My 13-year-old niece thinks there is no gravity on the moon. I put this down to a lack of interest, when I was that age I had a fair understanding of basic physics (but I'm a nerd).
A year or two ago she was having problems with her maths homework, and eventually I caved in and helped her. It was basic addition and subtraction involving negative numbers. Something like 12 + -3 was beyond her, as was -6 + 3.
I don't know what method her teacher had failed to communicate to her, but I taught her to visualise a kind of ladder stretching up and down from 0. Start at the first figure in your sum, then count upwards or downwards depending on the signs. She got it, but at a later parent-teacher meeting her mother was told that it was obvious "somebody" had been helping with homework, and that the girl should be asking the teacher rather than relatives for help if she doesn't understand! Surely if there is an "obvious" improvement after a few minutes coaching from an amateur, there are bigger problems at hand. I have no qualifications to speak of, and certainly no teaching degree.
I don't have children of my own but I'm very dissatisfied with the quality of education in this country.
I just heard one of the researchers being interviewed on BBC Radio 2. He said they weren't looking for this, it's a side-effect dicovered during their research into the way skin heals. I think healing lacerations is a fairly worthy goal.
Sounded great to me, I use eBay a lot. I installed it, found that it's completely US-centric with no option to localise. In addition all the extras such as Amazon search and Froogle search are all focused on the US.
I uninstalled and will begin looking for something similar which supports users outside the US.
On a side note, has it really taken this long for somebody to realise that an eBay toolbar might be a good idea??
Many were increasingly of the opinion that they'd all made a big mistake in coming down from the trees in the first place. And some said that even the trees had been a bad move, and that no one should ever have left the oceans.
Agreed. I used to enjoy watching TV, now I don't watch it at all because I hate the constant advertising. I would have considered a TIVO type solution but we were still using VHS when I was pushed past my limit. Now I simply obtain my viewing entertainment from other sources.
I was quite content with internet advertising when the ads were just static banners or even bold images. Then they became intrusive, noisy and distracting so now I have an ad-blocking solution which eliminates almost all advertising.
If the same thing happens with games then either the ads will be modded out, or I will stop playing games. I doubt I'm alone.
When I walk through my local town center, people are standing in the street trying to hand me adverts. When I drive I am faced with 40ft billboards covered in advertising, and when I return home I have to wade ankle-deep through a pile of junk mail advertising things I would never even consider buying.
I'm not anti-microsoft by any means. But does anybody else remember the Multimedia PC spec MS came out with in the mid-90's? MPC1 for example was a 386 or greater with 2MB RAM and a 2x speed CD-ROM, MPC2 was a 486 with 4MB RAM and a 4x CD-ROM. Might not have remembered it quite right but it was meant to simplify and standardise PC specs.
Similar situation here, I smoked tobacco and cannabis for years before medical problems forced me to give it up. And no, it wasn't the smoking that damaged my lungs.
Now the anti-smoking brigade have won the war of minds against pot-smoking - pot is drugs is murder, after all! Well now, in this country at least, they have begun a war against tobacco smoking. They have already won a ban on smoking in all workplaces (including pubs!) and are now pursuing a ban on smoking in all public spaces (including outside). I recently read that schools have been photoshopping the photo's of famous people to remove cigars.
I am totally unsure why the millions of smokers put up with it. Most of them now seem to smoke in secret, like its something to be ashamed of.
These people won't be happy until we all spend our entire lives packed away in padded cells where we can't hurt ourselves.
I have an ebook reader on my PDA and I regularly read from it in bed and on the move. It's more convenient for me because of the luminous display and small size (about equal to A6 size and less than 10mm thick, containing about 20 novels along with a sizeable MP3 collection, a couple of silly divx clips, 5 or 6 games and all the usual organiser stuff). It could be expensive if I dropped it but devices like this come with that risk attached.
It did take me a little time (less than half an hour I would say) to become accustomed to pressing a button instead of turning a page.
Yeah, when most UN members were trying to talk the USA out of trampling all over Iraq it was totally different. And even further removed from that Swedish website which was recently shut down by a certain American organisation...
Although I see enough substandard driving due to people talking on the phone, the standard of driving on the roads today is absolutely atrocious.
People in charge of vehicles ought to be trained to a high standard, and they should treat it like the responsibility it is. People happily put lives at risk to avoid slowing down by a few mph for a few seconds.
I think the right to drive should be restricted to those with the skills to do so responsibly and safely. This would have the added bonus of reducing the traffic on our roads drastically because most people don't have the ability.
I know it will never happen but I can dream can't I?
Me too. I've played two games by Quantic Dream (the other one was Nomad Soul). They both contained sex scenes. It's not really necessary in either game, but to be fair it was dealt with maturely in both titles.
I expected this story to be about David Cage dropping the idea of putting sex into his stories, perhaps due to the Take Two's recent problems.
Although I do own various versions of XP it's simply more convenient for me to use pirate copies.
I had no problem with Windows Update, just used a well-publicised trick to gain entry and then told it not to install WGA and not to mention it to me again (there's a check-box for that purpose).
I agree, I dislike having to wait five minutes for my passport photos to be developed, I wonder how long this would take exactly?? In my personal home kiosk, it takes anywhere from half an hour to several hours to download a movie, then another quarter of an hour to decompress and burn it. And it's free...
If I'm standing in a retailers and I feel that a movie is worth paying for, I'll pick up a ready-pressed DVD from the shelf in a glossy box, pay for it and leave.
What exactly is the benefit of this service? Yes I did rtfa but I still can't see any advantage.
Hook em while they are young, and you have them for life
When I was young most schools used BBC Micro's and later, Archimedes computers. The Archies put most home computers at the time to shame, but we all stuck with our Speccies and Amigas regardless.
Slashdot Mirror
Sorry, I meant to reply to the guy who was talking about his sister being unable to divide by 12.
My 13-year-old niece thinks there is no gravity on the moon. I put this down to a lack of interest, when I was that age I had a fair understanding of basic physics (but I'm a nerd).
A year or two ago she was having problems with her maths homework, and eventually I caved in and helped her. It was basic addition and subtraction involving negative numbers. Something like 12 + -3 was beyond her, as was -6 + 3.
I don't know what method her teacher had failed to communicate to her, but I taught her to visualise a kind of ladder stretching up and down from 0. Start at the first figure in your sum, then count upwards or downwards depending on the signs. She got it, but at a later parent-teacher meeting her mother was told that it was obvious "somebody" had been helping with homework, and that the girl should be asking the teacher rather than relatives for help if she doesn't understand! Surely if there is an "obvious" improvement after a few minutes coaching from an amateur, there are bigger problems at hand. I have no qualifications to speak of, and certainly no teaching degree.
I don't have children of my own but I'm very dissatisfied with the quality of education in this country.
would that cause a feedback loop?
yeah, my head literally EXPLODES when people misuse that word :)
I just heard one of the researchers being interviewed on BBC Radio 2. He said they weren't looking for this, it's a side-effect dicovered during their research into the way skin heals. I think healing lacerations is a fairly worthy goal.
Wow, that's support :) No apology necessary!!
Sounded great to me, I use eBay a lot. I installed it, found that it's completely US-centric with no option to localise. In addition all the extras such as Amazon search and Froogle search are all focused on the US.
I uninstalled and will begin looking for something similar which supports users outside the US.
On a side note, has it really taken this long for somebody to realise that an eBay toolbar might be a good idea??
Many were increasingly of the opinion that they'd all made a big mistake in coming down from the trees in the first place. And some said that even the trees had been a bad move, and that no one should ever have left the oceans.
Douglas Adams
Ocean, trees, continents, planets, galaxies, universe...
I'd like to see what comes next.
No. In this country, like in the US, far fewer than half the population voted for that spineless excuse for a man.
Agreed. I used to enjoy watching TV, now I don't watch it at all because I hate the constant advertising. I would have considered a TIVO type solution but we were still using VHS when I was pushed past my limit. Now I simply obtain my viewing entertainment from other sources.
I was quite content with internet advertising when the ads were just static banners or even bold images. Then they became intrusive, noisy and distracting so now I have an ad-blocking solution which eliminates almost all advertising.
If the same thing happens with games then either the ads will be modded out, or I will stop playing games. I doubt I'm alone.
When I walk through my local town center, people are standing in the street trying to hand me adverts. When I drive I am faced with 40ft billboards covered in advertising, and when I return home I have to wade ankle-deep through a pile of junk mail advertising things I would never even consider buying.
I'm not anti-microsoft by any means. But does anybody else remember the Multimedia PC spec MS came out with in the mid-90's? MPC1 for example was a 386 or greater with 2MB RAM and a 2x speed CD-ROM, MPC2 was a 486 with 4MB RAM and a 4x CD-ROM. Might not have remembered it quite right but it was meant to simplify and standardise PC specs.
:)
Everybody ignored it then, too
Similar situation here, I smoked tobacco and cannabis for years before medical problems forced me to give it up. And no, it wasn't the smoking that damaged my lungs.
Now the anti-smoking brigade have won the war of minds against pot-smoking - pot is drugs is murder, after all! Well now, in this country at least, they have begun a war against tobacco smoking. They have already won a ban on smoking in all workplaces (including pubs!) and are now pursuing a ban on smoking in all public spaces (including outside). I recently read that schools have been photoshopping the photo's of famous people to remove cigars.
I am totally unsure why the millions of smokers put up with it. Most of them now seem to smoke in secret, like its something to be ashamed of.
These people won't be happy until we all spend our entire lives packed away in padded cells where we can't hurt ourselves.
Just to validate your point.
I have an ebook reader on my PDA and I regularly read from it in bed and on the move. It's more convenient for me because of the luminous display and small size (about equal to A6 size and less than 10mm thick, containing about 20 novels along with a sizeable MP3 collection, a couple of silly divx clips, 5 or 6 games and all the usual organiser stuff). It could be expensive if I dropped it but devices like this come with that risk attached.
It did take me a little time (less than half an hour I would say) to become accustomed to pressing a button instead of turning a page.
That makes more sense.
So what happens when two planes land and 200 people are waiting to get to the car park? Will there be 50 pods arriving within a minute?
Yeah, along a track, like a taxi cab. Err... And between two predefined points, like a cab... Taxis are exactly like trains you know :)
Aha, you're talking about the flight sim enthusiasts:
"It's not a game, it's a simulation. And we do not indulge in first-person shooters because as Virtual Pilots, we are far beyond such folly!"
Good idea!
Just teasing :)
Maybe there is no "news", it's all just history...
Yeah, when most UN members were trying to talk the USA out of trampling all over Iraq it was totally different. And even further removed from that Swedish website which was recently shut down by a certain American organisation...
Although I see enough substandard driving due to people talking on the phone, the standard of driving on the roads today is absolutely atrocious.
People in charge of vehicles ought to be trained to a high standard, and they should treat it like the responsibility it is. People happily put lives at risk to avoid slowing down by a few mph for a few seconds.
I think the right to drive should be restricted to those with the skills to do so responsibly and safely. This would have the added bonus of reducing the traffic on our roads drastically because most people don't have the ability.
I know it will never happen but I can dream can't I?
fuck off and go be 6. Work in a factory, it's got about the same level of responsibility
How incredibly arrogant, not to mention ignorant.
Me too. I've played two games by Quantic Dream (the other one was Nomad Soul). They both contained sex scenes. It's not really necessary in either game, but to be fair it was dealt with maturely in both titles.
I expected this story to be about David Cage dropping the idea of putting sex into his stories, perhaps due to the Take Two's recent problems.
Although I do own various versions of XP it's simply more convenient for me to use pirate copies.
I had no problem with Windows Update, just used a well-publicised trick to gain entry and then told it not to install WGA and not to mention it to me again (there's a check-box for that purpose).
If I'm standing in a retailers and I feel that a movie is worth paying for, I'll pick up a ready-pressed DVD from the shelf in a glossy box, pay for it and leave.
What exactly is the benefit of this service? Yes I did rtfa but I still can't see any advantage.
Hook em while they are young, and you have them for life
When I was young most schools used BBC Micro's and later, Archimedes computers. The Archies put most home computers at the time to shame, but we all stuck with our Speccies and Amigas regardless.