danparks - Slashdot User

Aussie Scientists Find Coconut-Carrying Octopus 205

Posted by timothy on Tuesday December 15, 2009 @02:40PM from the concealed-carry-in-australian-waters dept.

An anonymous reader writes with this excerpt from an AP report: "Australian scientists have discovered an octopus in Indonesia that collects coconut shells for shelter — unusually sophisticated behavior that the researchers believe is the first evidence of tool use in an invertebrate animal. The scientists filmed the veined octopus, Amphioctopus marginatus, selecting halved coconut shells from the sea floor, emptying them out, carrying them under their bodies up to 65 feet (20 meters), and assembling two shells together to make a spherical hiding spot. ... 'I was gobsmacked,' said Finn, a research biologist at the museum who specializes in cephalopods. 'I mean, I've seen a lot of octopuses hiding in shells, but I've never seen one that grabs it up and jogs across the sea floor. I was trying hard not to laugh.'"

Computer Games and Traditional CS Courses 173

Posted by Soulskill on Wednesday November 25, 2009 @02:12AM from the terrible-terrible-games dept.

drroman22 writes "Schools are working to put real-world relevance into computer science education by integrating video game development into traditional CS courses. Quoting: 'Many CS educators recognized and took advantage of younger generations' familiarity and interests for computer video games and integrate related contents into their introductory programming courses. Because these are the first courses students encounter, they build excitement and enthusiasm for our discipline. ... Much of this work reported resounding successes with drastically increased enrollments and student successes. Based on these results, it is well recognized that integrating computer gaming into CS1 and CS2 (CS1/2) courses, the first programming courses students encounter, is a promising strategy for recruiting and retaining potential students." While a focus on games may help stir interest, it seems as though game development studios are as yet unimpressed by most game-related college courses. To those who have taken such courses or considered hiring those who have: what has your experience been?

Comment Article Title (Score 1) 159

by danparks on Wednesday March 18, 2009 @12:49AM (#27237335) Attached to: Homebrew Microcontroller Laptop, Made of Wood

I hate these "Homebrew Xxxx" /. article titles. My initial, reactionary thought is always that the article has something to do with the more interesting topic of brewing beer from home. Then a second later my excitement fades when I realize it's just another tech article ...

Comment Re:If you have a publisher, ask them. (Score 2, Interesting) 325

by danparks on Sunday December 21, 2008 @09:20PM (#26195779) Attached to: Tools & Surprises For a Tech Book Author?

It depends on whether you're writing for a publisher or are self-publishing.

I've written about 20 tech books for major publishers. They all used MS Word. It's the publisher's call. If they use Word, then the editors will use Word - including the tech editor and copy editor, who will both use Word's comment feature to enter their comments.

Spend what seems a disproportionate amount of time writing the table of contents. That organizes the whole book for you and makes everything following flow better.

Gear your writing for the target audience. If the book is for a beginner/intermediate level audience, write it that way. The book isn't a vehicle for your knowledge. The book is intended to teach the reader a topic, not to inform the reader how much you know about the topic.

From the article submission:

> Did you encounter any surprises that you wish you > had known about back when you started out?

Yes. One big surprise is how little money you'll make ;-)

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