We all want cheaper hardware, but is flooding developing nations with $100 electronic equipment environmentally sound? Does that $100 include how much it'll cost to properly dispose of the unit? If not, how much will it be? There was just another story today about cost of digital waste. Is it time for us to consider the cost of the equipment more than just the R&D + manufacturing cost?
Having spent a few years at MIT doing a PhD, I agree with that. The most valuable things I got out of it (even though I didn't finish the degree) was able to live with the pressure of being surrounded by people much smarter than you. I spent pretty much all my waking hours working, playing, arguing with my peers in the lab. I was constantly exposed to new ways of thinking about problems, constantly lived in fear of not able to measure up. And then there are those dreaded oral exams. Ever since I was "tormented" by a half dozen professors in the oral portion of the general exam for PhD, I no longer feel any fear in engaging in technical discussions. That kind of experience must be gained by living in it, immersing yourself and trying to survive. This publicly available material is great for helping to spread the knowledge, but knowledge itself is only a component of education for a whole person.
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We all want cheaper hardware, but is flooding developing nations with $100 electronic equipment environmentally sound? Does that $100 include how much it'll cost to properly dispose of the unit? If not, how much will it be? There was just another story today about cost of digital waste. Is it time for us to consider the cost of the equipment more than just the R&D + manufacturing cost?
Having spent a few years at MIT doing a PhD, I agree with that. The most valuable things I got out of it (even though I didn't finish the degree) was able to live with the pressure of being surrounded by people much smarter than you. I spent pretty much all my waking hours working, playing, arguing with my peers in the lab. I was constantly exposed to new ways of thinking about problems, constantly lived in fear of not able to measure up. And then there are those dreaded oral exams. Ever since I was "tormented" by a half dozen professors in the oral portion of the general exam for PhD, I no longer feel any fear in engaging in technical discussions. That kind of experience must be gained by living in it, immersing yourself and trying to survive. This publicly available material is great for helping to spread the knowledge, but knowledge itself is only a component of education for a whole person.
Bear in mind that Quartz only image PDF into an image on the screen. Preview actually does quite a bit more, e.g., you can select text in a PDF.