I did something similar in Java back in a HS Tech-prep class. It was called J-Robots, naturally.
I wouldn't consider this competition the same concept, though. Sure, they both battle AI bots against each other, but the constraints are different. For instance, the J/P-Robots (in my experience) had an open "field" for the robots to operate in, while Pacman has a map. Robots was a free for all, while Pacman was one vs many.
Apologies, I wrote that wrong. I was just attempting to point out that just because someone is an agnostic does not mean they can't be an atheist. Agnosticism does not limit one to being either theist or atheist.
I'd have to agree with you. This isn't intoxication at all. I think it would have been more appropriate if it said music was addicting. The release of dopamine in the mesolimbic reward pathway of the brain is what causes addictions to things like cocaine and amphetamines, why not music? I know I've enjoyed a song so much I've put it on repeat for a couple hours.
Or, you know, shoot targets. That's actually a lot of fun. A friend of mine has a rather large gun collection. He doesn't hunt. He's not mentally unstable (so far as I can tell). He just has a fascination with guns. He (like many others) get enjoyment from going to the firing range. He's never shot a person. He's never even threatened to shoot a person.
I like to go out and shoot clay skeet and trap. Given those aren't hand guns, I could kill a person or animal much faster with a shotgun than a pistol.
Also, some people feel safer knowing they have a handgun in their house, even if they've never had a break in or a reason to pull that gun out on someone.
Some people like to shoot guns because it makes them feel powerful. The feeling of a gun going off in your hand(s) and seeing something you were aiming at blow up or get torn to shreds is a pretty amazing feeling. And that's just fine, as long as what you're aiming at isn't a person.
All I'm saying is that there are more reasons to own a gun than to just kill people or kill animals.
The guns aren't the problem, it's the mentality of the people holding them. Unfortunately, we seem to have quite a few more loons with guns in the US than other places.
I'm a Facebook user (gasp, I know). I use it mainly to post interesting tech and science articles for my friends to read. I also post a lot about general security issues and how they can be avoided. What I don't use it for is updating every little thing going on in my life. Why do I do this? Because I have friends and family that I don't get to see on a regular basis who enjoy reading these sorts of things. It's also a great platform to discuss current events with people I know. It's intellectually stimulating and helps inform more people about what's going on in the science and tech fields as well as help keep them protected from threats. You consider sitting in your mom's basement hacking away on your linux box productive, well, I consider informing my friends and family and discussing what's going on in the world productive.
I also use netflix and hulu. I know you're probably not familiar with this situation, but my girlfriend and I like to sit and watch a movie or our favorite shows and have a drink at night to wind down after work.
But I get it, you enjoy working on computers and spending all your time doing so. That's awesome, I encourage it. But not everyone is an overachieving engineer/programmer/scientist without a life, Some people like to enjoy the entertainment the open web can provide at low to no cost.
The point I'm trying to make is that just because you don't use these services, you shouldn't take this precedent lightly. What happens when an ISP/Cell Carriers decides it really doesn't like slashdotters? What happens when they have a bad disagreement with your bank?
Online services set their price according to their business model. Facebook and Hulu are free and generate revenue through ads. Netflix is a paid service and allows you to stream movies and shows. In one way or another the service you use is somehow being benefited by giving users access. Now we're having service providers add on their own premiums and throttling speeds based on the content you want to view. Users aren't the only ones that are going to be affected by this. Websites will start to see less visitors and generate less revenue and will have to pay providers to increase those speeds or remove user access fees. This kind of thing is going to throw the whole web as we know it out of whack.
Even though you might not use the web for entertainment or social networking purposes, there's the potential for a whole lot more to be affected here and you shouldn't take it so lightly.
Slashdot Mirror
I did something similar in Java back in a HS Tech-prep class. It was called J-Robots, naturally. I wouldn't consider this competition the same concept, though. Sure, they both battle AI bots against each other, but the constraints are different. For instance, the J/P-Robots (in my experience) had an open "field" for the robots to operate in, while Pacman has a map. Robots was a free for all, while Pacman was one vs many.
The contest for this year is now over.
It would have been nice to know when it started... Guess I'll just have to prepare for next year.
Hack the planet!
Valid HTML code.
FTFY
Apologies, I wrote that wrong. I was just attempting to point out that just because someone is an agnostic does not mean they can't be an atheist. Agnosticism does not limit one to being either theist or atheist.
The fact that Darwin was an agnostic does not change that he was an atheist, the two do not negate each other in any way.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnostic_atheism
Based on the current crop of micro RC helicopters, I'd be surprised if this gizmo has enough battery life for more than 10-15 minutes of flight.
According to a Wired article, the flight time has, indeed, only reached about 10 minutes.
I'd have to agree with you. This isn't intoxication at all. I think it would have been more appropriate if it said music was addicting. The release of dopamine in the mesolimbic reward pathway of the brain is what causes addictions to things like cocaine and amphetamines, why not music? I know I've enjoyed a song so much I've put it on repeat for a couple hours.
Uh huh... that'll work until your kid/friend/parent decides to try and get into your phone by guessing your password over and over.
Or, you know, shoot targets. That's actually a lot of fun. A friend of mine has a rather large gun collection. He doesn't hunt. He's not mentally unstable (so far as I can tell). He just has a fascination with guns. He (like many others) get enjoyment from going to the firing range. He's never shot a person. He's never even threatened to shoot a person.
I like to go out and shoot clay skeet and trap. Given those aren't hand guns, I could kill a person or animal much faster with a shotgun than a pistol.
Also, some people feel safer knowing they have a handgun in their house, even if they've never had a break in or a reason to pull that gun out on someone.
Some people like to shoot guns because it makes them feel powerful. The feeling of a gun going off in your hand(s) and seeing something you were aiming at blow up or get torn to shreds is a pretty amazing feeling. And that's just fine, as long as what you're aiming at isn't a person.
All I'm saying is that there are more reasons to own a gun than to just kill people or kill animals.
The guns aren't the problem, it's the mentality of the people holding them. Unfortunately, we seem to have quite a few more loons with guns in the US than other places.
I'm a Facebook user (gasp, I know). I use it mainly to post interesting tech and science articles for my friends to read. I also post a lot about general security issues and how they can be avoided. What I don't use it for is updating every little thing going on in my life. Why do I do this? Because I have friends and family that I don't get to see on a regular basis who enjoy reading these sorts of things. It's also a great platform to discuss current events with people I know. It's intellectually stimulating and helps inform more people about what's going on in the science and tech fields as well as help keep them protected from threats. You consider sitting in your mom's basement hacking away on your linux box productive, well, I consider informing my friends and family and discussing what's going on in the world productive.
I also use netflix and hulu. I know you're probably not familiar with this situation, but my girlfriend and I like to sit and watch a movie or our favorite shows and have a drink at night to wind down after work.
But I get it, you enjoy working on computers and spending all your time doing so. That's awesome, I encourage it. But not everyone is an overachieving engineer/programmer/scientist without a life, Some people like to enjoy the entertainment the open web can provide at low to no cost.
The point I'm trying to make is that just because you don't use these services, you shouldn't take this precedent lightly. What happens when an ISP/Cell Carriers decides it really doesn't like slashdotters? What happens when they have a bad disagreement with your bank?
Online services set their price according to their business model. Facebook and Hulu are free and generate revenue through ads. Netflix is a paid service and allows you to stream movies and shows. In one way or another the service you use is somehow being benefited by giving users access. Now we're having service providers add on their own premiums and throttling speeds based on the content you want to view. Users aren't the only ones that are going to be affected by this. Websites will start to see less visitors and generate less revenue and will have to pay providers to increase those speeds or remove user access fees. This kind of thing is going to throw the whole web as we know it out of whack.
Even though you might not use the web for entertainment or social networking purposes, there's the potential for a whole lot more to be affected here and you shouldn't take it so lightly.