AMD has certainly been the better player of late. However, without the marketing to back up their superior products it doesn't mean much. With product cycles as low as they are in the processor industry, AMD might be caught by Intel before the general public even realizes that AMD was ahead for a while.
I've gone to Rose-Hulman Inst. of Tech. (BSME), Stanford University (MSME), and now Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (MSCS). I'm here to tell you that the first two in that list are at least an order of magnitude "better" schools than IUPUI. That goes for both professors and students. At RHIT & Stanford I worked my ass off and learned a lot. At IUPUI I don't do a damn thing and get the best grades of anyone I know (and I have zero CS experience).
There's my datapoint. Now, I just hope my prof doesn't read Slashdot because I start a new class at IUPUI tomorrow.:^)
I stopped beleiving in God and Christianity at about 14 because it just didn't make sense. Over the years, through a lot of trial and error, I came up with the same ideas you did, also on my own...and they seem to work quite well.
That's interesting, I had the same experience around 14 (15 actually). It must be part of the whole growing up thing to start to question your belief systems. For me though, those same thoughts about how to treat others and yourself eventually brought me back to Christianity. I think the "Golden Rule" ideas laid out in Christianity get rolled into and overshadowed by the Godly/religious aspects of the faith.
In reality, if what you're after is the idea of peace & love, rather than anger & hate, then you can probably find a connection to pretty much any religion. I'm betting it results from how we're wired up with a conscience & all. It's a pretty much universal human feeling that there is a difference between good & bad, and good is better. Where that feeling comes from is, of course, open to debate...
I was always told in my undergraduate engineering education that we were "learning to learn". The idea being that it is more important to learn how to approach new topics, find information, discern fact from fiction, and apply both old and newfound knowledge than it is to remember the Navier-Stokes equation verbatim. This approach has proved very helpful now that I'm out in the working world.
I would imagine that the traditional humanities-related fields would find this approach even more critical. With the wealth of information available now, it is extremely important to know how to find it quickly and discern what is real and what is just fluff. Combine this with an understanding of the concepts or "base data" you speak of and you have yourself a powerful intellect.
I would suggest trying your "bottled tap water" idea in California. They'll buy anything as long as you make it sound "hip" and charge too much for it.
The telephone folks aren't too bright. They often mistake a barn for a house. For that matter, they often mistake assholes for customer service representatives.
While I sympathize with your situation, you can't really expect much else. There are many, many people who want & will pay for this service in large cities & (sub)urban areas. Forcing the bells to rollout everything to the rural areas will just put us farther and farther behind. I think we should let the market work itself out. I mean, we've been regulating the telephone industry just like you are suggesting and look at the high-tech nothingness we've gotten out of that.
Think of it a bit like the restaurant business. There aren't Starbucks and Applebees on the corner of Rural Route 100 & County Line Road because they wouldn't make any money. Would it be nice to have a StarBucks out on the back 40? Yes. Is it reasonable? No. It's the same deal with high-speed data connections.
But don't worry, hopefully it won't be too long before this marching behemoth of technology comes out with something that is easily deployable in the rural areas. WiMax or something? But please don't slow down the rest of the nation's progress just be cause you want to both live in the country and download BitTorrents.
And along those same lines, I would imagine that these memory/neuron/brain enhancing drugs would be legally available only by prescription. Then, just like Ritalin or Adderall, unauthorized users would be committing a crime. Naturally, the social stigma associated with illegal drug use will help to curb abuse somewhat. But then, if problems arise more legislation would probably be passed for testing and other control measures. Ah the wonders of modern medicine.
I wonder if I can blame my high BrainBoost(TM) levels on poppy seeds?
I love (but am not "in love with") circuit city employees (not managers). I've had great luck with their people knowing about the products and telling me stuff that would probably be considered bad for their managers to know about. That's why I drive a little bit extra to go there instead of Best Buy or similar stores.
One time I had a Circuit City guy tell me all about home theater options. He told me the Sony stuff pretty much sucked for the price. He then offered me alternatives. I left and thought about my choices some. It was nice to get the real scoop on the products.
When I came back the next day the salesperson that helped me was actually a manager. He started pushing Sony so I told him what the person had said the day before. He got all indignant and wanted to know who that salesperson was. He said that Sony could punish the store for that sort of thing. When I asked him if they were forced to lie about all of their products & weren't actually interested in helping the customer get the best item, I was met by 10 seconds of silence. When he started into backtrack mode I politely informed him that since he was an asshole I would just go purchase my product online. That started an array of managers and owners trying to "help" me. It was awesome.
Nowadays, going to the movie theater is an annoying experience for many.
You know, that's very true. When I was younger (7 or 8 years ago) I went to the movies all the time. I mean, at least once a weekend. Now I probably go to the movies once every couple months. Why? Well, pricing sure has something to do with it. But the real reason is it's just annoying. Sure the big screen is nice, but I get awesome sound and comfort at home. Plus, at home I have internet, free popcorn, the remote control, etc.
I guess going to the movies has just turned crappy compared to other forms of entertainment.
It's all fine and dandy to say that we should take responsibility for global warming, it makes us feel all warm and fuzzy to say it. Unfortunatley, the fact is that there is a heck of a lot more to think about than just stopping global warming. The global economy and civilization in general has come to rely on fossil fuels. There would be wide spread recession/depression and possible food & energy shortages if we hit fossil fuels too hard and too fast.
Now I will grant you that we should have started down the path to alternative fuels years ago. But to a point we have. We're researching other technologies and other methods of energy production and have been for a long time. It's just that nothing as cheap and easy as fossil fuels has popped up. And there is a large portion of the world, the U.S. included, that has a high standard of living because of the low price.
Hopefully, as prices on fossil fuels rise we'll see more of the "wind/solar/water/nuclear/etc energy is cheaper than oil" articles. But to expect some government administration to declare war of fossil fuels is just a pipe dream. The fact is, most people don't see the possiblity of global warming as such an important issue. People here tend to think it's a big deal, and it probably is or will be within a few years. Unfortunately for us, we don't have the right to force others to give up their money and their standards of living for what we think is important.
While initially excited about my purchase of this product, I have been dissapointed with its overall performance. The initial buy-in was a significant investment, but I had figured that the lack of subscription costs for the life of the unit would make it a worthwhile purchase.
Unfortunately, after a short period of appropriate use I found my item started to malfunction. The day after the two-week warranty period ended it started to make an increasingly annoying noise. A high-pitched wail of sorts. The noise seems to repeat until a specific function is performed. At times the noise even exceeds the volume of the television.
In addition the ports on my model are rarely accessible. Even getting the exterior case off is a major achievement. For some reason I have found it easier to plug-in when floral arrangments are visible to the unit. Strange but true.
In summary, while the lack of subscription costs in a nice bonus, I would suggest that consumers purchase their products on a per-need basis. At least, until resources become scarce, at which time I would suggest grabbing hold of the first product you can and praying she doesn't read Slashdot.
I say we just put a deep fryer under the blades and enjoy the feast. Perhaps a faster moving turbine near ground level could deli-slice for us. It's genius!
The fact that companies pay people with college degrees more is not a "problem" at all. It's the result of the average value of people with & without degrees. While I see your point about degrees that don't directly apply to the position, there's something to be said for having a degree at all.
A person that has obtained a college degree shows drive and an ability to learn. They have been exposed to a wide array of classes, not just credits toward their major. Going to college teaches a person not just particular topics, but how to learn new topics.
It is true that folks who have worked at a particular company for quite a while will know their job, regardless of their education. But on average the person with an advanced degree will offer more growth potential to the company and hence be more valuable.
Oh, I hear you. That's why I always wait a day or two before turning in any reports or important memo's. I think the brain getting some sleep knocks some of the retarded out.
I'm not saying this from experience, so ignore me if you want, but have you tried teaching him some extra stuff at home or getting him a supplemental tutor for advanced stuff after school? I would think some extra effort at home could help your son get ahead and ensure that he understands the value you place on education. With luck, by the time he gets near Junior High the teachers will realize he's much smarter and allow him to take classes ahead of his grade level.
Of course, there's something to be said for smoking through your homework in 10 minutes and going outside to build a tree fort or play baseball. That's how I grew up and they're letting me design jet engines. Now if only I could get them to let me design a tree fort.
The teachers that I have always learned the most from were those that set a high level for success and stuck to it. No curves, no exceptions, just high expectations. From high school all the way through my second graduate degree those teachers that followed this rule taught me the most.
Of course, this requires a highly motivated teacher, because they will most likely have to offer more time outside of the classroom for homework help & supplemental lessons. Perhaps this is why it doesn't happen too often. It's not like high school teachers & community college profs are paid enough to put in extra time & effort. But those that really care can make a big difference in student's lives. Note that I'm not blaming teachers here, they are products of what they're forced to do (by community, government, parents, etc.). I sure don't stay at work late just to make sure everything is perfect, and I get paid much more than teachers do.
This isn't to say that parents shouldn't hold their children accountable. But it's hard to give your kid a hard time for getting a good grade in a slacker class. But if little Jane is getting a crappy grade in Social Studies because she's not living up to expectations, then you better bet the parents should break out the crowbar and pull their daughter's head out of her ass. You can probably tell from my poor grammar that my English teachers didn't demand a whole lot.:^)
In my experience I've found that I almost never type a correct message the first time through. I always make sure to go back and proof my emails & reports. Spellcheck doesn't catch everything and it certainly doesn't catch stupid statements. I have found it easy to tell who doesn't take the time to proof their messages.
You're right, I didn't write that quite the way I meant it. What I meant was, I don't use adblock because it doesn't really do anything useful for me. I don't mind the ads as long as they're not popping up, which Firefox takes care of. So if not blocking banner ads gets me more free content, then I'm happy.
I definitely see people's point about Flash ads, though. They can be annoying.
I'm curious, would you make the same argument for TiVo? Would you be on their side if they decided to make you sit through commercials rather than having a fast-forward option? I wouldn't.
Just for the record, I don't use adblock because it doesn't really do anything. Why do I care if an ad pops up in a particular spot or just blank space? I can ignore one just as well as the other. It's not like I'm hurting for bandwidth.
Slashdot Mirror
AMD has certainly been the better player of late. However, without the marketing to back up their superior products it doesn't mean much. With product cycles as low as they are in the processor industry, AMD might be caught by Intel before the general public even realizes that AMD was ahead for a while.
I've gone to Rose-Hulman Inst. of Tech. (BSME), Stanford University (MSME), and now Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (MSCS). I'm here to tell you that the first two in that list are at least an order of magnitude "better" schools than IUPUI. That goes for both professors and students. At RHIT & Stanford I worked my ass off and learned a lot. At IUPUI I don't do a damn thing and get the best grades of anyone I know (and I have zero CS experience).
:^)
There's my datapoint. Now, I just hope my prof doesn't read Slashdot because I start a new class at IUPUI tomorrow.
I seriously doubt Billy has ever had the opportunity to munch carpet.
That's interesting, I had the same experience around 14 (15 actually). It must be part of the whole growing up thing to start to question your belief systems. For me though, those same thoughts about how to treat others and yourself eventually brought me back to Christianity. I think the "Golden Rule" ideas laid out in Christianity get rolled into and overshadowed by the Godly/religious aspects of the faith.
In reality, if what you're after is the idea of peace & love, rather than anger & hate, then you can probably find a connection to pretty much any religion. I'm betting it results from how we're wired up with a conscience & all. It's a pretty much universal human feeling that there is a difference between good & bad, and good is better. Where that feeling comes from is, of course, open to debate...
I was always told in my undergraduate engineering education that we were "learning to learn". The idea being that it is more important to learn how to approach new topics, find information, discern fact from fiction, and apply both old and newfound knowledge than it is to remember the Navier-Stokes equation verbatim. This approach has proved very helpful now that I'm out in the working world.
I would imagine that the traditional humanities-related fields would find this approach even more critical. With the wealth of information available now, it is extremely important to know how to find it quickly and discern what is real and what is just fluff. Combine this with an understanding of the concepts or "base data" you speak of and you have yourself a powerful intellect.
I would suggest trying your "bottled tap water" idea in California. They'll buy anything as long as you make it sound "hip" and charge too much for it.
The telephone folks aren't too bright. They often mistake a barn for a house. For that matter, they often mistake assholes for customer service representatives.
While I sympathize with your situation, you can't really expect much else. There are many, many people who want & will pay for this service in large cities & (sub)urban areas. Forcing the bells to rollout everything to the rural areas will just put us farther and farther behind. I think we should let the market work itself out. I mean, we've been regulating the telephone industry just like you are suggesting and look at the high-tech nothingness we've gotten out of that.
Think of it a bit like the restaurant business. There aren't Starbucks and Applebees on the corner of Rural Route 100 & County Line Road because they wouldn't make any money. Would it be nice to have a StarBucks out on the back 40? Yes. Is it reasonable? No. It's the same deal with high-speed data connections.
But don't worry, hopefully it won't be too long before this marching behemoth of technology comes out with something that is easily deployable in the rural areas. WiMax or something? But please don't slow down the rest of the nation's progress just be cause you want to both live in the country and download BitTorrents.
And along those same lines, I would imagine that these memory/neuron/brain enhancing drugs would be legally available only by prescription. Then, just like Ritalin or Adderall, unauthorized users would be committing a crime. Naturally, the social stigma associated with illegal drug use will help to curb abuse somewhat. But then, if problems arise more legislation would probably be passed for testing and other control measures. Ah the wonders of modern medicine.
I wonder if I can blame my high BrainBoost(TM) levels on poppy seeds?
I love (but am not "in love with") circuit city employees (not managers). I've had great luck with their people knowing about the products and telling me stuff that would probably be considered bad for their managers to know about. That's why I drive a little bit extra to go there instead of Best Buy or similar stores.
One time I had a Circuit City guy tell me all about home theater options. He told me the Sony stuff pretty much sucked for the price. He then offered me alternatives. I left and thought about my choices some. It was nice to get the real scoop on the products.
When I came back the next day the salesperson that helped me was actually a manager. He started pushing Sony so I told him what the person had said the day before. He got all indignant and wanted to know who that salesperson was. He said that Sony could punish the store for that sort of thing. When I asked him if they were forced to lie about all of their products & weren't actually interested in helping the customer get the best item, I was met by 10 seconds of silence. When he started into backtrack mode I politely informed him that since he was an asshole I would just go purchase my product online. That started an array of managers and owners trying to "help" me. It was awesome.
The regular employees are great though.
You know, that's very true. When I was younger (7 or 8 years ago) I went to the movies all the time. I mean, at least once a weekend. Now I probably go to the movies once every couple months. Why? Well, pricing sure has something to do with it. But the real reason is it's just annoying. Sure the big screen is nice, but I get awesome sound and comfort at home. Plus, at home I have internet, free popcorn, the remote control, etc.
I guess going to the movies has just turned crappy compared to other forms of entertainment.
It's all fine and dandy to say that we should take responsibility for global warming, it makes us feel all warm and fuzzy to say it. Unfortunatley, the fact is that there is a heck of a lot more to think about than just stopping global warming. The global economy and civilization in general has come to rely on fossil fuels. There would be wide spread recession/depression and possible food & energy shortages if we hit fossil fuels too hard and too fast.
Now I will grant you that we should have started down the path to alternative fuels years ago. But to a point we have. We're researching other technologies and other methods of energy production and have been for a long time. It's just that nothing as cheap and easy as fossil fuels has popped up. And there is a large portion of the world, the U.S. included, that has a high standard of living because of the low price.
Hopefully, as prices on fossil fuels rise we'll see more of the "wind/solar/water/nuclear/etc energy is cheaper than oil" articles. But to expect some government administration to declare war of fossil fuels is just a pipe dream. The fact is, most people don't see the possiblity of global warming as such an important issue. People here tend to think it's a big deal, and it probably is or will be within a few years. Unfortunately for us, we don't have the right to force others to give up their money and their standards of living for what we think is important.
While initially excited about my purchase of this product, I have been dissapointed with its overall performance. The initial buy-in was a significant investment, but I had figured that the lack of subscription costs for the life of the unit would make it a worthwhile purchase.
Unfortunately, after a short period of appropriate use I found my item started to malfunction. The day after the two-week warranty period ended it started to make an increasingly annoying noise. A high-pitched wail of sorts. The noise seems to repeat until a specific function is performed. At times the noise even exceeds the volume of the television.
In addition the ports on my model are rarely accessible. Even getting the exterior case off is a major achievement. For some reason I have found it easier to plug-in when floral arrangments are visible to the unit. Strange but true.
In summary, while the lack of subscription costs in a nice bonus, I would suggest that consumers purchase their products on a per-need basis. At least, until resources become scarce, at which time I would suggest grabbing hold of the first product you can and praying she doesn't read Slashdot.
I say we just put a deep fryer under the blades and enjoy the feast. Perhaps a faster moving turbine near ground level could deli-slice for us. It's genius!
You're an editor for WSJ, aren't you?
We've all "heard this one before". And you're exactly correct. The thing is, we just don't give a shit. Neither should you.
Wow, a tad defensive don't you think?
The fact that companies pay people with college degrees more is not a "problem" at all. It's the result of the average value of people with & without degrees. While I see your point about degrees that don't directly apply to the position, there's something to be said for having a degree at all.
A person that has obtained a college degree shows drive and an ability to learn. They have been exposed to a wide array of classes, not just credits toward their major. Going to college teaches a person not just particular topics, but how to learn new topics.
It is true that folks who have worked at a particular company for quite a while will know their job, regardless of their education. But on average the person with an advanced degree will offer more growth potential to the company and hence be more valuable.
Oh, I hear you. That's why I always wait a day or two before turning in any reports or important memo's. I think the brain getting some sleep knocks some of the retarded out.
I'm not saying this from experience, so ignore me if you want, but have you tried teaching him some extra stuff at home or getting him a supplemental tutor for advanced stuff after school? I would think some extra effort at home could help your son get ahead and ensure that he understands the value you place on education. With luck, by the time he gets near Junior High the teachers will realize he's much smarter and allow him to take classes ahead of his grade level.
Of course, there's something to be said for smoking through your homework in 10 minutes and going outside to build a tree fort or play baseball. That's how I grew up and they're letting me design jet engines. Now if only I could get them to let me design a tree fort.
The teachers that I have always learned the most from were those that set a high level for success and stuck to it. No curves, no exceptions, just high expectations. From high school all the way through my second graduate degree those teachers that followed this rule taught me the most.
:^)
Of course, this requires a highly motivated teacher, because they will most likely have to offer more time outside of the classroom for homework help & supplemental lessons. Perhaps this is why it doesn't happen too often. It's not like high school teachers & community college profs are paid enough to put in extra time & effort. But those that really care can make a big difference in student's lives. Note that I'm not blaming teachers here, they are products of what they're forced to do (by community, government, parents, etc.). I sure don't stay at work late just to make sure everything is perfect, and I get paid much more than teachers do.
This isn't to say that parents shouldn't hold their children accountable. But it's hard to give your kid a hard time for getting a good grade in a slacker class. But if little Jane is getting a crappy grade in Social Studies because she's not living up to expectations, then you better bet the parents should break out the crowbar and pull their daughter's head out of her ass. You can probably tell from my poor grammar that my English teachers didn't demand a whole lot.
In my experience I've found that I almost never type a correct message the first time through. I always make sure to go back and proof my emails & reports. Spellcheck doesn't catch everything and it certainly doesn't catch stupid statements. I have found it easy to tell who doesn't take the time to proof their messages.
You're right, I didn't write that quite the way I meant it. What I meant was, I don't use adblock because it doesn't really do anything useful for me. I don't mind the ads as long as they're not popping up, which Firefox takes care of. So if not blocking banner ads gets me more free content, then I'm happy.
I definitely see people's point about Flash ads, though. They can be annoying.
I'm curious, would you make the same argument for TiVo? Would you be on their side if they decided to make you sit through commercials rather than having a fast-forward option? I wouldn't.
Just for the record, I don't use adblock because it doesn't really do anything. Why do I care if an ad pops up in a particular spot or just blank space? I can ignore one just as well as the other. It's not like I'm hurting for bandwidth.