6 ms·
As far as I can tell everything requested can (theoretically) be done. As many commenters noted in the original discussion (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?i
by magpi3 13y ago
As far as I can tell everything requested can (theoretically) be done.
As many commenters noted in the original discussion (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7513182 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7513182) if you increase the number of dimensions you can increase the number of lines that can be perpendicular to one another. How a person would "draw" in such a space is merely a question of semantics.
You can certainly draw a kitten with a line. Just not a straight line. This definitely complicates the perpendicularity requirement, but I suppose that if every line is identical (they all draw kittens), then it can be done.
Finally, color is just a question of lighting. You can draw red lines with green ink. Just draw the lines in one color setting (where the ink is green) and display the lines to the client with different lighting where the lines are red. The fact that the lines must be drawn with red, green, and transparent ink complicates the lighting setup, but it can be done.
The inflation of the red balloon should be trivial but could be delegated to a less technical member of his staff if necessary.
I certainly don't envy him the task, but Anderson should quit with the excuses and get to it.
- aboodman 13y agoI thought similar things, but your answer is also a parody of engineers. The client almost certainly does not want a multidimensional drawing with trick lighting. Just because you _can_ engineer anything doesn't necessarily mean that its the right solution. If the client is asking for something that seems crazy, it's probably because there is a communication or information gap somewhere, not because they want something crazy.
- recursive 13y agoThey will probably not believe you if you tell them a thousand times. Sometimes you have to give people what they ask for so they will realize it's not what they want.
- zackkitzmiller 13y agoLines, by definition, are straight. Otherwise it's a curve.
- nilkn 13y agoPerhaps we could consider geodesics in a curved 7-dimensional space whose projections onto a plane might form the shape of a kitten.
- tedsanders 13y agoLines, by definition, are also infinitely thin and extend infinitely far. By definition, they cannot exist in our world of atoms. :) When people use the word line to refer to something in the real world, there are often some unstated assumptions baked in. I guess it's important for the consultant and the client to have the same understanding of what those unstated assumptions truly are.
- baddox 13y agoLines also, by definition, have no beginning or end. They're defined by a simple equation like y = mx + b. Good luck drawing one of those with any ink.
- dllthomas 13y ago"Good luck drawing one of those with any ink." No trouble, since they also have zero width...