I don't agree is better. Is different, but is not better. A lot of people hide behind the screen/mobile device and talk whatever smack they want, free of guilt because there are no consequences to what they say. Of course this only applies to interactions between two strangers. But you will never replace an actual face-to-face talk with another human, because 93% of the conversation is transmitted via nonverbal communication (http://humanresources.about.com/od/interpersonalcommunicatio1/a/nonverbal_com.htm). Just think about the tones we use when talking. They can really change the meaning of what someone's saying. You can't transmit that on a text.

What about scrabble? seems like almost obvious. Or Boggle.

100 degrees CELSIUS is the temperature where the water boils, not Fahrenheit. 100F = 38C roughly. Science much?

That's because equations add more complexity to the "sentence" (let's call it that way) you're writing. The computer doesn't know what are you trying to do, so you have to tell them that this number goes here, with a line under it, and another number directly that line, for a fraction, or even worse, special characters like roots, integrals, etc. I agree 100% that writing an equation is much faster than using a computer to do it, that's why you still see all kinds of scientists still using notepads and chalkboards / whiteboards for their work.

But then you're comparing cursive to an art, and I agree with that. But as an art is isn't "needed" per se, but to satisfy an urge to see "beautiful" things. Yeah, drawings tend to result in stick figures and people can paint outside the lines, but you don't read those, you just look at them. When it comes to writing, you're communicating something in a different way art does. You want it to be clear for others to read, and everybody should read the same (we're not going into the complexity of if they actually understand what you meant or not, that's another issue). So if you can't read a "scrawl" that was actually important to you, who's to blame?

I relate to what you say, I had the same thing going on in school for me. It made it hard for me once I got to the university cause then I really had to work and study for it. And now that I'm done with both, if they made me choose, I'd go back to the university. It was a hundred times more difficult, but it made it more rewarding when I got good grades.

There's a difference between being an adult physically speaking, and an adult in the mind. The body is always one step ahead, and you can probably see around many, many adults who act like children. Not because you can get pregnant/get someone pregnant at the age of 14 means you're an adult, not by far. Of course, there are exceptions of very mature teens, but they're the very much minority here.

Numbers are not really arbitrary. But they are generalizations.

My University in Chile had Windows and Linux labs for the computer department. You could use either depending of what kind of assignment/programming you needed to do. I had classes where we focused on Microsoft stuff (VB, ASP, etc) or we wanted to use macromedia products, so we used the windows lab. But for others, specially in C programming and similar, was much better to use the linux lab. The ambient in both was very different too hehe.

As far as I know, we had NO support in Macs. Who cares about macs? You can do whatever is needed for computer and software dev in either windows or linux. I *think* the Design department had some, but eh.

Oh wait, the language lab had macs :P

I'd say the same about the "boyfriend" model but for other reasons... shave much?

What? I'm one and I don't even understand them. I don't even understand myself, those days when I do things that in a logical way I would never do. That's what I get for being a geeky lady: you do brain stuff, and still there are days where my female hormones reign. Is hell, believe me, hell!

And this is not only true for attractive females, but for attractive males as well. I, for one, prefer to have hot sex with the average joe than pretending to feel "in awe" cause I scored with a hot guy. Hell yes.

What way, like getting good grades because I should? well, I thought like that when I was in school. When I was in grad school, I wanted good grades (or decent at least) so I could get my degree, and also because I felt like I should. I don't need someone paying me to get them, I did it for myself.

I'd mod you up if I didn't have posts in this topic already. There are things in life you should be doing good no matter if you get a reward or not. Getting decent grades at school (specially if your parents are paying for it, is a way to let them know you actually care about their efforts), is one of them. There are so many things that go wrong when you start rewarding things that just shouldn't. It would be like paying people to be good. How wrong is that.

Well in my knowledge, bribes have always been there to make kids with low scores attempt to get higher ones, like parents promising the kid to buy them whatever they want, or taking them wherever they want, or similar. I bet money has been there too. But that seems to be ok for kids with very low interest in learning. Like someone wrote several posts above, you don't need to do that with kids that get high scores, they already have their own motivation to do so. If you pay them, those motivations will be crushed by the incentive of money, and that sounds like corrupting to me. If those kids get used to be bribed like that, what stops them from taking bribes once they have jobs, to do something not very, eh, ethical perhaps?