text:
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — There could be one clip of Hall of Famers that won't make the NFL Films archives: The sight of John Riggins and other greats heading to court seeking a big payday from the company.
Ten former NFL players, including five Hall of Famers, want the league to pay if NFL Films uses images of them without their consent. They filed a lawsuit in New Jersey to reclaim payment for the use of their names, images and likenesses from film footage they say was used on NFL Network and to promote the league without the ex-players consent.
Jon King, an attorney for the players, compared the lawsuit, filed on Tuesday, to the one from former UCLA basketball star Ed O'Bannon against the NCAA because they deal with "individuals' rights to control the use of their image."
The NCAA, and video game company Electronic Arts, are facing similar suits in California. This case cites a recent ruling in California that determined EA Sports could not use First Amendment protections to defend its actions.
"In the EA case, it had to do with computer graphics depictions of players," King said Wednesday. "As technology increases, it becomes more lifelike and realistic. In the NFL Films case, it's the players' images, but committed to film for DVD and really, more these days, for distribution on the NFL Network."
Hall of Famers including Riggins, Dave Casper, Tom Mack, Curley Culp and Ron Yary are part of the lawsuit.
"NFL Films has never obtained authorization from retired players to use their images to be, as NFL Films puts it, the 'backbone' of the NFL Network," according to the 81-page filing obtained by The Associated Press. "NFL Films' conduct goes far beyond simply use of images without consent. It continues to this day to strike licensing business deals, in New Jersey, affirmatively, and falsely, misrepresenting that it has obtained all former players' consent to appear in its promotional materials. The NFL does likewise."
There was a $50 million settlement in April between the NFL and a group of retired players seeking publicity rights. The NFL said Wednesday that settlement was "fair and reasonable" and should be enough to placate this group of players.
"We agree with the judge that the settlement will benefit the large class of retired players particularly those in need of medical and financial assistance," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Wednesday.
The complaint against the NFL and NFL Productions notes that in 1993, all players' contracts began to include clauses that granted the NFL authority to use the names, images and likenesses of players to publicize and promote the league. They claim it was never included with the players in the suit.
The filing also contends that the league and NFL Productions violated state laws regarding unfair competition and rights of publicity, as well as a federal statute claiming the league and its production arm were unjustly enriched by improperly using the former players.
The others listed on the suit are Mike Bass, Willie Buchanon, Roman Gabriel, Joe Kapp and Phil Villapiano. It also asks that former players who have opted out of the Dryer v. NFL lawsuit, their heirs and assigns be included in this case.
Though there is no stated sum in the complaint, it notes that according to published reports in 2002, NFL Films was making $50 million per year in licensing revenue, which applied only to third parties such as television networks.
King said this group of players are interested in learning what "NFL Films is really worth as a marketing tool."
"That's the interesting thing that takes this case into the future," he said. "This type of thing was never envisioned 10 years ago, 20 years ago. It has to do with the technology, when things change from a quaint, small entity like NFL Films to providing what the NFL calls the backbone of the NFL Network."
AP Sports Writers Tom Canavan in East Rutherford, N.J., and Michael Marot in Indianapolis contributed to this report.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
Former players, NFL Films feud over image rights
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — There could be one clip of Hall of Famers that won't make the NFL Films archives: The sight of John Riggins and other greats heading to court seeking a big payday from the company.


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I talked to Boss-Hog about this idea, and he suggested I put it here.
I've really wanted to hear a good Reds podcast, but there's nothing out there right now that excites me. A solid podcast should be in depth, but also infuse humor, pop culture, and trivia, and you should really get to know the hosts and have some reason to keep coming back every time. Think Bill Simmons nationally or Matt Jones on UK sports where I live. They're bright sports guys, but their real power comes from personality and putting fun above all else.
I've been interested in starting something like this for a while, and now that I'm involved in the ORG here, I've found that there are some brilliant and very personable Reds fans round these parts that could really flourish in a podcast setting. I'd love to have a few of you join me in recording a few of these to see what works and what doesn't. It would be over Skype and, even if nothing ever comes of it, would be a fun chance to interact with other Reds fans. I'll take the best of what we have and put them together as kind of a pilot episode to get feedback from folks.
If you would be interested in giving this a shot, PM me and we can swap e-mails and figure some things out. It'd be ideal if you are able to banter well, be funny, know your stuff to some degree, and are willing to roll with the punches. Don't worry about your skill level in any of these areas--I'm not where I want to be, either--but I just want to try. If it works out, it could be a seriously fun project with potential for bigger things. Thanks, guys and gals.

subset: commoncrawl


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"Kiva has come up with a respectful way to offer help…Kiva's model says that people in developing countries are capable of creating their own prosperity... "
City: Pheonix, Arizona
Language: English
Team: Loan On Me
Time with Kiva: 10 months
Outstanding contributions to Kiva:
After 10 months as a volunteer editor with Kiva, Amy has reviewed over 3,000 loans! She is an extremely conscientious editor with an eye for detail, and is always up for sharing her valuable insights on the Forum. Not only an incredible resource for her own editing team, she is also a remarkable asset to the Kiva team as a whole.
Here's a short Q&A with this dedicated volunteer:
How did you find out about Kiva?
I went on a hiking trip to Copper Canyon, in Mexico, several years ago. There were a few trip staff whose homes were at the rim of the canyon, who came along with us. One was the cook, and the others wrangled the burros that carried our tents and other gear. Those were some of the hardest-working people I ever met. One of them, Jilo, invited us to visit his home at the end of the trip, and I got to see a house being built in "stages," like so many that we see on the Kiva site. Jilo was also a farmer, and I learned that he was plowing his fields with a hand plow, pulled by a horse! After that trip to Mexico, I always had in my mind that there seemed to be no good reason why my Mexican friends should be so much poorer than we are in the US, because they are such hard-working people. I kept looking for information on how to help them develop their economy. I got fast wireless Internet in 2009, and I found Kiva while looking for ways to help people in Mexico.
Why did you choose to volunteer your time with Kiva?
Kiva has come up with a respectful way to offer help, especially compared to the old model of charity. Kiva's model says that people in developing countries are capable of creating their own prosperity with just a little bit of capital. The fact that I can edit loans one or a few at a time makes it really easy.
What is your favorite partner or region?
As a lender, I like Latin America. I like Pro Mujer Bolivia and Fundación Paraguaya, and then there are two new partners in Mexico that I really like-- Sistema Biobolsa and the Huatusco Coffee Growers Co-op. As an editor, I think it's more fun to edit loans that are written individually, but I don't mind editing templates because I know it saves time for partners.
Tell us about a memorable profile you have reviewed.
I was really impressed with Kefa from Kenya because he transports passengers on a bicycle and I thought that sounded incredibly hard! His loan was for buying a water tank for his family of five people, which impressed me because he put the purchase of the water tank before his desire to buy a new motorbike. I also generally like water tank loans because the more you're on Kiva the more you notice that there are a lot of people trying to deal with water shortages, especially in Kenya. This might be partly because of global warming and I feel like I am, at least partially, a contributor to that. So, I like to help support water tank loans for that reason.
Where is your favorite place in the world to travel?
My best trips have been backpacking trips on the Rainbow Plateau in Northeast Arizona on the Navajo reservation. There are no roads up there or even official trails. To me, it's just extra special to be in a place like that and know that only a few people will get to see it. You have to go with a guide who knows where to find water because most of the route is dry. West Canyon and Cummings Mesa have spectacular views. Sadly, I don't think I will ever get to do the trip again because I have some serious lower back problems. So, the memory for me is extra special.
Tell us an unusual or surprising fact about yourself.
The most unusual thing about me is that I don't mind sleeping on the ground, having to filter my own water, and going on strenuous hikes with a 40-pound pack if I get to see lovely places!
Interested in volunteering for Kiva's Review and Translation Program? Read more about the program and check out our current opportunities here.
About the author
Janessa Van Vechten
Before joining Kiva, Janessa spent three years living and working in Cairo, Egypt. While there, she taught elementary school, studied Arabic, and worked as a researcher and editor at Al Ahram's Center for Political and Strategic Studies. She is passionate about the Middle East and has done a great deal of travel throughout the region. She also enjoys volunteering at the International Rescue Committee, where she has had the opportunity to work with refugees from around the world. She joins the Review and Translation Program team after completing an internship with the Field Support team here at Kiva. Janessa has a B.A. in Philosophy from UC Berkeley. She loves yoga, baking, and practicing Arabic.


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CPLDs and FPGAs have more in common than they have differences in many points of view. Cost is the big one. Power consumption and complexity are two others. Other than that, they are both programmable logic devices...
Yup. And and this [pipercubforum.com] is the same as this [boeing.com].
And and this [shoptheplace.com] is the same as this [fas.org].
(all links safe for work)
BTW: This is only for laughs.
But on a serious note, a modern FPGA can have a LOT of extra goodies on board, such as hardware multipliers, embedded dual-port RAM and FIFOs, PLLs, and even pro
You'll probably only be able to get timing resolution near that of the OS tick interrupt interval, right? Sounds like the makings of a piss-poor logic analyzer.
I suppose if you were using an open source OS kernel, one where you could change the OS tick interval -- you might be able to make use of your logic analyzer idea.
The oscilloscope channels have limited voltage swings, but are good enough for most of the work I have done. You can always build/purchase dividers to measure higher voltages.
If you do get a 1631 or something similar, make sure it has the pods and test clips. They get pretty expensive to purchase/replace.
With some level shifting circuitry you can turn any common RS232 serial port into a 4 channel logic analyzer. It you've got +5 volt TTL levels, you can probably get away without any extra circuitry.
Say what?!
Yep. Most anyone can do this. In my case, I went so far as to write a device driver that makes it work under Windows NT/2K/XP. It hooks the serial ports interrupt service routine and logs the state of the UART's modem status register or MSR. Four bits from the MSR tell us the state of the CTS, DCD, DST, and RI input pins. I use the RDTSC instruction which offers ridiculous accuracy (theoretically, it's the CPU's clock speed) compared to most other software based solutions - even betten than some coarse-grained hardware solutions.
The same could easily be done under Linux or anything with a serial port and Pentium compatible processor.
I never thought anyone would be interested so no website or anything. Interested persons can send me an email
CTS, DCD, DST, and RI input pins.
*sigh* Typo
Lavish spending can be disastrous. Don't buy any lavishes for a while.


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I disagree that their business is just like any other. They might want thode spaces so they can line cars up for a funeral procession. That is a unique parking need.,
I wonder if it is s local dignitary or somebody else who would have more aattendance than is typical.
Quote from: Sharnita on March 18, 2013, 03:31:01 PMI wonder if it is s local dignitary or somebody else who would have more aattendance than is typical.Does it matter? They are still intruding on church time much more than necessary. Maybe a little bit before the funeral might be more appropriate, but I'm not even sure about that. Maybe hire a school parking lot and minibus shuttle if it is all that big a deal!It always ticks me off when someone gets special treatment because he is 'important', but I certainly understand that it could cause a rukus when there are crowds and people get upset with how they are treated.City streets are for all and can't be reserved.
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Posted: 2014-02-28 12:33:21
Updated: 2014-03-10 06:29:50
(CNN) - Alanna Gerwitz-Stern hadn't worked out a day in her life. She never watched what she ate, either. But after having her first son, Jacob, in December 2009, she couldn't seem to shake the baby weight.
Stern had gained more than 100 pounds during the pregnancy, reaching 230 pounds at 5 feet 6 inches tall. She hid under sweatpants, sweaters and athletic gear.
"I was embarrassed to even go to the gym," says Stern, 33. "I was so incredibly out of shape, and the people I was working out beside were so incredibly fit. I felt like a real eyesore when I would walk down the street."
Despite her best efforts to drop the extra weight, she had only managed to lose 10 pounds by the following May.
"I just felt really down on myself," Stern says. "I felt like there was so much more I was capable of, and I didn't want to be one of those women who just accept their weight and that that's their fate as a young mom. I felt like there was a better me."
Frustrated, Stern remembered hearing about a new gym called Core Concepts near her home in Toronto, Ontario.
Core Concepts owner Joshua Lipsey says the idea behind his workouts is that your core -- made up of your abs, obliques, back and glutes -- is your origin of movement. A strong core improves posture and balance and decreases risk of injury.
Lipsey's workouts consist of body weight exercises, including beggar's planks, split and bicycle crunches, back extensions and wide-stance plie squats.
The core is a major "problem area" for many people, Lipsey says. It's the spot men and women tend to notice extra pounds first. But because the core includes several large muscles, working it burns calories fast. As such, attacking the core can lead to quick weight loss results, Lipsey says.
After researching Lipsey's concept, Stern decided to walk in and introduce herself. That day, she signed up for classes and started to shed the extra pounds.
Lipsey had Stern visualize in front of the mirror, and she began to see the body she wanted. She says that built the motivation she needed to meet her weight loss goals.
"We envisioned what my waist, stomach and arms were going to look like, and we just stayed on that path until we were happy with the result," Stern says. "Josh never let me lose sight of how to get there."
Stern describes Lipsey's concept as unconventional.
"It's not a spin class, it's not a running class, it's not a Pilates class," she says. "He took my fitness to a completely different level, and he really challenged me."
Lipsey and Stern both emphasize that to see results, you have to change your whole lifestyle.
"If you think the hour that you go to the gym is what counts, it's really not," Lipsey said. "It's doing other things -- going for a walk with your dog, not hopping on the escalator at the mall -- there's all these little things."
After about eight months of eating clean -- increasing fruit and vegetable intake while decreasing meat consumption -- and attending core and plyometric classes for an hour a day, six days a week, Stern lost 106 pounds, which was even more than she had gained while pregnant.
But shortly after reaching her goal weight, Stern went "from one extreme to another." She got pregnant with twins. This time, however, she was determined to stay on track. She continued to work out until Lily and Levi, now 18 months old, were born.
Stern gained just 48 pounds during her second pregnancy. She lost 38 of those pounds within two weeks after giving birth and the last 10 pounds by the end of the year.
"The last 10 pounds were hard, like they usually are for people, but she stuck with it and refused to fail," Lipsey says.
Aside from feeling physically better than ever, Stern also feels less shy and doesn't avoid going out anymore. She put in the time and effort, and her body responded.
"It was amazing to watch myself accomplish that because the amount of determination it takes to get to that level really is mental just as much as it is physical," Stern says. "There's a lot of mental grit you need to have."
Having three children poses a challenge for keeping the weight off, but Stern says the time put in is worth it.
"It's one hour a day that I can take to do something good for me," she says. "I come back to my family reinvigorated and ready for whatever challenges in life lie my way."
With less free time to attend classes at set times, Stern has kept up through Lipsey's mobile app, Gym Tuck, which launched last November.
The flexibility of the app has allowed Stern to stay committed to her exercise plan even with three children and a busy schedule after returning to work. While she tries to fit in cardio using a jogging stroller, the app allows her to keep her workouts well-rounded.
Now a size 4 and down to 120 pounds, Stern hopes to inspire other mothers trying to stay healthy through multiple pregnancies.
"I feel very, very lucky that I've been able to go through this transformation," she says. "I wouldn't change anything -- not even the part about being overweight and going through that -- because it got me to where I am today. I really am my best self."
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The University of Southern Maine and Irving Forest Products have each received funding from Efficiency Maine for energy-efficiency projects. The University of Southern Maine has received a $135,000 competitive grant to improve lighting on its Gorham campus, while Irving received $471,000 to install a kiln moisture control system.
The USM grant, combined with $200,000 in USM funds, allows the university to make lighting improvements that will save an estimated 676,000 kilowatt-hours per year, reducing its annual utility bill by more than $70,000, according to a press release. USM will switch all parking lot and campus roadway fixtures in Gorham to LED lighting and replace lighting fixtures in the Costello Sports Complex's Field House, Hill Gymnasium and Ice Arena with more efficient options. Contractor Leading Edge Design Group is scheduled to begin the work in the Costello Sports Complex during the week of Feb. 20, while parking lot and roadway fixtures will be installed later this year. When the projects are completed, USM's investment will be paid back with cost savings in less than three years.
Irving's moisture control system will allow it to better monitor moisture levels of drying wood to use less energy and allow the kilns, fans and boilers to operate more efficiently, according to a separate release. The new system will shave the company's annual energy expense by 15%. The Dixfield mill employs 235 people.
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New State Librarian to Speak at Trustees' Conference [1]
Susan Hildreth, the newly appointed California State Librarian, will be a featured speaker at the fall CALTAC workshop. The workshop, "Get Real! Helping Libraries Survive and Thrive in Turbulent Times," [3] will be held on September 24-25 at the Cerritios Library. Other speakers will include Infopeople trainers Joan Frye Williams and Roberta Perry, and the event is being coordinated by Infopeople trainer Gail McGovern. Although there is extensive Infopeople involvement, this is not an Infopeople workshop, but is supported by an LSTA grant awarded to the clioinstitute [4], a program of the Cerritos Library [5]. Detailed information about the conference is available on the clioinstitute website [3]. Registration [6] is open to all California library trustees, commissioners, and cooperative system advisory board members, with a deadline of September 1. The LSTA funding covers lodging and meals and provides transportation reimbursement.


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I have Mandrake 10.1 Community and my Updates no longer work. Has this happened to anyone else? I wonder if it is connected to the change to Mandriva.
When I click on Updates from the Control Center Mandrake retrieves a list of mirrors. None of these seem to work, it says "Please wait, updating media" but then says "Error retrieving packages" suggesting that either my media is configured incorrectly or that I should try connecting again later.


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Gov. Pat McCrory should move quickly to declare an agricultural disaster in Henderson and other North Carolina counties where farmers are facing massive crop losses due to historic heavy rains, once estimates of all the damages are in hand.
Gov. Pat McCrory should move quickly to declare an agricultural disaster in Henderson and other North Carolina counties where farmers are facing massive crop losses due to historic heavy rains, once estimates of all the damages are in hand.
Henderson County officials are doing their part. Mark Williams, the county�s agribusiness director, invited U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows to tour the damage that heavy rains have caused to virtually every crop. Meadows spent half a day July 26 touring flood-damaged fields and farms.
With rainfall running close to double normal amounts, many farmers are faced with low crop yields, or in some cases no crops at all.
�I�ve seen it wet all season, where we picked in the rain all day, but I�ve never seen it where we couldn�t get a crop in the ground,� farmer Randy Edmundson said.
Of the roughly 85 acres he farms, Edmundson has lost all but eight acres of tomatoes that were planted on higher ground. Flooding wiped out 45 acres of sweet corn, 10 acres of crookneck squash, 10 acres of zucchini, five acres of beans and several acres of pumpkins. He is not alone.
Kirby Johnson, a seventh-generation farmer in Mills River, estimates that he has lost 300 acres of sweet corn along the French Broad River, nearly half his planted acreage. About 60 percent of his pepper crop has been destroyed along with roughly 20 percent of his tomatoes.
Flooding also took 700 acres of corn at Taproot Dairy. Without enough feed to support them, the dairy has been forced to sell off between 250 and 300 of its herd, leaving roughly 450 cows left. It�s the first time in 93 years Bradley Johnson�s family has had to sell cows due to lack of feed.
Virtually every segment of agriculture in Henderson County has been hurt by the excessive rainfall, Williams says. Corn and vegetable crops, tree nurseries, sod and hay fields, apple orchards, berry patches and cattle ranchers have all taken a hit.
�Anybody farming in the areas near rivers or flat ground has suffered significant damage, and in many cases, their crops were destroyed altogether,� Williams said.
The damage will have major repercussions in Henderson County, where agriculture makes up about 17 percent of employment and the total economy. The county has more than 5,507 farms and 37,947 acres of cropland that contribute nearly $400 million to the local economy, according to figures compiled in 2008 by N.C. State University.
Williams says those figures are a bit dated and �grossly understated,� and the actual numbers are even larger. In 2011, Henderson County farms employed 8,152 workers and had a payroll of more than $18.5 million. The same year, the county ranked 11th in North Carolina for total crops cash receipts and third in the state for vegetable, fruit and nut cash receipts.
Williams said he invited Meadows because he wanted him to see the damage firsthand, and praised the congressman�s quick response. �It means a whole lot more than just reading some report,� Williams said. �He was extremely gracious and literally was here within 48 hours of the time I asked him.�
The congressman says his office is reaching out to agencies to explore options for low-cost loans, different forms of crop insurance and federal relief. That will take a federal disaster declaration for agriculture, which must be requested by the governor.
Williams said the disaster facing local farmers highlights both the importance of getting the stalled farm bill passed and the limitations of federal disaster relief for farmers. Many good disaster relief programs have been cut and low-interest federal loans, although helpful, do not cover all of the losses farmers face.
Local agriculture officials have compiled initial damage estimates and will meet again next week to update reports to the Farm Service Agency. As state agriculture officials tally up the losses the torrential rains have inflicted on farmers across the mountains and the state, they should expedite a disaster declaration and the assistance that farmers need. Doing so will help our farmers stay in business and protect a growing part of our economy.


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The lights are on
So yep, here it is. No need for anymore Wii HD, Wii 2 or Wii whatever threads! Post it all here!
Technical Specs:
(Updated 6/23/2012)
Will be backwards compatible with the Wii and Wii controllers!
Other rumored specs:
May support two tablet controllers
Whether or not Wii owners will be able to transfer their WiiWare and/or Virtual Console titles to the Wii U is unknown.
Currently playing: Modern Warfare 2, Resident Evil 5, New Vegas, Halo Reach, Bulletstorm
Add me on XBL: Pyr0CheeZeCake (that's a zero)
The Freeman Returns 2012. I'll give it hope for another year...
I'm still on the fence with the controller....that's something I'm gonna have to tst drive first.
looks sweet i can't wait to see more games but they did great so far i think from 3rd party think it already has more than wii did that i wanted just gotta pick what version now :/
I like it, I hated the wii but this looks interesting
... I never asked for this.
@Sarin VX
I know how you're feeling about the controller. I also find it odd that the analog sticks are above the buttons. Not so bad for the D-Pad side, but I've never held a controller with the right analog stick above the primary buttons.
Where did you get the info on those specs? Usually they would announce them during the conference but I figured they didn't because they wanted more time to decide what to include.
Wikipedia, and the specs were announced, actually.
IDK, because it is Nintendo people will blindly defend it. At the same time they are somewhat justified since it will be the only HD console with some of our favorite IPs. I look at that controller and think it is nothing I want to hold for 2 hours playing the next Assassins Creed or Metro or well most anything. Granted I have not held it yet but I can imagine what holding a tablet pc with handles would feel like.
My biggest concern is the timing of it with the technology. Sony has said it is working on a new system, and it seems fair to say Microsoft has one on the horizon. Even if these systems are 3 years out that is 2014, we are not getting this till next year, so we are at best talking 2-3 years before Nintendo is behind on tech again. What happens then, more 2nd hand gimped ports?
A smaller concern is its network. My friends and I live all over the country, some of them over seas. We cant sit down and game on the same tv, we need a solid online experience to play together. So far I have no faith that Nintendo can accomplish this. Here is hoping for the best but reserving judgement till I get my hands on it.
We're sorta like 7-Eleven. We're not always doing business, but we're always open.
Steam - palor700 XBL - LooneyPilot paxgaming.com
Take a look at what I've said regarding the Wii U's hardware in the other threads regarding this, it's almost a stepping stone to the next generation. It's putting Nintendo slightly ahead.
Also, the technology is a lot different now. I think next generations consoles will produce better graphics, but the Wii U will still produce graphics comparable to the next consoles. I also believe that instead of being 4 times as powerful, the next systems might come out being 1.5 to 2 times as powerful as the Wii U, leaving a much lower technology gap, and rendering the system less useless and outdated.
It should be interesting to see what happens. I don't think Microsoft and Sony really want to release a new console because it's expensive to take that risk. But, should they release something next year just to stay ahead of Nintendo? It should be interesting.
I have read it. Now starting off you got it off Wikipedia, so 70%
chance it is true or not, but I will give you that it is. Watson had 90 8
core 3.5 ghz processors. 8 core processors are still very crazy
expensive, I am talking like $1600 I find it hard to believe they are getting
that. More likely they are getting the toned down quad core processor,
seems plausible still expensive but plausible. My concern comes from what
these chipsets are designed for. They
are designed for mass data server, IE cloud servers, and mass computations
programs. It sounds great and it may be. I have never seen a cpu of this design try to
handle gaming, it may be like hunting rabbits with an elephant gun. It may just make a mess.
GPU, nowhere does it mention what it
is using for this. Yes they tells us what it is capable of outputting but
not what is driving it. Perhaps the processor has that much left over that they
have the CPU driving both. It is a possibility,
but it was learned a long time ago that it is inefficient to bog down your core
processor with rendering.
Let's continue on, no internal HDD only flash memory. So what are we talking here, 16 gigs, maybe
32? Yes it is expandable, that is a great feature I hope Sony and
Microsoft adapt, but it is rather crappy for on board. If I want to take my Wii U somewhere I need
to take along an external hd? Again I
hope the system is great and blows my mind but there are some major gaps
here. Using a processor for something it
isn't designed for, no info on GPU, and lacking storage. All means I will be
waiting to see how it turns out.
to me, this is another gimmick like the wii that will get old fast. i dont want a massive controller with a touch screen that does all that. i want a simple controller with buttons and that's it. i'm not sure how many more of nintendo's gimmicks i can take.
I can't get behind this. Can someone tell me who the target audience is? How much is that ridiculous controller gonna cost? (I'm guessing $249.99) Does Nintendo really expect a family of 5 to buy one of those for each member? How is a 10 year old kid with tiny hands gonna hold that thing?
I was expecting to see a console that makes people want to put their 360's and PS3's in the closet. I agree with what Palor said. By the time Microsoft and Sony release a new consle this one is further back in technology than the Wii was compared to the 360 and PS3. All I see is Gamecube-Gameboy connectivity crap all over again.
GI's unofficial MMA Blogger! Check it out!
I definitely think it looks interesting to say the least, but I really would like to see some more of it before I get a solid opinion on it. I really like the idea behind it though, but the controller does have me thinking it may be a bit clunky.
while it is kinda gimmicky i don't think its on the same level as the wiimotes were i mean the ds is a good handheld if you think about it the controllers just a bigger version of the bottom half plus the 2 sticks its got all the stuff regulat controllers have so its not like its missing anything and then extra. so its not like (assuming they are getting 3rd parties now like there pres conference said along with a couple devs er publishers said on gt interviews) that we can't play our usual games on it.
that being said at least i think we wont weel like we wasted a bunch of money just cause we wanna play a new zelda and mario ect . i know thats why i bought a wii and it collects dust


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Nadwa Hair Spa
6923 Orchard Lake Road
West Bloomfield Township MI 48322
Holidays inspire Nadwa Yono, who operates Nadwa Hair Spa in West Bloomfield Township.
"I get excited," said Yono.
She has also been known to create hairdos that resemble Christmas trees complete with ornaments around the Yuletide season.
Recently she was looking at an Uncle Sam hat.
"I thought, 'Hey, I could create this just from hair," said Yono.
For this July 4, she bought a small Uncle Sam hat and shaped foam around it.
Then she took human hair used for wigs. She dyed of some red and blue, and wove blonde strands into it.
The resulting shoulder-length wig should stop traffic during any July 4 parade.
If anyone wants it, said Yono, she'll sell it for between $700-$1,000.
"That's a lot of hair," she said.


text:
It has a problem with presenting facts in an orderly manner and often won't elaborate on some of the more advanced topics.
It has a problem with presenting facts in an orderly manner and often won't elaborate on some of the more advanced topics.
Without dismissing your points, I don't think they outweigh the value of the parent poster's suggestion. What good is a perfected worded book that is four or more years old, and irrelevant compared to internet resources, as the summary informs?
I'm glad this summary was posted as News, and not AskSlashdot, because discussing the root of the challenge is much more interesting, than 1000s of people suggesting any particular book they've read themselves.
What good is a perfected worded book that is four or more years old, and irrelevant compared to internet resources, as the summary informs?
Maybe we need an IT-wiki-ebook.
Maybe we need an IT-wiki-ebook.
Make it the class project!
Maybe we need an IT-wiki-ebook.
Make it the class project!
I was going to suggest the same thing. Even if you can't get webspace from your school's IT department, it'd be a trivial matter to set up a LAMP computer on your classroom's LAN and install MediaWiki on it-- or shell out ~$50 and get yourself a economy hosted website somewhere that offers a LAMP stack.
Then put up a skeleton structure for the course. Add some pages about what the course is, the curriculum and goals, time line, etc.
As each lesson comes around (or even a few in advance) post your notes to the wiki. Encourage students to elaborate or expand upon the wiki in any positive way. That can be anything from adding some links to educational sites, to updating out-of-date information, to fixing spelling & grammar.
Then, as a class project, break your class up into teams of 2-3 people. Assign each of them a course topic. Have them research the material, and for a deliverable, they need to create the wiki page for that topic. Give them some guidelines (must have 3 sources that will be [cited], must contain at least 3 useful links to other intra-wiki pages, etc). Maybe even have them present their findings. Future classes might have the same requirements, but instead must find 2 new facts about their topic that aren't currently in the wiki.
Make sure you have a nice index page, set up the Random page, and the thing will build itself. It's something that each student will have had a hand in making. Limit editing to Registered Only, and make sure you approve accounts (or pre-generate them for your students). This will cut down on vandalism. It will also give you, the person who will be grading their work, a full snapshot of who did what work, as well as a complete revision history.
At the end of the semester, not only will you have a really good completed project, but it will also be extremely useful for future classes. You effectively have all your notes created and kept in a presentable manner. You can even put it on a public-facing computer, and open it up for other classes or teachers (even those beyond your own school) to use. (You might want to limit it to a public read-only, until you are ready to release the entire project into the wild...)
What good is a perfected worded book that is four or more years old, and irrelevant compared to internet resources, as the summary informs?
For high school classes, printed books of that age are just fine. How much have Windows, Mac, and even Linux changed in the last four years? Not enough to wipe away the basics. Look at the established reference for TCP/IP: it's nearly 15 years old. If they're teaching programming, a four-year-old textbook would be new enough for the basics of C, C++, Java, PHP, Perl, HTML, and a long list of other languages.
Relevance does not require the absolute latest version of everything, especially when preparing for the business world, where the version in use of a given program or language is often 3+ years old.
(dont take that too personally, we've all won that at one time or another)
Personally, I think books are great. They can provide in-depth look at a focused topic. The internet, on the other hand, is (generally) more of a mass collection of tidbits of information. Both have their usage.
I also am a big fan of unchaining from the desk. It's good for your health, your eyes, and your sanity. And I find it easier to lug a book around on the subway then trying to connect to the unavailable internet on a lap heater.
As to the topic though, I am not sure how useful it is to learn computers in high school. I would hope there would be more of a college prep approach. However, I am not such a blind idealist that I believe every student will be going to college. Still, the question seems a bit idealist itself -- to think a single class in computers at the high school level would prepare a student to enter a professional workforce seems a stretch. But I may be over-analyzing it.
And I can remember that just fine, as it was last Friday. So what?
If it works for you, great, but don't assume it does for everyone.
I can see your point, but I can't actually remember when I last broke the spine of a non-fictional book to glean some information. In the real world the computing students will be much better off learning HOW to find the information they need that being handed a book filled with information, most of which is probably not even relevant to the tasks they'll be given.
This demonstrates the common misconception that the internet is full of useful and accurate information.
Textbooks have one major advantage over web pages. They have been through an editorial process. I know sites like Wikipedia do as well, but since one of their 'professors' turned out not even to have an undergrad degree, and they are all anonymous, that leaves a lot to be desired on the authenticity front.
Wikipedia's version of peer review is equally suspect. Peer review without identification of peers to the author is ok, but when the identity of the author whose work is being reviewed is also hidden, and the peer reviewers have no need to account for their suitability to act as reviewers the process becomes little more than a parody of the true process.
Its also my experience that a great deal of information on the web is copied from what people have read in books anyway.
Some sites, like IBM, Sun, Microsoft and other companies with a vested interested in programming do provide useful online resources, but they also produce books.
I reject utterly the argument that computing books are out of date the moment they are printed. I have textbooks dating back ten years which still contain information I use often. Just because some small aspects of a subject may change does not invalidate all previous information on the subject.
This is especially true of books which seek to teach the basics of programming. You could pick up a book produced a few years ago, use that exclusively for months, and come out of the other end with a sufficient understanding of the fundamentals to grasp any recent changes it didn't cover. Such books tend to cover such fundamentals that they don't go out of date too fast. If your language of choice wasn't one being used as a marketplace lever (Java and C# for example), this is even more likely to be the case.
I personally use a mix of online and printed word resources. Only rarely do I stray from sites where the author is identified by name, I prefer to take my information from resources where the author has at least felt enough responsibility for their work to take credit for it.
'search effectively'... for you as a teacher that's the 'book' you need.
Printed textbooks aren't a device for 'learning', they are a device for you to benchmark and evaluate student progress against (unfortunately this doesn't usually relate to real-world requirements)
BTW most kids out of school we employ (20+ a year
The internet has all the information they need to know. Just teach them how to search effectively for the information they want.
I almost agree with this. With such a wide range of topics that a textbook would need to cover, it would almost make more sense to break your semester or whatever into the topics you need to cover, then find a reputable website that will teach the topic as detailed as you would like. If it's not as detailed as you would like, find another website to support it. It's a lot cheaper than finding multiple textbooks that explain everything you want in what detail you want. Also, it's a lot easier to find website
Given the choice, I prefer a paper source over an internet link nine times out of ten. A good book, properly indexed, is almost always superior to someones personal page or site on a topic. There are exceptions, but overall books offer better presentations. The physical format of a book is also easier on the eyes, and more accessible than a computer monitor.
Hyperlinks are all very well for wiki-trips, but wiki-trips are really more for general knowledge learning. The question of the credibility of information on the internet also refuses to go away. Everyone by now has encountered information on wikipedia they know to be wrong or misleading. The same goes for websites. I don't mean to say that books and printed materials intrinsically have more credibility. But it's usually higher for them, though not by an order of magnitude.
If you want specific, detailed information and training on a topic, you need to read a book.
Why limit the media used. Request an online (local or internet) version of the textbook too. Even if it's only the [paginated] text it will fill in for indexing failures and would (depending on rights) allow excerpts to be added to experiment notes, used on the projector/white-board, and I'm sure used for lots of other things.
Do Slashdotters have any favorite textbooks that can help kids on their way to becoming junior sysadmins, programmers, networking professionals, etc.?
Why are high school students being trained to be junior sysadmins, programmers, networking professionals? Teach the students to think, problem solve, and communicate verbally and especially in writing. It is difficult enough for IT professionals to find meaningful, gainful employment in IT these days. Are these students willing to compete with outsourced labour in India?
Dietel & Dietel publish a bunch of intro books (c++, java, a few others) that have a bunch of supplements/coding examples/etc. on their website. They're very newbie friendly and cover a good deal of information. Actually, so do some of the AP comp sci review books (my Baron's AP Java book has a lot of clear examples.)
Look at other high schools and community colleges that teach the same thing you do and see what books they're using.
Certification prep is a double edged sword. The books may be accessible, but they also may be too focused on the test and therefore teach to it rather than teach general skills.
Also, you don't need to use a book for everything. All my intro programming books do a brief overview of hardware, and my profs add when needed. I didn't even have a textbook for my high school computer hardware class (basically a build your own computer thing, but we also learned about karnough maps, logic, and other basics.)
Um, from the orginal post:
Do Slashdotters have any favorite textbooks that can help kids on their way to becoming junior sysadmins, programmers, networking professionals, etc.?
I was just answering the part I know something about, having taken two programming and one hardware course in high school. Never touched networking, aside from the one I've got at home. Also, nothing in his post implies that the job skills course isn't basically a programming one.
Do your job for once and write a curriculum like every homeschooling parent must do? Because your teacher's union has blocked the aftermarket sale price of all textbooks?
My C++ teacher had a big book on C++, but all of his lessons were obviously custom written. He just used the book as a foundation.
Well, it makes much more sense to create a 'open' education program, where schools from around the globe and through the various levels, primary, high school and university create a series of open text books for 'free' use within the education system. Obviously students in university could gain credit for digital texts written and corroborated on for use in high school and primary school.
Doesn't solve the current problem but certainly makes sense for the future and to ensure that acceptable standards are
Unkind, uncalled for, and incorrect to boot.
Seriously: A) Homeschooling - not a perfect solution to the INCREDIBLY complicated problem of getting kids educated. In many cases, not a good solution. And, fyi, public school teachers build curriculums. So do private school teachers.
B) You kill your own argument by pointing out that "used the book as a foundation." He still used the book. He still needed the book. And why? Because a quality textbook is one of the most useful and powerful tools for both guided and self-directed learning. Because trying to learn anything without some sort of organized reference is maddeningly difficult. Because, I don't know, a teacher only has so much time with the kids, and they need more information than he can fit into one hour (maybe 1.5) per weekday.
Your argument (such as it was) demolished, I turn to motivation. What the hell is wrong with you? You see a question about relative quality of textbooks, and think "OHMYGOD, A CHANCE TO BASH TEACHERS AND UNIONS AND PROMOTE HOMESCHOOLING BECAUSE I'M THE SECRET LIBERTARIAN GOD-PRINCE!!!1!"
If you want to run an opinion blog, do so. But leave people who are trying to find ways to teach children better in peace, dude.
Mod parent correct but unnecessarily harsh. I apologize for the venom, although I can't say it won't happen again.
Wrong. It occasionally does so, when the parent is a gifted teacher. Most of the time, it produces a moron who can barely pass the GED. The vast majority of parents are not qualified to teach basic high school math, science, or writing much less advanced classes in any of those. Not surprising though, since the most common reason for homeschooling is the parent's xenophobia. It tends to go hand in hand with ignorance.
You can be pissed all you want that homeschooling is more successful than public schools at giving kids a good education
That's far from the truth.
There are certainly many success stories from homeschooling, but consider the inputs: those kids are motivated students from generally affluent families whose parents are themselves sufficiently sophisticated to prepare a curriculum. There was never really any doubt about the success of their education. The benefit comes from individual attention and self-pacing, which isn't a benefit of homeschooling but rather of class sizes you and your crackpot instruction.
For every "success", there's a sadly manipulated child as well as a total failure to go along with him. Saying that homeschooling is the answer is disingenuous at best. Few parents are sufficiently skilled or knowledgeable to complete an entire primary and secondary education.
If they are as good as they claim at educating, they should be able to write a decent text book.
Spoken like someone who truly fails to understand what a teacher is for. Educating isn't simply feeding data. Being able to write a textbook is an entirely different skill from being able to help students apply that information. You don't ask the race car driver to build the car. Even being an expert in a particular field does not mean you can write an effective textbook about it.
Just look at all the professors who are brilliant theorists and scholars but terrible instructors.
You can be pissed all you want that homeschooling is more successful than public schools at giving kids a good education
If your definition of "good education" is that the Earth is 6000 years old.
And, fyi, public school teachers build curriculums.
And home-schooled kids learning Latin would know the plural of curriculum is curricula
the third class should prepare juniors and seniors to enter the workforce and start a career in computers.
Are any employers anywhere willing to hire high schoolers in any tech jobs in today's economy?
Maybe he was thinking on teaching from 'The C Programming Language' by K&R, and the class project would be writing a Turing complete interpreter for the Game of Life.
Are any employers anywhere willing to hire high schoolers in any tech jobs in today's economy?
You need to get out more and smell the recycled air at Best Buy, Circuit City, Apple stores etc.
Fairly sure those people are high school graduates at best. If those employees are college graduates, I am not sure that a college degree is worth all that much.
Me: Do you carry crossover cables?
Employee: What are those?
Me: A cable with cross-wired ethernet jacks at the ends.
Employee: What are you trying to use it for?
Me: To connect my desktop to my laptop
Employee: Well, you could use an external hard drive to transfer files over...
Somebody who makes use of older hardware, such as my ancient and withered laptop from 2005.
If you've got an IT/Programming/Engineering degree you probably will not work at Best Buy, Circuit City or Apple stores. Chances are the people you were talking to are high school grads with a few tech courses under their belts, exactly the same as the ones the article was talking about.
Who buys crossover cables? Just make it.
You're absolutely right, stop teaching tech entirely, train them how to work at McDonalds till they are 35, then start teaching them Tech... cause we all know teaching an old dog new tricks is easy.
Infact, don't even teach them a spoken language until they are 19, would save all that back talking.
Yeah, most, probably nearly all wont find a job that suits there skills immediately, but pretty much no one does right out of highschool regardless of what they might have specialized in... but if they dont sta
Are any employers anywhere willing to hire high schoolers in any tech jobs in today's economy?
My first computing job was after I'd dropped out of a 1st year B.Sc. I worked for a year based on just high school certification for less than I could have earnt if I held a job at McDonalds. This was in 1994, and the job involved programming, phone support and on site customer installations. My boss only hired highschoolers so he could pay like that. I was able to get into a B.Sc. in Computing the following year a
Are any employers anywhere willing to hire high schoolers in any tech jobs in today's economy?
Ar any employers anywhere willing to hire college educated individuals in any tech jobs in todays economy?
Talk to the people at O'Reilly, especially their Safari bookshelf. They might be able to cut you a deal for educational use.
http://oreilly.com/ [oreilly.com]
http://safari.oreilly.com/?cid=orm-nav-global [oreilly.com]
Sure, there's always new stuff, but it's more important to have a good grasp of the fundamentals than to know the latest buzzword bingo stuff that probably won't last long anyhow.
that the basics have changed so much recently that four-year-old computer textbooks are obsolete?
The basics haven't changed much in the 30 years since i did my first programming course (as part of maths at tech college).
The hardware's changed a lot - and the languages have evolved a bit. But the fundamentals of understanding the subject are still the same.
http://www.greenteapress.com/thinkpython/ [greenteapress.com].
Its a great introductory programming book, focused on Python. Its coming out in print form soon, if that is a requirement.
A good supplement (and stand alone if the students already have some programming experience) is Dive Into Python [diveintopython.org], one of the best python books around. It's free and available in print form. Its' a great intro book 'cause it's really well organized such that the chapters really build on each other for the most part. It's also awesome 'cause the author walks through every example program, explaining what each part does and how it all works together.
Two more free (as in b... uh... orange soda) one is a python textbook...
"A Byte of Python
"A Byte of Python" is a book on programming using the Python language. It serves as a tutorial or guide to the Python language for a beginner audience. If all you know about computers is how to save text files, then this is the book for you...."
That's one's in 5 different formats and 16 different foreign languages
http://www.swaroopch.com/byteofpython/ [swaroopch.com]
The other is "Lessons In Electric Circuits
hosted by ibibli
If your teaching a non-academic programming class, I don't really see the point in using a textbook. Decide on your language and find a good introductory book for it.
Agreed. I felt like punching something when the summary asked about how to teach kids to pass those certs. Teaching to the test rather than giving a solid grounding in the subject as a whole often leaves you with a bunch of certified idiots.
Yes, some of those certs are useful, but anyone who studies exclusively to get one should honestly look at another career path.
First of all, how long do you think it takes for a book to get to market? Between 6 months and a year it's still brand spanking new.
Secondly, even in computing good books become classics - Think K&R for C programming.
Thirdly, newer books often just make minor modifications to the old text. Hell some just renumber pages to keep up sales. (Hell some teachers re-use course notes for years in a row at a time with little revision).
Fourthly, 5 year old skills are still useful. Few if any companies are using bleeding edge stuff exclusively.
Then there's the Net which is a great resource. There are a ton of free tutorials on the web for various things.
If you've got access to 4 year old books and the Net, quit whining and looking for the most up to date books. You might as well ask for a pony.
If you've got access to 4 year old books and the Net, quit whining and looking for the most up to date books.
I don't think anyone was whining.
Ye gods, what a load of snotty attitudes people seem to meet this actually very important question with. Have you guys forgotten that you were once beginners that could hardly find the "Any Key" on a keyboard? Even Americans are not born with the genetic code for how to use a computer; not unless evolution has picked up speed recently. Ok, so there are still only a few responses so far, hopefully the quality will improve.
As for your question - I don't really know. I think it is a very important subject, too
.. the third class should prepare juniors and seniors to enter the workforce and start a career in computers.
The point of high school is not (or should not be) to prepare kids to be mindless worker drones. The point of high school is (or should be) to give them a good, basic education.
The point of high school is not (or should not be) to prepare kids to be mindless worker drones. The point of high school is (or should be) to give them a good, basic education.
what a quaint starry-eyed aspiration.
sadly, it hasn't been true since the record was the dominant audio medium.
Back then they taught a good, well rounded education.
This included math, science, and all that other "good stuff", but also things like shop which helped people build and maintain their own furnishings and tools.
Shop went the way of the dodo (I wonder how many lobbies benefitted from that), and now PE and art are following.
The point of high school is not (or should not be) to prepare kids to be mindless worker drones. The point of high school is (or should be) to give them a good, basic education.
Got to back up plasmacutter here, that is quaint and starry-eyed.
The reason we have so many mindless worker drones is partly ascribable to the schooling system being specifically designed to produce them. Have a read of "The Measurement of Intelligence", by Lewis Madison Terman, it should be enough to cure any scepticism regarding that claim. A look at the role of schooling proposed in "The Communist Manifesto" as a method of bringing about social change ought to challenge your thinking about the purpose
If school was really for your benefit and not someone else's, why did it need to be made compulsory? I can understand the desire for free education, but why compulsory?
If schooling were not compulsory then kids would have more time to have kids, breeding like locusts, and a devolution leading to separation of our species would occur at a faster rate. In such a case, besides war, how do you propose that we rid ourselves of such people whilst maintaining a class who is indifferent to mindless servitude?
I am eternally grateful to the progressive
If you are preparing them to enter the workforce then don't forget, there are a lot of books in the public domain such as,
Art of War by Sun Tzu
The Prince by Machiavelli
Why bother with dead-tree versions? There are thousands of FREE online tutorials/guides/how-to/wikis that these kids can learn from. For any of them that don't have 'net access at home, use the schools copiers/printers to give them something to bring home.
Teach them dammit, don't just hand out a book and hope they figure it out. Earn the right to be called a teacher. Perhaps then when the smart ones ask "Why..?" you can really answer.
Why bother with dead-tree versions? There are thousands of FREE online tutorials/guides/how-to/wikis that these kids can learn from. For any of them that don't have 'net access at home, use the schools copiers/printers to give them something to bring home.
Because it's far better to mash together a load of disparate resources and infringe peoples copyright(*) spending [unpaid] hours copyrighting/editing/publishing/printing your own booklets than it is to get a consistent well rounded resource?
* a lot of stuff that is "free" online is just paid for with advertising (like non-member Slashdot); because it's freely available online doesn't mean you can print it out for free. A school teacher will likely have to get a specific note of the copyright holders approva
As a former High School InfoTech student and current College Programming Student, I really don't find textbooks that useful at all. Truthfully, the only use I ever get out of textbooks (other than reading the questions the teacher's assign) is reading the examples and the using the reference section.
Not only do examples and references exist on the web, but it is SO much easier to use a reference with hyperlinks than to have to jump between pages of a book
If you really need some good ideas I have a list of
High school in the US ends with grade 12. Students are typically 18 at the end of this year. In some districts, high school consists of grades 9-12. In others, grades 7-9 are housed in a junior high school and high school consists of just grades 10-12. Grade 9 is referred to as "freshman" year and the students are called "freshmen". Grade 10 is "sophomore" year, grade 11 "junior" year, and grade 12 "senior" year.
I've never been a fan of textbooks -- especially in scientific fierds. They tend to be notoriously out-of-date, and wildly inaccurate even when new. Too much effort is spent making things seem easy, or otherwise dumbing down the content to the point where it becomes meaningless.
But computer disciplines come with a natural advantage: documentation. All of the avenues that you are exploring have solid documentation. Not only is this documentation accurate, it's almost always up-to-date.
I'd suggest skipping the textbooks and giving your students the real experience. Teach them how to handle reams and reams of documentation across multiple avenues.
The good thing, from your side, is that you don't have to give them the most complicated advanced stuff off the top. There are a lot of small steps to be taken with any documentation -- from the equivalent of a "hello world" program and configuring routers all the way up to more complicated yet still manageable aspects like protocols and cross-interactions.
So I'd suggest that you select a few disciplines as you have, grab real live official documentation -- lots of it -- classify them according to complexity -- and by complexity I mean the requirement of additional working systems -- and take your students through actually doing something small.
Small things can be incredibly simple when you read the instructions. Documentation is nothing more than that. I can think of no better skill-set in the computer world than to gather three-thousand pages of documentation on your topic, locate the six pages that apply to your current project, follow them precisely, and then explore their surroundings to see the magic possibilities of yoru new-found power.
That kind of skill easily propegates itself as one bit of knowledge allows you to explore the next. And since it's real actual documentation, it's all 100% (well, let's pretend) correct and useful. Your students will be able to legitimately list things that they've done with little more than quality supervision.
I figure less than 1 out 100 people have what it takes to be a very good programmer. The foundations for them will be different than the foundations needed for other students and the wrong ones can create a sort of brain damage that will take years to unlearn and I'm not sure some bad thought processes can ever be unlearned.
I would start the 1st week or two off with a very basic system of what the computer is doing.... i.e. moving numbers around. Go find a computer book from the 1950s for ideas on how to
I started with the built-in BASIC-2 interpreter on my first computer (Amstraad). My very first computer book was the BASIC-2 manual from Amstraad. My very first program was the knock-knock joke involving bananas and oranges. My second program was one to help my teenage son with his "find the volume of a..." homework.
From there I went to x86 assembly language using the shareware a86 assembler. Then C and C++ (Borland), VisualBasic, a bit of Cobol, Delphi, Java and perl, along with some dBase and Oracle-style
Scan last year's books, or whatever supplemental material you may want to add, and put it in a pdf and onto an sd card and into a Nintendo DS.
Cost: $100 per student for all books, updated, with additional supplemental materials every semester.
They get: One small book to carry with everything of theirs in a backpack, all their information bookmarked or copy pasted clearly with a stylus.
I get: One less thing to worry about at the PTA meeting.
Any textbooks we use would need to cover quite a breadth of material, such as PC hardware, operating systems, networking, security, and more.
And more? Either you are only going to touch on each topic ever so briefly, or the whole course is misguided. There is no way anyone is going to learn anything useful, let alone anything that would get them hired, by learning all of these topics at once. They all deserve their own class, and there are plenty of books on specific topics.
Certification tests usually come with their own set of guides for teachers.
If you are a high school teacher, may I put in my suggestion here?
For me, if you really want to teach about programming (and I think teaching high schoolers to get certification is plain wrong), a high school teacher should inspire students to want to go into that field (or other scientific fields, as a matter of fact). High schoolers can learn the language syntax just fine, any language, and do the debugging too. You can give an introduction to most languages, and they will pick up and do it. The issue here to make them pick up the interest in doing it, and that's the hard part.
I remember when I was at high school, we had that programming course (optional class), where the teacher was teaching us programming Logo on those 8086 machines without hard disk. We needed to have a boot floppy to boot up, then another floppy for loading the program. The teacher thought he was God, we were a class of 40, and the class lasted one hour and half. He refused to create more boot disks so that everyone can boot at the same time, he just had one, gave it to one student at a time, and waited behind the student until the machine boot up, and passed the floppy to the next student. By the time the last student finished booting up, the class is almost over. None of us had computer at home, that's the only place we had access to computer programming.
Not only that, his moto was "Can't do", you can't do this, you can't do that. A few of us came up with some nice tricks to do things, and he threatened to fail us if we don't program his and his only way. For example, to draw a polygon, you must use his method, can't have anything else. We used the math learned in high school, including sin(), cosin(),etc, to program some fun stuffs, like creating a cube and move it inside a bigger cube, with proper perspective and angle and all that. 3D stuff. Yeah, you can do this with just high school math. Guess what, we would have failed the class, if we didn't accept to draw stupid picture by creating points and link the points together with stupid lines. All he wanted was the pictures so that he can print them, stick them on the walls, so that the principal could see his "achievements".
In that class of 40, all of us hated programming by the end. Only two got into computer science at University, I was one, and that's because I wanted to program a computer that can talk to me, like HAL in "2001 : Space Odyssey" (yeah, I read that book at the time).
A high school teacher can do much more than that, and don't underestimate the intellect of high schoolers, if you can rouse their interests.
I think a competitive project between teams would be great, you not only teach programming, you also teach teamwork at the same time. You don't need fancy textbooks, just some introductory materials. Don't limit their imagination, encourage them to go beyond what you teach.
In contrast, we had a great math teacher. Yeah, Mr. Belleau, if you are reading this, I'd like to say, thank you, although it's more than 20 years ago now.
Or "Head First (anything else)" (C# is pretty good). Very engaging, lots of geekey and slightly adult humor. Covers a lot of stuff.
Some of the humor is a bit adult - might not fly in Texas, Missouri or anywhere else prudes have undue influence.
BTW, my son loved it when he was 10. Learned a lot while reading in the car on long trips, then applied it when we got back home.
Knuth. What else is needed? If they can master all three volumes of Knuth they can teach themselves whatever else is needed from the manpages, or failing manpages by directly inspecting the binaries.
I'm not sure what the best texts are these days, but I learned more about computers from the K&R C book and a book about writing games in BASIC back in the day. K&R taught me data types, pointers, functions and I/O -- all that stuff in one short, quick read.
The BASIC games book was a fun way to learn to create programs - taking game rules and turning them into code. The games were all text mode, so it was about how to implement games like the Game of Life, Star Trek, Tic-Tac-Toe, Yahtze, Text Advent
Seriously. I don't mean sit down and start writing. I mean come up with lesson plans and find or develop hand outs to give the kids. Teach them to find the information on their own! This is the most important skill you can give kids at any level of education.
My experience is that textbooks are a cheap solution to a complex problem. They never answer the kids questions and are a one size fits all solution - which is one of the biggest problems with our education system in the US.
If you give the kids a b
Buy the books for CCIE and MCSE (or whatever MS call it now), one copy of each book for the entire class. Tell them if they don't pass both by the end of the year they get sent to the frontline in Iraq. If they pass that test they will be setup for a lifetime in IT.
Sadly, that's a very blinkered view of education. Teaching to a particular company's product... Urk. I'd rather my kid just bunked off school than do that. There's a difference between gaining a particular certification (I hesitate to call an MCSE a qualification because it's more a memory test of unnecessary trivialities than anything else) in a limited area and actually TEACHING a subject. Teacher's should not ever be teaching towards a particular product in any area. Bad teacher's do ("Today, we'll
If you can't spare the $39 per copy to buy the Linux Network Admin Guide, there is a free but slightly dated version available:
http://tldp.org/LDP/nag2/index.html [tldp.org]
General principles are still valid and if you or your students get stuck, they can look online for updated material - a guided search, rather than a from-scratch. Plus, it will teach them one of the most important lessons in IT/IS - 'RTFM'. Good luck!
Certification training is only one kind of education, and not particularly important for people who are five to eight years from entering the work force. Of course, computer science is a practical field, but knowing the underlying theory is kind of the point of pre-professional education.
Thinking back over my own history, I think the most important book I ever read was Kernighan and Pike's The Unix Programming Environment. This was a wonderful book, in that it was extremely practical, but at the same time introduced readers gently to things like lexical analysis and parsing. The world would be different if everybody who ever went overboard for XML had read that book. I also recommend K&R's The C Programming Language, even though it is not a theoretical book, simply because it is exceptionally well written and clear. Programming is a fundamental skill, and it's good to learn from clean, well thought out examples.
Perhaps, the shortest advice is anything with Brian Kernighan as an author. Software Tools by K & Plaugher was very influential in my thinking, although the whole "software tools movement" never took off the way its proponents hoped. I don't know what recent editions are like, but these books have practical examples that illustrate important ideas.
Other really good texts, although far to advanced for high school, would be Applied Cryptography by Bruce Schneier, and Introduction to Algorithms by Cormen, Lieserson, Rivest and Stein.
In the end, I would look for books that have a practical syllabus (if you will) that illustrates important theoretical ideas. If students entered CS knowing how to write a fairly clean C program, if they knew how to write a simple grammar that could be parsed by recursive descent, if they could do a simple object oriented design (perhaps Mr. Bruce Eckels' books, which are available online for free would be good here), if they could write both simple filter programs as well as programs that run in a more nondeterministic style, they'd be ahead of where a lot of people coming out of CS programs are.
All laws are simulations of reality. -- John C. Lilly


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The small staff at ArtServe is putting the final touches on (InSIDE)/Out! Art as Healing Therapy, a reprise of last year's smashing exhibit of artwork by children, adolescents and adults living with disabilities. This year's event offers several creative new twists, including more dialogue between artists, art therapists and viewers, as well as participation by South Florida artists who recognize the healing effects of art. After the show closes at ArtServe, it will travel to the Miramar Cultural Center and Hollywood Arts Park, where it can reach new audiences.
"The quality of work and the stories the artists tell about how art has helped them are powerful and extremely moving. People walk out with tears in their eyes," says ArtServe President Earl F. Bosworth.
(InSIDE)/Out! is a good example of how art enhances communication...and how ArtServe underscores the need for art in our lives.
ArtServe as arts incubator
(InSIDE)OUT! is one of more than a dozen major exhibits held yearly at ArtServe, located at 1350 E. Sunrise Blvd on the northeast corner of Holiday Park. The works of more than 100 artists are displayed at ArtServe year around.
In addition to gallery space, the facility has meeting rooms and an auditorium and provides affordable office space for the ArtServe staff and 14 other nonprofit organizations, including the Gold Coast Jazz Society, Fort Lauderdale Girl Choir, ArtsUnited, Broward Art Guild, Gold Coast Watercolor Society and Stonewall Library.
Giving visual artists a place to showcase their work is perhaps the aspect of ArtServe most familiar to the public. However, it is only one service the nonprofit provides.
ArtServe was founded in 1989 as one of six original arts incubators in the U.S. Its mission is to develop progressive events, programs and services that help artists turn art into business, while providing a positive impact on the lives of diverse communities.
"Our goal is to be a leading source of programs, resources and facilities for artists and cultural organizations, and in the process, enrich the cultural landscape of South Florida," Bosworth explains.
After serving six years as assistant director of the Broward Cultural Division, where he handled division operations, Bosworth took the head job at ArtServe in 2009. It was an ideal match for a go-getter with an MBA who had worked in for private, government and nonprofit organizations and is a musician and published songwriter. "ArtServe was to me that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to combine the business and the creative," he says.
Upon his arrival at ArtServe, Bosworth and the ArtServe board reexamined the direction in which the organization was headed. They reaffirmed their mission to support the business side of art. Bosworth immediately set about developing creative programs that would cater to the community, make art created by ArtServe's artist members more widely available to the public and provide jobs for artists.
"With the School Board and government making cuts to the arts, we need to show that public education is falling short—that arts matter. At the same time, we want to create revenue streams that can withstand these tough economic times," he says.
"Our members show, exhibit and sell. We teach them how to develop business plans, help them find jobs, and in turn, they give back to a segment of the community who otherwise would not have an opportunity to see or participate in arts or arts education," he explains.
It's a big job that Bosworth does well with only five full-time and a few part-time staff members. In addition to hosting major exhibits, ArtServe administers Broward County's Cooperative Advertising Program, which lowers the cost of advertising for arts organizations; presents a comprehensive technical assistance program with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and Broward County; manages ArtsCalendar.com, South Florida's online guide to arts and culture; and dreams up a growing stream of clever ways to make sure artists can make a living doing what they do best.
These programs are making an impact. In 2010, ArtServe hosted 13 exhibits, 951 classes, 68 seminars, 51 performances and 1,121 other events such as rehearsals, meetings and fundraisers—services that reached 75,458 individuals.
Partnerships are key
Bosworth knows the key to fulfilling ArtServe's mission is finding corporate sponsorship for the creative and educational programs of its members, which currently number 361. He recently persuaded AutoNation to sponsor the auditorium, which will be known as AutoNation Hall when it reopens after renovations are completed. Other partners who have stepped up to the plate include BankAtlantic, Bank of America, the Dan Marino Foundation, After-Hours Pediatrics, the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Orzel Vodka, Chima, Red Bull, 89.7 Classical South Florida, BJ's Wholesaler and a variety of local organizations and nonprofits. Some of these partnerships may have less visibility, but mean the world to the people they impact.
In 2006, ArtServe started an Eco-Art Therapy Program to provide "at-promise" children and young adults with an opportunity to learn about the environment through the arts. Thanks to support by the Sun-Sentinel Children's Fund and Precision Paddleboards of Fort Lauderdale, five artists were given part-time jobs teaching the program at the Sunset School in Davie. Precision Paddleboards also puts ArtServe members' art on display in their shop for purchase by patrons and visitors, and keeps members' digital portfolios on hand to use in custom board designs.
A partnership with the Broward Center for the Performing Arts enables jewelry created by ArtServe members to be sold year-round in the center's boutique.
Other partnerships enable ArtServe members' works to be exhibited regularly throughout Broward County, and Bosworth is always on the lookout for "pop-up gallery space," where the artists can be featured.
"Everything I do is designed to get members' work out there," he says.
Making music
Prior to Bosworth's arrival, ArtServe focused predominantly on the visual arts. Bosworth set about ensuring that musical arts get equal exposure. Fortunately, Bosworth mentioned the idea in a WLRN interview, and before he was back in his office, Elsten Torres had called. The Cuban pop-rock musician and Grammy nominee liked the idea and offered to host a songwriting workshop and perform an acoustic show at an ArtServe gallery opening.
"Elsten liked the idea that we were trying to do more for local musicians, so he offered to donate his time and talent," says Bosworth.
The idea fit perfectly with a program called Play Your Stuff, now being unrolled. Play Your Stuff provides an outlet for music afficionados to hone their performance skills and learn about the music industry. People in the music industry are donating workshops in songwriting, publishing, performing and the business of music. Weekend camps and seminars for target markets are on the horizon.
A long-term goal of Play Your Stuff is to provide musical instruments to young musicians in underserved areas, as well as an auditorium to practice and jam in. Musicians involved in every genre of music are invited to participate.
"The program is not limited to kids. They are the primary target, but the program is open to every age group," says Bosworth.
Reaching new markets
As ArtServe expands its reach into new communities and art forms, the concept of art becomes less traditional and predictable. Sure, classes in drawing, watercolor and photography are still available on a regular basis (see www.ArtServe.org/Calendar/Classes&Workshops) and likely always will be. But in striving to serve new audiences, ArtServe is serving up some highly creative programming.
Take, for example, The Red Eye, running through the month of July. A highly inventive combination of urban street art with music, fashion and dance, it spotlights the eccentric.
Visitors love it, as does Bosworth.
"It's pure energy. When you leave, you are tired, because there is so much going on under one roof," he says. "The only negative comments we hear are from visitors who say they can't see everything and have to miss some portion of it."
From jewelry to jazz, ArtServe programs appeal to a wide range of people from the urban to the urbane, fostering creative expression by and for diverse communities. In the process, the programs enrich the lives of creators and visitors alike, illustrating that art has no bounds. There's something for everyone.
Stay tuned.
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Benvolio it is clear you are neither an economist nor even a capitalist. "Too many poor people" is another way of saying "under utilised mismanaged human resource opportunity." If you can't see how to profitably invest in that resource, for mutual benefit, then you'd not make it as a manager either. This is an opportunity that can be spotted after even an introductory Economics 101 course.
In fact the arguments you present were generally only heard from 1970's trade unionists, whose moment in the sun fighting for adequate working conditions had long passed, and when they had nothing left to do but cling to relevance by spewing populist protectionist economic claptrap.
If you do decide to do some remedial studies of economics, I suggest you begin with the "Lump of Labour Fallacy."


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The lights are on
You know i was looking through the shelf of games. Some good some kinda good and Then I came across a gem. Sitting there was DMC2. A true disappointment, a failure to most, the worst dmc in the series.
But lately as I'm getting older and some what wiser in my years I gave it another play through. And playing now I can see many bad things about it.
The story was terrible.
Dante was about as interesting as saw dust.
And the girl (forgot her name) was just as bad as sheva in Re5.
Some enemy's I could just stand there and shoot (very boring).
However. There were surprisingly some really good things about it. Almost shocking that I missed the good things about the game. It almost seemed as if my vision was blurred from the crummy story and characters.
The game play was very fluid, beside some of the less than interesting bosses.
I could pick it up and play like a pro after a couple levels.
The dodging system was very easy and useful but some parts the camera gave me some problems(but you can't say this hasn't been a issue in many games that were good or bad).
The boss with erghasrijga;jna ( what ever his name is. The building boss) and the skeleton with wolfs were good solid bosses and I think they should be noticed.
I think that if this was named something different than dmc this would be a okay game. I mean I had some real fun just going to the bloody palace killing some demons.
So was Devil May Cry really that bad? Personally I Don't think so, I will proudly place this game back on my shelf.
It was just boring. There were definitely good things about it, it wasn't just a pile of ***. But I constantly kept feeling like I couldn't wait till it's over. When I like a game, I take my time doing every little thing, dreading the last mission because I don't want to look at it and say, "well, I did everything the game offered. nothing new there."
DmC2 felt that way like 3 missions in. I felt like I had done everything and now its just dragging on. I didn't even play the second disc. I lost hope.
I've only played the original Devil May Cry, Devil May Cry 3 and Devil May Cry 4. I never got around to playing the second game. Then I heard and read how awful it was so I decided it wasn't worth playing.
I never played Devil may cry 2 but the many compliants I heard about it was that Dante was too mature and he was his usual wise cracking funny self. Oh and the random new girl whose name I can not remember at all was just random boring and uninteresting. It was just bad for a Dmc game if it was a different seires the game might be considered to be be okay.
ive played devil may cry 2 its not awful its just lame action i mean you have poor weapon selection and i could shoot with my eyes closed and hit every demon without getting hurt or killed but the squid boss was a little challenging over all its an okay game but ive seen alot better
I didn't like dante on dmc 2 with his morose attitude and the flipping coin crap
i have to agree with most people and based on my own experiences, DMC2 was the worst as far as story mode i think it had very little to do with the main story of DMC, now as far as the combat system goes i think it was better to me like dante shotguns combos with his swords or some of his areial moves rain spin or whatever it was called overall i think the combat system in the game was awesome
To Charm a guy you need long hair not short XD :)
I played years ago and thought it was pretty ***, IDK?
Yeah I gotta say DMC 2 was crap, but some gameplay aspects were kinda cool (the freerunning) but the game was boring. Dante, while yes he was older in this game, should've stayed the same that was the one major thing that made this game bad to me. Honestly though I will still admit I find myself playing it from time to time, if not only out of sheer boredom.
"Okay! I had to fight a dude to get with her! I fought a crazy seven-foot-tall purple-suited dude! And I had to fight 96 guys to get to him, too! He was flying and shooting lightning bolts from his eyes and he could make people do whatever he said automatically! He was totally awesome! And I kicked him so far he saw the curvature of the Earth!!"- Scott Pilgrim
Yes I Feel the DMC2 story line lacked and so did some of the game play but I a am a DMC fan so I enjoyed playing it thought, I just wish there was a little more to the game, like there was the first and the third.
I just played it for hours and quit :( It is terrible...


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A preliminary examination was waived Tuesday for two men accused of breaking into a Shelby Township church and stealing thousands of dollars on Easter weekend.
Eric Joseph-Edward Eby, 19, of Shelby Township, and Logan Patrick Gerring, 17, of Sterling Heights face multiple felony charges in connection with the break-in and robbery of St. Therese of Lisieux Catholic Church. Their case was adjourned Tuesday to give lawyers more time to review evidence before court proceedings resume. The pair was due to return to Shelby Township�s 41A District Court at 1:30 p.m. June 6.
Eby and Gerring are accused of breaking into the church sometime during the night of March 31-April 1. The two gained access to a church office, broke into a safe and stole an estimated $40,000 to $50,000 along with two chalices, officials said.
A third man suspected of participating in an unrelated robbery of a gas station with Eby and Gerring waived his exam Tuesday. He was bound over to Macomb County Circuit Court to face changes in that case.


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TURON — Louise Lavelle Millington, 91, passed away Oct. 15, 2012, at Pratt Rehabilitation and Residence Center. She was born Aug. 6, 1921, in Turon, the daughter of William and Clara Levens Hoskinson. Louise lived on a farm most of her life outside of Turon in Stafford County. She was a homemaker.
She was a member of the Turon Christian Church, and Vlautilus Club of Turon.
On Nov. 26, 1938, she married Harold Millington, who passed away January 30, 2008, after 69 years of marriage. To this union three sons were born, Darrell, Dale and Stanley. She is survived by two sons, Dale and wife Jonni, Shell Knob, Mo., Stanley, Turon, eight grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband; her parents; a son, Darrell; and three brothers, Alvin, Lloyd, and Marlin.
Visitation will be held from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 17, at Larrison Funeral Home, 400 S. Martin, Turon.
Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Thursday at Turon Community Church. Burial will be in the Turon Cemetery, Turon.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials to the Turon Community Church or to a charity of the donor's choice in care of the funeral home. Condolences may be left at www.larrisonmortuary.com