"I'd like the exhibit to be computer/networking related, and to raise the awareness and understanding of how the Internet, networking, and computers work. However, children's museums cater to a pretty young age group, 3-8 years old"
Exactly what do you want 3-8 yeaq-olds to pick up from this installation:
1) Binary numbers 2) Boolean Logic gates (AND, OR, etc) 3) Network operation 4) Programming Languages 5) Concept of stored program computers 6) Electricity
Your zeal to provide a display has caused you to overlook the fact that your audience is between 3-8 years-old, likely can't read, and if they can read, most likely won't want to.
Go to the children's museum in your area and see how they have striped their displays down to the very basic concepts, avoid long text (that has to be read to the kids), and rely on 'obvious' interactions (turn the wheel, the light bulb glows).
From the article "'The FBI could not comment on this specific case, but said if child pornography is ever downloaded accidentally, the user needs to call authorities immediately. They may confiscate your computer, but it's better than the alternative."
So, if I have an old computer I want to be rid of, I first make sure there is no child porn on it, then call the FBI and claim I downloaded child porn by mistake - FBI takes away the computer, and I regain some lost floor/shelf space! Unless, of course, they return the computer after finding nothing on it...
This headline, while captivating, is inaccurate - computers excel at math, and can do complex calculations faster and better than any other device I know of. BUT, the issue here was the fundamental design which pitted the software design against the hardware limitations. The author of the post above (with the benefit of hindsight) was able to describe the problem in just a handful of words, begging the obvious solution - the sampling should have been done in increments that suited the 24 bit registers the values would reside in for calculations - they should never have left the system to "round" any values. Design flaw, plain and simple.
How are these 1.6M books to be distributed - via Internet downloads? And the language issue raised by others is a concern as well (the 1.6M books are in a variety of languages) limiting the number of books that are useful in a given country/region... While there are many "classics" available in the public domain, how useful/timely are those fiction books to people (literally) starving for agriculture, technology, and legal resources? I'm glad these books are available to XO users, how about others? Make these files available to other ebook readers/computer users and you'll generate some real interest...
A petition is in support of a measure going up for a vote. Keeping the list of supporters"private" eliminates the ability to prove that claimed support of the measure actually exists.
Imagine if all a group needs to do is hand over boxes of names and claim everyone in those boxes support thier cause, and you, an opponent, are prevented from questioning their claim because the supporters of the cause have a right to privacy.
Signing a petition in support of a measure is a public show of support, to make it private defeats that very purpose.
Just noticed, they are proposing this to get around concerns of the environmental groups... Interesting. If a Republican did this they'd claim he was sacrificing the planet to enrich thier friends in the energy business, except these folks are doing it to enrich their friends in the "green" energy business, so I guess it's all right.
Is there a reason this green and earth-friendly administration won't clean these so-called "brownfields" up? They'd rather leave them polluted and build crucial infrastructure on top of them? And when the pollution is deemed unacceptable, they'll knock down these fabulous green investments and then rebuild them after the clean-up. Brilliant! (And possibly shovel-ready, too!)
Exactly. Because MS is involved, they get the blame, despite the Mfg. being the one charging the "fee" (called S/H in most cases, I assume.
I happily paid $9.99 for my Snow Leopard update, and didn't notice/. having a fit about that fee... Odd.
There is this line in the article:
"Just by enforcing the state's existing tax law from 2008 onwards, we could reduce Washington's revenue shortfall by more than 70 percent."
What? The law that says Washington state can tax business transacted in another state? They want to CHANGE THE LAW, not enforce existing law. Maybe if the state were to partner with MS and not view it as their own personal ATM, they could close a bit of their defecit.
Is the Washington State economy really based on anything more than Software, Airliners, "The World's Largest Store" and over-priced coffee?
I love this line from the article: "The building costs are estimated to be competitive with traditional roads" - REALLY? Layers of glass, capacitors, LEDs, and other electronics will be competitive with pouring asphalt on a gravel base?
For starters, I think you under-estimate the need for Union Electricians to install your new roadway (I can see the government requiring it to pay-off the Electricians union), you over-estimate the energy generated (there will be cars, trucks blocking the sun as they travel the roads), and failed to do the math to calculate the amount of the raw materials needed for this new kind of road.
Make a real test bed, say a mile long, put it on a busy, active highway (RT. 80 just outside a major city?), and see how your well thought-out materials theory stands up to a 50,000 pound semi whena wheel blows out or a truck jack knifes on the highway.
I guess what they are talking about is 25,000 miles of (essentially) bullet-proof glass protecting a solar panel and electronics, resting on a roadbed at least as costly as today's asphalt and concrete roads.
And the self-heating to melt the snow thing is just dumb - to melt snow from night snowfall it will require electricity from somewhere else (let me guess batteries?) - how was that figured in to the equation?
I like twitter for updates from folks I like (about 9), none of which I ever have or will meet (for instance, Tim O'Reilly or Penn Jilette) - interesting to get brief, casual insights into their activities, and it gives me a chance to reply (though I rarely do).
It is a definite novelty, and soon the crowd will drown out the interesting bits, but until then...
Let's see if I can get this straight: nine years ago, a consortium of colleges and universities (both public and private) sponsor a project that drafts a document that is intended to act as a "how-to" guide for potential employers considering hiring foreign students, in an effort to overcome FUD (Fear Uncertainty, and Doubt) on the issue. Said Colleges and Universities post the resulting document on their websites, and curious employers are assisted. Then, some fellow ("THEODP"?) see it, brings his xenophobic beliefs to the document, and decides it is a how-to for employers to save on social security/FICA and Medicare contributions...
First, you're a jerk, THEODP - you ignore the heading, location, and almost everything on the document to extract your kernel of knowledge.
Second, Is there anywhere these universities and colleges have links that say "click here to save 5-10% on employee salaries by avoiding FICA/Medicare contributions!"? NO.
If you don't like that foreign students that don't/can't benefit from SS/Medicare don't have to contribute to them, take that up as an issue - don't invent a crisis to soothe your unemployed, xenophobic mind...
No, that makes it sound like you already don't like the job you haven't even been offered yet. Instead, ask about career paths, ask where your co-workers came from (internal new-hires, transfers/promotions, etc.), and where former group members are now. Asking how often people get promoted makes you sound like a civil servant "wannabe", probably not your best interview tactic.
Asking follow-up questions tied to the things the interviewer just spoke on (job responsibilities, organizational policies, challenges, etc.) will win you huge points because it shows you were listening, and you are interested in their organization. Asking questions about benefits, promotions, dress code, and other ephemera will signal to the interviewer that you may only be interested in drawing a paycheck, not being part of a group solving problems and working together.
If you want generic questions to ask all employers, consider questions like "Who are your competitors?" or "What specifically in my CV/resume interested you?"
The goal of the interview is to get the offer, and the best way to get the offer is to demonstrate an interest in the organization you are interviewing with, an understanding of the industry they are in, and at some level the challenges they face in the current market.
As for the dress code question, you dress for your first day just like you dressed for your interview, unless told otherwise, and on the first day your new boss/HR/co-worker will tell you how to dress for the second day. Asking about dress code during the interview will send up a red flag that you may be someone that will challenge the dress code at some point down the line, that would be a strike against you.
The "secret recipe" has, as one of it's ingredients, just over 20,000 gallons of gasoline.
BTW, have you seen how E85 cuts engine performance? The EPA milage numbers for a late model E85 burning Suburban show 16 MPG on regular gas, and 12 MPG on E85, or put another way, it would take 1 1/3 gallons of E85 to travel as far as one gallon of fuel, more than eliminating the "savings" of using E85 in the first place.
1.333 of 0.85 gasoline equals about 1.13 gallons of gasoline to travel as far as one gallon of gasoline (and this "back of envelope calculation" ignores all the fuel consumed in creating the E85 fuel).
For thsoe of you slow with math it takes 1.333 gallons of E85, which is diluted so-called E0 (no Ethanol) gasoline to travel as far as 1 gallon of E0 fuel WITHOUT the Ethanol. And there is the subsidies, and the research money,and the taxc incentives, etc. What exactly was the point of E85 again?
You don't have to answer the question, and if you do answer the question "African American" is not a race, just as "Latin American" is not a race.
Care to share your citizenship status with us (not legal/illegal, I assume legal, but are you a naturalized citizen, are you working on a visa, etc.? Many employers won't hire foriegn nationals simply because it involves too much paperwork - your "imagined" race issues are likely just that, imagined.
a) A police officer owns/runs a website that sometimes hosts racist humor/statements.
b) Some police officers access this site and tell others what they saw/read there while "on the job".
c) Some police officers update the website while on the job.
d) Some police officers access/read the website while at work.
The first point (policeman running the website) is perfectly legal - assuming he isn't violating any city ordinances (no pictures while in uniform, representing himself as speaking for the department, etc.).
The Second point (quoting from the site), well, hate speech is hate speech, the source of it is immaterial - would the black cops feel better if the racist comment was being sourced from a Chris Rock concert? Bill Cosby? Police who are found to be harassing fellow officers should be punished, and I'm sure there are ways of making that happen *inside the department*.
The third and fourth points (updating the website from work and reading the website at work), well, if they are on break, and they don't use department resources (for example, they use a PDA/smartphone, not a desktop computer), what is the offense? If they are not on break, again, there are methods for punishing these infractions inside the department I'm sure.
Is there a reason the PD doesn't simply block the webiste in question? Issue a policy saying the website is not to be accessed during work hours or at anytime on police department equipment? Hate speech is already covered, I'm sure.
First, the MJ factor - these stats my be low, but I bet they will rise again once all the web-surfing born-again Michael Jackson fans are reflected in the stats for July.
Also, the summer factor is huge - at $WORK (Public school district) we have over 1,000 windows boxes that are now sitting idle through August, their IE 7 and IE 8 browsers aren't flipping through the most popular websites anymore. There are likely MILLIONS and MILLIONS of idle Windows machines at Universities and public schools skewing the stats down for IE 6, 7, and 8.
Slashdot Mirror
From the post:
"I'd like the exhibit to be computer/networking related, and to raise the awareness and understanding of how the Internet, networking, and computers work. However, children's museums cater to a pretty young age group, 3-8 years old"
Exactly what do you want 3-8 yeaq-olds to pick up from this installation:
1) Binary numbers
2) Boolean Logic gates (AND, OR, etc)
3) Network operation
4) Programming Languages
5) Concept of stored program computers
6) Electricity
Your zeal to provide a display has caused you to overlook the fact that your audience is between 3-8 years-old, likely can't read, and if they can read, most likely won't want to.
Go to the children's museum in your area and see how they have striped their displays down to the very basic concepts, avoid long text (that has to be read to the kids), and rely on 'obvious' interactions (turn the wheel, the light bulb glows).
From the article "'The FBI could not comment on this specific case, but said if child pornography is ever downloaded accidentally, the user needs to call authorities immediately. They may confiscate your computer, but it's better than the alternative."
So, if I have an old computer I want to be rid of, I first make sure there is no child porn on it, then call the FBI and claim I downloaded child porn by mistake - FBI takes away the computer, and I regain some lost floor/shelf space! Unless, of course, they return the computer after finding nothing on it...
Then it must work, sorry the confusion - enjoy!
This headline, while captivating, is inaccurate - computers excel at math, and can do complex calculations faster and better than any other device I know of. BUT, the issue here was the fundamental design which pitted the software design against the hardware limitations. The author of the post above (with the benefit of hindsight) was able to describe the problem in just a handful of words, begging the obvious solution - the sampling should have been done in increments that suited the 24 bit registers the values would reside in for calculations - they should never have left the system to "round" any values. Design flaw, plain and simple.
How are these 1.6M books to be distributed - via Internet downloads? And the language issue raised by others is a concern as well (the 1.6M books are in a variety of languages) limiting the number of books that are useful in a given country/region... While there are many "classics" available in the public domain, how useful/timely are those fiction books to people (literally) starving for agriculture, technology, and legal resources? I'm glad these books are available to XO users, how about others? Make these files available to other ebook readers/computer users and you'll generate some real interest...
A petition is in support of a measure going up for a vote. Keeping the list of supporters"private" eliminates the ability to prove that claimed support of the measure actually exists. Imagine if all a group needs to do is hand over boxes of names and claim everyone in those boxes support thier cause, and you, an opponent, are prevented from questioning their claim because the supporters of the cause have a right to privacy. Signing a petition in support of a measure is a public show of support, to make it private defeats that very purpose.
Just noticed, they are proposing this to get around concerns of the environmental groups... Interesting. If a Republican did this they'd claim he was sacrificing the planet to enrich thier friends in the energy business, except these folks are doing it to enrich their friends in the "green" energy business, so I guess it's all right.
Is there a reason this green and earth-friendly administration won't clean these so-called "brownfields" up? They'd rather leave them polluted and build crucial infrastructure on top of them? And when the pollution is deemed unacceptable, they'll knock down these fabulous green investments and then rebuild them after the clean-up. Brilliant! (And possibly shovel-ready, too!)
Exactly. Because MS is involved, they get the blame, despite the Mfg. being the one charging the "fee" (called S/H in most cases, I assume. I happily paid $9.99 for my Snow Leopard update, and didn't notice /. having a fit about that fee... Odd.
The Glory of working in IT peaked with the release of the movie "Office Space."
There is this line in the article: "Just by enforcing the state's existing tax law from 2008 onwards, we could reduce Washington's revenue shortfall by more than 70 percent." What? The law that says Washington state can tax business transacted in another state? They want to CHANGE THE LAW, not enforce existing law. Maybe if the state were to partner with MS and not view it as their own personal ATM, they could close a bit of their defecit. Is the Washington State economy really based on anything more than Software, Airliners, "The World's Largest Store" and over-priced coffee?
I didn't know that it was illegal to drive while suffering with cancer...
For starters, I think you under-estimate the need for Union Electricians to install your new roadway (I can see the government requiring it to pay-off the Electricians union), you over-estimate the energy generated (there will be cars, trucks blocking the sun as they travel the roads), and failed to do the math to calculate the amount of the raw materials needed for this new kind of road.
Make a real test bed, say a mile long, put it on a busy, active highway (RT. 80 just outside a major city?), and see how your well thought-out materials theory stands up to a 50,000 pound semi whena wheel blows out or a truck jack knifes on the highway.
I guess what they are talking about is 25,000 miles of (essentially) bullet-proof glass protecting a solar panel and electronics, resting on a roadbed at least as costly as today's asphalt and concrete roads.
And the self-heating to melt the snow thing is just dumb - to melt snow from night snowfall it will require electricity from somewhere else (let me guess batteries?) - how was that figured in to the equation?
I like twitter for updates from folks I like (about 9), none of which I ever have or will meet (for instance, Tim O'Reilly or Penn Jilette) - interesting to get brief, casual insights into their activities, and it gives me a chance to reply (though I rarely do). It is a definite novelty, and soon the crowd will drown out the interesting bits, but until then...
Can they add a URL a la tinyurl.com/bit.ly/etc instead/as an option?
Let's see if I can get this straight: nine years ago, a consortium of colleges and universities (both public and private) sponsor a project that drafts a document that is intended to act as a "how-to" guide for potential employers considering hiring foreign students, in an effort to overcome FUD (Fear Uncertainty, and Doubt) on the issue. Said Colleges and Universities post the resulting document on their websites, and curious employers are assisted. Then, some fellow ("THEODP"?) see it, brings his xenophobic beliefs to the document, and decides it is a how-to for employers to save on social security/FICA and Medicare contributions... First, you're a jerk, THEODP - you ignore the heading, location, and almost everything on the document to extract your kernel of knowledge. Second, Is there anywhere these universities and colleges have links that say "click here to save 5-10% on employee salaries by avoiding FICA/Medicare contributions!"? NO. If you don't like that foreign students that don't/can't benefit from SS/Medicare don't have to contribute to them, take that up as an issue - don't invent a crisis to soothe your unemployed, xenophobic mind...
or did they come with the frame?
No, that makes it sound like you already don't like the job you haven't even been offered yet. Instead, ask about career paths, ask where your co-workers came from (internal new-hires, transfers/promotions, etc.), and where former group members are now. Asking how often people get promoted makes you sound like a civil servant "wannabe", probably not your best interview tactic.
And if so, how long after you offer the job will I have to take the test? (how long do I have to detox before the test?)
Asking follow-up questions tied to the things the interviewer just spoke on (job responsibilities, organizational policies, challenges, etc.) will win you huge points because it shows you were listening, and you are interested in their organization. Asking questions about benefits, promotions, dress code, and other ephemera will signal to the interviewer that you may only be interested in drawing a paycheck, not being part of a group solving problems and working together. If you want generic questions to ask all employers, consider questions like "Who are your competitors?" or "What specifically in my CV/resume interested you?" The goal of the interview is to get the offer, and the best way to get the offer is to demonstrate an interest in the organization you are interviewing with, an understanding of the industry they are in, and at some level the challenges they face in the current market. As for the dress code question, you dress for your first day just like you dressed for your interview, unless told otherwise, and on the first day your new boss/HR/co-worker will tell you how to dress for the second day. Asking about dress code during the interview will send up a red flag that you may be someone that will challenge the dress code at some point down the line, that would be a strike against you.
I'M WRONG.
My BAD.
E85 is 85% Ethanol, not 15%...
I'll wear my Emily Litella ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3FnpaWQJO0 ) moniker with shame for the rest of the day.
The "secret recipe" has, as one of it's ingredients, just over 20,000 gallons of gasoline.
BTW, have you seen how E85 cuts engine performance? The EPA milage numbers for a late model E85 burning Suburban show 16 MPG on regular gas, and 12 MPG on E85, or put another way, it would take 1 1/3 gallons of E85 to travel as far as one gallon of fuel, more than eliminating the "savings" of using E85 in the first place.
1.333 of 0.85 gasoline equals about 1.13 gallons of gasoline to travel as far as one gallon of gasoline (and this "back of envelope calculation" ignores all the fuel consumed in creating the E85 fuel).
For thsoe of you slow with math it takes 1.333 gallons of E85, which is diluted so-called E0 (no Ethanol) gasoline to travel as far as 1 gallon of E0 fuel WITHOUT the Ethanol. And there is the subsidies, and the research money,and the taxc incentives, etc. What exactly was the point of E85 again?
You don't have to answer the question, and if you do answer the question "African American" is not a race, just as "Latin American" is not a race.
Care to share your citizenship status with us (not legal/illegal, I assume legal, but are you a naturalized citizen, are you working on a visa, etc.? Many employers won't hire foriegn nationals simply because it involves too much paperwork - your "imagined" race issues are likely just that, imagined.
The assertions are that:
a) A police officer owns/runs a website that sometimes hosts racist humor/statements.
b) Some police officers access this site and tell others what they saw/read there while "on the job".
c) Some police officers update the website while on the job.
d) Some police officers access/read the website while at work.
The first point (policeman running the website) is perfectly legal - assuming he isn't violating any city ordinances (no pictures while in uniform, representing himself as speaking for the department, etc.).
The Second point (quoting from the site), well, hate speech is hate speech, the source of it is immaterial - would the black cops feel better if the racist comment was being sourced from a Chris Rock concert? Bill Cosby? Police who are found to be harassing fellow officers should be punished, and I'm sure there are ways of making that happen *inside the department*.
The third and fourth points (updating the website from work and reading the website at work), well, if they are on break, and they don't use department resources (for example, they use a PDA/smartphone, not a desktop computer), what is the offense? If they are not on break, again, there are methods for punishing these infractions inside the department I'm sure.
Is there a reason the PD doesn't simply block the webiste in question? Issue a policy saying the website is not to be accessed during work hours or at anytime on police department equipment? Hate speech is already covered, I'm sure.
First, the MJ factor - these stats my be low, but I bet they will rise again once all the web-surfing born-again Michael Jackson fans are reflected in the stats for July.
Also, the summer factor is huge - at $WORK (Public school district) we have over 1,000 windows boxes that are now sitting idle through August, their IE 7 and IE 8 browsers aren't flipping through the most popular websites anymore. There are likely MILLIONS and MILLIONS of idle Windows machines at Universities and public schools skewing the stats down for IE 6, 7, and 8.