Ok so some people are lazy. That exists regardless of age. Still, if your site makes finding information difficult in this day and age, you should expect people to continue on to other information repositories.
...that the information processing skills of todays young people are lacking. Why are those skills lacking and, if they are, what can be done about it?"
Let me get this straight. Imagine someone looking for specific documented information regarding their . They search google. They visit a site. They quickly scan the site. They don't see clues that specific information is located on that site (for right now, assume it is). The user leaves the site, goes back to google, and looks at the next promising linked site.
So explain to me why is this the fault of the user for abandoning the site? Sounds to me like the kids have it right on. Don't make excuses for websites. Not for their navigation, taxonomy, folksonomy, whatever. Especially so when there are millions of other sites trying to serve me that same content.
Note: Bonus points goes to people that understands that not making excuses for systems is the meta answer
I think i disagree semantically with the article, but agree in spirit.
I have a 2nd job where I teach kids math after school. A lot of kids are pretty upset about school by the time they are at tutoring. But to me, what is more important than the kids learning the math is watching them learn to be confident in themselves and their abilities.
But when I think of intelligence, I think of the biological / genetic version which I view as less malleable. However, I don't think there is any appreciable way to measure it. I think the only thing you can test is Knowledge. Not Knowledge as "just facts," but understanding processes and procedures (such as Math, English, etc.) You have to learn the rules to be judged by them.
So in the end, you can increase your knowledge which will make you look more intelligent when people test you.
Seriously. We all should be liking Amazon about now (at least for a little bit). They stood up to the Feds even when they really didn't have to beyond the inconvenience.
We can get back to hating them for the single click patent after Christ^H^H^H^H the holidays.
No no no. No they don't. They can have whatever traits suite their environment. Note that these traits are originally based on random mutations. The environment will pick the best ones, but with an undefined environment that could mean anything. Also each one of your examples (flying things needing feathers?) are easily refuted by today's biology.
if there were alternatives, nature would be using them..
Why assume that the snap shot of nature today outlines all possibilities?
I'm with you that we are product of our environment. But you are ignoring the implications a tiny terrestrial change would have on ALL terrestrial life.
For instance, assume the earth contained.001% more nitrogen. So for billions of years, life would have evolved around this alternate condition. To assume that life would have rolled out the exact same way on the earth in this environment seems a bit of a leap.
Heck, even within our earth's periods we've seen incredibly different paths of evolution occur. What happened to the dinosaurs? Well they were here, new conditions arose, and suddenly new phenotypes are preferred. They evolved but are no longer dominant due to shifting and somewhat unpredictable conditions.
Basically I'd agree with you if Earth 2 existed and had a COMPLETE MIRROR IMAGE of our planet's history. Then we could be assured that all the variables are in sync. But what kind of odds would you give that?
Aliens could be of almost any imaginable form & traits because they could arise in almost any imaginable conditions.
Apple has the full right to say "either take our products how they are and with all strings attached, or take a hike".
No they don't have such a right. Pedantically, they can say whatever they want, but so can I and it can be equally meaningless.
The reality is they can say "Once you buy this product you have to accept our string, otherwise we won't support you. However, they cannot tell me what to do with my own property once I purchase it.
Yes, Blame the user! Why didn't everyone think of that? What an amazing point of view.
The iPhone is a phone. How complicated should one expect phones to be? How expensive should a simple mistake cost? Is it really unimaginable for someone to look at the black screen of the iPhone and think it's "off"?
Here is where you outlined how a user should handle the phones power management (emphasis mine):
I suspect Mr. Levy never bothered to RTFM on his device, and then left his phone(s) in the "sleep" mode (display off, radios on), for the duration of his cruise. From Page 14 of the iPhone User Guide:
To Lock iPhone -- Press the Sleep/Wake button.
To Unlock iPhone -- Press the Home button or the Sleep/Wake button, then drag the slider.
To Turn iPhone completely off -- Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button for a few seconds until the red slider appears, then drag the slider. When iPhone is off, incoming calls go straight to voicemail.
To Turn iPhone on -- Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button until the Apple logo appears.
Note that they call it a "Sleep/Wake button", not an "on/off" button, or a "power" button.
You don't see problems with any of this?
First off, you have people reading manuals for phones. Yes I know, RTFM, etc. Really, you need to get over that. People don't read manuals for common items. Moreover, who has the time? You would not want to live in the world where you were forced to read the manual for every device, tool, or piece of software for every new function you envisioned using. That would be a major pain in the ass. I am 100% certain that you have used some piece of technology without reading 100% of the documentation. Not to mention you listed it as page 14 of the manual. 14 pages doesn't sound like much, but it is when I just want to turn off a phone.
Then you go on to list 4 power management functions, which does not appear exhaustive. So we have 4+ ways of "almost but probably not" turning a phone off. That seems clear as day.
Finally, you point out that it is called a "sleep/wake" button and neither an "on/off" nor "power" button. With that sentence you are implying the users are dumb for thinking that button should turn off the phone. However, 2 statements above it you are telling people how to turn off the phone with that same button. So are the users dumb for thinking a power-esque button should manage the power settings including on/off? Or are you dumb for thinking users are dumb for having assumptions that map back to what you just explained?
One final thought. You mentioned this pearl as well:
Other than that, he could have enabled "Airplane Mode", which does the following (User Guide, page 22):
Yes, maybe he should have enabled "Airplane Mode" despite the obvious fact he was no where near a plane. I often think of applying modal techniques specifically labeled outside of those specifications. Brilliant!
What bothers me more is not that you blame this guy for a very makable mistake, but that somehow you think the costs associated with this "mistake" is justifiable. I'd better hear you say "It was my fault. I should have RTFM. I will wire the funds instantly!" when your next bill comes close to 50x your normal rate.
High IQ teens stop and think and realize that risks of Sex as a teenager (STD, Pregnacny) will get in away with their life plans...Basicly I am not going to let a Baby get in my way to become a doctor
That's a bit of a leap. What makes you think that smarter people have an inherent drive to succeed? Many brilliant people fail out of college, and many hard-working but normal IQ individuals become doctors.
Slashdot Mirror
Wow... I thought I was the only one. "I'd love to stay and play but I got to beat my mom to the mailbox."
At least its not java. You got to start the kids out right...
Ok so some people are lazy. That exists regardless of age. Still, if your site makes finding information difficult in this day and age, you should expect people to continue on to other information repositories.
Let me get this straight. Imagine someone looking for specific documented information regarding their . They search google. They visit a site. They quickly scan the site. They don't see clues that specific information is located on that site (for right now, assume it is). The user leaves the site, goes back to google, and looks at the next promising linked site.
So explain to me why is this the fault of the user for abandoning the site? Sounds to me like the kids have it right on. Don't make excuses for websites. Not for their navigation, taxonomy, folksonomy, whatever. Especially so when there are millions of other sites trying to serve me that same content.
Note: Bonus points goes to people that understands that not making excuses for systems is the meta answer
I figure if I was a Millionaire ^W^W^W^W^W^W President I could hook that up.
The closest I've ever seen anyone hooked on the "bugger sugar" come to being invisible is turning sideways.
Are you sure? Have you never heard of "American Idol?"
So I did the search and I found your search request as the 2nd link.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=overhand+coil&btnG=Search
Since I was sent here by google, you must be the expert. Can you explain the method?
ps- I'm impressed google spidered that so quickly.
I think i disagree semantically with the article, but agree in spirit.
I have a 2nd job where I teach kids math after school. A lot of kids are pretty upset about school by the time they are at tutoring. But to me, what is more important than the kids learning the math is watching them learn to be confident in themselves and their abilities.
But when I think of intelligence, I think of the biological / genetic version which I view as less malleable. However, I don't think there is any appreciable way to measure it. I think the only thing you can test is Knowledge. Not Knowledge as "just facts," but understanding processes and procedures (such as Math, English, etc.) You have to learn the rules to be judged by them.
So in the end, you can increase your knowledge which will make you look more intelligent when people test you.
and with hookers! and Blackjack! In fact, forget the Truman show.
Seriously. We all should be liking Amazon about now (at least for a little bit). They stood up to the Feds even when they really didn't have to beyond the inconvenience.
We can get back to hating them for the single click patent after Christ^H^H^H^H the holidays.
(Interesting note: captcha was 'dogma')
I think you are mistaken.
.001% more nitrogen. So for billions of years, life would have evolved around this alternate condition. To assume that life would have rolled out the exact same way on the earth in this environment seems a bit of a leap.
I'm with you that we are product of our environment. But you are ignoring the implications a tiny terrestrial change would have on ALL terrestrial life.
For instance, assume the earth contained
Heck, even within our earth's periods we've seen incredibly different paths of evolution occur. What happened to the dinosaurs? Well they were here, new conditions arose, and suddenly new phenotypes are preferred. They evolved but are no longer dominant due to shifting and somewhat unpredictable conditions.
Basically I'd agree with you if Earth 2 existed and had a COMPLETE MIRROR IMAGE of our planet's history. Then we could be assured that all the variables are in sync. But what kind of odds would you give that?
Aliens could be of almost any imaginable form & traits because they could arise in almost any imaginable conditions.
Hello,
/.
I wanted you to be sure you witnessed the first and last "Sports Center" tag to ever be used on
No they don't have such a right. Pedantically, they can say whatever they want, but so can I and it can be equally meaningless.
The reality is they can say "Once you buy this product you have to accept our string, otherwise we won't support you. However, they cannot tell me what to do with my own property once I purchase it.
What do you think all of Congress has been up to the last 7 years?
What was your favorite /. meme? (i.e. how did you vote in the last poll?)
What was your most hated /. meme? why?
belong in a museum!
Who doesn't?!?
They haven't been paid everything yet. Apple gets money throughout the contract term. I don't think Apple plans on passing that up...
We call those "freedom zones" (/irony)
The iPhone is a phone. How complicated should one expect phones to be? How expensive should a simple mistake cost? Is it really unimaginable for someone to look at the black screen of the iPhone and think it's "off"?
Here is where you outlined how a user should handle the phones power management (emphasis mine):
You don't see problems with any of this?
First off, you have people reading manuals for phones. Yes I know, RTFM, etc. Really, you need to get over that. People don't read manuals for common items. Moreover, who has the time? You would not want to live in the world where you were forced to read the manual for every device, tool, or piece of software for every new function you envisioned using. That would be a major pain in the ass. I am 100% certain that you have used some piece of technology without reading 100% of the documentation. Not to mention you listed it as page 14 of the manual. 14 pages doesn't sound like much, but it is when I just want to turn off a phone.
Then you go on to list 4 power management functions, which does not appear exhaustive. So we have 4+ ways of "almost but probably not" turning a phone off. That seems clear as day.
Finally, you point out that it is called a "sleep/wake" button and neither an "on/off" nor "power" button. With that sentence you are implying the users are dumb for thinking that button should turn off the phone. However, 2 statements above it you are telling people how to turn off the phone with that same button. So are the users dumb for thinking a power-esque button should manage the power settings including on/off? Or are you dumb for thinking users are dumb for having assumptions that map back to what you just explained?
One final thought. You mentioned this pearl as well:
Yes, maybe he should have enabled "Airplane Mode" despite the obvious fact he was no where near a plane. I often think of applying modal techniques specifically labeled outside of those specifications. Brilliant!
What bothers me more is not that you blame this guy for a very makable mistake, but that somehow you think the costs associated with this "mistake" is justifiable. I'd better hear you say "It was my fault. I should have RTFM. I will wire the funds instantly!" when your next bill comes close to 50x your normal rate.
Think about how those arguments could be used against themselves later. Very interesting indeed
Mod parent "+5 Funny"
That's a bit of a leap. What makes you think that smarter people have an inherent drive to succeed? Many brilliant people fail out of college, and many hard-working but normal IQ individuals become doctors.