I have a bachelor's degree in math, and I graduated with a 4.0 GPA. Though I realize that's not all that impressive among the Slashdot crowd, I have done math that would make most normal men weep, and I excelled at it. However, if you were to come up to me and ask me what 7*13 is, I would turn white as a sheet, stammer a bit, and, after several minutes, give you an answer that is likely incorrect. There's just something about being put on the spot like that that shifts my brain into panic mode.
The brain is a physical thing, and the brain is what makes us do stuff, like think or act. I'm relatively certain that if we stick around long enough, we'll figure out what parts of the brain cause anyone to do anything, and thus every action, from eating cereal to stabbing puppies, will be subject to a "I couldn't help myself" kind of defense. That's fine with me, but we still need to figure out what to do with the people who "choose" to skip breakfast in order to stab more puppies.
Certainly, we can sympathize with them if they truly could not help themselves, but the fact remains that we'd like to have as few puppy stabbers running around as possible. "3 hots and cot" seems like the best option to me; isolate them from the society that they can't fit into for that society's benefit, but don't go out of your way to make life hell for them either. It'll be a long time before that view is accepted though. We really want to believe that the puppy stabber is a bad person who must be punished, and that we would have chosen differently given the exact same brain.
Or, I'm full of crap and scientists will soon discover FreeWillnium, a substance not subject to the laws of physics, found in the brains of all humans and sufficiently cute puppies.
You've got a lot of good information in this post, and I enjoyed reading it, but is it overkill for someone who is just looking for a few jobs "in the meantime" to get him through to his next full-time employment?
I've not been in this situation (yet (knocks on wood)), but I've known a few guys who have, and they never got anywhere near this serious about things. They acted professionally, sure, but they didn't attack it in the manner you suggest. They got a couple of odd jobs here and there from contacts from previous jobs, worked real hard so as to leave a good impression, and then started their next full-time, "real" job.
"Bowen, however, said he has not definitely ruled out an FAA-wide upgrade to Windows Vista and related software -- if Microsoft can satisfy his concerns over compatibility with the agency's existing applications and demonstrate why such a move would make financial sense given Google Apps's low price. 'We have a trip to Microsoft scheduled for later this month,' said Bowen."
He considering an OS change and a business productivity suite change, but he's concerned about compatibility?
I've been a contractor on-site at an FAA campus for the last 2-3 years, and I can tell you that we are very much a Microsoft shop out here. Just about every in-house app is developed using Microsoft technology, from.NET to VB 6 and even Access. I can think of only one app, out of many, many apps, that runs on Linux. I'm not sure about other FAA sites, but from what I've heard, I get the feeling that this is the case throughout the majority of the FAA.
So, if we do change to a Linux/Google Apps combo for desktops, it's going to require approximately 28,751.00234 crap-tons of money to rework the majority of our in-house apps to work with Linux. I'm not saying that isn't feasible...but I would definitely be surprised if it cost less than switching to Vista. I'm not a huge MS fan, mind you; I use Linux at home, and hell, I think it'd be kind of neat for everyone around here to be using Linux. But I just don't see that happening.
I'd also like to note that the FAA just switched from Windows 2000 to Windows XP less than about 6 months ago. Thus, I'm not expecting the next change, whether it be to Linux/Google Apps or to Vista, to occur any time soon.
I work as a contractor for the FAA, which is under the DOT, and around here, Windows XP is a brand new thing. We just switched from Windows 2000 less than a year ago, for the reasons you stated.
I have no doubt that the FAA will switch to Vista a some point, but it will likely be around the time the next version of Windows comes out. I'm not holding out much hope for a switch to Linux then, either, as most of our in-house apps are.NET, VB 6, or even Access(!).
I haven't been at my current job (my first out of college) for very long, but I still think being fired would be hard. I wouldn't go jump off a bridge because of it, but I would be a little upset.
Such a large chunk of the average working person's life is spent on the job that I don't see how it's possible not to be be at least somewhat defined by the job. Also, at least in my situation, I've formed relationships with the people I work with. Sure, they're not deep relationships, but they're still a meaningful part of my life that I enjoy. Being told that I was no longer allowed to come back to work and hang out with these people would make me sad.
That said, I don't think being told in person that I was being let go would be any easier than getting an email about it. I'd be upset either way.
People need to realize that locking kids up in a basement and throwing away the key is not prerequisite for home education.
I was home schooled K-12, using a curriculum so religious and conservative it would likely make the majority of Slashdot readers barf, and yet, I like to think that I turned out relatively OK. I'm a college graduate, I have a good job as a programmer, and I'm happily married. I even have friends!
The only negative effect that homeschooling had on me socially is this damn inferiority complex I have from people like Mr. Underbirdge never missing an opportunity to tell me and my parents how screwed up I was going to end up for being home schooled.
Seriously, I grew up thinking I was stupid because my friends would constantly whine and gripe about how much homework they had to do and how long they had to be in school each day. They'd tell me that I had it so easy, not having to wake up until 10 and only doing school work for 2-3 hours a day. It wasn't until I took the ACT and scored about 8 or 9 points higher than most of them that I finally started to realize that I probably wasn't so stupid.
That said, I'm sure there are some pretty screwed up home schooled kids out there, just like I'm sure there are some pretty screwed up public schooled kids out there. There is no one solution that fits everyone. I really don't mind if people don't like homeschooling. But what irritates the hell out of me is the assumption that homeschooling = guaranteed social retardation.
Would you care to explain that a little? Does that mean that I am being an asshole, poisoning you, by smoking on the back porch of my house ten miles east of the middle of nowhere?
Slashdot Mirror
I have a bachelor's degree in math, and I graduated with a 4.0 GPA. Though I realize that's not all that impressive among the Slashdot crowd, I have done math that would make most normal men weep, and I excelled at it. However, if you were to come up to me and ask me what 7*13 is, I would turn white as a sheet, stammer a bit, and, after several minutes, give you an answer that is likely incorrect. There's just something about being put on the spot like that that shifts my brain into panic mode.
The brain is a physical thing, and the brain is what makes us do stuff, like think or act. I'm relatively certain that if we stick around long enough, we'll figure out what parts of the brain cause anyone to do anything, and thus every action, from eating cereal to stabbing puppies, will be subject to a "I couldn't help myself" kind of defense. That's fine with me, but we still need to figure out what to do with the people who "choose" to skip breakfast in order to stab more puppies.
Certainly, we can sympathize with them if they truly could not help themselves, but the fact remains that we'd like to have as few puppy stabbers running around as possible. "3 hots and cot" seems like the best option to me; isolate them from the society that they can't fit into for that society's benefit, but don't go out of your way to make life hell for them either. It'll be a long time before that view is accepted though. We really want to believe that the puppy stabber is a bad person who must be punished, and that we would have chosen differently given the exact same brain.
Or, I'm full of crap and scientists will soon discover FreeWillnium, a substance not subject to the laws of physics, found in the brains of all humans and sufficiently cute puppies.
You've got a lot of good information in this post, and I enjoyed reading it, but is it overkill for someone who is just looking for a few jobs "in the meantime" to get him through to his next full-time employment?
I've not been in this situation (yet (knocks on wood)), but I've known a few guys who have, and they never got anywhere near this serious about things. They acted professionally, sure, but they didn't attack it in the manner you suggest. They got a couple of odd jobs here and there from contacts from previous jobs, worked real hard so as to leave a good impression, and then started their next full-time, "real" job.
So what happens if I decide to be a moron for a moment and accidentally rate your comment down instead of up, like I intended?
Do I have to buy you a pizza or something?
Oh, I see...I just post this comment and undo my mistake. That's nice.
If you would still like a pizza, just let me know.
From TFA:
.NET to VB 6 and even Access. I can think of only one app, out of many, many apps, that runs on Linux. I'm not sure about other FAA sites, but from what I've heard, I get the feeling that this is the case throughout the majority of the FAA.
"Bowen, however, said he has not definitely ruled out an FAA-wide upgrade to Windows Vista and related software -- if Microsoft can satisfy his concerns over compatibility with the agency's existing applications and demonstrate why such a move would make financial sense given Google Apps's low price. 'We have a trip to Microsoft scheduled for later this month,' said Bowen."
He considering an OS change and a business productivity suite change, but he's concerned about compatibility?
I've been a contractor on-site at an FAA campus for the last 2-3 years, and I can tell you that we are very much a Microsoft shop out here. Just about every in-house app is developed using Microsoft technology, from
So, if we do change to a Linux/Google Apps combo for desktops, it's going to require approximately 28,751.00234 crap-tons of money to rework the majority of our in-house apps to work with Linux. I'm not saying that isn't feasible...but I would definitely be surprised if it cost less than switching to Vista. I'm not a huge MS fan, mind you; I use Linux at home, and hell, I think it'd be kind of neat for everyone around here to be using Linux. But I just don't see that happening.
I'd also like to note that the FAA just switched from Windows 2000 to Windows XP less than about 6 months ago. Thus, I'm not expecting the next change, whether it be to Linux/Google Apps or to Vista, to occur any time soon.
I work as a contractor for the FAA, which is under the DOT, and around here, Windows XP is a brand new thing. We just switched from Windows 2000 less than a year ago, for the reasons you stated.
.NET, VB 6, or even Access(!).
I have no doubt that the FAA will switch to Vista a some point, but it will likely be around the time the next version of Windows comes out. I'm not holding out much hope for a switch to Linux then, either, as most of our in-house apps are
Where did he define the reciprocal of nullity?
This is all I saw in the video:
1/0 = Infinity
-1/0 = Negative Infinity
0/0 = Nullity
"1200 year-old problem" = 0^0
0^0 = 0^(1-1) = 0^1 * 0^(-1) = (0/1)^1 * (0/1)^(-1) = (0/1) * (1/0) = 0/0 = Nullity
I haven't been at my current job (my first out of college) for very long, but I still think being fired would be hard. I wouldn't go jump off a bridge because of it, but I would be a little upset. Such a large chunk of the average working person's life is spent on the job that I don't see how it's possible not to be be at least somewhat defined by the job. Also, at least in my situation, I've formed relationships with the people I work with. Sure, they're not deep relationships, but they're still a meaningful part of my life that I enjoy. Being told that I was no longer allowed to come back to work and hang out with these people would make me sad. That said, I don't think being told in person that I was being let go would be any easier than getting an email about it. I'd be upset either way.
I am one. What's your point?
People need to realize that locking kids up in a basement and throwing away the key is not prerequisite for home education.
I was home schooled K-12, using a curriculum so religious and conservative it would likely make the majority of Slashdot readers barf, and yet, I like to think that I turned out relatively OK. I'm a college graduate, I have a good job as a programmer, and I'm happily married. I even have friends!
The only negative effect that homeschooling had on me socially is this damn inferiority complex I have from people like Mr. Underbirdge never missing an opportunity to tell me and my parents how screwed up I was going to end up for being home schooled.
Seriously, I grew up thinking I was stupid because my friends would constantly whine and gripe about how much homework they had to do and how long they had to be in school each day. They'd tell me that I had it so easy, not having to wake up until 10 and only doing school work for 2-3 hours a day. It wasn't until I took the ACT and scored about 8 or 9 points higher than most of them that I finally started to realize that I probably wasn't so stupid.
That said, I'm sure there are some pretty screwed up home schooled kids out there, just like I'm sure there are some pretty screwed up public schooled kids out there. There is no one solution that fits everyone. I really don't mind if people don't like homeschooling. But what irritates the hell out of me is the assumption that homeschooling = guaranteed social retardation.
"..., no matter how dilute,..."
Would you care to explain that a little? Does that mean that I am being an asshole, poisoning you, by smoking on the back porch of my house ten miles east of the middle of nowhere?