And the answer is... don't know yet. But we're one step closer to knowing!... maybe, if they did the calculations right, and got all the parameters right, and our theories about how the universe works at a very low level are reasonably accurate. Then, we might be a little bit closer to knowing!
Possibly not, though, this could all be a blind end. But, that is how science works: it gets to something like the right answer, eventually.
Actually our calculation is designed specifically to help discover where our existing theories break down. We know that the amount of CP-violation (an essential condition for a matter/antimatter asymmetry) in the Standard Model of particle physics is not enough to explain the observed asymmetry; New Physics therefore must exist somewhere, we just have to find it. In order to do so, we need to know precisely what our current theories predict, so that we can look for deviations between experiment and theory; this is what our calculation is for.
The next step in the research will be to determine the remaining unknown quantity that is important to understanding the difference between matter and anti-matter in kaon decay. This last quantity will either confirm the present theory or perhaps, if they are lucky, Blum says, point to a new understanding of physics.
It appears that both theoretically and computationally there is still some work to be done.
Theoretically we have some more work to do, but computationally we have enough resources now that we have access to the IBM BlueGene/Q machines at BNL. The theory side of determining the other unknown quantity is no more complicated than the calculation detailed in the article, but there are a few technical challenges: first we have to figure out how to simulate the associated decay with physical kinematics (energy-momentum conservation) and secondly how we precisely calculate interactions involving decays of the pions into and out of the QCD vacuum. The second problem is essentially solved, and just requires a decent amount of computing power and some smart coding. We believe we also have a solution for the problem of obtaining physical kinematics, involving the use of unusual boundary conditions on the simulation, which is progressing rapidly.
Well, there's certainly some truth to that, but you're assuming that there is a free market at work here. That isn't the case. Markets require property rights - if I can pay you or not pay you for something depending on, basically, whether I give a crap or not, what you have is not a market in the capitalist sense. That is what has happened to music and is happening to other types of creative works due to the failure of the tech industry to implement strong DRM, or to stop file sharing networks. There is no market any more. Only beggars and charitable individuals.
Maybe artists should start treating their recordings as promotional material and not as a revenue source? I have seen several studies suggesting that even though recording sales are down, artists are coming out ahead as they get a considerably larger share of the profits from live performances. From a personal perspective, I have been to concerts for dozens of bands over the last few years that I would not have even heard of had I not come across their music online and downloaded their collection.
Also if you think strong DRM would solve the 'problem', ask yourself why the majority of e-book retailers are dropping DRM left right and center.
Apart from the third law, very likely given the rather low number of people on the moon. Unless it somehow figures out how to build weapons to attack earth.
2000 years in the future a Centauri remote probe skims over the cracked and baked desolation of what was once believed to be the home planet of an advanced humanoid species. A dark cavern proves to be the entrance to what might once have been an underground data storage site. A ruined sign hangs on the wall; 'GOOGLE' it says in alien pictograms. Scanning the rubble the probe locates a partial fragment of a data storage device.
Years later the signal reaches Proxima Centauri, and a group of the Emperor's best scientists begin to decode the fragment.
[PARTIAL DATA FRAGMENT RECEIVED FROM 61-F32 PLANET III] Apart from the third law, very likely given the rather low number of people on the moon. Unless it somehow figures out how to build weapons to attack...........[FRAGMENT CORRUPTED]
The scientists look around at each other, panic in their eyes: They too had not taken appropriate safeguards...
(A scattering of lights move across the heavens of Proxima IV. Only the emperor and his [incarcerated] scientists know that this is the end of their race.)
As a physicist I am familiar with fractional dimensions in dimensional regularization (a process whereby infinities in Feynman diagrams are tamed by reducing the number of space-time dimension by a small fraction), however I have never heard of applying such advanced theoretical concepts to an environmental model. Bravo!
Here in the US the situation is far more complicated even for someone in such a trivial tax situation as myself - no investment earnings, mortgage, other revenue sources, etc.
Well, in your situation, if you make less than $50,000, you could fill out the 1040EZ. I presume you make more than that. If so, then it's really not THAT hard. Get your W2, fill in the amount, take the standard deduction, look up how much you owe in the chart. If you paid more than that, you get the extra back; you owe any you paid less than that.
I know I simplified it, and obviously the tax code could be much easier in general.. But in your situation, it really is not too complicated.
I should also add that tax forms are full of jargon which has to be pierced before any newcomer to the system can even begin to start.
Here in the US the situation is far more complicated even for someone in such a trivial tax situation as myself - no investment earnings, mortgage, other revenue sources, etc.
Well, in your situation, if you make less than $50,000, you could fill out the 1040EZ. I presume you make more than that. If so, then it's really not THAT hard. Get your W2, fill in the amount, take the standard deduction, look up how much you owe in the chart. If you paid more than that, you get the extra back; you owe any you paid less than that.
I know I simplified it, and obviously the tax code could be much easier in general.. But in your situation, it really is not too complicated.
Yeah, I'm familiar with the 1040EZ; I've had 2 years experience now. The most difficult part in my case is not the federal but the NY state + NYC tax form which has a large amount of exemptions and deductions for varying circumstances, local school taxes, and a boat load of other things.
I'm surprised that my post got modded +5 funny, considering it was meant in earnest. I do believe that IP enforcement has become a massive burden upon society that is stifling innovation and causing the introduction of poorly-conceived laws that fail at their prime purpose while chipping away at our rights. I seriously doubt anyone but the big patent owners are actually in favour of the system as it currently stands, and even those are getting tied up in a pointless and costly patent cold war.
Considering the 306S model has been around for a few years already, I expect most people who want one will already own one, and if not I imagine most retailers have a huge stockpile of the things scattered across the US, not to mention the number of second-hand consoles available on E-bay or on the high street. Actually I hope it does get approved, as then it becomes more ammunition to fuel the case for patent reform to end the ever-more-ridiculous patent war.
No, it's not him, it's the law, that is that disconnected. The law thinks that upholding someone's rights is more important than playing a video game.
Copyright is not a right, its a privilege granted by the people to foster innovation. The law is clearly failing and desperately needs to be fixed before innovators throw up their hands in despair and move to a country with a less ridiculous system.
What about the UK? I have heard horror stories about their taxes.
I'm a Brit living in the US, and the only tax I pay is to the US government - federal, state and city! Also, the tax system in the UK is considerably easier to operate within as an employee, as your employer handles your deductions and the Inland Revenue calculate how much you owe/are owed. Apart from a few fringe cases, I have never known anyone who was owed money to / was owed money by the Inland Revenue at the end of the year, so I guess the employers know exactly how much to deduct.
Here in the US the situation is far more complicated even for someone in such a trivial tax situation as myself - no investment earnings, mortgage, other revenue sources, etc. I have to wade through hundreds of pages of explanatory documents to fill in boxes which the IRS then go and check independently anyway. What's worse is that most tax software doesn't work for Non-resident Aliens, so the people who most need help with the tax system are left to figure it out by themselves or pay an extortionate fee to an accountant.
This reminds me of a fantastic book called Blood Music by the science fiction author Greg Bear. In the book a geneticist working on biochip development develops a system for storing and transmitting information between single cells using DNA and RNA. He creates cells that are able to communicate and incorporate elements of RNA and as such optimise themselves to overcome environmental challenges. He soon sees the emergence of rudimentary intelligence on a cellular basis, but is shut down before he can pursue his experiments further. He smuggles his creations out of the lab by injecting them into his own body, which proves to be a perfect environment for the development of full intelligence....
'Shaw rejected that argument, finding that the public interest in enforcing intellectual property rights outweighs any potential economic impact on video game console buyers.'
This guy is seriously disconnected from the real world if he thinks that enforcing intellectual property rights is more important to the public than the availability of a popular product. As far as I can tell, the only people benefiting from the escalating levels of IP enforcement are the lawyers and cartels, while the public are getting shafted as the draconian measures erode their freedoms.
When discussing a case that includes both the UK and the USA. make it clear where the cities are located. Not only are there probably many cities called "London" in the USA, but more importantly, there is at least one "Boston" in the UK.
Good point; I interpreted the Boston in the summary as Boston, UK, which is only a few miles from where I grew up. Damn those American settlers and their laziness.
Not the same thing as Space X. These companies were created directly by European governments, often out of the remains of European government owned defense companies, many of them nationalized. Saying these companies are corporations is like saying that the US Postal Service is a corporation; technically true, but missing the forest for the trees. They were created specifically to serve their governments. Any private sector business is the cherry on top of the ice cream. Space X, on the other hand, was a private company from the ground up, specifically created for a perceived private space transportation market, the aim being to make a profit off of it for private investors. Government contracts will be part of that, but the aim of this company is to be the premier provider of space launch to private companies. NASA, for all the good it has done over the years, has been suppressing that private market. A company like Space X is long overdue.
With these defense/aerospace companies it is often difficult to tell how much of it was founded by governments and how much was private enterprise. If you trace back their histories you often find that they are formed from multiple mergers between private companies and privatised former-government setups, some or all of which are partially owned by the government. Its very confusing. However, EADS currently has almost 50% of its shares on the open market, which to me is the hallmark of a private company. Also, I understand that most of their business is with private companies; telecommunications and whatnot. For example, if you look at the launch history of Ariane 5, you see a very large number of communications satellites and only a few government contracts such as the ATV "Jules Verne" and science platforms like Herschel and Planck.
Going to Mars can be flown by private ventures. Sure NASA should focus on how to survive once we get there, but they do not need to build the rocket to get there.
Aside from prestige, how would you go about convincing a private company to fly to Mars? There's nothing there that is commercially exploitable. The best approach IMO is to create government contracts to lay the groundwork for exploiting mineral resources in near-Earth asteroids. Once money can be made from such ventures, private companies will invest in more advanced craft to fit the purpose, which by their nature will have many characteristics with the type of vehicle necessary to fly to Mars.
As for private rockets, as the other poster said, all rockets have always been developed under contract with NASA by private companies.
Just as a clarification, the Ariane rockets in Europe are arguably the most successful rockets, launching almost half of all the commercial satellites. These have been developed by a private company, EADS Astrium (a subsidiary of EADS, a big aerospace and defence contractor) since the 1980s and produced/operated by another private company, Arianespace. The latter appears to be jointly controlled (in terms of shares) by EADS and the French space agency, CNES, so it might be considered as semi-private, but EADS is certainly a public company.
'Desires are out there,' said Cohen. 'We have to learn how to control ourselves.'
Exactly. Just learn to control yourselves and stay away from porn sites. Treat them like you do pork. Or guys porking girls. Whatever, there's pork there.
In the particle physics community it is standard practice to upload preprints to arXiv. In the legalese section they state that most publishers are tolerant of preprints, but many do not want the final version of the paper to be uploaded to the arXiv. In any case, most people do upload the final version anyway. I have never heard of them loosing their copyright goons on anyone in the community for this; I guess they know that we are generally intolerant when it comes to such douchebaggery, so they would be shooting themselves in the foot if they tried to come after us. Personally I fully support any initiative to break the hold that these outdated cartels have over the publishing of science.
Your government needs to step in and put legal caps on tuition fees as they have in the UK; only then can you hope to make it self-sustaining.
I have a better idea. They can get out. This overpriced crap is due to government intervention via subsidized student loans in the first place. It's not complicated. Pump up demand a lot for a fairly inelastic service, and you get higher prices.
I don't see how that would help. Students would just end up having to take considerably larger private loans with much more unfavourable repayment terms, and end up shackled to their jobs and with a miserable state of living in order to meet them. Its too late; everyone knows that a degree is necessary for pretty much any job. This is a public perception issue which is not going to change any time soon.
However I do agree that the easily available student loans without government imposed caps on fees were likely what started the whole mess; as per usual the bipartisan bullshit in the US government has led to another piss-poor compromise like Obamacare.
Personally I think that education and health are far too important to leave to a system driven solely by the need to acquire money at all costs. I say get the private sector out.
You don't need commit yourself to a life of indentured servitude in order to be educated. Be honest... most people in college are not honing their critical thinking skills. They are going through the motions with no real interest in the subjects they are 'studying' and retaining very little of what they are exposed to. They do this to get a degree in order to get a job because "that's what people do". Most people would be much better served by some sort of internship program than a college degree.
In most countries attending university does not equate to a life of indentured servitude. It is only in the US (as far as I am aware) that the prices have gone completely out of control. However I do see your point that many would be better off with a more practical program that better suits their career path.
I don't disagree about the need for a well educated population and I'm going to backpedal a wee bit on my prior statement. I've just never been comfortable with imposing legal caps on tuition - or any cost for that matter (rent, medical, etc) because it doesn't address the causes of those high costs. I'm not familiar enough with what's going on in colleges to know *why* costs are increasing at an inordinate rate. Are colleges spending more on needless expenses? Are revenue streams they had in the past no longer available? Capping fees doesn't resolve those issues, it just results in colleges tightening across the board. If tuition costs are outpacing inflation, you really need to find out why that is and not simply cap them.
There are a lot of studies that can be found by a quick google search. Here are some of the reasons they cite:
1) Competition among universities to provide the best facilities causes an arms race driving up costs.
2) The large demand for places means that the reputable colleges can charge whatever they want and get away with it. Providing the 'best' colleges raise their prices in lockstep, the best students have little choice but to pay what they ask.
3) As prices rise, more and more students need scholarships, the money for which comes from increasing the tuition costs even more.
4) The cost of academic research has been increasing dramatically.
All of these are systemic failures which feed back on themselves driving costs ever higher. This can only be fixed by dramatic and broad scale intervention at the government level.
...or reduce the demand for college educations. College enrollment has gone through the roof but most jobs these people are getting out of college do not need that degree.
Generally, education has much more value than ensuring a decent job. At college, people gain critical thinking and social skills (these are just those that I can think of off the top of my head) that are vitally important in all aspects of life. An educated workforce makes better choices. Look at the distribution of votes in America as an example: The generally poorly educated people in the flyover states vote completely differently, and often against their own interests, than the generally better educated people on the east and west coasts.
Let's look back to Victorian England. Prior to 1870, only the well-off were educated at all; a vast majority of the population could not read/write in any meaningful way or perform simple mathematics beyond day to day weights and measures. Most children were sent off to work at a very young age. For the most part the aforementioned skills were not needed, as the majority of people worked on farms or in factories. Why then introduce mandatory schooling? Because the government realised that an educated workforce is much more productive and creative. It also allowed for a much greater social mobility; the ability of those at the bottom to make it to the top (the basis of the American Dream I guess). I don't see the college system as being much different from this. Sure most people don't *need* their college educations, but they are alot better off with one in general.
Second, there's already a ready group to cover student loan rates, former students with debt. No need to fund student loans when that's already covered.
Sure, that might work if tuition costs were not increasing so quickly. Tuition fees have gone up by a factor of 10 over the past 30 years! Your government needs to step in and put legal caps on tuition fees as they have in the UK; only then can you hope to make it self-sustaining.
Slashdot Mirror
So, uhhhh... How?
And the answer is... don't know yet. But we're one step closer to knowing!... maybe, if they did the calculations right, and got all the parameters right, and our theories about how the universe works at a very low level are reasonably accurate. Then, we might be a little bit closer to knowing!
Possibly not, though, this could all be a blind end. But, that is how science works: it gets to something like the right answer, eventually.
Actually our calculation is designed specifically to help discover where our existing theories break down. We know that the amount of CP-violation (an essential condition for a matter/antimatter asymmetry) in the Standard Model of particle physics is not enough to explain the observed asymmetry; New Physics therefore must exist somewhere, we just have to find it. In order to do so, we need to know precisely what our current theories predict, so that we can look for deviations between experiment and theory; this is what our calculation is for.
From TFA:
The next step in the research will be to determine the remaining unknown quantity that is important to understanding the difference between matter and anti-matter in kaon decay. This last quantity will either confirm the present theory or perhaps, if they are lucky, Blum says, point to a new understanding of physics.
It appears that both theoretically and computationally there is still some work to be done.
Theoretically we have some more work to do, but computationally we have enough resources now that we have access to the IBM BlueGene/Q machines at BNL. The theory side of determining the other unknown quantity is no more complicated than the calculation detailed in the article, but there are a few technical challenges: first we have to figure out how to simulate the associated decay with physical kinematics (energy-momentum conservation) and secondly how we precisely calculate interactions involving decays of the pions into and out of the QCD vacuum. The second problem is essentially solved, and just requires a decent amount of computing power and some smart coding. We believe we also have a solution for the problem of obtaining physical kinematics, involving the use of unusual boundary conditions on the simulation, which is progressing rapidly.
Well, there's certainly some truth to that, but you're assuming that there is a free market at work here. That isn't the case. Markets require property rights - if I can pay you or not pay you for something depending on, basically, whether I give a crap or not, what you have is not a market in the capitalist sense. That is what has happened to music and is happening to other types of creative works due to the failure of the tech industry to implement strong DRM, or to stop file sharing networks. There is no market any more. Only beggars and charitable individuals.
Maybe artists should start treating their recordings as promotional material and not as a revenue source? I have seen several studies suggesting that even though recording sales are down, artists are coming out ahead as they get a considerably larger share of the profits from live performances. From a personal perspective, I have been to concerts for dozens of bands over the last few years that I would not have even heard of had I not come across their music online and downloaded their collection.
Also if you think strong DRM would solve the 'problem', ask yourself why the majority of e-book retailers are dropping DRM left right and center.
Apart from the third law, very likely given the rather low number of people on the moon. Unless it somehow figures out how to build weapons to attack earth.
2000 years in the future a Centauri remote probe skims over the cracked and baked desolation of what was once believed to be the home planet of an advanced humanoid species. A dark cavern proves to be the entrance to what might once have been an underground data storage site. A ruined sign hangs on the wall; 'GOOGLE' it says in alien pictograms. Scanning the rubble the probe locates a partial fragment of a data storage device.
Years later the signal reaches Proxima Centauri, and a group of the Emperor's best scientists begin to decode the fragment.
[PARTIAL DATA FRAGMENT RECEIVED FROM 61-F32 PLANET III] Apart from the third law, very likely given the rather low number of people on the moon. Unless it somehow figures out how to build weapons to attack...........[FRAGMENT CORRUPTED]
The scientists look around at each other, panic in their eyes: They too had not taken appropriate safeguards...
(A scattering of lights move across the heavens of Proxima IV. Only the emperor and his [incarcerated] scientists know that this is the end of their race.)
As a physicist I am familiar with fractional dimensions in dimensional regularization (a process whereby infinities in Feynman diagrams are tamed by reducing the number of space-time dimension by a small fraction), however I have never heard of applying such advanced theoretical concepts to an environmental model. Bravo!
Well, in your situation, if you make less than $50,000, you could fill out the 1040EZ. I presume you make more than that. If so, then it's really not THAT hard. Get your W2, fill in the amount, take the standard deduction, look up how much you owe in the chart. If you paid more than that, you get the extra back; you owe any you paid less than that.
I know I simplified it, and obviously the tax code could be much easier in general.. But in your situation, it really is not too complicated.
I should also add that tax forms are full of jargon which has to be pierced before any newcomer to the system can even begin to start.
Well, in your situation, if you make less than $50,000, you could fill out the 1040EZ. I presume you make more than that. If so, then it's really not THAT hard. Get your W2, fill in the amount, take the standard deduction, look up how much you owe in the chart. If you paid more than that, you get the extra back; you owe any you paid less than that.
I know I simplified it, and obviously the tax code could be much easier in general.. But in your situation, it really is not too complicated.
Yeah, I'm familiar with the 1040EZ; I've had 2 years experience now. The most difficult part in my case is not the federal but the NY state + NYC tax form which has a large amount of exemptions and deductions for varying circumstances, local school taxes, and a boat load of other things.
I'm surprised that my post got modded +5 funny, considering it was meant in earnest. I do believe that IP enforcement has become a massive burden upon society that is stifling innovation and causing the introduction of poorly-conceived laws that fail at their prime purpose while chipping away at our rights. I seriously doubt anyone but the big patent owners are actually in favour of the system as it currently stands, and even those are getting tied up in a pointless and costly patent cold war.
Considering the 306S model has been around for a few years already, I expect most people who want one will already own one, and if not I imagine most retailers have a huge stockpile of the things scattered across the US, not to mention the number of second-hand consoles available on E-bay or on the high street. Actually I hope it does get approved, as then it becomes more ammunition to fuel the case for patent reform to end the ever-more-ridiculous patent war.
To feel otherwise is to directly admit IP laws do not serve the public interest.
Its about time someone admitted that.
No, it's not him, it's the law, that is that disconnected. The law thinks that upholding someone's rights is more important than playing a video game.
Copyright is not a right, its a privilege granted by the people to foster innovation. The law is clearly failing and desperately needs to be fixed before innovators throw up their hands in despair and move to a country with a less ridiculous system.
What about the UK? I have heard horror stories about their taxes.
I'm a Brit living in the US, and the only tax I pay is to the US government - federal, state and city! Also, the tax system in the UK is considerably easier to operate within as an employee, as your employer handles your deductions and the Inland Revenue calculate how much you owe/are owed. Apart from a few fringe cases, I have never known anyone who was owed money to / was owed money by the Inland Revenue at the end of the year, so I guess the employers know exactly how much to deduct.
Here in the US the situation is far more complicated even for someone in such a trivial tax situation as myself - no investment earnings, mortgage, other revenue sources, etc. I have to wade through hundreds of pages of explanatory documents to fill in boxes which the IRS then go and check independently anyway. What's worse is that most tax software doesn't work for Non-resident Aliens, so the people who most need help with the tax system are left to figure it out by themselves or pay an extortionate fee to an accountant.
This reminds me of a fantastic book called Blood Music by the science fiction author Greg Bear. In the book a geneticist working on biochip development develops a system for storing and transmitting information between single cells using DNA and RNA. He creates cells that are able to communicate and incorporate elements of RNA and as such optimise themselves to overcome environmental challenges. He soon sees the emergence of rudimentary intelligence on a cellular basis, but is shut down before he can pursue his experiments further. He smuggles his creations out of the lab by injecting them into his own body, which proves to be a perfect environment for the development of full intelligence....
'Shaw rejected that argument, finding that the public interest in enforcing intellectual property rights outweighs any potential economic impact on video game console buyers.'
This guy is seriously disconnected from the real world if he thinks that enforcing intellectual property rights is more important to the public than the availability of a popular product. As far as I can tell, the only people benefiting from the escalating levels of IP enforcement are the lawyers and cartels, while the public are getting shafted as the draconian measures erode their freedoms.
When discussing a case that includes both the UK and the USA. make it clear where the cities are located. Not only are there probably many cities called "London" in the USA, but more importantly, there is at least one "Boston" in the UK.
Good point; I interpreted the Boston in the summary as Boston, UK, which is only a few miles from where I grew up. Damn those American settlers and their laziness.
Not the same thing as Space X. These companies were created directly by European governments, often out of the remains of European government owned defense companies, many of them nationalized. Saying these companies are corporations is like saying that the US Postal Service is a corporation; technically true, but missing the forest for the trees. They were created specifically to serve their governments. Any private sector business is the cherry on top of the ice cream. Space X, on the other hand, was a private company from the ground up, specifically created for a perceived private space transportation market, the aim being to make a profit off of it for private investors. Government contracts will be part of that, but the aim of this company is to be the premier provider of space launch to private companies. NASA, for all the good it has done over the years, has been suppressing that private market. A company like Space X is long overdue.
With these defense/aerospace companies it is often difficult to tell how much of it was founded by governments and how much was private enterprise. If you trace back their histories you often find that they are formed from multiple mergers between private companies and privatised former-government setups, some or all of which are partially owned by the government. Its very confusing. However, EADS currently has almost 50% of its shares on the open market, which to me is the hallmark of a private company. Also, I understand that most of their business is with private companies; telecommunications and whatnot. For example, if you look at the launch history of Ariane 5, you see a very large number of communications satellites and only a few government contracts such as the ATV "Jules Verne" and science platforms like Herschel and Planck.
Going to Mars can be flown by private ventures. Sure NASA should focus on how to survive once we get there, but they do not need to build the rocket to get there.
Aside from prestige, how would you go about convincing a private company to fly to Mars? There's nothing there that is commercially exploitable. The best approach IMO is to create government contracts to lay the groundwork for exploiting mineral resources in near-Earth asteroids. Once money can be made from such ventures, private companies will invest in more advanced craft to fit the purpose, which by their nature will have many characteristics with the type of vehicle necessary to fly to Mars.
As for private rockets, as the other poster said, all rockets have always been developed under contract with NASA by private companies.
Just as a clarification, the Ariane rockets in Europe are arguably the most successful rockets, launching almost half of all the commercial satellites. These have been developed by a private company, EADS Astrium (a subsidiary of EADS, a big aerospace and defence contractor) since the 1980s and produced/operated by another private company, Arianespace. The latter appears to be jointly controlled (in terms of shares) by EADS and the French space agency, CNES, so it might be considered as semi-private, but EADS is certainly a public company.
'Desires are out there,' said Cohen. 'We have to learn how to control ourselves.'
Exactly. Just learn to control yourselves and stay away from porn sites. Treat them like you do pork. Or guys porking girls. Whatever, there's pork there.
In the particle physics community it is standard practice to upload preprints to arXiv. In the legalese section they state that most publishers are tolerant of preprints, but many do not want the final version of the paper to be uploaded to the arXiv. In any case, most people do upload the final version anyway. I have never heard of them loosing their copyright goons on anyone in the community for this; I guess they know that we are generally intolerant when it comes to such douchebaggery, so they would be shooting themselves in the foot if they tried to come after us. Personally I fully support any initiative to break the hold that these outdated cartels have over the publishing of science.
Your government needs to step in and put legal caps on tuition fees as they have in the UK; only then can you hope to make it self-sustaining.
I have a better idea. They can get out. This overpriced crap is due to government intervention via subsidized student loans in the first place. It's not complicated. Pump up demand a lot for a fairly inelastic service, and you get higher prices.
I don't see how that would help. Students would just end up having to take considerably larger private loans with much more unfavourable repayment terms, and end up shackled to their jobs and with a miserable state of living in order to meet them. Its too late; everyone knows that a degree is necessary for pretty much any job. This is a public perception issue which is not going to change any time soon.
However I do agree that the easily available student loans without government imposed caps on fees were likely what started the whole mess; as per usual the bipartisan bullshit in the US government has led to another piss-poor compromise like Obamacare.
Personally I think that education and health are far too important to leave to a system driven solely by the need to acquire money at all costs. I say get the private sector out.
You don't need commit yourself to a life of indentured servitude in order to be educated. Be honest... most people in college are not honing their critical thinking skills. They are going through the motions with no real interest in the subjects they are 'studying' and retaining very little of what they are exposed to. They do this to get a degree in order to get a job because "that's what people do". Most people would be much better served by some sort of internship program than a college degree.
In most countries attending university does not equate to a life of indentured servitude. It is only in the US (as far as I am aware) that the prices have gone completely out of control. However I do see your point that many would be better off with a more practical program that better suits their career path.
I don't disagree about the need for a well educated population and I'm going to backpedal a wee bit on my prior statement. I've just never been comfortable with imposing legal caps on tuition - or any cost for that matter (rent, medical, etc) because it doesn't address the causes of those high costs. I'm not familiar enough with what's going on in colleges to know *why* costs are increasing at an inordinate rate. Are colleges spending more on needless expenses? Are revenue streams they had in the past no longer available? Capping fees doesn't resolve those issues, it just results in colleges tightening across the board. If tuition costs are outpacing inflation, you really need to find out why that is and not simply cap them.
There are a lot of studies that can be found by a quick google search. Here are some of the reasons they cite:
1) Competition among universities to provide the best facilities causes an arms race driving up costs.
2) The large demand for places means that the reputable colleges can charge whatever they want and get away with it. Providing the 'best' colleges raise their prices in lockstep, the best students have little choice but to pay what they ask.
3) As prices rise, more and more students need scholarships, the money for which comes from increasing the tuition costs even more.
4) The cost of academic research has been increasing dramatically.
All of these are systemic failures which feed back on themselves driving costs ever higher. This can only be fixed by dramatic and broad scale intervention at the government level.
...or reduce the demand for college educations. College enrollment has gone through the roof but most jobs these people are getting out of college do not need that degree.
Generally, education has much more value than ensuring a decent job. At college, people gain critical thinking and social skills (these are just those that I can think of off the top of my head) that are vitally important in all aspects of life. An educated workforce makes better choices. Look at the distribution of votes in America as an example: The generally poorly educated people in the flyover states vote completely differently, and often against their own interests, than the generally better educated people on the east and west coasts.
Let's look back to Victorian England. Prior to 1870, only the well-off were educated at all; a vast majority of the population could not read/write in any meaningful way or perform simple mathematics beyond day to day weights and measures. Most children were sent off to work at a very young age. For the most part the aforementioned skills were not needed, as the majority of people worked on farms or in factories. Why then introduce mandatory schooling? Because the government realised that an educated workforce is much more productive and creative. It also allowed for a much greater social mobility; the ability of those at the bottom to make it to the top (the basis of the American Dream I guess). I don't see the college system as being much different from this. Sure most people don't *need* their college educations, but they are alot better off with one in general.
Second, there's already a ready group to cover student loan rates, former students with debt. No need to fund student loans when that's already covered.
Sure, that might work if tuition costs were not increasing so quickly. Tuition fees have gone up by a factor of 10 over the past 30 years! Your government needs to step in and put legal caps on tuition fees as they have in the UK; only then can you hope to make it self-sustaining.