Comment Re:5million? pocket change (Score 1) 148
Yes, pocket change in a national election. But as Larry said, they're only trying to influence a few Congressional races this year, and more of them in 2016.
Comment Re:One way to make politics so much more exciting. (Score 1) 148
For those who don't know: At the bottom of every page there's a link from "Beta" to the real Slashdot site.
Comment Re:One way to make politics so much more exciting. (Score 3, Informative) 148
The transcript for this video was a little late, but it's up now.
Video Lawrence Lessig Answers Your Questions About His Mayday PAC (Video) 148
Submission + - "The Internet's Own Boy"
theodp writes: The Internet's Own Boy, the documentary about the life and death of Aaron Swartz, was appropriately released on the net as well as in theaters this weekend, and is getting good reviews from critics and audiences. Which is kind of remarkable, since the Achilles' heel of this documentary, as critic Matt Pais notes in his review, is that "everyone on the other side of this story, from the government officials who advocated for Swartz’s prosecution to Swartz’s former Reddit colleagues to folks at MIT, declined participation in the film." Still, writer/director Brian Knappenberger manages to deliver a compelling story, combining interesting footage with interviews from Swartz's parents, brothers, girlfriends, and others from his Internet projects/activism who go through the stages of joy, grief, anger, and hope that one sees from loved ones at a wake. "This remains an important David vs. Goliath story," concludes Pais, "of a remarkable brain years ahead of his age with the courage and will to fight Congress-and a system built to impede, rather than encourage, progress and common sense. The Internet’s Own Boy will upset you. As it should." And Quinn Norton, who inadvertently gave the film its title ("He was the Internet’s own boy," Quinn said after Swartz's death, "and the old world killed him."), offers some words of advice for documentary viewers: "Your ass will be in a seat watching a movie. When it is done, get up, and do something."
Submission + - Google: CS Global Impact Awards Make Teachers, Boys Beholden to Girls
theodp writes: After announcing that it's investing $50 million to get girls to code, it's no surprise that the Google Global Impact Awards for Computer Science are, for the most part, reserved for girls. Some may be surprised, however, by how Google is touting the benefits of its Promoting Introductory Computer Science for All, a no-boys-allowed initiative that sets aside $1,000,000 for DonorsChoose credits that girls who complete Codecademy and Khan Academy online programming tutorials can use to reward teachers and classmates. Google explains, "'Girls in the program have not only learned a new skill — they can also point around their classroom at exciting new materials and say, 'I earned that for our class by learning to code.'" Which may sound empowering to Google, but to others it may sound a little like how Don Draper established his dominance over Betty on Mad Men ("Birdie, what do you put in that freezer I bought you?"). One also wonders what pressure teachers might put on girls to get them to deliver close to $4,000 in DonorsChoose gift codes (e.g., 28 $100 codes + 2 $500 bonus codes). The Sun-Times notes that Chicago Public School (CPS) teachers are participating in a summer professional development program hosted by Google in its efforts to CS to schools in K-12 throughout Chicago: "The launch of CS4All [Computer Science for All], in partnership with Code.org and supported by Google, starts this fall in 60 CPS schools to try to bridge the digital divide and prepare students."
Comment CSTA K-12 CS Standards: Mapped to Common Core (Score 1) 113
CSTA K-12 CS Standards: Mapped to Common Core State Standards. BTW, Google recently hired the Executive Director of CSTA as a Computer Science Education Program Manager.
Comment CS Version of What Your 6th Grader Needs to Know? (Score 1) 113
Ever thumb through the series of books like "What Your Sixth Grader Needs to Know" by now-retired E. D. Hirsch, Jr. to see if your kids were missing anything "big"? With schools in NYC and Chicago rolling out K-12 CS programs starting next Fall, has anyone seen a grade-by-grade proposed syllabus or checklist along these lines showing what's going to be covered at each grade level?. BTW, Hirsch unsurprisingly supports giving Common Core the old college try, although he conceded, "Not even most prescient among us can know whether the Common Core standards will end in triumph or tragedy."
Submission + - Is K-12 CS Education the Next Common Core?
theodp writes: In an interview with The Washington Post's Lyndsey Layton that accompanied her report on How Bill Gates Pulled Off the Swift Common Core Revolution (the Gates Foundation doled out $233 million in grants to git-r-done), Gates denied that he has too much influence in K-12 education. Despite Gates' best efforts, however, there's been more and more pushback recently from both teachers and politicians on the standards, GeekWire's Taylor Soper reports, including a protest Friday by the Badass Teacher Association, who say Gates is ruining education. “We want to get corporations out of teaching,” explained one protester. If that's the case, the "Badasses" probably won't be too pleased to see how the K-12 CS education revolution is shaping up, fueled by a deep-pocketed alliance of Gates, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and others. Google alone has already committed $90 million to influence CS education. And well-connected Code.org, which has struck partnerships with school districts reaching over 2M U.S. students and is advising NSF-funded research related to the nation's CS 10K Project, will be conducting required professional development sessions for K-12 CS teachers out of Google, Microsoft, and Amazon offices this summer in Chicago, New York City, Boston, and Seattle. So, could K-12 CS Education ("Common Code"?) become the next Common Core?
Comment Re: Repeat after me... (Score 1) 534
Here in Norfolk, we had a young man that decided to just start shooting. He first killed a 17-year old kid in Norfolk, who was waiting at a traffic light.
When the police were investigating, he shot at them, and killed one, severely wounded to other.
There then was another cop who responded, and ordered the shooter to stand down; he started to shoot, and was killed.
Now, I'm going to point out that the cop who died was a really good guy, who would always tell his coworkers, 'it doesn't matter what happens here, so much as it matters what happens in heaven. That's why you need to get right with Jesus.'
Now, with an attitude like that, I suspect he would have been a little slower on the draw. It's too bad he died.
I also think he had a good effect on those around him. It's too bad he died.
If someone's going to die, I don't prefer that the cop be the first one to die. I prefer that nobody dies.
Comment Re:So what you're saying... (Score 1) 66
Not my "meme." I rarely, if ever, refer to it.
But, it's true. Capitalism relies on private control and a free, competitive market. Crony capitalism is government control and a resulting non-free market by explicitly decreasing competition.
I mean, sure, you can call it whatever you want to, but when I say "capitalism works" and someone says "crony capitalism is proof it doesn't," that's just stupid, because crony capitalism flatly violates some of the primary tenets of capitalism.
Comment Re:So what you're saying... (Score 1) 66
It was a different fork of this thread.
So you admit you lied.
Crony capitalism
False, but telling that you think such a stupid thing. To you, there's no difference between freedom, and not-freedom. It's just two different options, neither better than the other.
It is also noted that you have still failed to produce an example of a federal regulation that actually impedes profitability of health insurance companies.
a. I never saw you ask that. It might've been in the comment I replied to, and I didn't see it, because after your massive whopper about what you want people to think crony capitalism is, I stopped reading.
b. Why would I produce an example of something I never asserted? Once again: holy shit, you're retarded.
Comment Re:Big "if" (Score 1) 66
For example, does state law say you cannot participate in GOP runoff if you participated in Dem primary?
I think that's the case McDaniel is making, and I haven't heard it refuted.
I haven't seen the case strongly made. If you have a link, I'd be obliged. Stories I saw all handwaved at it.
You don't seem to understand that in modern America, "having rules and enforcing them" == "voter suppression".
But they are Republicans. Voter suppression is expected. It's OK.
Check the mirror and see if you don't notice a big ol' raaaaacist in there, or something.
Only because I see YOU STANDING BEHIND ME. What the fuck, man?!?
Comment Re:So what you're saying... (Score 1) 66
Sorry, no. I have these things called pride and integrity.
Google Is Offering Free Coding Lessons To Women and Minorities 376
redletterdave writes: According to a blog post from Gregg Pollack, CEO of the Code School, Google is paying for three free months for any women and minorities interested in tech to expand their skills. The offer is part of Google's $50 million "Made With Code" initiative, which aims to help close the gender gap in tech. While Google is also offering the same vouchers to the women in attendance at its annual I/O developers conference this week, the search giant has released an online application that's available to women everywhere. Google says its available vouchers for women number in the "thousands."
