98% of population only need to know how to calculate a 15% tip. What about all of the scientists, mathematicians, engineers, computer programmers, architecs, draftsmen, doctors, accountants, actuarys, financial advisors, etc...
These people account for significantly more than 2% of the population. Even if they only made up 10% of the population, math classes are about more than trigonometry or algebra - they are about learning to think abstractly which can help students in most aspects of thier lives.
On the other hand, those with drive and talent learn outside school anyway. Maybe, but then what the hell is school for?
And yet the beauracy is so wretched that no sane person wants to teach even with the fairly good pay (and it IS fairly good pay in most states for the hours worked and the level of education required)
Your statement about bureaucracy is right on in my experience. My wife teaches, and the amount of interference she routinely encounters is very surprising. She really likes working with the kids though.
You use the quantifier "most" in the rest of you comment so I can't disagree completely because I don't know what conditions are like in other states. Here in Kentucky, a Masters degree is required (you can start with a bachelors degree but have to complete the Masters degree within a certain amount of time). As far as the amount of work goes, I think your statement is too general. Some teachers probably do get away with doing almost no work outside of school hours, however, there are certainly many others that grade papers night after night, work on lesson plans and even help with extra-curricular activities.
A doctorate in math or science is not good enough to qualify one to teach unless you can first endure a couple of semesters of mind numbing 'teaching' courses designed to both indoctrinate politically correct views and raise an artifical barrier to entry into the profession. I couldn't agree more. This is ridiculous, and calling the teaching courses "mind numbing" is probably being generous. Some of my best professors probably never stepped foot in an education class. I haven't, and as a T.A. at the university I attend, I have received excellent teaching evaluations from students. Good teaching comes from good communication, not pedantic obsession.
I live in Kentucky, and I'm a graduate student in Mathematics. I've thought about teaching high school math after getting a Masters degree, but the biggest problem with that is certification issues. I could teach with a Masters in Math, but I would make significantly less money then the teachers who have a Masters degree in Education, and are already certified. There are alternate methods of certification, but the state doesn't seem to want to make things easy.
I believe you refer to Apophis, the asteroid that will pass within about 35,000km of Earth in 2029. It will make another pass by the Earth in 2036, and has a 1:50,000 chance of striking somewhere between the Kamchatka Peninsula and Venzuela. Apophis was named after the Greek spelling of the Egyptian god Apep the Destroyer.
Just curious, if there is only a 1:50,000 chance of Apophis hitting Earth, then how the hell would you know where it will hit? It seems like you are recalling something you read somewhere else, and I'm just curious how the statement about impact location was supported.
Slashdot is a mainstream bitching site for wanna-be nerds. The real nerds no longer visit Slashdot as they don't enjoy just reading constant politics, legal and "in-other-news" stories.
You do realize that makes you a bitching wanna-be nerd, right? That's like me saying, anyone worth listening too wouldn't right this comment.
Remarkable. I suggest everyone start using base.31415926, since evidently that avails us of pesky non-repeating, randon, infinite decimals. Only, what the hell is base.31415926?
I thought mathematicians did it with a pencil. The link you gave is for an undergraduate philosophy journal, and so I assume you will be more concerned with pure math as opposed to computational or applied. So, I don't think it really matters what operating system you use. You can find some type of Latex software for pretty much any OS (I like lyx, which has both linux and windows releases.)
I think he meant the first portable device with the singular purpose of holding and playing music files in the mp3 format. At least thats what I think when I hear the phrase "first mp3 player". Granted, the statement wasn't qualified but I don't believe his meaning was too obscure.
Our problem is cultural, there's such an anti-intellectual problem in schools and the rest of society, actively encourage exploration (you know, the heart of science) throughout the development of today's youth, and within one generation we'll be sorted.
I graduated from high school going on five years ago and I didn't feel that there was an anti-intellectual culture. Several of my closest friends from high school are now either in med school, grad school or on the verge of beginning one of the two. Granted, we are nerds but for the most part we were relatively popular.
I'm in grad school for a lot of reasons: like the fact that I love math and wanted to learn more and I didn't want to enter the real world yet. I think a big reason for people leaving academia is money. My stipend as a grad student is next to nothing, and the pay for a beginning college prof isn't as high as many people seem to think. I believe a lot of people are in the position where they feel they need to choose between starting a family and continuing their education. Right now I feel lucky that I can delay that decision since my university is willing to support me, and it helps that my wife has a "real" job.
Not that I am trying to discount your point. Indeed, my comments are merely anecdotal and while I don't believe that our culture is necessarily anti-intellectual, it is certainly true that scientists are not elevated to superstar status like athletes or actors.
If I thought for one second I was NASA-worthy, I'd volunteer in a heartbeat, and I'll wager many others here would too.
You don't think that you are worthy of flying through space for 286 days and then missing your final destination because of a units mismatch? NASA has done some impressive things but I wouldn't risk my life on one of their trips to Mars - their track record isn't stellar.
Please go easy on my little gallery box it's only a PII dual 233 with 128 megs of ram.
Sir I salute you. You have posted links to pictures on a site that brings servers to their knees faster than even Paris Hilton, and you ask to go easy on it. The only way that matters could be worse is if you include the words "hot grits" somewhere in your synopsis. Hope you get the site back up soon though - I would like to see the pictures, they sound interesting.
Well, it could've been as well you were high or thinking about getting high...
I really wonder wherever you had a shitty day you feel to get defensive, that wasn't my intention.
I am not defensive because I have had a bad day, I am defensive when someone takes a cheap shot at my country. If you want to disagree with me fine, I can respect a differing viewpoint if it is substantiated. However, when you result to petty name calling (i.e. talking about fat Americans) or indicate that someone is "high" because they don't agree with you it is evident that you have a strong bias and that you are not capable of discussing the matter civilly. It's sad really, one would think that name calling wouldn't be necessary to make a point against a fat, pothead American. Best regards.
Or maybe that is why U.S. citizens generally have such a wide standard of living.
There, fixed that for you, I think there was a slight freudian slip there as well "such I high standard".
Thanks, but no thanks. I can speak for myself and do not require or appreciate your "fixing" any of my comments. Note that as a member of a country with such "wide" standards of living, I only expressed my opinion, whereas you attempted to force your viewpoint upon me by modifying my words. That doesn't make me believe that you come from a dissimilar culture to the one that you show such disdain for. As far as the Freudian slip you mention, well you caught me. I do consider myself to have a high standard of living. However, by American standards I am hardly rich - quite the opposite actually. I am a graduate student with a rather meager stipend.
Nobody in America remembers what the Dark Ages were, they never had one.
I believe that you mispelled "emerged from".Indeed. That's why the U.S. has the worlds largest economy. Or maybe that is why U.S. citizens generally have such I high standard of living. No, our role as technological leader to the world is probably what you were reffering to when you insinuated that the U.S. is still in the dark ages.
Certainly the U.S. has problems, but man wise up. Oh, and I believe you misspelled "mispelled". Good job.
I support standardized tests in theory, but in practice they are less than desirable. For one, the standards seem to change every year. My wife is a Drama and Arts and Humanities teacher at the high school level. She is stuck with textbooks from last year that are already out of date based on the testing standards for this year. I think if public schools are going to be forced into taking standardized tests that influence funding, then the texts should be provided to those schools by the test makers. Furthermore, the standards for these tests are remarkably ambiguous. As an undergraduate, I had a summer job catagorizing problems to fit into the standards for the high school math tests here. It was a huge mess.
What about Firefly: The Complete Series. Perfect for Christmas, Birthdays, Hanukah, Weddings, etc.. Plus this gift will work for your non-nerd friends too.
Slashdot Mirror
After reading your comment, I agreed with your sig.
On the other hand, those with drive and talent learn outside school anyway. Maybe, but then what the hell is school for?
Your statement about bureaucracy is right on in my experience. My wife teaches, and the amount of interference she routinely encounters is very surprising. She really likes working with the kids though.
You use the quantifier "most" in the rest of you comment so I can't disagree completely because I don't know what conditions are like in other states. Here in Kentucky, a Masters degree is required (you can start with a bachelors degree but have to complete the Masters degree within a certain amount of time). As far as the amount of work goes, I think your statement is too general. Some teachers probably do get away with doing almost no work outside of school hours, however, there are certainly many others that grade papers night after night, work on lesson plans and even help with extra-curricular activities.
A doctorate in math or science is not good enough to qualify one to teach unless you can first endure a couple of semesters of mind numbing 'teaching' courses designed to both indoctrinate politically correct views and raise an artifical barrier to entry into the profession. I couldn't agree more. This is ridiculous, and calling the teaching courses "mind numbing" is probably being generous. Some of my best professors probably never stepped foot in an education class. I haven't, and as a T.A. at the university I attend, I have received excellent teaching evaluations from students. Good teaching comes from good communication, not pedantic obsession.
I live in Kentucky, and I'm a graduate student in Mathematics. I've thought about teaching high school math after getting a Masters degree, but the biggest problem with that is certification issues. I could teach with a Masters in Math, but I would make significantly less money then the teachers who have a Masters degree in Education, and are already certified. There are alternate methods of certification, but the state doesn't seem to want to make things easy.
Just curious, if there is only a 1:50,000 chance of Apophis hitting Earth, then how the hell would you know where it will hit? It seems like you are recalling something you read somewhere else, and I'm just curious how the statement about impact location was supported.
Here you have to get there 36 hours early just to get through security in time.
You do realize that makes you a bitching wanna-be nerd, right? That's like me saying, anyone worth listening too wouldn't right this comment.
My friend, you can see the full story right here. Well, you can see it if your vision isn't too obscured by body thetans.
Remarkable. I suggest everyone start using base .31415926, since evidently that avails us of pesky non-repeating, randon, infinite decimals. Only, what the hell is base .31415926?
I thought mathematicians did it with a pencil. The link you gave is for an undergraduate philosophy journal, and so I assume you will be more concerned with pure math as opposed to computational or applied. So, I don't think it really matters what operating system you use. You can find some type of Latex software for pretty much any OS (I like lyx, which has both linux and windows releases.)
Maybe the leftist fuckwits modded you troll because bigot isn't one of the options.
I think he meant the first portable device with the singular purpose of holding and playing music files in the mp3 format. At least thats what I think when I hear the phrase "first mp3 player". Granted, the statement wasn't qualified but I don't believe his meaning was too obscure.
I actually just have maybe 20 seconds or so of the song, sans lyrics. My brother was using Hero of Canton for awhile, great song.
Corny? Maybe. Unbelievably glorious and the ringtone on my phone? Yes. Definately.
Take me out to the black...
I graduated from high school going on five years ago and I didn't feel that there was an anti-intellectual culture. Several of my closest friends from high school are now either in med school, grad school or on the verge of beginning one of the two. Granted, we are nerds but for the most part we were relatively popular.
I'm in grad school for a lot of reasons: like the fact that I love math and wanted to learn more and I didn't want to enter the real world yet. I think a big reason for people leaving academia is money. My stipend as a grad student is next to nothing, and the pay for a beginning college prof isn't as high as many people seem to think. I believe a lot of people are in the position where they feel they need to choose between starting a family and continuing their education. Right now I feel lucky that I can delay that decision since my university is willing to support me, and it helps that my wife has a "real" job.
Not that I am trying to discount your point. Indeed, my comments are merely anecdotal and while I don't believe that our culture is necessarily anti-intellectual, it is certainly true that scientists are not elevated to superstar status like athletes or actors.
Are they positive?
You don't think that you are worthy of flying through space for 286 days and then missing your final destination because of a units mismatch? NASA has done some impressive things but I wouldn't risk my life on one of their trips to Mars - their track record isn't stellar.
Sir I salute you. You have posted links to pictures on a site that brings servers to their knees faster than even Paris Hilton, and you ask to go easy on it. The only way that matters could be worse is if you include the words "hot grits" somewhere in your synopsis. Hope you get the site back up soon though - I would like to see the pictures, they sound interesting.
are the readers free?
Are wheelchairs?
Well, it could've been as well you were high or thinking about getting high...
I really wonder wherever you had a shitty day you feel to get defensive, that wasn't my intention.
I am not defensive because I have had a bad day, I am defensive when someone takes a cheap shot at my country. If you want to disagree with me fine, I can respect a differing viewpoint if it is substantiated. However, when you result to petty name calling (i.e. talking about fat Americans) or indicate that someone is "high" because they don't agree with you it is evident that you have a strong bias and that you are not capable of discussing the matter civilly. It's sad really, one would think that name calling wouldn't be necessary to make a point against a fat, pothead American. Best regards.
Or maybe that is why U.S. citizens generally have such a wide standard of living.
There, fixed that for you, I think there was a slight freudian slip there as well "such I high standard".
Thanks, but no thanks. I can speak for myself and do not require or appreciate your "fixing" any of my comments. Note that as a member of a country with such "wide" standards of living, I only expressed my opinion, whereas you attempted to force your viewpoint upon me by modifying my words. That doesn't make me believe that you come from a dissimilar culture to the one that you show such disdain for. As far as the Freudian slip you mention, well you caught me. I do consider myself to have a high standard of living. However, by American standards I am hardly rich - quite the opposite actually. I am a graduate student with a rather meager stipend.
Nobody in America remembers what the Dark Ages were, they never had one. I believe that you mispelled "emerged from".Indeed. That's why the U.S. has the worlds largest economy. Or maybe that is why U.S. citizens generally have such I high standard of living. No, our role as technological leader to the world is probably what you were reffering to when you insinuated that the U.S. is still in the dark ages. Certainly the U.S. has problems, but man wise up. Oh, and I believe you misspelled "mispelled". Good job.
I support standardized tests in theory, but in practice they are less than desirable. For one, the standards seem to change every year. My wife is a Drama and Arts and Humanities teacher at the high school level. She is stuck with textbooks from last year that are already out of date based on the testing standards for this year. I think if public schools are going to be forced into taking standardized tests that influence funding, then the texts should be provided to those schools by the test makers. Furthermore, the standards for these tests are remarkably ambiguous. As an undergraduate, I had a summer job catagorizing problems to fit into the standards for the high school math tests here. It was a huge mess.
What about Firefly: The Complete Series. Perfect for Christmas, Birthdays, Hanukah, Weddings, etc.. Plus this gift will work for your non-nerd friends too.
What I want to know is, where is "Minesweeper: The Movie". The story line in that game is phenomenal.