Education of People who Read E-Books

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by kimc127

such riveting titles as Robbins and Clark Pathologic Basis of Disease and Harrisions Principles of Internal Medicine.

hey, didn't they make that one into a movie last summer ?

[montsnmags]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

hey, didn't they make that one into a movie last summer ?

I believe so, but they left large parts out of the movie, and Vincent Price was very poorly cast (what with being dead and all).

I'm sure in a couple of years there'll be a remake though. Ahh, "remake"...is there any more beautiful word in the language of film?

Cheers,
Marc

[vivaldirules]

I'm quite surprised with the poll results. It's almost sad. Just think of all the time and cash we spent in class that we could have spent enjoying Dickens over beer.

[plantedbypiggies]

I'm graduating with my BA in less then four weeks, but I put "currently a college student."

[montsnmags]

Originally Posted by plantedbypiggies

I'm graduating with my BA in less then four weeks, but I put "currently a college student."

My rampant stupidity and foolishness aside..

Congratulations. May it be an enormous step towards your heart's desire.

Cheers,
Marc

[montsnmags]

Originally Posted by vivaldirules

I'm quite surprised with the poll results. It's almost sad. Just think of all the time and cash we spent in class that we could have spent enjoying Dickens over beer.

I thought that was what college/university was for?! (well, the "beer" bit at least).

Cheers (appropriately enough),
Marc

[vivaldirules]

Originally Posted by montsnmags

I thought that was what college/university was for?! (well, the "beer" bit at least).

Nah. A popular myth. A couple of beers at "Big Ed's" down the street once in awhile, to be sure. But the rest of the time is usually spent figuring out how to solve integration problems on homework sets using methods that will never work (cuz the math prof was too stinking lazy to figure that out before he assigned the problems), calculating the advantages and disadvantages of putting off doing laundry for just one more day despite not having had clean underwear in two weeks, and devising a means to buy both shoes of a pair when you only have enough money to buy one.

[Razi]

Is Pathologic Basis of Disease still around. I remember seeing a cousin of mine lugging a copy around back in early 80s.

Two MAs and counting, I find my fellow postgraduate students of literature a bit aghast at the idea of losing their beloved (dead-tree) books. I think they are the stoutest opponents of ereaders when they should support such developments. Most of them "like the smell of a new book."(!)

[mjh215]

Actually a very interesting poll. I'm of the mindset that we have far too many "superbly educated idiots" in the world today. For a good 98% of the population I would bring back a system of apprenticeships.

In the workforce, I've noticed that those degrees seem to do nothing more then hang around. I kept waiting for them to solve problems the proles were unable to, to organize new methods for inventory control, or simply to create some scripting shortcuts for the more menial computer tasks. But I was disappointed at the end of the day to find they hadn't moved. In fact they were so content to remain still that dust had begun to settle on them. As the schools they represent often tend to promote a socialist viewpoint I thought that a group of them would have more potential. Again I was defeated. Looking in on them, in their pompously gilt garb and the heraldic frills adorning their faces, I found that it was no different then viewing a group of peacocks transfixed to the wall.

Just realized I'm late for an appt, will continue later -MJ

[Taylor514ce]

I attempted to graduate High School about 4 years early (had all the academic credits). The authorities gave me one option: go to college. I did, for a semester, hated it, so quit school entirely. Got a job, taught myself programming, and that was that. I was in Mensa for awhile (hated that, too), but met an educator there who was moved by my story and convinced the school system that having me as a dropout reflected more poorly on them than on me, so though I didn't GO to High School, I did GRADUATE with my class.

[vivaldirules]

Originally Posted by mjh215

In the workforce, I've noticed that those degrees seem to do nothing more then hang around. I kept waiting for them to solve problems the proles were unable to, to organize new methods for inventory control, or simply to create some scripting shortcuts for the more menial computer tasks. But I was disappointed at the end of the day to find they hadn't moved. In fact they were so content to remain still that dust had begun to settle on them. As the schools they represent often tend to promote a socialist viewpoint I thought that a group of them would have more potential. Again I was defeated. Looking in on them, in their pompously gilt garb and the heraldic frills adorning their faces, I found that it was no different then viewing a group of peacocks transfixed to the wall.

I used to (in my naive youth) have similar opinions, particularly of polititicians and government bureaucrats. I felt certain that with the knowledge and intelligence available, there would be problems that would soon be solved and put to rest. A question like "What is the optimum level of taxation for a capitalist society?" seemed to be soluble given history, data, and theory. Perhaps it's not simple, but it seems soluble. Right. Ask any two economists and get an infinite number of answers. A good education can be a good thing, but not necessarily for those that didn't receive it.

[zelda_pinwheel]

education is over-rated ; it's too easy to confuse it with learning and with intelligence.

i was lucky : i went to experimental (*cough*hippie*cough*) schools where i had a lot of liberty to create my own education. teachers didn't watch me too closely or keep much of a leash on me, and i did mostly whatever i wanted. among other things, it allowed me to take classes for later years in advance, including college classes during high school (for high school and college credit, which later allowed me to graduate college early) in the subjects that interested me (mainly art and litterature, but also marine biology because it was the only biology class which involved no dissection). if i had been with less understanding teachers, or they had tried to put me back on some kind of rails, i probably would not have stayed in school.

it was a good system for me, because i was interested in a lot of things and "worked well without supervision". it was a really poor system for other people who needed more structure.

[rhadin]

Originally Posted by kimc127

. . . Harrisions Principles of Internal Medicine. . . .

Harrisons is a good book. I've worked on several editions of it, along with such other stalwarts as Williams' Hematology and Goldfrank's Toxicologic Emergencies. My day is filled with such "light" reading.

[NatCh]

I'm one of those structure needing people Zelda refers to: I'm quite good at solving problems when presented with them, but I've never been very good at coming up with my own problems to solve. I consider myself more clever than smart, really.

[GeoffC]

O - level failure in English Literature ..
O - level scrape through English Language ..