Comment: Re:A neutron walked into a bar and asked (Score 3, Funny) 126
A beam walked into a bar, and the bartender asked it if it wanted anything. The beam replied, "Just a moment."
Comment: Re:Teachers teach, graders should grade... (Score 1) 408
If you were allowed to grade the work you do at the office, what would you give yourself?
Talk about a hopelessly false analogy. If your job consisted of filling jars with water, and some jars came to you with their lids screwed on tight and you weren't allowed to do anything about it, how well do you think you'd get paid? The jar analogy is used in education not as a reference to inherent ability/intelligence in the student, but to the attitudes and resources that they have and are surrounded by. The grades that teachers give out reflect only the performance of the children receiving them, not of the effort put forth by the teachers -- and not for the self-serving reasons you suggest. A teacher can't make parents be more supportive, can't prevent a student from filling his head with an attitude that intelligence is to be mocked. A teacher can't go back in time and make the parents read to their children every night. These factors, not the abilities of the teacher, are what determines the differences in learning between two kids of similar intelligence.
Inside the Lego Factory 260
Posted
by
CmdrTaco
from the when-i-was-a-kid-there-were-only-2-kinds-of-bricks dept.
from the when-i-was-a-kid-there-were-only-2-kinds-of-bricks dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Gizmodo has a fascinating report and video tour inside the Lego factory, which is full of robots and controlled by a mainframe. 'This video shows something that very few people have had the opportunity to witness: the inside of the Lego factory, with no barriers or secrets. I filmed every step in the creation of the brick. From the raw granulate stored in massive silos to the molding machines to the gigantic storage cathedrals to the decoration and packaging warehouses, you will be able to see absolutely everything, including the most guarded secret of the company: the brick molds themselves.'"
Comment: Re:Shortly after 9/11 (Score 1) 1114
If you did, I'm sure you'd do it while singing "Swingin' on a Star" because that's exactly how much time you'd need before the alarm goes off.hudsonhawk wrote:
Was I going to hijack the building and crash it into a plane?
Oh, and you'd sing the verses out of order.
Firefox usage close to 25% in Europe.
Submitted
by
donstenk72
donstenk72 writes "Firefox cannot be stopped: close to 25% of the Europeans use the open source browser, according to the Xiti monitor.
http://www.xitimonitor.com/en-us/browsers-baromete r/firefox-march-2007/index-1-2-3-77.html.
In Slovenia usage tops 40% whilst France, Germany and Finland show a percentage that is much higher than the world average.
Not really a surprise, many Europeans are open to alternatives, particularly when they work well!"
http://www.xitimonitor.com/en-us/browsers-baromet
In Slovenia usage tops 40% whilst France, Germany and Finland show a percentage that is much higher than the world average.
Not really a surprise, many Europeans are open to alternatives, particularly when they work well!"
Java Generics and Collections
Posted
by
samzenpus
from the read-all-about-it dept.
from the read-all-about-it dept.
andrew cooke writes "Java 6 was recently
released, but many programmers are still exploring the features
introduced in Java 5 — probably the most significant changes in
the language's twelve year history. Amongst those changes (enumerations,
auto-boxing, foreach, varargs) generics was the most far-reaching,
introducing generic programming in a simpler, safer way than C++
templates and, unlike generics in C#, maintaining backwards (and
forwards) compatibility with existing Java code." Read on for the rest of Andrew's review.
Firefox keeps winning terrain in Europe
Submitted
by
PARENA
PARENA writes "French researcher Xiti claims that Mozilla Firefox keeps winning terrain in Europe. Almost 25% of internet users in Europe uses Firefox. Slovenia (44.5%), Finland (41.3%), Croatia (36.5%) and Germany (36.2%) lead the way, followed by a group of mostly Eastern European countries. Remarkably, The Netherlands is only at 13.3%, right before Andorra. The rest of the world (except Oceania) is behind Europe, with 11.9% to 15.1%."
Teardown of Prius Reveals Toyota Design Philosophy
Submitted
by
MarsGov
MarsGov writes "A group of automotive engineers recently tore down a Toyota Prius to dissect the design techniques and choices that went into the vehicle. The results are becoming available at AutomotiveDesignLine and at TechOnline's Under The Hood — search for "Prius" at both of these links — and will be also published as a paper supplement to the May 14th issue of EE Times. There's even a video."
Shooting Massacre at Virginia Tech
Submitted
by
ConcernedStudent
ConcernedStudent writes "A violent gunman has apparently unleashed a deadly massacre on the famed science and tech campus, Virginia Polytechnic University (better known as Virginia Tech). The first reports of gunshots were received by police around 7:15 A.M. but shooting continued across the campus for hours longer. Over 25 people are now confirmed dead with many more injured. The shooter appears to have either killed himself or to have been killed by responding police officers. The New York Times has posted front page coverage, and the local Roanoke Times has been providing blog-style coverage, updated regularly.
NYT Link — http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/16/us/16cnd-shootin g.html?hp
Roanoke Times Link — http://www.roanoke.com/news/nrv/breaking/wb/113294 "
Georgia Tech Unveils Prototype Nanogenerator 208
Posted
by
CowboyNeal
from the power-to-go dept.
from the power-to-go dept.
Researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology have created a working prototype nanogenerator capable of generating as much as 4 watts per cubic centimeter of continuous direct current. The generators are green (to use), drawing power from natural motion in the surrounding environment. They are based on non-toxic chemicals and should be safe for use in biomechanical implants, but that's not their only potential use. From the article: "If you had a device like this in your shoes when you walked, you would be able to generate your own small current to power small electronics," Wang noted. "Anything that makes the nanowires move within the generator can be used for generating power. Very little force is required to move them."