Moral justification for the Humans: Unobtainium is necessary to...
...increase shareholder profits. They mentioned that in the film. The only moral justification for corporations is increasing return for the shareholders. Sad, but true.
The two weeks it took the junior might reflect the shitty code that's already been written (possibly by you), not their programming skills.
True, but not in this case. I have 25+ years of code (and experience) from which I can pull and reuse. In the end, my code was used for production as it was the more complete, functional and bullet proof (so to speak). In addition, the younger programmer had weak, or under-developed problem-solving skills - which have gotten better over time, but he still leaves foot prints in the rice paper.
Not only are younger coders generally cheaper, they also generally are more into the "new technologies"... As an example, if you've been coding in COBOL for 20 years, Java can be an awkward language to learn.
I don't know why people keep using this for an example. I've been an application/system programmer *and* system administrator (Unix and Windows) for 25 years. I've worked on almost every Unix platform known to man and program in 10+ languages. I learned Java nine years ago in about an hour. I am still the one who gets the "hard" problems to solve because, quite frankly, the younger coders don't have the experience, background or (often) the energy to solve them through - and a five-minute Google search doesn't count as effort.
Young and inexperienced programmers are a delight to work with. It's great to see them come into a project all cocksure, only to be crushed by the demands of the real world.
Actual example. We had a fresh-from-college junior programmer and my manager asked if a particular (Perl) assignment would be appropriate for him. I wasn't sure, so offered to do the work myself in parallel with the new guy and mentor him on it.
It took the new guy two weeks, with help from me - answering questions, giving advise and hints. When done he wondered when we would be promoted to senior programmer. I replied most likely when he didn't another senior programmer to help him so much and when he could be more productive.
He asked how long it took me to do the parallel assignment. I replied, truthfully, "two hours" - which is why I had the answers to all his questions so readily.
Consequently, I've stuck to programming and kept my skills updated, but at 39, I'm looking at the reality of a career change in the mid-term future.
I'm not sure a career change is a future reality, unless that's what you desire. I'm 47 and still highly sought by the various teams where I work. I have a broad background as an application/system programmer *and* system administrator (Unix and Windows) which allows me to develop solutions and, possibly more importantly, debug issues that others with narrower backgrounds simply cannot do. In other words, I get the hard problems - which have to be solved.
If you missed some steps in a proof, it was either because you didn't know how to do them, or because you thought that they were so obvious that they didn't need stating.
Simply insert: "Step 4: Then, obviously, a miracle happens."
I had a professor with a good sense of humor that would have given a few points for that, because "knowing your limits" is a good thing - which, ironically, means something completely different in Calculus class:-)
From my perspective you are just as ignorant as I am from your perspective.
Cool, though that means you don't really know what "ignorant" means.
While it's true that languages evolve over time, at this time there is no word "alot" and no good reason to create it. All your previous supporting arguments to the contrary were very weak and ill conceived. Making things up, or offering inaccurate facts, to try and support your desire to use current language incorrectly is silly. Your arguments would certainly fall on deaf ears should you ever decide to publish anything.
I took classes on language and word origin in college. Most language evolution comes from changes in the spoken word that then translate to the written. In fact, before the advent of the printing press, words were often spelled many different ways as there were few common, wide-spread rules for spelling. Printing changed all that as publishers didn't want to support countless word variations and standardized spelling was adopted.
In this case, there is no good reason to adopt a new word. Nothing changes as spoken, and the formal and informal usages of "a lot" already exist.
You may try to claim the high road here, but *actual* knowledge would set you free.
I learned there is no point in arguing with a spelling Nazi.
And I learned that you can't win arguments with the ignorant.
More constructively, communication is important and proper use of language is essential. I'm sorry you couldn't embrace this as a learning experience to better your skill. Over my 25+ years in CS, I have routinely seen resumes discarded simply because of poor language usage.
It's not about being a "spelling Nazi". In almost all cases there is a clear distinction between correct and incorrect. Any (good) English teacher on the planet would have failed any assignment you completed that contained the errors you espoused as "correct". I know, I was married to an English teacher for 20 years (before she died in 2006) - a state and nationally awarded teacher at that.
Well said - by one clearly losing this argument...
I'm sure I can find plenty of resources that claim that ain't is a word and I am sure I can find plenty of resources that claim that ain't is not a word.
Ain't is a colloquialism and a contraction originally used for "am not"... The word is a perennial issue in English usage. It is a word that is widely used by many people, but its use is commonly considered to be improper.
Continuing...
Definitions change over time and what is considered an informal word today may tomorrow be a formal word.
This is not about word definitions, it's about word existence...
There is a clear separation of definition between alot and "a lot" in usage. I could care less what is taught, what matters is how it is used.
There is no word "alot" formal or informal - only uneducated or stupid. Which are you?
Although there is a word "lot" meaning "parcel" or "group", the two words "a lot" mean either, (formally) a singular "lot", or (informally) many.
It's clear that you "could care less what is taught" (though "couldn't care less" is the correct phrase), because, sadly, you apparently haven't ever learned anything.
Perhaps this common spelling error began because there does exist in English a word spelled "allot" which is a verb meaning to apportion or grant. The correct form, with "a" and "lot" separated by a space is perhaps not often encountered in print because formal writers usually use other expressions such as "a great deal," "often," etc.
You shouldn't write "alittle" either. It's "a little."
Please get a refund from all your English teachers...:-)
Um no, because "into" *is* one word and has been since before the 12th century.
From: into
Main Entry: into
Function: preposition
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English into; from in + to.
Date: before 12th century.
In addition, "into" and "in to" are used differently. From:
into/in to
"Into" is a preposition which often answers the question, "where?" For example, "Tom and Becky had gone far into the cave before they realized they were lost." Sometimes the "where" is metaphorical, as in, "He went into the army" or "She went into business." It can also refer by analogy to time: "The snow lingered on the ground well into April." In old-fashioned math talk, it could be used to refer to division: "Two into six is three."
In other instances where the words "in" and "to" just happen to find themselves neighbors, they must remain separate words. For instance, "Rachel dived back in to rescue the struggling boy." Here "to" belongs with "rescue" and means "in order to," not "where." (If the phrase had been "dived back into the water," "into" would be required.)
sadly i know they are 2 words.. i just seem to never remember to hit the space bar when holding shift..
Cool. I hope I didn't sound too mean, but that usage is common enough - sadly, even here on/. - that I finally just freaked out. Probably because of this story by one of my college friends:
I used to write "alot" all the time, until I got back a paper from my Journalism professor with this written in large, red letters: "A lot is two words. Remember this or I will kill you."
i bet there are ALOT of phones where that isn't an option - and ALOT more phones where people have no idea it is even in there.
Not to be the grammar/spelling police, but since you used it twice - IN ALL CAPS - please, Please, PLEASE be advised that "a lot" is two fucking words.
Seriously, there's a lot to be said for a nice kiss, hug and a sincere "I Love You" - though my wife and I did that every day anyway (yes, every day) for 20 years. She died of a brain tumor in January 2006 and I still give her a kiss, hug and an "I Love You" - every day - with the addition of "I Miss You".
Obviously, my point was that you seem to be a spoiled douche-bag who went to a crappy school and whines about having to actually do some work to learn anything because your teachers won't just hand you everything - duh. Just three months out of school, you'll probably be like one of these new CS grads who can't do any actual work without an IDE like Eclipse and ask when you'll be promoted to Senior Engineer...sigh.
If this medium is what you think education is, I pity you.
No, it's crappy education. I have a good education because I worked hard and took responsibility for my own learning. The technology on which you seem to rely doesn't make learning any better.
it bothered me immensely when professors would write things on the board that weren't duplicated in the course notes... Putting a PDF on the course website with all the diagrams and text would render it moot.
For shame that professor not taking all the notes for you. Christ you're spoiled. Books are the just basis, instruction fills in - unless you went to a crappy school, with crappy instructors. Three years out of school. So sad. So much more to learn.
This whole discussion is pointless. People learned for thousands of years without laptops, taking manual notes. I'll wager modern electronics haven't increased the educational experience or results that dramatically.
Slashdot Mirror
True, but not in this case. I have 25+ years of code (and experience) from which I can pull and reuse. In the end, my code was used for production as it was the more complete, functional and bullet proof (so to speak). In addition, the younger programmer had weak, or under-developed problem-solving skills - which have gotten better over time, but he still leaves foot prints in the rice paper.
I don't know why people keep using this for an example. I've been an application/system programmer *and* system administrator (Unix and Windows) for 25 years. I've worked on almost every Unix platform known to man and program in 10+ languages. I learned Java nine years ago in about an hour. I am still the one who gets the "hard" problems to solve because, quite frankly, the younger coders don't have the experience, background or (often) the energy to solve them through - and a five-minute Google search doesn't count as effort.
Actual example. We had a fresh-from-college junior programmer and my manager asked if a particular (Perl) assignment would be appropriate for him. I wasn't sure, so offered to do the work myself in parallel with the new guy and mentor him on it.
It took the new guy two weeks, with help from me - answering questions, giving advise and hints. When done he wondered when we would be promoted to senior programmer. I replied most likely when he didn't another senior programmer to help him so much and when he could be more productive.
He asked how long it took me to do the parallel assignment. I replied, truthfully, "two hours" - which is why I had the answers to all his questions so readily.
I'm not sure a career change is a future reality, unless that's what you desire. I'm 47 and still highly sought by the various teams where I work. I have a broad background as an application/system programmer *and* system administrator (Unix and Windows) which allows me to develop solutions and, possibly more importantly, debug issues that others with narrower backgrounds simply cannot do. In other words, I get the hard problems - which have to be solved.
Mine.
Xfinity = how long it will take for your "network congestion profiled" P2P packets to arrive.
Then I suggest a getting few long extension cords...
Simply insert: "Step 4: Then, obviously, a miracle happens."
I had a professor with a good sense of humor that would have given a few points for that, because "knowing your limits" is a good thing - which, ironically, means something completely different in Calculus class :-)
27
Cool, though that means you don't really know what "ignorant" means.
While it's true that languages evolve over time, at this time there is no word "alot" and no good reason to create it. All your previous supporting arguments to the contrary were very weak and ill conceived. Making things up, or offering inaccurate facts, to try and support your desire to use current language incorrectly is silly. Your arguments would certainly fall on deaf ears should you ever decide to publish anything.
I took classes on language and word origin in college. Most language evolution comes from changes in the spoken word that then translate to the written. In fact, before the advent of the printing press, words were often spelled many different ways as there were few common, wide-spread rules for spelling. Printing changed all that as publishers didn't want to support countless word variations and standardized spelling was adopted.
In this case, there is no good reason to adopt a new word. Nothing changes as spoken, and the formal and informal usages of "a lot" already exist.
You may try to claim the high road here, but *actual* knowledge would set you free.
And I learned that you can't win arguments with the ignorant.
More constructively, communication is important and proper use of language is essential. I'm sorry you couldn't embrace this as a learning experience to better your skill. Over my 25+ years in CS, I have routinely seen resumes discarded simply because of poor language usage.
It's not about being a "spelling Nazi". In almost all cases there is a clear distinction between correct and incorrect. Any (good) English teacher on the planet would have failed any assignment you completed that contained the errors you espoused as "correct". I know, I was married to an English teacher for 20 years (before she died in 2006) - a state and nationally awarded teacher at that.
Well said - by one clearly losing this argument...
Actually, "ain't" is a a word, just not one that people are encouraged to use. From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ain't (and http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ain't)
Continuing...
This is not about word definitions, it's about word existence...
There is no word "alot" formal or informal - only uneducated or stupid. Which are you?
Although there is a word "lot" meaning "parcel" or "group", the two words "a lot" mean either, (formally) a singular "lot", or (informally) many.
It's clear that you "could care less what is taught" (though "couldn't care less" is the correct phrase), because, sadly, you apparently haven't ever learned anything.
Actually, very much no. There is no such English word, "alot". The two words, "a lot", mean many.
From: Re: alot vs. a lot
Furthermore, From: A Lot or Allot?
In addition, from A LOT / ALOT
Please get a refund from all your English teachers... :-)
Um no, because "into" *is* one word and has been since before the 12th century.
From: into
In addition, "into" and "in to" are used differently. From: into/in to
P.S. My wife was an English teacher.
Cool. I hope I didn't sound too mean, but that usage is common enough - sadly, even here on /. - that I finally just freaked out. Probably because of this story by one of my college friends:
Apparently, words to live by.
Not to be the grammar/spelling police, but since you used it twice - IN ALL CAPS - please, Please, PLEASE be advised that "a lot" is two fucking words.
Good job on the the rest of your post though.
Because the PC Pro editor just discovered it and doesn't know any better.
Seriously, there's a lot to be said for a nice kiss, hug and a sincere "I Love You" - though my wife and I did that every day anyway (yes, every day) for 20 years. She died of a brain tumor in January 2006 and I still give her a kiss, hug and an "I Love You" - every day - with the addition of "I Miss You".
Don't worry, I'm sure they'll do better at their new jobs with Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan Chase, AIG, ... (sigh)
Well, that explains a lot about the Linux boot-loader... :-)
Word. Although we did have resources like Wikipedia, except that it was called "The Library" and most of what it contained wasn't simply made up. :-)
Obviously, my point was that you seem to be a spoiled douche-bag who went to a crappy school and whines about having to actually do some work to learn anything because your teachers won't just hand you everything - duh. Just three months out of school, you'll probably be like one of these new CS grads who can't do any actual work without an IDE like Eclipse and ask when you'll be promoted to Senior Engineer...sigh.
No, it's crappy education. I have a good education because I worked hard and took responsibility for my own learning. The technology on which you seem to rely doesn't make learning any better.
For shame that professor not taking all the notes for you. Christ you're spoiled. Books are the just basis, instruction fills in - unless you went to a crappy school, with crappy instructors. Three years out of school. So sad. So much more to learn.
This whole discussion is pointless. People learned for thousands of years without laptops, taking manual notes. I'll wager modern electronics haven't increased the educational experience or results that dramatically.
... *all* members of the US House and Senate have been scheduled for fMRI scans ... (sigh).