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1. Comment - Students now avoiding IT degrees, despite good job prospects

   (Jun 24, 2008 - 8:27 AM)

   computer science/engineering != Information Technology / MIS.
   
   Very different topics, and at my college, computer science was a much more difficult cirriculum.
   
   MIS is more of the application of technologies to business environments.
   
   CS includes all the skills of MIS but adds a ton more like digital logic, circuit design, descrete mathematics, artficial intelligence, etc.
   
   CS is not limited to the business world, you can make a lot of money in R&D in many industries, get into building expert systems, computer models, etc. Plus, you can easily fall back on to IT if necessary.
   
   IMO - CS gives you a much more fundamental understanding of computing technologies that allows you to easily adapt as new technologies come and go vs. MIS which is more of the application of today's technology applied in the busiess world.
   
   I never took a class in college on how to use computers. The closest thing I got to learning about how to use an OS was in Operating Systems Theory.
   
   As our head of the CS department, who had a PHD in CS himself, stated:
   
   A computer to a Computer Scientest like that of a microsope to a biologist. It is nothing more than a tool to study computing science.
   
   I do agree that the MIS field is a bit flooded and limited. It's an easier cirruculum typically (depending on where you went to school, a lot of the kids that started in CS at my school went to MIS because it was easier) and in my opinion has less opportunities that CS, is not as respected as CS in general, and has a lower lifetime earning potential than CS.
   
   and to address you comments below:
   
   "* Even with high entry level salaries, you will only end up being paid 10-15/hr. "
   
   Are you nuts? Typical entry level salaries for CS majors are upper 40's lower 50's and that's for Junior level positions. And dont' call BS on me, I hire these guys all the time, and have done so throughout my career at several companies.
   
   "* Because of the long hours and unrealistic expectations of "how long a business stakeholder thinks something should take" you'll always have to put in the "extra hours". "
   
   To be excellent in CS it has to be a lifestyle, it can't be a side hobby, you can't turn it off when you go home, you live and breath it. You do it not because of the required hours or pay, but because this is what you like to do. If CS is not your lifestyle, then yes, failure is likely, but for those of us where CS is more than just a job, it's an identity and there are great rewards that come with it.
   
   "* When most skilled workers getting paid overtime after 40/hrs, you won't but you'll be expected to work 60+ hours to finish a task that wasn't scoped/planned correctly."
   
   Most CS jobs are paid much higher than a standard 40/hr week hourly person. The OT is typically baked into their salary. There are benefits to this scenario. In solid CS careers, you're not paid to be at your desk or at the office, your paid to deliver objectives. This give you a much greater time in personal time management without being held hostage by the time clock.
   
   * The enjoyment you experienced programming in University will fade quickly and you'll wish you went into a true profession.
   
   again, bs. First of all, I take great offense that you would refer to Computer Science as not a "true profession". If you enjoy programming, you enjoy programming. It's all about living the CS life. When I was a younger Software Engineer, yea, I wrote code at work as part of my job, and loved every minute of it. if anything, I enjoy writing code in my career more so than at college because of its real world application. Now that I'm into higher level positions (Software Architecture / Systems Analysis) I do very little programming at work (beside prototype/proof of concepts), but I still program quite a bit as a hobby at home. Not only to keep my skills in check, but because I also enjoy it.
   
   * Finally, a masters degree only gets you 65K. You should be being paid over 90K for that level of education (debt).
   
   More BS - with my undergrad out of college I was well over 50k. Within years I was in the 80k range as a Senior Engineer. I receive my masters and now make well over 6 figures and I've never gone into management. And I just turned 30. I'm sure there are people even younger than me making much more in the CS profession.
   
   I'm sorry, and I'm not trying to start a flame, but it disappoints me to hear people who consult young future professionals who are trying to figure out what they want to do in life provide them with inaccurate information.

2. Comment - New HP receiver sends PC-based media wirelessly to HDTVs

   (Jun 24, 2008 - 7:43 AM)

   doesn't the xBox 360 do essentially the same thing for less - plus it plays games?

3. Comment - Comcast swaps HD quality for quantity

   (Apr 4, 2008 - 10:09 AM)

   it will mean nothing to you. It's just the format they use to get the signal to the DirecTV / Dish device.
   
   And I thought DirecTV is using MPEG-4 now?
   
   (btw, I just recently switched and am kicking myself for not doing this a long time ago. Tons of HD, much better DVD box (90 minute live buffer, 50hrs of HD) and unlike years ago, my DirecTV bill is actually $30 less than my TW bill was.)

4. Comment - Comcast swaps HD quality for quantity

   (Apr 4, 2008 - 10:04 AM)

   HD is all I watch. You just can't do it on standard cable, they don't have the offereing.
   
   I switched to DirecTV last month. Pretty much every channel I care about has an HD version on DirecTV (not to mention their non-HD streams look almost as good as TW's HD)
   
   and the icing on the cake, my monthly is $30 less than what I was paying with TW.
   
   Once you get hooked on HD, there is no going back.

5. Comment - Sony decides to dump money-losing rear-projection TVs

   (Dec 29, 2007 - 8:07 AM)

   actually scratch that - I wouldn't buy Sony regardless.
   
   Over the years I have owned a long list of various brands from phones, TV's, DVD players, car stereos, etc.
   
   A few years ago when my Sony DVD died on me I realized that EVERY Sony device I have ever purchased has died or broken in some way whereas EVERY non-Sony device I have purchased has not (minus the Rio Karma)