You're being too literal here -- assuming that the end result will look just like a particular intermediate step. Nobody's saying we're going to build computers out of brain tissue. Well, maybe somebody is but that's not the point.
In order to potentially imitate the human brain, we still need to learn a lot more about it. Since there's no manpage for the brain, it's a black-box problem and we have to reverse engineer it by trying various combinations of inputs and outputs (as well as analyzing the physical structure, of course). This new technique allows us to do so more effectively, hence improves our ability to understand. That's all.
This has always confused me. Correct me if I'm reading you wrong -- are you saying that the government perceives private gun owners as a threat to its own well-being? Whether or not you're saying this, it seems to be the stance of many pro-gunners. I'm sorry, but the era of the Revolutionary War is long gone. There's no way that a group of citizens with guns is going to overthrow the oppression of the U.S. government. It's a political game these days.
Heh, that's funny because actually I'm a U.S. citizen on a year-long exchange program in Sweden. So that's useful info. You know, uh, hypothetically.;)
Would this be a plausible way to gain residency in the EU, were someone so inclined? That is, become accused of a crime which carries the death penalty (whether or not you actually commit the crime is left as an exercise for the reader), fly to Europe, and demand asylum?
I realize it would be stupid and impractical, but disregard that and consider whether it would work.
Barbie is like an icon of sexism... are you seriously holding it up as an example of something which is sexist but goes unacknowledged as such? There are plenty of parents out there who are clueless or just don't care. But more people have been up in arms about Barbie than Tomb Raider, you can be certain.
It would, if it were presented in an insulting manner. And most women in today's world do view objectified female sex objects as insulting, whether or not they find them viscerally intriguing.
Two answers here. First, to answer your question directly, the large breasts are rather disingenuous. Yes, there are some women actually built like Ms. Croft, or with after-market modifications to that effect. But they are not the norm, they are the extreme. The choice to use such an unusually-proportioned model for Lara is clearly motivated not by realism (come on, she's supposed to be athletic, those things have got to get in the way) but by tittillation.
Secondly, whether or not the accusations of sexism are valid, they are nonetheless widespread. If you're looking for an explanation why female gamers wouldn't want to test this game, you must look more to the game's reputation than the merits thereof.
I can see that being the case. However, just because women may have an appreciation for breasts doesn't mean they enjoy seeing a digital chick with an oversized rack bounce around for the amusement of oversexed immature teenage boys. No sir.
There's no game I can think of which has achieved so much notoriety solely for its blatant sexism as Tomb Raider and its sequels. And now they act baffled that the ladies don't want to help make another one?
I'm not really surprised by this, given that gamers get older like everyone else but gaming doesn't get much less addictive (you just have less time for it). But it's important that the fact of there being a significant demographic of older gamers is acknowledged, especially by game developers. Older gamers tend to have different tastes, and the more developers realize what their audience is like the greater the chance they'll make games we'll enjoy even more.
I know that. But every form of energy collection requires some energy expenditure to make it available. Gasoline comes from a refinery. Solar cells have manufacturing and maintenance costs. Hydrogen has its own costs. Whether the costs to produce a given source are greater than the amount of energy it eventually produces is a quantitative difference, not qualitative. It's an important question, of course, but not a fundamental difference.
There's no such thing as an energy source -- conservation of energy, remember? What matters are questions of efficiency. It's true that not every alternative fuel scheme represents a true increase in efficiency (in terms of energy gained vs. pollutants produced), but that doesn't mean that the effort is hopeless.
As for steam, you must have missed it when this question came up in discussions about fuel cell cars. The answer is that gasoline produces water in its exhaust as well, in comparable amounts, so you're overestimating the humidifying effect of water exhaust. I'm not sure what the numbers are like, really -- I wonder how a hydrogen car's exhaust would compare to a boiling pot of water, for instance.
Couple of weeks ago they were whining about how they're unable to secure their products because the relentless droves of evil H4X0RZ are always three steps ahead. Heartfelt apologies for not delivering the promised security that should have been delivered with the product.
Now they turn around and say "oh, actually, we *can* do that... but it'll cost ya." Real cute, folks.
Yeah, exactly. Funny thing is, I assumed most people around here knew this. I've seen more than one/. post point out this exact fact before -- there's no such thing as a "degree Kelvin." Someone who understands this would realize that my intial post was a joke -- the parent post said "2000 degrees, choose your unit" (or something like that), and I was lampooning the self-righteous pedants who always point out that Kelvins aren't degrees.
So of course, this being Slashdot, I get flamed and modded down by geniuses who don't know a fucking winking smiley when they see one.
Sigh... well, not like it matters. Excellent minus 2 is still Excellent, in all probability. And if not, well, it still doesn't matter.
Slashdot Mirror
In order to potentially imitate the human brain, we still need to learn a lot more about it. Since there's no manpage for the brain, it's a black-box problem and we have to reverse engineer it by trying various combinations of inputs and outputs (as well as analyzing the physical structure, of course). This new technique allows us to do so more effectively, hence improves our ability to understand. That's all.
This has always confused me. Correct me if I'm reading you wrong -- are you saying that the government perceives private gun owners as a threat to its own well-being? Whether or not you're saying this, it seems to be the stance of many pro-gunners. I'm sorry, but the era of the Revolutionary War is long gone. There's no way that a group of citizens with guns is going to overthrow the oppression of the U.S. government. It's a political game these days.
Heh, that's funny because actually I'm a U.S. citizen on a year-long exchange program in Sweden. So that's useful info. You know, uh, hypothetically. ;)
I have not seen the word "facehugging" before, but it's wonderful and describes the situation perfectly. I commend you, Sir.
Would this be a plausible way to gain residency in the EU, were someone so inclined? That is, become accused of a crime which carries the death penalty (whether or not you actually commit the crime is left as an exercise for the reader), fly to Europe, and demand asylum? I realize it would be stupid and impractical, but disregard that and consider whether it would work.
Odd that he'd become so much more comprehensible at the end like that...
Sounds apocryphal -- source?
Maybe if you overclock it...
Play Half-Life.
Barbie is like an icon of sexism... are you seriously holding it up as an example of something which is sexist but goes unacknowledged as such? There are plenty of parents out there who are clueless or just don't care. But more people have been up in arms about Barbie than Tomb Raider, you can be certain.
It would, if it were presented in an insulting manner. And most women in today's world do view objectified female sex objects as insulting, whether or not they find them viscerally intriguing.
Secondly, whether or not the accusations of sexism are valid, they are nonetheless widespread. If you're looking for an explanation why female gamers wouldn't want to test this game, you must look more to the game's reputation than the merits thereof.
I can see that being the case. However, just because women may have an appreciation for breasts doesn't mean they enjoy seeing a digital chick with an oversized rack bounce around for the amusement of oversexed immature teenage boys. No sir.
There's no game I can think of which has achieved so much notoriety solely for its blatant sexism as Tomb Raider and its sequels. And now they act baffled that the ladies don't want to help make another one?
I'm not really surprised by this, given that gamers get older like everyone else but gaming doesn't get much less addictive (you just have less time for it). But it's important that the fact of there being a significant demographic of older gamers is acknowledged, especially by game developers. Older gamers tend to have different tastes, and the more developers realize what their audience is like the greater the chance they'll make games we'll enjoy even more.
And, to be fair, IIS != Windows.
I know that. But every form of energy collection requires some energy expenditure to make it available. Gasoline comes from a refinery. Solar cells have manufacturing and maintenance costs. Hydrogen has its own costs. Whether the costs to produce a given source are greater than the amount of energy it eventually produces is a quantitative difference, not qualitative. It's an important question, of course, but not a fundamental difference.
As for steam, you must have missed it when this question came up in discussions about fuel cell cars. The answer is that gasoline produces water in its exhaust as well, in comparable amounts, so you're overestimating the humidifying effect of water exhaust. I'm not sure what the numbers are like, really -- I wonder how a hydrogen car's exhaust would compare to a boiling pot of water, for instance.
Easy -- make the dough out of grains genetically engineered to absorb iron from the soil.
Oh, wait, they already do that. Um, yay! ;P
Now they turn around and say "oh, actually, we *can* do that... but it'll cost ya." Real cute, folks.
So of course, this being Slashdot, I get flamed and modded down by geniuses who don't know a fucking winking smiley when they see one.
Sigh... well, not like it matters. Excellent minus 2 is still Excellent, in all probability. And if not, well, it still doesn't matter.
Idiot.
Dumbass, it wouldn't be "degrees" if it were Kelvin. ;)