I would like to think that we have made it this far largely because of people's nature to control things they do not agree with. If your statement is accurate this means that there are lots of people in the world who disagree with censorship and have stopped it (as something they don't agree with).
Imagine this in a university setting. Being able to ask the whole university about a topic and getting in touch with the experts on campus about it. Granted it is no replacement for your own research because you can not learn any more about a topic than the person you are talking to knows.
Within computer literacy there are several subcategories.
There is security literacy which at the very least means they know not to click on every popup, but should also mean knowing how to correctly use a firewall like zone alarm on a windows computer. They should also understand what programs need what kinds of access on a non windows computer (this means not giving a root password every time you are prompted).
There is the issue of multiple OSes, a user should recognize that windows xp is not the only OS available and there are alternatives. They should know some basic information about using major OSes before they are considered computer literate.
Identification of hardware pieces is also important, not just the external parts. A person should know a motherboard, what a processor looks like, heat syncs, fans, hard drives, dvd drives, they should recognize all these parts and possibly video cards, and sound cards. They should be able to plug everything in correctly on the outside of the computer.
Basic internet skills starting at a browser. I have to constantly teach my parents that you dont have to doubleclick a link. They need to know the basic media filetypes they will encounter online (.swf, html, video formats etc.) Email is also a basic skill needed, understanding the cc, bcc, to, from, subject fields as well as attachments.
They need to understand the file system. They should be able to navigate to a file using the operating systems file manager. Many people don't realize that the document they created in microsoft word does not exist only in microsoft word, it is a file that is accessible through other programs.
Too much beyond this and you get into literacy in individual programs which varies depending on your concentration. I am an architect and need to know how to use various cad programs and 3d modelers as well as layout tools and even video editing software. None of these are relevant to many users and don't qualify as requirements for computer literacy.
Microsoft office is NOT a requirement for computer literacy, it IS a requirement for most office jobs.
SketchUp works pretty well exporting to other programs for rendering. I am an architecture student, and many of my classmates export its models to Cinema 4D, some textures actually crossover. I have also seen exports to Lightwave and Maya, all very successful. It is best to try to find an importer plugin for the rendering program you are using as exporting from SketchUp to other programs turns all geometries into triangles. If you do not have any other rendering program, SketchUp can actually look very nice if you turn off the edges and profiles under the display settings palette. A little photoshop on the rendering can do wonders as well.
"The quibble, the quiddity, the double-entendre, the amphiboly, aye the amphibology, the pun, the punnet, and the pundigrion, all rest upon the fact that some sounds serve for two meanings...
...Men, being lazy, have boiled down dozens of varieties, and the labels therefore, into the puny word pun.
Notice, I call the physical word, not the mental exercise, puny. Puns are called puny by those that can't make them...
...Nevertheless, those that can make puns usually do. Tradition forbids applause; the approved reception for a pun is a groan. Yet it has been observed that, in their heart of hearts, people like talk seasoned with puns as much as with praises. And of course, no matter how flat your conversation, most people would like to have it flatter."
~Joseph T. Shipley
Perhaps there should be a way to sort comments into puns and useful comments. They are a respectable form of humor which can serve to entertain and educate. Granted they do tend to get in the way of relevant comments sometimes.
I know this is off-topic but your comment got me thinking...
As an architecture student, I would agree with mikerz. The curriculum at my school (UNCC CoA) has a very strong beginning in hand work before any designing can be done on computers. Even once computer use is allowed in classes, hand work is still readily encouraged if not required. This is appropriate for the profession which has a long tradition of hand drawing. Other areas of design do not share the same skill sets.
If someone is taking graphic design courses to be nothing but a web designer, then I don't see the harm in them having no basic drawing skills. You don't expect the guy at McDonalds flipping your burger to be able to cook a gourmet meal. Losing some hand skills in some design professions is to be expected.
I just tested Safari, BonEcho, DeerPark, Camino, Firefox, DEVONagent, iCab, Internet Explorer, Netscape, and Opera all on Mac (most recent versions of each, beta builds of some). Safari is the only one that stayed on the Google page. The others all displayed the correct name though.
"Interestingly, a greater percentage of 12-14 year olds spend time gaming than older teens ages 15-17. Older teens simply may not have the free time for extra hours of gaming or they could be gaming on wireless handsets since 81 percent of teens own or use a wireless phone."
It could also be that at ages 15-17 teens can begin to drive. That added freedom allows for social interaction rather than solo gaming.
Slashdot Mirror
It's an interesting catch-22.
You, my friend, have never met a real architect.
Imagine this in a university setting. Being able to ask the whole university about a topic and getting in touch with the experts on campus about it. Granted it is no replacement for your own research because you can not learn any more about a topic than the person you are talking to knows.
Enter Apple. If you don't count them as overpriced.
There is security literacy which at the very least means they know not to click on every popup, but should also mean knowing how to correctly use a firewall like zone alarm on a windows computer. They should also understand what programs need what kinds of access on a non windows computer (this means not giving a root password every time you are prompted).
There is the issue of multiple OSes, a user should recognize that windows xp is not the only OS available and there are alternatives. They should know some basic information about using major OSes before they are considered computer literate.
Identification of hardware pieces is also important, not just the external parts. A person should know a motherboard, what a processor looks like, heat syncs, fans, hard drives, dvd drives, they should recognize all these parts and possibly video cards, and sound cards. They should be able to plug everything in correctly on the outside of the computer.
Basic internet skills starting at a browser. I have to constantly teach my parents that you dont have to doubleclick a link. They need to know the basic media filetypes they will encounter online (.swf, html, video formats etc.) Email is also a basic skill needed, understanding the cc, bcc, to, from, subject fields as well as attachments.
They need to understand the file system. They should be able to navigate to a file using the operating systems file manager. Many people don't realize that the document they created in microsoft word does not exist only in microsoft word, it is a file that is accessible through other programs.
Too much beyond this and you get into literacy in individual programs which varies depending on your concentration. I am an architect and need to know how to use various cad programs and 3d modelers as well as layout tools and even video editing software. None of these are relevant to many users and don't qualify as requirements for computer literacy.
Microsoft office is NOT a requirement for computer literacy, it IS a requirement for most office jobs.
Yahoo without clutter: http://www.google.com/
There's a very useful program called Audio Hijack which will accomplish that on Mac.
With a little rubber raft they could be floating. Uphill.
SketchUp works pretty well exporting to other programs for rendering. I am an architecture student, and many of my classmates export its models to Cinema 4D, some textures actually crossover. I have also seen exports to Lightwave and Maya, all very successful. It is best to try to find an importer plugin for the rendering program you are using as exporting from SketchUp to other programs turns all geometries into triangles. If you do not have any other rendering program, SketchUp can actually look very nice if you turn off the edges and profiles under the display settings palette. A little photoshop on the rendering can do wonders as well.
Notice, I call the physical word, not the mental exercise, puny. Puns are called puny by those that can't make them...
~Joseph T. Shipley
Perhaps there should be a way to sort comments into puns and useful comments. They are a respectable form of humor which can serve to entertain and educate. Granted they do tend to get in the way of relevant comments sometimes.
I know this is off-topic but your comment got me thinking...
If someone is taking graphic design courses to be nothing but a web designer, then I don't see the harm in them having no basic drawing skills. You don't expect the guy at McDonalds flipping your burger to be able to cook a gourmet meal. Losing some hand skills in some design professions is to be expected.
I just tested Safari, BonEcho, DeerPark, Camino, Firefox, DEVONagent, iCab, Internet Explorer, Netscape, and Opera all on Mac (most recent versions of each, beta builds of some). Safari is the only one that stayed on the Google page. The others all displayed the correct name though.
I think you have some enemies Cheesewhiz. I chuckled a little too.
All drop-down menus in OS X Tiger are translucent, as well as many of the dialogs that drop from the title bar of the window.
"Interestingly, a greater percentage of 12-14 year olds spend time gaming than older teens ages 15-17. Older teens simply may not have the free time for extra hours of gaming or they could be gaming on wireless handsets since 81 percent of teens own or use a wireless phone." It could also be that at ages 15-17 teens can begin to drive. That added freedom allows for social interaction rather than solo gaming.