I may not drink coffee, but I've had my fair share of caffeine (>70% cocoa chocolates and breakfast teas). It doesn't make people persuadable. Being stupid makes people persuadable.
OTOH, it could just be that I'm abnormally oppositional.
When I have performed public speaknig engagements recently, the coffee buzz always makes me a better speaker (and calmer, actually). I wonder if caffeine, the drug, just puts us into our most comfortable role as many drugs do (including following others if that is how we're designed).
Actually, becoming calmer on caffeeine means you have the neurological wiring for ADD.
They're really trying to change the AP CS exam to be more language-agnostic? THANK YOU! I've been studying for about a month to take the AP CS in Java, and while learning Java after everything else I know isn't that hard it's still annoying as hell. There are entire programming worlds Java never opens up! Examples: Actual global variables (or thread-local variables, if you prefer), functional programming (Java requires reflection to create the equivalent of a fucking function pointer), plain old imperative programming ala C, down-to-the-bits programming... It's not even that good of a teaching language!
I learned to program on Delphi 5 Standard Edition when I was in 5th-6th grade, as a hobby. From there, I learned DirectX 8 (particularly Direct3D) and started using C++ Builder. A couple of years later, I got into C under Linux. A few months ago, I learned Lisp. Now I've learned Java to take the AP CS AB exam. I'm 17 years old.
Of course, I'm also a nerd whose closest friends live several towns away.
This year, I wanted to take the AP Computer Science AB exam. Calling up my guidance counselor (I'm homeschooled), I found that our district would charge $75, in addition to the $82 exam fee, to obtain a proctor. Instead, I'm taking the exam in a neighboring district that actually offers the course. IHTFP.
And I've managed to teach myself the Java, algorithms and data structures necessary in just about 1 month.
Lucky bastard. The educational system I've been through rewards nothing more than a healthy inclination towards mindless tedium and nothing less than intelligence or knowledge.
Notable that the GP works 45 hour weeks, as opposed to the 40 hour standard workweek. Also notable that the GP considers this normal and sees nothing wrong with standardized overtime.
Weren't the Chinese supposed to be Communists? I remember something about overthrowing the rich, capitalist oppressors for the sake of the working folk, but I can't place it in a country for the life of me.
Oh, well. That pig Napoleon says he thinks he should give the US a call, have some diplomatic talks.
Apparently whoever wrote this article never heard of Mondragon Corporacion Cooperativa in Spain. They run an extremely successful complex of worker cooperatives.
Don't like your manager? Take it up at the next social council meeting. Think the General Manager is idiotically running your company into the ground? Vote him out.
The GP means that most corporate jobs don't allow time off during the day/week for exercise. They expect you to work 9-5, then exercise on "your own time". Problem: Everything and its kid brother swarms in to take up "your own time", from bills to shopping to sleep to meals to overtime work to going somewhere other than home and work.
For many people, especially those who work overtime, the day just lacks enough hours to spend the requisite one-per-day on exercise, and it gets worse if you want to be athletically fit rather than just medically fit.
I hear that! Let me tell you the story of the time I tried to take a bus into Albany (the nearest city, my town borders it)...
At 11:15 I left the house and began walking to the bus stop. At 12:00 I got to the bus stop, because the closest bus stop going into Albany soonest (according to their posted schedule on the web) was three miles away from home. I stopped to eat lunch. At 12:20 I went and stood at the closest visible bus stop, waiting for a bus scheduled to come at 12:25. I waited...
At 12:35 a bus pulls up at another stop (both stops were marked with the same stop number) on the other side of the street, sees that nobody is there, and leaves! So I go and wait at the other stop for fifteen minutes, since another bus was supposed to come around then. It doesn't. I go back to my original stop and wait for ten minutes. About now, another bus does exactly what the first one did! I call the person I was going into the city to intern with and walk the three miles home, grumbling all the way while rain poured down on me. Luckily, I had an umbrella.
Note that the two bus stops were each visible from each other and were on opposite sides of the same street.
Unfortunately, the only public transportation system I know of that works reliably is the train system, and it's 1) Not a replacement for buses unless you live in New York City or somewhere else with subways, and 2) Chronically underfunded.
Slashdot Mirror
I may not drink coffee, but I've had my fair share of caffeine (>70% cocoa chocolates and breakfast teas). It doesn't make people persuadable. Being stupid makes people persuadable.
OTOH, it could just be that I'm abnormally oppositional.
When I have performed public speaknig engagements recently, the coffee buzz always makes me a better speaker (and calmer, actually). I wonder if caffeine, the drug, just puts us into our most comfortable role as many drugs do (including following others if that is how we're designed).
Actually, becoming calmer on caffeeine means you have the neurological wiring for ADD.
Good job.
Great! I'll catch the next plane to Baghdad to "educate myself". And die in a suicide bombing.
They're really trying to change the AP CS exam to be more language-agnostic? THANK YOU! I've been studying for about a month to take the AP CS in Java, and while learning Java after everything else I know isn't that hard it's still annoying as hell. There are entire programming worlds Java never opens up! Examples: Actual global variables (or thread-local variables, if you prefer), functional programming (Java requires reflection to create the equivalent of a fucking function pointer), plain old imperative programming ala C, down-to-the-bits programming... It's not even that good of a teaching language!
I learned to program on Delphi 5 Standard Edition when I was in 5th-6th grade, as a hobby. From there, I learned DirectX 8 (particularly Direct3D) and started using C++ Builder. A couple of years later, I got into C under Linux. A few months ago, I learned Lisp. Now I've learned Java to take the AP CS AB exam. I'm 17 years old.
Of course, I'm also a nerd whose closest friends live several towns away.
Mod parent incredibly insightful!
This year, I wanted to take the AP Computer Science AB exam. Calling up my guidance counselor (I'm homeschooled), I found that our district would charge $75, in addition to the $82 exam fee, to obtain a proctor. Instead, I'm taking the exam in a neighboring district that actually offers the course. IHTFP.
And I've managed to teach myself the Java, algorithms and data structures necessary in just about 1 month.
A bunch of mindless jerks who'll be the first against the wall when the Revolution comes.
Because she wants a goddamned engagement ring.
Your parent wasn't as Marxist-sounding (vive la revolucion!) as you but made basically the same point.
Lucky bastard. The educational system I've been through rewards nothing more than a healthy inclination towards mindless tedium and nothing less than intelligence or knowledge.
Notable that the GP works 45 hour weeks, as opposed to the 40 hour standard workweek. Also notable that the GP considers this normal and sees nothing wrong with standardized overtime.
Other than all the niggly details, I do believe that was the essence of my comment. So can someone explain why I've been modded down?
Weren't the Chinese supposed to be Communists? I remember something about overthrowing the rich, capitalist oppressors for the sake of the working folk, but I can't place it in a country for the life of me.
Oh, well. That pig Napoleon says he thinks he should give the US a call, have some diplomatic talks.
Apparently whoever wrote this article never heard of Mondragon Corporacion Cooperativa in Spain. They run an extremely successful complex of worker cooperatives.
Don't like your manager? Take it up at the next social council meeting. Think the General Manager is idiotically running your company into the ground? Vote him out.
Most modern management my foot.
Not everything is for-profit.
So when will we wise up and go with C?
The Wal-Mart economy pays people such low wages they have to shop at Wal-Mart.
You do realize he uses ESR's definition of "hacker", right?
(defun subtract-from-basevalue-func (base-value)
(lambda (s) (- base-value s)))
The GP means that most corporate jobs don't allow time off during the day/week for exercise. They expect you to work 9-5, then exercise on "your own time". Problem: Everything and its kid brother swarms in to take up "your own time", from bills to shopping to sleep to meals to overtime work to going somewhere other than home and work.
For many people, especially those who work overtime, the day just lacks enough hours to spend the requisite one-per-day on exercise, and it gets worse if you want to be athletically fit rather than just medically fit.
The computer geek lifestyle leaves little room for exercise? I invent all my best ideas while bicycling!
It's in Pascal :-).
And there you've hit upon it: The stupid have the same rights as the intelligent.
No I'm not fucking Spongebob Squarepants! The Capital District Transit Authority just sucks!
I hear that! Let me tell you the story of the time I tried to take a bus into Albany (the nearest city, my town borders it)...
At 11:15 I left the house and began walking to the bus stop. At 12:00 I got to the bus stop, because the closest bus stop going into Albany soonest (according to their posted schedule on the web) was three miles away from home. I stopped to eat lunch. At 12:20 I went and stood at the closest visible bus stop, waiting for a bus scheduled to come at 12:25. I waited...
At 12:35 a bus pulls up at another stop (both stops were marked with the same stop number) on the other side of the street, sees that nobody is there, and leaves! So I go and wait at the other stop for fifteen minutes, since another bus was supposed to come around then. It doesn't. I go back to my original stop and wait for ten minutes. About now, another bus does exactly what the first one did! I call the person I was going into the city to intern with and walk the three miles home, grumbling all the way while rain poured down on me. Luckily, I had an umbrella.
Note that the two bus stops were each visible from each other and were on opposite sides of the same street.
Unfortunately, the only public transportation system I know of that works reliably is the train system, and it's 1) Not a replacement for buses unless you live in New York City or somewhere else with subways, and 2) Chronically underfunded.