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Comment Re:not that kind of device (Score 4, Insightful) 340

I think everybody in this country should learn how to program a computer—should learn a computer language, because it teaches you how to think. -Steve Jobs

-Creates the most closed-walled operating system, and charges to program for it.

-Uses obscure and illogical languages for his walled garden's standard

-Perpetually disrespects other platforms and options which are open-source and available to 'teach people to think'.

Comment Re:So, use an emulator... (Score 2) 340

What I don't understand is why, when schools are facing record-low budgets(thanks, war-profiteering asshole politicians), are they buying the most expensive option for tablets?

Why do they not have a pile of the HP TouchPads (super cheap, around $200US) and just run Android on them? They are large, the screen looks fantastic, it's cheap as dirt, and it runs the most popular mobile OS.

Comment Re:Nope (Score 1) 340

I bought a TI-84+ for a sibling last month, and it still has TI-Basic and ASM(via computer) just like my 5-year-old one. $105 or so at Target.

I think for reasons of standardized tests and testing acceptance they don't change their flagship lines very much, if at all.

Comment Re:Nope (Score 1) 340

Only recently, but that's the problem. Today's average student has become dumb and lazy. When I was in school, EVERYONE programmed their calculator, to the point that some teachers would take them away during class because we'd all be playing games on them instead of paying attention.

Comment Re:They shouldn't be using IPad or TI (Score 1) 340

Making it easy to learn is the complete opposite of the point here. We WANT it to be a challenge to learn, and to have good documentation for them to look things up in. That makes them learn HOW to program, as well as HOW to look up things they may not know yet. If it's just "Oh, click this blue button, then this red button, and suddenly I have a 'class' object I can drag around..." then you're not really teaching them anything useful.

I vividly remember how much fun it was to write chat or game programs for the TI- series, and I even once went as far as to write a chat program and later build a wireless(IR) connector system to 'pass notes' with friends in class. In all honesty, I believe that TI was the first computer I ever owned that was 100% mine.

It came with a basic-like language to program in(my new one accepts ASM as well), which is perfect for beginners, and the owner's manual was a 100-page tome of useful information on commands, programming, graphing, variables and data, etc. I think I learned more about math from that calculator and manual than from any of the nonsense homework the teachers gave.

Comment Re:Only if they have a phrenology test (Score 0, Troll) 282

I still don't understand why people assume monitoring breathing, heart rate, and skin conductivity is a 'crackpot' solution. There is a scientific basis behind it, unlike most actual 'crackpot' areas. It doesn't ALWAYS work, and it's (clearly) beatable, but it's still a science.

It's not like they're praying to the aliens in orbit to read the person's mind and tell them if they're lying or not.

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