but a trained knifeman (or ninja i guess) is much more deadly than a trained gunman within 10 yards.
Within 10 feet, perhaps, but I'd definitely prefer a gun with a starting distance of 10 yards.
If EVERYONE went onto this, then the peak period would simply shift into the middle of the night and the pricing plans would change accordingly.
TFA implies that the device would select lowest-priced hours to draw power. If prices change to keep up with changes in the usage schedule, then everything would eventually even out. Of course, this depends on the device's being able to actually find out what prices are instead of guessing when they're likely to be low, which is not directly stated.
You're missing the point of the comment. Sure, there are idiots out there telling parents how to raise their kids. The issue the OP was bringing up is that people don't seem to want to be as involved as they should be in raising their kids. How many people these days are "raised by the TV"? The problem isn't just that there are hundreds of idiots on the sidelines -- it's that lots of parents would rather let those idiots take charge than actually do the work themselves.
Unreliability? It kinda seems more likely that reliability issues stem from inadequate testing than from unreliable algorithms.
But yes, if issues with the reliability of software are eliminated, I think it would be a good sign that software development as a field is becoming much more mature.
Heck, if you want an advanced degree in economics or finance most reputable programs require you take Calculus II and Linear Algebra before admittance.
Most people I know here (an engineering school) found linear algebra easy and prefer to focus their "oh noes" on diff-eq.
If you want to talk about hard coursework, consider courses on business law, tax law, etc. It is nice to hear that economics programs want their students to learn calculus though.
You must be new in the U.S. Delegates in Congress only have to follow their constituencies on a few high-profile issues. Globalisation isn't getting enough attention for voters to care what the legislators do about it.
A university CS/CE graduate should either have enough hand-on programming experience to know which end of a compiler goes up, or enough theoretical knowledge to know the difference between the basic data structures. I'm not getting that from the candidates I'm interviewing.
o_0
I find this rather surprising. I didn't know you could have an accredited CS/CE program without teaching this.
Your decoder ring contains the one time pad used to decode the message, right?
No. Why would it?
It seems that you do not know what a decoder ring is. Perhaps this can clear things up for you.
A decoder ring is a set of permutations, usually the set of shift ciphers (which will be used for examples) on the alphabet in question. The key, which is distinct from the decoder ring, tells which permutation to use on which letter in the message. A shift key would use the same shift permutation on every letter. A Vigenère key would be a repeating sequence of shift keys -- the first shift goes with the first letter, the second with the second letter, etc. A one-time pad is a random sequence of shift keys which is just as long as the message.
Constantly producing and disposing of pads is a costly process.
Actually, the main issue with one-time pads is making sure both sender and receiver know the key. Producing keys is rather easy -- pseudorandom number generators are nothing new or expensive. Destroying keys is simply a matter of overwriting some disk space or burning a piece of paper.
If the ring falls into the wrong hands
Ok, I'll let you see my "decoder ring" here: it shifts the plaintext character by the amount given in the key segment. Now explain how that helps you defeat the one-time pad.
or if the same code is used twice
If the same code is used twice, it's not a one-time pad.
What we have --- and it is the Wintel platform that made it happen --- is the personal computer as an everyday office tool and household appliance.
Was it necessary to have Microsoft and the Wintel platform for this to happen?
Passing building codes and inspection doesn't guarantee that your house isn't going to fall down on you and kill your entire family, but you wouldn't build a house without going through inspection just because inspection doesn't absolutely guarantee stability.
That's why algebra itself is a good topic, but the type of course is more important. Upper-level algebra is a pure math course focused on proofs and counterexamples rather than calculating results. It's good to know, viscerally, as a result of brutal experience, that changing one or two simple assumptions can make a long proof short or an impossible proof easy, and vice-versa. Programs are proofs, so this instinct is crucial for doing software requirements, estimates, and design.
In that case, I'm set for a useful course list next semester: abstract algebra, combinatorics, algorithms, coding theory.
Abstract algebra becomes very much an issue if you study things like cryptography, for instance. AES, or the closely related Rijndael algorithm, relies on arithmetic over a finite field that cannot be explained without some background in algebra.
This is actually why I added abstract algebra.
If on the other hand, you show what else Computer Scientists are involved in - robotics, algorithms for movie special effects, improving the quality of life for people with missing limbs and for people with speech impediments - interest might pick up again.
If this were believable, interest would be higher. As it is, the typical employer/recruiter talking to CS students is interested in hiring code monkeys.
Having gotten my BS in Computer Science 23yrs ago, I can see that the curiculum must change - can't just be teaching programming. Need to look at the advances in computing - courses about hardware architectures, applications of computing (weather modeling, human genome, etc). Programming is dry, and not what I do all day - why should it be taught that way?
Lots of university CS programs have these courses. As interesting as they are, they just don't seem applicable to the real-world industry because employers don't seem concerned with much more than what languages a potential hiree can progam in.
Slashdot Mirror
Anyone can kill with a gun. % year old, to 100 year old
Sounds to me like you've never used a gun before.
but a trained knifeman (or ninja i guess) is much more deadly than a trained gunman within 10 yards.
Within 10 feet, perhaps, but I'd definitely prefer a gun with a starting distance of 10 yards.
If EVERYONE went onto this, then the peak period would simply shift into the middle of the night and the pricing plans would change accordingly.
TFA implies that the device would select lowest-priced hours to draw power. If prices change to keep up with changes in the usage schedule, then everything would eventually even out. Of course, this depends on the device's being able to actually find out what prices are instead of guessing when they're likely to be low, which is not directly stated.
You're missing the point of the comment. Sure, there are idiots out there telling parents how to raise their kids. The issue the OP was bringing up is that people don't seem to want to be as involved as they should be in raising their kids. How many people these days are "raised by the TV"? The problem isn't just that there are hundreds of idiots on the sidelines -- it's that lots of parents would rather let those idiots take charge than actually do the work themselves.
Why is it always AC's who miss jokes completely?
Unreliability? It kinda seems more likely that reliability issues stem from inadequate testing than from unreliable algorithms.
But yes, if issues with the reliability of software are eliminated, I think it would be a good sign that software development as a field is becoming much more mature.
2 questions now:
What does ACAL stand for?
How do you apply set theory to economics?
Heck, if you want an advanced degree in economics or finance most reputable programs require you take Calculus II and Linear Algebra before admittance.
Most people I know here (an engineering school) found linear algebra easy and prefer to focus their "oh noes" on diff-eq.
If you want to talk about hard coursework, consider courses on business law, tax law, etc. It is nice to hear that economics programs want their students to learn calculus though.
You must be new in the U.S. Delegates in Congress only have to follow their constituencies on a few high-profile issues. Globalisation isn't getting enough attention for voters to care what the legislators do about it.
A university CS/CE graduate should either have enough hand-on programming experience to know which end of a compiler goes up, or enough theoretical knowledge to know the difference between the basic data structures. I'm not getting that from the candidates I'm interviewing.
o_0
I find this rather surprising. I didn't know you could have an accredited CS/CE program without teaching this.
So can you tell me who's producing PowerPC Macs these days?
Your decoder ring contains the one time pad used to decode the message, right?
No. Why would it?
It seems that you do not know what a decoder ring is. Perhaps this can clear things up for you.
A decoder ring is a set of permutations, usually the set of shift ciphers (which will be used for examples) on the alphabet in question. The key, which is distinct from the decoder ring, tells which permutation to use on which letter in the message. A shift key would use the same shift permutation on every letter. A Vigenère key would be a repeating sequence of shift keys -- the first shift goes with the first letter, the second with the second letter, etc. A one-time pad is a random sequence of shift keys which is just as long as the message.
Constantly producing and disposing of pads is a costly process.
Actually, the main issue with one-time pads is making sure both sender and receiver know the key. Producing keys is rather easy -- pseudorandom number generators are nothing new or expensive. Destroying keys is simply a matter of overwriting some disk space or burning a piece of paper.
If the ring falls into the wrong hands
Ok, I'll let you see my "decoder ring" here: it shifts the plaintext character by the amount given in the key segment. Now explain how that helps you defeat the one-time pad.
or if the same code is used twice
If the same code is used twice, it's not a one-time pad.
Go back and read the post, then try again.
One-time pads are only used once and then discarded.
TFA makes it look like only very short sections of text were actually encrypted.
Depends what state you live in. In Illinois, in order to get your license, you have to sign away the right to refuse a BAC test.
Why don't you read the ****ing thread, troll?
What we have --- and it is the Wintel platform that made it happen --- is the personal computer as an everyday office tool and household appliance.
Was it necessary to have Microsoft and the Wintel platform for this to happen?
Spotlight? I really don't expect that run-of-the-mill users would be convinced to switch from one OS to another just because of the search tool.
What's the processor in the iMac?
Seriously, what percent of the people working in the computing field ever use math like that?
That has to do with a union being granted legal control of a dictionary.
You mean like ABET?
Passing building codes and inspection doesn't guarantee that your house isn't going to fall down on you and kill your entire family, but you wouldn't build a house without going through inspection just because inspection doesn't absolutely guarantee stability.
That's why algebra itself is a good topic, but the type of course is more important. Upper-level algebra is a pure math course focused on proofs and counterexamples rather than calculating results. It's good to know, viscerally, as a result of brutal experience, that changing one or two simple assumptions can make a long proof short or an impossible proof easy, and vice-versa. Programs are proofs, so this instinct is crucial for doing software requirements, estimates, and design.
In that case, I'm set for a useful course list next semester: abstract algebra, combinatorics, algorithms, coding theory.
Abstract algebra becomes very much an issue if you study things like cryptography, for instance. AES, or the closely related Rijndael algorithm, relies on arithmetic over a finite field that cannot be explained without some background in algebra.
This is actually why I added abstract algebra.
If on the other hand, you show what else Computer Scientists are involved in - robotics, algorithms for movie special effects, improving the quality of life for people with missing limbs and for people with speech impediments - interest might pick up again.
If this were believable, interest would be higher. As it is, the typical employer/recruiter talking to CS students is interested in hiring code monkeys.
Having gotten my BS in Computer Science 23yrs ago, I can see that the curiculum must change - can't just be teaching programming. Need to look at the advances in computing - courses about hardware architectures, applications of computing (weather modeling, human genome, etc). Programming is dry, and not what I do all day - why should it be taught that way?
Lots of university CS programs have these courses. As interesting as they are, they just don't seem applicable to the real-world industry because employers don't seem concerned with much more than what languages a potential hiree can progam in.