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06:46 PM
03:11 PM
03:26 PM
But probably those balls were placed where their brains should be.
04:40 PM
07:18 PM
But they didn't dream big. Before they even got started they had to know it wouldn't work because the first step in an enterprise like this is to talk to lawyers and investment advisors and all of them should have said it was a failed illegal venture. They knew from the beginning it was crap and from there it was a rip off for everyone who bought their computers. Think about support, think about everything that should warn you a purchase from this company was a terrible idea ... They're criminals and that was the way it was from the beginning.
02:39 PM
02:15 PM
The irony is that they probably could have made a successful company if they had just focused on the software emulation Rebel EFI side of their business... assuming that they weren't violating any GNU licenses on that product as well, which is actually probably a pretty big assumption.
02:55 PM
05:45 PM
02:05 PM
09:38 AM
Le sigh.
05:33 AM
How many people does @jamesmarcusbach employ/manage that are highschool dropouts, and how many of them have college degrees?
It's easy to dismiss the value of an education by citing the people who have made a difference without one. How about listing the many who *do* have degree's that are equally important?
I think that @jamesmarcusbach has made a fundamental flaw in his argument. He says that those on "intellectual autopilot" only study when they're forced to. That's incorrect. They only study subject they care *nothing* about when they're forced too. I don't know of *any* human being that doesn't have passion about *something.* All the author is saying, is taht in 1987, the people working for apple didn't really care much about the job they were doing. That's human nature. Clearly, @JMB was different, he cared about his job, and that's why he excelled.
To his point about college: College isn't for everyone--its unfortunate that not having a degree has a stigma in most societies. If you have a great idea, or have the desire to start a business, or don't want to waste time in college because you already know what you want to do, then by all means work your ass off and make your dreams come true. Some of the most successful businessmen on the planet don't have MBA's let alone formal education.
But if you're dropping out because you don't feel like finishing school, and you're just gonna see what happens, well then thats not a very smart plan. The average salary for a college grad vs a highschool dropout speak for themselves.
11/27/09
11/27/09
11/27/09
11/27/09
To be serious though, one cannot expect Apple to offer huge discounts as they don't want to undercut the retailers who carry their products.
By essentially matching their prices, they aren't really competing against their retailers yet Apple gets all of the additional profit which would be shared with the distributors and retailers.
Buying directly from Apple is a win for Apple, but a loss for the distributors, retailers, and especially consumers.
11/27/09
I'd say slicing out the middle man and dealing with a company directly is more efficient and generally more pleasant for the consumer.
Screw the distributors and retailers.
11/27/09
11/27/09
11/27/09
I think his assertions that people in degree programs are somehow more likely to be on autopilot is false. He offers no proof, just anecdotal observation.
I think he seriously downplays the disadvantage of not having a degree. For instance, the medical research I am interested involves a deep understanding of both chemistry and medicine. You can't learn these things in a home lab with a ill-gotten cadaver. You need an MD and PhD, not because they are pieces of paper but because the programs provided an environment to experiment that would simply be illegal and impractical to recreate at home.
11/27/09
There's nothing wrong with having a degree. But not having one doesn't automatically condemn a skilled, experienced person to joblessness. That's the point.
(Naturally, as you pointed out, the medical field is one where this tends to not apply. I doubt too many people are considering a homebrew medical degree.)
11/27/09
In my field, I've found many people do that. I can count on this phenomenon. I, who love what I do, am driven to master it. If I loved chemistry and medicine I would master that, too.
When you say "you need an MD and PHD, not because they are pieces of paper" you are not engaging my argument. I'm trying to separate schooling and education. I'm focusing on education, which may be a social process, but ultimately must be personal. I recommend the book The Science of Describing for an interesting take on this. The leading naturalists of the 16th century, many of whom were professors at medical schools, commonly complained that their students applied themselves poorly to the material. They couldn't force their kids to learn well.
Of course, Charles Darwin seems a counter-example, too. He famously dropped out of medical school. He refused to go to the lectures because he found them so boring, but then he made himself into perhaps the most respected naturalist in the world at the time-- writing the definitive works on barnacles.
Or consider the career of Joseph Priestly (see The Invention of Air) who innovated in chemistry and electricity, as you may recall. He was self-educated. So was Voltaire, when he ran his salon and became one of the first great intellectual super-stars.
I understand that you believe in a good education. So do I. To get there, we need to think of it in terms beyond suckling at the teat of external authority. Even though, we both agree, schooling can be helpful.
11/27/09
IMHO, it seems that the author is taking this further, casting serious doubt on the utility of degree programs and intentionally ignoring that his approach simply would not work in many, many fields.
11/27/09
Second, I think gizmodo needs to confer upon you an honorary commenter star STAT.
To engage your point directly, I take issue with the assertion that "some people sit back on their credentials and proceed on the assumption they are "educated" rather than striving to master their art". Perhaps this is true with undergraduate degrees but from what I've seen in the two graduate programs I have been associated with, no one graduates who hasn't striven to become a master of their art. That's probably why they call them master's degrees.
I understand schooling and education are different. However it is very difficult to become an expert in many fields if you do not pass through the schooling process. Likewise, it is very difficult to pass through a graduate curriculum at a major university without also becoming an expert in the subject matter.
11/27/09
Being a self-teacher is so much easier with the internet. Back in the day if you wanted to learn something you had to go to the library and check out books. Know what a card catalog is? Be glad if you don't. Now you can learn just about anything you want to by googling it.
05:41 AM
11/27/09