Suppose somebody edited the files without campaign workers catching on, leading to subtle changes in the behavior of the campaign.
Quasicrystalline approximants; a rather old idea
on
A Quasi-Quasicrystal
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· Score: 1
As mentioned in the article, a quasicrystalline arrangement basically contains symmetry elements which cannot fill space ('non-crystallographic'). In fact the only rotational symmetries that can fill space are 2-, 3-, 4- and 6-fold rotations. Again, to use the article's example, you can't tile a wall with pentagons-- the simplest shape with fivefold rotational symmetry.
The idea of a "quasi-quasi-crystal" which approximates the forbidden symmetries of a quasicrystal quite well (e.g. almost-perfect-but-not-actual fivefold rotational symmetry) while filling space has been around for a while in the solid state chem/physics fields, and have been mathematically described since at least the 1950s (prolly earlier?). In fact there are intermetallic phases that form both quasicrystalline approximants and actual quasicrystals. So far the only quasicrystalline phase to be solved has icosahedral symmetry. It is beyond the scope of this post to discuss this further, but a google scholar (or scifinder, for thos that have it!) should turn up a lot of information.
Interestingly enough, forbidden symmetries in 2 or 3 dimensions can actually be crystallographic in some higher dimensional geometry; quasicrystals and their approximants can be described as projections from some space (usually 6- or 8-D real number space) to 3 dimensions.
To extend the article's tiling example, you can in fact tile a 2d surface with pentagons-- provided that the surface is wrapped around a 3d sphere! This is the dodecahedron, a platonic solid. The same concept applies to more dimensions; for example, you can fill space with 3d tetrahedra in 4 dimensions-- this is termed the 600-cell, a 4d platonic solid.
Without going into too much detail, a common projection involves the golden ratio "tau" (or "phi", depending on whether you're a crystallographer or a mathematician), while approximants involve numbers in the Fibonnacci sequence. The limit of the quotient of successive Fibonacci numbers is in fact the golden ratio tau=(1+sqrt(5))/2=1.618... Using tau as a parameter in the projection gives the quasicrystal, while using ratios of higher pairs of consecutive Fibonacci numbers gives larger/more complex approximants. (pithy search term: "cut-and-project quasicrystal")
Just for fun, you can make a 2d quasicrystal that looks pretty similar to the article's pictures by taking the dot product of all 5-dimensional vectors with integral components (e.g. (1 0 -2 0 7) etc.) with the vector containing the fifth roots of unity (0, exp((2*pi*i*1)/5),...,exp((2*pi*i*4)/5)).
IMHO the experiment to 'figure out the properties of quasicrystals' seems kinda BS because those properties arise from quantum/electronic interactions between atoms, not from interactions between particles and some completely external system. But this is pure speculation on my part. And the results are pretty fucking sweet. Especially considered that that they are actual images, not some mathematical construction.
In conclusion, this post could have been a book. GS, scifinder, wikipedia, your local math library have a wealth of info about this topic.
I'm quite excited about the chance to play a synthesis of some of the best games of all time. Or at least a synthesis of their screenshots that will bring up a really odd series of memories.
If they had included Okami/Rez/Psychonauts assets I'd even consider buying it.
-that Shentech manufactured novelty exploding laptop batteries (e.g. ones that were designed to catch fire)?...No? Time to call up my patent lawyer!
-that the CIA/KGB/etc. might use an exploding battery to off some political enemy in the near future? Take that, exploding cigars and polonium are just so passe.
"Nobody shoots anybody in the face unless you're a hitman, videogamer, or pornstar."
GP goes on to point out the lunacy of this claim. From the site: "Funny, that. A quick Google search on 'shot in the face' turns up 921,000 entries, the vast majority of which turn out to be action shots of bukkake."
...it would seem that if Nokia didn't want to trash the entire project they'd keep the actual material parts, rather than the name. People will equate "N-Gage" with "shit" regardless of any changes to the system itself.
Because (at least where I live) there exists a rather anti-intellectual climate in which nobody really cares or wants to care about research of any kind. It's simply not possible to entertain Joe Redneck with any viable science.
Slashdot Mirror
Thanks for linking to the actual paper. The other article was completely non-informative.
A night of clubbing does a body good.
Suppose somebody edited the files without campaign workers catching on, leading to subtle changes in the behavior of the campaign.
As mentioned in the article, a quasicrystalline arrangement basically contains symmetry elements which cannot fill space ('non-crystallographic'). In fact the only rotational symmetries that can fill space are 2-, 3-, 4- and 6-fold rotations. Again, to use the article's example, you can't tile a wall with pentagons-- the simplest shape with fivefold rotational symmetry.
...,exp((2*pi*i*4)/5)).
The idea of a "quasi-quasi-crystal" which approximates the forbidden symmetries of a quasicrystal quite well (e.g. almost-perfect-but-not-actual fivefold rotational symmetry) while filling space has been around for a while in the solid state chem/physics fields, and have been mathematically described since at least the 1950s (prolly earlier?). In fact there are intermetallic phases that form both quasicrystalline approximants and actual quasicrystals. So far the only quasicrystalline phase to be solved has icosahedral symmetry. It is beyond the scope of this post to discuss this further, but a google scholar (or scifinder, for thos that have it!) should turn up a lot of information.
Interestingly enough, forbidden symmetries in 2 or 3 dimensions can actually be crystallographic in some higher dimensional geometry; quasicrystals and their approximants can be described as projections from some space (usually 6- or 8-D real number space) to 3 dimensions.
To extend the article's tiling example, you can in fact tile a 2d surface with pentagons-- provided that the surface is wrapped around a 3d sphere! This is the dodecahedron, a platonic solid. The same concept applies to more dimensions; for example, you can fill space with 3d tetrahedra in 4 dimensions-- this is termed the 600-cell, a 4d platonic solid.
Without going into too much detail, a common projection involves the golden ratio "tau" (or "phi", depending on whether you're a crystallographer or a mathematician), while approximants involve numbers in the Fibonnacci sequence. The limit of the quotient of successive Fibonacci numbers is in fact the golden ratio tau=(1+sqrt(5))/2=1.618... Using tau as a parameter in the projection gives the quasicrystal, while using ratios of higher pairs of consecutive Fibonacci numbers gives larger/more complex approximants. (pithy search term: "cut-and-project quasicrystal")
Just for fun, you can make a 2d quasicrystal that looks pretty similar to the article's pictures by taking the dot product of all 5-dimensional vectors with integral components (e.g. (1 0 -2 0 7) etc.) with the vector containing the fifth roots of unity (0, exp((2*pi*i*1)/5),
IMHO the experiment to 'figure out the properties of quasicrystals' seems kinda BS because those properties arise from quantum/electronic interactions between atoms, not from interactions between particles and some completely external system. But this is pure speculation on my part. And the results are pretty fucking sweet. Especially considered that that they are actual images, not some mathematical construction.
In conclusion, this post could have been a book. GS, scifinder, wikipedia, your local math library have a wealth of info about this topic.
This will be marketed as a sex toy within the decade. Gotta file a patent on autonomous robotic lovers...
I'm quite excited about the chance to play a synthesis of some of the best games of all time. Or at least a synthesis of their screenshots that will bring up a really odd series of memories. If they had included Okami/Rez/Psychonauts assets I'd even consider buying it.
-that Shentech manufactured novelty exploding laptop batteries (e.g. ones that were designed to catch fire)? ...No? Time to call up my patent lawyer!
-that the CIA/KGB/etc. might use an exploding battery to off some political enemy in the near future? Take that, exploding cigars and polonium are just so passe.
...the lapboard will be some sort of specialty hardware only supported by Duke Nukem Forever running under Windows Vista.
Some kind of beta blocker? (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c /a/2004/10/17/MNGB599PJC1.DTL)
Astronomers Spy 288bn Mile Moonshine Cloud
The HDMI spec now supports microwaves. If you're suspected by the MPAA of watching pirated films your TV just cooks you as you sit.
Being near a big transformer gives the implant-bearer a vibrating fingertip. Just saying is all.
Oh, and going through an MRI might be a little painful.
What's the difference between a 'hybrid' drive and a drive with a really big cache?
India and Apple obviously haven't been properly educated about the dangers of pulling out.
Hey, if librarians can be arrested under the USA Patriot act, then maybe it's safer and more fulfilling to be a librarian in gamespace.
...it would seem that if Nokia didn't want to trash the entire project they'd keep the actual material parts, rather than the name. People will equate "N-Gage" with "shit" regardless of any changes to the system itself.
Mario's essentially the Ron Jeremy of the videogame world.
"...letters from 13-year-olds that have been baned" Ah, the irony!
Assembly.
the sky is still blue and shooting yourself in the foot still hurts.
Because (at least where I live) there exists a rather anti-intellectual climate in which nobody really cares or wants to care about research of any kind. It's simply not possible to entertain Joe Redneck with any viable science.
Haven't we already established that santa claus moves really, really quickly?m l/
If Keyhole can track this... hats off to the people at Google.
http://www.netfunny.com/rhf/jokes/93q4/issanta.ht