murk1e writes "The BBC reports that in this article that a smart Pool table has been invented. The full information is here. For more about the Physics of Pool, try this site, or for a game, try here."
that suits me fine. it's your shot, clippy comes along to tell you something utterly inane like "it looks like you're playing a popular western pastime, do you want me to write you a fucking letter?" and you've already got a pool cue in your hands...I can't think of a better user experience...
The technology behind James, who looks like a professional pool player
So he has a mullet, old faded AC/DC t-shirt (hanging out), worn out old blue jeans, home made tattoos that have H A T E on his fingers on one hand and L O V E on the other, a beer in hand and squinting from his cigarette smoke that he lit with his Harley Davidson Zippo lighter (he's never actually owned a Harley though) while he waits for his shot. When he takes his shot, he smashes the sweet baby Jesus out of it where ever possible.
Of course, the physics of pool has and never will enter his head, because pool comes naturally to him, what growing up in pool halls and all.
He's professional because he usually wins the local comp, which just covers his practice expenses.
-- War crimes, torture, lies, illegal spying... Would someone give Bush a blowjob, already, so he can be impeached?
I've seen this before
by
gowen
·
· Score: 5, Funny
...sadly, I think it was in an episode of Quantum Leap, where Dean Stockwell used his handheld computer to calculate the angles.
-- Athletic Scholarships to universities make as much sense as academic scholarships to sports teams.
Re:I've seen this before
by
LMacG
·
· Score: 1, Funny
For those of us of a certain age, we had an even earlier experience -- he might not have had lasers, but Donald Duck taught us all about the angles on a pool table in the classic Donald Duck in Mathmagic Land.
-- Slightly disreputable, albeit gregarious
Clippy...
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 3, Funny
'The technology behind James, who looks like a professional pool player, is the same Microsoft uses for its paperclip office assistant. '
"It looks like you're trying to pot the black, would you like help?"
Great.
The first rule of bar games...
by
gowen
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· Score: 5, Funny
"Never play pool with a man named after a state."
-- Athletic Scholarships to universities make as much sense as academic scholarships to sports teams.
Re:The first rule of bar games...
by
gowen
·
· Score: 2, Funny
Correct.
I can also assure you I was definitely not referring to Tennessee Ernie Ford who is easy to beat at pool, because he is
A country singer
Dead
-- Athletic Scholarships to universities make as much sense as academic scholarships to sports teams.
I'm a big fan of pool
by
PhysicsScholar
·
· Score: 2, Funny
One of the neatest and most practical shots in pool is the stop shot.
When the cue ball is very close to the object ball, this can be accomplished with the center ball. The cue ball slides to the object ball and stops dead as the object ball shoots ahead because of the collision. But most stop shots are done with draw. You use just enough draw that the cue ball stops sliding just as it strikes the object ball.
Of course, all of this may sound difficult to judge, but it is fairly easy with practice. You soon learn to adjust your speed and amount of draw, depending on the shot (distance and other requirements of the pool situation).
(Twelve drinks and 1/2K*M*V^2 later and you may find yourself with some extra $$$ and a few pool sluts to walk you home to your bedroom that night!)
--
Department of Physics and Atmospheric Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, N.S., Canada, B3H 3J5
Re:I'm a big fan of pool
by
superid
·
· Score: 3, Funny
It looks like you're trying to pot the '8' ball. Would you like me to:
( ) Show you the angle ( ) Pot it for you ( o ) Shut the hell up
Re:It all boils down to:
by
CowboyMeal
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· Score: 2, Funny
1. So poor, we didn't have a sink to piss in. 2. The kettle calling the sink black. 3. Hey Dudes... wanna buy some sink? 4. Sink-bellied pig. 5. ??? 6. Profit!
"People do not speak to pool tables so we came up with this personalised system and people are happy to talk to him," explained Mr Larsen.
Uh, I never needed an AI assistant to speak to a pool table, but the number of curses you can apply to an inanimate object are limited. Kudos to them for offering a target for my rage and frustration.
-- That's not a soda... it's a caffeine delivery device!
1) Knows not to make smart alec comments like "Whoops" just when you're making that crucial shot to win the game.
2) Doesn't "eat" your money and give you no balls
3) Doesn't take your money and give you all the balls except one.
4) Actually has chalk you don't have to pay for - say on a piece of string.
5) Doesn't charge you ridiculous amounts for a game.
6) Is too smart to be in a pub.
7) Has recently submitted a phD thesis on game theory.
8) Reminds you when you've left out linebreaks posting to slashdot.
All this "laser" business reminds me of an old episode of Quantum Leap.
I'd rather something that took the shot I told it!
by
6Yankee
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· Score: 5, Funny
I can see the angles, dammit! The hard part is getting the damned stick thing to poke the damned round white thing into the other round things at the angle I can see, without going down a damned hole thing, getting airborne, or knocking the damned round black thing down a damned hole thing!!!
M$
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 2, Funny
The agent "James" is based on the Microsoft Agents technology in their thesis
wonder how much the license will be to play pool on this thing?
How do you impress the babes ...
by
hal9000(jr)
·
· Score: 3, Funny
with your solid knowlege of geometry if the pool table knows more about angles and proper shot alignment than you do.
The only smart pool table
by
nucal
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· Score: 5, Funny
is one that will go get me a beer right before I want one.
Re:The only smart pool table
by
JohnFluxx
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· Score: 2, Funny
What, two minutes before you've finished the previous one?
My favourite quote about pool.
by
GothChip
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· Score: 5, Funny
"There's no such thing as a fluke shot in pool. It's just an oversight in the calculations."
Does it play better after a couple beers?
by
Gruneun
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· Score: 3, Funny
Despite the hypocrisy, made glaringly obvious by his proficiency at the game, my dad loved to quote Mark Twain whenever the subject of pool came up:
"Proficiency at billiards is sign of a mis-spent youth."
So, does this project mean that I can possibly cite all of my college evenings as research?
If your opponent has a lot of balls left on the table, and you have sunk all of yours and then the 8-ball, then you have a high score. Simple as that.:)
Maybe you and I should play some 9-ball for money:).
-- Never underestimate the bandwidth of a 747 filled with CD-ROMs.
If going on the pool table in your local bar is a humiliating experience then help is at hand.
Yes, I hate it when I urinate on the pool table...::blush::.
This reminds me of a Howie Mandell joke. (You know, that guy with the blown-up glove on his head.)
He likes to party, so one night he's at a club, dancing the night away. He literally does not stop dancing all night long, except to drink copious amounts of alcohol. Eventually, many hours later, his friends are amazed at his stamina, drinking skills, and RETENTION skills. They ask him, "Dude, you are amazing! Do you EVER go to the bathroom?"
I can see where this technology can be adapted to other sports and activities
Golf James : "I've noticed that you've landed in the rough again, would you like some help?"
Baseball James : "I've noticed that you've kicked dirt all over the umpire, would you like some help?"
Football James : "I've noticed that you're the Cincinatti Bengals, would you like some help?"
NASCAR James : "I've noticed that Todd Bodine has once again wrecked half the field, including yourself, and you're about to throw your helmet at his car on national TV, would you like some help?"
Extreme Skier James : "I've noticed that you're tumbling down a snow-covered icy slope with your legs and arms flailing at angles not normally associated with normal movement of the human anatomy, would you like some help?"
When I was a teenager, my best friend had a really nice table in his basement. By the time I left high school I was actually quite good at the game. But even when I was bad, I wouldn't have wanted a "smart" table. Part of the fun is really bolluxing up what should have been an easy shot, laughing at yourself, and learning how to do it right. The only "smart" table I want is one that knows more games than I do and will always be tabulating the score.
Off topic story now. When I was 16 there was a Danish exchange student in my circle of friends. I wanted her like mad, but hadn't found a way to get past that "good friends" stage. She was hot as all get out, and had an adorable way of mistaking what we were saying and/or not knowing the words, especially the slang. So we're all at my friend's place playing pool, and I just about won a game with an incredible shot on the 8-ball. But instead, the 8 hit the cue a second time, knocking in the cue. I lost, and exclaimed something about how I "double kissed"** it. Danish exchange student says "what's a 'devil kiss'?" Full deadpan, I said "step in that closet over there and I'll show you." She grins and accepts! All our friends' jaws drop, we head in the closet and come out 20 minutes later, breathless. Turns out all the guys knew I wanted her, and all the girls knew she wanted me, so they never said a word. Started a short-lived but highly passionate relationship that was broken up by her exchange parents. And that's my best pool story ever.
**"double-kiss" is when the cue hits the intended ball (in this case the 8) more than one time in a shot.
-- been out for 5 years, time to comment again...
Getting hustled by the table...
by
billstewart
·
· Score: 2, Funny
Great, just what we need. The pool table automated assistant James suggests you try the shot and draws little laser pictures about how easy it will be for you to make it. It's worked the last 10 times, but this time you've gotten overconfident on your betting abilities, and the table has just hustled your wallet.
In poker, they say the first thing you should do is look around the table and find the sucker, and if you can't find them, then it's you. Now you've got the *table* playing against you....
--
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
Slashdot Mirror
The technology behind James, who looks like a professional pool player, is the same Microsoft uses for its paperclip office assistant.
Uh oh, Clippy has invaded pool tables
...sadly, I think it was in an episode of Quantum Leap, where Dean Stockwell used his handheld computer to calculate the angles.
Athletic Scholarships to universities make as much sense as academic scholarships to sports teams.
'The technology behind James, who looks like a professional pool player, is the same Microsoft uses for its paperclip office assistant. '
"It looks like you're trying to pot the black, would you like help?"
Great.
"Never play pool with a man named after a state."
Athletic Scholarships to universities make as much sense as academic scholarships to sports teams.
One of the neatest and most practical shots in pool is the stop shot.
When the cue ball is very close to the object ball, this can be accomplished with the center ball. The cue ball slides to the object ball and stops dead as the object ball shoots ahead because of the collision. But most stop shots are done with draw. You use just enough draw that the cue ball stops sliding just as it strikes the object ball.
Of course, all of this may sound difficult to judge, but it is fairly easy with practice. You soon learn to adjust your speed and amount of draw, depending on the shot (distance and other requirements of the pool situation).
(Twelve drinks and 1/2K*M*V^2 later and you may find yourself with some extra $$$ and a few pool sluts to walk you home to your bedroom that night!)
Department of Physics and Atmospheric Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, N.S., Canada, B3H 3J5
It looks like you're trying to pot the '8' ball. Would you like me to:
( ) Show you the angle
( ) Pot it for you
( o ) Shut the hell up
"People do not speak to pool tables so we came up with this personalised system and people are happy to talk to him," explained Mr Larsen.
Uh, I never needed an AI assistant to speak to a pool table, but the number of curses you can apply to an inanimate object are limited. Kudos to them for offering a target for my rage and frustration.
That's not a soda... it's a caffeine delivery device!
My definition about a smart pool table:
1) Knows not to make smart alec comments like "Whoops" just when you're making that crucial shot to win the game.
2) Doesn't "eat" your money and give you no balls
3) Doesn't take your money and give you all the balls except one.
4) Actually has chalk you don't have to pay for - say on a piece of string.
5) Doesn't charge you ridiculous amounts for a game.
6) Is too smart to be in a pub.
7) Has recently submitted a phD thesis on game theory.
8) Reminds you when you've left out linebreaks posting to slashdot.
All this "laser" business reminds me of an old episode of Quantum Leap.
Video Game cheats, hints a
I hope the people who have the slanted pool tables at the carnival don't find out about this! Think of the implications!!
Well, it looks like I watched Donald in Mathmagic Land for nothing.
Bort.
Free, Anonymous surfing: Pagewash.com.
I can see the angles, dammit! The hard part is getting the damned stick thing to poke the damned round white thing into the other round things at the angle I can see, without going down a damned hole thing, getting airborne, or knocking the damned round black thing down a damned hole thing!!!
The agent "James" is based on the Microsoft Agents technology in their thesis
wonder how much the license will be to play pool on this thing?
with your solid knowlege of geometry if the pool table knows more about angles and proper shot alignment than you do.
is one that will go get me a beer right before I want one.
"There's no such thing as a fluke shot in pool. It's just an oversight in the calculations."
Despite the hypocrisy, made glaringly obvious by his proficiency at the game, my dad loved to quote Mark Twain whenever the subject of pool came up:
"Proficiency at billiards is sign of a mis-spent youth."
So, does this project mean that I can possibly cite all of my college evenings as research?
It can call us Betty!
(mangled Quantam Leap/Paul Simon reference)
Face it, people are stupid, and the internet is the place where they all meet.
How many people didn't read any of the links and went straight for the java pool game???
sweet. me too.
Eeeasssssyyy buddy.... Put doowwwnnn the pool cue...
my religion lies somewhere between buddhism and super monkey ball - pamphlet?
"He congratulates you if you get a high score," said Mr Larsen.
Since when is there a "high score" in 9-ball?
If going on the pool table in your local bar is a humiliating experience then help is at hand.
::blush::.
Yes, I hate it when I urinate on the pool table...
This reminds me of a Howie Mandell joke. (You know, that guy with the blown-up glove on his head.)
He likes to party, so one night he's at a club, dancing the night away. He literally does not stop dancing all night long, except to drink copious amounts of alcohol. Eventually, many hours later, his friends are amazed at his stamina, drinking skills, and RETENTION skills. They ask him, "Dude, you are amazing! Do you EVER go to the bathroom?"
"Depends."
"And like that
I can see where this technology can be adapted to other sports and activities
Golf James : "I've noticed that you've landed in the rough again, would you like some help?"
Baseball James : "I've noticed that you've kicked dirt all over the umpire, would you like some help?"
Football James : "I've noticed that you're the Cincinatti Bengals, would you like some help?"
NASCAR James : "I've noticed that Todd Bodine has once again wrecked half the field, including yourself, and you're about to throw your helmet at his car on national TV, would you like some help?"
Extreme Skier James : "I've noticed that you're tumbling down a snow-covered icy slope with your legs and arms flailing at angles not normally associated with normal movement of the human anatomy, would you like some help?"
Create your own, share and trade with friends!
1) Buy pool table.
2) Line up cue to laser guided tutorial system.
3) ???
4) Pocket!
Off topic story now. When I was 16 there was a Danish exchange student in my circle of friends. I wanted her like mad, but hadn't found a way to get past that "good friends" stage. She was hot as all get out, and had an adorable way of mistaking what we were saying and/or not knowing the words, especially the slang. So we're all at my friend's place playing pool, and I just about won a game with an incredible shot on the 8-ball. But instead, the 8 hit the cue a second time, knocking in the cue. I lost, and exclaimed something about how I "double kissed"** it. Danish exchange student says "what's a 'devil kiss'?" Full deadpan, I said "step in that closet over there and I'll show you." She grins and accepts! All our friends' jaws drop, we head in the closet and come out 20 minutes later, breathless. Turns out all the guys knew I wanted her, and all the girls knew she wanted me, so they never said a word. Started a short-lived but highly passionate relationship that was broken up by her exchange parents. And that's my best pool story ever.
**"double-kiss" is when the cue hits the intended ball (in this case the 8) more than one time in a shot.
been out for 5 years, time to comment again...
In poker, they say the first thing you should do is look around the table and find the sucker, and if you can't find them, then it's you. Now you've got the *table* playing against you....
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
haiku
/haiku
taking aim after
my fifth guiness, why is my
laser three feet wide?
This space for rent.