Racism against Indians, or general disgust with dangerous religious fundamentalists?
Against Indians, whether they be Hindu, Muslim, Bhuddist, Jain, Christian or Atheist. I'm not Indian myself, but am getting pretty revolted with the high levels of anti-Indian sentiment displayed on/., principally regarding the outsourcing of jobs to India.
Re:Heisenbugs...
on
Debugging
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· Score: 2, Informative
Wow, I didn't even know there WAS a Fortran 03.
Strictly speaking, there isn't -- yet. It is currently in draft form, and will be formally released later on this year. Fortran itself is still being used extensively for numerical modelling, since it remains the leader performance-wise for such problems.
Re:Sonuvabitch!
on
Debugging
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· Score: 3, Informative
I have hated fortran for years, having written a single program in it, based on this.
Fortunately, things have changed a lot since then. With the introduction of modules and array arithmetic in Fortran 90/95, sitations where routines are called with the wrong arguments, or arrays are subscripted incorrectly, are much less frequent. I haven't been bitten by a Heisenbug for a couple of years now; and when I am, switching on checking at compile and run time usually reveals the problem pretty quickly.
Heisenbugs...
on
Debugging
·
· Score: 5, Informative
...are always the worst: bugs which disappear when you look for them. Insert a print statement? The bug disappears. Use a debugger? The bug reappears, but in a different place.
Heisenbugs are almost always caused by buffer overflows. They can often be prevented (at least in Fortran 77/90/95/03) by enabling array-bounds checking at compile time; but before I knew about this, I had a hell of a time tracking them down.
Aaaaactually, there is a grain of truth there. For integers and fixed point calcs, true, there will be no difference in precision between 32 and 64 bit procs, just a difference in the actual range of numbers that can be dealt with.
But we are discussing 32-bit vs 64-bit chips. To claim that a 32-bit chip can't do 64-bit arithmetic is peverse. And to claim that Intel 32-bit chips can't handle 64-bit arithmetic natively is just plain wrong.
nstead of a 32bit number it can do math with 64 bit numbers. Much larger numbers. On a 32 bit processor if it has to take a number larger than 32 bit and do computations on it then the number has to be broken up into parts and math done on them.
You couldn't be more wrong. The SSE2 instructions on Pentium 4 chipsets operate on double-precision (i.e., 64-bit) floating-point numbers (actually, they work internally with something like 80 bits, but that's more or less invisible). In no way, therefore, is a double-precision multiply "broken up into parts".
The reason why Pentium 4 systems are 32-bit is comes down to their memory addressing, and the size of their "default" integers. I think you'll find that integers are not used much in numerical modelling, apart from as array and loop indices. What was your point again?
There's no need to invoke MOND at all - it just comes from the fact that the luminosity is proportional to the maximum velocity to the 4th power, which you can get by using the expression for total mass contained within the galaxy derived from rotational velocity curves.
I was under the impression that dark matter needs fine tuning to explain Tully-Fisher, while MOND needs no further parametric adjustment beyond that used to fit rotation curves. That is the point I was (poorly) trying to make.
and in very complex systems Newton can't be used (chaos)
Hang on a moment; I thought the Lorenz attractor (which is the canonical example of chaos) was based on a system obeying Newtonian mechanics.
Why would it be so strange if systems with enormous scales and very small accelarations would not obey Newton's laws?
This is the line of thinking which led Mordechai Milgrom to propose Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND) in the 1980s. MOND posits that Newtons second law (F=ma) is modified when the acceleration is very small. It is able to "explain" the unusual rotation curves of galaxies, without the need to invoke dark matter. It can also explain phenomena which the dark matter hypothesis can't, such as the Tully-Fisher relationship observed in the surface brightness of galaxies.
However, its important to remember that MOND cannot be considered a physical theory; it is more of an empirical modification of known physical laws (like the Lorentz transformation was), which still awaits a physical explaination.
Hmmm. Out of idle curiosity, did the Russians also name things after women only? I'm assuming that since they sent so many probes there they must also have claimed some naming rights.
I'm not sure how extensively their Venera missions actually mapped the surface (remembering that you have to do the mapping in radar, not in visible light, due to the dense cloud cover). If you can't see it, then you can't name it -- so their being able to name things really does depend on the mapping capabilities aboard the Veneras.
For that matter, do the Russians refer to the planet as "Venus" or something else?
Something pretty close to "Venus", I imagine, judging from the naming of the Venera missions.
So most of the projects continue, but under a different name.
Except for the Adm. John Poindexter project. From Wikipedia:
Poindexter was convicted on multiple felony counts on April 7, 1990 for conspiracy, obstruction of justice, lying to Congress, defrauding the government, and the alteration and destruction of evidence pertaining to the Iran-Contra Affair.
However, in spite of being a convicted criminal, he hasn't changed his name. Duh -- what a fucking amateur!
Interesting, especially in light of a previous post indicating that there aren't any craters visible on Venus.
Further to my previous response to this false assertion, this page on the Magellan website discusses the fact that small craters on Venus have been assigned female first names.
Interesting, especially in light of a previous post indicating that there aren't any craters visible on Venus.
Visible usually means 'visible light'. And, indeed, the surface of Venus cannot be seen in visible light, due to the thick cloud cover. However, it can be seen using radar, and the surface was mapped extensively, and to unprecedented accuracy, using the radar aboard the NASA Magellan spacecraft. You would know this if you had bothered to follow the links in article.
Well, there's that whole Saddam thing and the disbanding of a major terrorist ring, but that's got nothing to do with a nation's welfare.
A putative link between Saddam and al-Qaida has yet to be proven. You obviously have obediently swallowed all the crap that the administration has been pumping out. You fool.
I had a friend working with NASA when they were naming geological features on the surface of Venus. Since all features were named after women, I managed him to persuade him to name a crater after my girlfriend, as a birthday present to her. Not bad, Venus being the planet of love and all that -- and certainly better than naming a star (star-naming companies are scammers, their catalogues are not recognised by the IAU).
The only drawback, of course, is she's not my girlfriend anymore. However, every time I see Venus on my evening cycle home from work, I'm reminded of her and the crater. Fond memories indeed!
You know those Chinese multiply like rabbits: 2, 4, 8, 16...
If you were well-informed enough to hear of the Chinese one-child policy, you would have written "1, 1, 1, 1, 1...". And even then, you'd be leaving out all the instances where children were killed because they were girls.
They're a bunch of circus clown, and putting priorities like that above their nation's welfare shows how much Chinese leaders are disconnected with the reality of their country.
Here goes my karma, but its worth pointing out that exactly the same allegations can be levelled at the current administration of the USA. How precisely has the expenditiure of over $100 billion for the war in Iraq helped the nation's welfare?
Certainly, the war it may have advanced the geopolitical goals of the administration -- much like China's space race will advance the geopolitical goals of their administration. However, the war has done nothing to advance the USA's welfare.
I'm very much in favour of China's forays into space; I think the USA can only benefit from having a competitor in space. Its not coincidence that the US manned space program has declined heavily since the height of the cold war.
RAF Fylingdales, on the North Yorkshire moors in England. They've had big problems with the poweful radar there (which will form part of the NMD system); cars that get too close have their alarms or engine immobilizers triggered. In the latter case, they have to be towed out of range of the radar. More about the story can be found here.
Slashdot Mirror
However, freedom from execution by the state is a guaranteed right in the UK. But not in the US, where they even execute minors.
Racism against Indians, or general disgust with dangerous religious fundamentalists?
Against Indians, whether they be Hindu, Muslim, Bhuddist, Jain, Christian or Atheist. I'm not Indian myself, but am getting pretty revolted with the high levels of anti-Indian sentiment displayed on /., principally regarding the outsourcing of jobs to India.
Wow, I didn't even know there WAS a Fortran 03.
Strictly speaking, there isn't -- yet. It is currently in draft form, and will be formally released later on this year. Fortran itself is still being used extensively for numerical modelling, since it remains the leader performance-wise for such problems.
I have hated fortran for years, having written a single program in it, based on this.
Fortunately, things have changed a lot since then. With the introduction of modules and array arithmetic in Fortran 90/95, sitations where routines are called with the wrong arguments, or arrays are subscripted incorrectly, are much less frequent. I haven't been bitten by a Heisenbug for a couple of years now; and when I am, switching on checking at compile and run time usually reveals the problem pretty quickly.
...are always the worst: bugs which disappear when you look for them. Insert a print statement? The bug disappears. Use a debugger? The bug reappears, but in a different place.
Heisenbugs are almost always caused by buffer overflows. They can often be prevented (at least in Fortran 77/90/95/03) by enabling array-bounds checking at compile time; but before I knew about this, I had a hell of a time tracking them down.
Aaaaactually, there is a grain of truth there. For integers and fixed point calcs, true, there will be no difference in precision between 32 and 64 bit procs, just a difference in the actual range of numbers that can be dealt with.
But we are discussing 32-bit vs 64-bit chips. To claim that a 32-bit chip can't do 64-bit arithmetic is peverse. And to claim that Intel 32-bit chips can't handle 64-bit arithmetic natively is just plain wrong.
The 64bit chip will be several times faster and more accurate because of the math at 64bit numbers.
Bwaa ha ha! This must be the dumbest statement I've read so far this year. Nice one, keep them coming!
nstead of a 32bit number it can do math with 64 bit numbers. Much larger numbers. On a 32 bit processor if it has to take a number larger than 32 bit and do computations on it then the number has to be broken up into parts and math done on them.
You couldn't be more wrong. The SSE2 instructions on Pentium 4 chipsets operate on double-precision (i.e., 64-bit) floating-point numbers (actually, they work internally with something like 80 bits, but that's more or less invisible). In no way, therefore, is a double-precision multiply "broken up into parts".
The reason why Pentium 4 systems are 32-bit is comes down to their memory addressing, and the size of their "default" integers. I think you'll find that integers are not used much in numerical modelling, apart from as array and loop indices. What was your point again?
There's no need to invoke MOND at all - it just comes from the fact that the luminosity is proportional to the maximum velocity to the 4th power, which you can get by using the expression for total mass contained within the galaxy derived from rotational velocity curves.
I was under the impression that dark matter needs fine tuning to explain Tully-Fisher, while MOND needs no further parametric adjustment beyond that used to fit rotation curves. That is the point I was (poorly) trying to make.
and in very complex systems Newton can't be used (chaos)
Hang on a moment; I thought the Lorenz attractor (which is the canonical example of chaos) was based on a system obeying Newtonian mechanics.
Why would it be so strange if systems with enormous scales and very small accelarations would not obey Newton's laws?
This is the line of thinking which led Mordechai Milgrom to propose Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND) in the 1980s. MOND posits that Newtons second law (F=ma) is modified when the acceleration is very small. It is able to "explain" the unusual rotation curves of galaxies, without the need to invoke dark matter. It can also explain phenomena which the dark matter hypothesis can't, such as the Tully-Fisher relationship observed in the surface brightness of galaxies.
However, its important to remember that MOND cannot be considered a physical theory; it is more of an empirical modification of known physical laws (like the Lorentz transformation was), which still awaits a physical explaination.
Hmmm. Out of idle curiosity, did the Russians also name things after women only? I'm assuming that since they sent so many probes there they must also have claimed some naming rights.
I'm not sure how extensively their Venera missions actually mapped the surface (remembering that you have to do the mapping in radar, not in visible light, due to the dense cloud cover). If you can't see it, then you can't name it -- so their being able to name things really does depend on the mapping capabilities aboard the Veneras.
For that matter, do the Russians refer to the planet as "Venus" or something else?
Something pretty close to "Venus", I imagine, judging from the naming of the Venera missions.
The sig of a /. poster of implied Indian descent
Not even the right continent, mate. Try again.
What's your country of residence? It appears they have no problem accepting them.
USA, but I'm not American, I have a visa to work here. Ha ha ha!
So most of the projects continue, but under a different name.
Except for the Adm. John Poindexter project. From Wikipedia:
However, in spite of being a convicted criminal, he hasn't changed his name. Duh -- what a fucking amateur!
Interesting, especially in light of a previous post indicating that there aren't any craters visible on Venus.
Further to my previous response to this false assertion, this page on the Magellan website discusses the fact that small craters on Venus have been assigned female first names.
Interesting, especially in light of a previous post indicating that there aren't any craters visible on Venus.
Visible usually means 'visible light'. And, indeed, the surface of Venus cannot be seen in visible light, due to the thick cloud cover. However, it can be seen using radar, and the surface was mapped extensively, and to unprecedented accuracy, using the radar aboard the NASA Magellan spacecraft. You would know this if you had bothered to follow the links in article.
You are very, very smart. i hope you know this.
Thanks, I reassure myself of this every time I look in the mirror, but its nice when the dolts who post to /. reconfirm my presumptions of genius.
Well, there's that whole Saddam thing and the disbanding of a major terrorist ring, but that's got nothing to do with a nation's welfare.
A putative link between Saddam and al-Qaida has yet to be proven. You obviously have obediently swallowed all the crap that the administration has been pumping out. You fool.
wow thats awesome, do you have any proof at all, or are you just karma whoring?
Look for a crater named "Marianne". Haven't got a clue where it is, but that's what she was called.
I had a friend working with NASA when they were naming geological features on the surface of Venus. Since all features were named after women, I managed him to persuade him to name a crater after my girlfriend, as a birthday present to her. Not bad, Venus being the planet of love and all that -- and certainly better than naming a star (star-naming companies are scammers, their catalogues are not recognised by the IAU).
The only drawback, of course, is she's not my girlfriend anymore. However, every time I see Venus on my evening cycle home from work, I'm reminded of her and the crater. Fond memories indeed!
And it is a long term investment that will allow USA to survive in 20 to 40 years prospective.
But it doesn't affect the immediate welfare of US citizens -- in much the same way that the Chinese space program doesn't. That was my point.
You know those Chinese multiply like rabbits: 2, 4, 8, 16 ...
If you were well-informed enough to hear of the Chinese one-child policy, you would have written "1, 1, 1, 1, 1...". And even then, you'd be leaving out all the instances where children were killed because they were girls.
They're a bunch of circus clown, and putting priorities like that above their nation's welfare shows how much Chinese leaders are disconnected with the reality of their country.
Here goes my karma, but its worth pointing out that exactly the same allegations can be levelled at the current administration of the USA. How precisely has the expenditiure of over $100 billion for the war in Iraq helped the nation's welfare?
Certainly, the war it may have advanced the geopolitical goals of the administration -- much like China's space race will advance the geopolitical goals of their administration. However, the war has done nothing to advance the USA's welfare.
I'm very much in favour of China's forays into space; I think the USA can only benefit from having a competitor in space. Its not coincidence that the US manned space program has declined heavily since the height of the cold war.
Estrada resorted to using his key to unlock his car door, but that set off his alarm.
What the hell was he doing in Vegas? Doesn't the "C" in "CHiPs" stand for "California"? And what's this about a car? Has he lost his bike?
RAF Fylingdales, on the North Yorkshire moors in England. They've had big problems with the poweful radar there (which will form part of the NMD system); cars that get too close have their alarms or engine immobilizers triggered. In the latter case, they have to be towed out of range of the radar. More about the story can be found here.