garthsundem - Slashdot User

Submission + - Teaching Robot Learners to Ask Good Questions (sciencedaily.com) 1

Submitted by

garthsundem

on Friday March 09, 2012 @01:12PM

garthsundem writes: "I disagree with this article's opening line: "Within a decade, personal robots could become as common in U.S. homes as any other major appliance." Haven't we been promised this since the 50s?
But I'm fascinated by the rest — how do you teach humans to teach robots? Or, more precisely, how can you teach robots to teach humans to teach robots? The idea that designers can put a flexible platform in a robot, that allows users to determine functionality is...more than pretty cool."

Submission + - Computer Programmers Only 5th Most Sleep Deprived Profession (nytimes.com)

Submitted by

garthsundem

on Friday March 02, 2012 @08:58AM

garthsundem writes: "As described in the New York Times Economix blog, the mattress chain Sleepy's analyzed data from the National Health Interview Survey to find the ten most sleep deprived professions. In order, they are Home Health Aides, Lawyer, Police Officers, Doctors/Paramedics, Tie: (Economists, Social Workers, Computer Programmers), Financial Analysts, Plant Operators (undefined, but we assume "factory" and not "Audrey II"), and Secretaries. ."

Submission + - Three unexpected data points describe elementary school quality

Submitted by

garthsundem

on Thursday February 09, 2012 @08:53AM

garthsundem writes: "According to Wired, test scores and student/teacher ratio are nearly meaningless. But three new numbers DO describe school quality:
1. (Test Scores/Parent Education): How do scores outpace expectations?.
2. Test Score Growth: Any single score can be socioeconomics, but *growth* is due to the school.
3. (Teacher Salary*%Highly Qualified/Teacher Age): The best teachers will become highly qualified early, and will gravitate toward the best paying jobs."

Submission + - Study: Online Dating Makes People "Picky" and "Unrealistic"

Submitted by

garthsundem

on Wednesday February 08, 2012 @08:30AM

garthsundem writes: "A newly published meta-analysis of over 400 studies of online dating shows both it's popularity (second only to meeting through friends) and it's impact. More online daters report seeking a "soulmate" online, and do so by searching through the wealth of available profiles. Unfortunately soul-searchers focus on faults, both in viewing profiles and then also once dating in person, leading to quick exits when relationships inevitably get complicated."

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