Comment: Re:build children's education around needs, not te (Score 1) 37
I know you are joking, but I didn't have an assembler when I learned z80 assembly (using a ZX Spectrum+), and had to translate the op codes by hand to decimal using tables, and then entering them into memory using a for loop.
Comment: Re:Quite the opposite (Score 2) 408
Just a correction: That particular commandment is actually better translated as "Thou shalt not murder".
Journal: Getting started in computers in the year 2010 (and a few years past...)
Journal
by
Sooner Boomer
Computers are reaching new lows. Low prices, low size, and low thresholds for intraductory use. Devices such as the Basic Stamp and Arduino are available from Radio Shack, with starter kits under $50. These are different from a Raspberry Pi in the way that a mainframe is different from an old Apple II. The mainframe and the RP are great for programs that deal with files and data, but can't interact with the real world. The BS (and kin) and the Arduino are made for the real world; to make
Comment: Re:Useless review / video (Score 1) 143
It would have been nice if they had shown the car in the video...
Comment: Oblig xkcd (Score 5, Funny) 92
Comment: Re:Jsut use the right Boolean Operator (Score 1) 86
Google used to be an AND sort of search engine, but nowadays I find myself adding " " and + signs to get what I want...
Comment: Faster than light travel (Score 1) 412
Do you think we'll ever be able to travel faster than the speed of light in vacuum?
Comment: Re:I hope this catches on. (Score 4, Informative) 281
I used to have to re-tie my shoes a few times a day until I found Ian's knot site. Now I tie them with the Ian's Secure Shoelace Knot and stopped having problems. I don't even need to tie them so tightly as before, and they are almost as easy to untie as before.
Comment: Re:I searched the comments, and one word was missi (Score 1) 1521
I'm glad someone else remembered Ogg the caveman. I still miss his presence in /. sometimes.
Comment: Thank you CmdrTaco (Score 1) 1521
Hi,
I've been reading /. since 1999 or so. In these 12 years I've seen the fantastic growth and transformation it went through, with user accounts, more and more customization settings, and a great community in no small part due to the moderation system.
Some mock the
Rob, I wish you all the best in your future endeavours, and hope
Comment: Re:OkTrends (Score 1) 73
Oblig. xkcd http://xkcd.com/523/
Comment: Re:I expected more (Score 4, Informative) 253
The bulk of scientific research is done by grad students (or others like them with various kinds of scholarships). The professors whose name is at the end of paper's author list guide and oversee what is done, but don't have time for the daily grind of research. Their main job is to teach and get funding.
Comment: Re:Good time to discuss alternatives (Score 1) 113
Latex beamer is often used for scientific presentations because it's much easier to include formulas. You don't even need to know Latex, you can write the presentations using Lyx. The resulting presentation is a pdf.
Comment: Re:Changing TV channels (Score 1) 297
When I was a kid I had to wait five minutes for a game to load on the ZX Spectrum. Now I have to wait a quite a few minutes to start the computer, steam, then the game and connect to a server. Somewhere in between I had DOS games that started mostly instantly.