Another post mentioned the 'fight or flight' response that is triggered during panic attacks. I've been experiencing panic attacks since the 2nd grade (hereditary, thanks Dad!), and have found that once I have an 'exit strategy' of sorts worked out, it helps to calm everything down.
Basically, assuming you can't head the attack off at the pass, once it's in full swing, just tell yourself '5 more minutes (or questions), and then I'll leave'. Once the five minutes is up, reassess and see if you can hack another 5, and so on.
(It can also help if you make sure you sit in a seat with decent airflow around it. The fresh air helps to get enough oxygen where it's needed, which makes you feel a lot better)
don't look at your high school grades, personal interviews, recommendations or essays in making their decisions.
We have that in Western Australia, and it works fine. Basically, you do a set of exams, the scores from which are used to calculate your 'tertiary entrance score' (TES). The students with the highest scores get accepted to Uni, those with lower scores either try again, or go on to do something else. (There are alternative methods of entry (mature age tests, grants, etc), but they're only used by a relatively small percentage of students)
It helps to get rid of a lot of bias in who gets in and who doesn't (even if it does make for a few months of exam-study hell).
Not so much that people hate to go outside, but even where I live, in a relatively small city, the light pollution is enough to obscure a good portion of the stars. (To the point that they have to move the observatory every couple of decades, since 'civilisation' keeps on encroaching)
Don't get me wrong, I like a well-designed interface as well as the next person, but from the sounds of what they've got set up in TFA, they're tryng to make IT 'prettier' specifically for girls.
I just think it underrates the female half of the species. Girls that are genuinely interested in IT will gravitate towards it, no matter how it's presented.
Hmmmm.... how about a system whereby the pressing of a button releases water previously held in a resevoir, causing the contents of the receptacle to be forced down a series of pipes into the sewerage system?
(Finally, the dream of the flushless society is realised!)
What do gun control laws mean if anybody can get an AK-47 at the push of a button? What about producing infectious diseases like anthrax or ebola, or even creating a nuclear weapon? Does anyone know if Star Trek (or other sci-fi) ever analyzed such issues?
Not sure about other sci-fi, but in the Star Trek universe, replicators were blocked from producing weapons and other dangerous goods (not to mention, even if they could produce a phaser, they wouldn't be able to produce the power pack for it since they can only replicate matter, not energy)
The alleged environmental impact was when the use was ultra-widespread, like dusting crops.
The problem with chemicals such as DDT is that they are persistent within the environment, and bioaccumulate. The levels used in a wetland to control mosquitos may only be low, but still be enough to damage the higher-order predators, as well as the mosquitos (ie: 1 frog gets a dose of x mg. A bird eats 10 frogs, bringing its dose to 10x. A cat eats 10 birds, which makes its dose 100x, etc)
DDT can also mimic oestrogren in some species, causing developmental problems in male offspring
Ok, so assuming that the US actually manages to get one of these up and running, what happens when they use it?
Unless it's capable of completely obliterating the target, surely it will result in a fairly large quantity of uncontrolled space junk floating around?
Just to play Devil's advocate, isn't what the record companies are trying to do essentially the same as the pricing structure of your average Blockbuster store?
Everyone wants to see the 'new thing out' so they charge you $x for an overnight rental, but a 20 year old B-grade slasher flic only costs $x for the entire week, otherwise no-one would be interested in renting it. The concept is basically the same, just substitute 'music' for 'movie.
While I don't doubt that it's possible that the recording industry has some nefarious reason for variable pricing, on the flip side it could also benefit artists whose work might not necessarily be downloaded if people had to pay 'full' price.
Slashdot Mirror
Basically, assuming you can't head the attack off at the pass, once it's in full swing, just tell yourself '5 more minutes (or questions), and then I'll leave'. Once the five minutes is up, reassess and see if you can hack another 5, and so on.
(It can also help if you make sure you sit in a seat with decent airflow around it. The fresh air helps to get enough oxygen where it's needed, which makes you feel a lot better)
We have that in Western Australia, and it works fine. Basically, you do a set of exams, the scores from which are used to calculate your 'tertiary entrance score' (TES). The students with the highest scores get accepted to Uni, those with lower scores either try again, or go on to do something else. (There are alternative methods of entry (mature age tests, grants, etc), but they're only used by a relatively small percentage of students)
It helps to get rid of a lot of bias in who gets in and who doesn't (even if it does make for a few months of exam-study hell).
(j/k! j/k! It's impossible to play golf with emus, they never sit still on the tee long enough)
Ow! Ref! The human just kicked me in my power coupler! The pain! The pain! ::convincing limp::...
Not so much that people hate to go outside, but even where I live, in a relatively small city, the light pollution is enough to obscure a good portion of the stars. (To the point that they have to move the observatory every couple of decades, since 'civilisation' keeps on encroaching)
No kidding, "The University of Western Australia Murdoch University"? I think somebody missed a comma.
I just think it underrates the female half of the species. Girls that are genuinely interested in IT will gravitate towards it, no matter how it's presented.
Surely it would be better to concentrate more on those students who are genuinely interested in ('boring',normal) IT, whatever their gender?
Keep Bluetooth switched off unless you're specifically using it. No avenue of transmission = no virus.
Because no one, no matter how heinous their crime, deserves to have to see me watching tv in my dodgy PJs.
Considering the current cost of palladium (~$338 an ounce), you'd hope so.
(Finally, the dream of the flushless society is realised!)
Not sure about other sci-fi, but in the Star Trek universe, replicators were blocked from producing weapons and other dangerous goods (not to mention, even if they could produce a phaser, they wouldn't be able to produce the power pack for it since they can only replicate matter, not energy)
The problem with chemicals such as DDT is that they are persistent within the environment, and bioaccumulate. The levels used in a wetland to control mosquitos may only be low, but still be enough to damage the higher-order predators, as well as the mosquitos (ie: 1 frog gets a dose of x mg. A bird eats 10 frogs, bringing its dose to 10x. A cat eats 10 birds, which makes its dose 100x, etc)
DDT can also mimic oestrogren in some species, causing developmental problems in male offspring
It can also cause deformities and immuno supression.
Satellite-debris fireballs from the sky, anyone?
Yep, the giant squid taste mighty fine this year.... (but we may have to up our quota next year, just to be sure)
Everyone wants to see the 'new thing out' so they charge you $x for an overnight rental, but a 20 year old B-grade slasher flic only costs $x for the entire week, otherwise no-one would be interested in renting it. The concept is basically the same, just substitute 'music' for 'movie.
While I don't doubt that it's possible that the recording industry has some nefarious reason for variable pricing, on the flip side it could also benefit artists whose work might not necessarily be downloaded if people had to pay 'full' price.
New Scientist reported on this one in January