Want a Job?  Get a CS Degree!

I tell my students this every single day.
It seems that some of them get it some do not.

Google Page Rank Algo is Old as Dirt

It is not quite as old as dirt, but the algorithm has been around for some time.
Many of the algorithms commonly used today for sorting and searching are also quite old.

Tag Clouds are cool things to discuss and they make for nice assignments for students.  The discussion of Tag Clouds gives students a better idea of how page ranking works.  I have my students create a basic tag cloud program and they really enjoy it.

Cisco Futurist Says Robots Will Replace all Workers in 25 Years

This is not that hard to believe if you follow robotic developments.
The advancements made in robotics lately are amazing.
I think I am going to go watch iRobot again to make sure I am prepared.
The University of Texas Computer Science Roadshow is visiting my school on Friday and bringing along their Robotic Soccer team.  I will have to keep my eye on those soccer playing job thieves.

Humanoid Robots with Social Skills

Now if we could only teach these social skills to real people we would be in business.

I use ciphers and codes in my Computer Science classes as discussion topics and lab topics.  There are many different types of ciphers.  Codes are a big part of our everyday life and have been a big part of our history.  Students relate to these topics and enjoy discussing them.
I presented a Model Classroom session at the TCEA State Convention on February 11 over Ciphers and Codes.

Ciphers
Substitution Ciphers
Transposition Ciphers

Ciphers and Codes Slides
Ciphers and Codes Lesson Plan
Youtube – National Treasure Secrets and Codes

Ciphers and Codes materials will be included in the new 2010-2011  A+ Computer Science Curriculum which contains labs with solutions, slides  with examples, quizzes, tests, and related materials.

Pygame – A Game Programming Library for Python

This library is great and it allows for amazing game creation in python.
I will be posting some slides and lab examples over the weekend.
Python is used in many College Science courses as the computational vehicle.
Python is a great language for students new to Computer Science.
The syntax is simple and it is very easy to get programs up and running quickly.

print "A+ Computer Science Rocks!!"

Teaching Computer Science Using Python - TCEA Presentation

Erasing Our Innovation Deficit

There are lots of great points in this article.  As we innovate, we create jobs and very good jobs that last.  We must be the ones to create the next great gadjets, gizmos, and world-changing devices.

Univ of Dublin Training Java Coders

This is an interesting article that shows that having lots of tools in your tool belt is a good thing.  The more things you know the more marketable you are.
It also shows that it is never too late to learn something new.

NSA to Help Google With CyberSecurity

Seems like Google would have the largest pool of resources, but apparently that is not the case.  It is good to see that this issue is getting serious attention.

US at Risk of Crippling Cyber Attack

Here is another article related to cyber security.
It appears we need to do something to improve this area and in a hurry.