My assumption is that the intelligent species out there aren't advertising their presence.
Interesting assumption. Too bad the only example we can test it against in the universe (ie, humans) violates it. (Let's put arguments of humans being "intelligent" aside!) We make no attempt to hide our presence. It's pretty conceivable to me that other species could make the same "mistake".
Anyone worth contacting is probably dangerous.
Now that might be true. But let's find the signal first and decide later if we want to contact them. The discovery of other life, dangerous or not, will be fantastic and change our point of view forever. Not to mention, we might learn a tidbit or two from their signal.
...I just don't see any fucking difference... ...maybe they can hear some difference, but not me... ...it's just too good for my ears, I don't hear any difference... ...fuck that...
Re/ transitioning from employed developer to contracted developer...
You're making good coin right now in your 9-5 software gig as an employee, right? (If you're not, you're in the minority in the industry.)
What I did was cut expenses and save up for six months or so, putting aside enough to get me through maybe two lean months of initial contracting. Then... break loose and have some faith. My god, it's not like we're in a tough job market -- you can always get rehired in a full-time software job that's not a perfect fit but pays the bills well.
You didn't mention if you have dependents or other circumstances which could make the initial lean months of contracting extra stressful. If you do, I sympathize, but I've still seen colleagues pull that situation off without a hitch. Faith, faith, faith. You're a programmer, dammit! The world needs you! It took me seven years as an employee to finally make the leap, but I never for a single second regretted going indepedent as a contractor.
Now I can actually gamble at the same time, combining 2 dangerous habits.
Hey, now you're on to something! If they'd pay my earnings out in heroin, I could combine all 3 of my dangerous habits into one. Man, what a time-saver this will be!
Yeah, real men *do* use insulation when testing. The stuff I fix will kill you if you look at it the wrong way.
You can use insulation if you need to, but a *real* geek wouldn't look at something the wrong way. Feh.
...will knock the empty Pepsi can on your desk onto it...
I don't understand. Why would a real geek have an empty Pepsi can on the desk? Empty Jolt, perhaps. Or an (insulated) empty bottle of Bawls, sure.
If the soldering iron is symbolic of the quality of the notebook, yeah, I can see that the manufacturer might have scrimped...
If your beverage is symbolic of the quality of your geektitude, yeah, I can see you having some problems.
Re:.. as humans move out in the solar system. Sigh
on
Robotic Ants In Space
·
· Score: 1
How come people are so interested in going into space? It's mindblowing cold, HUGE as in defining the word, and generally really hostile towards us humans!
You also just described high-altitude mountain ascents in remote parts of the world. And I, for one, would jump at the opportunity to join either a mission to Everest, K2, Mars, or a remote space station. For similar reasons.
Do I need to say it? "Because it's there." And because we're human and hungry for knoweldge and experience and pushing our own limits just for the hell of it, because we CAN.
Wouldn't the flaw here be that the bidders must be allowed to e-mail the seller while the auction is underway to resolve issues about item condition, details not given in the ad, shipping costs, payment questions, etc?
So let's say I'm selling something. With your proposal, I wouldn't be able to tell from the eBay web site who the online high bidder was, but the high bidder could simply contact me thru e-mail and then we'd reach an agreement offline.
From experience, if I'm bidding on anything of moderate value that could have wear-and-tear or problems the ad doesn't reveal, I always contact the seller to get a better "feel" for him/her and the item. I believe that this contact is essential.
Let's just make sure we're not giving Quantum credit for anything here. Given the opportunity, I'm sure any manufacturer (eg. IBM) could give the same lip-service.
It costs nothing to flatter a concerned letter writer, claim ignorance of any devious agenda, and play down the danger by saying "revisions are 2 years apart" and "vendors are free to implement their own extensions to the standard". Blah blah blah.
How do you arrive at your estimate? I know our brains are massively parallel (and there's no quantitative way to measure "how parallel" they are compared to, say, clusters of CPUs), but I wasn't aware of a way we could translate even the "speed" of our brains into clock cycles per second.
I've never paid for Linux software. I don't think I've paid for any software since I started using Linux regularly.
Compare that to the typical Windows user: "I've never paid for Windows software. I don't think I've paid for any software since I started using Windows regularly."
The differences, of course, are that they're breaking the law and have more selection.;-)
Would ya look at the size of that kid's head! It's the size of a planetoid and it has it's own weather system! Looks like an orange on a toothpick! I'm not kidding, that boy's head is like Sputnik; spherical but quite pointy at parts! Aye, now that was offsides, now wasn't it? He'll be crying himself to sleep tonight, on his huge pillow.
They're not proprietary. I have commercial music CDs from the mid-to-late 80's in that small size (U2, Wall of Voodoo, Beach Boys, etc.) I believe those "business-cards-on-a-CD-ROM" also use that format. My home CD player can play them. Several portable CD players I've tried over the years play them fine (indicating they are, in fact, part of the CD audio standard). Notebook PCs have a center spindle and I'm certain would play them. And all desktop CD-ROM drives I've seen have the smaller cutout to hold them, also.
Here in Canada I pay 40 bucks (Canadian) a month for ADSL or Cable (I've used both). So at that rate, this scheme might pay for itself after 2 years, but in 2 years I'll probably have a faster and cheaper connection anyways.
I run ADSL in Canada also. It's a bargain, but it doesn't help me with my notebook when I'm sitting in Chapters or the library or a hotel lobby. I'd love to be able to tap into stray RF networks around downtown rather than working offline.
Here's an interview where Willis talks a bit about his take on the movie. He was, apparently, surprised by the ending when he read the script. And he talks about hero theories a little bit, parenting, etc.
He claims to be a daily web surfer and refers to News of the Weird, which he says he consults every day for his dose of "paranormal" news.
Rest in peace, Michael Muuss. You were obviously one helluva hard-working computer scientist. May we all help the world progress and communicate like you have.
There is no way for the media companies to determine if you actually own another copy.
Huh? Music is software, just like applications. Application software companies require proof of ownership before giving you a discounted upgrade or replacement. A very similar model could work for music. That is, assuming music publishers actually want to participate in the new distribution channels available to them.
People drink, smoke, use drugs, and these are PROVEN killers. What makes something like a mobile different?
I'll point out one difference for you. Used in small to moderate doses, alcohol and some drugs (be they herbal, prescription, or illegal) can improve peoples health. This is as much a fact as your claim that those substances are PROVEN killers. Now phones can certainly make people productive, but arguably the state should be more concerned for physical welfare than productivity. So paint us a picture of someone using a radiating device close to their head that is intentionally or measurably improving their physical health. Even a small dose of radiation will cook your brain to a small degree. So can we see even one study where light-to-moderate cell phone users receive a health benefit like light-to-moderate red-wine drinkers?
Okay, so VW abandoned the Beetle some time in the 70's. It was no longer manufactured or available through retail channels (in the North American market anyway). In the Beetle's absense, at some point (maybe early 90s?), the intellectual/emotional (ie, non-physical, non-theivable) image of the Beetle started to become desirable again. Why? Partially because of the romantic feelings toward a product that was pretty good in its day but hasn't been available for so long. Now, had some other company stolen the Beetle name and image in, say, the late 80s and kept it alive, could VW have pulled off the revival? To a lesser degree, probably. But why should the owner not be allowed to control distribution of their product and the related images, feelings, etc?
My point here is that abandoning a product for a while can be part of a greater plan that isn't clear until finally played out. At some point, VW started to plot the Beetle's revival. They didn't tell us that right away, and it's a good thing for VW that nobody started reviving the Beetle sooner. Bringing something back to market because it's abandoned may come with the best intentions, but the owner should be consulted, don't you think?
I don't want to pay what is probably 50% of the total system price when I have a perfectly fine $1100 DVD player
Some of us haven't dropped $1100 on a DVD appliance yet, and aren't ever interested in doing so. I suspect we might even be in the majority! It's not perfect, but I like the PS2 as an option to my PC's DVD player. It's more "rackable".
Aha. That's a good, simple problem description... given a board where each square has either a number or a bomb in it, verify its consistency. Nothing to do with playing or solving the game itself. Thanks, rasbora.
You would have to be able to do it 100% of the time without losing ever.
I don't think that's the problem being posed. Because clearly, there is no way to "do it 100% of the time." Regardless of the algorithm you use for the 2nd and subsequent turns, your very first turn is based on zero information and it's going to be the luck of the draw whether you hit a mine.
A long-term, multi-game strategy may maximize gains, but walking up to the table to win any single game cannot be done with certainty. So can someone tell me in more layperson terms what the real problem they're asking us to solve is?
Slashdot Mirror
My assumption is that the intelligent species out there aren't advertising their presence.
Interesting assumption. Too bad the only example we can test it against in the universe (ie, humans) violates it. (Let's put arguments of humans being "intelligent" aside!) We make no attempt to hide our presence. It's pretty conceivable to me that other species could make the same "mistake".
Anyone worth contacting is probably dangerous.
Now that might be true. But let's find the signal first and decide later if we want to contact them. The discovery of other life, dangerous or not, will be fantastic and change our point of view forever. Not to mention, we might learn a tidbit or two from their signal.
...I just don't see any fucking difference...
...maybe they can hear some difference, but not me...
...it's just too good for my ears, I don't hear any difference...
...fuck that...
Man. Sucks to be you!
What color is the sky in your world?
Re/ transitioning from employed developer to contracted developer...
You're making good coin right now in your 9-5 software gig as an employee, right? (If you're not, you're in the minority in the industry.)
What I did was cut expenses and save up for six months or so, putting aside enough to get me through maybe two lean months of initial contracting. Then... break loose and have some faith. My god, it's not like we're in a tough job market -- you can always get rehired in a full-time software job that's not a perfect fit but pays the bills well.
You didn't mention if you have dependents or other circumstances which could make the initial lean months of contracting extra stressful. If you do, I sympathize, but I've still seen colleagues pull that situation off without a hitch. Faith, faith, faith. You're a programmer, dammit! The world needs you! It took me seven years as an employee to finally make the leap, but I never for a single second regretted going indepedent as a contractor.
Now I can actually gamble at the same time, combining 2 dangerous habits.
Hey, now you're on to something! If they'd pay my earnings out in heroin, I could combine all 3 of my dangerous habits into one. Man, what a time-saver this will be!
Sign me up!
Yeah, real men *do* use insulation when testing. The stuff I fix will kill you if you look at it the wrong way.
...will knock the empty Pepsi can on your desk onto it...
You can use insulation if you need to, but a *real* geek wouldn't look at something the wrong way. Feh.
I don't understand. Why would a real geek have an empty Pepsi can on the desk? Empty Jolt, perhaps. Or an (insulated) empty bottle of Bawls, sure.
If the soldering iron is symbolic of the quality of the notebook, yeah, I can see that the manufacturer might have scrimped...
If your beverage is symbolic of the quality of your geektitude, yeah, I can see you having some problems.
How come people are so interested in going into space? It's mindblowing cold, HUGE as in defining the word, and generally really hostile towards us humans!
You also just described high-altitude mountain ascents in remote parts of the world. And I, for one, would jump at the opportunity to join either a mission to Everest, K2, Mars, or a remote space station. For similar reasons.
Do I need to say it? "Because it's there." And because we're human and hungry for knoweldge and experience and pushing our own limits just for the hell of it, because we CAN.
Wouldn't the flaw here be that the bidders must be allowed to e-mail the seller while the auction is underway to resolve issues about item condition, details not given in the ad, shipping costs, payment questions, etc?
So let's say I'm selling something. With your proposal, I wouldn't be able to tell from the eBay web site who the online high bidder was, but the high bidder could simply contact me thru e-mail and then we'd reach an agreement offline.
From experience, if I'm bidding on anything of moderate value that could have wear-and-tear or problems the ad doesn't reveal, I always contact the seller to get a better "feel" for him/her and the item. I believe that this contact is essential.
Let's just make sure we're not giving Quantum credit for anything here. Given the opportunity, I'm sure any manufacturer (eg. IBM) could give the same lip-service.
It costs nothing to flatter a concerned letter writer, claim ignorance of any devious agenda, and play down the danger by saying "revisions are 2 years apart" and "vendors are free to implement their own extensions to the standard". Blah blah blah.
It will not transmit when put in the freezer with the door closed.
LOL! What was the application you had in mind here?!
"Aha! I knew it! Those bastard chicken nuggets laugh at me when I'm not there."
Which was the one that had the "Left difficulty" and "right difficulty" switches?
Okay, which one of you jokers flipped the "right difficulty" switch on my brain?!
Our brain works at about a thousand hertz.
How do you arrive at your estimate? I know our brains are massively parallel (and there's no quantitative way to measure "how parallel" they are compared to, say, clusters of CPUs), but I wasn't aware of a way we could translate even the "speed" of our brains into clock cycles per second.
More information, please!
I've never paid for Linux software. I don't think I've paid for any software since I started using Linux regularly.
;-)
Compare that to the typical Windows user:
"I've never paid for Windows software. I don't think I've paid for any software since I started using Windows regularly."
The differences, of course, are that they're breaking the law and have more selection.
Would ya look at the size of that kid's head! It's the size of a planetoid and it has it's own weather system! Looks like an orange on a toothpick! I'm not kidding, that boy's head is like Sputnik; spherical but quite pointy at parts! Aye, now that was offsides, now wasn't it? He'll be crying himself to sleep tonight, on his huge pillow.
They're proprietary
;-)
They're not proprietary. I have commercial music CDs from the mid-to-late 80's in that small size (U2, Wall of Voodoo, Beach Boys, etc.) I believe those "business-cards-on-a-CD-ROM" also use that format. My home CD player can play them. Several portable CD players I've tried over the years play them fine (indicating they are, in fact, part of the CD audio standard). Notebook PCs have a center spindle and I'm certain would play them. And all desktop CD-ROM drives I've seen have the smaller cutout to hold them, also.
Standard enough for ya?
Here in Canada I pay 40 bucks (Canadian) a month for ADSL or Cable (I've used both). So at that rate, this scheme might pay for itself after 2 years, but in 2 years I'll probably have a faster and cheaper connection anyways.
I run ADSL in Canada also. It's a bargain, but it doesn't help me with my notebook when I'm sitting in Chapters or the library or a hotel lobby. I'd love to be able to tap into stray RF networks around downtown rather than working offline.
Here's an interview where Willis talks a bit about his take on the movie. He was, apparently, surprised by the ending when he read the script. And he talks about hero theories a little bit, parenting, etc.
He claims to be a daily web surfer and refers to News of the Weird, which he says he consults every day for his dose of "paranormal" news.
Rest in peace, Michael Muuss. You were obviously one helluva hard-working computer scientist. May we all help the world progress and communicate like you have.
There is no way for the media companies to determine if you actually own another copy.
Huh? Music is software, just like applications. Application software companies require proof of ownership before giving you a discounted upgrade or replacement. A very similar model could work for music. That is, assuming music publishers actually want to participate in the new distribution channels available to them.
People drink, smoke, use drugs, and these are PROVEN killers. What makes something like a mobile different?
I'll point out one difference for you. Used in small to moderate doses, alcohol and some drugs (be they herbal, prescription, or illegal) can improve peoples health. This is as much a fact as your claim that those substances are PROVEN killers. Now phones can certainly make people productive, but arguably the state should be more concerned for physical welfare than productivity. So paint us a picture of someone using a radiating device close to their head that is intentionally or measurably improving their physical health. Even a small dose of radiation will cook your brain to a small degree. So can we see even one study where light-to-moderate cell phone users receive a health benefit like light-to-moderate red-wine drinkers?
So keep an eye out for:
the Jackhammer
the Hammer Drill
the Hammer Toe
the Rodgers & Hammerstein
the Hammerhead
the M.C. Hammer
the Jan Hammer
the Hammered Dulcimer
the Rubber Reflex Hammer
What about the Motercycle company
The poster already named them. It's Birmingham Small Arms you're referring to.
Besides, a BSA would make a lousy streetfighter. Stick to CBR9xxRRs and GSXRs.
Half-baked analogy follows...
Okay, so VW abandoned the Beetle some time in the 70's. It was no longer manufactured or available through retail channels (in the North American market anyway). In the Beetle's absense, at some point (maybe early 90s?), the intellectual/emotional (ie, non-physical, non-theivable) image of the Beetle started to become desirable again. Why? Partially because of the romantic feelings toward a product that was pretty good in its day but hasn't been available for so long. Now, had some other company stolen the Beetle name and image in, say, the late 80s and kept it alive, could VW have pulled off the revival? To a lesser degree, probably. But why should the owner not be allowed to control distribution of their product and the related images, feelings, etc?
My point here is that abandoning a product for a while can be part of a greater plan that isn't clear until finally played out. At some point, VW started to plot the Beetle's revival. They didn't tell us that right away, and it's a good thing for VW that nobody started reviving the Beetle sooner. Bringing something back to market because it's abandoned may come with the best intentions, but the owner should be consulted, don't you think?
I don't want to pay what is probably 50% of the total system price when I have a perfectly fine $1100 DVD player
Some of us haven't dropped $1100 on a DVD appliance yet, and aren't ever interested in doing so. I suspect we might even be in the majority! It's not perfect, but I like the PS2 as an option to my PC's DVD player. It's more "rackable".
Aha. That's a good, simple problem description... given a board where each square has either a number or a bomb in it, verify its consistency. Nothing to do with playing or solving the game itself. Thanks, rasbora.
You would have to be able to do it 100% of the time without losing ever.
I don't think that's the problem being posed. Because clearly, there is no way to "do it 100% of the time." Regardless of the algorithm you use for the 2nd and subsequent turns, your very first turn is based on zero information and it's going to be the luck of the draw whether you hit a mine.
A long-term, multi-game strategy may maximize gains, but walking up to the table to win any single game cannot be done with certainty. So can someone tell me in more layperson terms what the real problem they're asking us to solve is?