EdEarl

You cannot learn C++ without learning C, but you can learn C without learning C++. To an extent whether one knows a particular language or not is unimportant, as long as one knows one that is representative of several programming paradigms, including the four main paradigms: imperative, functional, object-oriented, and logic programming. C is imperative, C++ object oriented, and both support mathematical functional; thus, the two satisfy two of the four programming paradigms and partly satisfy functional programming. However, functional programming with first class functions is better supported by Common Lisp, Scheme, or others, and one may the Lambda-Calculus which is a formal language. Logic programming languages are Prolog and Datalog. In addition, one may want to add the meta-programming paradigm by learning Common Lisp or C++ Templates. There are other languages for each paradigm and other paradigms. Generally one needs to know a language required for a job. Knowing C and C++ will give one the experience to quickly learn whatever language they need for a job. But, there are other languages that will do as well or perhaps better. Java and Javascript are a good combination; both are object oriented, and probably more in demand than C and C++. All the advice given in this thread has been good. My recommendation is to look at job ads and choose a language that is important to get a job; learn it thoroughly. Then, learn another to be ready for a different job; learn it thoroughly. The more you know, the more valuable you are.

I think holding a job for a short period of time will not be held against you, if your reason for moving is a good one, such as a better opportunity. Although, as a teacher you should think twice about quitting mid term. You can continue your education while teaching, either with a local university or an on-line institution. Thus, you can work towards a masters degree while teaching, and that may help you get into a PhD program.

I am not a lawyer; thus, cannot quote case law. There are probably sex discrimination cases in US law in which judges have given such reasons in accordance with US law. I believe, in some discrimination cases, judges have issued orders to hire people from discriminated groups because nothing less would prevent discrimination--it was in essence a punishment. In recent years, this practice has been challenged as reverse discrimination by people from majority groups. In other words, people from majority groups are being discriminated by judicial order to stop discrimination.

For me, scientific observation and repeatability are a better explanation of things than otherwise; thus, I discard Solipsism for my view of the Universe.

From: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=314601372011295&set=a.103481356456632.4989.100003843041121&type=1&ref=nf

Obviously, it is changing all the time, but it does appear that robots will be the catalysts for a huge change in the not too distant future. I hope your suggestion that personal robots will help people rather than disenfranchise them comes true. And, to some extent there will probably be some of both.

The defense department (DARPA) is funding research into humanoid robots for use in disaster recovery. They won't spend it to do research for farm or industrial equipment, but advancements done for disaster recovery will, no doubt, improve robots overall.

There are many free languages, at least as good a Visual Basic. Maybe you should look into SMath Studio, which is similar to MathCAD, and has a programming language built into it. It is free and runs on Windows. I've downloaded it and used it a little, and found no critical errors AFAIK; although, it probably is not as good as MathCAD.

Company officials believe robots similar to Baxter will be flipping hamburgers, soon. Robots like this will take jobs of humans without making jobs for higher skilled employees. IMO, it will cause culture shock and will have political ramifications.

daphne, I cannot understand your train of thought because you seem to have thought some things you did not write about. Are you saying people are becoming more and more lazy because of high-tech products, or are they using high-tech products because they are more and more lazy. If my second interpretation is true, why are people becoming more and more lazy. To what phenomenon are there advantages and disadvantages: more and more robots, people becoming more and more lazy, or many high-tech products? Why will human organs become degraded and useless? Is it related to the phenomenon you alluded to, or something else. If you write a few more sentences, perhaps you can connect your ideas.

Dogs can learn to respond to our pointing toward things. In fact, they can understand people looking at things without pointing with a hand or finger. It is surprising that Elephants understand pointing without training. Maybe they use their trunks to point, or maybe they learn from watching their care takers, before the experiment. They are very smart.

Welcome to SFN, John. Enjoy.

Agree Agree This question can be debated forever, because people have various positions.

We try to help those who help themselves. At least post the questions in your own words. Questions like these can often be solved by examining the units of known quantities and the units of the expected answer, and determining what arithmetic is needed to make the units come out right for the answer you need.

tar, iNow, and waitforufo, Isn't the issue how to cut federal spending without gutting the economy? IMO there is spending that improves the economy of foreign economies at the expense of the US economy, and spending that does less damage to the US economy or maybe helps it. For example, the Eisenhower program to build the interstate highway system. Today, I think we need to increase our ability to generate renewable energy, which creates jobs in the US and reduces foreign expenditures on oil. Moreover, I believe the military has already come to the conclusion that our national defense is in jeopardy because of foreign dependence on oil. It will be a difficult battle to fight the oil industry, but if the people agree and focus their attention long enough to vote for congressmen who support such business plans, IMO we should be able to improve our economy, increase jobs, and reduce the debt by redirecting war funds to this effort.

A flux capacitor is fictitious; thus, I cannot comment on its properties. An electromagnetic pulse (EMP) is a pulse (short burst) of photons, often having many frequencies (wave lengths), such as ones produced by sparks and lightening; although, a nuclear bomb can create an EMP that can be more powerful than ones produced by lightening. Photons carry the electromagnetic force, which includes radio waves, micro waves, x-rays, infrared, light, ultra-violet and gamma rays. I apologize for not knowing the sci-fi meaning of EMP.

See: EMP in Wikipedia. EMP may vary in power from a spark you get rubbing your feet on a rug, to a lightening bolt, and much stronger. I suppose one might melt a car, burn out all the wiring, fuses, and chips, or do nothing.

I agree. Interesting issue. Is simulated pain actually pain and does it qualify as suffering? Is simulated happiness enough to motivate a robot to "want" to live? Can we build circuits into robots that allow robots to turn off their simulated pain/happiness? Should we? I have always assumed that a robot can replace its parts, including electronics, and survive (live) indefinitely. If a robot learns the Universe will eventually end, will it decide decide living is futile and decide to end it all?

True, this tip would be good for a "Tips" thread, perhaps in forum announcements. It will be missed by many readers in this thread.

Expansion of the Universe results in increasing entropy (i.e., cooling) and the eventual end of the Universe is expected to be the Big Freeze, more than 101500 years from now.

Releasing pressurized gas through a turbine can generate a bit of electricity. AFAIK hydrogen is not piezoelectric. The basic idea behind "generating electricity" is transforming energy in one form into another, not creating energy. Energy cannot be created. Thus, no matter how you use the energy of pressurization to generate electricity, you loose the pressure.

Very well, I'll call off the duel.