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Comment Re:Wilfully drain batteries? (Score 5, Informative) 174

Another issue is that a lot of developers are writing mobile applications the same way they might for a desktop computer in an office with a significantly more reliable Internet connection. They aren't considering the reality that a connection may be intermittent, or drop off unexpectedly, and the effort the phone goes through to re-establish that connection.

Comment Profitable?? Ha Ha (Score 1) 997

Don't be fooled by that. Management always gives some abstract time period during which the employees will need to sacrifice. It's like "War on drugs" or "War on terrorism". You'll work like a bitch, and in the end get nothing.

Don't tell me that your company gets revenue from advertising, too.

Comment Re:Close captioned? (Score 1) 115

I used to work there back in the early 90s when it was still the Public Affairs Video Archives. Not long before I left, I wrote software to parse closed-captioning and generate metadata for the program. It would collect things like what part of the session congress was in, the topics being discussed, who was talking, vote outcomes, etc.

The biggest problem by far was there because it is a live program, there were a lot of misspellings that had to be accounted for, as the people doing the closed captions didn't really pay any attention to what was being said, just what sounds they heard. A lot of times, a word or part of a word, would be spelled like a similarly sounding word.

I'm not sure what ever happened to it after I left.....

Comment Now where did I leave that pesky DNA? (Score 1) 544

This student from Yale (I don't even see why that matters, does it give him some sort of credibility? You know, like John Kerry and George Bush) has really only focused on the application of a DNA profile to criminal investigations. He makes some poor argument about how the DNA profile can't be used to glean physical characteristics, etc. To build a DNA profile, they use an actual DNA sample, which does contain that information. What happens to all the blood and saliva samples used to collect DNA? Does he think that those samples will be disposed of, and that's that? Guess again.

He also seems to think that the only privacy exposure is what your genes represent (i.e. blue or green eyes, or a disposition to diabetes). The government doesn't care about any of that. They care about tracking people and finding out what they are doing, regardless of any criminal intent. That's what DNA will be used for.

Comment Liability (Score 1) 750

It's all about liability. If you take the update and your car does something it obviously shouldn't, at least to have some legal recourse against Toyota. If you don't take the update, it's the same as absolving Toyota of all future problems you may have. All Toyota has to say is: "It's really tragic that he lost his left arm in that accident when his car sped out of control, after foolishly choosing not to take the free firmware update that would have prevented the accident, thus giving us indemnity."

Dumb ass.

Education

Computer Games and Traditional CS Courses 173

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 Where's the motivation? (Score 1) 801

While I concede that schools are generally underfunded, the program is a waste of time and money. Why? Because is leaves out the most important factor: motivation. You can have science programs, science fairs, etc., but without some guiding motivation, it all leads to nowhere. I like the old saying that "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink." Our problem today is that we can't lead our kids to science. They just aren't interested. And you blame them? The text reads like: Phase 1: put money into schools and partner with corporations, Phase 2:???, Phase 3: We're #1 .

You can't just tell a kid you need to learn science because it's cool. You have to present a problem first. Not some pansy rhetoric about "moving our country from the middle to the top of the pack in science and math." A real problem. One that the government is ready to put money into to accomplish a concrete goal. Like how to detect incoming aircraft without seeing them, split an atom, or getting a man to the moon and safely returning him to the Earth [before the Soviets]. Frankly, WW2 and the Space Program of the 60s is what led the US to being first in math & science.

If we want to match that level of science, math and engineering, we need to figure out a national goal and put up the $50 billion to really solve problems that require new kinds of sciences. I don't know what those problems are, maybe fusion power (I've always been told it's fifty years away), or machines that remove excess CO2 from the atmosphere, or clean the oceans.

It comes down to this: If the government won't get serious and really invest in math & science, why should kids?

Comment Re:Darwin awards? (Score 1) 13

You are correct, of course; as long as he is capable of passing on his genes, he doesn't qualify. Though it will be quite a challenge to find a woman willing to mate with a man who has had part of his dick swallowed by a raccoon.

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