Comments on: To parents: A free (as in “freedom”) exercise for your children http://dbzer0.com/blog/to-parents-a-free-as-in-freedom-exercise-for-your-children "Frustratingly brilliant reasoning" -- The Atheist Blogger Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:56:03 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Db0 http://dbzer0.com/blog/to-parents-a-free-as-in-freedom-exercise-for-your-children/comment-page-1#comment-4740 Db0 Thu, 27 Mar 2008 08:12:01 +0000 http://www.dbzer0.com/blog/2008/01/15/to-parents-an-free-as-in-freedom-exercise-for-your-children#comment-4740 Very interesting post Bogdan. Thanks for the link. Very interesting post Bogdan. Thanks for the link.

]]> By: Bogdan Bivolaru http://dbzer0.com/blog/to-parents-a-free-as-in-freedom-exercise-for-your-children/comment-page-1#comment-4739 Bogdan Bivolaru Thu, 27 Mar 2008 07:43:13 +0000 http://www.dbzer0.com/blog/2008/01/15/to-parents-an-free-as-in-freedom-exercise-for-your-children#comment-4739 Hello dbzer0, Here is a very interesting blogpost: <a href="http://unschoolgirls.blogspot.com/2006/11/decision-to-unschool.html" rel="nofollow">The Decision to Unschool</a> (or home schooling) Here's a quote: "I no longer believe in schools. This may seem a shocking statement coming from a teacher, but it is a position that has come about through a careful evolution of thought, experience, and research over the past two years. One of the most important catalysts in this process was my work at Orange High School. Therefore, while my time there was not always easy, happy, or fun, I have no regrets and no resentments against any person or part of my experience at the school. In fact, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to experience the function, or more accurately, the dysfunction of an inner-city school because it has brought me that much faster to a whole new philosophy of education and how I wish to live my life and raise my own child." Hello dbzer0,

Here is a very interesting blogpost:
The Decision to Unschool (or home schooling)

Here’s a quote:
“I no longer believe in schools. This may seem a shocking statement coming from a teacher, but it is a position that has come about through a careful evolution of thought, experience, and research over the past two years. One of the most important catalysts in this process was my work at Orange High School. Therefore, while my time there was not always easy, happy, or fun, I have no regrets and no resentments against any person or part of my experience at the school. In fact, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to experience the function, or more accurately, the dysfunction of an inner-city school because it has brought me that much faster to a whole new philosophy of education and how I wish to live my life and raise my own child.”

]]> By: Db0 http://dbzer0.com/blog/to-parents-a-free-as-in-freedom-exercise-for-your-children/comment-page-1#comment-4677 Db0 Sat, 16 Feb 2008 14:02:03 +0000 http://www.dbzer0.com/blog/2008/01/15/to-parents-an-free-as-in-freedom-exercise-for-your-children#comment-4677 <blockquote>So maybe you, as a parent, should start a free project similar to Guitar Hero Guitar Hero on GameSpotand maybe later your kid can improve it. Though as, I’ve read in the review “[Guitar Hero] Prominently features the Grim Reaper and a giant Viking”</blockquote> Actually, there is already the <a href="http://fretsonfire.sourceforge.net/" rel="nofollow">Frets on fire</a> game :)

So maybe you, as a parent, should start a free project similar to Guitar Hero Guitar Hero on GameSpotand maybe later your kid can improve it. Though as, I’ve read in the review “[Guitar Hero] Prominently features the Grim Reaper and a giant Viking”

Actually, there is already the Frets on fire game :)

]]> By: Bogdan Bivolaru http://dbzer0.com/blog/to-parents-a-free-as-in-freedom-exercise-for-your-children/comment-page-1#comment-4676 Bogdan Bivolaru Sat, 16 Feb 2008 13:54:01 +0000 http://www.dbzer0.com/blog/2008/01/15/to-parents-an-free-as-in-freedom-exercise-for-your-children#comment-4676 1) Most games have a more or less abstract level of violence, as games draw themselves from real conflicts, which are then <i>regulated</i> and <i>abstractized</i> (made abstract) into competitions. Have you ever thought how violent chess actually is? Have you heard of the game "hunters and ducks": two players are hunters, the rest are ducks, hunters throw volleyballs at each other through the middle of the ducks crowd; if a duck is hit by the ball it dies and takes up the role of a hunter, the former hunter becomes a duck. How violent that is? 2) This is a long standing debate in the gaming world. It has not been anywhere near solving there, and I believe we shall not solve it here. 3) If you do believe enough in this idea, please find less violent means for your kid to contribute to a free software project and post them here, so that others may use them. However I doubt s/he will be successful contributing to Mah Jongg and Backgammon games, which have a well established set of rules. So maybe you, as a parent, should start a free project similar to Guitar Hero <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/puzzle/guitarhero/review.html" rel="nofollow">Guitar Hero on GameSpot</a>and maybe later your kid can improve it. Though as, I've read in the review "[Guitar Hero] Prominently features the Grim Reaper and a giant Viking" 1) Most games have a more or less abstract level of violence, as games draw themselves from real conflicts, which are then regulated and abstractized (made abstract) into competitions. Have you ever thought how violent chess actually is? Have you heard of the game “hunters and ducks”: two players are hunters, the rest are ducks, hunters throw volleyballs at each other through the middle of the ducks crowd; if a duck is hit by the ball it dies and takes up the role of a hunter, the former hunter becomes a duck. How violent that is?

2) This is a long standing debate in the gaming world. It has not been anywhere near solving there, and I believe we shall not solve it here.

3) If you do believe enough in this idea, please find less violent means for your kid to contribute to a free software project and post them here, so that others may use them. However I doubt s/he will be successful contributing to Mah Jongg and Backgammon games, which have a well established set of rules.

So maybe you, as a parent, should start a free project similar to Guitar Hero Guitar Hero on GameSpotand maybe later your kid can improve it. Though as, I’ve read in the review “[Guitar Hero] Prominently features the Grim Reaper and a giant Viking”

]]> By: Db0 http://dbzer0.com/blog/to-parents-a-free-as-in-freedom-exercise-for-your-children/comment-page-1#comment-4654 Db0 Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:48:43 +0000 http://www.dbzer0.com/blog/2008/01/15/to-parents-an-free-as-in-freedom-exercise-for-your-children#comment-4654 p0ly, I beg to dissagree. We live in a world where violence is something unavoidable to not know about, and sometimes unavoidable by itself. Not only that but as far as violence is concerned, Wesnoth is decidedly less violent than most other games out there. If you wish, you can lead you child with sheltered life, denying it all the popular games (computer and real life) and cartoons and whatnot. However there will come an age where you can shelter it no more and then it will find out that it's been living a lie and also be totally unprepared for the real world. If this is what you want, then be my guest. I was playing violent games since I was like...10. I was playing combat scenarios with JI-Joe and aliens since I was 8. I am also probably one of the least violent people you will ever meet so go figure. PS: US is decidedly NOT fighting for democracy, regardless of what their propaganda machine says. p0ly, I beg to dissagree. We live in a world where violence is something unavoidable to not know about, and sometimes unavoidable by itself. Not only that but as far as violence is concerned, Wesnoth is decidedly less violent than most other games out there.

If you wish, you can lead you child with sheltered life, denying it all the popular games (computer and real life) and cartoons and whatnot. However there will come an age where you can shelter it no more and then it will find out that it’s been living a lie and also be totally unprepared for the real world.
If this is what you want, then be my guest.

I was playing violent games since I was like…10. I was playing combat scenarios with JI-Joe and aliens since I was 8. I am also probably one of the least violent people you will ever meet so go figure.

PS: US is decidedly NOT fighting for democracy, regardless of what their propaganda machine says.

]]> By: p0ly http://dbzer0.com/blog/to-parents-a-free-as-in-freedom-exercise-for-your-children/comment-page-1#comment-4653 p0ly Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:35:59 +0000 http://www.dbzer0.com/blog/2008/01/15/to-parents-an-free-as-in-freedom-exercise-for-your-children#comment-4653 I don't like your article. Involving children in Free Software is probably a good idea, but I think teaching them about the ethical dimensions is a better idea, but quite difficult, because I don't think that children are capable of fully understanding it. <em>But</em> teaching them with a violent (in terms of combat action) is a very bad idea. Sure they are fighting for peace and the good of humanity, but aren't the USA just fighting for democracy? This game involves no critical thinking and deeper understanding (in case the child isn't already critical). I don’t like your article. Involving children in Free Software is probably a good idea, but I think teaching them about the ethical dimensions is a better idea, but quite difficult, because I don’t think that children are capable of fully understanding it.
But teaching them with a violent (in terms of combat action) is a very bad idea. Sure they are fighting for peace and the good of humanity, but aren’t the USA just fighting for democracy?
This game involves no critical thinking and deeper understanding (in case the child isn’t already critical).

]]> By: Bogdan Bivolaru http://dbzer0.com/blog/to-parents-a-free-as-in-freedom-exercise-for-your-children/comment-page-1#comment-4652 Bogdan Bivolaru Wed, 23 Jan 2008 22:17:10 +0000 http://www.dbzer0.com/blog/2008/01/15/to-parents-an-free-as-in-freedom-exercise-for-your-children#comment-4652 More educational news: Mark Shuttleworth leads global open education drive http://www.fsdaily.com/Industry/Shuttleworth_leads_global_open_education_drive Also at http://www.lisperati.com/casting.html you can read a comic book about Lisp. This comic book will let you find out how Lisp's unique design makes it so powerful! More educational news:
Mark Shuttleworth leads global open education drive
http://www.fsdaily.com/Industry/Shuttleworth_leads_global_open_education_drive

Also at http://www.lisperati.com/casting.html you can read a comic book about Lisp. This comic book will let you find out how Lisp’s unique design makes it so powerful!

]]> By: Db0 http://dbzer0.com/blog/to-parents-a-free-as-in-freedom-exercise-for-your-children/comment-page-1#comment-4651 Db0 Fri, 18 Jan 2008 23:22:37 +0000 http://www.dbzer0.com/blog/2008/01/15/to-parents-an-free-as-in-freedom-exercise-for-your-children#comment-4651 Ooops, sorry for taking a while to approve your comment. It was caught in the spam filter because of the links and that does not notify. In any case, it's a shame when "educational" companies are there just to promote outdated models and whatnot. Thanks for notifying me about that. Ooops, sorry for taking a while to approve your comment. It was caught in the spam filter because of the links and that does not notify. In any case, it’s a shame when “educational” companies are there just to promote outdated models and whatnot. Thanks for notifying me about that.

]]> By: Bogdan Bivolaru http://dbzer0.com/blog/to-parents-a-free-as-in-freedom-exercise-for-your-children/comment-page-1#comment-4649 Bogdan Bivolaru Thu, 17 Jan 2008 21:05:54 +0000 http://www.dbzer0.com/blog/2008/01/15/to-parents-an-free-as-in-freedom-exercise-for-your-children#comment-4649 In a comment I had misposted, I suggested promoting your idea of contributing to a real free/libre project to the "Educational Cyber Playground". It is indeed a site about educating kids, but does not have much to do with sharing. They have draconic rules for copyright http://www.edu-cyberpg[DOT]com/copyright.html and I cannot imagine changing them. They want children to share knowledge, but only through their site. They are greedy and deprecated. I broke the link intentionally, not to promote their site any further to search engines. I had thought instead of promoting your idea to <a href="http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Home" rel="nofollow">OLPC</a>. This is doable for me, you and other readers. Other things kids could contribute to: * music sheets/ songs under the free art license (<a href="http://artlibre.org/licence/lal/en/" rel="nofollow">Art Libre </a>) or to something like <a href="http://www.mutopiaproject.org/" rel="nofollow">Mutopia</a> * Or contributing essays and homework to something like <a href="http://gutenberg.org" rel="nofollow">The Gutenberg Project </a>. * making a colouring book for younger children; Don't know any links, but this is so doable by a team of children that it must already exist on the Web! In a comment I had misposted, I suggested promoting your idea of contributing to a real free/libre project to the “Educational Cyber Playground”. It is indeed a site about educating kids, but does not have much to do with sharing. They have draconic rules for copyright http://www.edu-cyberpgDOTcom/copyright.html and I cannot imagine changing them. They want children to share knowledge, but only through their site. They are greedy and deprecated. I broke the link intentionally, not to promote their site any further to search engines.

I had thought instead of promoting your idea to OLPC.
This is doable for me, you and other readers.

Other things kids could contribute to:
* music sheets/ songs under the free art license (Art Libre ) or to something like Mutopia
* Or contributing essays and homework to something like The Gutenberg Project .
* making a colouring book for younger children; Don’t know any links, but this is so doable by a team of children that it must already exist on the Web!

]]> By: Db0 http://dbzer0.com/blog/to-parents-a-free-as-in-freedom-exercise-for-your-children/comment-page-1#comment-4645 Db0 Thu, 17 Jan 2008 07:30:02 +0000 http://www.dbzer0.com/blog/2008/01/15/to-parents-an-free-as-in-freedom-exercise-for-your-children#comment-4645 Thanks for the comment Bogdan. I don't know really how to make the child reference anything other than it. I know it reads funny but I wanted to refer to it without always writing he/she (which also sound strange) and in singular. Since a child in Greek and German is neutral (as a noun), I went with that :) I use the original plural of forum because I find it more correct imho. Same with Virus -> Virii, Focus - > Foci, etc :) Thanks for the comment Bogdan.

I don’t know really how to make the child reference anything other than it. I know it reads funny but I wanted to refer to it without always writing he/she (which also sound strange) and in singular. Since a child in Greek and German is neutral (as a noun), I went with that :)

I use the original plural of forum because I find it more correct imho. Same with Virus -> Virii, Focus – > Foci, etc :)

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