My favorite virus was the Pong virus. I kept an infected 5 1/4" floppy for the longest time. The original versions didn't to anything overly terrible, but each additional infection caused a new ball to appear.
Back then, I attributed the minimization of effect was due in large part to the publicity. People took precautionary measures. Same as the Y2K problem. It got so much press that people actually took action.
Was it extreme / over the top? Probably, but news has been about sensationalism for a while -- that's how they attract viewers which in turn attracts advertising dollars. But without the hype, people wouldn't have taken action and the problem would have been worse.
FYI. I'm very experienced and I still use W3Schools for reference when I know what I want to do but don't remember the tag or syntax.
But when I want to learn something new, I start by looking for a mentor (I can't always find one, but if I can, it jump starts the learning process). A mentor would be able to help you make the leaps over the gaps you are talking about. A good mentor will point you more than do it for you, but a mentor could say "look into Amazon APIs. An API is a function that they wrote but expose publicly so you don't have to write it." and other such hints to get you from Hello World to a DVD price searching app.
But in the end, there was still a goal (whether yours or someone else's). It's very hard to just start writing code with no idea of where it will end up (unlike say abstract art where just putting brush to canvas begins a process that wanders where it wants).
The parent post is right in that you can show someone an end-point and help them get there. The more interested they are in the end goal, the more motivated they will be to learn what they need to get there. Most classes use contrived end goals (usually because the contrived project specifically needs a technique that is being illustrated), but if you work with an individual (say a nephew), you can tailor the end goals to them specifically and increase their interest in learning.
Even the demoscene had a purpose. Either it was for the "art" or the "neat hack" or "pushing the hardware". It really is about the end result, even if you don't think of it in those terms. I love to code -- anything. But I can't just sit down and write code with no purpose. But, give me a goal, and I'm all over it. The FirstPost was spot on......show someone where they can go and point them in the right direction when they are lost and they'll love programming more than just saying "here's a bunch of tools, go play".....sure, some motivated individuals will come up with their own goal, but not everyone has that end-goal in mind.
I've long used the quote "I'm like Vanilla Ice -- Give me a problem. Yo, I'll solve it." I can code well, I just need that end goal to be motivated to code it.
If I turned on my Commodore and my monitor (green screen) at the same time, the computer was always ready before the tube got warm enough for the screen to "pop" in......of course, playing color games in green and different green were FUN.....
I posted (back on December 26th last year) that Javascript would be a good choice for learning because every modern computer can work with it......much like BASIC back in the day.
The best case for Hypertext Literature is the old Choose Your Own Adventure books. Those evolved into the old Infocom games which turned into the Sierra games which turned into RPG games which evolved into MMOs. If you want to do Hypertext Literature, pick one of the various forms of evolution and be done with it.
I agree. Make the priority based on a metric instead of customer driven. Return on investment is one that most business people understand ($$$ returned for $ spent). Exceptions being legal obligations such as law changes (it's not like businesses WANTED to implement SOX compliance or tax law changes or....etc.).
Sure, you'll get people that game the system in terms of how they evaluate the return and the cost, but it should be a lot harder than the old "mine is top priority because it's mine" that goes on otherwise.
Not just monitor, but actively block certain sites.....or better yet, whitelist resources they should be using and only allow them to go to those. Have the students submit a list of sites they'd like as well (especially if you gave them similar questions for the homeworks and had them cite their resources).
People are starting to equate data size with other sizes already. How many minutes of music does an MP3 Player hold? How many pictures does a 2GB SD card hold? etc. Most ISPs even have a handy little chart that shows you.
I've worked for almost 20 years without a single cert. But recently took a job as a consultant. We're required to get the certs so that the clients get all warm and fuzzy. I'll do it because I'm not worried about the tests (I'm pretty sure I can pass many of them "cold"), but I've know for years that there are good developers with certs and without....just like there are idiots with or without certs.
Why write it down? A piece of thermal paper (available at the register) and a quick rubbing. Won't even take long enough to make you think they considered it. And you can remember the CVV long enough to scratch it in the thermal paper with your nail
Those "printed" codes are getting closer and closer to embossed. A recent card I received (technically it's tied to my FSA) has a CVV number that I can read from the front with the correct angle a light source. I'm sure a photograph of that same card could be processed with GIMP to make it readable as well.
It wasn't ever about being lazy. The default domain extension has always been.COM. So much so that all of the major browsers implemented keyboard shortcuts for it. (in the address bar, type "google" and hit control+enter -- presto chango, http://www.google.com./ It's a little spottier with other domain extensions in that there are some shortcuts defined, but not all browsers support it (and even when there are shortcuts, search toolbars sometimes intercept it).
It's about being forefront in the minds of customers.
I'm efficient........it's just like being a slacker but you get things done. I can do the same amount of work as everyone else in less than half the time. Why should I be punished by doing twice as much work for no additional kudos?
The concept is that electronicly secured cars become wide-spread and common. It was why Windows PCs were attacked with viruses first. Now that Mac is more common, you see more attacks against them. It's why you see malicious Android apps. Soon, you'll start seeing malicious car apps......
It's all about wide spread opportunity. You need a lower percentage of successful attacks as the number of targets increases.
I've never used a QR code reader that auto-navigated to a link. The ones I use will display the content/data....and if it's a URL, will show the URL as a hyperlink. It's up to me to click it. This includes the QR code reader built on my phone.
I don't think I would want a reader that worked any other way. Especially considering that the QR code can contain more than just a link.
The main reason you don't want auto-re-auth is that you don't want those pre-authorized programs to become attack vectors of any sort......annoying, but for your own safety.
And I take it one more level.....I have an Admin account and a Limited account (not the actual account names). I use the Limited account, so when UAC pops up, I can't just click "yes"....I have to actually type my Admin password. I've done the same with every other computer I've set up for friends and family.
I would argue against the iPad 2 because he's already bought in to the Android ecosystem. When people ask me about tablets, I recommend sticking to one technology. If you have an iPhone, get an iPad -- you've already invested in iTunes (apps, movies, music, books) and everything will transfer back and forth easily. If you have an Android phone, get an Android tablet......again, you've spent money/time/effort in getting your phone to work the way you want.....do you really want to do that again with your tablet?
They are all good, but keep it simple by staying in one playground.
Slashdot Mirror
No mod points today, but the parent post summarizes the Internet. +1 insightful.
My favorite virus was the Pong virus. I kept an infected 5 1/4" floppy for the longest time. The original versions didn't to anything overly terrible, but each additional infection caused a new ball to appear.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ping-Pong_virus
Computers were so much more fun when people weren't malicious.
Back then, I attributed the minimization of effect was due in large part to the publicity. People took precautionary measures. Same as the Y2K problem. It got so much press that people actually took action.
Was it extreme / over the top? Probably, but news has been about sensationalism for a while -- that's how they attract viewers which in turn attracts advertising dollars. But without the hype, people wouldn't have taken action and the problem would have been worse.
FYI. I'm very experienced and I still use W3Schools for reference when I know what I want to do but don't remember the tag or syntax.
But when I want to learn something new, I start by looking for a mentor (I can't always find one, but if I can, it jump starts the learning process). A mentor would be able to help you make the leaps over the gaps you are talking about. A good mentor will point you more than do it for you, but a mentor could say "look into Amazon APIs. An API is a function that they wrote but expose publicly so you don't have to write it." and other such hints to get you from Hello World to a DVD price searching app.
But in the end, there was still a goal (whether yours or someone else's). It's very hard to just start writing code with no idea of where it will end up (unlike say abstract art where just putting brush to canvas begins a process that wanders where it wants).
The parent post is right in that you can show someone an end-point and help them get there. The more interested they are in the end goal, the more motivated they will be to learn what they need to get there. Most classes use contrived end goals (usually because the contrived project specifically needs a technique that is being illustrated), but if you work with an individual (say a nephew), you can tailor the end goals to them specifically and increase their interest in learning.
Even the demoscene had a purpose. Either it was for the "art" or the "neat hack" or "pushing the hardware". It really is about the end result, even if you don't think of it in those terms. I love to code -- anything. But I can't just sit down and write code with no purpose. But, give me a goal, and I'm all over it. The FirstPost was spot on......show someone where they can go and point them in the right direction when they are lost and they'll love programming more than just saying "here's a bunch of tools, go play".....sure, some motivated individuals will come up with their own goal, but not everyone has that end-goal in mind.
I've long used the quote "I'm like Vanilla Ice -- Give me a problem. Yo, I'll solve it." I can code well, I just need that end goal to be motivated to code it.
From their perspective, you might as well not.....
Plus, I'm sure your HOA wishes you would mow more.
If I turned on my Commodore and my monitor (green screen) at the same time, the computer was always ready before the tube got warm enough for the screen to "pop" in......of course, playing color games in green and different green were FUN.....
If a million monkeys are given a million typewriters...
Typewriter repairman would still be a viable career choice.
I posted (back on December 26th last year) that Javascript would be a good choice for learning because every modern computer can work with it......much like BASIC back in the day.
http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=2591756&cid=38499508
The best case for Hypertext Literature is the old Choose Your Own Adventure books. Those evolved into the old Infocom games which turned into the Sierra games which turned into RPG games which evolved into MMOs. If you want to do Hypertext Literature, pick one of the various forms of evolution and be done with it.
I agree. Make the priority based on a metric instead of customer driven. Return on investment is one that most business people understand ($$$ returned for $ spent). Exceptions being legal obligations such as law changes (it's not like businesses WANTED to implement SOX compliance or tax law changes or....etc.).
Sure, you'll get people that game the system in terms of how they evaluate the return and the cost, but it should be a lot harder than the old "mine is top priority because it's mine" that goes on otherwise.
Not just monitor, but actively block certain sites.....or better yet, whitelist resources they should be using and only allow them to go to those. Have the students submit a list of sites they'd like as well (especially if you gave them similar questions for the homeworks and had them cite their resources).
My mod points expired yesterday.......this is LOL-worthy.
People are starting to equate data size with other sizes already. How many minutes of music does an MP3 Player hold? How many pictures does a 2GB SD card hold? etc. Most ISPs even have a handy little chart that shows you.
I've worked for almost 20 years without a single cert. But recently took a job as a consultant. We're required to get the certs so that the clients get all warm and fuzzy. I'll do it because I'm not worried about the tests (I'm pretty sure I can pass many of them "cold"), but I've know for years that there are good developers with certs and without....just like there are idiots with or without certs.
Why write it down? A piece of thermal paper (available at the register) and a quick rubbing. Won't even take long enough to make you think they considered it. And you can remember the CVV long enough to scratch it in the thermal paper with your nail
Those "printed" codes are getting closer and closer to embossed. A recent card I received (technically it's tied to my FSA) has a CVV number that I can read from the front with the correct angle a light source. I'm sure a photograph of that same card could be processed with GIMP to make it readable as well.
It wasn't ever about being lazy. The default domain extension has always been .COM. So much so that all of the major browsers implemented keyboard shortcuts for it. (in the address bar, type "google" and hit control+enter -- presto chango, http://www.google.com./ It's a little spottier with other domain extensions in that there are some shortcuts defined, but not all browsers support it (and even when there are shortcuts, search toolbars sometimes intercept it).
It's about being forefront in the minds of customers.
I'm efficient........it's just like being a slacker but you get things done. I can do the same amount of work as everyone else in less than half the time. Why should I be punished by doing twice as much work for no additional kudos?
The concept is that electronicly secured cars become wide-spread and common. It was why Windows PCs were attacked with viruses first. Now that Mac is more common, you see more attacks against them. It's why you see malicious Android apps. Soon, you'll start seeing malicious car apps......
It's all about wide spread opportunity. You need a lower percentage of successful attacks as the number of targets increases.
Clipboard and the + sign?
http://security.thejoshmeister.com/2009/04/how-to-preview-shortened-urls-tinyurl.html
Or, you know, don't click it.
I've never used a QR code reader that auto-navigated to a link. The ones I use will display the content/data....and if it's a URL, will show the URL as a hyperlink. It's up to me to click it. This includes the QR code reader built on my phone.
I don't think I would want a reader that worked any other way. Especially considering that the QR code can contain more than just a link.
The main reason you don't want auto-re-auth is that you don't want those pre-authorized programs to become attack vectors of any sort......annoying, but for your own safety.
And I take it one more level.....I have an Admin account and a Limited account (not the actual account names). I use the Limited account, so when UAC pops up, I can't just click "yes"....I have to actually type my Admin password. I've done the same with every other computer I've set up for friends and family.
I would argue against the iPad 2 because he's already bought in to the Android ecosystem. When people ask me about tablets, I recommend sticking to one technology. If you have an iPhone, get an iPad -- you've already invested in iTunes (apps, movies, music, books) and everything will transfer back and forth easily. If you have an Android phone, get an Android tablet......again, you've spent money/time/effort in getting your phone to work the way you want.....do you really want to do that again with your tablet?
They are all good, but keep it simple by staying in one playground.