I experienced a (mostly) Microsoft-free campus . I attended a state college in Masachusetts from 1995-1999. They did use Windows (though some departments used Macs), but until last year, when the state decided to standardize on MSOffice, they used non-Microsoft products.
Word Processing was done with WordPerfect, spreadsheet-related stuff with Lotus 1-2-3, database stuff with dBase and (later) Oracle. The Macs also used Claris Works. E-mail was handled by Pegasus Mail, Pine and (later) Netscape Messenger. The web browser was Netscape (even when we got Win '98) . CS students programmed with Borland C++ (DOS) and the OS class used Linux. The network featured UNIX and Netware.
Even advanced stuff was handled by non-Microsoft products. The school paper was laid out in Pagemaker. Their web page was created and maintained with Web Weaver. Graphics was taught with Photoshop.
One more thing- most non-Microsoft software is available for OSs other than Windows. Lotus Domino is available for UNIX and AS400. WordPerfect Suite has a Mac version.
If a largely Microsoft-free campus can be set up with a little extra effort, so can a completely Microsoft-free office.
As a geek living in inner-city Boston, I know for a fact that there are schools here that don't have functioning libraries, forget computers and network access. My high school taught BASIC and Pascal on vintage Apple IIes as recently as 1996.
Why not put together a domestic Geek Corps? Call it "Amerigeeks" something like that. Why go overseas when you can bridge the "digital divide" in your own backyard?
My school required this, banned "Schindler's List"
on
Fahrenheit 451
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· Score: 1
My ninth-grade English class read this, and it is still one of my favorite books. I loved how Bradbury urges readers to think for themselves, instead of letting the media think for them.
I attended a very small Catholic high school, and we were not allowed to see "Schindler's List" when it came out a few years later; one of the teachers did not like the nudity (particularly the shower scene). We eventually saw the movie on video, but the irony was astonishing.
One more thing- the teacher who banned "Schindler's List" also banned "The Chocolate War" as "inappropriate". We eventually found out that "The Chocolate War" was actually based on the author's son's experiences at my high school (which was all boys until 1978).
I was in a car accident last year. I'd really hate to see a "SIM Car Crash".
Among the scenarios:
A hospital stay. Based on the severity of your injuries, it could range from a few hours in the ER to a few months to a stay in Intensive Care, multiple operations and rehab.
Fight with your HMO to cover your injuries.
Fight with your insurance company to adequately cover the damage to your car.
Experience the wonders of Traffic Court.
Battle your employer for sick leave/disability pay.
Try to repair or replace your car.
Try to pay your new insurance premium or find a new insurer.
You're pregnant. You decide to keep the kid. Experience morning sickness, fight with your significant other (who may or may not decide to stick around), arrange maternity leave, haggle with your health insurer, gain lots of weight, decide on a name.
After nine virtual months, you can upgrade to the longer, more involved "SIM Parent"
An Arab man headed to Jordan was detained in London because his flight left the Oklahoma City airport 30 minutes after the bomb went off. Because Arab extremists bombed the Word Trade Center, authorities were sure the bomber had to be Arab. Their certainty proved wrong, but I don't think the Arab man ever got an apology (or his luggage back).
My best fiend's last name is McVeigh. She's not related to the Oklahoma City bomber. Her brother (whose name is not Tim), was in the Navy and stationed in Pensacola at the time of the bombing. Not only did her family (who was visiting him at the time) face numerous hassles on their trip back home, but he got phone calls from news programs, papers, Larry King Live, and countless others who believed he was related to the Oklahoma city bomber.
It's one thing to request a background check for a specific reason. You don't want a pedophile working around kids or an embezzeler as an accountant. But just seeing if someone has committed any crimes can hurt lots of uninvolved people.
Running for school board is another really good idea. In a lot of cities and counties, board members often run unopposed due to the overall lack of interest.
Great idea. Unfortunately, I live in Boston, where the school board is appointed by the mayor. Any idea how concerned citizens could influence them?
"You will be able to have cable access on many platforms, Linux, Windows, even OS/2, you will not be required to use AOL's interface either"
For now, anyway. Cable is a monopoly and cable modem is cheaper and more widely available than DSL. Do you honestly think Time Warner won't eventually force its cable modem customers to use AOL? It's happening to Netscape's Netcenter users.
Where I live (Boston's Dorchester neighborhood), we actually have a choice of cable modem providers: RCN or RoadRunner. RoadRunner, a joint venture between Media One and Time Warner, is a much better provider (according to reviews on World Wide Wait, Epinions, and Deja.com), but I can't shake the feeling that RoadRunner will be absorbed by AOL in the not-too-distant future. So if I want high-speed internet access, I must deal with RCN's awful service, or wait for DSL to come to the inner city at comparable prices.
I don't think I'll be retiring my modem anytime soon.
My question: What about the inevitable failures? What will happen when a happy, well-adjusted, loved-by-everyone jock shoots up a high school? Are you willing to take responsibility for that?
Some years ago, some high-school football players in Texas (where they're considered gods) viciously killed a cat. Community members resisted punishing the players because they "only" killed a cat. Cruelty to animals is a widely recognized sign of disturbance; along with bed-wetting past age 5 and fire-starting, it is a common sign that a child will be a serial killer. When a member of the "in crowd" fits your profile, will they be evaluated the same way as a "different" student?"
My grandfather's career was nearly destroyed by McCarthyism because he has family in Cuba. If I ever travel overseas, (especially to Africa or the Caribbean), I know I'm very likely to be cavity-searched when I return, simply because I am Black female. I'm also very likely to be pulled over (driving while brown).
We already know that profiling targets innocent people. Just ask the families of Cornell Brown Jr. or Amadou Diallo. WAVE will harm far more students than it helps.
I live in Boston (Dorchester), and take the T daily. The Green Line is the oldest line on the T, and crowds are frequent (even on weekends, and especially if there is an event at the Fleet Center).
Let's see, you can but dishwashers and clothes washers at lots of places, including Sears . To jack off, go to any "adult entertainment" store or website .;-)
At my local K-mart, I've seen AOL-brand tool kits, printer cables, compressed-air cans, and laptop accessories. They're nothing more than Curtis accessories with AOL CDs. The only difference: AOL products cost about $1 more.
Essentially, AOL has convinced people to pay for its "free" CDs. That's the scary part.
I'm one of the masses who did it "for the money". I discovered computers in college, and right after taking my second (ever) CS course, my family's already shaky finances took a turn for the worse. I didn't like programming, but I didn't want to have to move back home and starve (or work in a factory again).
Two semesters later, living on tuna and ramen and working 50-hour weeks in a factory didn't seem like such a bad idea. I was so burnt out I had nightmares about computers. I changed my major and eventually dropped out of school. I'm now working s a secretary, getting the hang of Perl, writing a webpage, and planning to take classes again (English, Tech writing certificate) this summer.
If you don't truly like programming, you're going to burn out sooner or later. I'm now glad I learned that sooner, rather than later.
I'm a Boston-area student taking some time off (returning to classes this summer), and I have had no luck finding anything remotely technical.
I studied Journalism (though my degree will be English with a tech writing certificate), I was webmaster for my school paper, and I worked at a Help Desk for 5 semesters. Appartently, I dont't qualify for anything because I have (a) no CS degree, (b) no "real-world" experience, or (c) no car (I live in the inner city, very close to the T).
I have a portfolio. I belong to a lug . I'm funny. I'm smart. And I'm working as a secretary. Any clues as to what I'm doing wrong?
News of the Weird recently had an article about this. Aparently, a British company wanyts to market these as a way for gay men to meet discreetly in public. The name- Gaydar
I cut my graphics-design teeth on Photoshop for Mac, and I've found GIMP easier to work with. Aside from including more filters, it lets you "undo" more.
The author demonstrated some projects from the book last month at my local LUG meeting. He presented without assuming that we had a graphic arts background (I can't draw). I think this is promissing.
The once-vibrant boardwalk in Weirs Beach is this very minute all boarded up and desolate.
Hmmm. Could that be because not many people find New Hampshire beaches attractive in March? How many spring-breakers say "Screw Daytona Beach, we're going to Hampton!". Riding the waves when it's 20 outside doesn't strike me as much fun.:)
I live in inner-city Boston (population ~2 million). We have our pick of dial-up ISPs, but DSL is very expensive (and limited). We're wired for cable, yet cable modem service will "hopefully" be here by December.
I used to live in the Berkshires. My old stomping ground (population 16,000). They got cable modem last year, and probably have DSL.
Ever tried to refuse to give a college your SS#?
on
Database Nation
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· Score: 1
My old alma mater (a state school) flat out refused to use anything other an SS# for ID, on the basis that Financial Aid needed the number for student loan purposes. Initialy, it was a barcode on the ID card, then they printed it (with numbers), so anyone could read it. I have no problem giving my SS# to Financial Aid or to Career Services (they handle student employment), but why do Housing or Food Service need to know it?
Last semester at UMass Boston, a student got the SS# of the student he was stalking. He changed her address in the school's records, got credit cards in her name, dropped all of her classes, etc. The school didn't know how it happened. They use SS# and a 4-number PIN for ID. He got them from her ID card at the library. The numbers also appear on every piece of mail students receive.
Last year, Arizona passed a law banning schools there from using SS#s as student ID numbers. If that would spread to other states, it would be a step in the right direction.
Remember when Consumer Reports rated a small SUV by Mitsubishi or Suzuki "unacceptable" because it tended to roll over in hard turns (the kind you would make trying to avoid a child or a deer)? The magazine is being sued for slander. The January issue has more details (it's on the web, for a fee).
PR Watch has an eye-opening series of articles about SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) suits. Companies file them to bankrupt, and effectively silence, people who speak out against them (which is not the same as libel or slander). Oprah Winfrey was SLAPPed by the National Beef Council when she disparaged beef during the Mad Cow outbreak in Britain. An environmentalist in West Virginia was SLAPPEd by a coal mining company when he highlighted environmental abuses by the company.
If I think that a company or their products are terrible, I should be ablke to say so....Doesn't the "press" do this all the time?
Yes they do, but they can be sued too. January's Consumer Reports had an editorial about Isuzu's lawsuit against them. It was filed when they called the Trooper "unacceptable" because it tends to roll over in hard turns (the kind you would make tryingto dodge a deer or a child.
Molly Ivins had a great column about "SLAPP" (Strategic Lawsuit Against Political Participation) suits. Companies file them when someone says smethg damaging but true about them. Oprah Winfrey was hit by one a few years ago: the Beef Council sued her when she discussed the dangers of eating red meet on her show. The Ivins column isn't on the web (too old) , but PR Watch has a nice series of articles about them.
Slashdot Mirror
I experienced a (mostly) Microsoft-free campus . I attended a state college in Masachusetts from 1995-1999. They did use Windows (though some departments used Macs), but until last year, when the state decided to standardize on MSOffice, they used non-Microsoft products.
Word Processing was done with WordPerfect, spreadsheet-related stuff with Lotus 1-2-3, database stuff with dBase and (later) Oracle. The Macs also used Claris Works. E-mail was handled by Pegasus Mail, Pine and (later) Netscape Messenger. The web browser was Netscape (even when we got Win '98) . CS students programmed with Borland C++ (DOS) and the OS class used Linux. The network featured UNIX and Netware.
Even advanced stuff was handled by non-Microsoft products. The school paper was laid out in Pagemaker. Their web page was created and maintained with Web Weaver. Graphics was taught with Photoshop.
One more thing- most non-Microsoft software is available for OSs other than Windows. Lotus Domino is available for UNIX and AS400. WordPerfect Suite has a Mac version.
If a largely Microsoft-free campus can be set up with a little extra effort, so can a completely Microsoft-free office.
As a geek living in inner-city Boston, I know for a fact that there are schools here that don't have functioning libraries, forget computers and network access. My high school taught BASIC and Pascal on vintage Apple IIes as recently as 1996.
Why not put together a domestic Geek Corps? Call it "Amerigeeks" something like that. Why go overseas when you can bridge the "digital divide" in your own backyard?
My ninth-grade English class read this, and it is still one of my favorite books. I loved how Bradbury urges readers to think for themselves, instead of letting the media think for them.
I attended a very small Catholic high school, and we were not allowed to see "Schindler's List" when it came out a few years later; one of the teachers did not like the nudity (particularly the shower scene). We eventually saw the movie on video, but the irony was astonishing.
One more thing- the teacher who banned "Schindler's List" also banned "The Chocolate War" as "inappropriate". We eventually found out that "The Chocolate War" was actually based on the author's son's experiences at my high school (which was all boys until 1978).I was in a car accident last year. I'd really hate to see a "SIM Car Crash".
Among the scenarios:
You're pregnant. You decide to keep the kid. Experience morning sickness, fight with your significant other (who may or may not decide to stick around), arrange maternity leave, haggle with your health insurer, gain lots of weight, decide on a name.
After nine virtual months, you can upgrade to the longer, more involved "SIM Parent"
An Arab man headed to Jordan was detained in London because his flight left the Oklahoma City airport 30 minutes after the bomb went off. Because Arab extremists bombed the Word Trade Center, authorities were sure the bomber had to be Arab. Their certainty proved wrong, but I don't think the Arab man ever got an apology (or his luggage back).
My best fiend's last name is McVeigh. She's not related to the Oklahoma City bomber. Her brother (whose name is not Tim), was in the Navy and stationed in Pensacola at the time of the bombing. Not only did her family (who was visiting him at the time) face numerous hassles on their trip back home, but he got phone calls from news programs, papers, Larry King Live, and countless others who believed he was related to the Oklahoma city bomber.
It's one thing to request a background check for a specific reason. You don't want a pedophile working around kids or an embezzeler as an accountant. But just seeing if someone has committed any crimes can hurt lots of uninvolved people.
It is better that a few innocent men be occasionally hanged than that murders routinely go on to repeat their crimes.
What if they look like you, or have a similar name? Do you want to be that innocent man?
Running for school board is another really good idea. In a lot of cities and counties, board members often run unopposed due to the overall lack of interest.
Great idea. Unfortunately, I live in Boston, where the school board is appointed by the mayor. Any idea how concerned citizens could influence them?
AOL has no presence in Europe. Nor will it ever have one.
What about AOL UK, AOL Germany, AOL France , and AOL Sweden ?
"You will be able to have cable access on many platforms, Linux, Windows, even OS/2, you will not be required to use AOL's interface either"
For now, anyway. Cable is a monopoly and cable modem is cheaper and more widely available than DSL. Do you honestly think Time Warner won't eventually force its cable modem customers to use AOL? It's happening to Netscape's Netcenter users.
Where I live (Boston's Dorchester neighborhood), we actually have a choice of cable modem providers: RCN or RoadRunner. RoadRunner, a joint venture between Media One and Time Warner, is a much better provider (according to reviews on World Wide Wait, Epinions, and Deja.com), but I can't shake the feeling that RoadRunner will be absorbed by AOL in the not-too-distant future. So if I want high-speed internet access, I must deal with RCN's awful service, or wait for DSL to come to the inner city at comparable prices.
I don't think I'll be retiring my modem anytime soon.
My question: What about the inevitable failures? What will happen when a happy, well-adjusted, loved-by-everyone jock shoots up a high school? Are you willing to take responsibility for that?
Some years ago, some high-school football players in Texas (where they're considered gods) viciously killed a cat. Community members resisted punishing the players because they "only" killed a cat. Cruelty to animals is a widely recognized sign of disturbance; along with bed-wetting past age 5 and fire-starting, it is a common sign that a child will be a serial killer. When a member of the "in crowd" fits your profile, will they be evaluated the same way as a "different" student?"
My grandfather's career was nearly destroyed by McCarthyism because he has family in Cuba. If I ever travel overseas, (especially to Africa or the Caribbean), I know I'm very likely to be cavity-searched when I return, simply because I am Black female. I'm also very likely to be pulled over (driving while brown).
We already know that profiling targets innocent people. Just ask the families of Cornell Brown Jr. or Amadou Diallo. WAVE will harm far more students than it helps.
BLU announced it in February.
I live in Boston (Dorchester), and take the T daily. The Green Line is the oldest line on the T, and crowds are frequent (even on weekends, and especially if there is an event at the Fleet Center).
Let's see, you can but dishwashers and clothes washers at lots of places, including Sears . To jack off, go to any "adult entertainment" store or website . ;-)
We're approaching a world where everything is automated for ease of use.
Have you ever washed your clothes with bar soap and a washboard? Ever baked bread from scratch? Ever hand-copied a book, word for word?
Making everyday things easier isn't a bad thing. It's usually called progress.
At my local K-mart, I've seen AOL-brand tool kits, printer cables, compressed-air cans, and laptop accessories. They're nothing more than Curtis accessories with AOL CDs. The only difference: AOL products cost about $1 more.
Essentially, AOL has convinced people to pay for its "free" CDs. That's the scary part.
I'm one of the masses who did it "for the money". I discovered computers in college, and right after taking my second (ever) CS course, my family's already shaky finances took a turn for the worse. I didn't like programming, but I didn't want to have to move back home and starve (or work in a factory again).
Two semesters later, living on tuna and ramen and working 50-hour weeks in a factory didn't seem like such a bad idea. I was so burnt out I had nightmares about computers. I changed my major and eventually dropped out of school. I'm now working s a secretary, getting the hang of Perl, writing a webpage, and planning to take classes again (English, Tech writing certificate) this summer.
If you don't truly like programming, you're going to burn out sooner or later. I'm now glad I learned that sooner, rather than later.
I'm a Boston-area student taking some time off (returning to classes this summer), and I have had no luck finding anything remotely technical.
I studied Journalism (though my degree will be English with a tech writing certificate), I was webmaster for my school paper, and I worked at a Help Desk for 5 semesters. Appartently, I dont't qualify for anything because I have (a) no CS degree, (b) no "real-world" experience, or (c) no car (I live in the inner city, very close to the T).
I have a portfolio. I belong to a lug . I'm funny. I'm smart. And I'm working as a secretary. Any clues as to what I'm doing wrong?
News of the Weird recently had an article about this. Aparently, a British company wanyts to market these as a way for gay men to meet discreetly in public. The name- Gaydar
I cut my graphics-design teeth on Photoshop for Mac, and I've found GIMP easier to work with. Aside from including more filters, it lets you "undo" more.
The author demonstrated some projects from the book last month at my local LUG meeting. He presented without assuming that we had a graphic arts background (I can't draw). I think this is promissing.
The once-vibrant boardwalk in Weirs Beach is this very minute all boarded up and desolate.
Hmmm. Could that be because not many people find New Hampshire beaches attractive in March? How many spring-breakers say "Screw Daytona Beach, we're going to Hampton!". Riding the waves when it's 20 outside doesn't strike me as much fun.I live in inner-city Boston (population ~2 million). We have our pick of dial-up ISPs, but DSL is very expensive (and limited). We're wired for cable, yet cable modem service will "hopefully" be here by December.
I used to live in the Berkshires. My old stomping ground (population 16,000). They got cable modem last year, and probably have DSL.
My old alma mater (a state school) flat out refused to use anything other an SS# for ID, on the basis that Financial Aid needed the number for student loan purposes. Initialy, it was a barcode on the ID card, then they printed it (with numbers), so anyone could read it. I have no problem giving my SS# to Financial Aid or to Career Services (they handle student employment), but why do Housing or Food Service need to know it?
Last semester at UMass Boston, a student got the SS# of the student he was stalking. He changed her address in the school's records, got credit cards in her name, dropped all of her classes, etc. The school didn't know how it happened. They use SS# and a 4-number PIN for ID. He got them from her ID card at the library. The numbers also appear on every piece of mail students receive.
Last year, Arizona passed a law banning schools there from using SS#s as student ID numbers. If that would spread to other states, it would be a step in the right direction.
Remember when Consumer Reports rated a small SUV by Mitsubishi or Suzuki "unacceptable" because it tended to roll over in hard turns (the kind you would make trying to avoid a child or a deer)? The magazine is being sued for slander. The January issue has more details (it's on the web, for a fee).
PR Watch has an eye-opening series of articles about SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) suits. Companies file them to bankrupt, and effectively silence, people who speak out against them (which is not the same as libel or slander). Oprah Winfrey was SLAPPed by the National Beef Council when she disparaged beef during the Mad Cow outbreak in Britain. An environmentalist in West Virginia was SLAPPEd by a coal mining company when he highlighted environmental abuses by the company.
Free Speech is becoming very expensive.
If I think that a company or their products are terrible, I should be ablke to say so....Doesn't the "press" do this all the time?
Yes they do, but they can be sued too. January's Consumer Reports had an editorial about Isuzu's lawsuit against them. It was filed when they called the Trooper "unacceptable" because it tends to roll over in hard turns (the kind you would make tryingto dodge a deer or a child.
Molly Ivins had a great column about "SLAPP" (Strategic Lawsuit Against Political Participation) suits. Companies file them when someone says smethg damaging but true about them. Oprah Winfrey was hit by one a few years ago: the Beef Council sued her when she discussed the dangers of eating red meet on her show. The Ivins column isn't on the web (too old) , but PR Watch has a nice series of articles about them.