How did I repair my system? e2fsck -f /dev/sda7

This webpage made my day: http://www.cyberciti.biz/tips/surviving-a-linux-filesystem-failures.html

I corrupted my /dev/sda7 partition (by checking disk speed on a boot partition) and was unable to boot my system, but after booting Linux live (ubuntu 12.04) and executing:

e2fsck -f /dev/sda7

then pressing "y" or yes many times - voila!!! my file system was repaired and I could boot my beloved linux!

How to enable USB debugging on Android 4.3?

Go to Settings >- General -> About Device. Next, locate the Build number entry in the list and quickly click on it 10 times in a row. You should see a little message popup each time you click the list item. It's very intuitive! ;)

Why do I love science?

Jan Kramers wrote: “Science is for those who study it as a source of exultation. It is as if a force outside ourselves, say an angel, pulled us away from our previous level to a higher level in an indescribable, incomprehensible manner.” More info about that can be found here: http://www.economist.com/node/318566

About catholic chastity

Chastity is like a pearl which is waiting for you here and now. Find it and it will enrich your life.  

Source of inspiration: http://catholicbridge.com

GRE writing - analyze an argument: The following appeared in an article written by Dr. Karp, an anthropologist.

"Twenty years ago Dr. Field, a noted anthropologist, visited the island of Tertia and concluded from his observations that children in Tertia were reared by an entire village rather than by their own biological parents. However, my recent interviews with children living in the group of islands that includes Tertia show that these children spend much more time talking about their biological parents than about other adults in the village. This research proves that Dr. Field's conclusion about Tertian village culture is false, and thus that the observation-centered approach to studying cultures is invalid. Because they are using the interview-centered method, my team of graduate students working in Tertia will establish a much more accurate understanding of child-rearing traditions there and in other island cultures. " Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument.

It is rather a challenging and difficult task to fully understand other cultures. The article presents two methods that allegedly led to two different conclusions. The main aim is to explain in which way children are nurtured on the island of Tertia. While both methods of scientific experiment shade more light on the issue, probably we can trust neither of them. Perhaps, we need specific evidence and more information to comprehend the problem in a thoroughgoing way.

First, Dr. Field visited the island twenty years ago. It might be the case that the way of upbringing children was altered on the island and this is why the previous observations are not in line with current results of the interviews. Maybe, many new people, for example, from western countries, came to the island and significantly influenced its culture. This fact could certainly weaken Dr. Karp's argument. In that case, the original study could have been accurate, and Dr. Karp's research could be correct, as well.

Moreover, Dr. Karp's investigation covers group of islands that includes Tertia. It is possible that the way of rearing children is different on each of the islands. To cogently refute Dr. Fields conclusions, Dr. Karp should narrow his area of research to the island of Tertia exclusively. Thus, if Dr. Karp's students interviewed none or only a few children from the island of Tertia, then the presented conclusions would be unsupported. Maybe, Dr. Fields research based on observation was more detailed and focused, thus provided better results, what would weaken Dr. Karp's stance.

Let' take into account children who were interviewed. We can learn nothing about them from the article. We are not provide with any information about their age or sex. The children could talk more about their biological parents, because they are very young and their vocabulary is very limited, for instance, they have just learnt how to speak the main two words like “mum” and “dad”. Thus, first it should be determined what range of age we consider. Furthermore, Dr. Karp should provide us with transcript of the interviews. Then, probably it would be reasonable to select group of children and measure precisely how much time they spent with different people, especially with their parents. If the time spend by children with their parents would be substantially greater, for example, than 80%, then Dr. Karp conclusions would be valid. Contrary, if the time spend by children would be evenly distributed between different people, then probably Dr. Fields theory would be correct.

A difficult task is to judge of the merits of the two scientific methods. Certainly, one unsuccessful result of observational method could not undermine the whole idea. Maybe, other scientists managed to prove that this method is valid and can bear fruitful results, what would abate Dr. Karp's conclusions. Besides, the final favourable outcome of Dr. Karp's approach would bolster his method significantly. For example, it could be proven that lingual description is more precise and does not omit vital details that are crucial to fully understand the upbringing process. It could occur that, during Dr. Fields observations, the people who cared for children were precisely instructed by parents and followed specific rules. Maybe, children spend time in sui generis kindergartens during daytime when they parents had to work and spend remaining time with their parents.

In conclusions, Dr. Karp argument has a few weak points and unsupported claims. Both experiments reveal their weaknesses and should be improved. The evidence that could resolve the issue should be based on a specific experiment narrowed to the island of Tertia, which would be able to measure accurately the time spent by children with various people. Otherwise, it is impossible to draw any convincing conclusions.

GRE writing - Issue Task: The best way to teach is to praise positive actions and ignore negative ones.

Write a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the statement and explain your reasoning for the position you take. In developing and supporting your position, you should consider ways in which the statement might or might not hold true and explain how these considerations shape your position.

There are many ways how to educate and teach. Many schools prefer one system or the other but still nobody was able to come up with only one and the best method, even though many philosophers and teachers used to contemplate on the topic. Nevertheless, in my opinion, I cannot agree that praising positive actions and ignoring negative ones is the best approach to teaching. The recommendation gives too strong "all or nothing" impression.

Fist, we should consider current educational system which offers wide range of marks. Different countries apply various measures but probably none of the systems incorporates only good marks. For example, there are marks from 1 to 6 in Poland educational system from primary through middle to secondary schools, where 1 is the worst one and 6 is the best one. The better the student, the higher mark she or he can obtain. On the other hand, one of the British systems uses letters from A to F, where A is the highest mark and F the lowest one (fail). The main aim in these methods is to provide students with a measurable feedback that can help them understand their abilities, draw their attention to weak points and encourage them to work on them. At the same time, it points out positive facets and praise or inspire students to repeat merit behaviour. Merely positive marks would leave lazy students confused and without any motivation or support.

Second, from the psychological perspective there are many examples that show different approaches. There was a famous experiment called “Pavlov's dogs” in which a dog was awarded a bowl of food if it carried out a given task properly, otherwise was given nothing. This was a simple 0 or 1 system that included both negative and positive aspects. More sophisticated outlook on the issue is given in the book by Anthony Robbins: “Awaken the giant inside”. The author argues that there are two basic forces that influence each of us. One of them is to gain pleasure, whereas the other one is to avoid pain. Moreover, it occurs that in many cases the force to get rid of or eschew pain is more powerful than the one to pursue happiness or bliss.

Personally, my opinion is that it would be rather improbable to discourage children from drugs only by giving them positive feedback. One of the most powerful way to teach children about the consequences of alcohol and drug addiction is to take them to a detox ward and show them the miserable effects of such conduct. It is dreadful but at the same time memorable and powerful experience. Furthermore, when children start drinking alcohol or taking drugs, there is no other way but one – to reprimand them and force them to shun the addictive substances.

In conclusion, current situation and psychological experiments prove that a human being is driven by both praise and punishment. If we are only praised all the time, we usually become complacent. In contrary, the ongoing and eternal punishment can harm us deeply and prevent from any development. Thus, we should search for a golden rule and apply these two forces in the right proportions to strike the balance.

GRE writing argument task: The following was written as part of an application for a permit to congregate by a religious group in the city of Gustav

"We plan to meet at the Hunter Pavilion on the north side of the park. We expect about 200 attendees. Although we do plan to celebrate our message in words and song, we will be mindful of others who are sharing the park on that day. We have found that in the past, when our group meets in a public space, we run the risk of harassment by those who do not agree with our message. Therefore, we would like to hire five security officers to protest our congregants from religious intolerance. We would like to post one guard at the entrance to the park and others who will dress in plain clothes, at the perimeter of our gathering. We hope you understand and will endorse the request."

Write a response in which you describe what specific examples or evidence is needed to evaluate the argument and how those examples or evidence would weaken or strengthen the argument.

The analyses has to be carry out if the city of Gustav should issue a permission for a congregation by a religious group. Specific cases ought to be taken into consideration to either support or oppose the arguments. Then the application will be assessed in a thoroughgoing way and justly.

First, it should be verified if the group has a right to gather in this public place. We can learn from the application that the group indeed gathered in the past. Thus, historical and legal precedents should be examined which could assure that the group can organize the gathering. On the other hand, it can be discovered that the group is not allowed to meet in public places. For example, the reason for this prohibition would be that the group meeting was too loud or violent previously.

Second, the main purpose of the group's application is to obtain a permission to be protected by a private security guards. If the group had really experienced serious perilous harassments in the past, then this request is legitimate. On the contrary, maybe the group has never had reason to worry about security and safety, therefore private security officers are not required.

Third, the usage of the private security service should be considered. It can be the case that the police force is not sufficient in terms of number of officers or not equipped enough to patrol the park in the way the group demands and so additional help is necessary. However, it should be checked and probably consulted with the local police as it may occur that the police is capable of maintaining the peace without additional support. Moreover, it should be inspected if using private security in the park is legal. If there are rules or laws that allow private security, then this request can be accepted, but if the issue is unprecedented then perhaps it has to be investigated by a lawyer. Besides, maybe the local police are better trained and this would weaken the argument that the private security guards have to be hired. Nonetheless, it might be that the group has plentiful funds to employ top-notch security specialists.

In conclusion, there are three main issues that have to be scrutinized to assess the argument. Hence, it has to be verified if the group has a right to gather in public places. Next, the previous meetings of the group should be checked to assure that there were cases of harassment. Finally, it should be decided if either the police force or private security guards shall be appointed. After these steps, the decision about the permission should be made.