bloaf

77 ms·

841.
by bloaf 13y ago
Kingdom of Loathing had an integer overflow bug way back in 2004. It let players set their currency (in this case: meat) to the max value of a 64-bit integer. The game spent the next several months setting up meatsinks in an attempt to re
842.
by bloaf 14y ago
There isn't always a long term, I don't think. For example, I am an engineering PhD student. I am currently writing a small application to automate some simulation tasks through the COM interface and output the results to a database. I d
843.
by bloaf 14y ago
Cloud storage doesn't count as a backup if it is the only place you've stored your data.
844.
by bloaf 14y ago
Some historical notes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:USDebt.png The US national debt during WWII was around 120% of GDP. In the years that followed, that ratio fell to below 40%. However, we didn't appreciably pay off our debts, the
845.
by bloaf 14y ago
A few other points: not everything we do ought to be subject to the criteria he laid out. Any hobby could be said to be a waste of your time or insignificant to your "real" life. I also agree that while the news may be designed to make rea
846.
by bloaf 14y ago
Indeed, but I think we have to realize that not all these open cameras are security failings. Some universities and towns just have open cameras so that curious people can watch. I know that Purdue had one near where the band would practi
847.
by bloaf 14y ago
I suppose I should mention Wolfram's expedition into this domain-the CDF format: http://www.wolfram.com/cdf/compare-cdf/how-cdf-compares.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computable_Document_Format
848.
by bloaf 14y ago
My wife has expressed some interest in learning to program. I asked her why she never took any programming classes in high school or college (aside from the little bit of Matlab they gave to most freshmen interested in technical fields.)
849.
by bloaf 14y ago
The best use of "magic" I've seen came from a kids TV show where the protagonist would simply refer to new or mysterious things as "magic" even if the other characters offered him an explanation of how the thing worked. To me it was a perf
850.
by bloaf 14y ago
Here is a really neat look at a historical analogue: http://www.context.org/iclib/ic37/hunnicut/ Kellogg at one point realized they didn't need very many people-hours to produce their cereal, so they opted to move to 6 hour shifts 4 days
851.
by bloaf 14y ago
There are some broken aspects to the game: that cage traps can catch just about everything and that all walls are impenetrable to invaders are two of the most obvious. If you abuse these, it is not hard to make the game too easy. You can a
852.
by bloaf 14y ago
I'm going to point to a development case which is outside the typical "database management" case everyone here seems to be thinking about: engineering modeling software like this: http://www.aspentech.com/fullproductlisting/ This company
853.
by bloaf 14y ago
Indeed, our brainpower is finite. We have dramatically increased the amount of data available to our brains, but not our brain's ability to process it. I believe that cellphones, Google glass, and other "augmented reality" systems are all
854.
by bloaf 14y ago
If it had been me, I probably would have started singing the bureaucrat song from Futurama: People, We didn't choose to be bureaucrats No that's what our mighty Ja made us We treat people like swine and make them stand in line Even if nobod
855.
by bloaf 14y ago
To me, saying that a short is like a bet against the company is like saying that a loan is a bet against the currency.
856.
by bloaf 14y ago
Revised Idea: A fitbit-like device could be distributed by health insurers just like Progressive's "Snapshot" program. It would discern which patients led healthier lives, and give them discounts.
857.
by bloaf 14y ago
When you say health, all I can think of is a fitbit for older folks. I wonder if a small device like that could collect enough different kinds of data to be useful to doctors.
858.
by bloaf 14y ago
Maybe you could convince kids (read: 20-somethings) that your invention is the perfect gift to buy for their parents.
859.
by bloaf 14y ago
Could be, I'll admit I don't have much experience in this arena. I used the word perturb deliberately though, because it does not necessarily have to make you come closer to reality.
860.
by bloaf 14y ago
I have always thought LSD works in this way: Your brain gets data, and has models of how all the data fits together. For example, if you look at someone you don't know, your brain will get the data "appearance" and plug it into the model "
861.
by bloaf 14y ago
There is "Small Basic" which is a bit more capable than the QBASIC of yore. http://smallbasic.com/about.aspx
862.
by bloaf 14y ago
"I agree with the author on all points" is a much less interesting post to write than "I think the author is wrong because X." Indeed, even if I agree with an author, I will occasionally post some criticism, unconsidered edge case, or even
863.
by bloaf 14y ago
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clopen_set
864.
by bloaf 14y ago
The sniper is at his post near a military base. He sees a heavily loaded van approaching at high speed. The driver is ignoring the warning signs and shouts from the guards. The sniper shoots the diver. The truck is found to be loaded wi
865.
by bloaf 14y ago
Those are only a few examples of ways that people involved might be prosecuted. Here are some more: The friends/family of an assassinated person could probably claim wrongful death and cause an investigation. Non-government organizations
866.
by bloaf 14y ago
Does a military sniper execute his targets?
867.
by bloaf 14y ago
While this feels like a "quis custodiet ipsos custodes" situation, does the judicial overview always need to be prior the action? In other words, consider soldiers on a battlefield. They do not need judicial approval to kill people they pe
868.
by bloaf 14y ago
Broad is different from general. I see breadth as a double edged sword. It does have the problems you mention. However, if the government could get sufficient buy-in, it helps because there are a large number of ways to improve per-capit
869.
by bloaf 14y ago
There are two problems with any automotive-based great challenges. 1. The accomplishment of the goal will almost certainly not result in any great swell of national pride. Defeating an enemy makes us believe we are great. Being the first
870.
by bloaf 14y ago
Or the maintenance cost could be significantly increased. I would love something like this: any failed patent suit doubles the maintenance cost for all patents owned by the entity which owns that patent. The effect would be transferable

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