Multicore programming isn't really that hard due to the fact your OS is suppose to handle what thread goes onto which core for you.
I can tell you've never written a multi-core program before...
All you really need to do is to split a single thread game into 4 threads. And no, you are not running more overhead. Who told you that? Your OS doesn't simply run every task in the same thread.
The overhead comes from keeping track of 4 separate threads. Between processor scheduling, task switching, memory/cache thrashing, and message passing alone, a 4-thread sequential program will never run faster than an equivalent single-thread program on a single core.
The only possible benefit is to allow the program to split out tasks with a long wait (such as reading from HDD/optical drive) from those that can be done while waiting, but this gains the exact same speed advantage on a single- or multi-core processor.
The real problem with multi threaded game is syncing. Let's say if you break your game into graphics engine, audio engine, i/o handler, and resource fetcher. Of course resource fetcher has to be the parent thread that spawns everything else as siblings since resource access has to be shared. The real problem is when an event is triggered. not all threads will respond to it immediately due to the fact they are all at different stages of execution. So you end up having to write interrupts for each and every thread.
Again, you've definitely never written a multi-core program. Synchronization is simple compared to the real issues. What are those? Deadlock and Race Conditions. Most developers not being capable of handling these issues (particularly on such large programs) is the reason we don't see more multi-thread programs.
I have no idea exactly how. But having modified the console would certainly make it easier than trying to run pirate DLC without mods. Keep in mind this assumes a modification capable of changing the console ID, just putting in a new HDD or DVD drive likely wouldn't make a difference.
The faulty parts were actually made in America, to sabotage Toyota and start a FUD campaign to encourage Americans to become afraid of foreign cars and buy GM's pieces of shit.
Toyota makes remarkable demands of several domestic (US) auto-parts manufacturers, requiring incredible engineering investment.
Then they order the minimum quantity, sending them to China to be reverse engineered and mass-produced. Goodbye margins!
In 1887, the quotas placed on the number of Jews allowed into secondary and higher education were tightened down to 10% within the Pale, 5% outside the Pale, except Moscow and Saint Petersburg, held at 3%. Strict restrictions prohibited Jews from practicing many professions.
Source, not exactly what was discussed, but close.
Yup, multi-core programming is hard, particularly when you don't know how many cores you have. Also, if you make a game with 4 threads instead of 1, there will be overhead with the task switching that will slow it down on a single-core (or It may come as a surprise, but multi-threaded programming isn't as common or easy as the state of the art would imply.
Actually, I'm pretty sure that DLC is a lot more difficult to pirate than you suggest. I believe that DLC has two signatures. One that authenticates it as official MS content, and another that ties it to the console. Taking a HDD with DLC from one xbox and inserting it into another will not work. MS will require you to re-download the DLC. I'm pretty sure it's locked down.
Right, it's not as simple as copying the file and 'ta-da' it works. However, a modded XBox could modify its console ID to match the pirated DLC, or edit the DLC file to match the new console ID.
Are you suggesting that the mines not be placed where they are? Very well. I'll call a meeting with Hitler and Stalin and see if we can get this un-done.
It's too late for that now, they're in big trouble. They're going to be SOOOO dead.
The demonstration works because microwave ovens produce standing waves -- waves that move "up" and "down" in place, instead of rolling forward like waves in the ocean.
Ocean waves don't "move forward".
While the individual particles do not, the wave itself does.
He is mistaken on the meaning of a standing wave. It is not the same as a transverse wave (which seems to be why he is comparing them to a longitudinal wave).
The oven is designed to be just the right size to cause the microwaves to reflect off the walls so that the peaks and valleys line up perfectly, creating "hot spots" (actually, lines of heat).
Disproved by direct observation. Go into any store and you'll see microwaves in various sizes. The perfect microwave doesn't have "hot spots".
Again, he's wrong about it being 'designed' for the purpose of having hot spots, but the design does result in hot spots. These occur regardless of oven size, they will simply be located in different locations. This is caused by reflections off internal surfaces acting like two signal sources.
While it may be conceivable to create a 'perfect' microwave with no standing wave nodes, it would be pointless. Besides, he wasn't using an 'ideal' microwave, just a regular off-the-shelf microwave, which does have standing waves.
I'd agree with you if you were using "It's 22:00 and I normally go to bed at exactly 21:30" as an example of "really tired". Now if we're talking about really tired people (like an ER surgeon who's been up for 36+ hours and working hard for most of that time) then we're looking at seriously bizarre behaviour, hallucinations and an inability to concentrate that would make my cats seem like geniuses in comparison.
The average marijuana user just tends to be a bit more relaxed, giggly and goofy and most likely lacking in concentration but at least aware of these shortcomings.
None of these traits are really represented in an IQ test, and particularly not to the magnitude that they would affect a surgeon's ability to perform surgery. It tells us nothing of motor skills or many other important abilities. The tired person will probably test more poorly than the high person on written or oral tests, but we have no way to infer their abilities as a surgeon/musician/laborer/receptionist/etc.
In other words a 10-point IQ drop compared to a 4-point IQ drop only indicates a general loss of cognition. Nothing more, nothing less.
Apparently, it's ok to generalize based on traits that are chosen rather than inherited...
Within reason, absolutely. I generalize that gang members are more likely to engage in theft and violent crime. Is that wrong?
Regardless of how unreasonable his initial claim that adult games are unacceptable is, reinforcing his view that gamers are predisposed to violence (particularly when even biker gangs haven't threatened you with physical harm under similar circumstances) seems like an obvious responseto a threat from a gamer.
To be fair to the guy, if he's worried about threats to his family, none of that matters.
Of course, the fact that he uses ridiculous rhetoric (apparently he claimed bikers cooked a cat on a grill in his district; even though it wasn't a cat, wasn't in his district, and no bikers were involved) doesn't help matters. However, threatening the guy is the exact wrong way to go about fixing the Aussie rating system. Gamers making threats will just reinforce the stereotype that gamers are dangerous, giving him more reason to oppose adult classifications for games.
So, to everyone in Australia, the guy who made that threat is fucking it up for the rest of you. Maybe you should beat him up, or something...
Ever searched for directions to/from your house? Sent an e-mail with your address? They probably have at least a pretty good idea of where you live anyway.
Two reasons. First, it enables hacked consoles to pirate that purchased content for other hacked consoles. Secondly, Silver access enables a bunch of other stuff that you don't need to pay a dime for, making it possible that the hacked consoles will just cost them that much more money.
For a bonus reason, they also stand to make a lot more money by forcing those with banned consoles to purchase new hardware and new copies of the games that they had previously pirated.
Well considering that IQ really isn't an accurate representation of actual 'general intelligence', this makes perfect sense.
Think of IQ as just another standardised test. You lose 10 points (compared to your own baseline score) by juggling e-mail messages (however they measured that) or missing a night's sleep and lose 4 points from baseline after smoking pot. In any case, these are temporary effects, and a perfect example of why IQ has jack shit to do with how intelligent you actually are.
Piracy was the real reason. A hacked XBox or jailbroken iPhone are both able (in theory) to copy purchased content. Both companies want to prevent this flow of marketplace content to devices capable of pirating it.
Banning the cheaters on XBL was more of a side-effect, as MS targets cheating specifically in other ways.
why not just ban them from having a Gold account and allow them to keep a silver account?
If you are going to ban them in the first place (which I absolutely support), why 'allow' them to continue using the free portion of the access? It's all or nothing in this case: either they are banned or they are not. Just preventing them from paying for the upgraded service makes no sense.
Here's a tip, researchers: HUMANS don't have the ability* to focus on one person at a cocktail party. Humans focus on the booze, the snacks, and the sex. We don't give a fucking shit about whatever mindless story some guy is telling (for the 20th time).
*In cases where we are able (not loud, person talking is coherent, available food is too shitty to be distracting), we are smart enough to choose not to.
Make a robot that picks up chicks, then we'll talk.
You don't expect that the point of this might be to create a robo-bartender, -waiter, or -maitre d' rather than a robo-partier? When you order your vodka-cranberry or Shirley Temple, the bartender needs to be able to focus on you or he won't understand what to pour you.
Besides why would you want a robot picking up the available singles at a party? Unless you want a robot that lures them away so you can knock them unconscious...
True, but then you would have potential selection bias in the data. For example, let's assume the strong magnetic fields result in increased cases of incontenance. Those with incontenance would likely ask their records be witheld, and suddenly your data set is pointless.
I agree it would make for an interesting data set, but I don't see it being very robust from a scientific standpoint.
You can't have magnetic fields without current or current without electricity.
Wrong. Static magnetic fields do not induce any current in static wires, otherwise we'd have infinite free electricity. Read Maxwell's Equations.
And while elecrtricity and magnetism are inseperably linked to Electromagnetic Radiation, they are not the same. EM Radiation is a self-propogating wave composed of oscillating electric and magnetic fields. Neither a magnet nor constant DC current produce EM radiation. You are very, very wrong.
For it to be of medical use, the data would need to include all relevent bits of data to compare their health to others with similar health risks. For example: gender, height, weight, age, smoker, chronic health issues, etc. At that point, the data is effectively no longer anonymized, especially if linked to a single facility.
I mean, how many 5'2", 32 year old women who smoke do you think work for WD? Now, you can pinpoint their medical history, such as if they are HIV+.
This is, of course, assuming WD has access to these records to release, which they likely do not.
While I do think eink screens look nicer, it's because the material actually changes colors instead of filtering. When they start using a more durable substrate(most use glass!), I'd love to get a laptop case made of the stuff and run a slow plasma sim or have those Escher curl-ups crawling over it.
Of course, back to battery life, because eInk is electromechanical it might not be the best choice for fluid motion for quite some time, particularly if power is a concern. Of course, the fact that it only reflects light would mean it would look much cooler than OLED or another potential technology. I'd definitely be interested in that.
I can't wait for Buzz astroturfing. It's the perfect format for it, considering it is geo-tagged and then piggybacked onto one of the most popular online maps.
So, a store just needs to post lots of fake positive buzzes, like "Wow, I can't believe the great deal on shoes/hardware I just got at Macy's/Best Buy" centered around your store. Alternatively, you can pay real people (preferably me) to do the astroturfing for you.
Nah, battery life is the big deal. Assuming the iPad actually gets 10 hours on a charge, this will be somewhat mitigated. However, eInk will still be the way to go for people who read in short(er) spurts.
Frankly, I'm not entirely sure you want to be zapping mosquitoes and aerosolizing their body parts around an open surgery site.
I'd rather risk a bacterial infection than Malaria when trying to recover from surgery.
If this laser is powerful enough to vaporize mosquito flesh, shouldn't it also destroy any bacteria?
In addition, I think the idea was to place these lasers at all entrances to prevent them getting in, rather than waiting until they're already in the OR.
Slashdot Mirror
Multicore programming isn't really that hard due to the fact your OS is suppose to handle what thread goes onto which core for you.
I can tell you've never written a multi-core program before...
All you really need to do is to split a single thread game into 4 threads. And no, you are not running more overhead. Who told you that? Your OS doesn't simply run every task in the same thread.
The overhead comes from keeping track of 4 separate threads. Between processor scheduling, task switching, memory/cache thrashing, and message passing alone, a 4-thread sequential program will never run faster than an equivalent single-thread program on a single core.
The only possible benefit is to allow the program to split out tasks with a long wait (such as reading from HDD/optical drive) from those that can be done while waiting, but this gains the exact same speed advantage on a single- or multi-core processor.
The real problem with multi threaded game is syncing. Let's say if you break your game into graphics engine, audio engine, i/o handler, and resource fetcher. Of course resource fetcher has to be the parent thread that spawns everything else as siblings since resource access has to be shared. The real problem is when an event is triggered. not all threads will respond to it immediately due to the fact they are all at different stages of execution. So you end up having to write interrupts for each and every thread.
Again, you've definitely never written a multi-core program. Synchronization is simple compared to the real issues. What are those? Deadlock and Race Conditions. Most developers not being capable of handling these issues (particularly on such large programs) is the reason we don't see more multi-thread programs.
I have no idea exactly how. But having modified the console would certainly make it easier than trying to run pirate DLC without mods. Keep in mind this assumes a modification capable of changing the console ID, just putting in a new HDD or DVD drive likely wouldn't make a difference.
The faulty parts were actually made in America, to sabotage Toyota and start a FUD campaign to encourage Americans to become afraid of foreign cars and buy GM's pieces of shit.
Toyota makes remarkable demands of several domestic (US) auto-parts manufacturers, requiring incredible engineering investment.
Then they order the minimum quantity, sending them to China to be reverse engineered and mass-produced. Goodbye margins!
In 1887, the quotas placed on the number of Jews allowed into secondary and higher education were tightened down to 10% within the Pale, 5% outside the Pale, except Moscow and Saint Petersburg, held at 3%. Strict restrictions prohibited Jews from practicing many professions.
Source, not exactly what was discussed, but close.
Yup, multi-core programming is hard, particularly when you don't know how many cores you have. Also, if you make a game with 4 threads instead of 1, there will be overhead with the task switching that will slow it down on a single-core (or It may come as a surprise, but multi-threaded programming isn't as common or easy as the state of the art would imply.
Actually, I'm pretty sure that DLC is a lot more difficult to pirate than you suggest. I believe that DLC has two signatures. One that authenticates it as official MS content, and another that ties it to the console. Taking a HDD with DLC from one xbox and inserting it into another will not work. MS will require you to re-download the DLC. I'm pretty sure it's locked down.
Right, it's not as simple as copying the file and 'ta-da' it works. However, a modded XBox could modify its console ID to match the pirated DLC, or edit the DLC file to match the new console ID.
My bad, I didn't read the byline. I assumed that an article on a blog called GeekDad was written by a geeky dad... ;-)
Are you suggesting that the mines not be placed where they are? Very well. I'll call a meeting with Hitler and Stalin and see if we can get this un-done.
It's too late for that now, they're in big trouble. They're going to be SOOOO dead.
Aslo, the article is wrong:
The demonstration works because microwave ovens produce standing waves -- waves that move "up" and "down" in place, instead of rolling forward like waves in the ocean.
Ocean waves don't "move forward".
While the individual particles do not, the wave itself does.
He is mistaken on the meaning of a standing wave. It is not the same as a transverse wave (which seems to be why he is comparing them to a longitudinal wave).
The oven is designed to be just the right size to cause the microwaves to reflect off the walls so that the peaks and valleys line up perfectly, creating "hot spots" (actually, lines of heat).
Disproved by direct observation. Go into any store and you'll see microwaves in various sizes. The perfect microwave doesn't have "hot spots".
Again, he's wrong about it being 'designed' for the purpose of having hot spots, but the design does result in hot spots. These occur regardless of oven size, they will simply be located in different locations. This is caused by reflections off internal surfaces acting like two signal sources.
While it may be conceivable to create a 'perfect' microwave with no standing wave nodes, it would be pointless. Besides, he wasn't using an 'ideal' microwave, just a regular off-the-shelf microwave, which does have standing waves.
I'd agree with you if you were using "It's 22:00 and I normally go to bed at exactly 21:30" as an example of "really tired". Now if we're talking about really tired people (like an ER surgeon who's been up for 36+ hours and working hard for most of that time) then we're looking at seriously bizarre behaviour, hallucinations and an inability to concentrate that would make my cats seem like geniuses in comparison.
The average marijuana user just tends to be a bit more relaxed, giggly and goofy and most likely lacking in concentration but at least aware of these shortcomings.
None of these traits are really represented in an IQ test, and particularly not to the magnitude that they would affect a surgeon's ability to perform surgery. It tells us nothing of motor skills or many other important abilities. The tired person will probably test more poorly than the high person on written or oral tests, but we have no way to infer their abilities as a surgeon/musician/laborer/receptionist/etc.
In other words a 10-point IQ drop compared to a 4-point IQ drop only indicates a general loss of cognition. Nothing more, nothing less.
Apparently, it's ok to generalize based on traits that are chosen rather than inherited...
Within reason, absolutely. I generalize that gang members are more likely to engage in theft and violent crime. Is that wrong?
Regardless of how unreasonable his initial claim that adult games are unacceptable is, reinforcing his view that gamers are predisposed to violence (particularly when even biker gangs haven't threatened you with physical harm under similar circumstances) seems like an obvious responseto a threat from a gamer.
To be fair to the guy, if he's worried about threats to his family, none of that matters.
Of course, the fact that he uses ridiculous rhetoric (apparently he claimed bikers cooked a cat on a grill in his district; even though it wasn't a cat, wasn't in his district, and no bikers were involved) doesn't help matters. However, threatening the guy is the exact wrong way to go about fixing the Aussie rating system. Gamers making threats will just reinforce the stereotype that gamers are dangerous, giving him more reason to oppose adult classifications for games.
So, to everyone in Australia, the guy who made that threat is fucking it up for the rest of you. Maybe you should beat him up, or something...
Ever searched for directions to/from your house? Sent an e-mail with your address? They probably have at least a pretty good idea of where you live anyway.
Two reasons. First, it enables hacked consoles to pirate that purchased content for other hacked consoles. Secondly, Silver access enables a bunch of other stuff that you don't need to pay a dime for, making it possible that the hacked consoles will just cost them that much more money.
For a bonus reason, they also stand to make a lot more money by forcing those with banned consoles to purchase new hardware and new copies of the games that they had previously pirated.
Well considering that IQ really isn't an accurate representation of actual 'general intelligence', this makes perfect sense.
Think of IQ as just another standardised test. You lose 10 points (compared to your own baseline score) by juggling e-mail messages (however they measured that) or missing a night's sleep and lose 4 points from baseline after smoking pot. In any case, these are temporary effects, and a perfect example of why IQ has jack shit to do with how intelligent you actually are.
Piracy was the real reason. A hacked XBox or jailbroken iPhone are both able (in theory) to copy purchased content. Both companies want to prevent this flow of marketplace content to devices capable of pirating it.
Banning the cheaters on XBL was more of a side-effect, as MS targets cheating specifically in other ways.
why not just ban them from having a Gold account and allow them to keep a silver account?
If you are going to ban them in the first place (which I absolutely support), why 'allow' them to continue using the free portion of the access? It's all or nothing in this case: either they are banned or they are not. Just preventing them from paying for the upgraded service makes no sense.
Here's a tip, researchers: HUMANS don't have the ability* to focus on one person at a cocktail party. Humans focus on the booze, the snacks, and the sex. We don't give a fucking shit about whatever mindless story some guy is telling (for the 20th time).
*In cases where we are able (not loud, person talking is coherent, available food is too shitty to be distracting), we are smart enough to choose not to.
Make a robot that picks up chicks, then we'll talk.
You don't expect that the point of this might be to create a robo-bartender, -waiter, or -maitre d' rather than a robo-partier? When you order your vodka-cranberry or Shirley Temple, the bartender needs to be able to focus on you or he won't understand what to pour you.
Besides why would you want a robot picking up the available singles at a party? Unless you want a robot that lures them away so you can knock them unconscious...
True, but then you would have potential selection bias in the data. For example, let's assume the strong magnetic fields result in increased cases of incontenance. Those with incontenance would likely ask their records be witheld, and suddenly your data set is pointless.
I agree it would make for an interesting data set, but I don't see it being very robust from a scientific standpoint.
You can't have magnetic fields without current or current without electricity.
Wrong. Static magnetic fields do not induce any current in static wires, otherwise we'd have infinite free electricity. Read Maxwell's Equations.
And while elecrtricity and magnetism are inseperably linked to Electromagnetic Radiation, they are not the same. EM Radiation is a self-propogating wave composed of oscillating electric and magnetic fields. Neither a magnet nor constant DC current produce EM radiation. You are very, very wrong.
For it to be of medical use, the data would need to include all relevent bits of data to compare their health to others with similar health risks. For example: gender, height, weight, age, smoker, chronic health issues, etc. At that point, the data is effectively no longer anonymized, especially if linked to a single facility.
I mean, how many 5'2", 32 year old women who smoke do you think work for WD? Now, you can pinpoint their medical history, such as if they are HIV+.
This is, of course, assuming WD has access to these records to release, which they likely do not.
While I do think eink screens look nicer, it's because the material actually changes colors instead of filtering. When they start using a more durable substrate(most use glass!), I'd love to get a laptop case made of the stuff and run a slow plasma sim or have those Escher curl-ups crawling over it.
Of course, back to battery life, because eInk is electromechanical it might not be the best choice for fluid motion for quite some time, particularly if power is a concern. Of course, the fact that it only reflects light would mean it would look much cooler than OLED or another potential technology. I'd definitely be interested in that.
I can't wait for Buzz astroturfing. It's the perfect format for it, considering it is geo-tagged and then piggybacked onto one of the most popular online maps.
So, a store just needs to post lots of fake positive buzzes, like "Wow, I can't believe the great deal on shoes/hardware I just got at Macy's/Best Buy" centered around your store. Alternatively, you can pay real people (preferably me) to do the astroturfing for you.
LCD vs. EInk . Eyestrain is a big deal.
Nah, battery life is the big deal. Assuming the iPad actually gets 10 hours on a charge, this will be somewhat mitigated. However, eInk will still be the way to go for people who read in short(er) spurts.
Frankly, I'm not entirely sure you want to be zapping mosquitoes and aerosolizing their body parts around an open surgery site.
I'd rather risk a bacterial infection than Malaria when trying to recover from surgery.
If this laser is powerful enough to vaporize mosquito flesh, shouldn't it also destroy any bacteria?
In addition, I think the idea was to place these lasers at all entrances to prevent them getting in, rather than waiting until they're already in the OR.