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Comment Re:Change? In the web? Not really. (Score 1) 246

Maybe, but most of the applications, as many others have pointed out in this thread, are of the "take this data from the database and show it on a web page". Just because specialized applications do exist doesn't mean that there isn't value in a pool of people who can create the simple, repetitive and more common applications - especailly applications that have been spec'd and architected by others.

Comment Re:Change? In the web? Not really. (Score 1) 246

You don't need to understand the significance of the data to plot it on a chart with the right axes names.

That must be the misperception that causes everyone to make just about every application that displays a chart pretty much useless by extrapolating or connecting dots or applying smoothing when they shouldn't, failing to use appropriate compression functions on axes scales, and not providing widgets appropriate to the tasks in which the data is needed.

I think that comes under the category of "requirements capture". Unless you're an expert in every possible field, the person who generated the data will need significant input into how that data is displayed.

Comment Re:Change? In the web? Not really. (Score 1) 246

What? No. The front-end displays the calculations that the back-end has calculated. Presumably the back-end is engineered by engineers, mathematicians or statistician, not web-designers. You don't need to understand the significance of the data to plot it on a chart with the right axes names. While a grounding in math, statistics, etc. etc. is not wasted, experts in these fields would not be my first choice of UI designers.

Comment Re:Planned intimidation tactic (Score 2) 1034

They don't really need the footage. Everyone is guilty of something. Selective procecution is the name of the game:

Prosecutors claim Qwest CEO Joseph Nacchio was guilty of insider trading, and that his prosecution had nothing to do with his refusal to allow spying on his customers without the permission of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. But to this day, Nacchio insists that his prosecution was retaliation for refusing to break the law on the NSA's behalf.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/...

Comment Re:Don't go to college, it's clearly not for you (Score 1, Troll) 384

Oh no, if we just spend enough money on schools, and feed little Johnny a federal breakfast, we'll find that everyone is smart enough to be an electrical engineer. Even all the little minority kids are geniuses but we lie and say they're not because racism. Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit. I'm sick of it.

Assuming that you're not just a racist troll (it's not clear from the posting) I think you're missing the point.

While I agree that there is an innateness to intelligence, failing to educate capable kids is bad for society. The geniuses (Einstein, Turing, etc.) may make it, but a potentially great brain surgeon may be working as a middle-manager at a department store because there was no path to medical school.

Comment Re:Uh, no... (Score 1) 366

I'm not anti-government, but the statement above is still true. I am anti-stupidity and hypocracy.

You're local EPA can measure it's success in PPM of various pollutants. But we sorta forget that (which is odd, what with all the news of China's cities, or with the "Smog Days" in major American Cities).

The USFDA is pushing for companies to perform their own food inspection. I'm sure that there are some very dedicated and hardworking people at the USFDA. I'm equally sure that there's excess headcount. I don't think that the change in food inspection policy include actually decreasing headcount at the USFDA (might be wrong on that).

Police measure crime rates.

Despite filling the prisons and militarization of the police forces along with more money spent on police and quasi-police organizations (eg TSA) there has been no significant change in crime and people don't feel safer. They quote decreases like lower homicide rates, but much of that can be attributed to improved medical care. Billions have been dropped in the "War on Drugs" with no measurable effect. You can't cut that simply because billions have already been spent - it's a success.

The Fed Reserve can measure economic growth. And the SEC can measure how much money was lost by investors on shoddy investments.

Yes, yes, a huge and successful bureaucracy, the SEC. It's good to see the government protect investors from bad investments while promoting lottery sales purchases. There's a balance to be struck there, and the size of the SEC is unrelated to that.

A bit more regulation before the housing bust woulda been nice. Anyone remember Glass-Seagal? As Liz Warren pointed out we had 50 years w/o a major bust until we repealed that...

OK, you're right, in this case we have a clear measure of the success of this department - they failed miserably. Did we defund them? Change anything? I agree that it's a legislative problem, but why do we fund a department that is unsuccessful in it's effort? Thinking about it, we have a clear indication that some departments are successful. For example, NLRB. The GOP have been trying to defund that for a while. Given that we have a clear metric that useless organziation are fully funded, presumably the ones that are being defuned must be doing something.

Comment Re:Overreach (Score 1) 366

For-profit organizations can measure their success by revenues. Government organization can only measure success by the size of the department - the number of people employed. More people, bigger budget, more successful. Similarly an "effective" Congress member has more aides, more campaign funds and more junkets paid by lobbists.

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