You read it wrong. I think the point is to let people who aren't going to use it not slow down the people who are.
In high school right now, there are stupid jocks taking Algebra. They'll barely remember it long enough to barely pass a test, much less so when they go on to become a car salesman, take over dad's bathroom remodeling company, or whatever. Even in elementary school, there are children who show more aptitude than others. I say take them aside, get them started early. They are probably the ones who will go on to innovate anyhow. If average joe 5th grader starts showing some mathematical aptitude in 7th grade, then let him start taking more advanced stuff. But trying to educate everyone at the same pace means that you are slowing down the bright kids.
Heck, I'd argue that even an education beyond 7th grade should be optional and no longer state guaranteed. This would eliminate disruptive influences in the schools and let the kids who want to learn do so without having to be threatened by neer-do-wells who are merely at school for babysitting purposes. The threat of being totally kicked out of school and denied an education might ever serve to straighten some kids out. "Hey Johnny, you keep screwing around and smoking dope in the restroom and fighting, guess what? You're outta here! No education for you." Too much entitlement going on here in the US.
"It even harms the kids who are good at math and want to do it because the teacher has to slow down for the kids who have no talent for math, aren't going to go into a math related profession and shouldn't be forced to learn about the square roots of negative numbers or quadratic equations. "
I was thinking something similar. In high school, the most frustrating classes were math classes. Why? Because the doofuses who were forced to take 3 years of math kept us from doing anything new for the entire first semester. I got so bored in those classes. Algebra 1 was basic math for the first half, and algebra 2 was half of algebra 1. Never got through the textbooks, ever. It was so frustrating. To think I could have advanced and saved time and money in college. Maybe should have taken AP classes.
I am sure there a lot of bright children in school who feel the same way. How many of them are sitting bored in class, losing interest? How many of them won't really get the education they'd like because of other people too stupid to keep up or remember something over the summer?
Most people don't need the math. As a software engineer, I the most advanced math I have had to use was Trig. Algebra and geometry aren't really used directly BUT the thought process taught in those classes is invaluable to a software developer. But the kids who went on to become salesmen, tradesmen, gravediggers, businessmen, etc, will never use any of it.
Math is enriching but most people neither need nor want that. I say let em be.
Bands I have discovered on emusic (as in, probably would have neer heard of them were it not for emusic because they get NO airplay and I haven't been at a university for > 10 years) Some of these bands are known, some aren't. But I don't hear any of them on the radio.
Drive By Truckers Old Crow Medicine Show Thievery Corporation Art Tatum Okkervil River Mountain Goats Band of Horses The Hillbilly Hellcats The Black Keys Broken Bells Earlimart Colder Doug Sahm Flogging Molly Wayne Hancock The Hold Steady M Ward Thunderball Tinariwen Uncle Lucius Volebeats
"I have my doubts about this theory (it's not like the 21st Amendment magically got rid of organized crime in the U.S.), but it's not WTF-worthy."
true, but consider: that did allow organized crime to gain a lot of money and support from normal citizens who might have wanted to end a day's work with a beer. Ending prohibition was too little too late, I'd argue that organized crime would have been a lot weaker w/o prohibition.
The drug cartels are very rich. Legalize drugs and you'll take away that business. But they are rich enough to move into other stuff. Also, these guys aren't dumb. I am sure they already have their hands in many things.
Sounds like you are looking for employment at the wrong places. You're much better off being well rounded and perhaps having expertise in certain areas than you are specializing in one thing only. A place that expects that out of employees sounds like a factory job. And a dev shop that is factory like is really just a sweatshop. Who wants to only be able to do one thing well? What if your area of expertise is the next J++ (remember that?)
If you look for jobs at smaller places or nonprofits, you'll likely find that what is needed are well rounded people. You'll also find more interesting jobs.
These guys are starting to sound like MSFT when they released IE7.
What's with the fight over javascript speed? It's as ludicruous as MSFT touting tabbed browsing on an aging and stodgy codebase. People aren't leaving for Chrome en masse due to javascript speed. How about making the browser move faster and use less memory? So long as I don't have to WAIT an appreciable length of time for javascript to run, I don't care if it takes 3 milliseconds or 3 picoseconds.
What do my old-as-dirt dell latitude running XP, my old dell running xubuntu, and my shiny new macbook have in common? Firefox is the slowest browser of Chrome, Safari, IE, and Opera in terms of opening up, opening tabs, rendering pages. In other words, Firefox is still the slowest browser in most things that matter and save for safari on the Mac, uses the most memory.
I hate to see this happen to firefox. It's like watching and old friend slowly grow insane.
uh...it was a while ago, but I was able to install KDE de on my ubuntu machine. It sucked horribly, as all thing KDE do, but I was able. IIRC it was as simple as sudo apt-get install kubuntu-desktop. The only diff between the three distros (hesitant to even call them differnt distros) is the DE anyhow.
And yet, after using linux for years, I have never personally seen this done on any website. That said, I prefer apt-get anyhow. But I am not most people.
This GP and reply is the poster child for why people still think of Ubuntu as hard to use.
GP: "Average users don't want to ever, ever, ever use Terminal. _NEVER_ " Reply: "The terminal can be faster and easier to use, really, even for a newbie."
Gah!
Imagine this playing out in a restaurant. Customer: "I would like the taco salad, but without tomatoes" Waiter: "I see. You know tomatoes are really good for you? I see you ate your salsa. Therefore, you'll have no problem with tomatoes on your taco salad." Customer: *leaves*
See? It's absurd in any other context. I agree with GP: people want to click on a download button on a web site. That's it. It doesn't matter if it's logical or not. People are illogical.
Delivering an OS to the masses is like delivering any other kind of product. You give people what they want. If you say that all users of your OS should have to, at some point, use the CLI, then you also implicitly said that you do not want to deliver linux to the masses. If you do not want linux for the masses, then why do we keep hearing stories like this one?
Personally, I prefer linux over windows and I don't give a crap about Dell. They are soon to be irrelevant anyhow. Linux is fine as a geek oriented desktop OS and as the only serious choice for servers. If people don't want to use Windows (and they shouldn't) let them pay for a Mac.
I too have an aging XP/Ubuntu box. I have never had to pay for software to keep windows running.
That said, I think the point is that you and I are not typical users. We know what kind of software is necessary to keep a windows PC running, and how to choose free alternatives and how NOT to get sucked into McAfee or Norton.
For average users, choosing free antivirus and firewall programs that aren't nagware or some type of scamware is just as hard as using the Linux CLI. How many people have downloaded those stupid PC Speed Booster programs that advertise in the form of banner ads that look like system dialogue boxes? Obviously a lot, because those ads are *still* around. Or they just pony up and buy worthless antivirus programs from the big boys.
I use tweetie, a twitter client. I did not pay for it. It shows me ads. I don't care because its a very good twitter client.
If my OS or some software I purchased started showing me ads, I'd be upset. If it locked certain features until I viewed the ads, I would go back to linux.
nah, I have a 3G and it's an awesome device. Several people I work with have 4G iPhones and there are mixed reviews whether or not it is a problem. The fact that some people are, though, means that there is some kind of flaw. If there were no flaw, groups of people wouldn't be having a problem.
I can understand how this happened. It's the same reason why, as a software developer, writing code with a test dataset can lead to problems when you throw a live dataset at your code. The rumor is that Apple has really good reception on their campus, and when employees left with the 4G they were instructed to put it into a 3G case. If this is true, they inadvertently failed to test the device in a real world scenario. Any way you slice it, that's an oversight. I don't think the real story here is that there is a small flaw with the phone, though; overall it seems to be a solid device. The real story is the attempted denial. Apple should just shut up and fix it or offer free bumpers to customers.
yeah, except since I might have paid some ungodly amount for an iPhone 4 after standing in line for hours. If that were me, I'd be extremely pissed off if I had to apply tape to it to make it work properly. Of course, I'd never stand in line and overpay for an iPhone 4. But I know many who have.
maybe. People who know about tech naturally wouldn't need CR for an iPhone. These are also the people who know how to, uh, hold it right. Now, imagine someone who doesn't understand the nature of the problem. They'd go out, get a new iPhone, and hate it. CR is saving them from that experience, and that's better for everyone.
CR is one of the more objective reviewers out there. If I had to shop for something about which I knew nothing (a new dryer, for example) I'd check out what CR has to say. It's better than reading reviews online. Where else are you gonna go? If you know of something better than CR for general consumer goods, I'd like to know.
not surprising. The old iPhones worked just fine as phones. The new one has a serious flaw that Apple missed. I wouldn't recommend it either. Let them fix the bug, then it'll be just fine. Of course, fixing the bug means they have to own up to it instead of chastising users for "holding it wrong".
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You read it wrong. I think the point is to let people who aren't going to use it not slow down the people who are.
In high school right now, there are stupid jocks taking Algebra. They'll barely remember it long enough to barely pass a test, much less so when they go on to become a car salesman, take over dad's bathroom remodeling company, or whatever. Even in elementary school, there are children who show more aptitude than others. I say take them aside, get them started early. They are probably the ones who will go on to innovate anyhow. If average joe 5th grader starts showing some mathematical aptitude in 7th grade, then let him start taking more advanced stuff. But trying to educate everyone at the same pace means that you are slowing down the bright kids.
Heck, I'd argue that even an education beyond 7th grade should be optional and no longer state guaranteed. This would eliminate disruptive influences in the schools and let the kids who want to learn do so without having to be threatened by neer-do-wells who are merely at school for babysitting purposes. The threat of being totally kicked out of school and denied an education might ever serve to straighten some kids out. "Hey Johnny, you keep screwing around and smoking dope in the restroom and fighting, guess what? You're outta here! No education for you." Too much entitlement going on here in the US.
"It even harms the kids who are good at math and want to do it because the teacher has to slow down for the kids who have no talent for math, aren't going to go into a math related profession and shouldn't be forced to learn about the square roots of negative numbers or quadratic equations.
"
I was thinking something similar. In high school, the most frustrating classes were math classes. Why? Because the doofuses who were forced to take 3 years of math kept us from doing anything new for the entire first semester. I got so bored in those classes. Algebra 1 was basic math for the first half, and algebra 2 was half of algebra 1. Never got through the textbooks, ever. It was so frustrating. To think I could have advanced and saved time and money in college. Maybe should have taken AP classes.
I am sure there a lot of bright children in school who feel the same way. How many of them are sitting bored in class, losing interest? How many of them won't really get the education they'd like because of other people too stupid to keep up or remember something over the summer?
Most people don't need the math. As a software engineer, I the most advanced math I have had to use was Trig. Algebra and geometry aren't really used directly BUT the thought process taught in those classes is invaluable to a software developer. But the kids who went on to become salesmen, tradesmen, gravediggers, businessmen, etc, will never use any of it.
Math is enriching but most people neither need nor want that. I say let em be.
"I really like, modern bluesy guitar driven rock."
Drive By Truckers
Uncle Lucius
maybe The Hold Steady
its old news now, but Uncle Tupelo (though it's a bit country too)
I have been recommending emusic.com for discovering stuff.
emusic.com
Bands I have discovered on emusic (as in, probably would have neer heard of them were it not for emusic because they get NO airplay and I haven't been at a university for > 10 years) Some of these bands are known, some aren't. But I don't hear any of them on the radio.
Drive By Truckers
Old Crow Medicine Show
Thievery Corporation
Art Tatum
Okkervil River
Mountain Goats
Band of Horses
The Hillbilly Hellcats
The Black Keys
Broken Bells
Earlimart
Colder
Doug Sahm
Flogging Molly
Wayne Hancock
The Hold Steady
M Ward
Thunderball
Tinariwen
Uncle Lucius
Volebeats
"I have my doubts about this theory (it's not like the 21st Amendment magically got rid of organized crime in the U.S.), but it's not WTF-worthy."
true, but consider: that did allow organized crime to gain a lot of money and support from normal citizens who might have wanted to end a day's work with a beer. Ending prohibition was too little too late, I'd argue that organized crime would have been a lot weaker w/o prohibition.
The drug cartels are very rich. Legalize drugs and you'll take away that business. But they are rich enough to move into other stuff. Also, these guys aren't dumb. I am sure they already have their hands in many things.
60K between oil changes? That guy does not deserve a BMW. He needs a chevy vega.
Why, even men of european descent must loudly declare appreciation for women of these proportions!
Specialization is for insects.
Sounds like you are looking for employment at the wrong places. You're much better off being well rounded and perhaps having expertise in certain areas than you are specializing in one thing only. A place that expects that out of employees sounds like a factory job. And a dev shop that is factory like is really just a sweatshop. Who wants to only be able to do one thing well? What if your area of expertise is the next J++ (remember that?)
If you look for jobs at smaller places or nonprofits, you'll likely find that what is needed are well rounded people. You'll also find more interesting jobs.
To be an engineer, one must be intelligent and somewhat idealistic. Those are traits that would enable one to be an effective terrorist.
These guys are starting to sound like MSFT when they released IE7.
What's with the fight over javascript speed? It's as ludicruous as MSFT touting tabbed browsing on an aging and stodgy codebase. People aren't leaving for Chrome en masse due to javascript speed. How about making the browser move faster and use less memory? So long as I don't have to WAIT an appreciable length of time for javascript to run, I don't care if it takes 3 milliseconds or 3 picoseconds.
What do my old-as-dirt dell latitude running XP, my old dell running xubuntu, and my shiny new macbook have in common? Firefox is the slowest browser of Chrome, Safari, IE, and Opera in terms of opening up, opening tabs, rendering pages. In other words, Firefox is still the slowest browser in most things that matter and save for safari on the Mac, uses the most memory.
I hate to see this happen to firefox. It's like watching and old friend slowly grow insane.
uh...it was a while ago, but I was able to install KDE de on my ubuntu machine. It sucked horribly, as all thing KDE do, but I was able. IIRC it was as simple as sudo apt-get install kubuntu-desktop. The only diff between the three distros (hesitant to even call them differnt distros) is the DE anyhow.
Don't buy a Dell. Why would you want to?
And yet, after using linux for years, I have never personally seen this done on any website. That said, I prefer apt-get anyhow. But I am not most people.
This GP and reply is the poster child for why people still think of Ubuntu as hard to use.
GP: "Average users don't want to ever, ever, ever use Terminal. _NEVER_ "
Reply: "The terminal can be faster and easier to use, really, even for a newbie."
Gah!
Imagine this playing out in a restaurant.
Customer: "I would like the taco salad, but without tomatoes"
Waiter: "I see. You know tomatoes are really good for you? I see you ate your salsa. Therefore, you'll have no problem with tomatoes on your taco salad."
Customer: *leaves*
See? It's absurd in any other context. I agree with GP: people want to click on a download button on a web site. That's it. It doesn't matter if it's logical or not. People are illogical.
Delivering an OS to the masses is like delivering any other kind of product. You give people what they want. If you say that all users of your OS should have to, at some point, use the CLI, then you also implicitly said that you do not want to deliver linux to the masses. If you do not want linux for the masses, then why do we keep hearing stories like this one?
Personally, I prefer linux over windows and I don't give a crap about Dell. They are soon to be irrelevant anyhow. Linux is fine as a geek oriented desktop OS and as the only serious choice for servers. If people don't want to use Windows (and they shouldn't) let them pay for a Mac.
I too have an aging XP/Ubuntu box. I have never had to pay for software to keep windows running.
That said, I think the point is that you and I are not typical users. We know what kind of software is necessary to keep a windows PC running, and how to choose free alternatives and how NOT to get sucked into McAfee or Norton.
For average users, choosing free antivirus and firewall programs that aren't nagware or some type of scamware is just as hard as using the Linux CLI. How many people have downloaded those stupid PC Speed Booster programs that advertise in the form of banner ads that look like system dialogue boxes? Obviously a lot, because those ads are *still* around. Or they just pony up and buy worthless antivirus programs from the big boys.
Mine too: http://sc2.sourceforge.net/downloads.php
I like Apple products.
I use tweetie, a twitter client. I did not pay for it. It shows me ads. I don't care because its a very good twitter client.
If my OS or some software I purchased started showing me ads, I'd be upset. If it locked certain features until I viewed the ads, I would go back to linux.
I doubt Apple is that stupid.
nah, I have a 3G and it's an awesome device. Several people I work with have 4G iPhones and there are mixed reviews whether or not it is a problem. The fact that some people are, though, means that there is some kind of flaw. If there were no flaw, groups of people wouldn't be having a problem.
I can understand how this happened. It's the same reason why, as a software developer, writing code with a test dataset can lead to problems when you throw a live dataset at your code. The rumor is that Apple has really good reception on their campus, and when employees left with the 4G they were instructed to put it into a 3G case. If this is true, they inadvertently failed to test the device in a real world scenario. Any way you slice it, that's an oversight. I don't think the real story here is that there is a small flaw with the phone, though; overall it seems to be a solid device. The real story is the attempted denial. Apple should just shut up and fix it or offer free bumpers to customers.
"An admission that an Apple product has a flaw would destroy the image that Apple has worked to create"
I feel a disturbance in the reality distortion field, as though a million calls were dropped at once!
"We're talking about why Apple doesn't and give away free Bumpers, which seems like the simplest solution for everyone."
For the same reason the pope will never admit he has to wipe his nasty, stanky butt after dropping a papal deuce into a golden toilet.
Apple infallibility, papal infallibility...different sides of the same delusional coin.
At least the Jobs doesn't molest kids.
yeah, except since I might have paid some ungodly amount for an iPhone 4 after standing in line for hours. If that were me, I'd be extremely pissed off if I had to apply tape to it to make it work properly. Of course, I'd never stand in line and overpay for an iPhone 4. But I know many who have.
"What about people who don't trust something just because it's in print?"
those people are clearly as stupid as people who trust everything just because it is in print. Pay them no mind.
"Only people over 58 use consumer reports"
maybe. People who know about tech naturally wouldn't need CR for an iPhone. These are also the people who know how to, uh, hold it right. Now, imagine someone who doesn't understand the nature of the problem. They'd go out, get a new iPhone, and hate it. CR is saving them from that experience, and that's better for everyone.
CR is one of the more objective reviewers out there. If I had to shop for something about which I knew nothing (a new dryer, for example) I'd check out what CR has to say. It's better than reading reviews online. Where else are you gonna go? If you know of something better than CR for general consumer goods, I'd like to know.
but, your tongue is already stuck on Steve J....
eh, never mind.
not surprising. The old iPhones worked just fine as phones. The new one has a serious flaw that Apple missed. I wouldn't recommend it either. Let them fix the bug, then it'll be just fine. Of course, fixing the bug means they have to own up to it instead of chastising users for "holding it wrong".