lutusp

39 ms·

421.
by lutusp 10y ago
The equation I posted is the solution to a differential equation that expresses the idea that a rate of change depends on the difference between two quantities -- temperature, voltage and so forth. It is a very common solution in physics, d
422.
by lutusp 10y ago
The "speed of cooling" is a layman's way of describing the rate of temperature change. For two connected masses at different temperatures, that rate is described like this: Q(t) = Δq * e^(-t * f) Q(t) = temperatur
423.
by lutusp 10y ago
> Hitting Absolute Zero Has Been Declared Mathematically Impossible Wait ... wait ... this isn't about mathematics, it's about a mathematical model of physics, of reality. The title is both confusing and confused. Also, if some
424.
by lutusp 10y ago
Quote: “People should know that there are superb scientists in the world who would disagree with Monsanto and some of the regulatory agencies’ evaluations, and even E.P.A. has disagreement within the agency,” ... (emphasis added) Without
425.
by lutusp 10y ago
It's also an argumentum ad populum .
426.
by lutusp 10y ago
I just performed an experiment with this 100 * 10^6 sequence of Pi and found out that a reasonable approximation of pi (31415926) is located at an arbitrary location within the sequence (apart from the obvious location): Test sequence
427.
by lutusp 10y ago
> A quick script from me determined you need 10,524,628 decimals of pi for this to work for all dates and times ... (emphasis added) For a finite, normally distributed digit sequence (as Pi is thought to be), the probability is always
428.
by lutusp 10y ago
> I wonder if the 6 million digits cover all possible 6 digit year and time combinations Only an infinite sequence of normal digits can be assured (probability: 1.0) of matching a test digit sequence within it, even a trivial one. For al
429.
by lutusp 10y ago
>> all number sequences can be found within the digits of pi quite easily > I dispute that, although I guess the general brute-force solution is 'easy' given infinite time. Look at it this way -- if it were not true, then
430.
by lutusp 10y ago
> But similarity is a symmetric thing ... Yes, I agree with the idea, but the sense of "use ... similar to ..." implies intent and temporal order in many contexts. If I use language similar to Ernest Hemingway, am I justified i
431.
by lutusp 10y ago
(mystified expression) ... translation: "Biological networks use algorithms similar to engineered counterparts". But as another correspondent has pointed out, it's really the other way around.
432.
by lutusp 10y ago
Quote: "These are variables, and when I've been teaching people to program sometimes I see the light dawn when they realise that a variable name is like a box with the name on the outside." Yes. Maybe there could be some alge
433.
by lutusp 10y ago
I think losing our atmosphere to control the greenhouse effect would be ... a very bad idea. It would work, but we would end up wishing we hadn't done it.
434.
by lutusp 10y ago
> Disregarding the effects on atmosphere loss, wouldn't a machine like this eventually be more or less essential if humans ever decide to move in long term? I think it's more practical in the long term to create a magnetic fiel
435.
by lutusp 10y ago
> What kind of event could cause the loss of a planet's magnetic field? Planetary magnetic fields require a liquid ferrous mantle or core. As Mars cooled, its liquid ferrous material solidified, after which its magnetic field disapp
436.
by lutusp 10y ago
> Does building a magnetosphere for the purposes of protection require an atmosphere ... No, it's the other way around -- for a sustainable atmosphere, one needs a magnetic field. > If it doesn't require an atmosphere, could
437.
by lutusp 10y ago
It's a nice idea, and it's one I proposed some years ago: http://arachnoid.com/restoring_mars
438.
by lutusp 10y ago
"... why?" Quote: "Duhm, heavily influenced by Marxism and psychoanalysis, came to see material emancipation and interpersonal transformation as part of the same project." Hmm ... Marxism and psychoanalysis? I honor this
439.
by lutusp 10y ago
Title: "Tired of the non-portability of my playlists, I wrote my own format." Subtitle: "The Universal Playlist Format" Analysis: https://xkcd.com/927/
440.
by lutusp 10y ago
Translation: "Wired takes aim at people running ad blockers."
441.
by lutusp 10y ago
> Suppose the device is a machine. It initially looks like it responds by beeping when illuminated. However, we falsify this theory by finding different patterns of light and dark, some of which cause the machine to beep and others that
442.
by lutusp 10y ago
> They tend to say "mind" because they want to abstract over the actual hardware--they're interested in studying what happens in the skull, not how it is implemented. Yes, but asking what isn't science by itself, wh
443.
by lutusp 10y ago
> Can you explain exactly what some neuroscience data would add here? Certainly -- it would move the issue from the metaphysical to the physical realm. That might make it science. There's no science of the metaphysical. > Anyway,
444.
by lutusp 10y ago
This narrative explains why there can be no "winning strategy" in equities investment (apart from investing in an index fund). The widely followed analysts who recommend selling TSLA shares based on what they expect to happen, m
445.
by lutusp 10y ago
> "Tow the line", for example, or "then" when "than" would be correct. My favorite recent malapropism, seen more and more often and in increasingly exalted locales, is "reign it in". "Reign&qu
446.
by lutusp 10y ago
> I'm curious how that changes from the first book to the twenty-first? For your answer, compare "The Right Stuff" (1979) to "I am Charlotte Simmons" (2004), both by Tom Wolfe. The second book, apart from being u
447.
by lutusp 10y ago
Quote: "TL;DR: Scrivener, Vellum, KDP, Createspace" Scrivener is US$40, Vellum is Mac-only and US$200, the other two are unnecessary/replaceable and IMHO should be a list of equivalent options -- once you have a manuscript, w
448.
by lutusp 10y ago
You seem to be missing the point that, no matter how many hypotheses we make about the inner workings of the brain, we cannot turn them into science without either confirming or refuting them by direct examination of the brain itself. As lo
449.
by lutusp 10y ago
> I'd say you were getting religious if you tried to represent the mind as anything other than an emergent physical phenomenon. A similar argument could be made from the opposite perspective. The mind is not part of nature, of reali
450.
by lutusp 10y ago
> Psychophysics and perception research is widely considered to be part of psychology ... Not according to the APA, nor how psychology is formally defined. http://www.apa.org/support/about-apa.aspx?item=7 Quote: &qu

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