. For what you want to do, you're right. You'd better off getting an art degree and picking up a few programming course on the side.
Actually, I would say that CS programmes need MORE math and theory classes. Sorry, but too many IT people are walking around with little to no understanding of fundamental data structures, calculus or logic. People think that I'm talking in circles at work, and its mainly b/c I have a physics background -- we solve problems with graphs, formulas and rigors that many IT "professionals" fail to grasp. If anything, I'm pursuing a CS masters so I can grasp even more of the high level basis of modern information technology. Its only in seeing the full theorem can you understand how it all fits.
And in what universe does a CS undergrad not learn how to program? That was a pre-req for majoring in the subject when I was in college -- and I graduate in 2000!! Must be older than I thought.
Look, you can teach most people how to hack code, troubleshoot a switch, or run a tech support call. But the underlying theorems that glue all of IT together you can only get from a classical Computer Science or engineering education. Its alot easier for a CS, Physics or Math major to switch between a networking job and a programming job, b/c he knows all of the background stuff that makes it all work. An IT-certified pro may struggle a bit, only b/c he's not going to know the basics.
My big complaint about CS majors is that most HS in the states don't prepare young people for the kind of head-scratching work that the major requires.
I'm an analyst at hospital. I was discussing with my co-worker last night how I was throughly pissed that me off that we had to go out and buy some nitchy high end software to crunch data points for physicians when we have a perfectly good database and how we have to keep extending software for our clients b/c the vendors have their heads up their asses.
His point was that I'm like alot of slashdotters, I get caught up in wings flapping on a flying creature and forget why they're flapping in the first place. Essentially, I was over analyzing the problems instead of just answer a simple question. We can simply ask the users what they need and go from there.
The point I was trying to make was slightly different... vendors tend to create half ass crappy software that doesn't meet client needs. There is no reason why a physician should have to go out and buy some experimental dos program to crunch numbers for her research when you have clinical database with an front end. When I do stats for my websites, I either get a tool to do the stats or I would just write whatever I need in perl or php. But, I would have the sense to add it to my packaged system.
However, alot of programmer (particular us Linux lovers) tend to forget that we're not going to be the end user and that for most people our program function as black boxes. Alot of programmer don't think about the fact that People use our products.
But, a stated before, most end users have no idea how to think abstractly or conceptually. In IT in general, and programming in particular, you're not bound by physics so much as your bound by logic and work flow -- you have to fundamentally understand what you do well enough to completely and clearly explain the issue. This comes from years of tech support and working in a hospital -- ask a user what their problem is and they'll give you 50+ answers that have absolutely nothing to do with the question at hand.
This is not to say that people are stupid -- they simply think in very tactile fashion -- they know what they do almost instictive but understand it clearly enough to outline the steps in their logic. Try asking someone how they brush their teeth. Hopefully, they brush at least once or twice day. But they may not lay out the logical steps to brush one's teeth. You couldn't build a robot that could emulate toothbrushing very well off of the answers. More than likely, They've been brush their teeth for so long, its second nature, they're no longer thinking about what goes into brushing their teeth.
This is the dilemna that programmers and IT personnel face with end user -- the clients answer is fix it and they expect you to be a mind reader. Its not typically out of malice, arrogance, laziness or stupidity. Its out of a fundamental lack of ability to process what you want and need clearly.
Why would Africans need computers when they could harvesting rice and coffee? (Said coffee which will probably end up in Western Kitchens anyway, but never mind.)
One of the reasons that African nations in particular and developing country have troubled economy is that they lack the technical means to control their own means of distribution. A cheap laptop (running a home brewed *NIX) would a good start to setting up a modern means of distribution of goods .
Also, consider whose the source -- the Finance and Business section MSN, AKA Microsoft's personal News arm. Do you honestly think that Microsoft wouldn't do a hit piece on $100 laptop? Do you think M$ wouldn't want to get Africans or Latin Americans hooked on their half assed products or on overpriced server boxes?
Gaming Degrees is where most online degrees were 5 or 10 years ago -- they're not taken to seriously in industry and they somewhat limit your options. Looking at the syllabus and the school, it appears to be a new direction for a decent third tier E-school. However, you're going to have a difficult time moving into another industry beyond general tech support -- simply b/c some HR bean counter isn't going to know WTF your degree with mean.
If you decide to leave Gaming and go into other forms of IT, that Degree won't have the same traction as a Comp Sci or Math degree. ITOH, you can get the CS Masters, focus your research or thesis on gaming and still get your dream job.
An informed, engaged electorate always win out over yahoos with Ammo, anyday. I find it funny that NOBODY is talking about cleaning up Congress, running for office, petitioning our elected officials to impeach this nitwit -- you know, legal and responsible means to take care of power-hungry bastards in Washington. Nope, we're all ready to grab our flack jackets and shot guns talking about going medieval on the US Army. Uhm, let me get this straight.... you're not going to bother to vote (which is still legal, and still pretty damn hard to steal, even with Diebold) which cost you no money and won't get you shot. But, everyone's willing to go commando on the US government?! Que?! Have we slashdot geeks been reading WAAY too much of the turner diaries?
In less than 2 weeks, we have a very legal, effective and powerful to take this clown out of office and reign these jokers. Vote. Vote early, vote intelligently (base your decisions on the candidate platform and whether they're just going to be Bush flunkies. After the election, get involved and nage your elected officials to impeach this creep before we all end up in the gulags. This is a mess we got ourselves in for not thinking rationally and demanding our elected officials are actual law abiding and sane. Nope, we chased one president's member and let our mathematically irrational fear of terrorists throwing nukes stop us from thinking rationally. It took years of political indifference, social apathy and outright stupidit to put us here. Its going to hard thinking, hard choices and direct action (beyond protests and fantasies about gunfights with the national guard) to get us out.
We can sit here and talk about how we're going to go underground to fight "The Man" (and subsequentially get our collective asses kicked) or we can use our ballots to make truly frightening revolution -- Americans actually taking politics seriously and voting these clowns out of office. The choices is yours/ours.
The religious point in a bunch of faiths is that it is murder because God said so.
What is Irony?
When people claim to speak for God about an issue Bible says nothing about. There is no mention of abortion is scripture, just as God didn't tell his follow to stop exploring science and engineering. Abortion was a common practice (although a really deadly one) throughout the ancient world (even the so called "Christian world"). Its not uncommon for young rape victims to be forced into to arcane abortion practices in the third world, b/c it would shame their fathers. So, in reality, evangelicals are actuall rallying against stem cell research and abortion because their minister said so. People's lives and science are held hostage by right wing "gonadal politics" and outright male chauvanism. (If men had to worry about getting knocked up, there would abortion clinics in Walmart and Home Depot.)
Now, how often does the Bible speak out against poverty and violence and so called Christians supported welfare "reform" and war? Here's a hint -- There are two-four scriptures dedicated to homosexuality and two-four entire books dedicated to the subjects of poverty and injustice in the Bible. Delicious irony.
Are the Greens disorganized? Yep, and it's sad. But what other alternative do we have if we want to see sustainable decentralist humanist policies that aren't in the old left big government mold? When push comes to shove I don't trust Libertarians on economic issues even though I respect their anti-state, anti empire, pro freedom positions.
Two words: Start Local. The Greens can't get themselves together to be force in places like NYC and SF, how are they ever going to gain power in Congress or seriously do more than Annoy Dems at election time.
Sure I would the Greens are doing a fine job in Germany. BTW You wingers really need a new insult calling people dirty hippies is soooo 1969. It's the 21st century, hellllo.
The difference is that the Greens in Germany took the time to establish themselves as more than the hippies who used to lie across railroad tracks Blocking Nuclear waste. They did the grunt work and are now taken seriously. Germans trust that the Greens are serious progressive and just loudmouth radicals with no real plans. American Greens haven't grasped this reality yet.
BTW, I'm a right winger, but I tried and true progressive and former Green Party member. I know of what I speak.
The largest problem is that far too many people do not get involved in community level politics -- where they can actually affect change. Work from your village, town, city level up. While P. Citizen Fuckyou carries no weight in national affairs, the same cannot be said for growing trends in community mindsets. Tightly integrated small to mid size communities begin to look very formidable when their are enough of them speaking together. If nothing else, you will have pulled enough people together so that you will not be standing completely alone if the shit does ever truly hit the fan.
Truer words have never been spoken. How many anarchist/libertarian/bullmoose party types whine about the government and how it doesn't listen but have never been to a zoning board meeting? I know far too many. If Slashdotters, liberal eggheads, local scientists or just people with an ounce of understanding about modern biophysics would have been more engaged in the Kansas School board meetings, do you think we'd be arguing about evolution in high school? "He who is faithful in little is faithful in much."
Both major parties started small in the local community. Having run for public office (twice), you'll find that most people simply want government to do something. If you're effective at the local level, you'd be surprised how fast the people will push you up the food chain.
And to my hardcore liberal know-it-all protester types-- if and/or when you run for local office, save that Anti-globalization/Chomskyite song and dance for your local socialist blunt session. You obviously can't do much about it beyond protesting, and your constituents really don't care about your opinion on it. Most people don't want grandiose, soap box standing reformers in office -- because they general spend too much time grand-standing and not enough time actually working to fix everyday problems. You wouldn't believe how many times I had to throw some hippy of the campaign trail b/c he wanted to talk about Isreal/Palestine to Dominican single mom whose wondering why her street never gets cleaned.
So screw trying to write non-sensical Anti-war diatribes in the local paper if you get in, and focus on making sure the local 8th graders can actually read above a 5th grade level or that the city fathers don't give away half of downtown to Walmart for free. Trust me, if you don't, you won't have to worry about re-election.
Same goes for the hardcore libertarian gun nuts and even the anti-abortion bible thumpers out there. Local politics is about paying your dues, helping your neighbors and doing your job. Leave that ideologue stuff out of it in your first run.
Then vote third party and organize in your local community. Build your party from ground up. Would honestly trust some Green party hippy w/ no political experience or feasible platform in Congress? You're better off with the criminals and cowards that are in right now. The problem w/ most 3rd candidates is that they suck.
America has become a sad place when speaking the truth plainly without some sort of "moderate" nicey, nicey nodding in the direction of the Fox corporate blow hards is considered "lunatic fringe." Remember it was people protesting and striking that brought us the 40 hour work, that got black people the votes, that got women the vote, that helped end the Vietnam war, earth day that brought us NEPA, getting the picture? If you think the regressive forces of the world will give up their ill gotten privileges without loud protest you are kidding yourself. Moderates never got shit in history except some Uncle Tom pats on the back, it's radicals that got the goods time after time. From the founding fathers who used gasp violence against the "legitimate" British government to the current radicals like ACT UP who brought gay rights into the forefront in the late 80s the powers that be have to be pushed against if you want to gain any ground, count on it.
True, but most people fail to realize that it was with direct political/electoral action. I know I'm a broken record on this one, but if you can't get off your butt vote in the local school board election, forget about changin the tide of globalization. If you don't vote (God forbid start shooting politicians and CEOs) power brokers don't care. For example, if the LGBT community mobilized and took a few good chunks out the Dems in NY and CA, I guarantee the Don't Ask Don't Tell Crap wouldn't have passed in the 90's.
It also came with unflinching so-called 'yellow' journalism that went out of its way to show the nastiness of those struggles. Do you honestly you'd hear about AZT medications being tested on foster children anywhere other than some unwashed incoherent tinfoiled hat hippy on Pacifica?
It also comes from coalition building on all sides. As long as the "dirty hippies" in the anti-globalization movement stick their noses up the Pat Buchannans and Alan Keyes of the world, they going to continue to get steamrolled and mocked in the media. And if the red-stater Joe Six pack listens to Lou Dobbs and only worries more about some brown person stealing his job, he'll keep missing the fact that it's the corporations giving his job away for short gains.
I am very glad that many Americans today are seeing the core problems. But what's needed is Americans who will protest. Americans who will take a real stand against the wrongs they see committed in their names. Are you one of those Americans?
Fair enough. Just remember that protesting does little if you're not voting and actively engaged in electoral politics. Marching and letter petitions are a step above ranting on SD. But only tiny step if you don't get your butt to the polls on Election Day.
Slashdot Mirror
Hahahaha!!!
As an avid (almost rabid) green lantern fan - I must say that the movie made my soul weep. Gaudy, stilted and utterly ridiculous, even for a story about a flying aliens with magic decoder rings. Why oh Why would anyone let that man touch a classic like Blade Runner?! Will be as bad that horrible re-make of "Total Recall" where Colin Farrell bored everyone to tears and Kate Beckingsale just scowled and pouted for 2 hours?
Living in LA, this is not surprising, but rather pathetic. In Bell, CA for those not in the Golden State, has been in an uproar because city officials were pulling more money than the President or members of Senate. So, we lay off teachers -- but we build a giant planned city and call it a school. Some city contractor is getting major baller cake to build this monstrosity. No one makes any real bank increasing teachers' salaries or more books.
Yeah, I noticed this recently. I popped in the name of my favorite porn sample aggregator and it loaded, as did all the sites it linked to. Later, I tried to go to youtube - blocked! It turns out my VPN was off the whole time and I hadn't noticed. These porno sites were all blocked before. I don't believe it's de jure illegal to access porn sites, but it is illegal to host them for sure. Online porn is one of the things that the Chinese mafia does in its IT divisions.
What China needs is to produce its own domestic porn. There is no shortage of women ready and willing to do whatever is required. They have Taiwanese and HK porn but it sucks (ask for "yellow DVD/huang1 de DVD" at your friendly neighborhood DVD shop). To many mainland Chinese, the only context they see white women in is pornos or mainstream media. This distorts their viewpoint of all white women. A couple of my friends get harassed all the time because they have blonde hair and nice chests. Everyone assumes they're prostitutes because they look like the women that the Chinese see in pornos. Come on, how many of you immediately think of "kung fu" (or worse, "karate") when you see a Chinese person? Associations are there and they are real.
Well, many educated, middle class Asians have a very distorted view of Americans in general. If your only view of America is MTV and few ignorant tourists, you'd think we're all uber-violent jackasses. Sadly, there are plenty of educated folks in China, India, Korea and Japan who think young African American male in baggy jeans equals 'drug dealer' or 'rapper'. In college, I had plenty of overseas students from Europe and Asia who were shocked that there were African Americans who read books and didn't care for basketball. Come to think of it, there were a few folks from the Midwest who thought that way too. Not a lot, but maybe 5 or so cats treated my over read behind like I was some sort of pink poodle. They wised up by junior year. ;-)
Did you go to public school? Do you have public drinking water? Do you use electricity? Do you call the cops if your house is robbed? Do you use a public road? Do you eat meat out of a grocery store? If the answers to any of these is yes then shut up and pay your taxes. Your argument makes no sense.
It's time to admit that government makes everyone worse off than we would otherwise be. And before anyone says "but wait, they built the roads!", yes, I believe roads could be provided voluntarily without taxation. along with every other important function they do.
You are an idiot. Taxation is no more theft than paying your cable bill. You're a citizen, you benefit from clean water, not getting blown up terrorists, the internet and a crap load of other things the government either pays for directly or has subsidized for development. Unless you like brown water and having the rent cops and firemen, stop whining. Please get over your Ayn Rand fantasy -- even Jesus told his disciples to pay their taxes. Roads provide voluntarily? By who? Whose gonna pay for the asphalt, upkeep or to make some knuckle head doesn't cause a 10 car pile-up because he's doing 110 at rush hour? And seeing as UNIX and ARPNET were both military (read government) creations, Slashdot wouldn't have existed with US taxpayers money.
Wow, I guess kids who aren't going to be politicians shouldn't have to take history or civics. Or because I had no intention in becoming the next Tennessee Williams or William Shakespeare then I wasted my time in AP English?
First, you miss one of the main points of public education is to develop well rounded, grounded citizens. Just "training kids in their inclinations" is counter to everything western thought has to say about education and would undermine our democracy (i.e. ill informed citizens who are trained to be very good drones and little more.)
Second, what harm will taking harder course in High School really do? Give you a taste of college? Teach that true knowledge takes real work? Make you a well rounded thinker? Oh, suck horrible things. High School is about learning....losing site of that for the sake of grades will leave you in the slow lane in the end.
I'm often asked what I would have been if I didn't become a systems analyst. My answer is that I would have been a pastor. I still think about joining the clergy today, but I realize that my own demons to work out before I would trust myself to minister to God's people.
That being said, as a faithful Christian (I'm home this morning from service b/c I getting ready for a Memorial Day trip) and a scientist, I'm baffled and somewhat disturbed by the strident anti-intellectualism within the church. I've always know that religion and the denial of new discoveries go hand and hand (how long did it take the Catholic Church to accept that the world ain't flat?!), but damn!! Is it me, or have mainstream Christianity gotten dumber since I was a kid? I don't remember hearing about creationism in the 80's. My Bible-thumping mom always doubted evolution (growing up in the rural south with no running water) but that never stop her from letting me go to the local natural history museum. But then again, this is the age of Prosperity Ministry where everyone thinks that God is gonna give them a BMW they sprinkle holy water on and where people actually don't vote b/c they think the Apocalypse is going to start before the '08 election.
Maybe its because my pastor had a degree in Mathematics and my Sunday School teacher was also my Junior High biology teacher, but we didn't have this conflict when I was growing up. Nobody in my congregation. Even little old ladies who actually remember and protested the Scopes trial, didn't bat an eye when I said I wanted to study evolutionary biology. (I ended up studying engineering and physics.) And I guarantee you that even back in the 80's, we didn't think pollution and Global warming were tree-hugger pipe dreams. Then again, my church, despite their conservative leanings, support needle exchange and condom distribution. I used to think that my church was backwards -- now I realize that by church standards I went to worshiped with Churchills and Einsteins.
The more a think about it, the more its seems like I was in the Twilight Zone -- where people in the faith community actually encouraged rational scientific thought. As I walk through churches now, I feel like Luke Wilson in 'Idiocracy' where short of Halleluiah and patent Holy Roller babble, nobody likes to think anymore. Example: I was asked about speaking in tongues by a woman I know here in New York. When I explained what it actually meant in the Bible, I was told that I was too book smart and that I had no faith. WTF?! Substitute 'faggy' for 'no faith' and you have Idiocracy court room scene. Sad part about it, this woman is my age, not some old sharecropper like my parents who didn't have alot of formal education. Whether it be this ignorant ass creationism crap or Harry Potter, its almost as if I stepped I'm alien stranded on a planet of Pod People where TD Jakes and the recently deceased Jerry Falwell do all the thinking. Forget about substantive debates like euthenasia, abortion, global warming or gay marriage. We literally had a TV minister teaching people that Tinky Winky was going to make your children gay and fossils are a trick of the devil. Hell, people give me funny looks when I reference AW Tozier, St Augustine or CS Lewis. I bet more of you guys know who these people are than an average church goer.
A lot of young adults I know throughly reject going to church b/c they feel they need to be idiots to sit through service. Right now, I'm disillusioned in general with the Church as a body, because I feel as if the barbarians have taken over. Maybe I should just stay home -- except I still have some faith in God and I refuse to let stupidity keep me from worshipping Him.
Second, I wouldn't run a Green at all. Why? Because Greens haven't managed to a Congressional candidates.
I'm with others who feel that Obama is too much of a stealth Clinton acolyte to be a real reformer. Not as scary as Guillani or Attila...er... I mean Senator Clinton. But, unless we get Bill Richardson or Dennis Kuicinch in office, he or Edwards are probably the most sane people out in the field.
For the Republicans, its Ron Paul by a longshot -- because a) he's man enough to admit that Iraq is a royal cluster-fuck and we need to get out know and b)he didn't spend the debate trying to convince the audience that they're just like the brain-dead FBI mole Ronald Reagan. He's too libertarian for my taste, but he's a saint compared to the war monger juntas.
In the end, the real power in the Congress and Senate. Change that, and we can probably clean this nation up.
- Cappa -
Wow, its as if Mike Judge's Idiocracy is quickly coming to life. Reminds of the Hal Jordan fans back when I was in high school. Even at that age, I realize getting worked up over a comic book character but not knowing who your city councilman was or what the Bill Rights is shows just has screwed up we are as a nation.
How many people know more about Rosie O'Donnell going bat shit in the View on Elisabeth Hasselbeck than what they were actually talking about. We just had an article about how some idiots in Kansas are opening a creationist museum.
We're dealing with a nation of slack-jawed, loudmouth twits who are going nuts (pardon the pun) over a TV show but don't seem to bat an eye that working class survivors of Katrina are still effectively homeless.
May God Have Mercy on TV-hypontized, junk food gouring souls -
Cappa
If I may add: 10)Get involved in your local government (school board, zoning meetings) 11) Get involved in your church, mosque or synagogue if you're religious. 12) Read a book 13) Go out on a Saturday night.
On that we agree. I told my kid brother that he could still major in psych, while getting a few internships as a journalist if he wants to be film and video game reviewer.
At its basis, computer science is nothing more than discrete algerbra and graphy theory. It is applied mathemtics, pure and simple. For what you want to do, you're right. You'd better off getting an art degree and picking up a few programming course on the side.
Actually, I would say that CS programmes need MORE math and theory classes. Sorry, but too many IT people are walking around with little to no understanding of fundamental data structures, calculus or logic. People think that I'm talking in circles at work, and its mainly b/c I have a physics background -- we solve problems with graphs, formulas and rigors that many IT "professionals" fail to grasp. If anything, I'm pursuing a CS masters so I can grasp even more of the high level basis of modern information technology. Its only in seeing the full theorem can you understand how it all fits.
And in what universe does a CS undergrad not learn how to program? That was a pre-req for majoring in the subject when I was in college -- and I graduate in 2000!! Must be older than I thought.
Look, you can teach most people how to hack code, troubleshoot a switch, or run a tech support call. But the underlying theorems that glue all of IT together you can only get from a classical Computer Science or engineering education. Its alot easier for a CS, Physics or Math major to switch between a networking job and a programming job, b/c he knows all of the background stuff that makes it all work. An IT-certified pro may struggle a bit, only b/c he's not going to know the basics.
My big complaint about CS majors is that most HS in the states don't prepare young people for the kind of head-scratching work that the major requires.
His point was that I'm like alot of slashdotters, I get caught up in wings flapping on a flying creature and forget why they're flapping in the first place. Essentially, I was over analyzing the problems instead of just answer a simple question. We can simply ask the users what they need and go from there.
The point I was trying to make was slightly different ... vendors tend to create half ass crappy software that doesn't meet client needs. There is no reason why a physician should have to go out and buy some experimental dos program to crunch numbers for her research when you have clinical database with an front end. When I do stats for my websites, I either get a tool to do the stats or I would just write whatever I need in perl or php. But, I would have the sense to add it to my packaged system.
However, alot of programmer (particular us Linux lovers) tend to forget that we're not going to be the end user and that for most people our program function as black boxes. Alot of programmer don't think about the fact that People use our products.
But, a stated before, most end users have no idea how to think abstractly or conceptually. In IT in general, and programming in particular, you're not bound by physics so much as your bound by logic and work flow -- you have to fundamentally understand what you do well enough to completely and clearly explain the issue. This comes from years of tech support and working in a hospital -- ask a user what their problem is and they'll give you 50+ answers that have absolutely nothing to do with the question at hand.
This is not to say that people are stupid -- they simply think in very tactile fashion -- they know what they do almost instictive but understand it clearly enough to outline the steps in their logic. Try asking someone how they brush their teeth. Hopefully, they brush at least once or twice day. But they may not lay out the logical steps to brush one's teeth. You couldn't build a robot that could emulate toothbrushing very well off of the answers. More than likely, They've been brush their teeth for so long, its second nature, they're no longer thinking about what goes into brushing their teeth.
This is the dilemna that programmers and IT personnel face with end user -- the clients answer is fix it and they expect you to be a mind reader. Its not typically out of malice, arrogance, laziness or stupidity. Its out of a fundamental lack of ability to process what you want and need clearly.
Why would Africans need computers when they could harvesting rice and coffee? (Said coffee which will probably end up in Western Kitchens anyway, but never mind.) One of the reasons that African nations in particular and developing country have troubled economy is that they lack the technical means to control their own means of distribution. A cheap laptop (running a home brewed *NIX) would a good start to setting up a modern means of distribution of goods . Also, consider whose the source -- the Finance and Business section MSN, AKA Microsoft's personal News arm. Do you honestly think that Microsoft wouldn't do a hit piece on $100 laptop? Do you think M$ wouldn't want to get Africans or Latin Americans hooked on their half assed products or on overpriced server boxes?
Gaming Degrees is where most online degrees were 5 or 10 years ago -- they're not taken to seriously in industry and they somewhat limit your options. Looking at the syllabus and the school, it appears to be a new direction for a decent third tier E-school. However, you're going to have a difficult time moving into another industry beyond general tech support -- simply b/c some HR bean counter isn't going to know WTF your degree with mean.
If you decide to leave Gaming and go into other forms of IT, that Degree won't have the same traction as a Comp Sci or Math degree. ITOH, you can get the CS Masters, focus your research or thesis on gaming and still get your dream job.
- Cappa
An informed, engaged electorate always win out over yahoos with Ammo, anyday. I find it funny that NOBODY is talking about cleaning up Congress, running for office, petitioning our elected officials to impeach this nitwit -- you know, legal and responsible means to take care of power-hungry bastards in Washington. Nope, we're all ready to grab our flack jackets and shot guns talking about going medieval on the US Army. Uhm, let me get this straight.... you're not going to bother to vote (which is still legal, and still pretty damn hard to steal, even with Diebold) which cost you no money and won't get you shot. But, everyone's willing to go commando on the US government?! Que?! Have we slashdot geeks been reading WAAY too much of the turner diaries?
In less than 2 weeks, we have a very legal, effective and powerful to take this clown out of office and reign these jokers. Vote. Vote early, vote intelligently (base your decisions on the candidate platform and whether they're just going to be Bush flunkies. After the election, get involved and nage your elected officials to impeach this creep before we all end up in the gulags. This is a mess we got ourselves in for not thinking rationally and demanding our elected officials are actual law abiding and sane. Nope, we chased one president's member and let our mathematically irrational fear of terrorists throwing nukes stop us from thinking rationally. It took years of political indifference, social apathy and outright stupidit to put us here. Its going to hard thinking, hard choices and direct action (beyond protests and fantasies about gunfights with the national guard) to get us out.
We can sit here and talk about how we're going to go underground to fight "The Man" (and subsequentially get our collective asses kicked) or we can use our ballots to make truly frightening revolution -- Americans actually taking politics seriously and voting these clowns out of office. The choices is yours/ours.
Peace - CappadonnaWhat is Irony?
When people claim to speak for God about an issue Bible says nothing about. There is no mention of abortion is scripture, just as God didn't tell his follow to stop exploring science and engineering. Abortion was a common practice (although a really deadly one) throughout the ancient world (even the so called "Christian world"). Its not uncommon for young rape victims to be forced into to arcane abortion practices in the third world, b/c it would shame their fathers. So, in reality, evangelicals are actuall rallying against stem cell research and abortion because their minister said so. People's lives and science are held hostage by right wing "gonadal politics" and outright male chauvanism. (If men had to worry about getting knocked up, there would abortion clinics in Walmart and Home Depot.)
Now, how often does the Bible speak out against poverty and violence and so called Christians supported welfare "reform" and war? Here's a hint -- There are two-four scriptures dedicated to homosexuality and two-four entire books dedicated to the subjects of poverty and injustice in the Bible. Delicious irony.
The difference is that the Greens in Germany took the time to establish themselves as more than the hippies who used to lie across railroad tracks Blocking Nuclear waste. They did the grunt work and are now taken seriously. Germans trust that the Greens are serious progressive and just loudmouth radicals with no real plans. American Greens haven't grasped this reality yet.
BTW, I'm a right winger, but I tried and true progressive and former Green Party member. I know of what I speak.
Truer words have never been spoken. How many anarchist/libertarian/bullmoose party types whine about the government and how it doesn't listen but have never been to a zoning board meeting? I know far too many. If Slashdotters, liberal eggheads, local scientists or just people with an ounce of understanding about modern biophysics would have been more engaged in the Kansas School board meetings, do you think we'd be arguing about evolution in high school? "He who is faithful in little is faithful in much."
Both major parties started small in the local community. Having run for public office (twice), you'll find that most people simply want government to do something. If you're effective at the local level, you'd be surprised how fast the people will push you up the food chain.
And to my hardcore liberal know-it-all protester types-- if and/or when you run for local office, save that Anti-globalization/Chomskyite song and dance for your local socialist blunt session. You obviously can't do much about it beyond protesting, and your constituents really don't care about your opinion on it. Most people don't want grandiose, soap box standing reformers in office -- because they general spend too much time grand-standing and not enough time actually working to fix everyday problems. You wouldn't believe how many times I had to throw some hippy of the campaign trail b/c he wanted to talk about Isreal/Palestine to Dominican single mom whose wondering why her street never gets cleaned.
So screw trying to write non-sensical Anti-war diatribes in the local paper if you get in, and focus on making sure the local 8th graders can actually read above a 5th grade level or that the city fathers don't give away half of downtown to Walmart for free. Trust me, if you don't, you won't have to worry about re-election.
Same goes for the hardcore libertarian gun nuts and even the anti-abortion bible thumpers out there. Local politics is about paying your dues, helping your neighbors and doing your job. Leave that ideologue stuff out of it in your first run.
Then vote third party and organize in your local community. Build your party from ground up. Would honestly trust some Green party hippy w/ no political experience or feasible platform in Congress? You're better off with the criminals and cowards that are in right now. The problem w/ most 3rd candidates is that they suck.
True, but most people fail to realize that it was with direct political/electoral action. I know I'm a broken record on this one, but if you can't get off your butt vote in the local school board election, forget about changin the tide of globalization. If you don't vote (God forbid start shooting politicians and CEOs) power brokers don't care. For example, if the LGBT community mobilized and took a few good chunks out the Dems in NY and CA, I guarantee the Don't Ask Don't Tell Crap wouldn't have passed in the 90's.
It also came with unflinching so-called 'yellow' journalism that went out of its way to show the nastiness of those struggles. Do you honestly you'd hear about AZT medications being tested on foster children anywhere other than some unwashed incoherent tinfoiled hat hippy on Pacifica?
It also comes from coalition building on all sides. As long as the "dirty hippies" in the anti-globalization movement stick their noses up the Pat Buchannans and Alan Keyes of the world, they going to continue to get steamrolled and mocked in the media. And if the red-stater Joe Six pack listens to Lou Dobbs and only worries more about some brown person stealing his job, he'll keep missing the fact that it's the corporations giving his job away for short gains.
Fair enough. Just remember that protesting does little if you're not voting and actively engaged in electoral politics. Marching and letter petitions are a step above ranting on SD. But only tiny step if you don't get your butt to the polls on Election Day.