Computers don't normally shuffle with the "divide into two stacks and interleave" algorithm. They tend to do more of a "remove a random item from A and place in stack B, repeat until A is empty" algorithm.
And as for deterministic, you forgot the variable of where the deck is split (size of A relative to B) which is another source of imperfection.
The position of everything should be the same each time. Convert to black & white (not greyscale). Then, because the center positions are known and the position of each number, figure out which "wedge" the point falls into. A wedge is defined as starting with a number and proceeding to the next (like the hour hand in a clock).
You can compute the coordinates of the wedge ahead of time. I would probably AND/OR the wedge from the picture with a known wedge to quickly compare them.
0 indicates "filled" (color = black, or 0x0), . indicates "empty" (color = white, or 0x1)
Check wedge 0000.00.....
Test wedge A (arrow not in wedge)............
Test wedge B (arrow partially in wedge)
000. 00......
Check wedge & Test wedge A............
(all white)
Check wedge & Test wedge B 000..0......
(not all white)
That should give you two possible wedges at most. You can either fudge it (quick) or you can do detailed checking to see which wedge to indicate. Repeat the process for each dial. Record the number. I don't know the graphics libraries for Java, but as long as they are similar in capability to those of.Net (I assume they are), then it should be a couple of hours to implement and work out the major kinks (it isn't that I can't code in Java, but that I haven't had to do any graphics processing in Java).
There's probably even some DirectX or OpenGL functions that you can use to do the masking even faster.....but again, I don't know them off the top of my head.
I'm just glad I don't pay per message.....$140+/month just in messages alone....not counting the base plan ($70) and the additional line costs ($10/additional phone = $40) and junk fees, etc. I have to think that if you have teenage kids (at least girls), an unlimited texting plan is a must.
My account covers that, too.....but that requires that their friends be connected to whichever chat program they are using, etc. With text messaging, it works across all providers, regardless of what they use, it does "offline" messages better. Etc.
Actually, while returning from watching "Role Models" on Friday, I mentioned to my wife that it's a lot less "uncool" to be a geek/nerd today than it was while I was in high school......I guess I'm just ahead of the curve (again).
I assume that number includes both incoming and outgoing. I have asked why she text's so much and it's basically that she can carry on multiple conversations at once and deal with distractions (such as parents) without breaking conversation. So really, she's sending two or three out one minute, and receving two or three the next minute with lulls every once in a while. They basically use text messaging as an IM client without being locked in to a particular service (AOL, MSN, Yahoo, etc.).
If you send them frequently, you should consider an unlimited plan. I pay $30/month for unlimited messaging with an AT&T family plan. This includes text, mms, and IM (we don't really do much besides text) Here's how my messaging broke down last month:
My wife - 389 My 17yo - 1958 My 15yo - 11039 My 10yo - 40 Me - 163
13,589 text messages for $30. Less than 1/4 of a cent per message. I'm sure some of those were counted twice, but at that price, I don't really care. That isn't even the highest I've seen. The 15yo has had over 20000 by herself in one month.
I've always considered myself an Achiever. It isn't so much that I want to "win" the game, but I want to see every nook and cranny available to me. That includes how to horribly lose the game. I love RPG games for this very reason, the amount of content available is just so much greater than can be found in an FPS (15 to 20 maps, 20 to 30 different enemies -- including easy vs hard versions, about 80 ways to die). If they ever created a game that generated random side quests that actually fit with the story line and an ever increasing collection of "cool" weapons , I don't think I would need another game......and it's why NetHack never gets old.
Laziness is not a bad trait, since this will sometimes help you decide where you are best spending your energy. The bar is a good answer, but not applicable in this scenario;)
I like to say that there is a fine line between laziness and efficiency. The only difference is that efficient people actually get stuff done. Lazy people are just.....lazy.
Starting class only determines how you start (starting abilities and inventory)....after a point, all characters evolve into basically the same thing. Even race has only a small bearing on your character after a point (starting intrinsics). There are ways of getting all of the equipment and intrinsics such that by the end of the game, you've collected all of the ones you need.
Generally, I find Valkyries to be the easiest early on (and most likely to survive long enough to make initial class irrelevant)..... Archaeologists are also good because gem identification (makes it easy to buy the good equipment0..... Wizards are tough early on until you can gain some strength and good equipment.
You and everyone in your neighborhood has a car. You and that hot MILF down the street decide to install CB Radios so that your wife won't see you hooking up with the MILF by looking at your cell phone bill. That goes on for a while and then the MILF wants to set up a threesome with her best friend Jane, so Jane gets a CB, too. Eventually y'all progress to a huge orgy, so everyone in the neighborhood has a CB Radio. Now *THAT'S* the Internet (in more ways than one).
We have Karaoke Revolution games, but they are a lot less interactive (they are all just la la la, nothing to actually DO). Rock Band is great because (up to) four people can be playing *At The Same Time*......and it's physical. For Karaoke Revolution, we always finish in the exact same order: My oldest and My wife can both sing and finish at the top (virtual tie) My yougest is next The middle daughter is next And then me (I'm a programmer, I can't sing).
In Rock Band, there's actually competition (ooo, I got 96% to your 94%) that varies by who is playing their strongest instrument. And because it also has a Group vs System dynamic, you don't mind being the "worst". But they are girls that like Pop, so even if the songs are popular, they aren't popular in my house.....therefore, the need for a Pop Band. And sure, they may use a limited note set, but game designers should be able to come up with something else.....even if the orange fret just controls the stage effects.
Actually, while my family (wife and three girls) enjoy playing Rock Band, they keep saying there needs to be a Pop Band so that they know more of the songs......I say it's time to branch out. (RB2 is a little better, but still heavily rock.)
(And for the record, the Guitar Hero franchise has a similar song class).
That URL that you hit might be anything more than a delivery mechanism. Hit a web page, receive JavaScript code. Browser is now doing all of the negotiating with the other cloud resources. The first server need not come back into the picture (but likely would because everyone wants a piece of the advertising pie).
I guess part of me wants to know how he found out. If he found out by accident, then yeah, this is a case of "No good deed goes unpunished"....but if he was looking around for something to hack and found more than he was expecting, then there should be some punishment (though probably not three felony charges).....
---This "cloud" is nothing other than the use of browser-based applications were all the hard processing is all done centrally on the server and the browser is merely the graphical interface.
I thought the cloud was this mythical Web 2.0 type thing where it was multiple servers each providing a little bit of functionality and they were combined into a cohesive functional unit either on yet another server or directly in the browser. The cloud term would refer to how a cloud is made up of little drops of water that individually just look like water and just stands on its own, but when you step back, it looks like this single amorphous entity that is a cloud.
SPAM has a cost to it as well. That cost could include any or all of the following: - Cost of maintaining mail server to send from - Cost of finding an open mail server to send from - Time spent composing a SPAM-filter-passing message - Time spent learning new SPAM-filter-fighting technique - Bad speling and gramer lessuns etc.
Granted, the cost per contact is low for spam, but legitimate businesses also use this same low cost approach....they are just better about obeying the opt-out clause.
Partly yes and partly no. (disclaimer, I only know what I read on Wikipedia -- much like you)
It sounds like an optimal Golomb ruler allows you to find the shortest that works (which would imply less materials [towers?]) but in this case, it was merely confirming the one that was already assumed to be the shortest. So, yes but no.
Slashdot Mirror
Computers don't normally shuffle with the "divide into two stacks and interleave" algorithm. They tend to do more of a "remove a random item from A and place in stack B, repeat until A is empty" algorithm.
And as for deterministic, you forgot the variable of where the deck is split (size of A relative to B) which is another source of imperfection.
Layne
And don't forget the insurance premiums.... http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/080922-busmon-satellite-insurance.html
Layne
I think he mean Owl Bears. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owlbear
Layne
The position of everything should be the same each time. Convert to black & white (not greyscale). Then, because the center positions are known and the position of each number, figure out which "wedge" the point falls into. A wedge is defined as starting with a number and proceeding to the next (like the hour hand in a clock).
You can compute the coordinates of the wedge ahead of time. I would probably AND/OR the wedge from the picture with a known wedge to quickly compare them.
0 indicates "filled" (color = black, or 0x0), . indicates "empty" (color = white, or 0x1)
Check wedge .00. ....
0000
Test wedge A (arrow not in wedge) .... .... ....
Test wedge B (arrow partially in wedge)
000. ....
00..
Check wedge & Test wedge A .... .... ....
(all white)
Check wedge & Test wedge B .0.. ....
000.
(not all white)
That should give you two possible wedges at most. You can either fudge it (quick) or you can do detailed checking to see which wedge to indicate. Repeat the process for each dial. Record the number. I don't know the graphics libraries for Java, but as long as they are similar in capability to those of .Net (I assume they are), then it should be a couple of hours to implement and work out the major kinks (it isn't that I can't code in Java, but that I haven't had to do any graphics processing in Java).
There's probably even some DirectX or OpenGL functions that you can use to do the masking even faster.....but again, I don't know them off the top of my head.
Layne
I'm just glad I don't pay per message.....$140+/month just in messages alone....not counting the base plan ($70) and the additional line costs ($10/additional phone = $40) and junk fees, etc. I have to think that if you have teenage kids (at least girls), an unlimited texting plan is a must.
Layne
My account covers that, too.....but that requires that their friends be connected to whichever chat program they are using, etc. With text messaging, it works across all providers, regardless of what they use, it does "offline" messages better. Etc.
Layne
Actually, while returning from watching "Role Models" on Friday, I mentioned to my wife that it's a lot less "uncool" to be a geek/nerd today than it was while I was in high school......I guess I'm just ahead of the curve (again).
Layne
I assume that number includes both incoming and outgoing. I have asked why she text's so much and it's basically that she can carry on multiple conversations at once and deal with distractions (such as parents) without breaking conversation. So really, she's sending two or three out one minute, and receving two or three the next minute with lulls every once in a while. They basically use text messaging as an IM client without being locked in to a particular service (AOL, MSN, Yahoo, etc.).
Layne
If you send them frequently, you should consider an unlimited plan. I pay $30/month for unlimited messaging with an AT&T family plan. This includes text, mms, and IM (we don't really do much besides text) Here's how my messaging broke down last month:
My wife - 389
My 17yo - 1958
My 15yo - 11039
My 10yo - 40
Me - 163
13,589 text messages for $30. Less than 1/4 of a cent per message. I'm sure some of those were counted twice, but at that price, I don't really care. That isn't even the highest I've seen. The 15yo has had over 20000 by herself in one month.
Layne
All of the receipt checks that I've experienced have been to check the count (Sam's is big on this one) and scan for big ticket items (i.e. over $50).
Layne
I've always considered myself an Achiever. It isn't so much that I want to "win" the game, but I want to see every nook and cranny available to me. That includes how to horribly lose the game. I love RPG games for this very reason, the amount of content available is just so much greater than can be found in an FPS (15 to 20 maps, 20 to 30 different enemies -- including easy vs hard versions, about 80 ways to die). If they ever created a game that generated random side quests that actually fit with the story line and an ever increasing collection of "cool" weapons , I don't think I would need another game......and it's why NetHack never gets old.
Layne
Laziness is not a bad trait, since this will sometimes help you decide where you are best spending your energy. The bar is a good answer, but not applicable in this scenario ;)
I like to say that there is a fine line between laziness and efficiency. The only difference is that efficient people actually get stuff done. Lazy people are just.....lazy.
Layne
....should we expect all the rest of the stories from the past few days to be posted again today as well?
You must be new here......the answer is yes....but not because it was the weekend, but because dupes are a regular event.
Layne
1 in 10,000???!??!?? You must play in Wizard mode. :D (That's either a smiley or YASD by newt.)
Layne
Starting class only determines how you start (starting abilities and inventory)....after a point, all characters evolve into basically the same thing. Even race has only a small bearing on your character after a point (starting intrinsics). There are ways of getting all of the equipment and intrinsics such that by the end of the game, you've collected all of the ones you need.
Generally, I find Valkyries to be the easiest early on (and most likely to survive long enough to make initial class irrelevant)..... Archaeologists are also good because gem identification (makes it easy to buy the good equipment0..... Wizards are tough early on until you can gain some strength and good equipment.
Layne
You and everyone in your neighborhood has a car. You and that hot MILF down the street decide to install CB Radios so that your wife won't see you hooking up with the MILF by looking at your cell phone bill. That goes on for a while and then the MILF wants to set up a threesome with her best friend Jane, so Jane gets a CB, too. Eventually y'all progress to a huge orgy, so everyone in the neighborhood has a CB Radio. Now *THAT'S* the Internet (in more ways than one).
Layne
Two words: wire cutters
Problem solved.
Layne
We have Karaoke Revolution games, but they are a lot less interactive (they are all just la la la, nothing to actually DO). Rock Band is great because (up to) four people can be playing *At The Same Time*......and it's physical. For Karaoke Revolution, we always finish in the exact same order:
My oldest and My wife can both sing and finish at the top (virtual tie)
My yougest is next
The middle daughter is next
And then me (I'm a programmer, I can't sing).
In Rock Band, there's actually competition (ooo, I got 96% to your 94%) that varies by who is playing their strongest instrument. And because it also has a Group vs System dynamic, you don't mind being the "worst". But they are girls that like Pop, so even if the songs are popular, they aren't popular in my house.....therefore, the need for a Pop Band. And sure, they may use a limited note set, but game designers should be able to come up with something else.....even if the orange fret just controls the stage effects.
Layne
Actually, while my family (wife and three girls) enjoy playing Rock Band, they keep saying there needs to be a Pop Band so that they know more of the songs......I say it's time to branch out. (RB2 is a little better, but still heavily rock.)
(And for the record, the Guitar Hero franchise has a similar song class).
Layne
You only need one guy with the right expertise......
Layne
That URL that you hit might be anything more than a delivery mechanism. Hit a web page, receive JavaScript code. Browser is now doing all of the negotiating with the other cloud resources. The first server need not come back into the picture (but likely would because everyone wants a piece of the advertising pie).
Layne
I guess part of me wants to know how he found out. If he found out by accident, then yeah, this is a case of "No good deed goes unpunished"....but if he was looking around for something to hack and found more than he was expecting, then there should be some punishment (though probably not three felony charges).....
Layne
---This "cloud" is nothing other than the use of browser-based applications were all the hard processing is all done centrally on the server and the browser is merely the graphical interface.
I thought the cloud was this mythical Web 2.0 type thing where it was multiple servers each providing a little bit of functionality and they were combined into a cohesive functional unit either on yet another server or directly in the browser. The cloud term would refer to how a cloud is made up of little drops of water that individually just look like water and just stands on its own, but when you step back, it looks like this single amorphous entity that is a cloud.
Layne
SPAM has a cost to it as well. That cost could include any or all of the following:
- Cost of maintaining mail server to send from
- Cost of finding an open mail server to send from
- Time spent composing a SPAM-filter-passing message
- Time spent learning new SPAM-filter-fighting technique
- Bad speling and gramer lessuns
etc.
Granted, the cost per contact is low for spam, but legitimate businesses also use this same low cost approach....they are just better about obeying the opt-out clause.
Layne
Partly yes and partly no. (disclaimer, I only know what I read on Wikipedia -- much like you)
It sounds like an optimal Golomb ruler allows you to find the shortest that works (which would imply less materials [towers?]) but in this case, it was merely confirming the one that was already assumed to be the shortest. So, yes but no.
Layne