The answer to this may be a shining ray of light for those worried about the government snooping on citizens. The government has never, to my knowledge, managed to hold a single central database on anything. They've tried a lot. They've failed a lot (not always publicised), but I cant think of any successes. Known criminal in one town? Move to another and start a clean slate.

They have probably not centralised it all because they know they can't. Its one thing to have a baddie clone your ID, another for the government to forget who you are (or think you are someone else)

Mind you, that is assuming they rationalised these decisions...

I have found that in industry, age is a benefit in technical management roles or technical roles such as system architechs or designers - the areas where the focus is understanding the problem and solution rather than the detailed aspects of the implementation.

From what you say about Web.x, it sounds like you are more on the implementation side. In this case, these roles tend to sit with younger staff as they have been devalued with the mindset that coders are relatively easily replaceable.

You will likely be more valued as a technically competant manager, and if you think its something you will enjoy, I would go for it. You can always change your mind later.

Alternatively, you could look into contracting. It can be very lucrative and experience is sought after.

Man, I love geeks. Glad I remembered Slashdot.

>These are undergraduate students. It is safe to assume that each and every one of them has been writing programs in high school in Python, Perl, or Ruby. And that all would have some skill in Javascript. Fortran would not be their first language. And... they are bound to arrive with some bad coding habits already established.

I don't agree with this at all. In my first year, there was a significant number of students who had never pogrammed, and this was for a Computer Science degree. The students this thread is about are Chemistry and Engineering students who may not have necessarily programmed in High School as the Chemistry etc taught there doesnt require programming.

The first programming language I was exposed to was Scheme. I learned the principles of programming without being bogged down in the details of the language I was using. Ideal. I fully reccomend it for those interested in pursuing programming. Ideal for engineers and chemists? Im not sure

And does this now exclude medical researchers from exploring this technology?

In some brain surgeries, for example, it is sometimes necessary for the patient to be experiencing stimulii (such as looking at pictures) so that brain activity can be used as a guide. Couldnt ultrasonic stimulation be applied in an instance such as that?

Would these now be limited by the royalties of a opportunistic patent?