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Messages - stuck

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1
Books / Re: Flatland!
« on: March 15, 2008, 07:59:25 pm »
It's an analogy though. So it doesn't really matter. Plus, they can't go over one another, since that would imply a depth dimension. That's not to say that 2D space in the real world is an impossibility. In fact, (I may have mentioned this before) electrons in between graphite sheets behave very much like 2D particles. I think the term for these special particles is anon.

Here's a picture to chew on.



This is called a Klein Bottle. It's like a Moebius Strip, in that it has only one side. However, you notice that it intersects with itself. This is due to the fact that it was "immersed" in 3D space, whereas in 4D space it would not intersect with itself, since the neck would be "lifted" into the fourth dimension and then placed back.


2
Everything Else / Re: Evolution yes/no
« on: March 08, 2008, 05:13:48 pm »
I think the best way to explain that is in terms of game theory. You're thinking of evolution as a strictly competitive, zero-sum (meaning all or nothing) game. Evolution is really, however, a cooperative, non-zero sum game with many different payoffs. The winning strategy is often not the one that benefits the individual, but the one that benefits the whole. Even if you place food of sole importance in the utility function (when more realistically you also have different factors), you see that cooperativeness will still likely win. All that "extra stuff", then, exists because the optimal strategy needed it in order to benefit the whole.

3
PC Games / Re: Battlefield Heroes, free Battlefield game by EA
« on: February 29, 2008, 03:58:41 pm »
Looks really nice. For some weird reason the music I was playing synced up perfectly with the video. But the trailer was really well done, it had some good comedy bits in it too. :) I'll definitely be checking this game out.

4
Books / Re: VERY good short story
« on: February 29, 2008, 03:00:56 pm »
Heh, it was good. But I saw the ending coming the first paragraph.

5
Books / Re: Dystopian Novels
« on: February 18, 2008, 09:26:54 pm »
A Clockwork Orange was great, though I'd imagine it would be hell to read. They use a little of Russian slang, and if it weren't for my knowing Polish I would have had a really rough time deciphering it. But it was really good, so I'd recommend that. However, the central theme of the book was more of violence vs. obedience, which you'd probably have to read the book to see what I'm getting at. (SPOILER: Should citizens sacrifice their emotions and humanity, good or bad, and be nothing but a "Clockwork Orange", or should we place no limits on our emotions?)

The title pretty much gives the book away, though.

As for Atlas Shrugged, I never read the whole thing, but if you have the time, go for it. Ayn Rand discusses her Objectivist (?) philosophies in it with a storyline most of us wish to relate to.


6
Console Games / Re: Super Smash Bros Brawl Megathread [SPOILER PARADISE]
« on: February 18, 2008, 09:20:02 pm »

Anyways, there's nothing I love more than ranting about the characters in Brawl. Pretty awesome, IMHO, for the most part. But seriously, screw Diddy Kong, screw Marth, SCREW Lucas, screw all the clones (especially the fact that there's 2 clones for Fox, even though he's my fav), screw the fact that they didn't overhaul Ganondorf.

20 more days...

Diddy is not near a clone. He is completely unique. Ike and Marth have similar fighting styles, but the only move in common is their counter. Ike, in my opinion, is a slightly nerfed Roy, though he still owns. Lucas plays surprisingly different from Ness, though he is a bit clonish. The two Fox clones are also kind-of-clones. Falco is a given, but Wolf is a much heavier version. I haven't played much with Ganondorf in either game, so I can't say much about that.

Subspace emissary is very long. I beat it at about 80% completion and 9 hours of game time. It got tedious after a while, but it was worth it.

7
Console Games / Re: Super Smash Bros Brawl Megathread [SPOILER PARADISE]
« on: February 14, 2008, 06:20:24 pm »
As far as I know, once discs are printed they're read-only. You can't "modify a copy" of brawl to have unlocked online play because the limitation isn't on the disc. That and the US/EU servers arent even open yet...

EDIT: Weird, post didn't work.

While that is true, you can play with Wii codes normally in your regions and spectate others. You can even place bets with your coins as to who will win. :D

The AI is much harder this time too. I could beat 8-9 on the Melee, but I'm having the same difficulty beating 4-5 on Brawl

8
Everything Else / Re: Scientology discussion
« on: February 14, 2008, 06:14:46 pm »
Sometimes I hate living in middle-of-nowhere SC. Nothing interesting happens here. Well..maybe I could send a robot to LA for me...

You do have the right of Confederate flags...

As for the Scientology protests, it seemed to me like an orgy of internet trolls somehow manifested themselves outside the phosphoresence of the computer screen and began shouting obscure internet memes. I'm sure scientologists thought a lot about their beliefs after that triumph of Right to Assembly. Let us pray Anonymous never embarasses themselves, or humanity, again.

I smiled at the Rick Rolling, though.

9
Console Games / Re: Super Smash Bros Brawl Megathread [SPOILER PARADISE]
« on: February 13, 2008, 03:23:00 pm »
I heard they were selling a modified copy of the japanese version that plays on US Wiis and that ran for $1000 dollars. It's ridiculous, these people need to be patient. :P

Sounds more like a ploy to get naive consumers to empty their wallets. The only way I could see that happening is if they a) reverse engineered the game and b) bought an expensive CD stamping machine.

BTW, Brawl is what seems to be the first Wii game that runs on dual-layers DVDs.

10
PC Games / Re: Dwarf Fortress - A Roguelike and much, much more
« on: February 10, 2008, 08:05:57 pm »
Right now I have about 100+ Dwarves living in a boring peace. I'm seriously anxiously awaiting the next goblin siege. To pass the time, I've taken to constructing a gigantic underground city. I went down a few levels and am clearing out an enormous two-story cavern. Then, I'm going to build a micro-city complete with shops, housing, wells, and other necessities. It should contain itself (with imported food, though). My military and defenses are pretty good too. I've got traps around my castle-like entrance, a military with a few legendaries and elites, and soon a water tower. Hopefully things will get exciting soon. Maybe I'll go for some adamantine once I'm sure I'm up to it.

What are your experiences fighting the denizens of lava?

11
Console Games / Re: Super Smash Bros Brawl Megathread [SPOILER PARADISE]
« on: February 07, 2008, 03:20:46 pm »
Well, I have finally played it. By next week I will have modded my Wii too and will be playing it at my own house.

I liked everything about the game except for a bit, so I'll list that. By the way, Ike is my favorite in the game and much different than Marth (though they have similar fighting styles).

The target tests progress in levels, and I'm not even sure there are original target tests for each creature. Apparently you unlock them as you beat Classic, and we could only do the easy one in our desperate attempt to unlock Lucario. So as far as we could gather, the target tests are not unique to each character.

Some items are hard to see/distinguish. What we thought were the motion sensor bombs are realistic looking this time, and we had a hard time seeing them. It was especially funny when I had one of those black hole bombs and threw it at random, then ran into it.

12
Everything Else / Re: 2008 US Presidential Election-Official Discussion
« on: February 07, 2008, 03:10:58 pm »
We held a mock primary at our high school. First place was no surprise, Barack Obama won since we're young and in Illinois. When second place was announced I laughed to myself. Ron Paul got second. :D

13
A theremin. Or a Rubik's Cube. Or a book. Or a book pertaining to how he should do his job better.

Does he like Star Wars? Get him KOTOR or something. :D

14
Everything Else / Re: Evolution yes/no
« on: February 05, 2008, 06:13:57 pm »
Why not think?

15
Everything Else / Re: Debate with sense
« on: February 04, 2008, 03:53:29 pm »
No. Follow the links and read them.
Well, I read it, and I still think, that it's just a kind of association. Just that it's alot more distinctive. However, if it's like it's said in the links, then I must be a synesthete too, since I think of an actual image, when I hear/read/imagine a number. Or I got a special picture/image in my mind, when I'm listening to music. Where's the difference between association and synesthesia?

Well, you might have it, actually. They predict it ranges from one in 20000 to 1 in 28. The best tests, it seems, are those that check if you hold a mental image permanently. I think all people form a mental picture in their mind of certain concepts, but the thing about synesthetes is that it isn't really a mental picture for some of them, more of a direct interference in their optic nerve, for instance.

I think the best instance of this is the guy who can taste sounds. The sound of f, for him, tastes like sherbet. I don't think that you form a mental association of sherbet and f, but rather the wiring gets convoluted.

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