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aaryan42 wrote: Poetry & history were just a waste of time.
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." --- George Santayana
History is full of examples that we really should not forget. And if they don't teach it to everybody, how would you even know it had ever happened?
Poetry? That's a difficult one. I tend to follow Heinlein: "A poet who reads his verse in public may have other nasty habits."
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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Everyone has their own version of history, or at least their own interpretation of events. I doubt it makes much difference what they teach.
I'm not saying there should be no history taught whatsoever, just that forcing us to memorize dates for exams was a waste of time.
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Actually i could put nearly everything to use at some point. Even if it was just a useless discussion for fun.
Though the most valuable thing i learned during school and university was how to get information, precess it, understand it and evaluate the result i generated with it. Basically this is the most important thing, if you know how to teach your self you can learn everything.
Rules for the FOSW ![ ^]
if(this.signature != "")
{
MessageBox.Show("This is my signature: " + Environment.NewLine + signature);
}
else
{
MessageBox.Show("404-Signature not found");
}
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That's a really difficult question, looking back at it from the vantage point of my advanced years!
In school, and for quite a few years after, I could point at any subject - more or less - and say "I never used it! Why did I have to learn it!" But...most of it has been used in one form or another, even the Geography, the Statistics, the Latin.
And more importantly, it teaches interest in learning; the "habit" of learning; how to learn. Yes, there were whole weeks where if I hadn't been there it wouldn't have made any real difference in the long run. But they were part of a whole: teaching you to learn, rather than a subject. And that's very, very different!
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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I'd say drama class, but that was probably because I thought the teacher I had was a total waste of oxygen. And I knew she knew how I felt about her.
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Conjugating verbs.
Really?
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I don't know if you know as he knows that we know you know they know it all comes in handy sometime!
I am not a number. I am a ... no, wait!
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aaryan42 wrote: What's the most useless thing you learned (or are still learning) at school?
The difference between the Calabrian and the Middle Pleistocene, and when they started. This was part of "geography"-lessons, roughly aimed at highschool. Pretty useless knowledge in everyday life.
aaryan42 wrote: For me it was poetry.
Never had it in school (that I can remember), but I do love poetry - might be due to the fact that we didn't need to memorize examples thereof, so I only stumbled over a few things that I actually liked.
Bastard Programmer from Hell 
If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^]
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If anything, phys ed.
"the debugger doesn't tell me anything because this code compiles just fine" - random QA comment
"Facebook is where you tell lies to your friends. Twitter is where you tell the truth to strangers." - chriselst
"I don't drink any more... then again, I don't drink any less." - Mike Mullikins uncle
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/ravi
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"State-sponsored terrorism"
(guess the reference  )
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You got me, uncle.
"the debugger doesn't tell me anything because this code compiles just fine" - random QA comment
"Facebook is where you tell lies to your friends. Twitter is where you tell the truth to strangers." - chriselst
"I don't drink any more... then again, I don't drink any less." - Mike Mullikins uncle
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at least look at the useless areas of study as fodder to chat up the sex of your sexual preference (as well as a waste of money)!
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Entire degree useless
Did Electronic + Electrical engineering. Got corporate sponsorshop from a power cable manufacturing company. Pretty much from day 1 after graduation and into employment, found myself working on Access databases and VB 4 -> 5 -> 6 applications for the company's statistical process control (manufacture -> test -> feedback loop).
2 years in and went into dedicated software development (might as well get paid for it eh?) haven't applied knowledge of electrical power systems since.....
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School itself was useless.
I'm not being flippant - I could have learned more, and more interesting things, if my parents and teachers had promoted self-learning. But then again, I was probably (no, make that definitely) too stupid to take advantage of the resources that were available, which is another failing of school and parenting.
Marc
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The most useless thing I learned in school? The assembly language for this beast[^]. And I'm not speaking figuratively either, that exact machine -- they got it from my alma mater.
We can program with only 1's, but if all you've got are zeros, you've got nothing.
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It's the difference between college and trade school. Part of the college experience is learning history and cultural crap to refine you...and in the mean time, provide careers for lots of fine arts and history professors who would be otherwise unemployed. 
The most useless crap I learned at school:
0: Fine arts classes (I only took visual and music)
1: History (ok, it's come in handy a few times for trivia)
2: World Literature
3: Sociology and Psychology 101
3: PE
It's a shame that these are (or at least used to be) required courses regardless of major. For instance, if I'm a CIS/CS major why should I be required to take any of the above classes? OTOH, why should an art major be required to take algebra?
"Go forth into the source" - Neal Morse
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Doesn't speak well of your school system.
Poetry was something to be learned and analyzed; and ultimately, to enrich your viewpoint about whatever you care to view. Memorization wasn't ever the point . . . except, of course, for Jabberwocky.
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!"
He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought--
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.
And as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.
"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"
He chortled in his joy.
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
| Ravings en masse^ |
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| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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History, for me. I learned nothing from it.
And if that's how you were taught poetry, your teachers should have their dangly bits spit-roasted.
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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I know this is old thread but thought of replying nonetheless.
Actually, the exam system in here (India) is bad. It's improving but at a pace where even snail can win...
The problem is not with learning/ teaching history, its important, but just forcing memorization of dates/events is definitely a problem. Politically, History is used in education system to its benefit by pushing certain topics with certain perspective !!
As one of the member said, its really not about teaching a particular subject in early years of schooling but to introduce the kid to all the subjects so the kids (and their parent) know what interests the kid.. But for that teacher needs to be really a teacher by heart. In India, teaching is a profession where any one can get in (because of huge demand) and anyone gets in just because its less work and paid summer/winter/Diwali breaks.. Their heart is not there in the profession really..
I can go on and on about this topic... its a pinching nerve looking at the pathetic state of education system and being helpless to do anything. So I stop here.. 
Thanks,
Milind
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That illustration is interesting. The shadowy site, away from the distant star, is casting a cone of light. Faulty data indeed.
... such stuff as dreams are made on
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IMHO all science is like that. Nobody gets it 100% correct the first time.
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Where's the "published" paper ?
It should be peer-reviewed as well.
And if there is at least an error confusing radius and diameter, who knows what other errors there are in there.
I'd rather be phishing!
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This, coming from a guy who used to work for a software company that still can't get its patching system right after decades of trying?
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