[OT] machines that think for you (was: OpenStreetMap compatible GPS?)
Seth Cohn sethc...@gnuhampshire.org writes: On Wed, Apr 28, 2010 at 1:19 PM, Ken D'Ambrosio k...@jots.org wrote: On Wed, April 28, 2010 12:07 pm, Jon 'maddog' Hall wrote: It is the same thing as learning how to add, subtract, multiply and divide before you start using a calculator. In '76, my grandfather -- a mathematician -- bought me my first calculator. (A 7-digit red LED Commodore, no less. And, yes, that's the same Commodore.) My next-door-neighbor predicted the demise of all abilities to compute when our brains went soft because of calculators. Fast-forward to high-school physics, and our teacher decided to force logs on us... by way of a sliderule. I was the fastest in my class -- but it still made me wonder if similarly-dire Luddite-esque predictions hadn't been made when they'd come along. The day they allowed SAT test takers to use calculators, I knew that they'd hit rock bottom, and the tests no longer were meaningful (compared to when I took them and avg scores were dropping faster and faster). If you can't do the math yourself, how do you know the answer the calc gave is wrong? Sliderules are merely shortcuts, you still had to do some thinking about the answers. Did you know that, while graphing calculators are now allowed for use on the SATs, sliderules are not? -- Don't be afraid to ask (λf.((λx.xx) (λr.f(rr. ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: [OT] machines that think for you (was: OpenStreetMap compatible GPS?)
Speaking of sliderules http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/712349-196/then-seniors-at-alvirne-recounthow-record-slide-rule.html -roger (an Alvirne sophomore at the time) - Original Message - From: Joshua Judson Rosen roz...@geekspace.com To: Seth Cohn sethc...@gnuhampshire.org, gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2010 4:22:01 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [OT] machines that think for you (was: OpenStreetMap compatible GPS?) Seth Cohn sethc...@gnuhampshire.org writes: On Wed, Apr 28, 2010 at 1:19 PM, Ken D'Ambrosio k...@jots.org wrote: On Wed, April 28, 2010 12:07 pm, Jon 'maddog' Hall wrote: It is the same thing as learning how to add, subtract, multiply and divide before you start using a calculator. In '76, my grandfather -- a mathematician -- bought me my first calculator. (A 7-digit red LED Commodore, no less. And, yes, that's the same Commodore.) My next-door-neighbor predicted the demise of all abilities to compute when our brains went soft because of calculators. Fast-forward to high-school physics, and our teacher decided to force logs on us... by way of a sliderule. I was the fastest in my class -- but it still made me wonder if similarly-dire Luddite-esque predictions hadn't been made when they'd come along. The day they allowed SAT test takers to use calculators, I knew that they'd hit rock bottom, and the tests no longer were meaningful (compared to when I took them and avg scores were dropping faster and faster). If you can't do the math yourself, how do you know the answer the calc gave is wrong? Sliderules are merely shortcuts, you still had to do some thinking about the answers. Did you know that, while graphing calculators are now allowed for use on the SATs, sliderules are not? -- Don't be afraid to ask (λf.((λx.xx) (λr.f(rr. ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/ ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: [OT] machines that think for you (was: OpenStreetMap compatible GPS?)
On Wed, April 28, 2010 4:49 pm, roger.levass...@comcast.net wrote: Speaking of sliderules And more speaking of same -- for those who want to (re-)live the past: http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/tools/be12/ That being said, they're to be found a-plenty on Ebay. I just wish I could remember the damn *math* I used to use 'em for. All gone. Must've been swapped out to /dev/null so I could fit things like, say, how to load OS/2 off of floppies, and Token Ring/Netware 2.x troubleshooting tips. *sigh* -Ken http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/712349-196/then-seniors-at-alvirne-re counthow-record-slide-rule.html -roger (an Alvirne sophomore at the time) - Original Message - From: Joshua Judson Rosen roz...@geekspace.com To: Seth Cohn sethc...@gnuhampshire.org, gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2010 4:22:01 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [OT] machines that think for you (was: OpenStreetMap compatible GPS?) Seth Cohn sethc...@gnuhampshire.org writes: On Wed, Apr 28, 2010 at 1:19 PM, Ken D'Ambrosio k...@jots.org wrote: On Wed, April 28, 2010 12:07 pm, Jon 'maddog' Hall wrote: It is the same thing as learning how to add, subtract, multiply and divide before you start using a calculator. In '76, my grandfather -- a mathematician -- bought me my first calculator.  (A 7-digit red LED Commodore, no less.  And, yes, that's the same Commodore.)  My next-door-neighbor predicted the demise of all abilities to compute when our brains went soft because of calculators. Fast-forward to high-school physics, and our teacher decided to force logs on us... by way of a sliderule.  I was the fastest in my class -- but it still made me wonder if similarly-dire Luddite-esque predictions hadn't been made when they'd come along. The day they allowed SAT test takers to use calculators, I knew that they'd hit rock bottom, and the tests no longer were meaningful (compared to when I took them and avg scores were dropping faster and faster). If you can't do the math yourself, how do you know the answer the calc gave is wrong? Sliderules are merely shortcuts, you still had to do some thinking about the answers. Did you know that, while graphing calculators are now allowed for use on the SATs, sliderules are not? -- Don't be afraid to ask (λf.((λx.xx) (λr.f(rr. ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/ ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/ -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean. -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean. ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
Re: [OT] machines that think for you (was: OpenStreetMap compatible GPS?)
On 04/28/2010 06:06 PM, Ken D'Ambrosio wrote: On Wed, April 28, 2010 4:49 pm, roger.levass...@comcast.net wrote: Speaking of sliderules And more speaking of same -- for those who want to (re-)live the past: http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/tools/be12/ That being said, they're to be found a-plenty on Ebay. I just wish I could remember the damn *math* I used to use 'em for. All gone. Must've been swapped out to /dev/null so I could fit things like, say, how to load OS/2 off of floppies, and Token Ring/Netware 2.x troubleshooting tips. *sigh* HAHAHA! -- Thanks, Joseph Smith Set-Top-Linux www.settoplinux.org ___ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
