The Digital Revolution, as it were, entails a great deal more than just the computers on our desktopes. We are being shortsighted if we view the territory of the Digital era as such, that we should presume that it is only the IT industry which benefits. It includes credit cards, cell phones, in-car navigation systems, etc... So I can pay at the pump now. It saves me time. Maybe not a whole lot of time, but I like that extra 30 seconds to a couple of minutes in my day, especially when I'm running behind. And often I pay with a check card, so I don't owe anyone else a dime for interest. Convenient. I don't have to carry huge wads of cash with me, and should I lose my check card, I can call and get it invalidated immediately. Is my money "safe". No. I know very well that someone can rip-off my number, but I still feel better about using that card than I do about carrying excessive amounts of cash with me.
When my car broke down miles from town, I wanted to kick myself for not owning a cellphone. Night's getting ready to settle in, and there I was, a college female stranded alone by the side of a highway, and no one was expecting me for hours. I felt unsafe, and I felt stupid for not having a phone with me.
Sure, some of these advances are merely conveniences, but I think some of them bring vast improvements for our personal security. It is silly of us to talk about the effects of the Digital Revolution now, when we are just in the beginning of it. The impact of this age will not be able to be properly decided for at least another 15-20 years. Then we will be able to evaluate the change that it has had on all of our lives. Furthermore, it is just as silly to presume that the effects, both beneficial and malevolent, of the digital era will be felt only by those of us in the IT industry. I could only think of credit cards and cellphones, but we know that the number of products which the average person in a developed nation comes in contact iwth are far beyond those.
We are too close to the epicenter to judge the effects of these times.
There is an obvious bias in the way this lego test is set up. In the article, it was stated that the candidates are being evaluated on their leadership ability while building the lego robot, which begs the question, if everyone is leading, who's doing the building?
For every leader, you need followers. There is no progress if everyone tells everyone else what to do; I hope these students, students which are so disadvantaged in their situation that this might be their only shot at getting into a good school and getting a college level education, are being fairly evaluated. You can be intelligent without being a leader. Sometimes the brighter kid is the one that shuts up and follows the directions of those that took charge before him/her. Why? Because the brighter kid realizes that the project is in capable hands and that in order to complete the project, someone needs to follow along and do the work. The brighter kid nows that sometimes its better to work within the confines of a system than to take charge him/herself and create schism in the group. Pissing contests, while great fun, don't serve any productive purpose.
I guess it all depends on the intelligence of those people evaluating these kids. Cross your fingers.
Re:Funny, But too close to home..
on
Dear Mr. Lucas
·
· Score: 1
Anakin, not Akin.
You're inability to properly name the character for which you are vying might slightly detract from your plea for the position. Better luck next time. *grin*
George, I want to be in Episode 2, but near as I can figure, Anakin is the only opening...
Hmm... Well, I *am* female, but maybe this isn't a Bad Thing... Just think of all the extra times guys will come to see Episode 2 for the lesbian action. I even have short hair. And I can fence. Hey, this is looking better all the time. I mean, I'm not a lesbian right now, but that could be negotiable if that's what it'll take to be in Star Wars.
Come on. THINK of the possibilities. And for those parents that might complain, you can write my being female off as a kindof Mary Martin as Peter Pan kindof deal. If that's not wholesome family entertainment, I don't know what is...
Everyone keeps saying "HEY, DID YOU SEE THAT POLL??? ONLY 10% THOUGHT WINDOWS WAS STABLE." Stop and think my friends: how many of those votes were from fellow slashdotters?
I'm not saying Windows is stable; I'm saying that the poll, like any other internet poll, is skewed.
But the hobbyists wouldn't be able to "dink" around with it if it weren't Open Source. Most hobbyists use it because it's a free alternative to the various incarnations of Windows. If it weren't Open Source, it wouldn't be free, because someone would have copyrighted our friend the penguin and would be charging for users' licenses - putting a big damper on the hobbyist element.
Furthermore, we are just NOW in the throws of the revolution. The seeds were planted long ago and they are just now showing their fruits. Wait 5 years before making the statement that Open Source hasn't revolutionized anything. We'll know soon enough, but right now we're too close to see the big picture.
Advice can be taken or ignored. He didn't force you to accept his advice did he?
The problem is that the article misrepresented "geek girls" in a poor light and it did so to a very large audience. Who, might I ask, are geek girls supposed to find a date with? Your "traditional" male is frightened of geek girls due to superiority/inferiority of intellect issues and now geek males have been informed that geek girls are undesirable.
This also begs the question: why can't geek girls be supportive, compassionate, and loving? The truth is that geek females range in their capacity to fulfill these qualities just as much as your geek male. Certainly there are geek males who are compassionate. It's the blanket condemnation of geek females that is problematic.
Another/.er made the statement that a woman needs to serve the geek in question selflessly because that's what love is about: being selfless. I won't dispute that - but the original article failed to make the point that a man need be just as selfless. Guys need to be willing to drop coding for a night because sometimes their partner needs them too. Love is about give and take, and both parties need to be willing to give.
Now see, that's my problem. All this time I've been walking with my head up and my shoulders back. I knew I must have been doing something wrong. All of these football players have been drooling around me like/.ers at a Transmeta post.
Never fear, my male geek brethren, if you know that a man page isn't something put out by Playboy, there's a good chance that there are feminine types out there looking for you.:-) Being female, it's kinda weird sometimes being one of only two or three in a CIS class of 40. However, times are changing, and there are more and more females enrolling in the major every year. It's amazing the change I've seen in the past 4 years. BUT, as I have gotten to know more and more females in the field, I've found that many of us are looking for guys like ourselves. It's just nice to have someone to talk to that understands what it is that you do. A statement of the obvious, I know, but I think it needs to be said. Often times, I get the feeling that male "computer geeks" forget that there are females just like them: Nitrozac, for one.
So, if you're in school, don't be afraid to ask out us female-geeks for a cup of coffee. Now, mind you, try to steady your voice before doing so. Don't try to be really cool and make jokes about "interfacing", or replace "HI" with "ACK" - just follow the standard procedure: be yourself.;)
Hmm... Hope you'll be in charge of the "translator", otherwise Echelon is no longer an issue. The UN (and therefore, our own governments) will automatically be monitoring anything which is translated...
I attend Ohio State where I am a senior majoring in CIS. The powers that be surveyed the incoming OSU freshman and found that approx. 25% of them plan on majoring in... CIS. Dear god almighty - you say, eh? How will the IT industry survive such an influx of potential workers?
Well, here's the thing: There's no way that many of these kiddies are going to make it through our CIS program. Why? A number of factors: 1) Universities are raising GPA requirements for potential CIS majors because CIS departments cannot accomodate the demand. 2) Many of these "potentials" think that they want to be programmers because they like Star Trek and they enjoy a good game of Quake. When they actually sit down to write a lab and it takes them 8 hours to finish it, they'll think twice. When they have to sit through a whole lecture on binary, or B-Trees, or regular expressions and finite automata, they'll think about it again. And some of them will drop.
I graded for the department for 4 quarters, and I watched a lot of kids walk away. So, there _will_ be a significant increase in CIS graduates, but it will not be to the degree we've been hearing. The colleges can't graduate that many, because the infrastructure isn't there in the depts., nor will that many potential students be able to cope with the very mathematical, very dry nature of the course work.
I spent a couple minutes typing a few words into Merriam Webster's Online Dictionary According to our fair Webster's, terrorism is a means of using violence "to intimidate a population or government into granting their demands."
Because so much vital information is now stored in the networks of this world's computers, we would be silly or naive to consider attacks against these networks as something other than terrorism when such attacks are made by an organized movement with non-monetary motives (then its just plain criminal). Consider the ramifications of cracking the NYSE computers (economic ruin?)... Or perhaps networks associated with power utilities (chaos?).
The claim has been made that "cyberterrorism" is non-violent, but is that true? Although Webster's says violence is "an exertion of physical force so as to injure or abuse." Nothing on the internet is physical, so I think we have to consider the general intent of this word instead. In the cyber realm, I propose "violence" can only mean "an act intended to injure or abuse."
Perhaps I'm making an unnecessarily big deal about this, but terror can occur in many forms in a world which has so many levels to it. Fear is all that is necessary.
First let me preface this by saying that I didn't respond to the original Jane's article, basically because I didn't feel I had anything of worth to supply. Here, however, I think I can be of help. Hate to mention this kiddies, but this is not a democratic institution either. The users cannot vote on what to do with the funds because those comments are still primarily owned by those that submitted them. However,/. might want to claim that since it was a post in a/. forum,/. owns all copyrights on said comments. Either way, its not a democratic issue. I think we're also overlooking how intrinsically cool this is for those who end up being quoted -> beyond the possibility of remuneration is the extra bonus of being used as a source for international intelligence by Jane's, the premier (non-government) name in the intelligence industry. That just rocks.
In 2005 China at last invades Taiwan. Nobody does anything because they are so F***ing huge. It is later learned that Bill Gates acquired China in 2003. The US Economy is now entirely controlled by Gates, as he not only owns the most prevalent OS in the nation, but also controls the source of all plastic figurines. George Lucas halts his merchandising plan for Star Wars 3 so as not to strengthen Bill's grip on the world. Furthermore, Linux gains ground as millions of patriotic Americans do their part to weaken the Chinese/Gates hold on America.
Slashdot Mirror
When my car broke down miles from town, I wanted to kick myself for not owning a cellphone. Night's getting ready to settle in, and there I was, a college female stranded alone by the side of a highway, and no one was expecting me for hours. I felt unsafe, and I felt stupid for not having a phone with me.
Sure, some of these advances are merely conveniences, but I think some of them bring vast improvements for our personal security. It is silly of us to talk about the effects of the Digital Revolution now, when we are just in the beginning of it. The impact of this age will not be able to be properly decided for at least another 15-20 years. Then we will be able to evaluate the change that it has had on all of our lives. Furthermore, it is just as silly to presume that the effects, both beneficial and malevolent, of the digital era will be felt only by those of us in the IT industry. I could only think of credit cards and cellphones, but we know that the number of products which the average person in a developed nation comes in contact iwth are far beyond those.
We are too close to the epicenter to judge the effects of these times.
There is an obvious bias in the way this lego test is set up. In the article, it was stated that the candidates are being evaluated on their leadership ability while building the lego robot, which begs the question, if everyone is leading, who's doing the building?
For every leader, you need followers. There is no progress if everyone tells everyone else what to do; I hope these students, students which are so disadvantaged in their situation that this might be their only shot at getting into a good school and getting a college level education, are being fairly evaluated. You can be intelligent without being a leader. Sometimes the brighter kid is the one that shuts up and follows the directions of those that took charge before him/her. Why? Because the brighter kid realizes that the project is in capable hands and that in order to complete the project, someone needs to follow along and do the work. The brighter kid nows that sometimes its better to work within the confines of a system than to take charge him/herself and create schism in the group. Pissing contests, while great fun, don't serve any productive purpose.
I guess it all depends on the intelligence of those people evaluating these kids. Cross your fingers.
You're inability to properly name the character for which you are vying might slightly detract from your plea for the position. Better luck next time. *grin*
I want to be in Episode 2, but near as I can figure, Anakin is the only opening...
Hmm... Well, I *am* female, but maybe this isn't a Bad Thing... Just think of all the extra times guys will come to see Episode 2 for the lesbian action. I even have short hair. And I can fence. Hey, this is looking better all the time. I mean, I'm not a lesbian right now, but that could be negotiable if that's what it'll take to be in Star Wars.
Come on. THINK of the possibilities. And for those parents that might complain, you can write my being female off as a kindof Mary Martin as Peter Pan kindof deal. If that's not wholesome family entertainment, I don't know what is...
Just think about it... That's all I'm asking.
Even the continents drift - George F. Will
I'm not saying Windows is stable; I'm saying that the poll, like any other internet poll, is skewed.
Furthermore, we are just NOW in the throws of the revolution. The seeds were planted long ago and they are just now showing their fruits. Wait 5 years before making the statement that Open Source hasn't revolutionized anything. We'll know soon enough, but right now we're too close to see the big picture.
The problem is that the article misrepresented "geek girls" in a poor light and it did so to a very large audience. Who, might I ask, are geek girls supposed to find a date with? Your "traditional" male is frightened of geek girls due to superiority/inferiority of intellect issues and now geek males have been informed that geek girls are undesirable.
This also begs the question: why can't geek girls be supportive, compassionate, and loving? The truth is that geek females range in their capacity to fulfill these qualities just as much as your geek male. Certainly there are geek males who are compassionate. It's the blanket condemnation of geek females that is problematic.
Another /.er made the statement that a woman needs to serve the geek in question selflessly because that's what love is about: being selfless. I won't dispute that - but the original article failed to make the point that a man need be just as selfless. Guys need to be willing to drop coding for a night because sometimes their partner needs them too. Love is about give and take, and both parties need to be willing to give.
George Will: Even the continents drift.
Never fear, my male geek brethren, if you know that a man page isn't something put out by Playboy, there's a good chance that there are feminine types out there looking for you. :-) Being female, it's kinda weird sometimes being one of only two or three in a CIS class of 40. However, times are changing, and there are more and more females enrolling in the major every year. It's amazing the change I've seen in the past 4 years. BUT, as I have gotten to know more and more females in the field, I've found that many of us are looking for guys like ourselves. It's just nice to have someone to talk to that understands what it is that you do. A statement of the obvious, I know, but I think it needs to be said. Often times, I get the feeling that male "computer geeks" forget that there are females just like them: Nitrozac, for one.
So, if you're in school, don't be afraid to ask out us female-geeks for a cup of coffee. Now, mind you, try to steady your voice before doing so. Don't try to be really cool and make jokes about "interfacing", or replace "HI" with "ACK" - just follow the standard procedure: be yourself. ;)
Hmm... Hope you'll be in charge of the "translator", otherwise Echelon is no longer an issue. The UN (and therefore, our own governments) will automatically be monitoring anything which is translated...
Well, here's the thing: There's no way that many of these kiddies are going to make it through our CIS program. Why? A number of factors: 1) Universities are raising GPA requirements for potential CIS majors because CIS departments cannot accomodate the demand. 2) Many of these "potentials" think that they want to be programmers because they like Star Trek and they enjoy a good game of Quake. When they actually sit down to write a lab and it takes them 8 hours to finish it, they'll think twice. When they have to sit through a whole lecture on binary, or B-Trees, or regular expressions and finite automata, they'll think about it again. And some of them will drop.
I graded for the department for 4 quarters, and I watched a lot of kids walk away. So, there _will_ be a significant increase in CIS graduates, but it will not be to the degree we've been hearing. The colleges can't graduate that many, because the infrastructure isn't there in the depts., nor will that many potential students be able to cope with the very mathematical, very dry nature of the course work.
Because so much vital information is now stored in the networks of this world's computers, we would be silly or naive to consider attacks against these networks as something other than terrorism when such attacks are made by an organized movement with non-monetary motives (then its just plain criminal). Consider the ramifications of cracking the NYSE computers (economic ruin?)... Or perhaps networks associated with power utilities (chaos?).
The claim has been made that "cyberterrorism" is non-violent, but is that true? Although Webster's says violence is "an exertion of physical force so as to injure or abuse." Nothing on the internet is physical, so I think we have to consider the general intent of this word instead. In the cyber realm, I propose "violence" can only mean "an act intended to injure or abuse."
Perhaps I'm making an unnecessarily big deal about this, but terror can occur in many forms in a world which has so many levels to it. Fear is all that is necessary.
First let me preface this by saying that I didn't respond to the original Jane's article, basically because I didn't feel I had anything of worth to supply. Here, however, I think I can be of help. Hate to mention this kiddies, but this is not a democratic institution either. The users cannot vote on what to do with the funds because those comments are still primarily owned by those that submitted them. However, /. might want to claim that since it was a post in a /. forum, /. owns all copyrights on said comments. Either way, its not a democratic issue. I think we're also overlooking how intrinsically cool this is for those who end up being quoted -> beyond the possibility of remuneration is the extra bonus of being used as a source for international intelligence by Jane's, the premier (non-government) name in the intelligence industry. That just rocks.
In 2005 China at last invades Taiwan. Nobody does anything because they are so F***ing huge. It is later learned that Bill Gates acquired China in 2003. The US Economy is now entirely controlled by Gates, as he not only owns the most prevalent OS in the nation, but also controls the source of all plastic figurines. George Lucas halts his merchandising plan for Star Wars 3 so as not to strengthen Bill's grip on the world. Furthermore, Linux gains ground as millions of patriotic Americans do their part to weaken the Chinese/Gates hold on America.