OT: Google cars caught snooping

mainly in restaurants, bars and BEDrooms....

--=20 Paul Carpenter | snipped-for-privacy@pcserviceselectronics.co.uk PC Services Timing Diagram Font GNU H8 - compiler & Renesas H8/H8S/H8 Tiny For those web sites you hate

Reply to
Paul Carpenter
Loading thread data ...

Or bomb shelters in their basements; or B&W TV; or *paper* books (soon); or tasty fruit/berries; or -- my personal favorite -- those kerosene filled, *burning* "bowling balls" that predate the "orange dunce caps" and "flashing saw horses" now used to mark construction areas on roadways, etc. :>

(Tie for favorite: *good* cartoons)

"Progress"!

Reply to
D Yuniskis

Books will easily make it a couple more generations, I think. Same with newspaper, even though both will continue to experience slow and steady declines.

I have been a bit surprised with how popular students using eBooks for their class studies has already become (and how publishers love the model because it completely kills any competition from used book stores), although I half-suspect this might be due to my seriously overestimating how much usage traditional textbooks received in the first place. (I.e., Some traditional texts were only opened to find the homework problems and material never actually read unless you started having problems with the homework!)

It wasn't until I was a young adult that I realized that, in most cases, even my parents' generation wasn't able to get all fruits and vegeteables fresh year around -- it's only been in the past 40-60? or so years that transporting fruits and veggies from the opposite hemisphere has become quite cheap, and that our storage methods have improved immensely (e.g., truly ginormous refrigerated warehouses, quick-freezing, etc.).

Traditional photographic film is all almost gone from picture taking already, and will be soon for moviemaking.

---Joel

Reply to
Joel Koltner

Like Dastardly and Muttley? I had never seen these until a few years back and I can still enjoy them a lot :-) :-) .

Dimiter

Reply to
Didi

eir

se it

I hate carrying paper schoolbooks. Heavy and pointless. I have all my schoolbooks in text format - if the publisher does not provide an open, unencrypted e-version then as soon as my paper books arrive I search BitTorrent for a PDF copy. I carry only my laptop and paper for making notes (I can't get the hang of making effective notes on a computer, even a tablet computer - I try every year with ever more advanced technology, and always revert to paper).

That would be me. I am only interested in the homework problems if any. I can find all the reference materials I want online - open university projects, publicly-accessible lecturers' notes from all kinds of colleges, etc. I don't need a textbook to find out how to generate a Nyquist plot.

h

rting

There is a backlash against this though, locally grown produce is having quite a big resurgence (lower transport costs, environmental benefits). Community-supported agriculture is quite a big thing these days. We buy much of our produce from a farm built on an abandoned basketball court in Brooklyn.

Reply to
larwe

Good guess.

I don't appreciate voice calls because I have to answer them in realtime (perhaps at dangerous moments, e.g. while driving). I can answer SMS and email when I have a spare moment. And I have a permanent record of the dialog, which is precisely why some people DON'T like it.

I can get behind the red wine retirement, but I think I'll always have a soldering iron in my hands and a compiler on my screen.

Reply to
larwe

Well, yeah -- if it's pointless you shouldn't bother. :-) Most of the time I didn't bother bringing my books to class either, unless I was planning on doing some homework or whatever at the union or similar rather than back at home or at my office.

Some professors claim they'll pull a few exam questions from material in the text that they specifically don't cover, but in my experience it was largely an idle threat.

There's a theory that your professor chose the book he did because it's a pretty good book -- whereas on the Internet quality is all over the place -- but I certainly am all for some Googling if the book isn't doing it for you. (And of course professors aren't always right... and it's downright ridiculous of them to assign you *their own* book, as I had one professor do...)

Yes, although the best reason to get local produce is what Didi suggested: Better taste.

---Joel

Reply to
Joel Koltner

at

I could not survive if I didn't do some homework at lunchtime. It's the only spare time I have some days.

-- =A0

LOL. The texts in my courses are I think chosen by an untrained monkey. So many errors in the answer key for the sample problems, for instance, that it is impossible to use them to determine if you're getting the questions right.

:

Very true. The local products are not genetically engineered with a 3" rubber skin to survive being trucked from Mexico. And they ripen on the soil/tree/vine/whatever under the sun, not in a tank of ethene.

Reply to
larwe

I don't doubt they will continue to be "around". But, I don't see "kids" perceiving any difference (or "advantage") to printed material over "electronic". I.e., the market ends with "us old-timers"

Though it opens the door to much easier "copying" (photocopying a book is rarely worth the effort or expense!)

I don't know. My experience with today's education system has been disappointing. It seems like *really* basic skills are missing: inability to make change, people who can't build a correct sentence, punctuation and spelling errors, etc.

A few months ago, I went to Home Despot to pick up some plywood. I wanted it ripped into 10" strips. Of course, they won't let *me* operate the saw (understandable) so I had to wait for the millworks guy to come by.

Kid (late teens?) shows up. I explain I want it ripped into

10" strips. He nods. Then takes out his tape rule and asks me "how do I get 10 inches?" (I kid you not!)

Whoever came up with "no child left behind" surely missed THIS one!

I think that depends largely on where you are and which fruits and vegetables. Even with global farming, things simply go out of season.

I've not found Macoun apples anywhere but "back home". I guess they must not travel well. :<

Yes, but I note a decline in the quality (in terms of *taste*) of most fruits. No, I don't think this is attributable to "effects of age" (on the part of the taster). E.g., strawberries now *look* wonderful, are incredibly *big*, nice even/deep color, etc.

And taste like crap! Hard, flavorless, etc.

OK, I'll admit to having an unnatural bias, here, as picking fresh strawberries was "just something you did" when I was a kid. But, even without those "fresh from the farm" experiences, the produce we got at the grocery store was much tastier than that which we seem to get today.

I suspect much of it has to do with the stuff being picked prematurely, nowadays (to accommodate longer transit times) and artificially "ripened". No doubt because growers want to reduce their losses (spoilage, etc.) and have learned that people are hugely tolerant to changes in *taste* -- so long as the tomato looks nice and red and isn't "soft", they'll buy it!

Yup. I actually think that has been a boon to "photographers". The big cardboard box full of "old family photos" will soon go away (freeing up much needed closet space!).

I've been going through these "boxes" for friends and family and making DVD's from them. Not the same sort of viewing experience (to me, the tactile aspect of passing photos around -- "be careful not to get fingerprints on them" -- was a big part of the experience) but offset (IMO) by the fact that I can share copies of the whole collection with lots of people much easier than would be possible, otherwise.

And, I can make the scanned images available on the same medium as the "TV viewable" so "Granny" can enjoy them while "cousin Billy" can extract the originals for use in a scrapbook.

(N.B. I find Pinnacle's Studio product to be pretty good in this regard. I've tried several different authoring tools and it seems to have the best balance between capabilities and ease of use. Though I think different versions/releases may have extra baggage :< I think I use 9.4.3 Pro)

Reply to
D Yuniskis

Well, I've had pretty good results with that ("their own") route.

I learned Calculus from Thomas. A.I. from Winston. Probabilistic Systems Analysis from Allen. etc.

In several cases, there simply *were* no books on the subject. Or, the book was being written *then* (e.g., I took Winston's course with mimeographed "proofs" of his text).

Of course, you have to learn not to *trust* everything you read! Even in "finished" works. I think that was the biggest eye opener for me coming out of High School -- books are often WRONG (not just typos)

Some books, regrettably, *should* have been written but weren't! I cherish my notes from Saltzer's class probably more than any other.

Reply to
D Yuniskis

(at a *really* low fundamental frequency: "he he he he he")

Rocky & Bullwinkle tend to have pretty high level humor. I'm just not fond of the characters (though Natasha might be interesting to *meet* some day! :> )

My personal favorite is Road Runner. I have been canvasing all of the cartoon collection DVDs at our local library looking for episodes (I would enjoy something like "The Road Runner -- The Complete Series"). When I find them, I glue myself to the TV until I have seen all of them.

I think *knowing* the quirky twists that *will* come (poor Coyote... you're gonna get screwed BIG TIME in this next scene) makes them *more* enjoyable. It's amazing how hard you can laugh even when you know the punchline! The catapult scene always has me roaring...

I also enjoy some of the more complex Bugs Bunny episodes (Bugs & Elmer in "What's Opera, Doc?" -- kiwl da wabbit, kiwl da wabbit) (Rabbit of Seville, etc.)

And, of course, Marvin the Martian is hilarious ("Instant Martians, just add water").

In the decades since, the only cartoon that has been able to double me over in laughter was an episode of The Animaniacs...

One of the character sequences is a little girl (Mindy) who is being babysat by the family dog (Buttons). The girl always "gets out" and ends up in what *should* be very dangerous situations -- walking across a busy street, etc. The protective dog always gets the brunt of the injuries and indignities -- while the little girl miraculously is unharmed and totally oblivious to the things happening around her.

She *always* ends up coming across "some man" in her wanderings. The dialog that ensues is ****ALWAYS****:

Mindy: Hiya Mr. man. Watcha doin? XX: . Mindy: Why? XX: Because . Mindy: Why? XX: Because . Mindy: Why? XX: Because . Mindy: Why? XX: Because . Mindy: Why? XX: Mindy: Okay, I love you, buh-bye!

The (adult) humor in this cartoon is a result of the BOILERPLATE approach. EVERY episode is the same. This is most evident in the dialog.

The episode that doubled me over was in *French* (aired in our US/english speaking market!). I dusted off my high school french and it was easy to follow along with the dialog. And, immediately apparent that there was no *need* to (I think it may have been subtitled, as well) as it was

*exactly* what you would EXPECT it to be! The humor being that *anyone* would be able to follow along even without the subtitles! (even children, I guess)

Another set of characters in the series -- Pinky & The Brain -- are good for many laughs.

But, it seems like most of the current cartoons have been sanitized, "flattened" and washed out so there is no real "zing" left in them.

(I watched a few episodes of "Spongebob" with my neice and nephew and was at a complete loss to understand the appeal, there. :< )

As a side note, all of my network nodes, here, are named for cartoon/comedy characters: Rocky/Bullwinkle Fred/Barney/Wilma/Betty George/Jane/Judy/Elroy/Spacely/Orbitty/Rosey Pinky/TheBrain Tennessee/Chumley/MrWhoopee Sherman/MrPeabody Dudley/Penelope/Snidely Popeye/OliveOyl Curly/Larry/Moe/Shemp/Joe It makes it easier to remember "which" is "who" (of course, there is a "system" involved)

Reply to
D Yuniskis

Yeah, some professors do write very good books, of course -- it's just that I view the book as a "second opinion" (or at least "second attempt at an explanation"), so they're kinda shortchanging the students by selecting their own book.

Granted, in some fields there might not be much of a choice, in which case, sure, class notes or the guy's own book is fine.

I like this guy's quote:

formatting link
: "Whenever I teach a course there always comes a moment as I'm reading the textbook where I say ``you know, I think I could write a better textbook than this''. The unfortunate thing is that this is true even when I am using my own book! "

Where was this?

Particularly if you're using a textbook for self-study... it can be difficult to know when the problem is you're just not getting it vs. the book is just wrong.

---Joel

Reply to
Joel Koltner

I'm thinking a lot of people will still prefer the convenience factor of a book over an eBook reader, phone, or PC when it comes to just wanting to go sit out on the porch or on the beach or wherever -- taking a $5 paperback to the beach doesn't phase me in that, well, if I drop it in the surf, it's no great loss... whereas you need to be rather more careful with a Kindle, iPad, etc. (*Particularly* if your eBooks are DRM'ed such that, if you lose the device, you permanently lose access to all your books!)

When I was last in grad school (early '00s) the rage was just having one person scan the entire book and then spreading it around as a .PDF. Most books could easily be done in an evening.

He's going to really be in trouble if he has to tell the time off an analog clock. :-)

Yeah, I tend to agree -- despite a lot of good intentions, it sure seems as though the educational system has been on a downhill slide for years now.

Agreed. As that other guy pointed out, at least most places have farmers markets that can mitigate this to some extent.

---Joel

Reply to
Joel Koltner

Yeah, I recall reading Stroustrup's _The Design and Evolution of C++_ shortly after I learned the language. I got to one point in the text and kept scratching my head because everything seemed

*exactly* wrong (not "sort of" wrong... EXACTLY wrong! Like claiming that 4+1=3).

But, heck, this guy wrote the damn LANGUAGE, right?? *I* clearly must be misunderstanding something, here...

I finally convinced myself that either I was *hopelessly* "missing something" *OR* that *he* was wrong!

I sent a really timid note to him afraid that I really

*had* missed something -- something *obvious*! His *prompt* reply was something like: "that's because I wrote that page exactly wrong!" :>
Reply to
D Yuniskis

I'm not sure about that! People seem *chained* to their phones (soon to be iPads?). Maybe as their eyes age and the size of the text (and granularity thereof) become more of a problem, they may have different preferences.

I just like the tactile sensation of holding a book in my hands (any e-readers *feel* "hard", etc.). I read a *lot* (at least

500pp weekly "for leisure" -- 1500pp in the past week -- not counting technical papers, etc.) and look forward to having a book in my hands. By contrast, I am *unhappy* reading things on my computer, etc. (and I feel the small size and contrast of an e-reader would be even worse)

I'm not sure where you buy $5 paperbacks anymore! :> If the library didn't have this set of books (Pratchett's Discworld series) I certainly wouldn't shell out $300 for them! :<

Yes, my sister moaned about losing her iTunes library. I didn't realize this was possible (I just rip my CD's).

Ah! "Times have changed" (in 30 years :> ). Doesn't that beat the hell out of the binding?

I just can't imagine how people "get by" with these skill sets! I bought two bottles of for $9.99 ea some time ago. I took $22 out of my wallet in preparation. Cashier (young girl) tells me "That will be $4x.xx".

I smiled. Pulled my cash back to my chest.

Lifted the first $9.99 bottle. "This is $9.99. Let's call it $10. This, too, is $9.99 -- it's the same stuff -- so call *it* $10. $10 plus $10....?"

She just looked at me -- waiting for the answer.

I finally just said, "Why don't you ring it up again and see what the MACHINE TELLS YOU?"

How would she fare if she were in *my* shoes? Would she get home and wonder why she's "broke" so soon after payday? Doesn't she have a *feel* for the numbers involved -- even if she can't gauge the result exactly?

A cousin is a teacher and complains that the schools are a "playground" for politicians and the like to "tinker".

Dunno. OTOH, if it was a private business, it would have gone belly up years ago (defective products)

It's sad that one has to "go someplace special" to get *real* food.

Reply to
D Yuniskis

Looney Tunes, Bugs & Daffy (and Elmer and Sylvester and Tweety), Rocky & Bullwinkle, Roger Ramjet, Road Runner & Coyote, the list goes on and on....

Oh, yeah, Mickey Mouse, but feh! ;-)

Thanks, Rich

Reply to
Rich Grise on Google groups

That's what "voice mail" (AKA "The answering machine") is for, you nincompoop. ;-)

Cheers! Rich

Reply to
Rich Grise on Google groups

^^^^^^^^ Are you sure you don't mean Nell? ;-)

Curly _WAS_ "Joe" (Curly Jpe), and these guys were live, albeit they did elevate abysmal stupidity to high camp. ;-)

Cheers! Rich

Reply to
Rich Grise on Google groups

Yeah, but a lot of these were "fluff". E.g., "Tom Swift", "Yogi Bear", etc.

The *good* ones were those that had smarter humor. E.g., Roadrunner, some Bugs Bunny, Rocky & Bullwinkle (and Sherman/Whoopee/Peabody). Sometimes The Jetson's (though too often it relied on cheap gags).

I.e., if you would find it entertaining *now*, then it probably passes this citeria... (Hint: ScoobyDoo doesn't!)

I *recall* "Felix the Cat" but suspect it was also a dud (the fact that I can't remember any episodes confirms this!)

Reply to
D Yuniskis

Well, I took microwave filter theory from Matthaei using his book are the text. It was only about forty years old, and still relevant... ;-)

I took a Fortran course at UNM and the teacher used her own book. Was a big help as she was 'on the same page' as the text...

My biggest problem is that kids nowadays have word processors to do papers on. They should try doing them on a manual typewriter, with the whiteout and correction strips sitting next to it, trying to write a five page paper due tomorrow... ;-)

Charlie

Reply to
Charlie E.

ElectronDepot website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.