You sir, made one big mistake in your calculation - teacher salaries are not stagnant.
Teacher take-home pay increases every year, between 2-4%, and, I don't want to shock you, but sometimes two workers will choose to live toghether and pool their income, giving them an annual take home pay of $150K...
And if your wife/husband/partner is also a teacher, you suddenly are rocketing towards the top 3% of all earners in the country with $160K/year, with guaranteed pensions and job security.
OK, how many students in the Chicago Public School system can read at grade level? Are at grade level in math? What is the graduation rate? Pick your metric, any metric, and the Chicago Public School system sucks, but the teachers are very well paid.
Do your low-paying tech flunkie jobs have a nine month on, three month off schedule (with all major school holidays off during the year), extremely low/no-co-pay medical, job security after three years on the job (tenure) AND a guaranteed pension?
'In a report I wrote last year, I estimated the markup for Internet services was 6,452 per cent for Bell's Essential Plus plan, which provides a two-megabits-per-second speed for $28.95 (prices may have changed since last year).'
That makes no sense.
$28.95/64.52 = $0.45
So the author of the original piece "estimated" that it only costs 45 cents to provide 30 days of wired internet access? That is nonsensical. The ISP can provide 30 days of ISP service for 45 cents? How much of that estimate accounts for the cost of electricity to rn the headend equipment to support the service? How much of that 45 cents goes towards mailing the bill to the client each month, etc?
If a student is "really good" at something, studying it in a public high school won't really teach him anything other than you can get good grades if you only study things you know.
There is the other side of this - if the pacemaker was protected by a password, what if a cardiologist other than the one that installed it had to access/update/configure it? Either there would have to be a commonly-known access code (negating all attempts at securing the device) OR the doctor would have to contact the Mfg. or some central password authority to get the codes to access the device, and that might be an unacceptable delay in a life-or-death scenario.
Sure, you could ask patients to carry password cards OR tattoo the password on a body part if you really felt the need to password-protect the device.
Not so sure about one pacemaker updating another pacemaker, as the description mentions - does the pacemaker really have a strong enough transmitter to download a new firmware image onto another pacemaker in another body?
FIrst off, SiliconDust has a couple very nice stand alone Cable TV tuners (I have the three tuner model), and yes, it requires a CableCARD, but my cable company hands them out for free (just like they hand out three free basic cable decoders for free, no monthly payment required - it's the law).
Second, remind me why these are called OTA channels? Isn't it becasue they are broadcast Over The Air? Buy a freakin antenna!
AMD has a few different CPU sockets on the market currently:
The AM2/AM3/AM3+ series (each of which is a backwardly-compatible MB - an AM2 board can't take an AM3+ CPU) , the FM2 socket and the G34 socket.
Your comment implies that an older MB could take a newer processor - well, sort of - if you bought a plain-old AM2 MB, no, but if you bought a multi-standard AMD MB (AM2/AM3/AM3+ yes) - it isn't as simple a question as you seem to want to make it.
I'd suggest the most important things will be power for the server room (incl UPS & backup generator, scaled to your runtime needs for orderly shutdown of servers in case of an extended outage) and run conduits/wiring shelves to enable the easy stringing of fiber/copper in the future.
I'd also suggest making sure the building is wifi/wireless friendly - if all interior walls are metal, for example, you may need an ungodly number of APs to enable wireless networking.
As for the server room, I'd think real hard about the size room you think you'll need, then double it. This is your chance to ensure you have enough room for everything now, and while virtualization is all the rage, I wouldn't use that to justify skimping on space. You'll want romm for the equipment, systems you are working on, spare parts, and perhaps space for your desk (preferably with a door between you and the server to cut down on noise).
Run wiring trays in the server room - run the wires overhead, not under raised floor.
Finally, don't forget cooling - as servers become denser and denser, their heat output doesn't shrink in my experience. Also, not familiar with CNC shops, but air filtration for the server room might also be in order.
The average teacher finds rote memorization very challenging. I wouldn't trust them to teach "Critical Thinking Skills". Spend some time in the teacher break room at your locall public school - it will be an eye-opening experience.
You are aware that MS sells severly discounted software to scool districts AND offers similarly deeply discounted copies of Windows Office for students to use at home (Home Use program, $29 for Office 2010 for up to three PCs), AND offers free copies of their various tools & OS (incl Server and development tools) to current HS & college students, RIGHT?
Microsoft says we need to invest $500M/year for the next ten years ($5BN total) to create even more STEM graduates.
No, we need kids to walk out of 12th grade functioning at a 12th grade level in reading and math, college is the new high school, as reported in today's USA Today.
SAT scores are declining, college costs are soaring, and everyone seems to think that taking on massive student debt and waiting four years (or more) to enter the work force is the key to future success.
It is time to do something different, but creating more STEM graduates won't help last year's STEM graudates find a ob
It's been 30+ years since the Mainframe was going to be replaced by personal computers, why do we imagine tablets will replace personal computers any time soon?
For those unaware, the mainframe is doing just fine - a solid, profitable market for IBM since the early 1950's?
I'm most familiar with Intel CPUs, but IMHO there is very little a Core 2 Duo with 4 or 8 Gigs of RAM can't handle, and since Intel integrated graphics satisfy the vast majority of users, what is the motivation for most people to upgrade?
My local school district uses 8 year-old Dell hyperthreading P4 systems with 2 Gig of RAM, IDE HD and integrated Intel graphics (Optiplex GX270) running Win7 and while I wouldn't call it a "great" system, it certainly runs MS Office and other mainstream apps and browsers just fine. Pump it up to 4 Gigs of RAM and it can be very responsive (but 4x 1 Gig PC3200 sticks of RAM is quite pricey, esp. compared with DDR3 RAM right now).
I suspect that if, prior to this button being added to your desk phone, your manger saw you walking back to your desk and asked you where you were, you would have said you went to tgebathroom and never thought twice about it. Now, for some reason, because your employer put a button on your phone you think they are getting all 'big brother' on you...
If the button offends you, don't push it - there must be another way to 'clock out' from your desk - use that. BUT if there is a policy that requires you to use the bathroom button under penalty of loss of employment, then the decision is yours.
Personally, I've worked in call centers and I've been required to clock out everytime I step away from my desk, and on a monthly basis I was asked to defend any excessive time in the companies opinion. They didn't care 'why' I stepped away from my desk, they cared that I wasn't there to answer calls.
Your employer has a valid reason for knowing when you are away from your desk - call routing decisions are influenced by this - if they added a bathroom button they probably had a reason (employees abusing honor-based system).
Talk of unionizing are cute, but this really isn't that big an issue - is it?
What problem do you think this 7 year-old is having that this sparkfun kit solves?
It certainly is within the realm of possibilities that he has a need to control LEDs or develop an embedded controller for some invention he's working on, but I doubt it.
"Giving her a computer at this stage would just limit her horizons"
Please don't take this the wrong way, but that was a facinating thing to read, having grown up with microcomputers - born in 1964, livedin SF Bay Area when TRS-80 came out, worked my entire career (to date) with computers - I think back to the number of computers sold in my youth to prepare children for the future.
I work in education now (K-12) and laugh at the fact that computers have become so instrumental to teaching that teachers want to shut the school down if the Internet connection is down.
I take your comment as a play on the old saying - if all you have is a hammer, all your problems look like nails.
My 8 year-old has her own computer (an E-350 based system w/ DVD player and 8 gigs of RAM), and she uses it as 'her' magic box that plays DVDs, simple arcade games, and even access webkinz YouTube videos and her teacher's classroom blog (so she can show us the videos she made in class, typically faux commercials for tusk cleaner and classroom presentations). It cost about $200 all-in, and it should suffice through 5th grade.
See what she uses at school (assuming she's not home schooled), and use that as a baseline. My kids use Windows 7 at home, and my youngest uses a Mac at school (K-5 in my district use Macs, 6-12 use PCs).
As for capabilities, any 'modern' computer would be fine, and I'd suggest desktop to laptop, but that's something for you to decide.
If you are gonna take money out of your pocket, I'd suggest sticking with machines with at least a Core Duo processor (Mac or PC), and load it up with cheap RAM (4 gigs) and you should be fine.
An older Mac Mini with a Core2 Duo and 4 gigs of RAM would be reasonable for either OS.
Are you saying the technology they teach first graders today will be obsolete before they enter 6th grade? And the technology they learn in 6th grade will be obsolete by the time they graduate HS, and the same for what they learn as freshmen in college?
But just think, if they drop out before the 5th grade they'll be able to get jobs programming turtles to draw pictures on the floor... What? That isn't a career?
Take a look at a graduating HS senior this year - how many versions of MS Office have they worked with since 1st grade?
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You sir, made one big mistake in your calculation - teacher salaries are not stagnant.
Teacher take-home pay increases every year, between 2-4%, and, I don't want to shock you, but sometimes two workers will choose to live toghether and pool their income, giving them an annual take home pay of $150K...
And if your wife/husband/partner is also a teacher, you suddenly are rocketing towards the top 3% of all earners in the country with $160K/year, with guaranteed pensions and job security.
OK, how many students in the Chicago Public School system can read at grade level? Are at grade level in math? What is the graduation rate? Pick your metric, any metric, and the Chicago Public School system sucks, but the teachers are very well paid.
Do your low-paying tech flunkie jobs have a nine month on, three month off schedule (with all major school holidays off during the year), extremely low/no-co-pay medical, job security after three years on the job (tenure) AND a guaranteed pension?
New Jersey.
My district starts teachers at $50K/year, and we are not that unusual. That's $50K for a first year, non-tenured teacher.
Link: Hopewell Valley Regional School DIstrict teacher contract - skip to page 40 for the annual pay levels.
So what? It isn't about the cost to provide the service, it's the cost your customers are willing to pay.
That makes no sense.
$28.95/64.52 = $0.45
So the author of the original piece "estimated" that it only costs 45 cents to provide 30 days of wired internet access? That is nonsensical. The ISP can provide 30 days of ISP service for 45 cents? How much of that estimate accounts for the cost of electricity to rn the headend equipment to support the service? How much of that 45 cents goes towards mailing the bill to the client each month, etc?
If a student is "really good" at something, studying it in a public high school won't really teach him anything other than you can get good grades if you only study things you know.
There is the other side of this - if the pacemaker was protected by a password, what if a cardiologist other than the one that installed it had to access/update/configure it? Either there would have to be a commonly-known access code (negating all attempts at securing the device) OR the doctor would have to contact the Mfg. or some central password authority to get the codes to access the device, and that might be an unacceptable delay in a life-or-death scenario.
Sure, you could ask patients to carry password cards OR tattoo the password on a body part if you really felt the need to password-protect the device.
Not so sure about one pacemaker updating another pacemaker, as the description mentions - does the pacemaker really have a strong enough transmitter to download a new firmware image onto another pacemaker in another body?
FIrst off, SiliconDust has a couple very nice stand alone Cable TV tuners (I have the three tuner model), and yes, it requires a CableCARD, but my cable company hands them out for free (just like they hand out three free basic cable decoders for free, no monthly payment required - it's the law).
Second, remind me why these are called OTA channels? Isn't it becasue they are broadcast Over The Air? Buy a freakin antenna!
AMD has a few different CPU sockets on the market currently:
The AM2/AM3/AM3+ series (each of which is a backwardly-compatible MB - an AM2 board can't take an AM3+ CPU) , the FM2 socket and the G34 socket.
Your comment implies that an older MB could take a newer processor - well, sort of - if you bought a plain-old AM2 MB, no, but if you bought a multi-standard AMD MB (AM2/AM3/AM3+ yes) - it isn't as simple a question as you seem to want to make it.
Intel is currently selling:
Socket 775, 1155, and 2011 - the 1156 you complain about is really no longer a current model (See: http://www.techspot.com/news/46589-intel-to-discontinue-lga-1366-and-lga-1156-processors-in-2012.html )
Each brand has three currently supported sockets, what exactly is the problem Intel has?
I'd suggest the most important things will be power for the server room (incl UPS & backup generator, scaled to your runtime needs for orderly shutdown of servers in case of an extended outage) and run conduits/wiring shelves to enable the easy stringing of fiber/copper in the future.
I'd also suggest making sure the building is wifi/wireless friendly - if all interior walls are metal, for example, you may need an ungodly number of APs to enable wireless networking.
As for the server room, I'd think real hard about the size room you think you'll need, then double it. This is your chance to ensure you have enough room for everything now, and while virtualization is all the rage, I wouldn't use that to justify skimping on space. You'll want romm for the equipment, systems you are working on, spare parts, and perhaps space for your desk (preferably with a door between you and the server to cut down on noise).
Run wiring trays in the server room - run the wires overhead, not under raised floor.
Finally, don't forget cooling - as servers become denser and denser, their heat output doesn't shrink in my experience. Also, not familiar with CNC shops, but air filtration for the server room might also be in order.
The average teacher finds rote memorization very challenging. I wouldn't trust them to teach "Critical Thinking Skills". Spend some time in the teacher break room at your locall public school - it will be an eye-opening experience.
You are aware that MS sells severly discounted software to scool districts AND offers similarly deeply discounted copies of Windows Office for students to use at home (Home Use program, $29 for Office 2010 for up to three PCs), AND offers free copies of their various tools & OS (incl Server and development tools) to current HS & college students, RIGHT?
Microsoft says we need to invest $500M/year for the next ten years ($5BN total) to create even more STEM graduates.
No, we need kids to walk out of 12th grade functioning at a 12th grade level in reading and math, college is the new high school, as reported in today's USA Today.
SAT scores are declining, college costs are soaring, and everyone seems to think that taking on massive student debt and waiting four years (or more) to enter the work force is the key to future success.
It is time to do something different, but creating more STEM graduates won't help last year's STEM graudates find a ob
It's been 30+ years since the Mainframe was going to be replaced by personal computers, why do we imagine tablets will replace personal computers any time soon?
For those unaware, the mainframe is doing just fine - a solid, profitable market for IBM since the early 1950's?
I'm most familiar with Intel CPUs, but IMHO there is very little a Core 2 Duo with 4 or 8 Gigs of RAM can't handle, and since Intel integrated graphics satisfy the vast majority of users, what is the motivation for most people to upgrade?
My local school district uses 8 year-old Dell hyperthreading P4 systems with 2 Gig of RAM, IDE HD and integrated Intel graphics (Optiplex GX270) running Win7 and while I wouldn't call it a "great" system, it certainly runs MS Office and other mainstream apps and browsers just fine. Pump it up to 4 Gigs of RAM and it can be very responsive (but 4x 1 Gig PC3200 sticks of RAM is quite pricey, esp. compared with DDR3 RAM right now).
I suspect that if, prior to this button being added to your desk phone, your manger saw you walking back to your desk and asked you where you were, you would have said you went to tgebathroom and never thought twice about it. Now, for some reason, because your employer put a button on your phone you think they are getting all 'big brother' on you...
If the button offends you, don't push it - there must be another way to 'clock out' from your desk - use that. BUT if there is a policy that requires you to use the bathroom button under penalty of loss of employment, then the decision is yours.
Personally, I've worked in call centers and I've been required to clock out everytime I step away from my desk, and on a monthly basis I was asked to defend any excessive time in the companies opinion. They didn't care 'why' I stepped away from my desk, they cared that I wasn't there to answer calls.
Your employer has a valid reason for knowing when you are away from your desk - call routing decisions are influenced by this - if they added a bathroom button they probably had a reason (employees abusing honor-based system).
Talk of unionizing are cute, but this really isn't that big an issue - is it?
Better to let stupid statements stand than challenge them? That would be illogical.
What problem do you think this 7 year-old is having that this sparkfun kit solves?
It certainly is within the realm of possibilities that he has a need to control LEDs or develop an embedded controller for some invention he's working on, but I doubt it.
Please don't take this the wrong way, but that was a facinating thing to read, having grown up with microcomputers - born in 1964, livedin SF Bay Area when TRS-80 came out, worked my entire career (to date) with computers - I think back to the number of computers sold in my youth to prepare children for the future.
I work in education now (K-12) and laugh at the fact that computers have become so instrumental to teaching that teachers want to shut the school down if the Internet connection is down.
I take your comment as a play on the old saying - if all you have is a hammer, all your problems look like nails.
My 8 year-old has her own computer (an E-350 based system w/ DVD player and 8 gigs of RAM), and she uses it as 'her' magic box that plays DVDs, simple arcade games, and even access webkinz YouTube videos and her teacher's classroom blog (so she can show us the videos she made in class, typically faux commercials for tusk cleaner and classroom presentations). It cost about $200 all-in, and it should suffice through 5th grade.
See what she uses at school (assuming she's not home schooled), and use that as a baseline. My kids use Windows 7 at home, and my youngest uses a Mac at school (K-5 in my district use Macs, 6-12 use PCs).
As for capabilities, any 'modern' computer would be fine, and I'd suggest desktop to laptop, but that's something for you to decide.
If you are gonna take money out of your pocket, I'd suggest sticking with machines with at least a Core Duo processor (Mac or PC), and load it up with cheap RAM (4 gigs) and you should be fine.
An older Mac Mini with a Core2 Duo and 4 gigs of RAM would be reasonable for either OS.
Well above 99%? Are you sure?
Many inner-city school systems have fewer than 1/4th of incoming freshmen graduating here in the US.
The literacy rate is high, but 99% seems high to me.
I guess it depends in large part what we define 'literate' as...
Why shouldn't every barista at Starbucks know about bubble sorts, recursion and optimizing compilers?
Are you saying the technology they teach first graders today will be obsolete before they enter 6th grade? And the technology they learn in 6th grade will be obsolete by the time they graduate HS, and the same for what they learn as freshmen in college?
But just think, if they drop out before the 5th grade they'll be able to get jobs programming turtles to draw pictures on the floor... What? That isn't a career?
Take a look at a graduating HS senior this year - how many versions of MS Office have they worked with since 1st grade?