There are many different roles with the computer field. You say you lack the ability to do even basic math, but also that you are very bright.
I infer that by this you mean that your intelligence lies outside of mathematical skills. Strictly speaking, computer science can be similar to a math degree, and you might not want to go that route.
In business, however, not everyone is a computer scientist. In my experience, that type of a degree is more suited to scientific, engineering, and generally abstract types of programming. This is usually (but not always) associated with some mathematical skills, and a Com Sci degree would help.
In business a huge percentage of the undertaking of software development centers around tasks outside of this. For instance, project planning, requirements gathering, testing, and technical writing are all tasks that are integral to software development, but not neccessarily related to math or 'hard' CS skills.
You could try pursueing a Business Degree, an Informations Systems degree, or even an English degree.
A recent study published by the highly regarded Laura Kidio and her Yankee finding the TCO of desktop is much higher than of Windows XP Pro.
In a very serious study with no sillyness whatsoever, once factoring in the high cost of download and installing Debian Linux, the TCO is actually 327$, compared to Microsoft's low low $199 price tag.
Its really simple folks. Because pc's are by nature hackable, the media used to populate games will be able to copied reasonably easily. Users tend to hate dongles, activation, and other measures that thwart this.
On the other hand, consoles can use custom media, custom hardware, and other features that 'harden' the platform, and piracy difficult. Also because of this, consoles have a much larger rental market. (that plus the plugNplay nature of consoles.) The rental market enlarges the aggregate, and so standalone PC games are much harder to make money on.
Personally, I think we still aren't to the point where a mobile phone can replace a landline, but, there are two options I can think of.
I am ignoring the possibility of using a pda for email and shopping. You'll go blind, and input is a pain in the tush.
So log onto ebay and get an old laptop for two or three hundred. Look for the good brands, IBM, Apple, Toshiba, and plan on buying a replacement battery. Then get a good 502.11g card for it. Use the os you wish, you can probably get knoppix running really fast, although windos 98se is ubiquitous and easy to set up. (please! no flame wars!)
If your mom really doesn't want to have a landline, in our area you can get a pcmcia Wireless modem for a couple of hundred for the card and 79/monthly. Or consider locating the nearest Starbucks, or Panera, or University or some other hotspot where she can go have a coffee and do her occasional emailing/shopping.
"SCO group, while announcing on Thursday the impending lawsuit of its last and final customer, saw its stock price rise, then fall, then mysteriously hover at an oddly inflated price."
In a related story, Darl McBride who was recently marooned on a deserted island after a freak plane wreck, was forced to resort to self-cannabalism to survive. Mr. McBride was quoted as saying "ladyfingers-- they taste just like ladyfingers!"
Its not that they charged him, its that they dated the charge X, and then posted it at X+45 days, and then told him he couldn't get his money back b/c 60 days had transpired since X.
This is clearly bogus, and it is you sir, the anonymous coward parent who should be donning the 'ol asshat.
If you are in a hurry, and know of several progams that work for windows. Just buy Virtual PC, or some other emulator (you might want to try Bochs).
The only question is price. If your time is worth the price of the VirtualPC software. But this would seem to be the simplest answer to your question.
And please, spare me the philosophy. I understand the reasons for going pure-mac, or pure-linux, or pure-whatever, but the question is "How to I get from A->B most effictively" and that is how I answered this question.
Re:Theres no scientific proof for any of this.
on
Working with ADHD?
·
· Score: 1
There is no such thing as a "normal" person. Everyone has traits which benefit them and society and which dont. There is not a single person on planet earth with the perfect mix of traits and genes. People either have short tempers, depression, anxiety problems, ADD, Socialpath/Psychopath,Dyslexia etc. There is no such thing as a normal person. So please do not tell me that you are somehow "normal" due to a pill, you are simply hiding the real you using the pill so that you may better fit into what society expects from you.
This is silly. ADD is an accepted medical condition. Your mind is part of your body. Illnesses are treated by doctors, sometimes with medicine.
While you say that Manic Depression, ADD, Schizophrenia, are not illnesses, any Medical doctor would say you are wrong.
By your argument my broken leg is just a "mobility trait." Then, you conclude that this is some personal flaw and I should just suck it up and not go to a doctor. Seeking treatment would then disturb my "normal self" of having a "mobility trait."
If you are sick, see a doctor. Its really simple. Don't pretend to be some expert on what is and is not a medically treatable condtion.
As for whether or not to use medication, your argument fails too. If I have an infection I will take penicillin. If I have a mental illness I will do whatever it takes to feel better. Case closed.
I remember when a previous employer had four servers set up in a mini-rack. It was a very efficient use of space. As far as a laptop goes.
Options:
Get an old pentium and make do, for 350.
Best Buy has HP 1.8ghz celeron lappy's for 699 and up
If you do need the power of a P4, then you will probably have to pay for it.
Pros of the laptop:
Built in UPS
Very low power consumption
Cons:
compatibility may be an issue if you run linux
longevity not as good as server
bang per dollar
OTOH, you mention the mini-itx cases. Why? Because they are cool? I don't think they use any less power than a full size. Is there a space constraint?
with the mini itx
Pros
Cheaper
sort-of expandable
cheaper replacement parts
looks cool -- chicks dig it
Cons
more power usage
I guess my big question is what are you gonna do with it? "The usual geek stuff" can be handled with a P-300 last I checked-- just buy an old laptop. But also, is power that expensive? You are *buying* a house, the ten bucks a month in electric surely won't bust ya. I don't get it.
"Of those developers who said they would stick
with Visual Basic, one-third said they plan to upgrade to the latest version, called VB.Net."
So of the developers who liked VB and intended to continue using it, two thirds plan on not continuing to use the same tools forever? They just see themselving cranking out serpenting procedural code with no option explicit, late binding object references and using one character variable names for as long as they can possibly get away with it?
Hmmmm... sounds like government work to me.
But seriously. VB is a huge product no longer being developed. Of course people will use something else. What the heck else are they going to do?
I mean, the Atari 2600 is technically undead because people still make new games for it, trade games, and even make goofy hardwood handheld versions of it.
This is all uber-cool and very stimulating to my inner nerd self, but lets be real-- its not exactly giving the Xbox a run for the money.
On the other hand, the dreamcast is a very nice little custom game platform. I am surprised no one has figured out commercial applications for a 50 dollar Windows CE based platform that has zippy graphics, a cd-rom drive, and a modem. Hey, add a crad reader and a tv and you could make it into an ATM!
Oh well. I bought the Dreamcast for one reason, and one reason only. A reason that refuses to die even this very day. And that reason is....
S E A M A N !
(start Leonard Nimoy's voice)
Welcome back. It is good to see you so..... (unnatural pause)...soon
Ok, a few pointers fro working at home, from my limited experience.
1.)Establish boundaries. If you set a place for work, use it for work only, and exclusively. This will help you to keep from getting distracted.
2.)Leave. I may be the only one, but it just drove me NUTS to have to work at home all day, then go outside my office and say, "Honey, I'm home!" I would reccomend, nutty as it sounds, gettingn in your car and driving to the 7-11 for a coffee in the morning, go to starbucks for a break in the afternoon. I would try and arrange errands to bracket my working day, so there would be a fixed beginning and end.
3.)Use a cell phone. Cheaper, faster, easier, to set up thana land line. Off hours just turn it off and say it was charging/batteries dead, whatever.
4.)Count your blessings. New York company willing to let you work from home in this market? You sir, are very good, or very lucky, or both. Kudos!
in all earnestness, you the telecommuting thing is pretty easy, just stay focused and have fun. Good luck.
Actually, Homer Simpson didn't write it. He is a cartoon character and is incapable of original thought. So there! Actually, I just figured that _everybody_ on slashdot knows _every_ simpsons quote.
I think he should be recognized as such, and as such, he should be surrounded at all times by jersey walls, and many security personnel.
He should be protected, for his own good and the country's good. Even if it means keeping him under house arrrest. Even if it means keeping him in one of those subterranean fortresses surrounded by vast amounts of concrete. He can write his humorous columns in troll-like solitude in the murky darkness, protected and safe.
Only then can we be assured of his the continuance of his fractured take on society that is so desperately needed in these harsh modern times. Then and opnly then. My only question is...
Who's with me?
(Dave if you're reading this, I have a big red van, so if you see me and several of my milita freinds dressed as ninjas and sneaking into your house at night to save you, don't worry.)
WThe last time I went on a cruis with my wife, we checked out expedia, travelocity, and a fewe other bargain online sites. We even figured out the exact cruise we wanted. Then we booked it through a travel agent.
Why? Well, The travel agent got us the same price. And she pointed out a few things about cruises we didn't know. And she had a bottle of wine sent to our table during the cruise. Experience does matter, and if you find someone who knows there business, then you can do well going with a real live person.
And everything I said matters even more if you are going into unchartered territory, like somewhere you have never been to before.
But, price does rule, so if you know what you want, and you are sure that you can get a better deal online, then book away.
Just don't torture yourself on your honeymoon with some leave at 6am --- take 7 connections --- got it from priceline flight.
>>No, no one will force you to work twelve hours a >>day. They can easily find someone else who will >>*willingly* do so, to feed their family and pay >>their debts.
I'm sorry, but that's a load. You should know going into a job what the work environment is like. As an exempt employee (one who's pay is not tied to hours worked, only to days worked) you have a right to know what the company expects from you.
Look around and make a judgement call. Say, "I will willingly work a 45 hour week, plus more on occasion" or some other reasonable standard. Companies, or at least good managers, realize that most people have lives outside of work. If you are good at your job then chances are they will want to keep you happy rather than work you until burn out and then watch you leave. (Yes, even in this shitty job market the upper quartile in any field rarely wants for work for any length of time.)
And those co-workers who are *willingly* putting 12 hour days without request or compensation are workaholics or naive or both. If you love your job enough to gladly work boku hours, or maybe if you're gunning for a promotion then maybe its ok. Otherwise don't waste your time (IMHO, of course).
the Northern Virginia/DC area, is pretty cool. While not, say, California cool, it has:
3% unemployment.
While telecom has been nuked, the government sector is growing and defense contractors are hiring. (Can you say homeland security?)
You are halfway between the chesapeake bay and the Shenandoah mountains, so most people can find something (sailing, hiking, lazing at the beach, hanging out downtown) to do.
And, when bored, you can always go to the whitehouse and watch people protesting all manners of things.
I don't know, its okay down here. Housing is expensive by most standards, but still maybe half of NoCal standards.
I have two kids, 4 years and two years. I had purchased an Interact ProStick (I think), and when that got beaten up, I bought a USB Tornado, Aracde tyle joystick. A tabletop, Joystick and button type joystick.
Anna (the 4 yr old) has gotten pretty good at the joystick. Mostly we play Super Mario Games on ZSNES, and emulator fro the pc.
I have seen similar 1 and two player joysticks for PS/PS2 and others, one I know if is the HOtRod, although that is kind of pricey.
Cons: No analog support Pros: Easy to use with little fingers.
Independant Consultants typically incorporate and carry a blanket 2 million dollar liability insurance package. The liability isn't really an issue for most companies.
First of all. PS2 and XBOX systems have custom chips designed to be cheap to produce and are married to logic boards that eek every last bit of performace out of them. Couple that with long productions run and you get a cheap per unit cost. PS2's and XBOX's, unlike PC's, are not locked into the hardware upgrade cycle. Instead, they have a product lifespan nof just a few years.
That being said, I guess your question is really why pay 400 bucks for a graphics card? I don't know. The last card I bought was a Voodoo Banshee. I guess you can buy a real good card (64med and DirectX 8.1) for less than a hundred bucks, and that probably gets you PS2 or XBOX quality graphic, more or less.
The real high priced items are for cutting edge, which people are always willing to pay for. Look at TV's, stereo components, whatever. People always pay a premium to be an early adopter, or to be in the top 5 or 10 percent, or just to brag to thier freinds that they have that nifty new Invadeon 5 million card that can play Morrowind at more than 10 FPS. Whoop-tee-do!
Who said anything about physically harming someone in order to go to prison? If you steal a car you go to jail. If you set a house on fire you go to jail. If you commit fraud and cause a multi-billion dollar company to go belly up, you (should) go to jail. etc etc etc...
Slashdot Mirror
There are many different roles with the computer field. You say you lack the ability to do even basic math, but also that you are very bright.
I infer that by this you mean that your intelligence lies outside of mathematical skills. Strictly speaking, computer science can be similar to a math degree, and you might not want to go that route.
In business, however, not everyone is a computer scientist. In my experience, that type of a degree is more suited to scientific, engineering, and generally abstract types of programming. This is usually (but not always) associated with some mathematical skills, and a Com Sci degree would help.
In business a huge percentage of the undertaking of software development centers around tasks outside of this. For instance, project planning, requirements gathering, testing, and technical writing are all tasks that are integral to software development, but not neccessarily related to math or 'hard' CS skills.
You could try pursueing a Business Degree, an Informations Systems degree, or even an English degree.
Good luck to you
--Pete
A recent study published by the highly regarded Laura Kidio and her Yankee finding the TCO of desktop is much higher than of Windows XP Pro.
In a very serious study with no sillyness whatsoever, once factoring in the high cost of download and installing Debian Linux, the TCO is actually 327$, compared to Microsoft's low low $199 price tag.
Once you make a deal with the devil, you can not easily get your soul refunded.
(i'm kidding, ok?)
Its really simple folks. Because pc's are by nature hackable, the media used to populate games will be able to copied reasonably easily. Users tend to hate dongles, activation, and other measures that thwart this.
On the other hand, consoles can use custom media, custom hardware, and other features that 'harden' the platform, and piracy difficult. Also because of this, consoles have a much larger rental market. (that plus the plugNplay nature of consoles.) The rental market enlarges the aggregate, and so standalone PC games are much harder to make money on.
Personally, I think we still aren't to the point where a mobile phone can replace a landline, but, there are two options I can think of.
I am ignoring the possibility of using a pda for email and shopping. You'll go blind, and input is a pain in the tush.
So log onto ebay and get an old laptop for two or three hundred. Look for the good brands, IBM, Apple, Toshiba, and plan on buying a replacement battery. Then get a good 502.11g card for it. Use the os you wish, you can probably get knoppix running really fast, although windos 98se is ubiquitous and easy to set up. (please! no flame wars!)
If your mom really doesn't want to have a landline, in our area you can get a pcmcia Wireless modem for a couple of hundred for the card and 79/monthly. Or consider locating the nearest Starbucks, or Panera, or University or some other hotspot where she can go have a coffee and do her occasional emailing/shopping.
best of luck!
--Pete
I mean, the new nintendo handheld is news, but the potential working name that might be used is kind of stretching it a little bit, don't you think?
I can just see the upcoming headlines...
"SCO group, while announcing on Thursday the impending lawsuit of its last and final customer, saw its stock price rise, then fall, then mysteriously hover at an oddly inflated price."
In a related story, Darl McBride who was recently marooned on a deserted island after a freak plane wreck, was forced to resort to self-cannabalism to survive. Mr. McBride was quoted as saying "ladyfingers-- they taste just like ladyfingers!"
peace
--Pete "I do my shopping at Autozone" Shaw
you are missing the point.
Its not that they charged him, its that they dated the charge X, and then posted it at X+45 days , and then told him he couldn't get his money back b/c 60 days had transpired since X.
This is clearly bogus, and it is you sir, the anonymous coward parent who should be donning the 'ol asshat.
If you are in a hurry, and know of several progams that work for windows. Just buy Virtual PC, or some other emulator (you might want to try Bochs).
The only question is price. If your time is worth the price of the VirtualPC software. But this would seem to be the simplest answer to your question.
And please, spare me the philosophy. I understand the reasons for going pure-mac, or pure-linux, or pure-whatever, but the question is "How to I get from A->B most effictively" and that is how I answered this question.
There is no such thing as a "normal" person. Everyone has traits which benefit them and society and which dont. There is not a single person on planet earth with the perfect mix of traits and genes. People either have short tempers, depression, anxiety problems, ADD, Socialpath/Psychopath,Dyslexia etc. There is no such thing as a normal person. So please do not tell me that you are somehow "normal" due to a pill, you are simply hiding the real you using the pill so that you may better fit into what society expects from you.
This is silly. ADD is an accepted medical condition. Your mind is part of your body. Illnesses are treated by doctors, sometimes with medicine.
While you say that Manic Depression, ADD, Schizophrenia, are not illnesses, any Medical doctor would say you are wrong.
By your argument my broken leg is just a "mobility trait." Then, you conclude that this is some personal flaw and I should just suck it up and not go to a doctor. Seeking treatment would then disturb my "normal self" of having a "mobility trait."
If you are sick, see a doctor. Its really simple. Don't pretend to be some expert on what is and is not a medically treatable condtion.
As for whether or not to use medication, your argument fails too. If I have an infection I will take penicillin. If I have a mental illness I will do whatever it takes to feel better. Case closed.
I remember when a previous employer had four servers set up in a mini-rack. It was a very efficient use of space. As far as a laptop goes.
Options:
Get an old pentium and make do, for 350.
Best Buy has HP 1.8ghz celeron lappy's for 699 and up
If you do need the power of a P4, then you will probably have to pay for it.
Pros of the laptop:
Built in UPS
Very low power consumption
Cons:
compatibility may be an issue if you run linux
longevity not as good as server
bang per dollar
OTOH, you mention the mini-itx cases. Why? Because they are cool? I don't think they use any less power than a full size. Is there a space constraint?
with the mini itx
Pros
Cheaper
sort-of expandable
cheaper replacement parts
looks cool -- chicks dig it
Cons
more power usage
I guess my big question is what are you gonna do with it? "The usual geek stuff" can be handled with a P-300 last I checked-- just buy an old laptop. But also, is power that expensive? You are *buying* a house, the ten bucks a month in electric surely won't bust ya. I don't get it.
sorry, I meant papercdcase. Too much coffee, man!
I have started using this brilliant origami-type hand folded paper cd case solution, and you get a side viewable edge. Highly reccomended.
I just loved this part
"Of those developers who said they would stick
with Visual Basic, one-third said they plan to upgrade to the latest version, called VB.Net."
So of the developers who liked VB and intended to continue using it, two thirds plan on not continuing to use the same tools forever? They just see themselving cranking out serpenting procedural code with no option explicit, late binding object references and using one character variable names for as long as they can possibly get away with it?
Hmmmm... sounds like government work to me.
But seriously. VB is a huge product no longer being developed. Of course people will use something else. What the heck else are they going to do?
I mean, the Atari 2600 is technically undead because people still make new games for it, trade games, and even make goofy hardwood handheld versions of it.
...soon
This is all uber-cool and very stimulating to my inner nerd self, but lets be real-- its not exactly giving the Xbox a run for the money.
On the other hand, the dreamcast is a very nice little custom game platform. I am surprised no one has figured out commercial applications for a 50 dollar Windows CE based platform that has zippy graphics, a cd-rom drive, and a modem. Hey, add a crad reader and a tv and you could make it into an ATM!
Oh well. I bought the Dreamcast for one reason, and one reason only. A reason that refuses to die even this very day. And that reason is....
S E A M A N !
(start Leonard Nimoy's voice)
Welcome back. It is good to see you so.....
(unnatural pause)
Ok, a few pointers fro working at home, from my limited experience.
1.)Establish boundaries. If you set a place for work, use it for work only, and exclusively. This will help you to keep from getting distracted.
2.)Leave. I may be the only one, but it just drove me NUTS to have to work at home all day, then go outside my office and say, "Honey, I'm home!" I would reccomend, nutty as it sounds, gettingn in your car and driving to the 7-11 for a coffee in the morning, go to starbucks for a break in the afternoon. I would try and arrange errands to bracket my working day, so there would be a fixed beginning and end.
3.)Use a cell phone. Cheaper, faster, easier, to set up thana land line. Off hours just turn it off and say it was charging/batteries dead, whatever.
4.)Count your blessings. New York company willing to let you work from home in this market? You sir, are very good, or very lucky, or both. Kudos!
in all earnestness, you the telecommuting thing is pretty easy, just stay focused and have fun. Good luck.
Actually, Homer Simpson didn't write it. He is a cartoon character and is incapable of original thought. So there! Actually, I just figured that _everybody_ on slashdot knows _every_ simpsons quote.
Anyway, I'll update the sig.
Dave Barry is a national treasure!
I think he should be recognized as such, and as such, he should be surrounded at all times by jersey walls, and many security personnel.
He should be protected, for his own good and the country's good. Even if it means keeping him under house arrrest. Even if it means keeping him in one of those subterranean fortresses surrounded by vast amounts of concrete. He can write his humorous columns in troll-like solitude in the murky darkness, protected and safe.
Only then can we be assured of his the continuance of his fractured take on society that is so desperately needed in these harsh modern times. Then and opnly then. My only question is...
Who's with me?
(Dave if you're reading this, I have a big red van, so if you see me and several of my milita freinds dressed as ninjas and sneaking into your house at night to save you, don't worry.)
Why? Well, The travel agent got us the same price. And she pointed out a few things about cruises we didn't know. And she had a bottle of wine sent to our table during the cruise. Experience does matter, and if you find someone who knows there business, then you can do well going with a real live person.
And everything I said matters even more if you are going into unchartered territory, like somewhere you have never been to before.
But, price does rule, so if you know what you want, and you are sure that you can get a better deal online, then book away.
Just don't torture yourself on your honeymoon with some leave at 6am --- take 7 connections --- got it from priceline flight.
>>No, no one will force you to work twelve hours a >>day. They can easily find someone else who will >>*willingly* do so, to feed their family and pay >>their debts.
I'm sorry, but that's a load. You should know going into a job what the work environment is like. As an exempt employee (one who's pay is not tied to hours worked, only to days worked) you have a right to know what the company expects from you.
Look around and make a judgement call. Say, "I will willingly work a 45 hour week, plus more on occasion" or some other reasonable standard. Companies, or at least good managers, realize that most people have lives outside of work. If you are good at your job then chances are they will want to keep you happy rather than work you until burn out and then watch you leave. (Yes, even in this shitty job market the upper quartile in any field rarely wants for work for any length of time.)
And those co-workers who are *willingly* putting 12 hour days without request or compensation are workaholics or naive or both. If you love your job enough to gladly work boku hours, or maybe if you're gunning for a promotion then maybe its ok. Otherwise don't waste your time (IMHO, of course).
the Northern Virginia/DC area, is pretty cool. While not, say, California cool, it has:
3% unemployment.
While telecom has been nuked, the government sector is growing and defense contractors are hiring. (Can you say homeland security?)
You are halfway between the chesapeake bay and the Shenandoah mountains, so most people can find something (sailing, hiking, lazing at the beach, hanging out downtown) to do.
And, when bored, you can always go to the whitehouse and watch people protesting all manners of things.
I don't know, its okay down here. Housing is expensive by most standards, but still maybe half of NoCal standards.
good luck to you--peace and joy
--Pete
I have two kids, 4 years and two years. I had purchased an Interact ProStick (I think), and when that got beaten up, I bought a USB Tornado, Aracde tyle joystick. A tabletop, Joystick and button type joystick.
Anna (the 4 yr old) has gotten pretty good at the joystick. Mostly we play Super Mario Games on ZSNES, and emulator fro the pc.
I have seen similar 1 and two player joysticks for PS/PS2 and others, one I know if is the HOtRod, although that is kind of pricey.
Cons: No analog support
Pros: Easy to use with little fingers.
Good luck!
Independant Consultants typically incorporate and carry a blanket 2 million dollar liability insurance package. The liability isn't really an issue for most companies.
First of all. PS2 and XBOX systems have custom chips designed to be cheap to produce and are married to logic boards that eek every last bit of performace out of them. Couple that with long productions run and you get a cheap per unit cost. PS2's and XBOX's, unlike PC's, are not locked into the hardware upgrade cycle. Instead, they have a product lifespan nof just a few years.
That being said, I guess your question is really why pay 400 bucks for a graphics card? I don't know. The last card I bought was a Voodoo Banshee. I guess you can buy a real good card (64med and DirectX 8.1) for less than a hundred bucks, and that probably gets you PS2 or XBOX quality graphic, more or less.
The real high priced items are for cutting edge, which people are always willing to pay for. Look at TV's, stereo components, whatever. People always pay a premium to be an early adopter, or to be in the top 5 or 10 percent, or just to brag to thier freinds that they have that nifty new Invadeon 5 million card that can play Morrowind at more than 10 FPS. Whoop-tee-do!
My advice. Buy cheap card. Play old games.
Who said anything about physically harming someone in order to go to prison? If you steal a car you go to jail. If you set a house on fire you go to jail. If you commit fraud and cause a multi-billion dollar company to go belly up, you (should) go to jail. etc etc etc...