Spam 2...the next thousand pages....

[Kendrik]

Programming is pretty easy once you get the basic mechanics figured out. I hated Java for a little while, but it's actually pretty nice. It's not exceptionally fast, however, so that's a bit of a bummer. C is pretty much the foundational language, but takes a little bit of work to get used to it.

P4... my main PC (I'm a Mac guy most of the time) is a P4 1.6GHz with pretty low specs, but I can play Counter-Strike! Have fun piecing the rest of that machine together!

[a_sigint_ninja]

P4 1.6-that's what the one I'm working on is. Think the motherboard is bad on it though, so I have to find one to replace it. If I get it fixed my dad will probably take it, if for no other reason than it uses DDR RAM.

[The_Pendragon]

I know next to nothing about computers...

[CountKrazy]

How do you like me new avvy? I wanted Gonzo or Rizzo, but all I could find was Kermit (whom still rocks)

[a_sigint_ninja]

The new avvy looks fine, CK.

And Pendragon, you don't have to know everything. Though some people I know still have trouble turning the computer on.

[The_Pendragon]

I'm a writer, I feel that the maximum amount of knowledge is best so that I keep things true to reality.

On the subject of knowledge in reality, I'm never watching the Discovery Channel, they've managed to screw up just about every myth I've seen United Streaming.

[a_sigint_ninja]

True. It's just that you have to decide what you'll emphasize learning, and thus what is most important for you to learn. (Somehow I doubt that being expected to remember a hundred pages on documentation styles for papers when I can just look it up anyway makes much sense. )

[The_Pendragon]

I don't get the memorization, basic knowledge is great so that you can pick out what you need better, but memorization? bah, that's why I hate the education system.

[Kendrik]

Like I said in another thread, memorization changes you. When memorizing something, you more or less become that thing. That's why memorizing Scripture is important.

Now, that can be applied to schools in two ways: they want you to be well-rounded and able to really understand language, social sciences, and hard sciences, or that they mean to create drones that follow their ideals.

I find the former to be more likely on the whole, but my inner-cynic says that the latter is not altogether unlikely.

Besides, there isn't always time to look things up. Example: would you want to look up how to fire a rifle every time you picked it up? Memorization, in itself, is a good thing. What you memorize, on the other hand, isn't always a good thing.

Clear as mud, right?

I actually bought a bokken and introductory guide a few days ago, hopefully I'll actually figure out how to use it without beating myself to a pulp.

[a_sigint_ninja]

Good points, Xian. My problem tends to be when the emphasis is placed merely on (rote) memorization of minor points, without much interest in actual comprehension. So, I don't object to memorization in principle, I'm just annoyed when I'm supposed to memorize minor things that I'll get little use from.

Of course, things can go the other way too-ignoring all the details doesn't work well either, especially in math and related subjects.

One test I took, the teacher asked "what filing system does your computer use?" I put down NTFS. The problem was, after the test was over he said that he'd wanted the general organizational trend of the files, which he'd previously described as "tree-like." If only he had worded the question that way.

[Kendrik]

Unclear questions are never fun. Such is a part of education I suppose. EDIT: Actually, unclear questions come up everywhere. Actually, I would think questions in education tend to be more clear than most other places.

I fully agree that memorization needs to work with understanding of the material, not in place of it.

[Lazarus]

The only thing I'd like to memorize is the codes to the vault at Fort Knox.

[a_sigint_ninja]

Can't say that I'm surprised.

[Lazarus]

Nothing I(or anyone else) do will ever surprise you, SigInt.

...Unless - maybe - if I blew up Southern California with a nuke. I think that would surprise you.

[a_sigint_ninja]

No, Southern California I'd expect from you.