tbabb

55 ms·

451.
by tbabb 10y ago
Line drawing algorithms can be surprisingly tricky. I don't think what you describe would be easier than a basic raytracer, which would be about a page of code, and the most complex math involved is the quadratic formula.
452.
by tbabb 10y ago
Whether that's true or not, I don't think it's enough to rely on the invisible hand to squelch this practice. The truth is, as long as it is advantageous to sue frivolously, companies will do it. And this is bad for the free
453.
by tbabb 10y ago
If you think that interpersonal and morale issues don't affect how effectively a company functions, I kind of think you don't get how companies function.
454.
by tbabb 10y ago
And it only needs to be simulated convincingly enough and in enough detail to fool your human mind.
455.
by tbabb 10y ago
I think the fact that it is not falsifiable means that we should not believe it, but that doesn't mean it's not interesting.
456.
by tbabb 10y ago
If you tweak Bostrom's argument, it can sort of make sense. For example, if you believe a simulated human mind is "just as good" as a real mind, then it might make sense to colonize uninhabitable planets by building simulatio
457.
by tbabb 10y ago
Not sure if you're arguing for or against my point, but I'd say the purpose of feeling happy is to reinforce the behavior that got you where you are. Smiling (and the compulsion to smile, which few other animals have, though they
458.
by tbabb 10y ago
To be fair, I think the soot hypothesis is so terrible it would fit right in at BAHfest. Frankly I'm astonished it has any credibility whatsoever, and if it does, it would severely dim my view of the entire field.
459.
by tbabb 10y ago
1) He didn't deny that crying is therapeutic in the emotional sense (in that you feel good afterwards); only that the expulsion of tears or the quavering of breath serves no regulatory function physiologically. Just because it feels go
460.
by tbabb 10y ago
I don't think you understood his argument at all.
461.
by tbabb 10y ago
I don't think his point is that it isn't cathartic; he's pointing out that there is no physiological reason for crying in particular to have evolved to be cathartic. What have leaking eyes or a quavering respiratory syste
462.
by tbabb 10y ago
Just so long as the reason these women are getting attention is "marketing", and not, you know, their actual accomplishments. Was afraid the spotlight might be pointed away from men for a fraction of a second there.
463.
by tbabb 10y ago
Under normal flight conditions, the aircraft's engine supplies hydraulic power to the flight controls (flaps, ailerons, elevator), like power steering in your car. Very necessary for big/fast aircraft, as the plane is heavy and th
464.
by tbabb 10y ago
Does anyone else think this thread smells astroturfed?
465.
by tbabb 10y ago
Probably the most common skin condition in humans is https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dermatophytosis , aka ringworm, aka athelete's foot. I'm guessing by this point you've eliminated that as a possibilit
466.
by tbabb 10y ago
Liebniz is talking about two objects which exist in different places but are otherwise identical. His argument, if I read it right, is "god would have no reason to pick one to move here and the other there, and because there are reason
467.
by tbabb 10y ago
I did not deeply read the whole article because it's pretty wordy and a lot of air, but there is a point where it discusses Leibniz "solution", which was "therefore God". Basically the well-discredited "unmoved
468.
by tbabb 10y ago
Space is not cold, at least in the inner solar system. To say nothing of internal resistance, however small, sunlight would fall on it and warm it up.
469.
by tbabb 10y ago
I don't know why you think energy will be free. It's a zero sum game that's built into the laws of the universe.
470.
by tbabb 10y ago
> GE is not an energy company Fair enough (though I'd think the oil & gas you mention would count), but look at any energy company today and you'll see similar numbers. Another poster in this thread compares to Exxon; simil
471.
by tbabb 10y ago
Uber is probably overvalued. But consider that future Tesla will probably be owning/running a service like Uber. Add to that grid storage, solar power installation (from which it makes interest on loans to the consumer), powerwalls, ba
472.
by tbabb 10y ago
> I would propose viewing Tesla as an energy storage company Yeah, I'd say it would not be unfair to compare future Tesla to a company like GE ($270B mkt cap). Optimistic, but not irrational.
473.
by tbabb 10y ago
Power from a seabed cable or nearby offshore power. Data by the same cable. Sealing a cable or a small container is not hard to do at all.
474.
by tbabb 10y ago
That sounds like just about the worst place to put a datacenter. Getting just a single kilogram to orbit costs about $2000 at its absolute cheapest, so I can think of no better way to send deployment costs through the roof. On top of that,
475.
by tbabb 10y ago
Well, not all of it would go directly to the lake, for one. It would seep in to the ground, re-evaporate, etc.
476.
by tbabb 10y ago
The spillway is kind of "around the corner" from the main dam, so I would guess the latter is probably not "doomed," at least at this point. A realistic disaster scenario would be if the erosion retreats all the way back
477.
by tbabb 10y ago
If that's his angle, rather than helping an ignoble command become more implementable (and directly playing into a door-in-the-face strategy), I'd love to see some suggested amendments that make it more vulnerable to legal attack.
478.
by tbabb 10y ago
It's probably mild hyperventilation. Your urge to breathe comes from the CO2 content of your blood; by breathing heavily you deplete your blood CO2, so your blood can absorb more from your metabolism before the acidity goes up enough t
479.
by tbabb 10y ago
Interesting; I didn't know that Nautilus was backed by a religious organization, but in retrospect I am not surprised at all. They get a lot more credit and traction here than they deserve. Nautilus is usually full of bull but pretendi
480.
by tbabb 10y ago
No, it's a very bright, instantaneous flash; just a hanful of milliseconds, like a flashbulb going off. There wouldn't be time for movement.

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