In my own experience with PeopleSoft at a major university, let's just say it can be rather frustrating. Yes there's lots of useful functionality BUT, the forced upgrades are more trouble than they seem to be worth. And some processes that ran perfectly on the old systems are glitchy as all hell now. And there's not much we can modify - just have to wait for the next so-called "upgrade".
When employers look at your resume later on, your degree is generally less important than experience. It probably depends on your ultimate career goal - though that can always change later on. Through taking this job, you might realize this isn't really what you want to do, without wasting the time and money on that specialized degree that won't help you anywhere else. Besides, it's probably not wise to lock yourself into any one career path, especially at 19 when all your options are open... just ask the grads who believed this field would only keep growing and are now unemployed.
I vote take the job if you can get it, and take night classes.
"a single small slip of the keys could land my employer in a multi-million lawsuit.... Focus on teh task instead... Like five minnutes ago... I paniced a bit... since they wer taken during the day..."
"
That's what *I'm* talkin about... Leave work at work.
No offense, man - I couldn't resist. =)
BTW seeing the casket pic was quite a breath of fresh air.
Or better yet, spend some quality time with your wife. (Not just *that* kind of quality time, though that's important too!) Pursue some interests you both already enjoy, or try something totally new together - hiking, salsa dancing, music, the NYT crossword, whatever. Your relationship will thank you.
I also enjoy the work I do but it can also be a very stressful environment at times... I find it best to try to keep work at work, and unwind on the off hours with entertainment, the company of friends & family etc. Or, if it's really TOO stressful, look for another job. The frustration of the job search might just help you appreciate your current gig.
I'm no IT expert but I do know a pride myself on knowing a lot more than your average joe user... When we started using Kerberos at work I was assigned a 16-character password of random letters (cap & small), numbers and symbols.... Jeez I thought what a PITA to remember. Then of course by the time I used it 3 times I had memorized it.
I think there's a natural fear reaction to long and complex passwords, esp for those who are used to using passwords like 'puppies' for email and their birth year for the ATM. Is the average person's memory really that bad?? Hmm.
Cripes, did I even stay on topic? okay, note to self: don't babble before coffee.;)
some don't run well even on retro hardware
on
Is DOS Gaming Dead?
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· Score: 1
I recently revived my old 486 and even that just runs some games way too fast to play... at 66Mhz.
Scorched Earth, anyone?
/.ed - here's the text of the synopsis
on
The Mellow Baboon
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· Score: 0, Redundant
For most animal species, behavioral attributes are largely the product of interactions between genes and environment, with behavioral patterns preserved by natural selection. Birds, for example, know instinctively what type of nest to build for their offspring; salamanders don't need lessons to swim. But when it comes to primates--including humans--a good deal of behavior is learned. Primates exhibit a wide range of behaviors, not just among species but also among populations and even individuals. Yet the nature versus nurture debate still rages, particularly when it comes to understanding the roots of aggression. While bonobos are famous for using sex to resolve disputes, aggression is far more common in most primate species--again humans included. Our closest relative, the chimpanzee, has a reputation for being among the most belligerent, with rhesus monkeys and baboons not far behind. For many of these species, bouts of violence are often followed by gestures of reconciliation, such as grooming or, in the case of chimps, kissing. Since most primates live in social groups, it may be that such conciliatory measures serve to maintain some semblance of social structure, offsetting the disruptive effects of aggression. (To learn more about primate behavior and aggression, see the primer by Frans de Waal in this issue [DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0020101].)
In baboons, "grooming" is a socially rewarding behavior. (Photograph, with permission, by Robert Sapolsky) Primatologists characterize these behavioral differences as "cultural" traits, since they arise independent of genetic or environmental factors and are not only shared by a population (though not necessarily a species) but are also passed on to succeeding generations. Such cultural traditions have been documented in African chimp populations, which display over 39 behaviors related to "technology" (such as using stones to crack nuts), grooming, and courtship. While most of these cases involve either tools, foraging, or communication, Robert Sapolsky and Lisa Share report evidence of a higher order cultural tradition in wild baboons in Kenya. Rooted in field observations of a group of olive baboons (called the Forest Troop) since 1978, Sapolsky and Share document the emergence of a unique culture affecting the "overall structure and social atmosphere" of the troop.
In his book A Primate's Memoir, Sapolsky studied the activities and lifestyle of the Forest Troop to explore the relationship between stress and disease. In typical baboon fashion, the males behaved badly, angling either to assume or maintain dominance with higher ranking males or engaging in bloody battles with lower ranking males, which often tried to overthrow the top baboon by striking tentative alliances with fellow underlings. Females were often harassed and attacked. Internecine feuds were routine. Through a heartbreaking twist of fate, the most aggressive males in the Forest Troop were wiped out. The males, which had taken to foraging in an open garbage pit adjacent to a tourist lodge, had contracted bovine tuberculosis, and most died between 1983 and 1986. Their deaths drastically changed the gender composition of the troop, more than doubling the ratio of females to males, and by 1986 troop behavior had changed considerably as well; males were significantly less aggressive.
After the deaths, Sapolsky stopped observing the Forest Troop until 1993. Surprisingly, even though no adult males from the 1983-1986 period remained in the Forest Troop in 1993 (males migrate after puberty), the new males exhibited the less aggressive behavior of their predecessors. Around this time, Sapolsky and Share also began observing another troop, called the Talek Troop. The Talek Troop, along with the pre-TB Forest Troop, served as controls for comparing the behavior of the post-1993 Forest Troop. The authors found that while in some respects male to male dominance behaviors and patterns of aggression were similar in both the Forest and control troops, there were differences that significantly
"Besides cost, solar cell efficiency is the second most critical criteria."
And the other critical criteria? Such as the inefficiency and byproduct waste of making solar cells in the first place? I'm all for research, but unfortunately we're still a LONG way from using solar power on a large scale. I'd like to hope that's where this is ultimately going.
OTOH, any step forward toward greener energy is good in my book.
"Simply by being held accountable by the government and the people, NASA is never going to be able to say "Well, this ship will get you there, but we can't guarantee that you will live to make it, and we can't guarantee that you won't get cancer by the time you get back. But hey, you get to go to Mars!"
Only as long as our goofy society views a few measly human lives as being more valuable than such a spectacular leap in the pursuit of knowledge and discovery. D'ya think Columbus's crew thought all of them would make it there and back? Then again, aren't we picky and choosy about which human lives are valuable... Only in a world where the unborn are more important than millions living in poverty and starvation, would we forego sending people on such a grand mission because they (gasp) *might not come back.* Surely there are plenty of scientists willing to make that sacrifice.
" A group of Russian space experts on Friday announced an ambitious plan.... officials dismissed the project as nonsense."
While I don't know the credibility of their "experts", the experts vs. officials notion vaguely reminds me of the oh-so-many ways the Bush administration ignores experts hmm?;-)
In all seriousness, I'd love to see it happen, or at least get more discussion going on realistic WAYS to make it happen sooner, safer, and cheaper. I seem to recall reading that one of the obstacles was figuring out how to provide enough food and oxygen for the long trip... it would make sense to have an onboard garden of some sort, to help with both. IMVHO it will also be important to really collaborate with scientists all over the world and pool everyone's knowledge and resources. (AFTER we've got things on our own planet a little more stable, of course.) I don't know if a manned Mars mission could be done with quite the same "we're gonna get there first, nyah nyah!" mentality as the early space race.
On a side note, I read one of the titles at the bottom as "Peru excavates 1,500 tourists from Inca ruins" and said WHAAAA?
Exactly. Adults in general need to put things in categories; kids in general categorize by how interesting things are. I think so many kids are fascinated by dinosaurs because there is SOOO much information out there - weird names to learn, incredible variety of sizes, shapes, habitats, behaviors, how fossils were formed, how they are discovered and studied, etc. Same goes for astronomy, if kids are given the opportunity to learn more than just the names of the major planets, they can become fascinated by all the differences between them, the different sizes and colors and surface features and moons and composition... and that's just the planets, never mind all the other interesting stuff out there.
Whatever the scientific community ends up agreeing on in this case, there are some people that will always insist there are nine planets because that's what they were taught as kids and that's that. So what. Those of us who know better will raise a generation with sharper critical thinking skills, who can understand not only the concept of evolution but also that science itself evolves as we continue to integrate newfound knowledge.
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In my own experience with PeopleSoft at a major university, let's just say it can be rather frustrating. Yes there's lots of useful functionality BUT, the forced upgrades are more trouble than they seem to be worth. And some processes that ran perfectly on the old systems are glitchy as all hell now. And there's not much we can modify - just have to wait for the next so-called "upgrade".
Spend time with friends? What kind of geek are you? Snoogins.
I vote take the job if you can get it, and take night classes.
That's what *I'm* talkin about... Leave work at work.
No offense, man - I couldn't resist. =)
BTW seeing the casket pic was quite a breath of fresh air.
Or better yet, spend some quality time with your wife. (Not just *that* kind of quality time, though that's important too!) Pursue some interests you both already enjoy, or try something totally new together - hiking, salsa dancing, music, the NYT crossword, whatever. Your relationship will thank you.
I also enjoy the work I do but it can also be a very stressful environment at times... I find it best to try to keep work at work, and unwind on the off hours with entertainment, the company of friends & family etc. Or, if it's really TOO stressful, look for another job. The frustration of the job search might just help you appreciate your current gig.
I think there's a natural fear reaction to long and complex passwords, esp for those who are used to using passwords like 'puppies' for email and their birth year for the ATM. Is the average person's memory really that bad?? Hmm.
Cripes, did I even stay on topic? okay, note to self: don't babble before coffee. ;)
I recently revived my old 486 and even that just runs some games way too fast to play... at 66Mhz. Scorched Earth, anyone?
For most animal species, behavioral attributes are largely the product of interactions between genes and environment, with behavioral patterns preserved by natural selection. Birds, for example, know instinctively what type of nest to build for their offspring; salamanders don't need lessons to swim. But when it comes to primates--including humans--a good deal of behavior is learned. Primates exhibit a wide range of behaviors, not just among species but also among populations and even individuals. Yet the nature versus nurture debate still rages, particularly when it comes to understanding the roots of aggression. While bonobos are famous for using sex to resolve disputes, aggression is far more common in most primate species--again humans included. Our closest relative, the chimpanzee, has a reputation for being among the most belligerent, with rhesus monkeys and baboons not far behind. For many of these species, bouts of violence are often followed by gestures of reconciliation, such as grooming or, in the case of chimps, kissing. Since most primates live in social groups, it may be that such conciliatory measures serve to maintain some semblance of social structure, offsetting the disruptive effects of aggression. (To learn more about primate behavior and aggression, see the primer by Frans de Waal in this issue [DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0020101].)
In baboons, "grooming" is a socially rewarding behavior. (Photograph, with permission, by Robert Sapolsky)
Primatologists characterize these behavioral differences as "cultural" traits, since they arise independent of genetic or environmental factors and are not only shared by a population (though not necessarily a species) but are also passed on to succeeding generations. Such cultural traditions have been documented in African chimp populations, which display over 39 behaviors related to "technology" (such as using stones to crack nuts), grooming, and courtship. While most of these cases involve either tools, foraging, or communication, Robert Sapolsky and Lisa Share report evidence of a higher order cultural tradition in wild baboons in Kenya. Rooted in field observations of a group of olive baboons (called the Forest Troop) since 1978, Sapolsky and Share document the emergence of a unique culture affecting the "overall structure and social atmosphere" of the troop.
In his book A Primate's Memoir, Sapolsky studied the activities and lifestyle of the Forest Troop to explore the relationship between stress and disease. In typical baboon fashion, the males behaved badly, angling either to assume or maintain dominance with higher ranking males or engaging in bloody battles with lower ranking males, which often tried to overthrow the top baboon by striking tentative alliances with fellow underlings. Females were often harassed and attacked. Internecine feuds were routine. Through a heartbreaking twist of fate, the most aggressive males in the Forest Troop were wiped out. The males, which had taken to foraging in an open garbage pit adjacent to a tourist lodge, had contracted bovine tuberculosis, and most died between 1983 and 1986. Their deaths drastically changed the gender composition of the troop, more than doubling the ratio of females to males, and by 1986 troop behavior had changed considerably as well; males were significantly less aggressive.
After the deaths, Sapolsky stopped observing the Forest Troop until 1993. Surprisingly, even though no adult males from the 1983-1986 period remained in the Forest Troop in 1993 (males migrate after puberty), the new males exhibited the less aggressive behavior of their predecessors. Around this time, Sapolsky and Share also began observing another troop, called the Talek Troop. The Talek Troop, along with the pre-TB Forest Troop, served as controls for comparing the behavior of the post-1993 Forest Troop. The authors found that while in some respects male to male dominance behaviors and patterns of aggression were similar in both the Forest and control troops, there were differences that significantly
And the other critical criteria? Such as the inefficiency and byproduct waste of making solar cells in the first place? I'm all for research, but unfortunately we're still a LONG way from using solar power on a large scale. I'd like to hope that's where this is ultimately going.
OTOH, any step forward toward greener energy is good in my book.
Only as long as our goofy society views a few measly human lives as being more valuable than such a spectacular leap in the pursuit of knowledge and discovery. D'ya think Columbus's crew thought all of them would make it there and back? Then again, aren't we picky and choosy about which human lives are valuable... Only in a world where the unborn are more important than millions living in poverty and starvation, would we forego sending people on such a grand mission because they (gasp) *might not come back.* Surely there are plenty of scientists willing to make that sacrifice.
While I don't know the credibility of their "experts", the experts vs. officials notion vaguely reminds me of the oh-so-many ways the Bush administration ignores experts hmm? ;-)
In all seriousness, I'd love to see it happen, or at least get more discussion going on realistic WAYS to make it happen sooner, safer, and cheaper. I seem to recall reading that one of the obstacles was figuring out how to provide enough food and oxygen for the long trip... it would make sense to have an onboard garden of some sort, to help with both. IMVHO it will also be important to really collaborate with scientists all over the world and pool everyone's knowledge and resources. (AFTER we've got things on our own planet a little more stable, of course.) I don't know if a manned Mars mission could be done with quite the same "we're gonna get there first, nyah nyah!" mentality as the early space race.
On a side note, I read one of the titles at the bottom as "Peru excavates 1,500 tourists from Inca ruins" and said WHAAAA?
"Later this year, it (MSFT) plans to begin a new marketing campaign, dubbed internally as Windows XP Reloaded."
Sounds appropriate... incredible special effects, which turn out to be mere bells & whistles to make up for the lack of substance. Brilliant!
Exactly. Adults in general need to put things in categories; kids in general categorize by how interesting things are. I think so many kids are fascinated by dinosaurs because there is SOOO much information out there - weird names to learn, incredible variety of sizes, shapes, habitats, behaviors, how fossils were formed, how they are discovered and studied, etc. Same goes for astronomy, if kids are given the opportunity to learn more than just the names of the major planets, they can become fascinated by all the differences between them, the different sizes and colors and surface features and moons and composition... and that's just the planets, never mind all the other interesting stuff out there.
Whatever the scientific community ends up agreeing on in this case, there are some people that will always insist there are nine planets because that's what they were taught as kids and that's that. So what. Those of us who know better will raise a generation with sharper critical thinking skills, who can understand not only the concept of evolution but also that science itself evolves as we continue to integrate newfound knowledge.