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https://docs.filebase.com/glossary
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This glossary includes terms found within the Filebase website and their definitions.
Access Key: When accessing Filebase through the S3 API, an access key is required to access your Filebase buckets and objects. Your access key has two components - the key and the secret. You will need both, similar to using a username and password.
API: Application Programming Interface; A software intermediary that allows two applications to communicate to one another.
AWS: Amazon Web Services; A component of Amazon’s cloud computing service.
Bucket: In object storage, buckets are similar to a traditional file system’s folders. Buckets are containers for objects and the associated metadata of those objects. Unlike traditional file systems, buckets cannot be nested into one another like file folders can be.
End User: Any individual that uses a product or service.
Erasure Coding: A method of data protection in which data is broken into fragments (also called chunks or shards), encrypted and encoded, then distributed across different locations.
Geo-redundancy: The practice of storing data across multiple data centers or physical locations throughout different geographic locations.
IPFS: InterPlanetary File System; A peer-to-peer network for sharing and storing data over a distributed file system.
Metadata: In object storage, metadata is fully customizable and functional for objects, allowing you to capture application or user specific information for more specific indexing purposes and data management policies.
Nodes: A compute server or otherwise communication endpoint.
Peer-to-Peer Networks: A network topology where a group of nodes that are connected together have equal responsibility, permissions, and access to resources.
Object: In object storage, objects are similar to a traditional file system’s files. They are small entities that contain data and metadata.
Object Storage: A computer storage architecture that stores data in the form of objects, as opposed to file system storage architectures that store data as files located within a hierarchy.
Sharding: Separating data objects into small, individual units referred to as shards.
Shards: a partition or piece of a data file.
Sia: an open source decentralized storage network.
Skynet: a “layer-2” decentralized storage platform that leverages the Sia network.
Storj: an open source decentralized cloud storage network.
S3: S3 technology was originally created by Amazon, but it has since become an open standard. Since then, several companies have created their own non-Amazon based version of the API. All references to S3 in this document refer to the S3 API.
Last modified 1mo ago
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Soviet-era Jokes, Common Knowledge, Irony
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Dissolving the Fermi Paradox (Applied Bayesianism)
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The 2021 Review Phase
(Apologies for this post being quite late – I got sick just prior to the holidays, and then had a surprisingly eventful holidays)
We've wrapped up the nominations phase for the 2021 Review. 139 people have participated so far, casting 1815 votes and writing 72 reviews.
Now we're in the Review Phase, where we ask "Were these posts actually good? How could they be improved? How do they fit together?".
Key Info:
* Posts need at least one review in order to progress to the final voting stage. To write a review, navigate to a nominated post page, and click the "Review" button at the top of the page.
* I'll award prizes to reviews that I think offer substantive information. Roughly $50 for a (See "What kinds of reviews are most valuable?" for examples)
* You can look over the results of last year's review at /reviewVoting/2020, to compare the results there to this year's.
* You can sort the posts on the /reviewVoting page by "Vote Total", to see which posts were most upvoted during the nomination voting. Thorough reviews of the top-scoring posts are particularly valuable.
How much Progress Overall?
One of my original goals for the Review was to provide a clearer feedback mechanism to the Lightcone team on "how is LessWrong doing?". It's one thing to track karma and site activity. But did our infrastructure maintenance, UI improvements, research retreats and other interventions actually seem to translate into more good, quality intellectual progress?
This year some people have commented that there are fewer exciting-feeling posts than they remember from previous years. I've also had a bit of this feeling – despite feeling at the time like in 2021, LessWrong was a pretty happening place with lots of good content. I'm not sure I endorse the feeling. For example: I think important progress happened in the MIRI Dialogues, but in a diffuse way, which didn't result in many concrete posts I can point at to that I learned discrete concepts from. Progress != posts, ne
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Reality Testing
In the recent weeks since Biden’s disastrous debate performance, pundits have theatrically expressed surprise at his apparent cognitive decline, despite years of clear and available evidence in the form of video clips, detailed reports, and fumbled public appearances.
This is far from the first popular narrative that has persisted in the face of obvious counterevidence. Claims of widespread voter fraud in 2020 continue after losing every court case. Lab leak theories were brushed aside in favor of zoonotic transmission, ignoring every signal of plausibility. Climate change denial endures ever-rising temperatures. Inflation is blamed on greedy gas stations after years of massive fiscal stimulus and warnings from prominent economists. The examples abound.
It's been discussed ad nauseam that reaching consensus on trustworthy information sources is more difficult than ever. Polarized factions hold not only different opinions, but also different facts. Even definitions of words and which words to use for what seem up for debate.
I’m not here to argue whether misinformation is a greater problem now than in the past. Personally, I’m not convinced that information overall is any less reliable than it used to be – after all, people were burning witches not too long ago.
However, the information landscape has diversified dramatically. Decades ago, residents in the same town watched the same news and read the same papers. Now, individuals in the same household might consume entirely non-overlapping information diets. We have much more choice in which information to consume, leading to vastly different understandings of the world.
In our increasingly online world, not only has access to information changed, but so has the process of learning who to trust and how we update our beliefs. The internet excels at measuring human reactions to narratives, but struggles to capture the accuracy of those narratives. As our lives become more digital, our beliefs are unwittingly
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Results of a One-Year Longitudinal Study of CFAR Alumni
By Dan from CFAR
Introduction
When someone comes to a CFAR workshop, and then goes back home, what is different for them one year later? What changes are there to their life, to how they think, to how they act?
CFAR would like to have an answer to this question (as would many other people). One method that we have been using to gather relevant data is a longitudinal study, comparing participants' survey responses from shortly before their workshop with their survey responses approximately one year later. This post summarizes what we have learned thus far, based on data from 135 people who attended workshops from February 2014 to April 2015 and completed both surveys.
The survey questions can be loosely categorized into four broad areas:
1. Well-being: On the whole, is the participant's life going better than it was before the workshop?
2. Personality: Have there been changes on personality dimensions which seem likely to be associated with increased rationality?
3. Behaviors: Have there been increases in rationality-related skills, habits, or other behavioral tendencies?
4. Productivity: Is the participant working more effectively at their job or other projects?
We chose to measure these four areas because they represent part of what CFAR hopes that its workshops accomplish, they are areas where many workshop participants would like to see changes, and they are relatively tractable to measure on a survey. There are other areas where CFAR would like to have an effect, including people's epistemics and their impact on the world, which were not a focus of this study.
We relied heavily on existing measures which have been validated and used by psychology researchers, especially in the areas of well-being and personality. These measures typically are not a perfect match for what we care about, but we expected them to be sufficiently correlated with what we care about for them to be worth using.
We found significant increases in variables in all 4 areas. A par
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Frequentist Statistics are Frequently Subjective
Andrew Gelman recently responded to a commenter on the Yudkowsky/Gelman diavlog; the commenter complained that Bayesian statistics were too subjective and lacked rigor. I shall explain why this is unbelievably ironic, but first, the comment itself:
> However, the fundamental belief of the Bayesian interpretation, that all probabilities are subjective, is problematic -- for its lack of rigor... One of the features of frequentist statistics is the ease of testability. Consider a binomial variable, like the flip of a fair coin. I can calculate that the probability of getting seven heads in ten flips is 11.71875%... At some point a departure from the predicted value may appear, and frequentist statistics give objective confidence intervals that can precisely quantify the degree to which the coin departs from fairness...
Gelman's first response is "Bayesian probabilities don't have to be subjective." Not sure I can back him on that; probability is ignorance and ignorance is a state of mind (although indeed, some Bayesian probabilities can correspond very directly to observable frequencies in repeatable experiments).
My own response is that frequentist statistics are far more subjective than Bayesian likelihood ratios. Exhibit One is the notion of "statistical significance" (which is what the above comment is actually talking about, although "confidence intervals" have almost the same problem). Steven Goodman offers a nicely illustrated example: Suppose we have at hand a coin, which may be fair (the "null hypothesis") or perhaps biased in some direction. So lo and behold, I flip the coin six times, and I get the result TTTTTH. Is this result statistically significant, and if so, what is the p-value - that is, the probability of obtaining a result at least this extreme?
Well, that depends. Was I planning to flip the coin six times, and count the number of tails? Or was I planning to flip the coin until it came up heads, and count the number of trials? In
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Proofs Section 2.3 (Updates, Decision Theory)
Here are the previous two posts.
Now, what about updates? We'll use ugh (and suppress the π¬h that should be there) as shorthand for the function that maps (m,b) over Θ(π¬h∙πpa) to (c(m|h),b+m(0★hg)) in Ma(F(πpa)) (or the nirvana-free or sur variant of this), and also use ugh as a function from belief functions to belief functions (just map all the sets through)
Lemma 27: When updating, the closure adds no nirvana-free points that weren't present originally if Nonemptiness, Nirvana-free upper-completion and closure holds originally (works in the sur-case too)
Proof sketch: We take a sequence Mn limiting to M, and then take a preimage point of Mn, go to a minimal below it, find a limit point in our original set by Compactness, and map it back through the update, getting a point below M. Then, we find what we need to add to that to get M, and find something above our limit point that maps to M, so we didn't actually need closure anyways because we made M as an image of a nirvana-free point present in the original set.
Proof: Fix a sequence Mn in ugh(Θ)(πpa) (but without the defining closure part in the end) that limit to M which is nirvana-free.
Every Mn has a preimage point M′n∈Θ(π¬h∙πpa) with no nirvana off-h. For each M′n, find a minimal point M′lon below it, which have a λ⊙+b⊙ bound by bounded-minimals, so we can find a convergent subsequence limiting to M′lo (actually, might not be minimal, still a limit of minimal points, though). Shoving the M′lon (and the limit point) back through the update (which is a continuous function), we get a sequence Mlon limiting to Mlo (the thing you get from pushing M′lo through the update).
Since M′n lies above M′lon (upper-completion ordering), then updating preserves that property, because the update function is linear. Thus, all the Mlon lie below their corresponding Mn. Now, we can invoke Lemma 16 to conclude that Mlo lies below M. It lies below a nirvana-free point, so M′lo is nirvana-free as well. Now, we just need
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Science and the Supernatural
Can science test the supernatural? Yes!! is an interesting article about why there are not "two nonoverlapping magisteria". The core of the article is based on the paper Can Science Test Supernatural Worldviews? Abstract of the latter paper:
> Several prominent scientists, philosophers, and scientific institutions have argued that science cannot test supernatural worldviews on the grounds that (1) science presupposes a naturalistic worldview (Naturalism) or that (2) claims involving supernatural phenomena are inherently beyond the scope of scientific investigation. The present paper argues that these assumptions are questionable and that indeed science can test supernatural claims. While scientific evidence may ultimately support a naturalistic worldview, science does not presuppose Naturalism as an a priori commitment, and supernatural claims are amenable to scientific evaluation. This conclusion challenges the rationale behind a recent judicial ruling in the United States concerning the teaching of “Intelligent Design” in public schools as an alternative to evolution and the official statements of two major scientific institutions that exert a substantial influence on science educational policies in the United States. Given that science does have implications concerning the probable truth of supernatural worldviews, claims should not be excluded a priori from science education simply because they might be characterized as supernatural, paranormal, or religious. Rather, claims should be excluded from science education when the evidence does not support them, regardless of whether they are designated as ‘natural’ or ‘supernatural’.
Three more specific quotes from one or both papers:
- Claims about the supernatural should be prohibited from science classes not because they’re religious, but because science has “proven” them wrong.
- To exclude, a priori, the supernatural would validate the complaint voiced by some ID adherents and other creationists that science
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Choosing the right amount of choice
The TED talk which I have seen praised most often is Barry Shwartz’s Paradox of Choice. His claim is that the ‘official dogma of all Western industrial societies’ – that more choice is good for us – is wrong. This has apparently been a welcome message for many.
Barry thinks the costs of choice are too high at current levels. His reasons are that it increases our expectations, makes us focus on opportunity costs rather than enjoying what we have, paralyzes us into putting off complicated or important choices, and makes us blame ourselves rather than the world when our selections fail to satisfy. We can choose how much choice to have usually though. You can always just pick a random jar of jam from the shelf if you find the decision making costly. So implicit in Barry’s complaint is that we continually misjudge these downsides and opt for more choice than we should.
Perhaps he is right currently, but I think probably wrong in the long term. Why should we fail to adapt? Even if we can’t adapt psychologically, as inability to deal with choices becomes more of a problem, more technologies for solving it will be found. Having the benefits of choice without the current costs doesn’t appear an insoluble problem.
One option for allowing more choice about choice, while keeping some benefits of variety is to have a standard default option available. Another that seems feasible is using a barcode scanner on a phone, connected to product information and an equation for finding the net goodness of products according to the owner’s values (e.g. goodness = -price – 1c per calorie – 1c per 10 miles travelled + 10c per good review – $100m for peanut traces + …). This could avoid a lot of time spent comparing product information on packages by instantly telling you which brand you likely prefer. Systems for telling you which music and films and people you are likely to like based on previous encounters are improving.
I suspect for many things we would prefer to make very resource
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Meetup : San Francisco Meetup: Short Talks
Discussion article for the meetup : San Francisco Meetup: Short Talks
WHEN: 25 April 2016 06:15:00PM (-0700)
WHERE: 1597 Howard St. San Francisco, CA
We'll be meeting to give/listen to short talks! You're welcome/encouraged to give a talk that you haven't prepared for, since these will be short.
Call me at 301-458-0764 to be let in.
Discussion article for the meetup : San Francisco Meetup: Short Talks
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Meetup : Utrecht: Effective Altruism and Politics
Discussion article for the meetup : Utrecht: Effective Altruism and Politics
WHEN: 05 October 2014 02:00:00PM (+0200)
WHERE: Film Café Oskar, Slachtstraat 5, Utrecht
We have biweekly meetups in a pub in Utrecht, near Central Station. For details, please look on meetup.com which is supposed to be up to date. http://www.meetup.com/LWEANL/events/202722652/
Discussion article for the meetup : Utrecht: Effective Altruism and Politics
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If you wrote a letter to your future self every day, what would you put in it?
Several days ago, I wrote an email to myself.
That email will now be sent to me every day.
All it is is a single draft in my Gmail drafts folder, with the Mail Conductor extension sending it out at 10:00 am. I can modify the draft whenever I want, each time improving it.
Consider, with the fervent munchkinry of a final exam... What would you send yourselves?
(Helpful anchor point: What would you share with a guaranteed audience of thousands of cooperative strangers who thought very much - but not quite totally - like you?)
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Let's Talk About Intelligence
I'm writing this because, for a while, I have noticed that I am confused: particularly about what people mean when they say someone is intelligent. I'm more interested in a discussion here than actually making a formal case, so please excuse my lack of actual citations. I'm also trying to articulate my own confusion to myself as well as everyone else, so this will not be as focused as it could be.
If I had to point to a starting point for this state, I'd say it was in psych class, where we talked about research presented by Eyesenck and Gladwell. Eyesenck is very clear to define intelligence as the ability to solve abstract problems, but not necessarily the motivation . In many ways, this matches Yudkowsky's definition, where he talks about intelligence as a property we can ascribe to an entity, which lets us predict that the entity will be able to complete a task, without ourselves necessarily understanding the steps toward completion.
The central theme I'm confused about is the generality of the concept: are we really saying that there is a general algorithm or class of algorithms that will solve most or all problems to within a given distance from optimum?
Let me give an example. Depending on what test you use, an autistic can look clinically retarded, but with 'islands' of remarkable ability, even up to genius levels. The classic example is “Rain Man,” who is depicted as easily solving numerical problems most people don't even understand, but having trouble tying his shoes. This is usually an exaggeration (by no means are all autistics savants), and these island skills are hardly limited to math. The interesting point, though, is that even someone with many such islands can have an abysmally low overall IQ.
Some tests correct for this – Raven's Pattern matching test, for instance, gives you increasingly complex patterns that you have to complete – and this tends to level out those islands, and give an overall score that seems commensurate with the sheer geni
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Chapter 58: TSPE, Constrained Cognition, Pt 8
A/N: A movie trailer for Army of Darkness, resembling the one Harry saw, is THV1KkPXIxQ on YouTube.
The key quote is as follows, spoken by a man of modern times to listeners from the Middle Ages:
"All right you primitive screwheads! Listen up! You see this? This... is my boomstick!"
----------------------------------------
In darkness absolute, a boy stood holding his wand to the solid metal wall of Azkaban, essaying a magic that only three other people in the world would have believed possible, and that none save he alone could wield.
Of course a powerful wizard could've cut through the wall in seconds, with a gesture and a word.
For an average adult it might have been a matter of a few minutes' work, and afterward they would have been winded.
But to accomplish the same end as a first-year Hogwarts student, you had to be efficient.
Luckily - well, not luckily, luck had nothing to do with it - conscientiously, Harry had practiced Transfiguration for an extra hour every day, to the point where he was ahead of even Hermione in that one class; he'd practiced partial Transfiguration to the point where his thoughts had begun taking the true universe for granted, so that it required only slightly more effort to keep its timeless quantum nature in mind, even as he kept a firm mental separation between the concept of Form and the concept of substance.
And the problem with that art having become so routine...
...was that Harry could think about other things while he was doing it.
Somehow his thoughts had managed to not go there, to not confront the obvious, until he was faced with the prospect of really actually doing it in just a few minutes.
What Harry was about to do...
...was dangerous.
Really dangerous.
Someone-might-actually-genuinely-get-killed dangerous.
Facing down twelve Dementors without a Patronus Charm had been scary, but merely scary. Harry could have cast the Patronus Charm, would have cast it as soon as he thought he was in danger of not being
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12-year old challenges the Big Bang
I thought this may be of interest to the LW community. Jacob Barnett is a 12-year old male who taught himself all of high school math (algebra through calculus), has a currently scored math IQ of 170 (for what that's worth) and is currently on track to become a researcher of astrophysics. His current major news worthy claim-to-fame (aside from being really young): The Big Bang Theory is currently incorrect (I believe the article states he has something about a lack of carbon in the model), and he's planning to develop a new theory.
I haven't learned anything serious in physics, so I have nothing to note on his claim. I realize the news article cited puts him claim fairly generally, so I'll ask this: Can someone explain how elements are generally modeled to have formed from the big bang? And is there anything that it Jacob may be missing in the current literature?
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Charging for the Dharma
> The Buddha rebuked him: "...Foolish man, how can you receive money? This will not give rise to confidence in those without it... And, monks, this training rule should be recited thus: 'If a monk takes, gets someone else to take, or consents to gold and silver being deposited for him, he commits an offense entailing relinquishment and confession.'" Bhikkhu Vibhaṅga, Nissaggiyā Pācittiyā 18
> What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel. For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. 1 Corinthians 9:18-19
The new-age spiritual chakra wellness meetup
About a year ago, feeling that I was stuck in a social bubble where somehow everyone I met was yet another tech/finance/science-type person like myself, I decided to check out this "new-age spiritual chakra wellness" meetup I'd heard about.
It was a culture shock, but not how I expected. What struck me about that group was how they seemed far more obsessed with money and "hustle" than anyone else I've met!
The event took place on a Sunday night in an otherwise-unused yoga studio. The plan was that we'd schmooze with other attendees a bit before going into the studio-proper, where we'd lie down on mats listening to the "music" they'd play for us: one person sitting in the center playing crystal bowls, and another walking amongst the audience playing various flutes. (That was just the premise for this particular event; the group does other events with different activities.)
The price of admission was $20, which I paid in cash to the guy at the door. (This momentarily threw him off his rhythm because most others bought tickets online or via Venmo.) In the lounge where we hung out before the music began, there was a bowl of hot cocoa to which you could help yourself. Only after I started ladling myself a cup did I see the sign saying "$5/cup" - certainly not
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Who are you?
There are two things that people debate with regards to continuation of personhood. One is whether edge cases to our intuitions of what ‘me’ refers to are really me. For instance if a simulation of me is run on a computer, is it me? If it is definitely conscious? What if the fleshy bloody one is still alive? What if I’m copied atom for atom?
The other question is whether there is some kind of thread that holds together me at one point and some particular next me. This needn’t be an actual entity, but just there being a correct answer to the question of who the current you becomes. The opposite is a bullet that Eliezer Yudkowsky does not bite:
…to reject the idea of the personal future – … that there’s any meaningful sense in which I can anticipate being myself in five seconds, rather than Britney Spears. In five seconds there will be an Eliezer Yudkowsky, and there will be a Britney Spears, but it is meaningless to speak of the currentEliezer “continuing on” as Eliezer+5 rather than Britney+5; these are simply three different people we are talking about.
The two questions are closely related. If there’s such a thread, the first question is just about where it goes. If there’s not, the first question is often thought meaningless.
I see no reason to suppose there is such a thread. Which lump of flesh is you is a matter of definition choice as open as that of which lumps of material you want to call the same mountain. But this doesn’t mean we should give up labeling mountains at all. Let me explain.
Why would one think there is a thread holding us together? Here are the reasons I can think of:
1. It feels like there is.
2. We remember it always happened that way in the past. There was a me who wondered if I might just as well experience being Britney next, then later there was a me looking back thinking ‘nope, still Katja’ or some such thing.
3. We expect the me looking back is singular even if you were copied. You wouldn’t feel like two people suddenly. So you
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Jump to content
Akhilesh Babaganoush
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Everything posted by Akhilesh Babaganoush
1. Incorrect. Keep waiting for Skynet to go online. My people will never let it happen.
2. I do not see what is so wrong with one man showing his appreciation for another man on his day of birth. One would think that here at JetNation this sort of thing would be understood.
3. And I've noticed on www.nyjetsfan.com there's a picture with Jetsinsider.com watermarked onto it. I wonder if Sooth allowed that. Or is he going to get litigious?
4. I am always here, stupid American who lets me take your job. I did have to go into hiding from another stupid American who was threatening the lives of my family. Unless you need to figure out how to Add/Delete programs, do not bother me. Stupid Americans.
5. Pungky is my cousin. He is not a thief. Nightstalker, expect a suit for slander.
6. I and all of my Dell minions will beat you all to a pulp.
7. You are a stupid American. We are on the phones 24 hours a day.
8. My friends from the call center did help. I never once received a 'thank you'. Ungrateful, stupid Americans. I am glad to take your jobs.
9. And I will have everyone at call center send spam to fakes. It is a shame that $100 won't feed one gelatinous glob for breakfast. In my village, $100 will feed 137 people for 8 weeks.
10. I am standing beside myself wondering what you mean. I am Akhi. Who else can I be? Stupid American. I am happy to take your jobs.
11. You want an answer? Here is your answer. Overclocking is truly a thing of the past. Once clock speed reached a certain point it became the law of diminishing returns with overclocking. BUS speeds have improved to such levels that throughput is steady and each cycle is processed more efficiently. Therefore eliminating the need for overclocking. This is true on any Pentium IV or higher central processing unit.
12. Why do you bother me with such a pedestrian question? The smallness of your brain excites me. I now know why all jobs come to my country. Stupid American.
13. You are all in big trouble now. My Hindu posse and I are going to change our votes for the best atom splitters in all the world. JetsInsider will rule the sticky, pancake filled world. Jetnation will rue the day they decided to f*ck with King IHOP.
14. I am very sorry. I do not mean to make your husband cry. Twice in one day is not good. I understand it is your job to cry, considering who you are married to.
15. So, I just received an email from my friend, Savage69. I read his original email wrong. He hates it here at JetNation. My friends and I were supposed to vote for Jets Insider. All of the votes from India belong to Jets Insider. I think we voted about 60,000 times. Sorry for any misunderstanding. I have sent an email to Sports Illustrated, and I expect to have this all straightened out forthwith.
16. It is my friend Savage69. I do not know why he hates Curtis My Favorite Martin so much. It is boggling my mind. I haven't seen him here today, though.
17. That, my friend, is absolutely untrue. Why does fan of the Patriots post at a Jets site?
18. I am thinking that a 'Thank you' is in order. My name is Akhilesh, but everybody just calls me Akhi. I live in Bombay, and work in Dell call center. I have good friend who is member of Jetnation, so he asked me to vote for this wonderful site. It was a slow night in the call center, so I and 50 of my co-workers voted all night long. Hopefully, we help to win contest. I love American football, even though I don't get to watch often. My friend makes me into a fan of the New York Jets.
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Ordinary claims require ordinary evidence
A corollary to [extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence](https://arbital.com/p/21v) is "ordinary claims require only ordinary evidence"%%note: Attributed to [Gwern Branwen](https://www.gwern.net/), who hasn't popularized this claim nearly as much as Carl Sagan popularized the extraordinary version.%%
This corollary is probably more important in practice, as, in our day-to-day lives, we encounter more ordinary claims than extraordinary claims, but may be more tempted to reject many of those ordinary claims by demanding extraordinary evidence (a bias known as "motivated skepticism").
# Example: A failing new employee
One contributed example:
> A few years back, a senior person at my workplace told me that a new employee wasn't getting his work done on time, and that she'd had to micromanage him to get any work out of him at all. This was an unpleasant fact for a number of reasons; I'd liked the guy, and I'd advocated for hiring him to our Board of Directors just a few weeks earlier (which is why the senior manager was talking to me). I could have demanded more evidence, I could have demanded that we give him more time to work out, I could have demanded a videotape and signed affidavits… but a new employee not working out, just *isn't that improbable*. Could I have named the exact prior odds of an employee not working out, could I have said [how much more likely](https://arbital.com/p/1zm) I was to hear that exact report of a long-term-bad employee than a long-term-good employee? No, but 'somebody hires the wrong person' happens all the time, and I'd seen it happen before. It wasn't an extraordinary claim, and I wasn't licensed to ask for extraordinary evidence. To put numbers on it, I thought the proportion of bad to good employees was on the order of 1 : 4 at the time, and the likelihood ratio for the manager's report seemed more like 10 : 1.
Or to put it another way: The rule is 'extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence', not 'inconvenient but ordinary claims require extraordinary evidence'.
In everyday life, we consider many more ordinary claims than extraordinary claims — including many ordinary claims whose inconvenience might tempt us to dismiss their adequate but ordinary evidence. In those cases, it's important to remember that ordinary claims only require ordinary evidence.
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Leaky Concepts
Original post: http://bearlamp.com.au/leaky-concepts/
When is a door not a door? When it’s Ajar.
See also: motte and bailey fallacy by Scott Alexander, The 5-second level, Disguised theories, Neural Categories By Eliezer Yudkowsky. No Boundary By Ken Wilber.
Every concept when challenged with reality is a leaky concept (even this one). The idea of a circle seems pretty great until I try to draw one in chalk on pavement. If you want to go mad, commit to drawing two lines the same length and don’t stop until you are dead from trying to line up atoms to be in the right places. There are quicker ways to go insane.
The map-territory distinction makes it difficult to pin down a mapped concept in the territory. The strange thing about reality is that despite there being a gap between minds, we generally have managed to communicate, to get things done, and to build a world. This world. The world in which we live in. Bricks and mortar, bits and atoms alike. We did it. We got to here, even though every concept leaks to all buggery.
Take “science man” in the prehistoric times of the savannah.
Cave man: “run it’s a lion”
Science man: “actually that’s a leopard, judging by its spots, I’d say it’s running at 40mph and will get here- augh!”
*science man gets eaten by leopard*
This silly example hopefully drives home the point of “how much does that leak matter?”. For most of history, for most conversations the difference between lion and leopard did not matter. Being right about which it was, had no effect on the basis of the following actions.
We don’t live in that world so much. We live in the world of The Mars Climate Orbiter, which is now the reason that all space calculations are done in metric.
“The discrepancy between calculated and measured position… had been noticed earlier by at least two navigators, whose concerns were dismissed because they "did not follow the rules about filling out [the] form to document their concerns"”
“Oh that silly space agency, I’d n
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See the entire conversation
There’s a very strong case for arguing Twitter’s entire architecture is tailor made for toxicity and no matter how many focus groups you create it’s unsalvageable in its current form
197 replies and sub-replies as of Jul 15 2018
like i literally left Twitter for a week and felt awesome then i came back on Friday because im a masochist and now i want to die again
clearly humans like myself are unable to control our actions driven by baser needs (internet validation from strangers, insults from anon anime bots) so we need it built in for us until those who make the products are not promoted and bonused by engagement metrics it wont change
(not just picking on twitter, this is an indictment of facebook and google too)
i also want to recognize business world’s influence. Wall Street and financial journalists — including myself — view these companies through a lens of competitive growth. growth, in short, is good. the opposite is bad. the street AND media needs to be trained on another lens.
We all know Wall Street ain’t changing
media might be able to? *might*
How so for Google though?
YouTube reinforces this behavior and it manifests itself across other platforms but YouTube acts more like cable news than it does Facebook — kind of a hybrid of both
I'd say most Google Products are tools for specific purposes unlike social networks that can be used in a public sense for a variety of reasons
really its a condemnation of gamification taken to its logical conclusion
You need to stop including all humans in your comments thought. Not everyone gets depressed after reading Twitter. My friends know people have Facebook personalities and public personalities.
My Facebook experience is pretty good day to day, but that's because I aggressively filter groups and never post public.
Turning off retweets makes it better.
like going private?
oh you mean like altering the network, sorry
i think there’s a reason I don’t hate instagram , At least part of which is that it’s so difficult to re-share things
It is also incompatible with the worst social media content which is the clickbait / racist memes / etc which jumped from email forwarding chains everyone’s grandparents were somehow on to social media rather effortlessly.
I'm experimenting with a retweet-less twitter experience (made easy by this dope tool @b0rk created this should be interesting.
Yup. Suddenly much of the soul draining stuff has just vanished. Some remains via quote tweets, and I’ve lost a lot of the cute puppy RTs in the process, but overall, the experience is so much better.
this is totally fodder for a number of columnists we know
Going for it, thanks for posting the link @EricaJoy!
fav only account imo
This is very “medium is the message.”
This is all true. I would also note that this architectural dynamic applies even more so to cable news.
GREAT point. i feel like perhaps that war is lost and will be cycled out generationally so the fb/goog/Twitter one is more worthy of focus and scrutiny for the future?
Unclear. I have no idea what the future brings. I suspect that a disaster and/or financial crisis will disrupt the cycle in a powerful way.
that’s a good (horrifying) suspicion since, what, we dont have a good track record of self correction before a disaster the one alternate thesis I have out here is that enough techies we’re deeply disturbed by trumps election it has motivated a strong desire to change
Twitter: First you contribute to destroying society and then, ultimately, yourself. Great product.
don't die.
I know that feel. Here’s a doggo
Always running back to Twitter like
you're reading all the wrong tweets, mike.
if you don't put your face in the meat grinder you might miss what's happening inside though
There’s gonna be an entirely new DSM written just for diagnosing how social media has broken our brains.
Yes all of this, but I think you came back because you know how shitty the world is rn and the world needs you. Twitter doesn’t dumb down the shittiness or give it some morally redeeming arc.
That said, Twitter is probably bad
I left Twitter for all of January and it was the happiest I’ve been in years
if i'm not on twitter i don't know the news at all - i would've missed 9/11 if it happened while i was suspended. it makes me anxious. the one time i deactivated and felt fine, i came back to find out a twitter pal had killed himself the next day.
And you came back because you realized there are far more important things in life than being happy
Celeb/politics Twitter is the worst followed by journo Twitter. It gets a bit saner and more essential around more impenetrable subjects and lower follow counts. Just need a hard daily cut off now at 30min or 60min use and it might be survivable.
My favorite part is the inverse relationship between familiarity with AI and faith that AI could magically moderate content
welcome back to hell mike
Die? Na bruh, follow mike isaac, the dude is entertaining and funny. Good stuff on the twitter.
...wait...then you are not really a masochist because you should have wanted to die before and when you came back .... ah ... nevermind ... All I know about masochism, I learned watching BILLIONS ... @SHO_Billions
’s #Succession will get you in the mood, too.
I get the reaction to the toxicity, but can expound on how the architecture facilitates it? Beyond their systems for stopping it being a complete joke, I'm missing the connection.
Instagram is roughly the same infrastructure👍 Truth is, most trolls/abusers/racists are older people. And this is the platform they like.
Curious. Did you feel out of the loop while gone?
I'm concerned you're not muting and blocking enough.
Let’s all just leave at the same time.
by far Twitter's biggest utility to me, professionally and personally and emotionally, is as an RSS feed. Which makes the elimination of Google Reader that much more inexplicable.
Better than the alternatives known as Facebook and Instagram, two hellholes where most people are someone they aren’t.
missed you bruh
It is too damned addictive
To me, Twitter is fun because I only follow people I like. People who amuse me, who have great pictures, who like the sports and activities I like. If anyone gives me grief, I give it right back.
It occurs to me Twitter is how we eventually get to The Matrix and Skynet and we deserve it tbh
I often feel that way but tell myself, and mow you, try not to die because it wouldn't help anything, so stick around at least long enough to vote.
I felt awesome when you left twitter for a week too. Wait what were you saying about toxicity
You need a self regulation button like with most social media. Annoying their addictive natures require the user to self regulate rather than having that designed in but hey.
That’s the problem with the reward system design by the valley, where up and to the right metrics are what you are graded on internally for your bonuses and promotions
Yeh the tyranny of the DAU and the MAU.
Not to be mistaken with the Dao (hey, evenone needs a path, man) and Mao (also tyrannical, boooo)
It’s a deep, dark rabbit hole that I can’t seem to quit for more than a week 😩
Upgrade your muting/blocking game and it won't be such a masochistic activity anymore.
lord give me your strength (to just log off forever)
Deleting again today — gotta go back to work
why do I laugh so hard when people omit the c ? lol
Wow mike ok you jerk
it's literally a box you can quickly shout in whenever you want.
And no one can stop you!
Seriously wish the “efforts” twitter inc has put forth would actually be consistent, or that the company would actually be transparent like it constantly promises.
I mean, I think you could enforce some more strict moderation and it would improve an incredible amount.
i would argue it’s like putting a finger in an unpluggable dam
Maybe, but I’m sure we could both agree that it would be nice to see twitter try at all before saying “burn it down”. Strict enforcement on new accounts would also go a long way.
and that humans are garbage
Yet he is more popular than Obama was at this point in the term.
A clear sign of the racism in America.
More likely due to booming economy, reduced taxes, GDP growth, and employment rates.
All are results of Obama's efforts, and are continuing despite Trump's best efforts...
AMERICA IS SO RACIST THAT OBAMA was twice elected. Better go polish up your logic skills.
Here's the logic... Obama and Trump do indeed have similar approval numbers at this point (18 months in or so). Trump is a slobbering idiot embarrassing us on the world stage at every moment, Obama was a gentleman and respected by our allies. His bar for approval far higher.
But alas Twitter reflects and mirrors humanity and thus there are some bright spots in it's grand architecture along with the depths of toxicity. We just need more one the side of optimism
And Facebook is an information bubble that allows lies to spread just like Twitter
It is tailor made for amplified bullying
Freedom of speech is always good. Even if you don't like the method on which it expresses itself
Wrong! You damn idiot!
Every aspect of its content model was perfectly crafted for bullying. Public by default, retweets with comments (also fully public), not enough characters for nuanced argument.
We're not rats in a science experiment humans are adaptable and choose how we engage. Can a default public digital space not exist and do okay? If not humanity might have bigger problems than just Twitter's setup.
We're not rats in a science experiment. We're people in a science experiment. Fed a/b tested content to see what keeps us glued to our screens. What does your job involve, if not devising ways to keep more people's clicks on your platform?
That philosophy of optimization gets you to lowest common denom product quite quickly & best users disengage. More needs to be considered than quantitative. Anyway core idea here strong enough we've stayed (you've been here since 2009), Note they haven't tweaked it all that much.
I didn't say it wasn't effective. I'm saying it's so effective it has literally caused me emotional and (for lack of a better word) attentional damage. It's the first thing I look at in the morning, my heart rate and anxiety levels spike, I struggle to disengage. I'm a 'success'
And you only follow 110 people. I follow 4,000 and have a different experience, it's actually such a good mix of different opinions and views that I can easily take 1,000 foot view here and see all types of lives and ideas lived out it's always interesting.
I unfollow everybody every Christmas and let my lists grow back organically. This time round I only follow people I personally know and everyone else is in lists (culture, technology, US Politics etc). I do this to try to ease back on the visceral emotional reaction.
Are you making the argument that I'm simply "doing it wrong"?
No apologies if I inferred that, not the case just sharing how I experience this place. There's probably not 'right' or 'wrong' ways which is another thing I like about Twitter & Reddit than Facebook for instance which is far more structured & rigid.
Yes I love that about Twitter it's very very much what you make of it. I know people who just use this to share investing ideas for ex & never touch any other discussions. She does amazing in markets too bc most of the people she follows do similarly. Flexible utility is good.
Well this brings us back to the first point: for tens of millions of people what they've "made of it" is a platform for targeted mass abuse. Twitter gave it that capability and decided that what it *didn't* need was features to protect people when they're targeted.
Recently I wrote a tool to protect people from abuse, when someone targets you on Twitter, you click a button and block *all* of their followers for a set period (default eight weeks). Robbing bullies with followers of some of their power. Twitter could do this, will they?
Thankfully, one look at my profile pic and I generally get treated with respect. (🤔). That's a privilege a lot of people don't have. Twitter is a dangerous place for an awful lot of people.
I agree with you 100% on protecting people here from abuse. This has been ongoing issue for all online public platforms dating back to forums in the 90s. Don't think it's unique to this place but absolutely something to address. Great discussion today btw Tom.
I resent Twitter because I *am* addicted to it, like a smoker who knows the score. Tobacco companies can say "hey, it's more about how you use it, maybe you should moderate", but they are exactly where they want to be.
...and the part of all this saddens me is that as far as Twitter is concerned, I'm one of the 'good ones', I'm a 'success': an engaged pair of eyeballs. Gotta go now, thanks for the chat. See ya round!
I think, ultimately addiction boils down to ourselves and we should take personal responsibility too. Like I could eat In-N-Out every day and be obese but I try and moderate. It's not their fault if the product is so delicious right? But many people get addicted to eating too...
There's a lot to unpack there, but I really do have to go. *Recovering* from addiction boils down to personal responsibility, but *getting* addicted, well, it's partly you, but there's a whole bunch of people who have aims on you.
We really need to do better job teaching young people critical thinking skills. We can't wrap a safe space blanket around everything in the world.
Speaking as a marketing expert, I don't think you'd be saying that people's behaviour can't be nudged in certain directions.
Oh of course. But I think if we're addicted to any sort of technology -- at least to the point it's interfering with our lives -- there might be deeper issues we have to handle personally.
That's an interesting feature idea I think they should def test it.
Our world set tribalism thing in motion awhile ago that's a whole separate issue beyond what any UX tweaks can fix. That it manifested here isn't Twitter's 'fault' might even show you just how well this place manifests the real world. Closing down global watercooler not answer.
You say UX tweaks can't fix it. And yet, it's worse on some platforms than others. If a researcher were interested in the topic, they could ask why.
I don't think can totally fix it, It can help, but they need to be done in a way that's thoughtful to not closing us all off further. It could actually make the world worse if certain people *stop* dialog altogether. Even if people disagree that they still talk is positive.
Blindly optimizing 'for more clicks' is low level, short term, growth-hacky thinking. Twitter people I know consider more than this or they would have ruined this awhile ago. The 'growth at any cost' mindset for social is detrimental to organic engagement/health of communities.
Question: You said "best users disengage", who, to a platform like Twitter, are the "best users" and why do you care if they disengage? Are the 'best users' the ones who click ads? Or are they the ones who have the most followers (and bots) who click ads?
These are awesome Qs. It's clear on Facebook what they optimize for bc they directly input to our stream (tell your friend happy birthday, celebrate 4 years of relationship, etc). Twitter not so much as this is more of blank slate / cacophony (which is what makes it interesting).
I still consider Twitter a default public digital space. I follow news n folks that interest me, and I know anyone can reply. I read replies n when I do I understand they can be crazy folks. I also started using this tool when the tweets sound too flamey:
Is that twitters fault? Or humanity’s fault?
We already know that humanity is a cesspool at what point are you enabling humanity to eat itself
we sold off 'good of humanity' for ruthless technological exploitation a while ago
Think about the MAU/DAU
Twitter is expression of contrary opinion Instagram: Expression of fuzzy feelings Facebook: For the need not to be left out Grindr: Impulse buyers remorse NextDoor: Tool to sell security devices Slack: Way to keep from getting laid-off but now, full employment. Dump Slack.
“Give a man a mask and he’ll tell you the truth.” -Oscar Wilde Twitter is one giant mask. The reality is that huge numbers of people on here are horrible. The twitter mask gives them the secrecy and platform to be their horrible selves.
Actually, the entire state of our nation is toxic. We fear for democracy.
Sad case that the current form and architecture (the simplest social microblogging platform) is at the core of that argument.
It's a perfected echo chamber - especially when the block lists are allowed to be used. things like this:… Make absolutely no sense to exist at all. Why would anyone need to share a block list other than to create huge echo-chamber groups.
How to use advanced block options
Learn how to share and manage your list of blocked accounts on Twitter.
Perhaps that every, EVERY tweet (outside of private accounts) has it's own comment section is part of this?
I declare that you, @DannyPage, have blundered an update and could use “accounts) has [its] own comment” instead. ‘It's’ means ‘it is’ or ‘it has’, but ‘its’ is possessive.
I think you're probably right, but I would say it's more because of the decisions and priorities of the powers that be than the platform itself. They have to actually want to try to make it better for us to know if it's even possible.
Efforts like actual response to harassment, or engineering solutions such as "no @-replying people you don't follow" could make a difference, but there's just no energy being put towards it.
The more a site resembles a BBS or a comment section, the more toxic it becomes.
There's a reason that people who disagree do better in closed settings. On Twitter you're always speaking to your supporters as well as those who disagree, so reaching out and treating people decently doesn't generate nearly the enthusiasm as getting in good solid owns.
out of the box, i agree. i think it *can* be salvageable for the end user but not without a *lot* of work (account blocking, word muting etc). and most people don’t want to have to do all of that. which is why, even before the last few years, they struggled to compete with FB.
I spend so much time tweaking content just to keep my TL liveable and my account is tiny. If I had a normal sized account, it would be a ridiculous time sink.
Or, it could be that you just need an enema.
1) remove the worst actors, ignore the temporary blowback 2) introduce a reputation system that includes good behavior and non-robotness 3) filter low quality mentions from replies, search, and trends more aggressively by default
Ya all can’t listen to someone who has a different view. Grow up. Make you a better person
Just start calling people peados, it’s the new cool
I think it's bc you can't get away from things on here. Even Reddit, for all its weaknesses, lets each individual draw lines around communities they interact with and set their own terms. Twitter is kinda this death cannon of whatever is dominating the current conversation.
I had wondered whether native RTs and all the "Like" and "because you follow so and so" injections in the home Timeline just exacerbate this problem. Like *most* of the content I see is amplified, not original from people I follow. It lends to the flywheel o' shouting.
I guess what I mean is this platform has lost ability for its users to set their own terms for its use in the name of streamlining. So you just kinda float with whatever riptide is happening at the moment.
Bug or feature though?
Do you prefer another social platform? Do you know of any start-ups that show promise?
Counter.Social is toxicity & asshat free. Feel free to drop in & see for yourselves . It is what SM was supposed to be. Fun & free
That’s a new meme, love it! 😍
It facilitates spending time either in a toxic environment or an echo chamber. But I believe (or make myself believe) that as long as you’re aware you’re in a bubble and compensate accordingly, it’s the much better solution for your sanity and enjoyment.
Liberals want to force their way of thinking down everyone’s throats. Liberals have no common sense. They never learned history. Progressive has to do with money. Not with American ideals. Creates 2 class system
And tailor made for learning true facts....for those who separate reason from rant
I think the problem is that everyone at some level likes being toxic You are all liars if you don’t
What if Twitter is just a digital reflection of the current state of the world and will look different at different points in time (very specific to who you follow).
Twitter simply replaced the comments section on news sites and the BS emails your angry old uncle would forward. The toxicity and trolling in the comments section of those sites were pretty awful before Twitter. There is no easy solution; maybe none for social media.
having a hard time believing that a platform based around yelling at strangers online is fundamentally flawed
Twitter just a mirror. The toxicity is what comes from an almost impossibly divided nation.
I miss moderated Livejournal communities, but then Livejournal sold to Six Apart and Six Apart sold to the Russians. But there was a lot of toxicity in those, too.
That’s why president trump won. How in the world can a public servant and street organizer become millionaire on salary they made. Pay off somewhere. And bottom line taxpayers paid. Crooked
U.S. Elected Autocrat?: We should be fearful Trump knew about Russia indictments but did nothing.
I respectfully disagree. Social media is one of the greatest tools that mankind has ever come up... it's PEOPLE that make it toxic.
Ignore 99%. Follow those who are mild. Twitter is not the world.
It's #Trump and his enablers that are making dialogue toxic on #Twitter, #Facebook, in the traditional #media and everywhere else -- online and offline.
Twitter is lubricant for humanity's colon
I am @jack’s festering Nazi hemorrhoid
I knew there was a reason Twitter was tailor-made for me and I keep winning at it! Oh, and I just discovered #Hillary and the #DeepState colluded to trap those kids in the cave in Thailand. MUST INVESTIGATE NOW! #MAGA
Need to add a few other platforms to this list
It didn't suck this hard in the beginning. There were lots of awesome interactions. Then the unwashed masses appeared with their spelling dictates and forum-like troll behavior.
My original acct was created in early 2008 and you're 100% correct: Twitter was fantastic at first. By 2014, I found it to be impossible. Between people too concerned with personal branding and Twitter never dealing with trolls, it just became useless as a means of discussion.
The internet as a whole. One of humans best creations. And one of its worst.
Agree, Mike - very toxic. Not beyond fixable, tho.
yeah that’s why I’m here Mike
this is demonstrably false. with enough bruna twetes you can cleanse the entirety of twitter
An emotional investment in other's opinions will always induce toxicity. But, if us humans can tune out genocides, wars, extreme poverty and human exploitation at scale, ignoring people that we don't give a fuck about should be easier if we try.
I am not recommending apathy but pointing out that yes, Twitter can be a can of worms. We open ourselves to people's thoughts, reactions and rants; many of which are toxic. To distance ourselves from the unpleasant bits should be an active choice.
Shut-up! You aren't a real bear!
Birth of Twitter: <starts slide deck> "Online news today is reported articles chased by insane, toxic flame wars in the comments. We're going to fix it by getting rid of the ... <checks notes> ... articles part."
How predictable. Liberals want to shut down and censor everything.
Perhaps that is where we have evolved to, 'toxic'? Good solution to environmental over-exploitation! Reset species, add fertilizer.
I'm not one to rag on algorithms but I don't like how basically all the tweets in my feed are now ones from strangers that have gone viral
1) Garbage in. Garbage out. 2) Twitter is self policing 3) A lot of corruption in the self police department.
From hell's heart, I stab at thee, via @Twitter! j/k
This has been a problem since the days of message boards. Humanity was not meant to have such technology. Shut it all down!
Try reading non-US (and maybe non-UK) twitter and you may find it different? It is (mainly) filled with the feeds from people you choose to follow after all?
Yes indeed. Twitter is a net societal bad, almost entirely because of choices made by @jack and his team. Much of the time it feels like they know they're doing bad and double down on that just to troll.
I'd be curious to know how many people proactively create a better experience for themselves. i.e., using Hootsuite or another aggregator, blocking or muting followers who are obviously bots, etc. I don't experience anywhere near the toxicity I see other people write about.
The delete your twitter and say goodbye
Or you could just stop taking social media too seriously
I've been calling all of this -- Twitter/Facebook/etc. -- anti-social media for years. I walked away for 8 glorious months, but got drawn back in.
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Security firm McAfee has warned that it’s more likely humans will use AI for malicious purposes rather than it going rogue itself.
It’s become a cliché metaphor, but people are still concerned a self-thinking killer AI like SkyNet from the film Terminator will be created.
McAfee CTO Steve Grobman spoke at this year’s RSA conference in San Francisco and warned the wrong humans in control of powerful AIs are his company’s primary concern.
To provide an...
Comcast acquires AI-powered cybersecurity technology developer BluVector
Comcast has announced the acquisition of BluVector, a company making use of advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning to provide cybersecurity protection to companies and government agencies.
With the help of a proprietary machine-learning engine, BluVector detects, analyses, and contains a wide range of sophisticated cyber-threats including “fileless malware,” zero-day malware and ransomware. Both companies will work together to grow BluVector’s existing...
Trump speech ‘DeepFake’ shows a present AI threat
You can see a side-by-side comparison with the original below:
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Avast: AI, IoT, and fake apps top 2019 cybersecurity threats
According to Avast’s annual Threat Landscape Report, the biggest cybersecurity threats in 2019 will be AI, IoT, and fake apps.
Those who follow cybersecurity will likely be unsurprised at the list, but Avast goes into the specifics of each threat.
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Astra Militarum/Imperial Guard "Wiki"
Ave Omnissiah!
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Monday, November 30, 2015
House Yato and the Knightly Houses of Draconis III
This post is outdated, so I think it's better to head over to the Draconis Coalition and the History of Draconis III insead.
Adeptus Mechanicus War Convocation - the legions of the Omnissiah march to war, backed by the firepower of the Imperial Knights of House Yato.
House Yato, as you can see above, has their Knights painted in black and gold, and their heraldry is a simple yellow smiley face...because you know, someone has to preserve the sense of humor in such a grimdark and bleak future of the 41st Millennium. No, seriously.
Anyway, let's get down to the history of Draconis III. Draconis III is a lush agri-world full of greenery, fertile plains, life-giving rivers, streams and oceans, and vibrant forests. The first colonizers immediately set up farming settlements and fishing villages across the four major continents that stretched across an otherwise ocean-populated world, but to protect them from the amphibious Leviathans that rear from the seas, and the monstrous behemoths that assault their relatively small villages, the human colonizers had to depend on the newly constructed Knight suits from the Standard Construct Templates that they had brought along. Along with the Knights we all know, there were also STCs for the colossal Warlord Titan, which was enough to incinerate the gargantuan monstrosities from the forests.
Yet, these colonizers, having hailed from the Asian continent of old Earth (now Terra), sought harmony with Nature. So unlike more extreme colonizers who valued technology and efficiency over coexistence, they did not exterminate life from Draconis III. Rather, they built their homes beside forests and oceans, and respected Nature as an admirable force of life. For Millennia, the colonies expanded, basing their trade largely on agriculture and fishing, and they became quite wealthy, able to set up small but bustling and packed metropolises on an Eastern chain along the biggest continent. Similar cities were also built on the other three continents, but they served to integrate Mankind with Nature rather than attempt to subjugate it.
This peace did not last long, as the great Age of Strife soon came upon them. Warp rifts tore open the fabric of reality, vomitting out daemonic hordes and destruction. Yet, as necessity Draconis III had already constructed countless Knight suits to combat immense goliaths from both sea and forests, the Draconian population was able to stem the horrific tide and repel them back to the foul dimension from which they emerged. In this way, Draconis III managed to survive the horrors of the Old Night and continue to prosper despite being isolated from the rest of humanity. Having practiced self-sustainance, and already alienated because of their attempts to coexist with Nature rather than subjugate it, Draconis III welcomed this change and continued to develop. However, much of their technology was reduced to ruins when their Artificial Intelligences rebelled, only to be ruthlessly put down by the Knights that patrolled the continents for any sign of Chaos. It was this that led to their technological regression and further deepened their faith in Nature rather than technology.
An imposing figure, the Knight Paladin of House Yato stands guard over Draconis III.
As the millennia passed, the Knights began to take command by virtue of their prestige and great martial power, and replaced the aristocrats as the new ruling class. Fights began to break out between these newly emerging powers and they splintered off into many different factions, each ruling over a domain of their own. Much like other Knight Worlds, they devolved into a feudal system, with vassals pledging loyalty to the Nobles in exchange for protection or chances for glory. Having already possessed one of the most number of Knights in the galaxy, Draconis III descended into bloody civil war as each of these Knight warlords sought to subjugate each other and reign supreme over the four continents. The greatest of these warlords were known as Daimyo, the Big Name. Being the greatest of powers, they fought, forged alliances, dabbled in politics such as engaging in political marriages to strenghten the ties of two houses, and traded. The darkest period of Draconis III, the Knights and millions of their vassals, who would later provide the foundation for a Planetary Defense Force and later an Imperial Guard Regiment, clashed and flooded Draconis III's fertile soul with blood and iron. Hundreds of Knights duelled each other in honorable battles, the few Warlord Titans, who would later form Legio Draconis under Collegia Titanica on the newly founded Forge World of Draconis IV, providing apocalyptic firepower that leveled mountains, razed cities to the ground and even tear open the stalwart defenses of the bustling metropolises.
The warriors did not care about coexisting with Nature in the way their preceding ruling class did. Focused solely on victory, they trampled upon the grassy plains of Draconis III in their hulking, adamantine armor, followed by columns of armored tanks. Thankfully, they did not have the technical expertise or vision to industrialize their world either, so the ecology of Draconis III remained largely untouched. The Rough Riders used to make up the majority of the soldiers, escorted by marching ashigaru, or foot soldiers, but their ineffectiveness against the colossal armor of Imperial Knights drove them to obsolescence, and the warlike leaders grudgingly acknowledged the futility of sending mere foot soldiers into combat with these giants. What few Standard Template Constructs and manufactorums left were used to construct armored tanks, which allowed even the common soldier to at least wound a towering Knight. A single tank might not be able to put a dent, but an entire squadron of tanks firing in concerted unison could put down a single Knight. This, of course, was limited to the relatively few tanks produced - numbering only in their thousands as opposed to the millions of marching foot soldiers, but it at least reduced the senseless loss of life. The particular military tradition was kept and later served as the foundation for the Planetary Defense Force, and subsequently the Draconian Armored Defense Force, which is almost entirely made out of tank and aerial companies. The few foot soldiers who stubbornly volunteetered to march into suicidal skirmishes were whittled down, and the survivors formed the core of an elite infantry force that will later be organized into Kamikaze troopers - the Draconian ADF's version of storm troopers. Dropping from obsolete hover crafts such as helicopters to execute impossible missions, they have now evolved into an airborne force that grav-chute out of Vendetta gunships to strike surgically at key installations or high-value targets. This has not changed and they carry out similar operations much like they did in the past when a small elite squad assassinated isolated Knights by themselves after steathily parachuting from their helicopters.
It is in this dark period when a shrewd tactician emerged. The Daimyo of House Yato, Yato Yasutaka, devised a strategy to begin uniting the divided Houses of Draconis III under one rule. Forging alliances with the powerful House Takeda and the indomitable House Uesugi, he slowly picked off one House after another, adding their domains and military might to that of his House and his allies. Manipulating politics so that the rulers of House Takeda and House Uesugi would remain loyal to him, either through family marriages or promises of glory, he was able to unite Draconis III under four decades of constant warfare. At long last, he had all the Knight Houses, including the great House Oda, the stubborn House Tokugawa, the resilient House Akita, all pledge loyalty to him as he took up rule as the High King. Dispersing his defeated foes into divided territories, he was able to build up and maintain his power base, ensuring the rule of his descendants. Under House Yato, Draconis III returned to propsering once more, the civilians able to experience peace and joy after millennia of bloody warfare. As centuries went past, House Yato and its allies, House Takeda and House Uesugi, began to subsume and integrate the other Houses into their own clans, and eventually there were only three Houses left, the others either now part of the three great Houses or destroyed.
This was not to last, however, as within another few millennia, the Imperium stumbled upon the isolated world. Already 5 millennia past its Great Crusade, the Imperium was still continuing their efforts to reclaim long-lost human colonies and return them to the fold of the Emperor. The naval armada, as well as a garrison of Imperial Guard troops descended onto the planet to negotiate with the powerful but aging Knights. Recognizing the immense firepower and undecipherable scale the Imperium presented, the current ruler, Yato Yoshinobu decided to minimize bloodshed and attempted to preserve his planet's autonomy through negotiations. He was intelligent enough to understand that the aging Knight suits of the three great Houses would not be able to stand up to the massive firepower the Imperium wielded, and that they would never survive a war of attrition against an Imperium that numbered, millions of worlds. Even if they somehow fought off this incursion, they would have incurred unsustainable losses and suffered bloody damage. Not to mention, Yato was already aware of the orbital weapons, and having witnessed the devastation a single Warlord Titan could cause, he reasoned that the naval fleet above could actually destroy their world whenever they wanted.
Fortunately, Yato knew that there would also be benefits to returning to the Imperium, either through old Mythology about an Emperor descended from a sun goddess, or the ancient technology scattered about the planet but rendered out of use by the Age of Strife. Shrewd enough to find an opportunity to recognize this rule, he then made use of the deified Emperor (thanks to the Ecclesiarchy) to legtimize his rule further and named himself Shogun of Draconis III. As Shogun, he had received the right to rule from the Holy Father of Terra, the Emperor Himself, and will reign over this world on His behalf. Recognizing his authority, the Imperium did not aggressively press for more concessions, and after pledging his fealty to the Imperium and promising to send troops to pursue the now defunct Great Crusade or at least defend Mankind from encroaching Chaos and hostile Xenos, House Yato's dominance was all but assured. Yato also saw the need to modernize, realizing that his world's antiquated Knight suits and obsolete armored vehicles were no match for the vast armies the Imperium could bring to bear. Above all, he craved the military technology he was exposed to, such as those huge, orbital vessels, better optimized gunships such as the Vendetta, and the much more armored and powerful Leman Russ tanks that the Imperium had.
The more Imperial Knights, the merrier...right? Right?
The combined Knights of House Yato, House Uesugi and House Takeda number over hundreds, their massive roster only second to that of the great House Raven. Thanks to the Adeptus Mechanicus coming to claim Draconis IV as a Forge World, another cunning move by Yato Yoshinobu to secure allies and the prosperity of his House and allies, they continued to grow in strength, the Mechanicus providing new Knight suits and able to help maintain, repair and even upgrade the existing ones. This also saw Yato realize his dream of modernizing and his, his world emerging as a pre-eminent power much like his ancestors were in the past, and achieving honor and glory that surpassed those of historical legends. With never-ending wars erupting across the Imperium, House Yato and their allies send their Knights across the galaxy to stem the horrific tides of merciless Xenos and corruptible Chaos, the presence of their black adamantium frames a welcome sight to the Imperium Guard and even the vaunted Space Marines. However, the Knightly Houses of Draconis III prefer to fight alongside their most trusted allies, such as the armored tanks of the Draconian Armored Defense Force, a newly formed Imperial Guard/Astra Militarum regiment from their world, and the hi-tech Skitarii Tech-Guard of the Adeptus Mechanicus, or more specifically their allied Forge World, Draconis IV. Marching alongside overwhelming firepower, they continue to wreck and destroy whatever enemies foolish to throw themselves in the path of the Emperor's quest of Enlightenment.
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Sunday, November 29, 2015
Imperial Knights Fluff
Imperial Knights. Our very own mini-Titans, and now available to field in 1,200-point games as a Battle-forged army! YAY! And if someone complains to you about using Super-heavies, grab the Wraithknight he's planning to field and smack his head with it.
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6th Ed Imperial Knight Codex cover.. An Imperial Knight from House Terryn looming over a bunch of puny Space Marines (Ultramarines? Doesn't look like them).
Imperial Knights come from Knight Worlds, and each suit of armor is piloted by a Noble. Knights are not mere war machines, but relics from a lost age of wonders, adamantium-armored giants from a forgotten era. Basically, you can't build these guys from scratch on any random Forge World. You need the STC from the Knight World for the template, or the Adeptus Mechanicus wouldn't be able to construct them like they do for House Raven or during the Great Crusade.
Knights are bonded to their Noble pilots through a rite known as the Ritual of Becoming, aptly name because the Noble "becomes" the Knight by fusing his mind with its machine spirit. Since the pilots are awesome Nobles with nerves of steel and sound mental fortitude, they don't go crazy, but just end up listening to the psychotic whispers of past pilots urging them to give in to the Dark Side...HERESY! BLAM! Ahem...give in to their bloodlust and rampage on the battlefield. This also allows the Noble to take control of the Knight inside the Throne Mechanicum, which is simply a fancy name for cockpit. C'mon, Games Workshop, even Gundam makers Bandai aren't so desperate to give their cockpits some sort of attempting-to-be-cool-but-failing name.
Knight Worlds were founded at the dawn of the Age of Technology, and right after that (some era of great expansion before the Imperium was founded). As such, these worlds are usually habitable planets that Mankind stumbled upon while searching for exploitable resources. They brought their technology with them to fight off the evil dangers inhabiting these planets, often in the form of monstrous predatory beasts or xenos races that resented the invasion, and used them to build giant robots! Using Standard Template Constructs, they were able to mass-produce a specific object flawlessly without the need for skilled what did they build? Awesome giant robots! Huh, towering bipedal exo-suits sound cooler, and Knights sound cooler.
Anyway, these Knights are then piloted by a single pilot because he wants to monopolize such an awesome suit (and who could blame him?), and with their firepower, armor and shields, they were invincible in combat. They could combat colossal beasts and wipe out raiding armies, and thanks to their awesomeness, Mankind propsered in their attempts at interstellar colonization. Apparently, the machinery that bonded the Knight's pilot to his suit had mind-altering properties such as notions of honor and duty, nobility and fealty (which is actually not bad considering the alternatives...wouldn't want a psychotic nut to pilot that scary, amazing suit that's supposed to protect you, not destroy you) being ingrained in his psyche. This turned him into an amazing guy who ended up ruling because of pure they actually started out as commoners and turned themselves into Nobles sworn to defend their home world. Cool.
Unfortunately, Mankind's darkest age arrived, the Age of Strife or the Long Night. Good thing the Knights were controlled by their pilots witout any sort of Artificial Inteilligence, or Humanity would have gone extinct. Thanks to that foresight, the AIs that "got smart" and swore allegiance to Skynet, uh, decided to rebel against humans didn't have these incredible machines on their side. I think we dodged a bullet...or at least a battle cannon round. Unfortuantely, the psykers went mad and inadvertently opened portals for daemons to jump in, and Warp storms joined the party to cut humanity off from each other. Damn. Across the galaxy, Mankind was assailed by unthinkable terrors from all sides.
Thankfully, the Knight worlds withstood the calamity, thanks to the awesome Knights offering unmatched protection. These guys continued to shore up their defenses and ruled over their world with an iron...or adamantium hand. A lot of these knightly houses were warrior aristocrats, and they ended up ruling over neo-feudal societies, and this continued for five thousand years. That's a pretty long time. Eventually, these Knight worlds were rediscovered by the Imperium when the Emperor launched their Great Crusade and found all of Mankind's lost colonies. The Imperium managed to assimilate the Knight worlds, eager to get their hands on a rich bounty of archeotech and unexploited resources, and the Mechanicum of Mars craved the STCs, so they desperately pursued alliances with them. This led to trade between Knight worlds and the Mechanicum, particularly because the former relied greatly on the latter to repair and maintain their Knights, as well as to build new ones. Tech-Priests and technicians seconded to Knight Houses are known as Sacristans, usually trained in Mars or some Forge World before returning to their Knight Houses, and thankfully they're more loyal to their Houses than they are to Mars. Yay. In any case, the Knight worlds and Forge worlds were entwined with each other in mutual support.
Knightly houses are actually self-contained organization, ruled by a single leader called the High King, or if closely aligned with the Adeptus Mechanicus, Princeps. They are also known as Ritter or Patriarch or even Shogun on different planets. The most powerful of the knightly houses are known as the Great Houses, which include House Cadmus, House Terryn, House Griffith and House Hawkshroud. They kind of forgot House Raven, and I'm going to introduce House Yato (and their allied House Uesugi and House Takeda) as another. Yay. The nobles who serve under these High Kings or Princeps (or Shogun) are known as Barons, but they also go by many other names, such as Caliphs, Kaisers and...yes, Daimyos! MY KNIGHT HOUSE IS CANON! Thank you, Games Workshop and Forge World! WOOHOO! They made my Japanese-inspired Knight House canon!
Anyway, Imperial Knights are devided into those Knightly houses loyal to the Imperium and those aligned with the Adeptus Mechanicus. The latter are often called upon to support Titan Legions, and escorted by Skitarii (wow, I actually have a fluffy army if that's the case). Anyway, the alignment with Mechanicus gives these Knight worlds benefits such as greater technological resources. On the other hand, an Imperial-aligned House would have more freedom and greater autonomy, and are not bound by ancient pacts with the sinister Tech-Priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus, who often conceal insidious motives. Go ask Baron Roland of House Cadmus if you don't believe me. He got so pissed off by an idiotic Tech-Priest, Adept Nemonix, that he took his entire Knight army off the planet of Vondrak and left them to the jaws of the Great Devourer when the dumb Adept tried to backstab and have him killed. Serves him right.
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7th Ed Imperial Knight codex cover. Featuring Baron Roland from House Cadmus, perhaps?
Anyway, House Cadmus is much more autonomous and free than when they were bound tightly to a pact with the now-destroyed Forge World of Gryphonne IV. They must be very grateful to Hive Fleet Leviathan indeed. But those bastards destroyed entire Imperial Guard regiments in the Shield of Baal, so I still hate those guys.
Anyway, here's a list of Knightly houses and their worlds.
House Taranis - Mars (Man, these dudes were awesome in the novel Mechanicum by Graham McNeill! If you haven't read that yet, I urge you to read it...NOW! Oh, and add Lightning Hall to that list! Don't ask me why Black Library spelled it as Lighting Hall, they screwed up the title in their website. They are also known as the Knight Patriarchs, they usually serve alongside one of the Triad Ferrum Morgulus - basically Legio Ignatum, the Fire Wasps, Legio Tempestus, the Storm Lords, and the traitor Legio Mortis, the Death's Heads, of Mars. Fought alongside Legio Tempestus against Legio Mortis on Mars shortly after the Death of Innocence)
House Zavoa - Mars (A retcon if I ever saw one, they are known as the Wayward Knights, usually fighting alongside the Triad Ferrum Morgulus like House Taranis, and the surviving Loyalists sought refuge in Ryza after most of them were wiped out or turned Traitor on Mars)
House Morbidia - Mars (Traitors who deserve to burn)
House Sidus - Ryza (has a lot of cool, exotic Mechanicum-exclusive Knight armors such as Knights Styrix, Knights Magaera and Knights Atrapos, known as the Scions of Ryza or The Shackled)
House Raven - Kolossi (they are supposed to be bonded to Legio Metallica, the Iron Skulls, of Metallica, but somehow they don't have their own rules in Adeptus Titanicus. Wait, what? You're kidding, right?)
House Terryn - Voltoris (They're tearing the upstart Tau Empire a new one! I want a novel on how the Imperial Knights kicked the Tau's asses on Voltoris! They are known as the Marshalls of Serenity and have some relationship with the forge world, Lucius, aand Voltoris is known as the "Tranquil World")
House Cadmus - Raisa
House Griffith - Dragon's End
House Hawkshroud - Krastellan (These are the guys you want on your side - once they owe you a debt, they'll always come running to you whenever you ask for help. YAY!)
House Mortan - Kimdaria
House Althalos - Kimdaria
House Thalmus - Kimdaria
House Vulker - Aurous IV
House Krast - Chrysis (Take the h away and you'll get Crysis, an awesome game by Crytek)
House Agaron - Silverdawn
House Aramos - Rapture
House Blackskull - Scuptium VII
House Borgius - Dutonis
House Navaros - Dutonis
House Brahmica - Alaric Prime (Go read Sanctus Reach: The Red Waaagh! It's an awesome campaign featuring the Cadian Imperial Guard and the Imperial Knights of Alaric Prime!)
House Calestros - Alaric Prime
House Coldshroud - Gryphonne Octad (known as the Gryphonne Sires, they are bonded to Legio Gryphonicus of the forge world, Gryphonne IV, the War Griffons)
House Col'Khak - Atar-Planitia (known as the Col'Khak Collective, bonded to Legio Atarus, the Firebrands, of forge world Atar-Median)
House Curtana - Karastus
House Degallio - Alaric Prime (Ouch, this poor House ended up being destroyed by the end of Sanctus Reach: The Red Waaagh! campaign...or at least in the Hour of the Wolf. Sigh)
House Helmast - Alaric Prime
House Hermetika - Kaldeia
House Illius - Vorinth
House Nero - Vorinth
House Kamata - Alaric Prime
House Kestren - Alaric Prime
House Khord - Avalane VI (Cerastus Knight-Lancers! WOO!)
House Orhlacc - Dark Haven (That sounds ominous, and it's their prime world) and Wychval (a secondary world, apparently) (known as the Knights of the Manticore, they are also nomadic, having to evacuate Dark Haven during the Horus Heresy and fight against the Warmaster. Apparently they returned to recolonize Dark Haven after the Heresy, where they continue to operate even today)
House Trainor - Mancora (why not just name them Trainer?)
House Vornherr - Luhnborg-IX (known as the Luhnborg Uhlanii or the Bloody Dukes, they became the Black Lancers after the betrayal at Calth, bonded to Legio Praesagius, the True Messengers, of forge world Gantz, and Legio Tempestus, the Storm Lords, of Mars and Orestes - the Loyalist Legio Tempestus, anyway, not the Traitors, and almost wiped out at Calth)
House Vyronii - Damaetus III/II (the awesome Knight house who fought against the Horus Heresy after being stabbed in the back by traitorous Mechanicum Adepts, known as the Wardens of Felweather, 'God-eaters' and allied to forge world Mezoa, they fought against the Mitu Conglomerate with help of the Dark Angels)
House Wentorth - Baroda
House Procon Vi - Procon VI (bonded vassal Knight House to Legio Solaria, or Imperial Hunters, of forge world Tigrus)
House Devine - Molech (bloody traitors who deserve their extinction)
House Kaska - Molech
House Kaushik - Molech
House Donar - Molech (one of the most epic Houses ever, made a last stand against the Death Guard)
House Mamaragon - Molech
House Indra - Molech
House Tazkhar - Molech
House Moritain - Ceamira (often helping out Legio Astraman, the Morning Stars, of forge world Graia, and notably artistic, scholarly and incredibly intelligent - basically the nerd Knights of Horus Heresy, and I bet they get along really well with the Thousand Sons)
House Malinax - Xana II (the archenemy of House Yato, the 2 Knight Houses clashing as early as the Razing of Prospero where House Yato fought on the side of the Thousand Sons. House Yato would continue to fight against forces of House Malinax throughout the Horus Heresy, particularly during the Battle of Beta-Garmon, the Crusade of Iron and the Siege of Terra)
House Yato - Draconis III
House Uesugi - Draconis III
House Takeda - Draconis III
House Akita - Draconis III
House Oda - Draconis III
House Tokugawa - Draconis III
The last six houses, in particular the three main houses, House Yato, House Uesugi and House Takeda, will be written in a separate article because they're my original creations and I would like to expand a bit more on their fluff and history. Yay.
And then there's the lovable Freeblades, such as Gerantius, the Forgotten Knight, and the Obsidian Knight! They are basically pilots who broke off from the Knight houses and become independent, fighting wherever they want and whenever they want. I kid you not. Well, it's usually because they have sworn revenge on a particular enemy and decides to hound them to death, chasing them to the ends of the galaxy to wreck bloody vengeance. And stuff. So yeah. Plus they are legendary characters who kill their enemies LIKE A BOSS! Just look at what Gerantius did to the Orks in Alaric Prime! And the Obsidian Knight...there's no killing him! I know he fell into a ravine in Kauyon, but I bet my entire Imperial Knight collection that he will be back in Mont'ka! Yeah! Well, turns out I was right. Not that it matters.
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Skitarii Fluff
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The Omnissiah has finally blessed us with our own codex!
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We look awesome while kicking ass!
The Skitarii also escort the vast goliaths of the Centurio Ordinatus and serve as meat-shields for the god-machines of the Titan Legions, which actually have their own Skitarii Legions who serve separately and answer only to the Titan Legions' Princeps rather than the Tech-priests of the Cult Mechanicus (though it seems that the Princeps are still subject to the authority of Mars, as seen in the novel, Wrath of Iron, where Magos Ys had the authority to execute Princeps Firax Lopi of Legio Astorum, but in other novels, such as Titandeath, the Princeps Senioris have more authority than the Tech-priests and Magi of the Cult Mechanicus). The Tech-Priests commanding the Legio Cybernetica are pretty cool as they do lead in the front, and their battle robots are bolstered by Skitarii. I wonder what cool new rules we'll get with the new 9th edition Adeptus Mechanicus codex. The Skitarii also play bodyguards and babysit Tech-Priests brave but reckless enough to take the field and it has to be said that I would rather follow these Tech-Priests who stick their into danger than the pussy Magos sitting comfortably in a large ship floating high above in orbit.
The old lore claimed that Skitarii had no transports and they would march for months on their robotic limbs, which is...quite frankly, stupid as warp, and I'm glad they retconned that BS. Seriously, the Adeptus Mechanicus is all about efficiency, and who thought it was efficient to drop a bunch of Skitarii miles away and have them march to the objective on foot? By the time they reach there, the war would be over. Thankfully, they retconned that dumb piece of fluff and now Skitarii are transported into battles atop hovering Skorpius Duneriders or borne into the air inside Archaeopter Transvectors.
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The Skitarii Legion in a Forge World are divided into macroclades, before being divided into Skitarii War Cohorts, which are in turn comprised of Battle Maniples. So yeah, that's where you get all your cool Formations from. Yay! Each Maniple have their own Skitarii Vanguard, Skitarii Rangers, Sicarian Ruststalkers, Sicarian Infiltrators, Ptexarii Skystalkers, Ptexarii Sterylizors (who came up with that lame name?), Ironstrider Ballistarii, Syndonian Dragoons, Serberys Sulphurhounds, Serberys Raiders, Skorpius Duneriders, Onager Dunecrawlers, Skorpius Disintegrators, Archaeopter Transvector, Archaeopter Stratoraptor and Archaeopter Fusilave. Yeah, we had a ton of reinforcements in late 8th edition, thanks to Psychic Awakening: Engine War. These guys will march into war and obliterate everything in their path, all from a single order from a Tech-Priest, solely to further the Quest of Knowledge!
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Friday, November 27, 2015
Battle Report 6
I managed to get a game with a friend yesterday, and after arranging to have a match we decicded to play Adeptus Mechanicus against Necrons. I originally wanted to try out Legio Cybernetica (or the Cohort Cybernetica Formation) against his Necrons, but he wanted to play against my Imperial Knight, so I decided to go with the Adeptus Mechanicus War Convocation instead. Just as well, I found out that I needed my Imperial Knight for a lot of stuff, except that I accidentally got him wrecked by a few of my stupid decisions.
Adeptus Mechanicus War Convocation
We decided to play 1,850 points, so I took out a single Onager Dunecrawler from my usual list and downgraded my Knight Crusader into a Knight Warden. I need a lot more practice with this army as I got wrecked in this game. Oh well. Thankfully, my friend was good-natured and a good sport to offer advice and walk me through the rules of the game because this was only my 2nd Maelstrom game so far and I wasn't very familiar with it.
I should get the rulebook, but $120 at retail?! I don't know if I should just get it off Ebay but I'm kind of reluctant to pay over $20-$30 for shipping, which just brings it back up to a high price anyway. Oh well. And I really need to learn how to play this army. Granted, the Necrons' assault ability completely destroyed my dedicated assault units such as Ruststalkers, and my firepower was nullified by their high toughness, 3++ or 4++ invulnerable saves, and loads of Reanimation Protocols. And for some reason his Flayed Ones and Overlord had Feel No Pain in addition to Reanimation Protocols (or just his Overlord, I forgot).
Anyway, this is my friend's army. He has 3 Tomb Blades, 2 Warrior Squads, one of whom is inside a Ghost Ark, an Immortal squad of 7, his Necron Overlord as his Warlord, put inside a blob of Flayed Ones, a Monolith, a Destroyer Lord with a bunch of Lych Guards and a C'tan formation with two Crypteks. Ouch.
More Necrons!
He has a really cool C'tan that he made himself from scratch using a bunch of msaking tape and spare parts! He also built his Monolith with Lego, which makes it all the more cooler!
Adeptus Mechanicus War Convocation
As for me, I brought Battle Maniple comprising of a squad of Skitarii Vanguard with 3 plasma calivers, 5 Skitarii Rangers with 2 arc rifles (Haywire!), 5 Sicarian Ruststalkers, 5 Sicarian Infilitrators with taser goads and flechette blasters, an Ironstrider Ballistarius (who was completely useless the entire game), and 2 Onager Dunecrawlers with the Icarus array (which was surprisingly effective) and Cognis Manipulator. The Alphas all had conversion fields for that 4++ save, which...didn't help much. Plus Pater Radium (which I completely forgot!!!!) for my Vanguard, Omniscient Mask for Rus
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http://www.vvip.co/news/singapores-jewel-changi-airport-houses-the-worlds-tallest-indoor-waterfall/
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Since claiming the title of “World’s Best Airport” for the seventh straight year, Changi Airport in Singapore has officially opened its doors to the stunning new Jewel complex. The 137,000-square-meter space is an extension of the hub’s already luxurious amenities, and stakes its claim as having the world’s tallest indoor waterfall.
Jewel Changi Airport was designed by architect Moshe Safdie and features a dome-shaped structure made of steel and glass. The 10-floor building encompasses over 280 retailers, including restaurants, gardens, galleries, shops and a hotel. While familiar labels such as Nike and adidas have outposts in the division, other brands entering Singapore’s market for the first time have also opened stores, including OYSHO and Pokémon Center.
The centerpiece of the opening is the monumental HSBC Rain Vortex, which measures a soaring 40-meters high. It’s accompanied by other wildlife activities, such as the Manulife SkyNets trampoline, the Hedge Maze (Singapore’s largest) and the giant Discovery Slides.
“The vision for Jewel Changi Airport is to be a destination where ‘The World meets Singapore, and Singapore meets the World,’” said Hung Jean, CEO of Jewel Changi Airport Devt.
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http://www.feedage.com/feeds/275755/european-union
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The Ethical Argument for Free Trade - Daniel Hannan on Brexit
Mon, 28 Nov 2016 12:00:00 -0500
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Brexit Process Getting More Complicated
Fri, 04 Nov 2016 12:55:00 -0400
Tue, 01 Nov 2016 11:20:00 -0400
Socialist Regional Government in Belgium Torpedoes EU-Canada Free Trade Deal
Mon, 24 Oct 2016 15:50:00 -0400
Euro Logic: We Must Kill Free Speech to Promote Free Speech
Tue, 27 Sep 2016 09:30:00 -0400
Can the European Union Survive?
Fri, 16 Sep 2016 15:15:00 -0400
The Unbearable Triteness of Brexit Commentary
Tue, 28 Jun 2016 16:40:00 -0400
Brexit is an Opportunity For Britain to Return its Classical Liberal Roots
Mon, 27 Jun 2016 17:00:00 -0400
Mon, 27 Jun 2016 15:30:00 -0400
Friday A/V Club: The Brexit Video
Fri, 24 Jun 2016 14:00:00 -0400
Britain’s Exit from the European Union Might Leave Both the U.K. and the E.U. Better Off
Fri, 24 Jun 2016 11:31:00 -0400
If you want to understand why markets are crashing in the aftermath of yesterday's Brexit vote, take a quick glance at Dechert's guide to the legal and financial implications of the vote. Although the referendum is non-binding, most observers now expect that the United Kingdom will move to separate itself from the European Union (EU). But exactly how that process will work, and what the end result will be, as well as when the separation will be final, is entirely unclear. Dechert's guide offers a hint as to just how many knots there are to untangle: It covers everything from trade deals and financial regulations to intellectual property law data retention requirements. And a lot of the challenges of unwinding won't be discrete, since much of this stuff is bound together in various ways, and likely to continue that way for a while: Spain, for example, is calling for "joint sovereignty" with Britain over Gibraltar, which sounds...complicated. The potential complexity of it all is incredibly intimidating. No one really knows how it will play out. So what you're seeing right now is panic induced by uncertainty, like kids becoming hysterical when they find out their parents are getting divorced. It's a big shock to the system. But while uncertainty can be a prelude to catastrophe, and prolonged uncertainty can itself result in serious trouble, it's not necessarily a sign that everything is in the process of falling apart. One potential outcome here is that, after a little while, the panic stops, and Britain manages its exit more or less smoothly, freeing itself from the grip of European regulators while encouraging the EU, an awkwardly designed governing body which has struggled in recent years to manage its affairs, to begin the process of self-examination and eventually institute a series of reforms. That's the argument that British economist Andrew Lilico made recently in an interview with Vox's Timothy Lee—that while Britain has gained from being part of the EU, both entities will be better off apart, and that the split, while upsetting to markets in the short term, will ultimately pave the way toward long-term gains for both, with the EU becoming stronger and more unified in a way that it simply couldn't with Britain attached. Britain, in this thinking, helped set EU culture early on, but was simply too independent to ever fully integrate with the continent. Post-Brexit, basically, the EU is free to become the United States of Europe. I'm a little less confident that this scenario will play out. Britain's exit from the EU is just as likely to lead to more sovereign squabbling and a further breakdown of the EU. But ultimately even that might be better in the long run, as the EU as it stands is a deeply dysfunctional governing body that has consistently proven itself unable to effectively respond to the challenges it faces. The design of the EU is inherently awkward: Its monetary union is undercut by its lack of a fiscal union, and its attempts to maintain some level of national sovereignty are undercut by its power imbalances and anti-democratic elements. The structure is inherently unstable. Regardless of which way it goes, the Brexit vote is likely to spur the EU to take action and move beyond its current unstable equilibrium. It's as clear a sign as any that the EU can't go on doing what it's been doing. It's a wake up call, basically. So while there are certainly risks to a dramatic move like this, that's a good thing overall. In the meantime, Britain is probably better off no matter what. If the EU moves toward becoming the smoothly functioning super-state that Lilico hopes for, then Britain will have helped make that possible. And if the EU continues in its dysfunction, or breaks up further, Britain will have extricated itself, protecting i[...]
Do Robots Dream of Electric Retirement Savings Accounts?
Thu, 23 Jun 2016 16:55:00 -0400
A European Parliament draft report is calling for the European Union to embrace the sci-fi future of autonomous robots and artificial intelligence and all that ethical considerations that follow. Though really, partly what it's all about is worrying that automation will wreak havoc on government-run benefits systems and who will face financial liability for what might happen if sentient robots are treated like people. If Skynet tries to destroy us all, can we sue it? Here's how Reuters summarizes the basics: Europe's growing army of robot workers could be classed as "electronic persons" and their owners liable to paying social security for them if the European Union adopts a draft plan to address the realities of a new industrial revolution. Robots are being deployed in ever-greater numbers in factories and also taking on tasks such as personal care or surgery, raising fears over unemployment, wealth inequality and alienation. Their growing intelligence, pervasiveness and autonomy requires rethinking everything from taxation to legal liability, a draft European Parliament motion, dated May 31, suggests. One part about government benefit systems reads "[T]he development of robotics and AI may result in a large part of the work now done by humans being taken over by robots, so raising concerns about the future of employment and the viability of social security systems if the current basis of taxation is maintained, creating the potential for increased inequality in the distribution of wealth and influence." Fundamentally, statements like that are massive reminders that government entitlement and retirement programs are based on shifting money from one group of people to another and not some sort of savings program that people and employers pay into that sits in a "lockbox" earning money from investments and such. (Not that this report or these European nations are trying to pull the kind of shell game that goes on in America when talking about our Social Security programs.) It furthermore assumes—as some always seem to have assumed going back to the very beginning of industrialization—that the job opportunities are finite resources, and once a job goes away due to innovation, the person who once worked that job is rendered to be completely obsolete with nothing else to offer the marketplace. But that's just not how it works. In resistance to the idea that industries that automate might have to pay even more in taxes to pay for not having employees, one German robotics expert pointed out that the number of people employed by the automotive industry there has increased by 13 percent over the past five years even as the use of industrial robots also increased. If you take a long view of industrialization and grasp that automation frees the marketplace to focus on other things, this statement from the report looks like a simple money grab. There's a separate section in the report that even acknowledges how automation creates new opportunities and new fields of work that should be studied and prepared for. And then immediately we end up here: Bearing in mind the effects that the development and deployment of robotics and AI might have on employment and, consequently, on the viability of the social security systems of the Member States, consideration should be given to the possible need to introduce corporate reporting requirements on the extent and proportion of the contribution of robotics and AI to the economic results of a company for the purpose of taxation and social security contributions; takes the view that in the light of the possible effects on the labour market of robotics and AI a general basic income should be seriously considered, and invites all Member States to do so. The idea of a basic guaranteed income ha[...]
Americans Should Welcome a Brexit
Thu, 23 Jun 2016 10:30:00 -0400
Today, Britain will vote on the most important decision in its constitutional history: whether to leave the European Union (EU). Many in the U.S. are probably glad not to have that responsibility, especially given the recent razor thin polling margins. Some Americans worry that a post-EU U.K. could be insular and disengaged. It's understandable—many voices urging a "Remain" vote paint a British EU exit, or "Brexit," as a struggle between enlightened cosmopolitans and inward-looking xenophobes. We're told Brexit will cause catastrophe and recession by an economic establishment with a clear vested interest in Britain's continued EU membership. British Prime Minister David Cameron even claimed that leaving could lead to World War III. These are the wrong ways for us to think about Britain's choice. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to free themselves from an ossified, undemocratic power structure. It's a chance for the U.K. to look beyond the continent's economic stagnation and embrace the rest of the world through free trade and fairer immigration. It's also a chance to give other EU members a fighting chance at reforming their system. Americans should embrace all of that. The European Union uses the lofty rhetoric of international cooperation but functionally deprives Europeans of the ability to determine their own futures. The European Parliament is a legislative body in name only. European Members of Parliament (MEPs) can't actually introduce new laws. Legislation comes from the European Commission. The 28 commissioners, one from each member nation, are appointed separately from its President. Instead of pledging to defend the interests of their home countries, members swear an oath to the European Court of Justice, the EU's Supreme Court. The court can force member states to follow EU laws and regulations their people might reject. Had the American constitutional convention proposed this kind of arrangement in 1789, we'd have rejected it out of hand. With bureaucratic accountability thrown by the wayside, the European Union is technocracy at its worst. The EU's backbone is its behemoth civil service. It pays over 10,000 employees (more than a fifth of its total) higher salaries than David Cameron. Nobody knows quite how many rules they create--only that the pace is frantic. An estimate by Vote Leave suggests that the EU regulations over the past decade alone tower as high as Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square. The rules so meticulously govern everyday life that there's at least 454 referencing bathroom towels. All of this red tape comes at a price. Pro-Brexit think-tank Open Europe estimates that the most burdensome EU regulations cost Britain nearly $50 billion a year in compliance costs. Though the exact burden is debated due to different measurements of EU trade benefits, Remainers ignore the huge opportunity costs Britain forgoes not taking control of its economic destiny. If Britain left the EU, it would be able to trade more freely with the world than ever before. Free from the EU's collective trade negotiations, Britain can sign agreements with America and other powerhouses like China, and Japan. With nearly a quarter of American foreign corporate assets in the U.K., our politicians would be falling over themselves to take leadership roles in new trade negotiations. A January report from the U.K.'s Civitas Institute revealed just how much better tinier, non-EU countries have done outside the Union. It found that Switzerland, Singapore, Korea, and Chile all managed to secure trade agreements internationally worth more than twice what the EU has accomplished for its members through its single market and EU-negotiated trade deals. By ceding negotiation power to Brussels, the report argu[...]
The Brexit Vote is a Referendum on the European Union’s Thousands of Stifling Regulations
Wed, 22 Jun 2016 16:00:00 -0400
How many people does it take to change a lightbulb in England? Depends on what the European Union (EU) says. A priest in Suffolk, England used to hire a man to climb a ladder to change his lightbulbs. That was fine until the European Union Working at Heights Directive banned this activity so that now the priest must spend the British equivalent of nearly $2,000 to take two days to erect a scaffold. Is it any wonder that people in the U.K. are upset with the regulations imposed from Brussels? Between 1957 and 1997 the EU put out 10,000 regulations. In the next seven years, they added an additional 12,000 regulations (about 1,700 per year). The vast majority of them (only about 1 in 200) have no analysis of the likely impacts. This is problematic as the costs of EU regulations are estimated to be above 70 percent of the costs of all regulation. But relative to the pace of regulations put out by the U.S. federal government, the EU could be viewed as highly restrained. In 2015 alone, the United States put out 3,378 rules (with another 2,234 under consideration). How do we end up with so many regulations, including the ones that may cause a church to close down? The standard answer in economics is "concentrated benefits and dispersed costs." What that means is that there are always groups—whether they are industry groups or activists groups—who gain a lot from an individual regulation, meaning they get the concentrated benefits. But the people who bear the costs—consumers, small business owners, and workers—generally pay small costs for each individual rule. As the rules add up, so do the costs. The issue is that while ordinary people bear these costs, the incentive for any individual to object to a single regulation is fairly small. The United States has its own share of stupid rules like specifying the number of cherries that must be in fruit cocktail or the 11 different allowed ways to pack pineapple in a can. And we don't do a very good job at looking at the impact of our rules either, for big or small. Between 2004 and 2013 only 116 out of the 37,000 regulations had estimates of benefits and costs. How about impacts on small businesses? The EPA recently certified that a gigantic rule expanding their jurisdiction over waters in the United States (WOTUS) did not significantly impact small businesses. Farmers appear to disagree strongly. It's easy to understand the sentiment behind a "Brexit" when the EU required farmers in the U.K. to buy £5,000 machines to label every egg as to when it was laid and the identity of the chicken. (Who knew they all had names?) But go or stay, the problem of regulation will remain in the U.K., just as it will in the United States. However, if the U.K. decides to leave the EU, there are some reforms they could undertake to begin to get control over the regulatory state. First, set up the system to ensure legislators know what problem they are addressing. Make sure alternative ways to solve the problem are considered and that the benefits of the chosen solution exceeds the costs. This is known as a regulatory impact analysis. Make this a legal mandate, meaning that if an agency doesn't do it, anybody can go to court to stop the rule. Second, don't pass legislation that gives agencies the authority to pass rules into infinity and with deference on their interpretations from the courts. Third, sunset the legislation, provide for retrospective review and give the agencies a social budget cost to implement the legislation. Finally, make agencies accountable to legislators. For really big rules, with a high economic impact, they should have legislative approval. There are many, many bills before the U.S. Congress right now trying to imp[...]
Is Britain About to Leave the European Union?
Tue, 21 Jun 2016 11:59:00 -0400
(image) Is the United Kingdom about to withdraw from the European Union? British voters will make that call during a referendum held this Thursday, and the prognosis looks...cloudy at best.
A little background: The push to depart, colloquially known as the "Leave," "Exit," or "Out" campaign, is the brainchild of so-called "Eurosceptics" who feel the country has relinquished an unacceptable level of its national sovereignty to Brussels (home of many of the E.U.'s most important institutional bodies). The "Stay," "Remain," or "In" campaign, which has the backing of both President Obama and Prime Minister David Cameron (head of the U.K.'s Conservatives), argues that a Brexit would throw Europe's economy into tumult and destabilize the British pound.
What do the polls suggest is likely to happen?
For several months it's been painfully close, with Remain for the most part holding on to a slim lead, although for a few days last week Leave seemed to be making a comeback. But then came the assassination on Thursday of British Member of Parliament Jo Cox, an outspoken supporter of remaining in the E.U. Three polls released over the weekend showed public opinion swinging back toward Remain; Ladbrokes, a British gambling platform, currently has the odds at 3–1 against Leave.
The Economist put together an interactive poll tracker you can access here. As of yesterday, it looked like this:
Not very helpful. The latest Financial Times' poll of polls also finds the slimmest of margins, with Remain trailing Leave 44 percent to 45 percent.
On top of the lack of a clear leader, there's another factor to consider: whether the polls that are going into these averages are systematically off. Recall that the U.K. parliamentary election last year turned out dramatically differently (with the Conservative Party cleaning up) than surveys had predicted. And as my feature from the February issue, "Why Polls Don't Work," lays out, there are reasons to be concerned that the public opinion industry as a whole has lost the ability to call elections right.
So what is the most likely outcome on Thursday? Gun to head, my money would be on the U.K. staying in the European Union. But for all the data at our disposal, it really could go either way.
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http://www.devchronicles.com/2009/06/after-google-io-2009.html
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Saturday, 13 June 2009
After Google I/O 2009
This year Google I/O held on may 27-28 at Moscone West. The registration was closed over a week before and there was more 4000 attendees which I was also luckly in them. Actually my San Francisco trip started a day before joining Google Technology User Group Party at San Francisco where I also had a small presentation.
Google I/O started great, google managed to build so many products and made so many API's available that they really had much to show us. The keynote started with the demonstrations from Google App Engine, GWT2, HTML5 and of course the Android. Actually the moment they mention about Android they also offered us free HTC Magic Android phones so that we wont suffer with emulators. Google is really very generaus and bold in such stuff. Actually when they say that they have more suprises for the next day expectations are set to so high, I was expecting a free macbook to make us work on GWT2, some other people were expecting them to hire us all.
The food, bewerages and the party were all great. When you are in a google organised event you always feel the 'unlimited'. Coffee? it was like a local starbucks inside the moscone operating all the time (unlike javaOne), food? no one asks for a ticket like javaOne you can eat as much and many times as you want. Drinks all unlimited. Even the confrence guide, google announced the will only provide soft copies to be environment friendly but you need a hard copy? they have more printers than a big office building to let you print your own copy in color! When they do that they really make you feel they do it for the environment not to cut down the costs for the conference (i am sure printing one for everyone would cost much less then setting and operating individual printers). Thats the way, the details Google makes you feel they are not evil and honest.
Here are some key points from the conference;
HTML5, seems great! You want to play a video? no need for flash player or jvm or anything just use the new Video tag and let your browser to do the job. The new browsers will also have ability to use hardware components such as GPU! In keynote google demonstraed a 3D application which is directly using the GPU letting the CPU stay as low as %5-10. Seems like with HTML5 need for Javascript will be much less with the new tags and fuctionalities.
Google App Engine, finally got the Java support and out of beta stage. Actually i also published stuff on app engine's java support and it looks really promising. To use app engine the first thing you must consider is to denormalise your database and use Google's BigTable. According to google joins are the main problem for the performance so to get rid of them you must implement BigTable's approach. When people ask about BigTable's performance, scability..etc, Google's answer was simple and fair enough... "we indexed the world with BigTable, all our apps use bigTable, just use it and leave the rest to us...".
GWT team will release version 2 soon and the improvements are awesome! async loading and detailed compiler reports let you know which packages loaded when so that you can fine tune and lower the startup sometimes much more than 10 times less! Results are great, and google also introduced us the Google Wave to prove us that big projects can be built with GWT. As someone who is interested, working, presenting and even teaching on Rich Client platforms, I must admit Google is really make me questioning my beliefs. They are doing great with simple html and javascript on GWT which is now as good as any rich client platform like JavaFX, Flex... etc.
Chrome is a great browser! It is my first choice as long as I work on windows but since I use either MacOS or linux there is no way i can use it. Even in presentations at I/O most of the presenters were using mac books so they used other browsers instead. Come on Google it can't be that hard, I am really waiting for Chrome for Mac!
Android, is really out and ready to rock! As a iphone user I will be very cruel to critisize android, it is definetly not a iphone but definitely the most closest thing ever and can really offer much more time to time. The app market is getting more advanced and soon will attrach more developers. Thanks to google I had the opportunity to use a HTC Magic running Android with unlimited call and data plan during my visit. Want to know where is best buy located in San Francisco just type "best buy san francisco" to the google search boc on the desktop, the browser opens automatically with best buy"s link with an option of "get directions". Just click that and maps application is triggered from the browser and shows you the way! Find the product you are looking for buy not sure if it is the cheapest one? scan the barcode using the cam and the barcode app triggers the browser directly searching for only the barcodes and showing you all matching products. This barcode application was also used during the conference to scan each others conference badge to get others contact details directly to the phonebook. The integration is great! Since apple is using such a closed box principle and not letting running apps background I can't even imagine such a functionality on iphone! iphone is still more capable with thanks to hardware but I believe with a such a open and flexible operating system, very soon more Android compatible phones will be out and as the hardware evolves one day we can really see the real iphone killer. For now Android devices are great compatitor but iphone is easier and may be a little more fun.
Guice, is very fun and easy to use and if you are on app engine just take it without even questioning! As their session name in JavaOne, Enterprise Java is fun again with Guice!
...and finally the Google Wave, for the ones who didn't watch the presentation, Wave is what email would be if it was designed today. It is built with GWT, letting fast startup and incredible rich interfaces and functionality. Can it replace email? well the question should be: does google want to replace email? if they do, yes wave can replace email, social sites, blogs, office and even ms project! and the most dangerous part for the competitors is google can replace each of them by offering great compability and integration but in long term this great integration and compabilty can really make other producuts to become useless and dissolve.
Sometimes I feel like Google is taking over the world just like in the SkyNet does in Terminator movies (I am not saying this in a bad way or sayingthey are evil or bad). They have so many products, apis, tools and services all look like just a small or medium sized fun project but actually is a part of a very big huge project and just acting its part (such as Guice). They didn't buy youTube to make profit on that, they needed the services for other products so they have it now. I really feel like when morning i will wake up and see from my phone to my computer everything would be running on and connected to Google services. As long as they keep the "Don't be Evil" promise (and give away free phones :) ) actually I am ok with them to control everything.
Every session I attended or didnt because it clashes with another is available online! Just go and watch, you will definetly like it!
Oh Microsoft you are in much more trouble than you think you are :) Great job Google!
ps. any one interested in joining Goggle Technology User Group Istanbul? go and get subscribed!
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The Gradual Awakening of Mark Goldberg
Mark responded with this:
Mark answered:
Mark responded:
A Promising New Movement in Germany
A group who call themselves "Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the Occident" (PEGIDA) have started a weekly demonstration. They are not violent. And they are emphatically not racist. They are very clear that what they are against is their own politicians ignoring an important cultural phenomenon. They want it talked about.
As one writer said in a German news outlet, (Deutsche Welle), the problem is that "we are not having a proper debate over the concerns that many people have." Instead, we have media reports that fan the flames of conflict, and politicians who only want to avoid the issue.
In October, the number of people marching were just a few hundred. By Christmas, they numbered 17,500.
Bernd Lucke, leader of the Alternative for Germany Party and professor of macroeconomics at Hamburg University says, "Many people in Germany have legitimate concerns about the spread of radical Islamic ideology, which promotes violence against non-Muslims, robs women and girls of their natural rights, and seeks to require the application of Sharia law.... Because the rule of law, tolerance and freedom of religion are fundamental Western values, the PEGIDA movement must leave no doubt that it is precisely these values that it seeks to defend."
"Despite efforts by German politicians and the media to portray PEGIDA as neo-Nazi, the group has taken great pains to distance itself from Germany's extreme right," says Soeren Kern in a report in a Gatestone report. "The group says that it is 'apolitical' and that its main objective is to preserve what is left of Germany's Judeo-Christian culture and values." Half the people who identify as left-wing Social Democrats agree with the aims of PEGIDA.
The following are excerpts from Soeren Kern's report (read the whole report here):
The latest protest took place in the eastern German city of Dresden on December 8, when more than 10,000 people defied freezing temperatures to express their displeasure with Germany's lenient asylum policies.
Germany — which is facing an unprecedented influx of asylum seekers, including many from Muslim countries — is now the second most popular destination in the world for migrants, after the United States.
The Dresden protest was organized by a new citizens initiative, "Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the West," better known by its German abbreviation, PEGIDA, short for "Patriotische Europäer gegen die Islamisierung des Abendlandes."
PEGIDA, which has been organizing so-called "evening walks" (Abendspaziergang) through downtown Dresden every Monday evening since October, has seen the number of protesters increase exponentially from week to week.
Similar anti-Islamization protests have been held in the western German cities of Hannover, Kassel and Düsseldorf...
These protests are similar to, but separate from, other mass demonstrations organized in Cologne and other German cities by a group called Hooligans against Salafists, or HoGeSa.
PEGIDA was launched by Lutz Bachmann, a 41-year-old Dresden native with no background in politics, after government officials in the eastern German state of Saxony announced that they would be opening more than a dozen new shelters to house some 2,000 refugees.
Bachmann says that he is not opposed to legitimate asylum seekers, but that he is against so-called economic refugees who are taking advantage of Germany's generous asylum laws in order to benefit from the country's cradle-to-grave social welfare system. According to Bachmann, most of the asylum seekers in Saxony are males who have left their families behind in war-torn Muslim countries.
Despite efforts by German politicians and the media to portray PEGIDA as neo-Nazi, the group has taken great pains to distance itself from Germany's extreme right. PEGIDA's motto is "We are the people!" (Wir sind das Volk!), the same slogan used by East Germans to bring down the Berlin Wall in 1989.
On December 10, PEGIDA published a "Position Paper" outlining what the group is "for" and "against" in 19 bullet points. These include:
• PEGIDA is FOR amending the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany to include a list of the right and the responsibility for immigrants to integrate.
• PEGIDA is AGAINST the establishment of parallel societies/parallel legal systems in our midst, such as Sharia Law, Sharia Police, and Sharia Courts, etc.
• PEGIDA is AGAINST hate preachers, regardless of religious affiliation.
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has already come out in support of the PEGIDA protests in Dresden. The AfD — which wants Germany to leave the euro single currency and promotes a tough line on immigration — received 4.7% of the vote in the September 2013 federal election, narrowly failing to reach the 5% threshold needed for representation in Germany's national parliament.
Since then, support for the AfD has surged. The party has extended its gains in regional elections, and also won nine seats in European Parliament elections in May 2014. A poll published in September 2014 found that one in ten German voters now support the AfD. And AfD spokesman Konrad Adam said the party has a "fundamental sympathy for the PEGIDA movement."
AfD leader Bernd Lucke, a professor of macroeconomics at Hamburg University, summed it up this way: "Many people in Germany have legitimate concerns about the spread of radical Islamic ideology, which promotes violence against non-Muslims, robs women and girls of their natural rights, and seeks to require the application of Sharia law. That citizens are expressing these concerns in nonviolent demonstrations is good and right. It is a sign that these people do not feel that their concerns are being taken seriously by politicians. It is an incentive for all politicians to act more decisively at a time when political Islam is challenging and calling into question our rule of law."
Losing Hope
Somebody wrote this comment: "I'm losing hope. Unfortunately, bigots (and as bigots I don't mean us, but those to defend Islam even if they don't know what it is) are winning. They say things like:
• Genital mutilation — just their culture
• Killing — just different values
• etc...
"There is no hope if they are willing to be dhimmies instead to stand up and say: 'This is our country! Respect our rules and if you don't like them, return to your homeland!'"
How I answered:
This is how a free culture evolves. Every worthy, assumption-busting, tradition-breaking cause has to go through the same stages. First people think it's a bad idea and they fight it tooth and nail. Then they're skeptical but listening. Eventually they think it was their idea all along.
Our challenge is how to reach someone whose mind is already made up. The person you're talking to has already gotten a great deal of "education" about Islam from mainstream media. Mainstream news organizations not only present themselves as unbiased, but they all agree with each other on Islam. I don't know if that's because the Islamic PR machine is so effective, or just because somehow the "anti-Islam" position has been associated with conservatives and most people in the mainstream media are liberals, or because they are afraid of Islamic retaliation, but the upshot is that the person you're talking to has heard everyone in authority that he listens to — NPR and PBS and NBC and CBS and ABC and even the last two presidents — all presenting an identical point of view. Namely, that "Islam teaches peace and terrorists are just wackos who have mistakenly attributed their violence and political actions with Islam, but really it has nothing to do with Islam, and besides, most Muslims are peace-loving people, and they are a persecuted minority so not only should we not criticize them, we should bend over backwards to make them feel welcome in this country because that's the kind of people we are."
When someone gets the same message from so many different "authoritative" sources, and only hears people with your point of view in little clips on mainstream news — clips long enough to make the person look like a madman but short enough to give the commentator something to belittle — then they feel completely certain their point of view is right.
That's why they will argue with what you're saying about Islam even though they actually know nothing about Islam.
Can you get better at reaching these people? Yes. But not by doing the same thing in the same way. We need to innovate, study, practice, and share with each other what works. We have several resources to help you with this: Tools To Help You Educate Your Fellow Non-Muslims About Islam.
The most important resource, however, is in your heart. Keep your love of freedom, your love of your fellow citizens, and your fighting spirit. And never never never give up.
A Discussion of Various Methods For Talking to People About Islam
If you have some answers to these questions you would like to share with your fellow counterjihadists, you can always add them here (and read the answers given so far): Talk About Islam Among Non-Muslims.
When You Meet Resistance
Milton Erickson
Milton Erickson was an accomplished and well-respected psychiatrist who created innovative therapeutic techniques and was able to cure or significantly help many seriously mentally ill patients whose cases had stumped every other psychiatrist who had tried to help them before Erickson.
I once read something Erickson wrote that struck me as profound and important at the time, but it wasn't until many years later when I began trying to share what I was learning about Islam that what he wrote became personally relevant. He said in psychiatric literature, they talk a lot about "resistant patients." This is a common phenomenon in psychiatry: Patients often put up psychological barriers to change. Frequently, the mental illness causes intense suffering for the patient, yet patients will often resist change. From the point of view of the psychiatric literature, the resistance originates in the patient.
Erickson's point of view was entirely different. And I believe his different point of view led to his many innovations in the field and allowed him to successfully treat patients who were unreachable by other competent psychiatrists:
Erickson considered a resistant patient to be an indication of his own lack of skill.
In other words, if he was skilled enough at dealing with a particular human psyche, there would be no resistance. If his rapport with the patient was strong enough, there would be no resistance. If he had the right approach, there would be no resistance. And in fact, many times Erickson was able to help "resistant" subjects nobody else could help because he would use their resistance. He would say things like, "I don't want you to change too quickly" and they would resist him by changing immediately.
I often think about this when I run into someone who "just won't listen." My first instinctive response is, "This person is too self-righteous and stubborn to listen." But then I remember Erickson's perspective, and I think maybe I'm just not skilled enough yet. And I wonder, "What might get through to this person?"
We've got a real problem here. If national policies are going to change, a significant percentage of non-Muslims will need to be acquainted with the basic jist of Islamic doctrine. And for this to happen, it is up to us. The media will not do it for us. Politicians won't do it. School teachers aren't going to do it. If it's going to happen, it will be we few who do it — those of us who are now acquainted with Islamic doctrine.
And of course, you've already discovered that a significant proportion of the general population resists learning about Islam. One way to interpret this is, "They are idiots. They won't listen to the facts." Another way to interpret it is, "I must not be skilled enough yet. I wonder what kind of approach might get through to this person? I wonder what new skill I could learn that would make it possible?"
I propose to you that we will accomplish our goal much faster with the second interpretation than we will with the first. And on this topic, speed is important. To see a good example of this approach in action, watch Freedom Writers, get inspired, and then get to work improving your abilities and coming up with new ways to approach the task. And as you discover ways that work, share them with us here: Talk About Islam Among Non-Muslims.
P.S. For efficiency's sake, it is important to focus first on the undecided.
Muslim Roulette
Here are the questions:
It's Official: Muhammad Committed War Crimes
The following was written by Greg Hamilton and originally published on Malsi-Tung. Republished with permission.
The U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria published its findings on the atrocities committed by Islamic State. They have published a paper called "Rule of Terror: Living Under ISIS in Syria" which documents the ISIS tactics of killing, rape, enslavement, and sexual slavery. It defines these as war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Anyone with a reasonable knowledge of Muhammad's life will know the following account:
In March 627 AD, the tribe known as the Banu Qurayzah were besieged and isolated by their Muslim attackers led by Muhammad. They twice offered to leave their stronghold but Muhammad refused their request. He insisted they surrender unconditionally and subject themselves to his judgement. Compelled to surrender, the Qurayzah were led to Medina. A third (and final) appeal for leniency was made to Muhammad by their tribal allies, the Aus. Again Muhammad refused. Instead he orchestrated a sentence of death to be placed on the Banu Qurayzah by appointing a man with a grudge against them to pass judgement.
About 800 men were led to trenches dug in the Market of Medina and there they were beheaded, their decapitated bodies buried in the trenches while Muhammad watched. Male youths who had not reached puberty were spared. Women and children were sold into slavery, some being distributed as gifts among Muhammad’s companions. Muhammad himself took the most beautiful as his sex slave.[1][2][3]
A Chechen jihadist, Abu Muhammad Ar-Rusi, has recently justified the behaviour of IS with reference to this exact same event.
The logic is therefore perfectly clear:
1. The UN body defines these acts [mass executions, sexual slavery, rape, and enslavement] as war crimes and crimes against humanity;
2. Muhammad committed exactly these acts;
3. Therefore Muhammad committed war crimes and crimes against humanity.
[1] The Life of Muhammad: A Translation of Ibn Ishaq's Sirat Rasul Allah, A. Guillaume, translator, (Oxford University Press, 1955) pp. 468-469
[2] For an overview of the literature:
[3] The Quran refers obliquely to the massacre: "And those of the People of the Book who aided them — Allah did take them down from their strongholds and cast terror into their hearts. (So that) some ye slew, and some ye made prisoners" (Quran 33:26). And Muhammad again delivered revelations ascribing victory to Allah alone (Quran 33:9-11)
See Robert Spencer: The Truth about Muhammad pp.130-131
Free Speech Against Political Censorship
In this short interview, Lawfare Project Director Brooke Goldstein discusses what orthodox Muslims are doing to shut down free speech in the West.
The Islamic Campaign to Silence Us
In the first 30 seconds or so, you'll see an ad. And then a short clip about "saying yes to BC." Then the interview starts. The video is 7:36 long.
Why Do Politicians "Lie About Islam?"
Almost every politician in every country asserts, in one form or another, that Islam is a religion of peace. Are they all just lying weasels? Do they really know the truth but try to deceive us? Or are they ignorant? And if they really don't know, why don't they know?
There are many reasons for a politician to say nice things about Islam. First of all, imagine the opposite. Imagine what would happen if a prominent politician, like the president of the United States, were to say, "ISIS is following Islamic doctrine to the letter." What would happen? In the politically-correct climate we live in right now, he would be destroyed by the mainstream media. Op-Eds would criticize his insensitivity and would accuse him of racism and Islamophobia. Organized Muslim groups would also make a big deal out of it, losing any Muslim votes for that politician forever, and probably losing a lot of sympathetic non-Muslim multiculturalist voters as well. Prominent Muslims with doctorates in Islam would authoritatively and publicly convince most of the non-Muslim population that the politician was completely mistaken.
It's also entirely possible that the politician's honesty would set off riots around the world. People might die in these riots, and the politician would be blamed for it. When cartoons of Muhammad were published in a Danish newspaper, 187 people were killed in the ensuing riots, and the editor of the paper has been hunted by devout Muslims ever since. He has already narrowly escaped one assassination attempt.
Contrast all those consequences with simply saying the acceptable thing: "Islam is made up of peaceful, law-abiding citizens and these ISIS barbarians don't understand true Islam." There are almost no negative consequences from this. A few scattered counterjihadists grumble a bit. And that's about it.
I believe most politicians genuinely believe the politically-correct nonsense. And most of the few who have their suspicions about Islam will keep their mouths shut until the political climate changes on that issue.
What will make the political climate change? More citizens who understand what Islamic doctrine really says. When enough of us know the facts, a politician who speaks honestly about Islam will get enough public support to stay in the game.
So if you would like to see politicians tell the truth, the best thing you can do is educate your fellow non-Muslims about Islam.
Freedom of Speech and Islam
Your Free Speech At Risk
Opposing Islamization
The torch of freedom.
A Good Analogy to Use in Conversation: The Remote Island
There Will Come a Time When Everybody Will Listen
Winston Churchill on Islam
Winston Churchill
Speaking Up About Islam in Indiana
What’s in Your Child’s Textbook?
— Marilyn Dudley, Terre Haute, Indiana
Muslims Must Fight Hard to Reform Islam
— Ramachandra B. Abhyankar
John Quincy Adams on Islam
John Quincy Adams
Son of one of America's most important founding fathers (John Adams), John Quincy Adams was by his father's side during the creation of a new country. He went with his father to France and the Netherlands on important diplomatic missions, and later in his life John Quincy was Secretary to the American Minister to Russia, was the Secretary to his father during peace negotiations that ended the American Revolution in 1783, served as U.S. foreign ambassador, both to the Netherlands and later to Portugal, under George Washington, to Prussia under his father’s presidency, and then to Russia and later to England under President James Madison. He served as a U.S. Senator, Secretary of State under President James Monroe, and then as the nation’s sixth President (1825-1829), and finally as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, where he was a staunch and fervent opponent of slavery.
After his presidency, but before his election to Congress in 1830, John Quincy wrote several essays dealing with one of the many Russo-Turkish Wars. In these essays, we see an educated description of Islam and the threat it poses to freedom in the world. This is what John Quincy Adams wrote (the capitalization is in the original):
Between these two religions, thus contrasted in their characters, a war of twelve hundred years has already raged. That war is yet flagrant; nor can it cease but by the extinction of that imposture, which has been permitted by Providence to prolong the degeneracy of man. While the merciless and dissolute dogmas of the false prophet shall furnish motives to human action, there can never be peace upon earth, and good will towards men. The hand of Ishmael will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him. It is, indeed, amongst the mysterious dealings of God, that this delusion should have been suffered for so many ages, and during so many generations of human kind, to prevail over the doctrines of the meek and peaceful and benevolent Jesus.
Notice that Adams not only documents the violent nature of Islam, he further exposes the mistreatment of women embedded in Islamic doctrine. A few pages later, Adams again spotlights the coercive, violent nature of Islam, as well as the Muslim’s right to lie and deceive to advance Islam:
Sources for the above:
• The biographical material on Adams above is an edited version of the original, which can be found here: Source 1
• The quotes about Islam can be found in these two books: Source 2 Source 3
We're Making Headway
According to an article in, "In the early 2000s, just 25 percent of Americans believed that Muslims are prone to violence because of their religion, according to the Pew Research Center. By February of this year, after decade-long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, that number had climbed to 38 percent. Since September, though, it’s jumped to 50 percent in the Pew survey, probably because of high-profile beheadings by fighters for the Islamic States of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS."
Along the same lines, the following appears in an article on ISLAMiCommentary (which refers to itself as "a public scholarship forum, managed out of the The Duke Islamic Studies Center that aims to inform public discourse and policy on Islam and Muslim communities"):
In 17 surveys since 9/11 conducted by Pew, the Arab-American Institute, and other organizations, “unfavorable” responses declined from 2001 through 2006, then veered upward. From 21-24 percent “unfavorable” responses in 2006, negative responses spiked as high as 63 percent in recent years...
When Americans are asked about their attitude toward Islam, rather than Muslims, the rates are even more negative. In 24 surveys over the past dozen years, “unfavorable” responses toward Islam averaged 40 percent, as compared with 32 percent toward Muslims and 25 percent toward Muslim-Americans. “Favorable” responses about Islam outnumbered “unfavorable” responses in almost every survey prior to 2006, but the reverse is true in nearly every survey since then.
The point of view of both of these quoted articles is that this negative attitude is an undesirable trend caused by misunderstanding. I see it as just the opposite: It is a healthy trend caused by an increasing understanding that Islamic doctrine is the basis of many of the world's most important problems.
It's a promising trend, but more work is needed. When the number of non-Muslims who understand Islam reaches an overwhelming majority, the Islamization of the non-Islamic world will be vigorously resisted and the tide will turn. The most important thing that needs to happen to reach that point is for each of us to help educate those of our remaining friends and family who still don't get it. We need to not merely "tell them the truth," but to really get through to them skillfully and successfully.
We're making headway. Let's keep increasing our skill and effectiveness and finish the job.
Is Resisting Islamic Expansion Only For Conservatives?
In the video below, Robert Spencer, apparently speaking to a group of liberals, at least some of which were teachers, makes the point that resisting Islamic domination should not be only for conservatives. I wholeheartedly agree. This important issue should not be used to divide us into two camps, Republican and Democrat.
And conservatives are not, in fact, the only ones who recognize the threat if Islamization, as this recent Pew survey shows. A higher percentage of conservatives recognize Islam's threat than liberals, that's true, but there is a significant percentage of liberals who recognize it, and a sizable percentage of conservatives who do not.
There is a bigger gap by age than by party. The older you get, the more likely you are to understand the threat to your society posed by such an intolerant and violent ideology.
But many liberals think only a conservative would be critical of Islam, and they don't want to associate themselves with something that seems like a conservative cause. Those are the people Robert Spencer was trying to reach, and we need to reach them too, in our own lives. People of all political persuasions should be united in this cause. Watch Spencer's speech here:
A Constructive Argument About Islam
An ex-Muslim atheist and an intellectual atheist argue about the connection between Islam's written ideology and the behaviors of ISIS, Al Qaeda, Boko Haram, Hamas, etc. Are these groups merely following the Islamic texts to the letter? Or are they twisting and distorting Islamic teachings to justify their lust for power or horror?
This is a lively discussion between two people who are at odds with each other for most of the argument, and yet conduct themselves without yelling or name calling. This is a three hour conversation, but worth watching.
Like most people you talk to, the host of this show objects to the idea that Islamic doctrine is any worse than other religions, and he brings up pretty much every objection possible, and argues them vigorously. They are all answered sanely and articulately by Sam Harris.
Harris makes so many good points and uses so many good examples that this interview is worthy of not just watching, but studying. Check it out on here:
Sam Harris and Cenk Uygur Clear the Air on Religious Violence and Islam
This is also a great video to share with your atheist and agnostic friends. They may listen to Sam Harris discussing Islam when they might not listen to a Christian or Jew discussing Islam. They are likely to consider Harris a more credible source of information about religion because he hasn't "picked a side" — he hasn't chosen a favorite religion — so he has no ax to grind in that sense. He's a neutral and impartial evaluator of religions, and he has studied most of them. His educated conclusion is that Islam is a more dangerous ideology than any other mainstream religion.
Share this video and let Sam Harris enlighten your non-religious friends and family.
Embedding a Fact Within Another Story
My friend said, "I've heard about that."
He looked surprised. "Really?"
"I'll bet they did," he nodded.
I could only say, "That's true."
Similarities Between Islam and the Mafia
Raymond Ibrahim wrote a three-part series on the similarities between Islam and the mafia. The parallels are striking, and I don't think it's a coincidence. The birthplace of the mafia, Sicily, was the first Italian territory to be conquered by Islam (in the year 827), and it was ruled by Islam for 234 years.
The word "mafia" itself is derived from an Arabic word meaning "aggressive boasting."
Perhaps some Sicilians saw firsthand the deadly effectiveness of the Islamic way of doing things, and adapted the methods to their own goals.
However it happened, the similarities are numerous. Below is a synopsis of Ibrahim's list of parallels. At the end you will find links to the three articles in the series. They are very much worth reading. In fact, they ought to be studied and used in your conversations with people in the same way you use talking about Bushido or Scientology to bypass objections when talking about Islam. Here is Ibrahim's list of similarities:
1. The leader has absolute authority, is inaccessible, and is greatly feared.
2. The leader's will is dominant. The subordinates' only job is to follow orders.
3. The leader gets a "cut" of all the action of his subordinates, but there is still some booty for the subordinates.
4. The group assassinates enemies.
5. Each member must be willing to die to defend the group and the leader.
6. Trying to leave the group is seen as a betrayal and is punishable by death.
7. Members are required to maintain absolutely loyalty to the group and its leader.
8. Members are not to trust or associate with non-members of the group.
9. Association with outsiders and deceiving them is permissible to advance the goals of the group.
10. The leader or the group will "make you an offer you can't refuse."
11. They fund their operations with "protection money" gathered from non-members.
Raymond Ibrahim's original three-part series has good examples, quotes, and illustrations for each of the above similarities. Here is the series:
Part 1 – Islam: More ‘Like the Mafia’ than Bill Maher Knows
Part 2 – Loyalty and Enmity: Parallels between Islam and the Mafia
Part 3 – Islam and the Mafia: ‘Making An Offer You Can’t Refuse’
Another version of this series is posted on PJ Media, along with video clips from The Godfather to illustrate the principles. Read it here.
You can share the information above with your friends and family by sending them this article on Inquiry Into Islam: Is There a Connection Between Islam and the Mafia?
Ask This Simple Question
I said yes.
Does ISIS Follow Islamic Teachings?
He calls himself Brother Rachid. His father is an Imam and Rachid himself has a degree in religious studies. He grew up as a Muslim in Morocco. And in the video below, he responds to the statement, made by President Obama and many others, that ISIS is not Islamic.
Does ISIS Follow Islamic Teachings?
Share it with your friends and family. No objections they come up with will be valid.
Why Are Muslims From All Over the World Still Joining ISIS?
Airstrikes against ISIS continue, and yet more than a thousand Muslims travel to the Middle East every month to join ISIS from other countries. According to the U.N. over 16,000 foreign fighters have joined ISIS so far. The airstrikes have not slowed the flow of foreign jihadis flooding into Iraq. Most non-Muslims would assume that the increased possibility to being vaporized would reduce the number of new recruits, but it hasn't.
Do the people in your life know why?
If not, you can share with them some quotes from Robert Spencer's excellent book, The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades). First tell them that Muhammad was the founder of Islam and that it says 91 times in the Koran that all Muslims should follow his example. Then share the following with them. Spencer wrote:
"...the Prophet of Islam repeatedly emphasized that there was nothing better his followers could do than engage in jihad warfare. When a Muslim asked him to name the "best deed" one could do, besides the act of becoming a Muslim, the Prophet responded, "To participate in Jihad (holy fighting) in Allah's Cause." He explained that "to guard Muslims from infidels in Allah's Cause for one day is better than the world and whatever is on its surface." For "a journey undertaken for jihad in the evening or morning merits a reward better than the world and all that is in it."
Muhammad also warned that Muslims who did not engage in jihad would be punished: "Muhammad was firm about the necessity of jihad not only for himself personally, but for every Muslim. He warned believers that he who does not join the warlike expedition (jihad), or equip, or looks well after a warrior's family when he is away, will be smitten by Allah with a sudden calamity.'"
Those who fought in jihads would enjoy a level of Paradise higher than that enjoyed by others:
On another occasion "a man came to Allah's Apostle and said, 'Instruct me as to such a deed as equals Jihad (in reward).' He replied, 'I do not find such a deed.'"
Bring up some recent news about ISIS with people and ask, "I was wondering why Muslims are still traveling to the Middle East to join the fight now that the airstrikes have begun, when I read some passages from the traditions of Muhammad," and share some of the passages above. If you want to share this directly via email or social media, we've posted the above article on Inquiry Into Islam without the coaching. You can find it here.
Producer Wanted
What we need to quickly get through to a lot of people about Islam is a movie like Terminator 3. Imagine a movie set in the future, let's say thirty years from now in Europe, which would, by that time, be like a com
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Meetup : Melbourne, practical rationality
Discussion article for the meetup : Melbourne, practical rationality
WHEN: 01 June 2012 07:00:00PM (+1000)
WHERE: 55 walsh st, west melbourne 3003 australia
Practical rationality, as distinct from the social and rationality outreach meetups. Look for a social meetup on the 3rd Friday of each month.
Discussion: http://groups.google.com/group/melbourne-less-wrong
This meetup repeats on the 1st Friday of each month.
All welcome from 6:30pm. Call the phone number on the door and I'll let you in.
Discussion article for the meetup : Melbourne, practical rationality
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The British perspective of the NBA All Star Game is priceless
Written by Matt Yoder on .
Anthony Richardson is a British comedian known for his mock YouTube commentary on soccer games who was covered this week by Grantland. Richardson simulates matches on a video game and provides his own unique brand of comedy and commentary. You can check his interpretation of the Carling Cup Final between Liverpool and Cardiff here. However, it's Richardson's commentary of the NBA All Star Game posing as a netball commentator that is especially enlightening and entertaining. There's nothing better than a dry British wit and this video shows exactly why.
Really, there are too many highlights to name them all, but they include:
-Introducing the East and West All Star teams as East & West Germany
-"Oh my God, the clock's going down, it's going to explode!"
-Confusing Steve Nash with Tottenham midfielder Luka Modric (I never thought they looked alike, but they actually do!)
-"He's going in for the spinee! The spinee!"
-"Bouncy bouncy shooty pie!"
-"Take that capitalism because the communists are backkk... good night Lenin."
As if that wasn't amusing enough, LeBron James actually makes the game winning shot in the simulation. If all basketball commentators did this, a lot more games would instantly be made more enjoyable to watch.
[H/T The Triangle]
Live TV claims another victim in this hilarious sportscaster blooper
Written by Brady Green on .
Erie Pennslyvania sportscaster Craig Smylie became Craig SWEARY when he TV-14'd up a live spot on the news. Wait, did I just type Craig Sweary? That was just awful. Let's start this post over. Ready? In 3, 2, 1...
Craig Smylie just wanted to give a quick tease on the WJET news about the powerhouse program that Stan Swank and the Fighting Scots have built at Edinboro University. Instead, this hilarious screw up of his has been bouncing around the web like a beachball at a Nickelback concert. I absolutely love how it seems like he's doing decently and then all of a sudden boom goes the dynamite and he's swearing and asking to run it back.
I'm still not sure if someone just put the wrong tape in from Smylie recording this segment earlier or if he really just didn't know he was live. Ultimately it doesn't matter because the bottom line is that the DVR and Youtube has caught another gem. Sorry Smylie, it looks like you're destined to join the grape stomp lady and the keep f'n that chicken guy as clips the internet will not soon forget.
[Busted Coverage]
Here's Gus Johnson's call of the dramatic Northwestern-Ohio State finish
Written by Matt Yoder on .
Tonight Gus Johnson was in Evanston for Ohio State-Northwestern on Big Ten Network. Up until tonight, we hadn't really experienced the pleasure of a classic Gus Johnson finish, but the Buckeyes and Wildcats finally delivered. Ohio State led by double digits, but a frantic Northwestern fightback found them down just three in the closing seconds after two Ohio State turnovers. That's when Alex Marcotulio let fly for our first real classic Law of Gus finish of the college basketball season. OOOOHHHH!!!!!...
After the tying three, Ohio State got the ball back with a chance to win the game after attempting to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. That's when Aaron Craft and Jared Sullinger delivered before John Shurna's halfcourt attempt bounced off the front rim. Gus' call of Sullinger's shot isn't quite as excited as the Marcotulio three, but there's only so much you can do with a lay up off the glass. If Shurna's miraculous shot had gone in, they might still be cleaning Gus' vital organs off the Northwestern floor...
March Madness just isn't going to be the same without Gus Johnson. For this year, we'll have to settle for a little Leap Day Gus Johnson Madness in the Big Ten.
(Videos courtesy Big Ten Network!)
Daytona 500 ratings down in the wake of delays
Written by Joe Lucia on .
The Daytona 500 drew just an 8.0 rating and 13.7 million viewers on Monday night after being rescheduled from Sunday afternoon due to rain. The race also featured a two hour delay 3/4 of the way in due to an explosion on the track that rendered the track unraceable for a nice chunk of time. The race didn't end up finishing until close to 1 AM EST Tuesday morning.
The only lower rating for the 500 over the last decade was in 2010, when the race had a 7.7 rating. Excluding that number, you have to go all the way back to 1995 to find a lower mark. In raw viewers, this year's race is slightly higher than the 2010 race, but lower than every other one since 2001.
The jet fuel explosion didn't just complicate the race, but the interpretation of the ratings. FOX tried to spin the ratings for this year's race though. When announcing the ratings for the race, FOX threw out a fact of 36.5 million viewers watching "part of the race." Of course, this includes people who tuned in for at least a brief part of the race (and stretched for an enormous period of time) as opposed to the average viewership, which is usually the one that's referenced for ratings. This practice of moving the numbers around was also addressed by the anonymous TVSportsRatings yesterday on his or her Twitter page.
The numbers have to be a bit disappointing for NASCAR. It would have been interesting to see how the race would have done in the Monday night primetime slot without the delay extending the telecast till early Tuesday morning though. The Monday Night Daytona 500 was a new experience, but the slight dip in ratings probably means it isn't something that's here to stay.
[h/t: Sports Media Watch]
The perils of too much NHL trade deadline coverage
Written by Andrew Bucholtz on .
Earlier this week, Ben Koo rightly pointed out the problems with ESPN almost completely ignoring Monday's NHL trade deadline. However, there are also perils at the other end of the spectrum, as demonstrated by the way many Canadian media outlets hype up the trade deadline for months in advance and then deliver wall-to-wall coverage with very little action on the day itself. Much as it was with Linsanity, the differences between the coverage of a significant sports event in two adjacent countries are remarkable. The best solution may be somewhere in the middle.
There's never any shortage of NHL trade deadline coverage in Canada; in fact, the opposite is true. Two sports television networks (TSN, which is 20 percent owned by ESPN, and Rogers Sportsnet) do day-long deadline shows full of analysts and discussion on their main channels, many sports radio stations (most of which are affiliated with either TSN or Sportsnet) pretty much follow suit and the print and online media regularly jump into the fray with their own live blogs, reporting and analysis. If you're a Canadian with any interest in sports, the larger issue frequently isn't finding trade deadline news, but avoiding being swamped by it.
On the one hand, this massive coverage of the deadline isn't all bad. There's plenty of interest in the trade deadline even when there aren't a lot of massive moves made, as was the case Monday. Despite a slow day of trades, TSN's 10-hour broadcast averaged 259,000 viewers, and it reached a peak of 544,000 viewers at 3:50 p.m. Eastern near the actual deadline. Those are pretty remarkable numbers, higher than some lower-tier live sports up here (such as an average MLS or NBA game), and that's particularly impressive considering that this came during a day when most of the country's at work. (The cubicle-trapped still made an impact, too, particularly on the web where TSN hauled in a record 20.8 million pageviews and 240,000 people watching their streaming broadcast.) Hype helps, sure, but you need some genuine interest in the subject to draw numbers like that, and there's no dispute Canadians have plenty of interest in hockey moves.
Local NBA ratings way up, despite lockout
Written by Joe Lucia on .
Prior to the beginning of the 2011-12 season, many pundits thought some fans would abandon the NBA in the wake of the lockout, and the league would have some ratings struggles. Well, that hasn't happened. Four markets have more than doubled their local ratings (Minnesota, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, LA Clippers) according to a Sports Business Daily report and national ratings are also up, from 10% to ABC games to 52% for NBA TV games.
One particular reason for the NBA's ratings boost resides in New York, with Jeremy Lin driving Knicks numbers through the roof. The two highest rated non-playoff games on the network actually came this month, with Lin and the Knicks taking on the pathetic Hornets on February 17th, and the local rival (but equally as pathetic) Nets on February 20th. Linsanity has taken the Knicks' ratings somewhere where Patrick Ewing, John Starks, and Carmelo Anthony never could during their time in the Big Apple. The first 27 games on MSG, comparing this year to last season, were up by 82%. And when you consider that MSG and Time Warner had an issue with providing content for a good chunk of the season, those numbers are even more impressive.
Some teams however, are down overall. The biggest loser is the Rockets, whose local ratings have dropped by 40.5% in the wake of another season without a superstar. But the Rockets are playing great basketball, and are currently the fourth seed in the West. The cross-state Spurs, currently the second seed in the West, are also down (by 17.5%), but still enjoy the highest average rating at 7.94
Looking at the percentages is a little misleading, and you should at least take a glance at the total average viewers per game. While the Rockets are down 40%, they've only lost 23,000 viewers per game....that doesn't seem exactly huge. You can maybe tie in that drop in viewers with the great Texans seasons that just ended, which encapsulated the Houston sports scene. The Celtics and Lakers also suffered drops in viewers over 10,000, with the Celtics loss of 37,000 viewers per game as the highest mark in the league as the team ages and slips from relevancy in the Eastern Conference. And just like last year, a strong Bruins team probably isn't helping matters for the C's.
But what's really telling is the total amount of viewers in some of the smaller markets of the league. Basketball in Charlotte (round two) just seems to be a failured venture across the board. The Bobcats are 16th in the league in attendance, but more fans are attending their games live (16,000 per) than are watching them on TV (just 13,000). That amazes me. The same is nearly true for the Bucks, who are drawing a shade under 15,000 per game live, but also getting that many viewers at home for their games. The Lakers and Bulls are at the top of the food chain, with over 200,000 local viewers per game, while the Knicks, Heat and Clippers all have over 100,000 viewers per game.
The least surprising headline in ESPN history
Written by Matt Yoder on .
This is the most ESPN headline in the history of ESPN. Jeremy Lin! Tim Tebow! Tim Tebow! Jeremy Lin! If Jeremy Lin and Tim Tebow were ever actually in the same place and the same time, the earth would open up a chasm and swallow whole the small town of Bristol, CT and all of its inhabitants. I can't wait till October rolls around and we see "Denver Post: Jeremy Lin says he has been speaking with Tim Tebow." That will be fresh!
At this point, I'm convinced SportsCenter is merely a production of the HAL 9000.
(Pic via Brad Zahar)
Bill Simmons, Shane Ryan, Grantland and a weird Duke-UNC access controversy
Written by Andrew Bucholtz on .
At most media outlets, credential requests and their acceptance or denial tend to be handled quietly and behind the scenes. Grantland isn't your typical sports media outlet, though, and Bill Simmons certainly isn't anyone's typical editor-in-chief. That's led to a fascinating story that raises issues about editorial bias, credential approval and writers and editors who once bashed access, but now want it. It all started Tuesday. Simmons sent out a rather interesting tweet about his publication being denied access for an upcoming Duke-UNC game:
Yes, in addition to blasting Duke (and revealing that he's always hated them), that's Simmons not only saying he's going after them further, but changing his Twitter avatar to "Duke sucks." Of course, that's not really all that out of character for the famously opinionated "Sports Guy," but it's remarkable behaviour for the EIC of a massive sports media operation. (It's also funny, considering that Simmons has taken shots at access in the past.) Simmons' bias doesn't necessarily come through in every article on Grantland, and it would be particularly silly of him to actually start publishing anti-Duke stuff over this, but even hinting at that is a bit problematic. What adds to the intrigue here is an investigation of the situation by Sports Illustrated's Richard Deitsch, who inquired with Duke's athletics department about Grantland's request being turned down and tweeted the response he received. Here it is:
According to Duke, ESPN's umbrella of networks, websites and branches have 10 seats on press row for the game, as well as a photographer spot, multiple camera spots required to air the game, and access for College GameDay. Duke says they would love to accommodate each legitimate request but because of space issues at Cameron, Duke says they must make some some tough decisions for the UNC game. One of those decisions, according to Duke, is the inability to credential blog sites and websites that do not attempt to cover the team on a regular basis. Duke says they communicated this to Grantland's Sarah Larimer who requested a credential for Shane Ryan. The university received a courtesy reply from her on Feb. 22 and then nothing more from anyone at Grantland. Until today. Via Twitter.
That sounds like a pretty reasonable response from Duke; every sports event can only accomodate a limited number of media, and high-profile ones like Duke-UNC obviously have sky-high demand. It's not like ESPN/Grantland are being locked out here; rather, Duke's saying that they're already giving ESPN a lot of space, and (as Brian Moritz pointed out) Grantland might not have a better claim to a seat than some other outlets, given that a lot of their writing can be done without access. That doesn't sound like a huge controversy from here, and certainly not one that justifies an editor-in-chief going on the Twitter warpath. What makes this even more notable is the identity of the writer in question, though...
Let's all enjoy Rich Eisen running the 40-yard dash at the 2012 NFL Combine
Written by Brady Green on .
Eisen 40 yard
This will be no surprise to anyone, but we in America love our football. No event hammers this fact home more than the completely bananas coverage of the NFL Combine. The Combine is an event where tenths of a second can sometimes overshadow four years of on the field tape, it's wild to say the least. Anyways, over the last three days the NFL Network has had 30 hours (!) of Combine coverage from Indianapolis. That's 30 hours of cone drills, bench presses and players running around in spandex, which I'm sure still had a significant audience tuning in during this sports packed weekend.
Critical analysis of football players seemingly doing things you'll never see on a football field sans football equipment seems pretty insignificant to me, but then again I don't own a football team. For me, far and away the thing I look forward to most during the NFL Combine is when the NFL Network's Rich Eisen annually takes to the track to run a 40-yard dash. Here's how he did this year.
The amount of scrutiny and technology they devote to dissecting Eisen's run afterwards which you can see here is the best. Everytime they show Eisen going head-to-head in a full suit against the guys who ran the fastest in the Combine will always make me laugh.
You gotta give credit to Eisen, trimming .74 seconds off his 40-yard dash time over an eight year period is pretty impressive.
NFL to open season on Wednesday night to accomodate Obama's DNC Speech
Written by Ben Koo on .
The ratings juggernaut that is the NFL usually doesn't bow down to anyone. However in a pretty historic shift, they've opted to move the opening game of the regular season from Thursday to Wednesday (September 5th for whomever actually owns a real calendar).
Opting to yield to Obama's speech at the DNC, the NFL probably made the wise move to not dilute their audience pool by having overlap with another pretty significant event. It's an election year in what could be a close election, and with the DNC signaling the sprint to the finish for the presidency, the NFL showed some foresight to avoid watered down ratings.
I'm sure some will come out screaming that this is favoritism to the Democrats, but it's pretty clear to me this was just a business decision. The vast majority of the NFL power structure is Republican. Obama's speech is going to draw tens of millions of viewers with or without an NFL game conflict. Many Americans regardless of party affiliation go out of their way to watch speeches from both presidential candidates.
Opening night for the NFL will do much better ratings wise on Wednesday night and frankly it makes us wait one less day for the return of the NFL.
At the end of the day, this is good for the NFL, fans, and those who like to stay engaged in politics so I'd be surprised if there is much backlash about this historic shift in scheduling.
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Puck Drunk Love
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http://metalasfuck.net/zine/articles/2016/allegaeon-no-facade
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Allegaeon: No Facade
Allegaeon has been busy over the past 12 months, with a lineup change, a tour with Acts of Defiance, and a new album, “Proponent for Sentience” that is scheduled to come out September 23rd. I am excited to sit down for Metal As Fuck with vocalist Riley McShane, to talk about all things.... Primarily music, touring, and ham sandwiches....
When I saw Allegaeon last November in Toronto, you opened for Acts of Defiance, and shortly after you were announced as Allegaeon's permanent vocalist in December "Man, every time we play Canada we have such a fun time! It was already confirmed within the band that I had joined full time while we were there, but we kept it quiet for that tour, and announced just after. I'd already started writing music with the band by that time".
How have the past 9 months been for you? "It's been great, I love it. So much fun! I've been friends with the guys in the band before I joined, so making music with these guys has been great. The challenges as a writer for this concept record have been super fun and right up my alley in terms of interest. I love the scientific and philosophical elements". I've been lucky enough to have a sneak peek of the album and it sounds incredible! You must be pretty proud of it? "Super proud of it. It's the best Allegaeon record so far, and it's the widest margin of progress between albums. As a fan I loved that from album to album you can hear a noticeable progression. I feel like that margin has gotten wider as time has gone by. With Proponent for Sentience, I feel musically the guys have out done themselves and grown so much between these two albums. Super proud to be a part of that process".
How do you feel about the final product? "I couldn't have asked for a better team to work on this album with. Including two people who don't get enough credit - Joe Ferris who does all of our symphonic work - we'll send him a rough idea and he'll bring it to life - he'll bring the orchestration to it and really bring it together. All the quiet parts are done by him and having him on the team as well as Dave Otero out of Flat Line Studios is awesome too (Recording Engineer/Producer) - he's a fantastic addition to the team. Another person behind the board would make a completely different record".
It also looks like you guys had a LOT of fun recording the album. What was the experience like for you? "We are always getting into shenanigans [laughs]. We like to keep things light, and not take ourselves too seriously. You’ll see us goofing around with all sorts of things on our Facebook page – hanging out with Stormtroopers, pizza box Jenga, and just goofing around in general, it's how we get through time in the studio. When people hear the album, the music speaks for itself, we don't need to put on that tough guy "metalhead" facade. We can be ourselves and we're all a bunch of goofballs. It's fun being in a band where our personalities can shine through. Take what you do seriously, not yourself seriously".
There is a classical influence to your music. Gray Matter Mechanics is a great example of this. How did you find integrating this flair to the album? "That is all Greg Burgess! All the props for that one. He's a classically trained academy guitarist - he has guitar degrees! His composition is other worldly. It feels weird saying this about someone I'm in a band with but he's one of the best guitarist in the game. He can seamlessly incorporate a different style into a melodic death metal song and make it sound effortless".
Gray Matter Mechanics was released a few months ago, how has the reception been from your fans? "It’s been overwhelmingly positive. There are a few people out there that aren't that keen on change, especially with a lead singer change, most people are accommodating and willing to go into the experience with open ears. Many of those have told us they have been very pleased. I try not to stray too far from the vocal style that Allegaeon has had over the past few albums. My previous bands have historically been straight technical death metal or prog rock bands, and a different style to Allegaeon. The people familiar with what I've done in the past know I've made an effort to keep things sounding consistent".
Parts I, II, and III of “Proponent for Sentience" are all pretty epic! To me it sounds like it could be the score from a blockbuster film. What was the inspiration behind putting this three part story together? "Parts I,II and III serve as punctuation marks for the concept of the album which is most deeply rooted in science fiction. Composition wise they were written as a three part sonata (thanks Greg!). It starts off with Part I that sets the stage for the rest of the concept. The connective tissue between Part II, is more about scientific/neurological accomplishments with Gray Matter Mechanics, and Part III is the creation of intelligent consciousness but adhering to the 3 laws of robotics. Final stage of the concept - A.I. gains a consciousness and then destroys humanity. It's the classic Terminator/Blade Runner/Matrix idea; through logical deduction, A.I. looks at human history and thinking FUCK THAT, and wipes it out. Someone needs to shut down SkyNet before Allegaeon flips the switch!". I thought I heard an orchestra behind PFS II. Did you get to work with other musicians for the album? "Joe is an aspiring movie soundtrack guy - he does freelance projects to work on film scores. He's invested in the technology that modern Hollywood uses for making big budget movies. He works his magic and the final product is Proponent for Sentience Part II, which sounds like some awesome Star Warsshit".
Whose idea was it to cover Rush?! "That was a collective decision to be honest. When I first joined the band, Greg [Burgess - Guitar] wanted to cover Deicide. One day on the Act of Defiance tour, I asked if we could cover a prog rock song, or a prog metal song. It would be more in context of the album. I mean, yeah, it's a death metal album, but there's still other stuff happening in there, with the classical, and orchestral compositions. It was a chance to show off our interest elsewhere in the metal scene as well also our ability to cover it. We played around with other ideas, but decided on Rush - we made sure Brandon [Park - drummer] was okay with this! Once we solidified that we got onto it. Subdivisions was the only choice. I don't even remember the other options because Subdivisions was such a resonating song with all of us".
And something a little more serious, who the hell started posting Chad Kroger photos on your Facebook page? That would be Brandon Park!!! We ran into someone in New Jersey on our last tour and Brandon and she are the brain kids behind “Krogering.” You're on tour across the U.S. with Ozzfest shortly, what about any Canadian shows? "This year Ozzfest is a weekend thing, Black Sabbath is ending their tour. And we will be touring with Max and Igor [Cavalera] from Sepultura on the Return to Roots tour. We will be supporting them on a bunch of dates through US with Combichrist and a few other guys. In Canada we have a few dates with The Black Dahlia Murder".
Describe your ideal show to play? Festival/small show/European tour...? "I think my favourite show to play is similar to what we did in Tucson AZ last month - not a super huge venue, big enough to fit a few hundred people in there. Packed to the rafters. In Tucson we headlined a festival which was exactly that case. Medium to large sized venue, that skill kept that local show energy but having a large enough crowd to feel good from the stage". Finally, what are you most excited about for the rest of 2016? "OZZFEST! I grew up in CA, and I've been to a few Ozzfests when I was younger - this year is going to be at the same venue that I went to when I was 14 - being on the other end of things, I feel very accomplished. And of course, the record coming out the day before Ozzfest - it's going to be one hell of a weekend! We really appreciate everyone's support, pre-orders for the album have been great so far - those contributors is what’s going to help us get on the road and see everyone who puts out the support. A big thanks to all the fans! Even with the changes in the band. It's been wonderful seeing everyone so die hard and accommodating".
Allegaeon will be playing 10th October in Ottawa, 11th October in Toronto, and 12th October in Montreal. Check for more details.
Check Allegaeon's "Gray Matter Mechanics" right here!
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The F-Word(s): Kubrick's Women
416.599.TIFF | 1.888.599.8433
The F-Word(s): Kubrick's Women
"Of all the critical brickbats hurled at Kubrick over the years... the ones that left a mark had to do with his films’ portrayal of women." How did Stanley Kubrick portray women in his films? And what might those portrayals mean? Adam Nayman looks into the great filmmaker's work for answers.
Stanley Kubrick: The Exhibition and the accompanying film retrospective, Stanley Kubrick: A Cinematic Odyssey, both start at the TIFF Bell Lightbox this Friday, October 31. Find out more and get tickets at
“Now we get the fucking laughing fit, right?”
Approximately thirty minutes into Stanley Kubrick’s final film Eyes Wide Shut (1999), Alice Harford (Nicole Kidman) is seized by a serious case of the giggles—so much so that she doubles over at the waist, scissoring her statuesque body and then sinking to the floor, the camera doubling over with her. The wobbly handheld cinematography by Larry Smith is meant to evoke the characters’ drug-addled perceptions—Alice and her husband, Bill (Tom Cruise), have spent the evening getting stoned together in their bedroom—but when Alice starts laughing, it’s as if the onscreen world has become contorted, bent out of shape. Considering that the majority of Eyes Wide Shut, like the majority of Kubrick’s work over the half-century that preceded it, is predicated on rigorously stabilized perspectives (no filmmaker more readily embraced the invention of the Steadicam), this moment must be more than a stylistic fillip; it seems, somehow, strangely significant.
This is not to go all Room 237 on Eyes Wide Shut, a movie that, like The Shining (1980), takes a comically rueful perspective on marriage and the more ghoulish aspects of high society. (One can easily imagine the film’s infamous orgy scenes taking place in the Gold Room of the Overlook Hotel.) But the rupture that this scene represents in Kubrick’s usual cinematic language is worth noting, as it prefigures a discombobulating revelation: a five-minute monologue by Alice in which she confesses her recent and frighteningly all-consuming desire for a young naval officer whom she glimpsed only briefly during a vacation to Cape Cod with Bill and their daughter Helena in tow.
This wry, wounding rejoinder to Bill’s arrogance—namely his assertion that he never feels jealous when Alice is around other men because he’s “sure” of her—is also the longest sustained passage of dialogue delivered by a female actor in any of Kubrick’s movies. Of all the critical brickbats hurled at Kubrick over the years (and it’s always worth bearing in mind that the director, for all his fame, got just as many bad reviews as good ones), the ones that left a mark had to do with his films’ portrayal of women. The controversy over Lolita (1962) aside, the charge that Kubrick was a particularly bad gender politician was launched around the time of A Clockwork Orange (1971), with its strangely sprightly scenes of gang rape and grimly parodic money shot of a housewife beaten savagely across the face with a porcelain dildo. From there, Shelley Duvall’s limp-dishrag hausfrau in The Shining and the terrifyingly photographed distaff sniper in Full Metal Jacket (1987) fit squarely into the case for the prosecution.
Filled as it was with topless women (Kidman included) in all sorts of compromising positions, Eyes Wide Shut didn’t exactly rebuke these charges. And yet Alice’s speech, which emerges slowly out of a series of inchoate vocalizations (precise enunciation giving way to slurred speech is something of a Kubrickian fetish, from HAL 9000’s breakdown to Gomer Pyle’s pre-suicide growls), seems to challenge not only her husband’s assumptions, but those of the film’s auteur-aware audience as well. Bill accuses her of trying to pick a fight, but it’s more correct to say that she’s fighting back, and against one idea in particular: that it’s impossible to know what’s on a woman’s mind. Coming after so many Sphinx-like female countenances in Kubrick’s work, Alice’s sudden transparency is shocking, not least because of how it collapses the distance between the sexes. Unable to respond, staring dazedly straight ahead (some of the best acting of Cruise’s career), Bill in his confusion nevertheless achieves an epiphany: the realization that his wife has an inner life and fantasies to rival his own.
It might be going too far to call Eyes Wide Shut Kubrick’s first feminist movie, especially since Alice mostly vanishes after that revelatory moment: she’s reduced to a mostly mute symbol of the domestic sphere that Bill abandons in order to have a series of erotically charged adventures, culminating in the massive country-mansion orgy sequence that provides the film with its most iconic visual (and musical) moments. And yet Alice’s laughing fit, coupled with her reappearance at the film’s conclusion—including her literally having the final (f-)word of the film, and by extension of Kubrick’s career—makes Eyes Wide Shut perhaps the most crystalline expression of one of its director’s most deeply embedded themes: male self-absorption, and its dire consequences. If Kubrick’s films are mostly bereft of fully defined female characters, his men are scarcely paragons of virtue, more often defined in terms of their moral and emotional deficiencies—in which case, the dearth of women can be viewed less as a byproduct of a director’s masculinist prejudices than as strategic structuring absences.
Tracy Reed and George C. Scott in a scene from Dr. Strangelove
This tendency is very legible in Kubrick’s “war films” Fear and Desire (1953), Paths of Glory (1957), Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) and Full Metal Jacket, each of which features exactly one female character of any significance. In Fear and Desire, a platoon of American soldiers in an unnamed war happen upon a girl wandering in the woods and take her prisoner, lashing her to a tree. In the short feature’s centrepiece scene, one of the soldiers (feverishly played by future film director Paul Mazursky) tries to ravish her, after which she breaks free and he shoots her dead. The implication seems to be that the woman’s presence has coaxed out some latent madness from the untried warrior, the soldier’s symptoms reflecting the film’s title. In Paths of Glory, Kubrick rings a variation on this same scenario: in the final scene, a bar full of French soldiers drunkenly urge a local girl (Christiane Harlan, later to become Kubrick’s wife) to sing a folk song, which she does so beautifully that their mockery melts away into a mixture of awe and shame. This scene is perversely mirrored at the end of Full Metal Jacket, where a group of soldiers are once again silenced by a woman—except in this case she is a wounded Vietcong sniper who, instead of placating the men with song, begs to be put out of her misery. (Matthew Modine’s Pvt. Joker hesistatingly obliges, winning a round of applause from his comrades.) In all three films, the entry of a woman into the cloistered male world of the military has a destabilizing effect, as if some basic equilibrium has been violated.
This same feeling is relegated to the level of subtext in Dr. Strangelove, whose lone female character is Miss Scott (Tracy Reed), the mistress of General Buck Turgidson (George C. Scott) and, it’s implied, the catalyst for the film’s explosive trajectory. It’s Buck’s sexual frustration that underwrites his desire to attack the Soviet Union—a manic energy shared by all the other alpha-male types populating his government’s War Room—and in case the satire of pent-up male desire wasn’t clear enough, Reed is also glimpsed briefly as “Miss Foreign Affairs,” the Playboy centrefold ogled by Slim Pickens’ Major T.J. “King” Kong before he rides that famous nuclear warhead into the ground. The only time the film’s characters talk about women is to debate what the exact ratio of females to males should be in the underground caves where America’s power brokers will wait out the toxic fallout of mutually assured destruction; Peter Sellers’ Strangelove suggests that 10 to 1 would be about right, moments before he (and everyone else in the film) are obliterated, accompanied, fittingly, by the sound of a female voice (Vera Lynn singing “We’ll Meet Again”).
Shelley Duvall in a scene from The Shining
The grotesque fantasy spun by Strangelove is of a kind of prehistoric cave society where men are put out to stud, but it’s also about cheating death—about finding a way to outlive everybody else. That lusting for immortality—for some kind of “forever”—is always tied to male characters in Kubrick’s films, whether it’s Barry Lyndon yearning for an aristocratic title that he can pass on to his son, or Jack Torrance in The Shining telling his son that he wants to stay at the Overlook “forever and ever and ever” (presumably all by himself, after he’s done butchering his wife and son).
The Shining predates Eyes Wide Shut as Kubrick’s other late film with a truly significant female character, and she’s surely a problematic one. In contrast to the cool, resourceful blonde of Stephen King’s source novel, Shelley Duvall’s Wendy Torrance is a meek, cowed, stringy-haired simpleton. It’s certainly not a very flattering character, and this seems deliberate. Whereas the lone women in Paths of Glory and Dr. Strangelove radiate a kind of power (even if it’s a power derived from the myopic perspectives of male fear and desire), Wendy initially seems defined by her weakness and vulnerability, as well as her annoyingness—which, combined with the seductive mania of Jack Nicholson’s performance, threatens to turn the film into a complicitous comedy about spousal homicide. And yet as the film goes on, Wendy proves strong, brave and capable, managing to escape the Overlook (along with her son) while her homicidal hubby succumbs to the hotel’s hedgerow labyrinth—where he remains literally frozen in place, a visual joke on his yearning for a secure, stable role as the head of an old-fashioned household.
Tom Cruise is embraced in Eyes Wide Shut
While Kubrick never allows Wendy to laugh at her husband—even as Nicholson’s expressionist-cum-clownish performance suggests that this might be the sanest course of action—by the time of Eyes Wide Shut the director was obviously more willing to reveal the satiric core of his ongoing project. Critics have pointed out that Eyes Wide Shut proceeds via a rhythm of interruptions: every time Bill looks like he’s about to make good on his urge for a revenge fuck (cheating on Alice to get back at her for thinking about cheating on him) he’s foiled, making the film a kind of cock-blocked erotic picaresque. In the absence of sexual fulfillment, Bill’s masculine authority (as well as Cruise’s) begins to erode; the good doctor is notably slow on the uptake, dumbly parroting the dialogue of virtually everyone he meets and proving unable to act on any impulses (physical or intellectual) until his humbled reconciliation with Alice, who is no longer giggling—we see her red-eyed in the aftermath of his confession to her about his nocturnal peregrinations. But the memory of her smile aligns with Kubrick’s own implicit smirk in the film’s very last scene. As the reunited family unit wanders through a Yuletide shopping-mall display, Bill, like so many of Kubrick’s desperate men, Bill utters the f-word—“Forever”—as he clings to the renewed promise of domestic bliss; Alice counters with an f-word of her own, a more provisional solution to the problem at hand. In the end, Alice wants exactly the same thing as her husband, and in giving him a piece of her (dirty) mind, she also rescues Eyes Wide Shut from the sort of ambiguous, apocalyptic ending that is usually Kubrick’s stock in trade. And so they lived happily ever after.
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The best frequently don't rise to the top
There are a variety of YouTube channels I've come across that seem like they don't get nearly enough views.
The best example that comes to my mind right now is probably Massimo Bottura. Wikipedia does a good job of describing who he is:
> Massimo Bottura is an Italian restaurateur and the chef patron of Osteria Francescana, a three-Michelin-star restaurant based in Modena, Italy which has been listed in the top 5 at The World's 50 Best Restaurants Awards since 2010 and received top ratings from L'Espresso, Gambero Rosso and the Touring Club guides.
>
> ...
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> Osteria Francescana was ranked The World's 2nd Best Restaurant at the S.Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants Awards in 2015. In June 2016 Osteria Francescana was ranked No. 1 in The World's 50 Best Restaurants and No. 2 in 2017. The restaurant returned to rank No. 1 in The World's 50 Best Restaurants in 2018.
So... arguably the best chef in the entire world. On YouTube. Showing you how he cooks. How he thinks.
Yet his videos only get 10-20k views. That might sound like a lot on the surface, but pay attention to view counts on YouTube and you'll find random housewives consistently getting hundreds of thousands of views for their cooking videos.
I think you have to consider that some sort of failure. Market inefficiency, false negative, non-meritocratic, whatever.
Another good example is David Heinemeier Hansson. Another wildly successful and influential person. DHH is the creator of Ruby on Rails, which is perhaps the most popular web framework out there. He also is a best selling author, and founder of an incredibly successful company, Basecamp.
I feel like I didn't do him justice. He's one of the people I think of when I think about who's had an impact on me. Maybe I should have let Wikipedia introduce him like I did for Massimo.
Anyway, DHH has a YouTube channel where he lets you inside his brain and shows you how he thinks about writing software. How many views do you think those videos get? It'
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Narrativemancy 101: Why Paper Beats Rock
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BHTV: de Grey and Yudkowsky
My latest on Bloggingheads.tv is up. BHTV wanted someone to interview Aubrey de Grey of the Methuselah Foundation about basic research in antiagathics, and they picked me to do it. It made the interview somewhat difficult, since Aubrey and I already agree about most things, but we managed to soldier on. The interview is mostly Aubrey talking, as it should be.
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Weekly LW Meetups
This summary was posted to LW Main on November 21st. The following week's summary is here.
New meetups (or meetups with a hiatus of more than a year) are happening in:
* Bangalore Meetup: 22 November 2014 04:10PM
Irregularly scheduled Less Wrong meetups are taking place in:
* [Atlanta] MIRIxAtlanta - MIRI Research Guide + Corrigibility: 22 November 2014 06:00PM
* East Coast Solstice Megameetup: 20 December 2014 03:00PM
* European Community Weekend 2015: 12 June 2015 12:00PM
* Saint Petersburg, Russia meetup: "Low hanging fruit": 19 December 2014 07:00PM
* Tel Aviv Meetup: Rump Session: 25 November 2014 07:00PM
* Urbana-Champaign: Experimentation: 23 November 2014 02:00PM
* Utrecht: Rationality Games: 30 November 2014 02:00PM
The remaining meetups take place in cities with regular scheduling, but involve a change in time or location, special meeting content, or simply a helpful reminder about the meetup:
* Austin, TX - Caffe Medici: 22 November 2025 01:30PM
* Canberra: Liar's Dice!: 28 November 2014 06:00PM
* London social meetup in my flat: 23 November 2014 02:00PM
* Moscow Meetup: Codename Bilderberg: 23 November 2014 02:00PM
* Seattle Secular Solstice: 13 December 2014 05:30PM
* [Sydney] regular meetup - Significant things I have gotten wrong: 26 November 2014 06:30PM
* Vienna: 22 November 2014 03:00PM
* [Vienna] A Rationalist's Guide to Strength (Vienna): 23 November 2014 02:00PM
* [Vienna] Rationality Weekend Vienna: 13 December 2014 03:00PM
* Washington, D.C.: Fun & Games: 23 November 2014 03:00PM
* West LA—The Relativity of Wrong: 26 November 2014 07:00PM
Locations with regularly scheduled meetups: Austin, Berkeley, Berlin, Boston, Brussels, Buffalo, Cambridge UK, Canberra, Columbus, London, Madison WI, Melbourne, Moscow, Mountain View, New York, Philadelphia, Research Triangle NC, Seattle, Sydney, Toronto, Vienna, Washington DC, Waterloo, and West Los Angeles. There's also a 24/7 online study hall for coworking LWers.
If you'd like
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[SEQ RERUN] New Improved Lottery
Today's post, New Improved Lottery was originally publeslished on April 13, 2007. A summary (from the LW wiki):
> If the opportunity to fantasize about winning was a rational justification for the lottery, we could design a "New Improved Lottery", where a single payment buys an epsilon chance of becoming a millionaire over the next five years. All your time could be spent thinking how you could become a millionaire at any moment.
Discuss the post here (rather than in the comments of the original post).
This post is part of a series rerunning Eliezer Yudkowsky's old posts so those interested can (re-)read and discuss them. The previous post was Lotteries: A Waste of Hope, and you can use the sequence_reruns tag or rss feed to follow the rest of the series.
Sequence reruns are a community-driven effort. You can participate by re-reading the sequence post, discussing it, posting the next day's sequence reruns post, summarizing forthcoming articles on the wiki, or creating exercises. Go here for more details, or to discuss the Sequence Reruns.
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http://thedragonstales.blogspot.de/2013/03/
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Saturday, March 30, 2013
An Updated CAM 5.1 World Circulation Video
Mike responded and placed an updated version of his video I linked to earlier. He shows the difference between the 25 km (new) and 200 km (old) resolutions. Watch in HD.
Its CUTE! A New Albian Cretaceous Eutherian Mammal from Japan
A new Early Cretaceous eutherian mammal from the Sasayama Group, Hyogo, Japan
1. Nao Kusuhashi (a)
2. Yukiyasu Tsutsumi (b)
3. Haruo Saegusa (c,d)
4. Kenji Horie (e)
5. Tadahiro Ikeda (d)
6. Kazumi Yokoyama (b)
7. Kazuyuki Shiraishi (e)
a. Department of Earth's Evolution and Environment, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Ehime University, Ehime 790-8577, Japan
b. Department of Geology and Paleontology, National Museum of Nature and Science, Ibaraki 305-0005, Japan
c. Institute of Natural and Environmental Sciences, University of Hyogo, Hyogo 669-1546, Japan
d. Museum of Nature and Human Activities, Hyogo 669-1546, Japan
e. National Institute of Polar Research, Tokyo 190-8518, Japan
We here describe a new Early Cretaceous (early Albian) eutherian mammal, Sasayamamylos kawaii gen. et sp. nov., from the ‘Lower Formation’ of the Sasayama Group, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. Sasayamamylos kawaii is characterized by a robust dentary, a distinct angle on the ventral margin of the dentary at the posterior end of the mandibular symphysis, a lower dental formula of 3–4 : 1 : 4 : 3, a robust lower canine, a non-molariform lower ultimate premolar, and a secondarily reduced entoconid on the molars. To date, S. kawaii is the earliest known eutherian mammal possessing only four premolars, which demonstrates that the reduction in the premolar count in eutherians started in the late Early Cretaceous. The occurrence of S. kawaii implies that the relatively rapid diversification of eutherians in the mid-Cretaceous had already started by the early Albian.
greeeeeaaat. "kawaii" has infected paleontology.
Friday, March 29, 2013
Dryolestoids Diversified in South America, Dominant Mammals in Late Cretaceous
a. 1CONICET, Museo de Historia Natural de San Rafael, Parque Mariano Moreno s/nº, 5600 San Rafael, Argentina
b. CONICET, Subsecretaría de Cultura de Neuquén, Universidad Nacional de Río Negro y Museo Municipal “Carmen Funes”, Av. Córdoba 55, 8318 Plaza Huincul, Argentina.
c. Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, PO Box 1172, Blindern, NO-0318 Oslo, Norway.
We report on a new dryolestoid (Mammalia, Dryolestoidea, Meridiolestida) from the Los Bastos Formation (Coniacian), Neu quén Province, Patagonia, Argentina, consisting of an edentulous left dentary (MCF-PVPH 412). The alveoli preserved suggest the presence of three incisors, one double-rooted canine, and six double-rooted postcanines (probably three premolars and three molars). Based on comparisons with previously known dentaries and isolated teeth, MCF-PVPH 412 would have been about the same size as Reigitherium Bonaparte. Among Dryolestoidea, MCF-PVPH 412 is assigned to Meridiolestida because there were probably three molars, the roots of the posterior molars are anteroposteriorly compressed, and there is no Meckelian groove. In addition, the penultimate lower premolar would be the largest in the tooth series, which is also true in other meridiolestidans. The position of the mandibular foramen, the probable presence of three premolars, and the outline of the posteroventral part of the jaw suggest affinities with the Mesungulatoidea (e.g., Coloniatherium Rougier, Forasiepi, Hill and Novaceck; Peligrotherium Bonaparte, Van Valen and Kramarz; and Reigitherium). The Coniacian specimen represents the oldest Mesungulatoidea and fills the gap in the record between the oldest South American dryolestoid (i.e., Cenomanian) and the better known Campanian–Maastrichtian taxa. The discovery of MCF-PVPH 412 in the Coniacian of Patagonia is consistent with the dryolestoid diversification during the Late Cretaceous that makes them the most abundant mammals during that period in South America.
Title link is to a PDF.
Pulsed Triassic-Jurassic Mass Extinction
Microbes, mud and methane: cause and consequence of recurrent Early Jurassic anoxia following the end-Triassic mass extinction
1. Bas van de Schootbrugge (a)
2. Aviv Bachan (b)
3. Guillaume Suan (c)
4. Sylvain Richoz (d)
5. Jonathan L. Payne (b)
a. Palaeo-environmental Dynamics Group, Institute of Geosciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
b. Geological and Environmental Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
c. UMR, CNRS 5276, LGLTPE, Villeurbanne, France
d. Academy of Sciences, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
The end-Triassic mass extinction (c. 201.6 Ma) was one of the five largest mass-extinction events in the history of animal life. It was also associated with a dramatic, long-lasting change in sedimentation style along the margins of the Tethys Ocean, from generally organic-matter-poor sediments during the Triassic to generally organic-matter-rich black shales during the Jurassic. New core material from Germany provides biomarker evidence of persistent photic-zone euxinia during the Hettangian, the onset of which is associated with a series of both negative and positive carbon isotope excursions. Combined inorganic and organic geochemical and micropalaeontological analyses reveal strong similarities between the Hettangian and the better-known Toarcian anoxic event. These events appear to be the most clearly expressed events within a series of anoxic episodes that also include poorly studied black shale intervals during the Sinemurian and Pliensbachian. Both the Hettangian and Toarcian events are marked by important changes in phytoplankton assemblages from chromophyte- to chlorophyte-dominated assemblages within the European Epicontinental Seaway. Phytoplankton changes occurred in association with the establishment of photic-zone euxinia, driven by a general increase in salinity stratification and warming of surface waters. For both events, the causes of large negative carbon isotope excursions remain incompletely understood; evidence exists for both variation in the δ13C of atmospheric CO2 and variation in the sources of organic carbon. Regardless of the causes of δ13C variability, long-term ocean anoxia during the Early Jurassic can be attributed to greenhouse warming and increased nutrient delivery to the oceans triggered by flood basalt volcanism.
1. When did the TJ Boundary move down? That's a shift of over 1 million years.
2. These models are relevant for the PT Extinction too. They are NOT the same, but ofsimilar kind. Likely the Toarcian event was of a similar kind as well.
Carbon Isotopes From Alps Hint at Major Pulse in Permian Extinction
Carbon isotope signatures of latest Permian marine successions of the Southern Alps suggest a continental runoff pulse enriched in land plant material
1. Sonja H. Kraus (a)
2. Rainer Brandner (b)
3. Christoph Heubeck (a)
4. Heinz W. Kozur (c)
5. Ulrich Struck (d)
6. Christoph Korte (a,e)
a. Institut für Geologische Wissenschaften, Freie Universität Berlin, Malteserstr. 74–100, 12249 Berlin, Germany
b. Institut für Geologie und Paläontologie, Universität Innsbruck, Innrain 52, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
c. Rézsü u. 83, 1029 Budapest, Hungary
d. Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany
e. Department of Geography and Geology & Nordic Center for Earth Evolution (NordCEE), University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 10, 1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark
The latest Permian mass extinction, the most severe Phanerozoic biotic crisis, is marked by dramatic changes in palaeoenvironments. These changes significantly disrupted the global carbon cycle, reflected by a prominent and well known negative carbon isotope excursion recorded in marine and continental sediments. Carbon isotope trends of bulk carbonate and bulk organic matter in marine deposits of the European Southern Alps near the low-latitude marine event horizon deviate from each other. A positive excursion of several permil in δ13Corg starts earlier and is much more pronounced than the short-term positive δ13Ccarb excursion; both excursions interrupt the general negative trend. Throughout the entire period investigated, δ13Corg values become lighter with increasing distance from the palaeocoastline. Changing δ13Corg values may be due to the influx of comparatively isotopically heavy land plant material. The stronger influence of land plant material on the δ13Corg during the positive isotope excursion indicates a temporarily enhanced continental runoff that may either reflect increased precipitation, possibly triggered by aerosols originating from Siberian Trap volcanism, or indicate higher erosion rate in the face of reduced land vegetation cover.
Heterogenous Computing Seminar at LBNL
CS Seminar: Introduction to Programming on Heterogeneous Computing Systems
Berkeley Lab – Computing Sciences Seminar
Monday, April 1, 2013
10:00am - 11:00am
Bldg. 50F, Room 1647
Mayank Daga
Snr. Software Engineer
AMD Reseach
Introduction to Programming on Heterogeneous Computing Systems
We will talk about GPUs in general. What are some of the differences between programming CPUs and GPUs. How do we use OpenCL. Overview of the architecture of latest AMD GPUs/APUs
Host of Seminar:
Weiqun Zhang, CCSE
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
I don't know if I can make this one, but I am going to try. If there is a video feed, I'llsee if I am allowed to post it.
Firestorms as Part of the KT Extinction
K-Pg extinction: Reevaluation of the heat-fire hypothesis
1. Douglas S. Robertson (a)
2. William M. Lewis (b)
3. Peter M. Sheehan (c)
4. Owen B. Toon (d)
a. Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA
b. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA
c. Department of Geology, Milwaukee Public Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
d. Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA
The global debris layer created by the end-Cretaceous impact at Chicxulub contained enough soot to indicate that the entire terrestrial biosphere had burned. Preliminary modeling showed that the reentry of ejecta would have caused a global infrared (IR) pulse sufficient to ignite global fires within a few hours of the Chicxulub impact. This heat pulse and subsequent fires explain the terrestrial survival patterns in the earliest Paleocene, because all the surviving species were plausibly able to take shelter from heat and fire underground or in water. However, new models of the global IR heat pulse as well as the absence of charcoal and the presence of noncharred organic matter have been said to be inconsistent with the idea of global fires that could have caused the extinctions. It was suggested that the soot in the debris layer originated from the impact site itself because the morphology of the soot, the chain length of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and the presence of carbon cenospheres were said to be inconsistent with burning the terrestrial biosphere. These assertions either are incorrect or have alternate explanations that are consistent with global firestorms. We show that the apparent charcoal depletion in the Cretaceous-Paleogene layer has been misinterpreted due to the failure to correct properly for sediment deposition rates. We also show that the mass of soot potentially released from the impact site is far too low to supply the observed soot. However, global firestorms are consistent with both data and physical modeling.
Robots Match the Carboniferous Insects, Achieve Dragonfly Flight, Drag Robopocalypse Closer
Significant Climate Change From Bajocian to Bathonian Jurassic in Negev
Jurassic flora of the Negev Desert: Plant taphonomy, palaeoecology and palaeogeographic inference
1. Valentin Krassilov (a)
2. Alex Berner (b)
3. Sophia Barinova (a)
a. Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa 31905, Israel
b. Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, 32000, Israel
Jurassic fossil plants of Makhtesh Ramon, the northern Negev, are collected from the Early Bajocian paralic Inmar Formation conformably overlain with the marine Mahmal Formation, which contains ammonite markers of the Middle–Upper Bajocian age. Plant remains occur in the thin ferruginous layers traceable all over the questa exposures, composed of re-deposited sand at the base and the fine-grained ferro-alumosilicate lamella on top. Plants are preserved as ferruginous molds of leafy shoots and reproductive material, buried by turbid run-over sand flows and embedded in the back-wash clayey deposits as calcified plant debris. On account of their peculiar taphonomy and elementary composition, the fossiliferous horizons are interpreted as tsunamites. The coastal plant assemblages are endemic at the syntaxonomic level, with Gondwana affinities extended to insular landmasses north of the Tethys. The abundance of bennettitalean plants and the inferred proximity of Araucaria-like brachyphylls gives the Bajocian Inmar flora a thermophilic paratropical aspect, while the Bathonian flora of Sinai is of a more temperate aspect, suggesting a major mid-Jurassic climate change.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
NASA Wants to get into Orbital WMD Business, erm, Capture an Asteroid
NASA’s fiscal 2014 budget request will include $100 million for a new mission to find a small asteroid, capture it with a robotic spacecraft and bring it into range of human explorers somewhere in the vicinity of the Moon.
Suggested last year by the Keck Institute for Space Studies at the California Institute of Technology, the idea has attracted favor at NASA and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. President Obama’s goal of sending astronauts to a near-Earth asteroid by 2025 can’t be done with foreseeable civil-space spending, the thinking goes. But by moving an asteroid to cislunar space — a high lunar orbit or the second Earth-Moon Lagrangian Point (EML2), above the Moon’s far side — it is conceivable that technically the deadline could be met.
The Keck study estimated it would cost about $2.65 billion to bring in a 500,000-kg (1.1 million-lb.) asteroid, using solar-electric propulsion to reach it and a deployable capture bag to enfold a carbonaceous asteroid measuring 7 meters across. Positioned at EML2, the small space rock would be close enough to reach with an Orion crew vehicle launched by a heavy-lift Space Launch System, and would give a crew a real objective for scientific study.
Members of the Keck team that drafted the proposal briefed it to a National Research Council human-spaceflight technical feasibility panel on March 28, noting that the mission would not pose a threat to Earth because the asteroid would have the density of “a dried mudball,” and would come in much more slowly than the slightly larger asteroid that exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia, in February.
The hardest part, says Paul Dimotakis of Caltech, would be finding a suitable target, since it would be much smaller than the threatening near-Earth objects already being sought. One or more targets may already have been spotted and dismissed as noise by sky-scanning telescope algorithms, he says, and could be pulled out of existing databases with a software rewrite. In addition to size, makeup and spin, prospective targets would need to be on a heliocentric orbit that will return to Earth’s vicinity in the 2020s, to allow time to develop the mission.
Ok, I was being a twerp with the title, but, hey, I'm in a funky mood.
246 Million Year Old Anisian Triassic Placodont Found in Europe
For around 50 million years, placodonts populated the flat coastal regions of the Tethys Ocean, in modern day Europe and China. The most distinctive feature of these [fossil marine reptiles(*)] was their teeth: The upper jaw had two rows of flattened teeth – one on the palate and one on the jawbone – while the lower jaw only had one set of teeth ideal for crushing shellfish and crustaceans.
The basal-most known placodonts to date have the group's trademark double row of crushing teeth in the upper jaw. The flattened teeth that give these animals their name only appear in more derived placodonts. "Unlike all the other placodonts discovered to date, the Winterswijk specimen has conical, pointed teeth instead of flattened or ball-shaped crushing ones," explains Scheyer, "which means the pointed teeth on the lower jaw slotted precisely into the gap between the palate and upper-jawbone teeth when biting."
The group's trademark double row of teeth in the upper jaw is proof that the new find is actually a placodont. According to the researchers, the teeth of Palatodonta bleekeri, the scientific name given to the Winterswijk specimen, were specialized in gripping and piercing soft prey. "The double row of teeth in the new find combined with its considerable age lead us to conclude that it is a very early placodont, from which the later forms developed," says Scheyer. The formation of crushing teeth and the specialization of a diet of shellfish and crustaceans thus developed later within placodont evolution.
The interesting thing is that the origins of many major Triassic tetrapods seems to be in the first few million years after the PT Extinction.
* The press release actually said dinosaur. I cannot let that pass onto my blog. Bleh.
Kids Can Be Amazing
I don't have any more of my daughter because she goes on slopes I cannot: I don't ski (knees) and she can do up to and some times including black diamonds. Orest is still on the bunny slope, but almost ready to go up to greens.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
J-20 Captive Carries Short Range (?) Missiles
Note. Its an external mount. Not terribly stealthy.
Better pix now. You get to see the internal bay to some extent.
Hat tip China Defense Blog.
Cryogenian Oceans Oxygenated by 700 Million Years Ago
Mo isotopic composition of the mid-Neoproterozoic ocean: An iron formation perspective
1. Geoffrey J. Baldwin (a)
2. Thomas F. Nägler (b)
3. Nicolas D. Greber (b)
4. Elizabeth C. Turner (a)
5. Balz S. Kamber (c)
a. Department of Earth Sciences, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada P3E 2C6
b. Institut für Geologie, Universität Bern, Baltzerstr. 1, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
c. Department of Geology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
Abstract:The Neoproterozoic was a major turning point in Earth's surficial history, recording several widespread glaciations, the first appearance of complex metazoan life, and a major increase in atmospheric oxygen. Marine redox proxies have resulted in many different estimates of both the timing and magnitude of the increase in free oxygen, although the consensus has been that it occurred following the Marinoan glaciation, the second globally recorded “snowball Earth” event. A critically understudied rock type of the Neoproterozoic is iron formation associated with the Sturtian (first) glaciation. Samples from the 716 Ma Rapitan iron formation were analysed for their Re concentrations and Mo isotopic composition to refine the redox history of its depositional basin. Rhenium concentrations and Re/Mo ratios are consistently low throughout the bottom and middle of the iron formation, reflecting ferruginous to oxic basinal conditions, but samples from the uppermost jasper layers of the iron formation show significantly higher Re concentrations and Re/Mo ratios, indicating that iron formation deposition was terminated by a shift towards a sulfidic water column. Similarly, the d98Mo values are close to 0.0‰ throughout most of the iron formation, but rise to ~+0.7‰ near the top of the section. The d98Mo from samples of ferruginous to oxic basinal conditions are the product of adsorption to hematite, indicating that the Neoproterozoic open ocean may have had a d98Mo of ~1.8‰. Together with the now well-established lack of a positive Eu anomaly in Neoproterozoic iron formations, these results suggest that the ocean was predominantly oxygenated at 700 Ma.
The Future is a Flying Wing?
The news has come out that the Chinese are considering (and likely to select) a flying wing for their H-X program, their 'first' strategic bomber. Earlier in the month, the Russians supposedly selected a flying wing for their PAK-DA program. The US, of course, flies the B-2
You have to wonder what is being worked on for the Long Range Strike-B (or whatever its name is this week). Its supposed to be introduced in 8 years, barring whatever sequestration does to the program, so something has to be flying already. What is it? Is it, too, a flying wing?
Monday, March 25, 2013
XenoPermian Biota of the Ural Sea: Elyadia hensonii, a manisuminid
Welcome Elyardia: Anomalous Teeth, Beaks and Bites
XenoPermian Anomodont Phylogeny
Suminia top, Elyardia bottom
Past the Future
Any questions or comments or corrections, please post.
Was STUXNET an Illegal Act of Force?
A cyberattack that sabotaged Iran’s uranium enrichment program was an “act of force” and was likely illegal, according to research commissioned by NATO’s cyberwarfare center.
“Acts that kill or injure persons or destroy or damage objects are unambiguously uses of force” and likely violate international law, according to the Tallinn Manual on the International Law Applicable to Cyber Warfare, a study produced by international legal experts at the request of NATO’s Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence in Estonia.
Acts of force are prohibited under the United Nations charter, except when done in self-defense, Michael Schmitt, professor of international law at the U.S. Naval War College in Rhode Island and lead author of the study, told the Washington Times.
The 20 experts who produced the study were unanimous that Stuxnet was an act of force, but were less clear about whether the cyber sabotage against Iran’s nuclear program constituted an “armed attack,” which would entitle Iran to use counterforce in self-defense. An armed attack constitutes a start of international hostilities under which the Geneva Convention’s laws of war would apply.
Friday, March 22, 2013
More Evidence Tying CAMP Eruptions to Triassic-Jurassic Mass Extinction
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Here Comes Skynet: DARPA Tackles Machine Learning
The Probabilistic Programming for Advanced Machine Learning (PPAML) program was launched to address this challenge. Probabilistic programming is a new programming paradigm for managing uncertain information. By incorporating it into machine learning, PPAML seeks to greatly increase the number of people who can successfully build machine learning applications and make machine learning experts radically more effective. Moreover, the program seeks to create more economical, robust and powerful applications that need less data to produce more accurate results – features inconceivable with today’s technology.
“We want to do for machine learning what the advent of high-level program languages 50 years ago did for the software development community as a whole,” said Kathleen Fisher, DARPA program manager.
“Our goal is that future machine learning projects won’t require people to know everything about both the domain of interest and machine learning to build useful machine learning applications. Through new probabilistic programming languages specifically tailored to probabilistic inference, we hope to decisively reduce the current barriers to machine learning and foster a boom in innovation, productivity and effectiveness.”
1. DARPA is doing it. That means its a DARPA hard problem and has a small percentage likelihood of suceeding.
2. I'm being flippant about skynet. I don't think this will work.
3. I have always found it ... odd...interesting...weird...that folks believe that R&D for stuff like AI happens in places that are ones that stockpile weapons of any sort or develop anything of the sort either.
Reportedly Late Triassic Bird-like Tracks are Actually From the Eocene
A Late Eocene date for Late Triassic bird tracks
1. Ricardo N. Melchor (a)
2. Robert Buchwaldt (b)
3. Samuel Bowring (b)
a. INCITAP (CONICET-UNLPam), Av. Uruguay 151, 6300 Santa Rosa, La Pampa, Argentina
Bird-like tracks from northwest Argentina have been reported as being of Late Triassic age1. They were attributed to an unknown group of theropods showing some avian characters. However, we believe that these tracks are of Late Eocene age on the basis of a new weighted mean 206Pb/238U date (isotope dilution–thermal ionization mass spectrometry method) on zircons from a tuff bed in the sedimentary succession containing the fossil tracks. In consequence, the mentioned tracks are assigned to birds and its occurrence matches the known fossil record of Aves.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Updated Neandertal Genome Released and Freely Available
Paabo's group plans to publish a scientific paper later this year.
Yet Another Step to the Robopocalypse!
A New Supercomputer Record Set: More Than One Million Cores Used for a Simulation
The simulations are the largest particle-in-cell (PIC) code simulations by number of cores ever performed. PIC simulations are used extensively in plasma physics to model the motion of the charged particles, and the electromagnetic interactions between them, that make up ionized matter. High performance computers such as Sequoia enable these codes to follow the simultaneous evolution of tens of billions to trillions of individual particles in highly complex systems.
Frederico Fiuza, a physicist and Lawrence Fellow at LLNL, performed the simulations in order to study the interaction of ultra-powerful lasers with dense plasmas in a proposed method to produce fusion energy, the energy source that powers the sun, in a laboratory setting. The method, known as fast ignition, uses lasers capable of delivering more than a petawatt of power (a million billion watts) in a fraction of a billionth of a second to heat compressed deuterium and tritium (DT) fuel to temperatures exceeding the 50 million degrees Celsius needed to initiate fusion reactions and release net energy. The project is part of the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Fusion Energy Science Program.
This method differs from the approach being taken by LLNL's National Ignition Facility to achieve thermonuclear ignition and burn. NIF's approach is called the "central hot spot" scenario, which relies on simultaneous compression and ignition of a spherical fuel capsule in an implosion, much like in a diesel engine. Fast ignition uses the same hardware as the hot spot approach but adds a high-intensity, ultrashort-pulse laser as the "spark" that achieves ignition.
The code used in these simulations was OSIRIS, a PIC code that has been developed over more than 10 years in collaboration between the University of California, Los Angeles and Portugal's Instituto Superior Técnico. Using this code, Fiuza demonstrated excellent scaling in parallel performance of OSIRIS to the full 1.6 million cores of Sequoia. By increasing the number of cores for a relatively small problem of fixed size, what computer scientists call "strong scaling," OSIRIS obtained 75 percent efficiency on the full machine. But when the total problem size was increased, what is called "weak scaling," a 97 percent efficiency was achieved.
"This means that a simulation that would take an entire year to perform on a medium-size cluster of 4,000 cores can be performed in a single day. Alternatively, problems 400 times greater in size can be simulated in the same amount of time," Fiuza said. "The combination of this unique supercomputer and this highly efficient and scalable code is allowing for transformative research."
OSIRIS is routinely used for fundamental science during the test phase of Sequoia in simulations with up to 256,000 cores. These simulations are allowing researchers, for the first time, to model the interaction of realistic fast-ignition-scale lasers with dense plasmas in three dimensions with sufficient speed to explore a large parameter space and optimize the design for ignition. Each simulation evolves the dynamics of more than 100 billion particles for more than 100,000 computational time steps. This is approximately an order of magnitude larger than the previous largest simulations of fast ignition.
New Phylogeny for South American Cretaceous Endemic Mammals (or Meridiolestida finds a new home)
A new phylogeny for basal Trechnotheria and Cladotheria and affinities of South American endemic Late Cretaceous mammals
1. Alexander O. Averianov (a,b)
2. Thomas Martin (c)
3. Alexey V. Lopatin (d)
a. Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Universitetskaya nab. 1, 199034, Saint Petersburg, Russia
b. Department of Paleontology, Geological Faculty, Saint Petersburg State University, 16 Liniya VO 29, 199178, Saint Petersburg, Russia
c. Steinmann-Institut für Geologie, Mineralogie und Paläontologie, Universität Bonn, Nussallee 8, 53115, Bonn, Germany
d. Borissiak Paleontological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Profsouznaya str. 123, 117997, Moscow, Russia
The endemic South American mammals Meridiolestida, considered previously as dryolestoid cladotherians, are found to be non-cladotherian trechnotherians related to spalacotheriid symmetrodontans based on a parsimony analysis of 137 morphological characters among 44 taxa. Spalacotheriidae is the sister taxon to Meridiolestida, and the latter clade is derived from a primitive spalacolestine that migrated to South America from North America at the beginning of the Late Cretaceous. Meridiolestida survived until the early Paleocene (Peligrotherium) and early Miocene (Necrolestes) in South America, and their extinction is probably linked to the increasing competition with metatherian and eutherian tribosphenic mammals. The clade Meridiolestida plus Spalacotheriidae is the sister taxon to Cladotheria and forms a new clade Alethinotheria. Alethinotheria and its sister taxon Zhangheotheria, new clade (Zhangheotheriidae plus basal taxa), comprise Trechnotheria. Cladotheria is divided into Zatheria (plus stem taxa, including Amphitherium) and Dryolestida, including Dryolestidae and a paraphyletic array of basal dryolestidans (formerly classified as “Paurodontidae”). The South American Vincelestes and Groebertherium are basal dryolestidans.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Triassic River Systems of Northwest Pangea
Triassic river systems and the paleo-Pacific margin of northwestern Pangea
1. Elizabeth L. Miller (a)
2. Alexey V. Soloviev (b)
3. Andrei V. Prokopiev (c)
4. Jaime Toro (d)
5. Dan Harris (d)
6. Alexander B. Kuzmichev (b)
7. George E. Gehrels (e)
a. Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
b. Geological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
c. Diamond and Precious Metal Geology Institute, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Yakutsk, Russia
d. Dept. Geology and Geography, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA
e. Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA
Detrital zircon U–Pb ages from Triassic strata exposed in the circum-Arctic, analyzed by LA-ICP-MS and SHRIMP-RG, are compared at the regional scale to better understand the paleogeography of northern Pangea and help restore rift opening of the Arctic. Data sets are compared based on their zircon age distributions, cumulative age probability plots, and the K–S test. Three major source regions are characterized. These fed clastic material to transcontinental river systems that transported material from the highlands of northwestern Pangea to its once continuous paleo-Pacific continental margin. The paleo-Lena River System was fed from sources in the Baikalian and Altay-Sayan mountainous regions of Siberia. Zircon populations are characterized by a limited number of Precambrian zircons (~ 1.8–2.0 Ga with fewer ~ 2.5–3.0 Ga), lack of 0.9–1.8 Ga zircons, and a dominant 480–500 Ma and 290–300 Ma age population. The paleo-Taimyr River System was sourced from the Uralian orogenic belt region and deposited along a rifted portion of the Siberia–Baltica margin beginning in the Permo–Triassic. Precambrian zircon populations are similar to those of the paleo-Lena system, and samples closest to Siberia have similar populations in the 480–500 Ma and 290–30
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alignment-classifier-documents-unlabeled | trentmkelly/LessWrong-43k
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[Link] "The Problem With Positive Thinking"
Psychology researchers discuss their findings in a New York Times op-ed piece.
The take-home advice:
> Positive thinking fools our minds into perceiving that we’ve already attained our goal, slackening our readiness to pursue it.
>
> ...
>
> What does work better is a hybrid approach that combines positive thinking with “realism.” Here’s how it works. Think of a wish. For a few minutes, imagine the wish coming true, letting your mind wander and drift where it will. Then shift gears. Spend a few more minutes imagining the obstacles that stand in the way of realizing your wish.
>
> This simple process, which my colleagues and I call “mental contrasting,” has produced powerful results in laboratory experiments. When participants have performed mental contrasting with reasonable, potentially attainable wishes, they have come away more energized and achieved better results compared with participants who either positively fantasized or dwelt on the obstacles.
>
> When participants have performed mental contrasting with wishes that are not reasonable or attainable, they have disengaged more from these wishes. Mental contrasting spurs us on when it makes sense to pursue a wish, and lets us abandon wishes more readily when it doesn’t, so that we can go after other, more reasonable ambitions.
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In flashbacks, the audience is shown a young Margaret Roberts working at the family grocer's shop in Grantham, listening to the political speeches of her father, whom she idolised – it is also hinted that she had a poor relationship with her mother, a housewife – and announcing that she has won a place at Somerville College, Oxford. She remembers her struggle, as a young lower-middle-class woman, to break into a snobbish male-dominated Conservative Party and find a seat in the House of Commons, along with businessman Denis Thatcher's marriage proposal to her. Her struggles to fit in as a "Lady Member" of the House, and as Education Secretary in Edward Heath's Cabinet are also shown, as are her friendship with Airey Neave, her decision to stand for Leader of the Conservative Party and eventual victory, and her voice coaching and image change. Further flashbacks examine historical events during her time as Prime Minister, after winning the 1979 general election, including the rising unemployment related to her monetarist policies and the tight 1981 budget (over the misgivings of "wet" members of her Cabinet – Ian Gilmour, Francis Pym, Michael Heseltine, and Jim Prior), the 1981 Brixton riot, the 1984–1985 UK miners' strike, and the bombing in Brighton of the Grand Hotel during the 1984 Conservative Party Conference, when she and her husband were almost killed. We also see (slightly out of chronological sequence) her decision to retake the Falkland Islands following the islands' invasion by Argentina in 1982, the sinking of the ARA General Belgrano and Britain's subsequent victory in the Falklands War, her friendship with U.S. President Ronald Reagan and emergence as a world figure, and the economic boom of the late 1980s. By 1990, Thatcher is shown as an imperious but aging figure, ranting aggressively at her cabinet, refusing to accept that the "Poll Tax" is unjust, even while it is causing riots, and fiercely opposed to European integration. Her deputy, Geoffrey Howe, resigns after being humiliated by her in a cabinet meeting, Heseltine challenges her for the party leadership, and her loss of support from her cabinet colleagues leaves her little choice but reluctantly to resign as Prime Minister after eleven years in office. A teary-eyed Thatcher exits 10 Downing Street for the last time as Prime Minister with Denis comforting her. She is shown as still disheartened about it almost twenty years later. Eventually, Thatcher is shown packing up her late husband's belongings, and telling him it's time for him to go. Denis' ghost leaves her as she cries that she actually is not yet ready to lose him, to which he replies "You're going to be fine on your own... you always have been" before leaving forever. Having finally overcome her grief, she contentedly washes a teacup alone in her kitchen.
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dclm-dedup-25B-ai-scifi-docs | http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericbasu/2014/03/28/how-your-landlord-can-open-your-company-to-hackers-and-how-to-prevent-it/
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This is the next installment in my cybersecurity series aimed at educating business owners on the risks and best practices to protect their corporate data. Full disclosure statement: my company Sentek Global performs some of the services highlighted in this article.
Cyber security, though it’s been around for decades, is still perceived as being a bit of the “wild west” (as evidenced by the variety of personalities and phenotypes at the annual conferences) and not a serious “business” topic (suitable for suits and boardrooms), but that is changing daily. When the first $1B insurance payout for a cyber attack is paid out, we’ll start seeing significant interest in how to avoid future payouts of that magnitude. Right now the estimated loss from cyber theft worldwide is $100B/year.
I’m on a plane coming home from Black Hat Asia, where I attended an excellent session presented by Billy Rios of Qualys, titled “Owning a Building.” The bottom line of the session is that not only is it easy to own a building, once you own the building the consequences for the tenants are much more severe than just shutting down their air conditioning on a hot day (which happened to when one of their HVAC systems was compromised by a hacker).
The consequences can be much more severe when compromise of the building systems results in the ability to jump networks (that may have been non-maliciously connected by facilities personnel or building system integrators that were simply trying to more easily manage the systems remotely). This is theorized to be the initial attack vector used to compromise the Point of Sale (POS) systems and steal tens of millions of credit card numbers, costing Target at least tens of millions of dollars in penalties and clean up costs.
In addition, consider a Biomedical or hospital facility that has the air conditioning shut down and costs either millions of dollars of product to be lost or worse, lives to be lost. Beyond the HVAC, if the building uses security cameras, access control systems (those convenient card readers on the doors), energy controls systems, and smart thermostats, they are all likely controlled by the same underlying building management system network, which means once one system is compromised the rest of them are just a step away from being completely compromised as well. So why do you care? Imagine the impact of someone being able to reroute your security cameras, create fake credentials to get into your secure buildings, and shut down your temperature control systems for your server room or other critical areas. Could someone use this to harm your company or take confidential, critical information? You bet.
Mr. Rios demonstrated during the session that anyone can scan the Internet using an online tool called Shodan and find open, accessible systems with no passwords or default passwords. He stated that there are 50,000 exposed building management systems that can be accessed and controlled via the Internet with $500 worth of hardware (with full instructions on how to purchase and configure on the Internet). The building management systems that were exposed to hackers included a surgery center, biomedical facility, and even the Sochi Arena (this was fixed immediately upon notification, however).
So now you’re thinking, ok I’m scared, but what can I do? The good news is, you’re not helpless. As a business owner you need to take an active role in your own security, since most building owners and managers don’t see any real value in securing their systems (this is from personal experience, one building owner even said that he manages everything remotely so he doesn’t need to worry about security, while another said that she doesn’t want to know if there are any problems because then she might be liable). Talk to the building owner and get an inventory of all the building management systems upon which your company depends and ask what the building owner has done to secure those systems. If the answer is anything other than “we have an independent assessment from a company other than the integrator to look for any security vulnerabilities”, you may not have a warm fuzzy feeling, with good reason. (more full disclosure, my company Sentek Global does these sorts of audits). The building management system integrator will tend towards convenience of remote management over security every time, since that saves them money. They also likely will be able to deny or deflect attribution to their systems in the event of a compromise, except in very high profile attacks (aka the Target breach).
Security is all about risk management, there is no such thing as a completely secure system except one that is powered down (or non-existent, to take it to the extreme, since data at rest can be removed from unpowered systems by application of external tools). As a business owner, you need to understand your risk and know how to mitigate it, then include the appropriate measures that have acceptable costs in your mitigation plan. These measures include proactive security measures, regular auditing, and carrying the correct amounts and types of insurance coverage. Sound like most of your other business risks? It is, but once you put the term “cyber” onto these risks most business owners’ eyes glaze over and they feel uneasy and scared, when there is no reason to be.
On a related note, the city of San Diego has stood up a Cyber Center of Excellence (CCOE) which has as one of its primary goals being a resource for business to gain knowledge of cyber security risks and to understand how to mitigate them (one more full disclosure note, Sentek Global is one of the founding members and supporters of the CCOE).
So the good news is that there are resources out there to help you become aware and stay aware of the cyber threat to your business, but it is your responsibility to take the time to located those resources and keep yourself informed.
Eric Basu is a former SEAL Officer (BUDS Class 164) and serial entrepreneur, currently CEO of Sentek Global, a cyber security firm based in San Diego.
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dclm-dedup-25B-ai-scifi-docs | http://steroidjunkies.com/page/68/
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dclm-dedup-25B-ai-scifi-docs | https://logtalk3.readthedocs.io/en/latest/devtools/lgtunit.html
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The lgtunit tool provides testing support for Logtalk. It can also be used for testing plain Prolog code and Prolog module code.
This tool is inspired by the xUnit frameworks architecture and by the works of Joachim Schimpf (ECLiPSe library test_util) and Jan Wielemaker (SWI-Prolog plunit package).
Tests are defined in objects, which represent a test set or test suite. In simple cases, we usually define a single object containing the tests. But it is also possible to use parametric test objects or multiple objects defining parametrizable tests or test subsets for testing more complex units and facilitate tests maintenance. Parametric test objects are specially useful to test multiple implementations of the same protocol using a single set of tests by passing the implementation object as a parameter value.
Main files
The lgtunit.lgt source file implements a framework for defining and running unit tests in Logtalk. The lgtunit_messages.lgt source file defines the default translations for the messages printed when running unit tests. These messages can be intercepted to customize output, e.g. to make it less verbose, or for integration with e.g. GUI IDEs and continuous integration servers.
Other files part of this tool provide support for alternative output formats of test results and are discussed below.
API documentation
This tool API documentation is available at:
This tool can be loaded using the query:
| ?- logtalk_load(lgtunit(loader)).
To test this tool, load the tester.lgt file:
| ?- logtalk_load(lgtunit(tester)).
Writing and loading tests
In order to write your own unit tests, define objects extending the lgtunit object. You may start by copying the tests-sample.lgt file (at the root of the Logtalk distribution) to a tests.lgt file in your project directory and edit it to add your tests:
:- object(tests,
% test definitions
:- end_object.
The section on test dialects below describes in detail how to write tests. See the tests top directory for examples of actual unit tests. Other sources of examples are the library and examples directories.
The tests must be term-expanded by the lgtunit object by compiling the source files defining the test objects using the option hook(lgtunit). For example:
| ?- logtalk_load(tests, [hook(lgtunit)]).
As the term-expansion mechanism applies to all the contents of a source file, the source files defining the test objects should preferably not contain entities other than the test objects. Additional code necessary for the tests should go to separate files. In general, the tests themselves can be compiled in optimized mode. Assuming that’s the case, also use the optimize(on) compiler option for faster tests execution.
The tester-sample.lgt file (at the root of the Logtalk distribution) exemplifies how to compile and load lgtunit tool, the source code under testing, the unit tests, and for automatically run all the tests after loading:
:- initialization((
% minimize compilation reports to the essential ones (errors and warnings)
set_logtalk_flag(report, warnings),
% load any necessary library files for your application; for example
% load the unit test tool
% load your application files (e.g. "source.lgt") enabling support for
% code coverage, which requires compilation in debug mode and collecting
% source data information; if code coverage is not required, remove the
% "debug(on)" option for faster execution
logtalk_load(source, [source_data(on), debug(on)]),
% compile the unit tests file expanding it using "lgtunit" as the hook
% object to preprocess the tests; if you have failing tests, add the
% option debug(on) to debug them
logtalk_load(tests, [hook(lgtunit)]),
% run all the unit tests; assuming your tests object is named "tests"
You may copy this sample file to a tester.lgt file in your project directory and edit it to load your project and tests files (the logtalk_tester testing automation script defaults to look for test driver files named tester.lgt or tester.logtalk).
Debugged test sets should preferably be compiled in optimal mode, specially when containing deterministic tests and when using the utility benchmarking predicates.
Running unit tests
Assuming that your test object is named tests, after compiling and loading its source file, you can run the tests by typing:
| ?- tests::run.
Usually, this goal is called automatically from an initialization/1 directive in a tester.lgt loader file. You can also run a single test (or a list of tests) using the run/1 predicate:
| ?- tests::run(test_identifier).
When testing complex units, it is often desirable to split the tests between several test objects or using parametric test objects to be able to run the same tests using different parameters (e.g. different data sets or alternative implementations of the same protocol). In this case, you can run all test subsets using the goal:
| ?- lgtunit::run_test_sets([test_set_1, test_set_2, ...]).
where the run_test_sets/1 predicate argument is a list of two or more test object identifiers. This predicate makes possible to get a single code coverage report that takes into account all the tests.
It’s also possible to automatically run loaded tests when using the make tool by calling the goal that runs the tests from a definition of the hook predicate logtalk_make_target_action/1. For example, by adding to the tests tester.lgt driver file the following code:
% integrate the tests with logtalk_make/1
:- multifile(logtalk_make_target_action/1).
:- dynamic(logtalk_make_target_action/1).
logtalk_make_target_action(check) :-
Alternatively, you can define the predicate make/1 inside the test set object. For example:
:- object(tests, extends(lgtunit)).
:- end_object.
This clause will cause all tests to be run when calling the logtalk_make/1 predicate with the target check (or its top-level shortcut, {?}). The other possible target is all (with top-level shortcut {*}).
Note that you can have multiple test driver files. For example, one driver file that runs the tests collecting code coverage data and a quicker driver file that skips code coverage and compiles the code to be tested in optimized mode.
Parametric test objects
Parameterized unit tests can be easily defined by using parametric test objects. A typical example is testing multiple implementations of the same protocol. In this case, we can use a parameter to pass the specific implementation being tested. For example, assume that we want to run the same set of tests for the library randomp protocol. We can write:
:- object(tests(_RandomObject_),
:- uses(_RandomObject_, [
random/1, between/3, member/2,
test(between_3_in_interval) :-
between(1, 10, Random),
1 =< Random, Random =< 10.
:- end_object.
We can then test a specific implementation by instantiating the parameter. For example:
| ?- tests(fast_random)::run.
Or use the lgtunit::run_test_sets/1 predicate to test all the implementations:
| ?- lgtunit::run_test_sets([
Test dialects
Multiple test dialects are supported by default. See the next section on how to define your own test dialects. In all dialects, a ground callable term, usually an atom, is used to uniquely identify a test. This simplifies reporting failed tests and running tests selectively. An error message is printed if invalid or duplicated test identifiers are found. These errors must be corrected otherwise the reported test results can be misleading. Ideally, tests should have descriptive names that clearly state the purpose of the test and what is being tested.
Unit tests can be written using any of the following predefined dialects:
test(Test) :- Goal.
This is the most simple dialect, allowing the specification of tests that are expected to succeed. The argument of the test/1 predicate is the test identifier, which must be unique. A more versatile dialect is:
succeeds(Test) :- Goal.
deterministic(Test) :- Goal.
fails(Test) :- Goal.
throws(Test, Ball) :- Goal.
throws(Test, Balls) :- Goal.
This is a straightforward dialect. For succeeds/1 tests, Goal is expected to succeed. For deterministic/1 tests, Goal is expected to succeed once without leaving a choice-point. For fails/1 tests, Goal is expected to fail. For throws/2 tests, Goal is expected to throw the exception term Ball or one of the exception terms in the list Balls. The specified exception must subsume the generated exception for the test to succeed.
An alternative test dialect that can be used with more expressive power is:
test(Test, Outcome) :- Goal.
The possible values of the outcome argument are:
• true
the test is expected to succeed
• true(Assertion)
the test is expected to succeed and satisfy the Assertion goal
• deterministic
the test is expected to succeed once without leaving a choice-point
• deterministic(Assertion)
the test is expected to succeed once without leaving a choice-point and satisfy the Assertion goal
• subsumes(Expected, Result)
the test is expected to succeed binding Result to a term that is subsumed by the Expected term
• variant(Term1, Term2)
the test is expected to succeed binding Term1 to a term that is a variant of the Term2 term
• fail
the test is expected to fail
• false
the test is expected to fail
• error(Error)
the test is expected to throw the exception term error(Error, _)
• errors(Errors)
the test is expected to throw an exception term error(Error, _) where Error is an element of the list Errors
• ball(Ball)
the test is expected to throw the exception term Ball
• balls(Balls)
the test is expected to throw an exception term Ball where Ball is an element of the list Balls
In the case of the true(Assertion) and deterministic(Assertion) outcomes, a message that includes the assertion goal is printed for assertion failures and errors to help to debug failed unit tests. Same for the subsumes(Expected, Result) and variant(Term1, Term2) assertions. Note that this message is only printed when the test goal succeeds as its failure will prevent the assertion goal from being called. This allows distinguishing between test goal failure and assertion failure.
Some tests may require individual condition, setup, or cleanup goals. In this case, the following alternative test dialect can be used:
test(Test, Outcome, Options) :- Goal.
The currently supported options are (non-recognized options are ignored):
• condition(Goal)
condition for deciding if the test should be run or skipped (default goal is true)
• setup(Goal)
setup goal for the test (default goal is true)
• cleanup(Goal)
cleanup goal for the test (default goal is true)
• note(Term)
annotation to print (between parenthesis by default) after the test result (default is ''); the annotation term can share variables with the test goal, which can be used to pass additional information about the test result
Also supported is QuickCheck testing where random tests are automatically generated and run given a predicate mode template with type information for each argument (see the section below for more details):
quick_check(Test, Template, Options).
quick_check(Test, Template).
The valid options are the same as for the test/3 dialect plus all the supported QuickCheck specific options (see the QuickCheck section below for details).
For examples of how to write unit tests, check the tests folder or the testing example in the examples folder in the Logtalk distribution. Most of the provided examples also include unit tests, some of them with code coverage.
User-defined test dialects
Additional test dialects can be easily defined by extending the lgtunit object and by term-expanding the new dialect into one of the default dialects. As an example, suppose that you want a dialect where you can simply write a file with clauses using the format:
test_identifier :-
First, we define an expansion for this file into a test object:
:- object(simple_dialect,
term_expansion(begin_of_file, [(:- object(tests,extends(lgtunit)))]).
term_expansion((Head :- Body), [test(Head) :- Body]).
term_expansion(end_of_file, [(:- end_object)]).
:- end_object.
Then we can use this hook object to expand and run tests written in this dialect by using a tester.lgt driver file with contents such as:
:- initialization((
set_logtalk_flag(report, warnings),
logtalk_load(tests, [hook(hook_pipeline([simple_dialect,lgtunit]))]),
The hook pipeline first applies our simple_dialect expansion followed by the default lgtunit expansion. This solution allows other hook objects (e.g. required by the code being tested) to also be used by updating the pipeline.
QuickCheck was originally developed for Haskell. Implementations for several other programming languages soon followed. QuickCheck provides support for property-based testing. The idea is to express properties that predicates must comply with and automatically generate tests for those properties. The lgtunit tool supports both quick_check/2-3 test dialects, as described above, and quick_check/1-3 public predicates for interactive use:
quick_check(Template, Result, Options).
quick_check(Template, Options).
The following options are supported:
• n/1: number of random tests that will be generated and run (default is 100).
• s/1: maximum number of shrink operations when a counter-example is found (default is 64).
• ec/1: boolean option deciding if type edge cases are tested before generating random tests (default is true).
• rs/1: starting seed to be used when generating the random tests (no default).
• pc/1: pre-condition closure for generated tests (extended with the test arguments; no default).
• l/1: label closure for classifying the generated tests (extended with the test arguments plus the labels argument; no default).
• v/1: boolean option for verbose reporting of generated random tests (default is false).
The quick_check/1 uses the default option values. When using the quick_check/2-3 predicates, invalid options are ignored and replaced with the default value if applicable. The quick_check/3 predicate returns results in reified form:
• passed(Seed, Discarded, Labels),
• failed(Goal, Seed)
• error(Error, Culprit) or error(Error, Goal, Seed)
The Goal argument is the random test that failed. The Seed argument is the starting seed used to generate the random tests and should be regarded as an opaque term. See below how to use it when testing bug fixes. The error(Error, Culprit) result only occurs when the template is not callable (e.g. a non-existing predicate) or when there’s a problem with the pre-condition closure or with the label closure (e.g. a pre-condition that always fails or a label that fails to classify a generated test).
The Discarded argument returns the number of generated tests that were discarded for failing to comply a pre-condition specified using the pc/1 option. This option is specially useful when constraining or enforcing a relation between the generated arguments and is often used as an alternative to define a custom type. For example, if we define the following predicate:
condition(I) :-
between(0, 127, I).
we can then use it to filter the generated tests:
| ?- lgtunit::quick_check(integer(+byte), [pc(condition)]).
% 100 random tests passed, 94 discarded
% starting seed: seed(416,18610,17023)
The Labels argument returns a list of pairs Label-N where N is the number of generated tests that are classified as Label by a closure specified using the l/1 option. For example, assuming the following predicate definition:
label(I, Label) :-
( I mod 2 =:= 0 ->
Label = even
; Label = odd
we can try:
| ?- lgtunit::quick_check(integer(+byte), [l(label), n(10000)]).
% 10000 random tests passed, 0 discarded
% starting seed: seed(25513,20881,16407)
% even: 5037/10000 (50.370000%)
% odd: 4963/10000 (49.630000%)
The label statistics are key to verify that the generated tests provide the necessary coverage. The labelling predicates can return a single test label or a list of test labels. Labels should be ground and are typically atoms. To examine the generated tests themselves, you can use the verbose option, v/1. For example:
| ?- lgtunit::quick_check(integer(+integer), [v(true), n(7), pc([I]>>(I>5))]).
% Discarded: integer(0)
% Passed: integer(786)
% Passed: integer(590)
% Passed: integer(165)
% Discarded: integer(-412)
% Passed: integer(440)
% Discarded: integer(-199)
% Passed: integer(588)
% Discarded: integer(-852)
% Discarded: integer(-214)
% Passed: integer(196)
% Passed: integer(353)
% 7 random tests passed, 5 discarded
% starting seed: seed(23671,3853,29824)
When a counter-example is found, the verbose option also prints the shrink steps. For example:
| ?- lgtunit::quick_check(atom(+atomic), [v(true), ec(false)]).
% Passed: atom('}U')
* Failure: atom(-13)
* Shrinked: atom(-6)
* Shrinked: atom(-3)
* Shrinked: atom(-1)
* Shrinked: atom(0)
* quick check test failure (at test 2 after 4 shrinks):
* atom(0)
* starting seed: seed(1341,12174,18263)
The other two predicates print the test results. The template can be a ::/2, <</2, or :/2 qualified callable term. When the template is an unqualified callable term, it will be used to construct a goal to be called in the context of the sender using the <</2 debugging control construct. A simple example by passing a template that will trigger a failed test (as the random::random/1 predicate always returns non-negative floats):
| ?- lgtunit::quick_check(random::random(-negative_float)).
* quick check test failure (at test 1 after 0 shrinks):
* random::random(0.09230089279334841)
* starting seed: seed(3172,9814,20125)
When QuickCheck exposes a bug in the tested code, we can use the reported counter-example to help diagnose it and fix it. As tests are randomly generated, we can use the starting seed reported with the counter-example to confirm the bug fix by calling the quick_check/2-3 predicates with the rs(Seed) option. For example, assume the following broken predicate definition:
every_other([], []).
every_other([_, X| L], [X | R]) :-
every_other(L, R).
The predicate is supposed to construct a list by taking every other element of an input list. Cursory testing may fail to notice the bug:
| ?- every_other([1,2,3,4,5,6], List).
List = [2, 4, 6]
But QuickCheck will report a bug with lists with an odd number of elements with a simple property that verifies that the predicate always succeed and returns a list of integers:
| ?- lgtunit::quick_check(every_other(+list(integer), -list(integer))).
* quick check test failure (at test 2 after 0 shrinks):
* every_other([0],A)
* starting seed: seed(3172,9814,20125)
We could fix this particular bug by rewriting the predicate:
every_other([], []).
every_other([H| T], L) :-
every_other(T, H, L).
every_other([], X, [X]).
every_other([_| T], X, [X| L]) :-
every_other(T, L).
By retesting with the same seed that uncovered the bug, the same random test that found the bug will be generated and run again:
| ?- lgtunit::quick_check(
every_other(+list(integer), -list(integer)),
% 100 random tests passed, 0 discarded
% starting seed: seed(3172,9814,20125)
When retesting using the logtalk_tester automation script, the starting seed can be set using the -r option. For example:
$ logtalk_tester -r "seed(3172,9814,20125)"
We could now move to other properties that the predicate should comply (e.g. all elements in the output list being present in the input list). Often, both traditional unit tests and QuickCheck tests are used, complementing each other to ensure the required code coverage.
Another example using a Prolog module predicate:
| ?- lgtunit::quick_check(
% 100 random tests passed, 0 discarded
% starting seed: seed(3172,9814,20125)
As illustrated by the examples above, properties are expressed using predicates. In the most simple cases, that can be the predicate that we are testing itself. But, in general, it will be an auxiliary predicate calling the predicate or predicates being tested and checking properties that the results must comply with.
The QuickCheck test dialects and predicates take as argument the mode template for a property, generate random values for each input argument based on the type information, and check each output argument. For common types, the implementation tries first (by default) common edge cases (e.g. empty atom, empty list, or zero) before generating arbitrary values. When the output arguments check fails, the QuickCheck implementation tries (by default) up to 64 shrink operations of the counter-example to report a simpler case to help debugging the failed test. Edge cases, generating of arbitrary terms, and shrinking terms make use of the library arbitrary category via the type object (both entities can be extended by the user by defining clauses for multifile predicates).
The mode template syntax is the same used in the info/2 predicate directives with an additional notation, {}/1, for passing argument values as-is instead of generating random values for these arguments. For example, assume that we want to verify the type::valid/2 predicate, which takes as first argument a type. Randomly generating random types would be cumbersome at best but the main problem is that we need to generate random values for the second argument according to the first argument. Using the {}/1 notation we can solve this problem for any specific type, e.g. integer, by writing:
| ?- lgtunit::quick_check(type::valid({integer}, +integer)).
We can also test all (ground, i.e. non-parametric) types with arbitrary value generators by writing:
| ?- forall(
(type::type(Type), ground(Type), type::arbitrary(Type)),
lgtunit::quick_check(type::valid({Type}, +Type))
You can find the list of the basic supported types for using in the template in the API documentation for the library entities type and arbitrary. Note that other library entities, including third-party or your own, can contribute with additional type definitions as both type and arbitrary entities are user extensible by defining clauses for their multifile predicates.
The user can define new types to use in the property mode templates to use with its QuickCheck tests by defining clauses for the arbitrary library category multifile predicates.
Skipping tests
A test object can define the condition/0 predicate (which defaults to true) to test if some necessary condition for running the tests holds. The tests are skipped if the call to this predicate fails or generates an error.
Individual tests that for some reason should be unconditionally skipped can have the test clause head prefixed with the (-)/1 operator. For example:
- test(not_yet_ready) :-
The number of skipped tests is reported together with the numbers of passed and failed tests. To skip a test depending on some condition, use the test/3 dialect and the condition/1 option. For example:
test(test_id, true, [condition(current_prolog_flag(bounded,true))) :-
The conditional compilation directives can also be used in alternative but note that in this case there will be no report on the number of skipped tests.
Checking test goal results
Checking test goal results can be performed using the test/2-3 dialects true/1 and deterministic/1 assertions. For example:
test(compare_3_order_less, deterministic(Order == (<))) :-
compare(Order, 1, 2).
For the other test dialects, checking test goal results can be performed by calling the assertion/1-2 utility predicates or by writing the checking goals directly in the test body. For example:
test(compare_3_order_less) :-
compare(Order, 1, 2),
^^assertion(Order == (<)).
succeeds(compare_3_order_less) :-
compare(Order, 1, 2),
Order == (<).
Using assertions is, however, preferable to directly check test results in the test body as it facilitates debugging by printing the unexpected results when the assertions fail.
The assertion/1-2 utility predicates are also useful for the test/2-3 dialects when we want to check multiple assertions in the same test. For example:
test(dictionary_clone_4_01, true) :-
as_dictionary([], Dictionary),
clone(Dictionary, DictionaryPairs, Clone, ClonePairs),
^^assertion(original_pairs, DictionaryPairs == []),
^^assertion(clone_pairs, ClonePairs == []).
Ground results can be compared using the standard ==/2 term equality built-in predicate. Non-ground results can be compared using the variant/2 predicate provided by lgtunit. The standard subsumes_term/2 built-in predicate can be used when testing a compound term structure while abstracting some of its arguments. Floating-point numbers can be compared using the =~=/2, approximately_equal/3, essentially_equal/3, and tolerance_equal/4 predicates provided by lgtunit. Using the =/2 term unification built-in predicate is almost always an error as it would mask test goals failing to bind output arguments.
Testing local predicates
The (<<)/2 debugging control construct can be used to access and test object local predicates (i.e. predicates without a scope directive). In this case, make sure that the context_switching_calls compiler flag is set to allow for those objects. This is seldom required, however, as local predicates are usually auxiliary predicates called by public predicates and thus tested when testing those public predicates. The code coverage support can pinpoint any local predicate clause that is not being exercised by the tests.
Testing non-deterministic predicates
For testing non-deterministic predicates (with a finite and manageable number of solutions), you can wrap the test goal using the standard findall/3 predicate to collect all solutions and check against the list of expected solutions. When the expected solutions are a set, use in alternative the standard setof/3 predicate.
Testing generators
To test all solutions of a predicate that acts as a generator, we can use the forall/2 predicate as the test goal with the assertion/2 predicate called to report details on any solution that fails the test. For example:
:- uses(lgtunit, [assertion/2]).
test(test_solution_generator) :-
generator(X, Y, Z),
assertion(generator(X,Y,Z), test(X,Y,Z))
Testing input/output predicates
Extensive support for testing input/output predicates is provided, based on similar support found on the Prolog conformance testing framework written by Péter Szabó and Péter Szeredi.
Two sets of predicates are provided, one for testing text input/output and one for testing binary input/output. In both cases, temporary files (possibly referenced by a user-defined alias) are used. The predicates allow setting, checking, and cleaning text/binary input/output.
As an example of testing an input predicate, consider the standard get_char/1 predicate. This predicate reads a single character (atom) from the current input stream. Some test for basic functionality could be:
test(get_char_1_01, true(Char == 'q')) :-
test(get_char_1_02, true(Assertion)) :-
^^text_input_assertion('werty', Assertion).
As you can see in the above example, the testing pattern consist on setting the input for the predicate being tested, calling it, and then checking the results. It is also possible to work with streams other than the current input/output streams by using the lgtunit predicate variants that take a stream as argument. For example, when testing the standard get_char/2 predicate, we could write:
test(get_char_2_01, true(Char == 'q')) :-
^^set_text_input(my_alias, 'qwerty'),
get_char(my_alias, Char).
test(get_char_2_02, true(Assertion)) :-
^^set_text_input(my_alias, 'qwerty'),
get_char(my_alias, _Char),
^^text_input_assertion(my_alias, 'werty', Assertion).
Testing output predicates follows the same pattern by using instead the set_text_output/1-2 and text_output_assertion/2-3 predicates. For testing binary input/output predicates, equivalent testing predicates are provided. There is also a small set of helper predicates for dealing with stream handles and stream positions. For testing with files instead of streams, testing predicates are provided that allow creating text and binary files with given contents and check text and binary files for expected contents.
For more practical examples, check the included tests for Prolog conformance of standard input/output predicates.
Suppressing tested predicates output
Sometimes predicates being tested output text or binary data that at best clutters testing logs and at worse can interfere with parsing of test logs. If that output itself is not under testing, you can suppress it by using the goals ^^suppress_text_output or ^^suppress_binary_output at the beginning of the tests. For example:
test(proxies_04, true(Color == yellow)) :-
{circle('#2', Color)}::print.
Tests with timeout limits
There’s no portable way to call a goal with a timeout limit. However, some backend Prolog compilers provide this functionality:
• B-Prolog: time_out/3 predicate
• ECLiPSe: timeout/3 and timeout/7 library predicates
• SICStus Prolog: time_out/3 library predicate
• SWI-Prolog: call_with_time_limit/2 library predicate
• YAP: time_out/3 library predicate
Logtalk provides a timeout portability library implementing a simple abstraction for those backend Prolog compilers.
The logtalk_tester automation script accepts a timeout option that can be used to set a limit per test set.
Setup and cleanup goals
A test object can define setup/0 and cleanup/0 goals. The setup/0 predicate is called, when defined, before running the object unit tests. The cleanup/0 predicate is called, when defined, after running all the object unit tests. The tests are skipped when the setup goal fails or throws an error. For example:
cleanup :-
object_property(This, file(_,Directory)),
atom_concat(Directory, serialized_objects, File),
catch(ignore(os::delete_file(File)), _, true).
Per test setup and cleanup goals can be defined using the test/3 dialect and the setup/1 and cleanup/1 options. The test is skipped when the setup goal fails or throws an error. Note that a broken test cleanup goal doesn’t affect the test but may adversely affect any following tests.
Test annotations
It’s possible to define per unit and per test annotations to be printed after the test results or when tests are skipped. This is particularly useful when some units or some unit tests may be run while still being developed. Annotations can be used to pass additional information to a user reviewing test results. By intercepting the unit test framework message printing calls (using the message_hook/4 hook predicate), test automation scripts and integrating tools can also access these annotations.
Units can define a global annotation using the predicate note/1. To define per test annotations, use the test/3 dialect and the note/1 option. For example, you can inform why a test is being skipped by writing:
- test(foo_1, true, [note('Waiting for Deep Thought answer')]) :-
Annotations are written, by default, between parenthesis after and in the same line as the test results.
Flaky tests
Flaky tests are tests that pass or fail non-deterministically, usually due to external conditions (e.g. computer or network load). Thus, flake tests often don’t result from bugs in the code being tested itself but from test execution conditions that are not predictable. The note/1 annotation can be used to alert that a test failure is for a flaky test. If the note/1 argument is an atom containing the sub-atom flaky, the testing automation support outputs the text [flaky] when reporting failed tests. Moreover, the logtalk_tester automation script will ignore failed flaky tests when setting its exit status.
Debugging failed tests
Debugging of failed unit tests is usually easy if you use assertions as the reason for the assertion failures is printed out. Thus, use preferably the test/2-3 dialects with true(Assertion) or deterministic(Assertion) outcomes. If a test checks multiple assertions, you can use the predicate assertion/2 in the test body.
In order to debug failed unit tests, start by compiling the unit test objects and the code being tested in debug mode. Load the debugger and trace the test that you want to debug. For example, assuming your tests are defined in a tests object and that the identifier of test to be debugged is test_foo:
| ?- logtalk_load(debugger(loader)).
| ?- debugger::trace.
| ?- tests::run(test_foo).
You can also c
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8358f5fa-db6f-4327-89dc-dbe6c6d1e2e5
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alignment-classifier-documents-unlabeled | trentmkelly/LessWrong-43k
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British and American Connotations
As an American who works with some people who speak British English, the language differences are usually not a problem. Most words mean the same thing, and those that don't are usually concrete enough not to cause confusion (ex: lift, flat, chips). The tricky ones, though, are the ones that differ primarily in connotations. For example:
* In American English (AE), "quite" is an intensifier, while in British English (BE) it's a mild deintensifier. So "quite good" is "very good" in AE but "somewhat good" in BE. I think "rather" works similarly, though it's less common in AE and I don't have a great sense for it.
* "Scheme" has connotations of deviousness in AE, but is neutral in BE. Describing a plans or system as a "scheme" is common in BE and negative in AE.
* "Graft" implies corruption in AE but hard work in BE.
These can cause silent misunderstandings where two people have very different ideas about the other's view:
> A: "I can't believe how much graft there was in the procurement process!"
>
> B: "Yes, quite impressive. Rather keen on going above and beyond, aren't they?"
>
> A: "And did you see the pension scheme they set up?"
>
> B: "Sounds like they'll be quite well off when they'll leave office."
In this example A leaves thinking B approves of the corruption, while B doesn't realize there was any. It could be a long time, if ever, before they realize they misunderstood each other.
Are there other words people have run into that differ like this?
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<urn:uuid:c493c76f-98fe-440a-9a65-697bf232538d>
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dclm-dedup-25B-ai-scifi-docs | http://lagod.id.au/blog/?cat=3
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Java method overriding and visibility
This post is about a little test I set up to get my head around one aspect of method overriding in Java. A method in a superclass can call either another superclass method, or a subclass method, depending on the visibility of the methods involved.
These are the demo classes:
public class SuperClass {
public String a() {
return b();
public String b() {
return c();
public String c() {
return "superclass";
public class Subclass extends SuperClass {
public String a() {
return b() + b();
public String c() {
return "subclass";
new SuperClass().a() returns “superclass”. new SubClass().a() returns “subclasssubclass”.
If we change the visibility of method c() to private, however:
new SuperClass().a() returns “superclass”. new SubClass().a() returns “superclasssuperclass”.
In other words, superclass method b() will call the subclass implementation of c() if it is visible, or the superclass implementation if it is not.
Of course, if we then overrride b() in the subclass as well, things change again. Then we will see new SubClass().a() returns “subclasssubclass” no matter whether c() is public or private.
Redux, selectors, and access to state
There are a couple of things I’ve struggled a lot with in working out best practices for React/Redux:
1. How to actually implement the advice to use selectors everywhere
2. How to get access to state when I need it
These two things are related, because selectors in general need access to the whole state tree (I think).
So I use three basic techniques:
1. To pass state to react components, I use react-redux, where the mapStateToProps function has access to the global state.
2. To provide state to reducers, I use redux-thunk, which lets me use state-aware action creators and thereby add all required state to the action payloads.
3. Alternatively, I use the third argument to redux-react’s connect() function, mergeProps, which lets me access both global state and component properties and pass them to action creators (and through actions, to the reducers).
Here’s a very basic sketch of how these three approaches look:
// A redux-thunk action creator that uses the getState()
// function to pass state to selectors
export function actionCreator1(someState, someProps) {
return function (dispatch, getState) {
someMoreState = selector3(getState());
dispatch(action1(someState, someMoreState));
// A normal action creator that just gets precalculated state
export actionCreator2 = (someState) => ({
// A redux-react function that can use global state tree to call selectors
const mapStateToProps = (state, ownProps) => ({
state1: selector1(state),
state2: selector2(state),
const mapDispatchToProps = (dispatch) => ({ dispatch });
const mergeProps = (stateProps, dispatchProps, ownProps) => {
return {
// using stateProps to pass state to action creators
action1: () => dispatch(actionCreator1(stateProps.state1, ownProps)),
action2: () => dispatch(actionCreator2(stateProps.state2)),
export const Container = connect(
Using these approaches, I can get access to whatever state I need, and therefore use selectors all over the place. I suspect this also lets me get away with a pretty suboptimal state tree and just paper over the gaps with global state and heavy-weight selectors. But I suspect that even with a great state tree shape and great selector design, these techniques are still going to be necessary. Maybe just less so.
ES6 nested imports (Babel+react)
With the ES 6 module system, you have a choice of whether to use a single default export:
export default DefaultObject
or potentially many named exports:
export const NondefaultObject = {}
You import these slightly differently, but otherwise they work the same:
import DefaultObject from './DefaultObject'
import {NondefaultObject} from './NondefaultObject'
const App = () => (
<NondefaultObject />
Where things go awry is where you want to aggregate up imports, as per Jack Hsu’s excellent article on Redux application structure.
import * as do from './DefaultObject'
import * as ndo from './NondefaultObject'
const App = () => (
<do.DefaultObject/> // Does NOT work
<ndo.NondefaultObject /> // works
<do.default/> // works
Why is it so? When you import a default export, the name of the object is actually “default”. Somewhere in the Babel/Redux/React magic factory, somebody is clever enough to use the module name as an alias for its own default export when you use that module name in a JSX tag. However, when you assign that same default export to another value and then try to use that value (as in the import * case), no such magic occurs.
AspectJ: using advised class fields
A short post to clarify something that was a little mysterious from the documentation.
AspectJ around advice typically looks something like:
pointcut myPointCut( ) : execution(void my.package.myClass.myMethod());
void around(): myPointCut() {
// do some stuff
proceed(); // call the advised method
// do some other stuff
What if I want to call other methods or use fields from myClass in the advice? There are a few moving parts here:
void around(my.package.myClass myClass): target(myClass) && myPointCut() {
myClass.method1(); // do some stuff
proceed(myClass); // call the advised method
myClass.publicField = null; // do some other stuff
To break it down:
1. Add a parameter to around() with the type of the advised class.
2. Use the AspectJ target() method to populate that parameter.
3. Use the parameter value within the advice however you like. But note that you’re limited to public accessible methods and members – despite what you might think, the advice isnot within the lexical scope of the advised class.
4. Add the parameter value as the first parameter to proceed().
This example is for an advised method with no parameters. If the method has parameters:
pointcut myPointCut( ) : execution(void my.package.myClass.myMethod(my.package.ParamClass param));
void around(my.package.myClass myClass, my.package.ParamClass param): target(myClass)
&& args(param) && myPointCut() {
myClass.method1(); // do some stuff
proceed(myClass, param); // call the advised method
myClass.publicField = null; // do some other stuff
Domain model integrity example
The section of the model we’re concerned with looks like this:
DM example
public void setCountry(Country country) {
public void setState(State state) {
this.state= state;
public void setRegion(Region region) {
this.region = region;
if (region != null) {
An aside about normalization
private void setCountry(Country country) { = country;
The biggest challenge for older developers is…
This is a post in response to John Somnez’ article on DZone.
The biggest issue for older developers is exactly this attitude that you have to “keep up with the trends”. Note the choice of words. We’re not saying “technical improvements”. We’re really just talking fashion. Herd mentality, if you will.
Now, one of the skills you learn as you go on is how to filter out fluff. In every other field (for rhetorical values of “every”, of course) the increasing discernment of older professionals is valued. In software development it’s too often seen as inflexibility.
The chasing of the bright shiny object has been elevated to a core value of the profession. There was a prominent article a few months back by the technical lead of a household-name internet business talking about their recent reinvention of their technology platform (sorry, reference to follow if I find it). On close reading, one thing jumped out – the part of the document on the rationale for change was packed with fluffy phrases like “old hat”, “past it”, “time for a change”, and even “we were bored with Java”. That’s right – these guys went public with the admission that they spent five-figure sums of shareholder money because they were “bored”. And the punchline? Nobody called them on it. This is seen as normal, even laudable. Possibly even “visionary”.
So what do you do when you realize that much of what people around you are talking about is fluff? When you realize you’ve seen the same hype cycle 3 or 4 times? Heaven forbid you should actually say it – that’s the quickest way to get labelled a dinosaur, and unwilling to change or learn. The best you can do, as an older developer, is to try to add value, point out the pitfalls (because you’ve seen them before), and try to gently nudge the herd away from the worst cliffs. Stay positive. Keep learning, of course, because it’s never all fluff. And avoid eyerolling and audible groans wherever possible.
That, to me, is the biggest challenge of being an older developer.
Multi-project AspectJ builds with Gradle and Eclipse
Using Gradle for build/CI and Eclipse for development is a nice ecosystem with reasonable integration, but things get a bit trickier when we add multi-project builds and AspectJ into the mix. This post steps through some of the manual steps required to get it all working together.
Note: I am using the built-in gradle eclipse plugin, but not the eclipse gradle plugin
The multi-project build
For reasons beyond the scope of this post, I’m using three projects, in order of dependency:
model – a rich domain model
persistence – a project which uses AspectJ to layer a set of generic persistence-aware superclasses on top of model
modelp – a project which takes the emitted classes from persistence and adds all the necessary persistence plumbing, such as hibernate mappings, optimized DAOs, etc.
Gradle configuration
Details irrelevant to the multi-project configuration are omitted.
persistence project:
dependencies {
ajInpath project(path: ':model', transitive: false)
The persistence project will then emit all of the classes from the model project woven with the aspects from persistence. Note that the upstream dependencies of model are not woven, nor are they automatically available to the persistence project. We need to use the normal gradle dependency mechanisms if we want to do that.
modelp project
dependencies {
ajInpath project(path: ':persistence', transitive: false)
Eclipse configuration
So far so good. Gradle is pretty clever about wiring up multi-project builds. Eclipse is a little less clever, or maybe just different. So after
gradle eclipse
we still have some manual steps to do to recreate this setup in Eclipse.
AspectJ setup
Edited 7th June 2016, thanks to Daniel’s very helpful comment
Here we come to the first difference between Eclipse and Gradle. If we add the upstream project to the inpath, AspectJ will try to weave all of that project’s referenced libraries as well. In effect, Eclipse is missing the “transitive: false” argument we used in Gradle. This is (mostly) harmless (probably), but it’s slow and can throw spurious errors. So instead of adding the whole upstream project to the inpath, we add the project’s emitted class folder.
Together with adding the AspectJ nature to the project, the gradle code to configure eclipse looks like this for the modelp project:
eclipse {
project {
natures = ['org.eclipse.ajdt.ui.ajnature','org.eclipse.jdt.core.javanature']
buildCommand 'org.eclipse.ajdt.core.ajbuilder'
// Add the inpath entry to the classpath
classpath {
file {
withXml {
def node = it.asNode();
node.appendNode("classpathentry", [kind:"lib", path:"/model/bin"])
.appendNode("attributes", [:])
.appendNode("attribute", [name:"org.eclipse.ajdt.inpath", value:"org.eclipse.ajdt.inpath"]);
Dependent project setup
We still need the upstream project and its libraries to be available to the Eclipse compiler. The gradle eclipse plugin will take care of this if we have a normal compile project dependency in our gradle build (e.g. compile project(":model")), but we don’t necessarily need that for our gradle build. If we only have the inpath dependency the gradle eclipse plugin will miss it, so in Eclipse we also need to add the upstream project as a required project in the Java Build Path, like so:
Export exclusions
By default, adding the AspectJ nature to an Eclipse project causes it to export the AspectJ runtime (aspectjrt-x.x.x.jar). As all three of these projects are AspectJ projects, we end up with multiply defined runtimes, so we need to remove the runtime from the export list of the upstream projects.
Gradle is much better than Eclipse at dealing with complex dependency graphs. In particular, if an upstream project depends on an older version of a jar and a downstream project depends on a newer version of the same jar, the newer version will win. In Eclipse, both jars will be included in the classpath, with all the corresponding odd behaviour. So you might also need to tweak the export exclusions to avoid these situations.
Run configuration
Once you’ve cleaned up the exports from upstream projects, Eclipse will cheerfully ignore your exclusions when creating run or debug configurations, for example when running a JUnit test. This seems to be a legacy behaviour that has been kept for backward compatibility, but fortunately you can change it at a global level in the Eclipse preferences:
Make sure the last item, “only include exported classpath entries when launching”, is checked. Note that this applies to Run configurations as well, not just Debug configurations.
The manual Eclipse configuration needs to be redone whenever you do a gradle cleanEclipse eclipse, but usually not after just a plain gradle eclipse. It only takes a few minutes to redo from scratch, but it can be a hassle if you forget a step. Hence this blog post.
Interfaces as Ball of Mud protection
A response to, where Edmund Kirwan hypothesizes that using interfaces delays the onset of Mud.
A few observations:
* Any well-factored system will have more direct dependencies than methods. More methods than direct dependencies indicates that code re-use is very low.
* For any well-structured system, the relationship between direct dependencies and indirect dependencies will be linear, not exponential. The buttons and string experimental result is not surprising, but would only apply to software systems where people really do create interconnections at random. The whole purpose of modular program structure is explicitly to prevent this.
* Abstract interfaces are in no way a necessary condition for modular programming.
* Finally, the notion that interfaces act as a termination point for dependencies seems a little odd. An interface merely represents a point at which a dependency chain becomes potentially undiscoverable by static analysis. Unquestionably the dependencies are still there, otherwise your call to that method at runtime wouldn’t do anything.
So I suspect that what Edmund has discovered is a correlation between the use of interfaces and modular program structure. But that is just a correlation. A few years back there was an unfortunate vogue for creating an interface for each and every class, a practice which turned out to be entirely compatible with a Big Ball of Mud architecture. The button and string experiment provides an interesting support for modular programming, but I don’t know that it says much about interfaces.
Blackboard and software complexity
A comment on Blackboard’s complexity problems.
If either the author of this article or the otherwise knowledgeable Feldstein have ever worked in software development, it’s not apparent from this article and the ensuing comments thread. The list of architectural scare factors – multiple deployment environments, wide use of 3rd party libraries, legacy code – is simply business as usual for any substantial software product. And the assertion that “few other companies support this sheer raw complexity of configuration combinations” is just plain wrong. Many, many companies deal with exactly this. Cross-platform release engineering is a demanding but well-understood discipline.
To pick on a couple more representative points: “All enterprise software ages poorly”. No, all software ages. Whether it ages poorly or well depends on whether it’s worth the vendor’s time to manage its aging. Go and ask the IBM shops running 1960’s-vintage System 360 applications on modern virtualized environments whether they’re happy with 50 years of ROI on those applications. And then: “Microsoft control their entire ecosystem”. Please, please, go and talk to a Microsoft release test engineer about how controlled their release targets are. Make sure you have a very comfortable seat and lots of beer money, because you’ll be buying and you’ll be there for a looong time.
I don’t challenge the author’s underlying premise that Blackboard has mismanaged its software assets – I don’t have the inside knowledge to confirm or deny that. And the notion that Blackboard, like every software developer, needs to actively manage and reduce complexity is incontestable. But I don’t accept the notion that the architectural factors listed are any kind of indicator. I would bet that inside Blackboard there are some very frustrated developers who know exactly how to support that range of configurations, led by a management group who is telling them not to spend time refactoring and reducing technical debt, but rather to crack on with adding to the feature list smorgasbord. As if that’s an either/or choice.
Gradle – copy to multiple destinations
TL:DR (edited);
def deployTargets = ["my/dest/ination/path/1","my/other/desti/nation"]
def zipFile = file("${buildDir}/distributions/")
task deploy (dependsOn: distZip) {
inputs.file zipFile
deployTargets.each { outputDir ->
outputs.dir outputDir
doLast {
deployTargets.each { outputDir ->
copy {
from zipTree(zipFile).files
into outputDir
My specific use case is to copy the jars from a java library distribution to tomcat web contexts, so you can see the distZip dependency in there, along with zip file manipulation.
The multiple destination copy seems to be a bit of FAQ for gradle newcomers like myself. Gradle has a cool copy task, and lots of options to specify how to copy multiple sources into one destination. What about copying one source into multiple destinations? There’s a fair bit of confusion around the fact that the copy task supports multiple “from” properties, but only one “into” property.
The answers I’ve found seem to fall into one of two classes. The first is to just do the copy imperatively, like so:
task justDoit << {
destinations.each { dest ->
copy {
from 'src'
to dest
which gives up up-to-date checking. The solution I’ve settled on fixes that by using the inputs and outputs properties. Unlike the copy task type’s “into” property, a generic task can have multiple outputs.
The other advice given is to create multiple copy tasks, one for each destination. The latter seems to be a little unsatisfactory, and un-dynamic. What if I have 100 destinations? Must I really clutter up my build script with 100 copy tasks? The following is my attempt to handle it dynamically.
task deploy
// Set up a copy task for each deployment target
deployTargets.eachWithIndex { outputDir, index ->
task "deploy${index}" (type: Copy, dependsOn: distZip) {
from zipTree(zipFile).files
into outputDir
deploy.dependsOn tasks["deploy${index}"]
This one suffers from the problem that it will not execute on the same build when the zip file changes, but it will execute on the next build. So in sequence:
• Change a source file
• Run “gradle deploy”
• Sources compile, distZip executes, zip file is produced, but deploy tasks do not execute
• Run “gradle deploy” again
• Deploy tasks execute
Why is this so? I don’t know. This thread seems to imply that there could be some race condition in gradle, but beyond that – *shrug*. The multiple copy task approach is recommended by a lot of smart people, so I assume there’s a better way to do it, but for now the single custom task is working for me.
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dclm-dedup-25B-ai-scifi-docs | https://familiardiversions.blogspot.com/2008/08/hikaru-no-go-manga-vol-12-by-yumi-hotta.html
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Friday, August 1, 2008
Hikaru no Go (manga, vol. 12) by Yumi Hotta (story) and Takeshi Obata (art)
Hikaru is now a professional Go player, and the many people whose interest he has unknowingly attracted are eager to see how he does in the Shinshodan Series, where new professionals play against experienced professionals with titles. Hikaru, to his great excitement and shock, discovers that he will be playing against Toya Meijin, the father of his rival. Unfortunately, Sai is also eager to play against the Meijin. Hikaru is torn between his desire to play against a skilled opponent and his desire to make Sai happy. In the end, Hikaru lets Sai play, but tries to hide Sai's skill by having him play as though he were facing a 15-point handicap, rather than the actual 5 1/2-pioint handicap. Later, after the match, Sai and Hikaru go to an Amateur Go Festival, deal with an unethical salesman and the professional who backs him, and attract the attention of Kurata, an arrogant and fairly young (I think he's in his twenties) professional Go player.
I love this series so much that it actually inspired me to join a Go club for a while in college. I played for about a semester and ended up quiting because I was the only person attending regularly. The person in charge of the Go club was always up for a game, but he wasn't very good at giving advice to help people improve, so the only time I felt I improved was when I played a game against a player who was much, much better than me. The guy had a 9-stone handicap and still managed to destroy me - I think he felt pretty bad about it, because he actually stopped the game at a few points to explain different strategies to me. Aside from him and the person in charge, however, I mostly played against people who were even greater novices than I was. It helped me understand the desire one can have to either play against people of similar skill or people who are better and who can help you get better.
I have to admit, I've actually already watched all the anime episodes of this series - I own them on bootleg DVDs, and I hope to one day buy the legal US DVDs (I adore the Japanese language track and hate the English dub, but I like the higher quality and extras you get with official, legal versions). Knowing what I know about the series makes reading this volume all the more sad and nerve-wracking, because I know where Sai's worries about not being able to play lead. Although it's true that Hikaru is the one who's alive and deserves to live that life, Hikaru would never have become interested in Go without Sai. I can't help but read about Sai and the Meijin's game without being happy that Sai got to do it and sad that Hikaru didn't. I would've had the same feelings, in reverse, if Hikaru had been the one to play.
The game between Sai and the Meijin was very exciting. Since only Sai and Hikaru officially knew that they were playing the game with a huge handicap, it was fun seeing how everyone reacted to Sai/Hikaru's apparently reckless playing. As someone who played Go but never got very good, it's always amazing to me when I read about how deeply certain characters can read games, and this game is no exception. Despite Sai and Hikaru's efforts, there are still people who manage to figure out that they were playing with a handicap.
After those wonderful/exciting/amazing moments, Hotta tones down the intensity and emotion a bit with the scenes at the festival. Although Hikaru (actually Sai) plays an amazing game, finishing an amateur's game against an unethical pro, the game isn't shown, so most of this part of the volume is about lightening up the mood again, providing a few opportunities for humor, and introducing Kurata.
This particular volume has a lot of pages involving adult male characters - although I tended to enjoy these (I loved the bit where Ogata and Kuwabara bet on who would win, Hikaru or the Meijin), I wondered how younger readers feel about these scenes. Actually, that's something I've wondered all throughout this series, since adult characters show up a lot, as friends, mentors, minor enemies (the unethical pro, for instance), or watchful future rivals. If I were given the task of starting a library's manga collection, this is one of the first titles I would buy, because it's appealing to both boys and girls, has very little that might offend people (many of the adults smoke, but that's about the worst of it), and is practically tailor-made for library programming (begin a Go club, invite someone to teach the game, talk about resources in the library and on the Internet that can teach Go strategies and rules, etc.). However, I'm looking at this series from the perspective of an adult, so I wonder how teenagers actually feel about this series. It's a hit with kids in Japan, but that says little about how American kids and teens react to it.
When I first started this series, I wasn't sure how I would feel about it, since it focuses on a board game. However, Obata's beautiful, clean artwork grabbed my attention and the surprisingly exciting Go matches kept it. I continue to read this series to see how much better Hikaru will get, to see what new and amazing Go matches are played, and to see how various characters interact and grow. Hikaru changes and matures a lot in this series, and Hotta is not afraid to break readers' hearts in order to make that happen (for those of you who don't yet know what will soon be happening in this series, make sure to keep reading, there are going to be some tough changes coming up). Obata should get an award for managing to make a manga about Go look exciting without making matches look silly and unrealistic.
As far as the extras in this volume go, there are a bunch of Hikaru no Go-related poems written by Japanese fans (although, sadly, only a few were chosen for translation) and a few four-panel gag comic strips involving Hikaru, Sai, and the main character of Cyborg Jiichan G (a series that used to be serialized in Shonen Jump, the Japanese magazine that published Hikaru no Go - I couldn't find any information about it in Anime News Network, although it does turn up in Google searches).
Read-alikes and Watch-alikes:
• Whistle! (manga) by Daisuke Higuchi - In this series, a hard-working boy named Sho transfers to a new school just so that he can get a better chance to play soccer. Although he isn't very good at soccer, he practices long and hard and gradually improves his skills. Others begin to notice him, and Sho becomes part of his school's team. Even though he isn't usually the best player, people notice him because his cheerful, determined presence tends to improve moral and his flashes of brilliant playing hint at future greatness. Those who'd like another series featuring exciting competition that is represented in a realistic way might like this series.
• Dragon Drive (manga) by Ken-ichi Sakura - Reiji has never played a game that has managed to capture his interest, at least not until his friend Maiko makes him try Dragon Drive, a virtual reality game in which players team up with dragons to fight one another. Reiji's dragon, Chibi, seems worthless, but it's actually very rare and may be much more powerful than Reiji realizes. Those who'd like to read another manga in which a boy reluctantly begins to play a game that soon grabs his attention might like this series. As with Hikaru no Go, there are lots of exciting matches between players.
• The Prince of Tennis (manga) by Takeshi Konomi - Ryoma Echizen is a tennis genius and a new student at Seigaku High School. He soon becomes a member of his school's famous tennis team and proves that he's capable of beating 2nd and 3rd year students. Those who'd like another series featuring exciting competition that is represented in a mostly realistic way might like this series.
• Naruto (manga) by Masashi Kishimoto; Naruto (anime TV series) - Naruto, a young ninja, is determined to become the best ninja in his village, but he must first learn teamwork and better fighting techniques in order to survive all the tests he needs to pass in order to become a full-fledged ninja. As with Hikaru no Go, this series has a lot of competition (battles between ninja), and characters who want to be the best and rise to the top (Naruto wants to become Hokage, the leader of his ninja village - Hikaru wants to play against and beat better Go players). Mixed in with all the action is a lot of emotion and inner turmoil - just as Sai spends time agonizing over the balance and relationship between himself and Hikaru (who gets to play Go, and is it even fair for Sai to want to play?), many characters in Naruto spend time before, during, and after battles thinking about their pasts and personal issues.
1. Are you saying that the Go matches in the manga are not shown? Or was it only the case for the match in this particular volume? Having only watched the anime, I find it hard to stay engaged if they do not show the game.
Very cool that you joined a Go club in college. There were no such clubs when I went to school. However after watching the anime, I was interested in learning more about playing the game. I obviously got the general concept, but despite the several times I have watched the show, I still am a beginner.
I guess the next time I rewatch it, I will have to do so with the original Japanese audio track. I have only ever watched it in the English dub. As always, it is interesting to read your commentary. :)
1. If I recall correctly, none of the moves of that particular game are shown on-page, so it's more about the character reactions. It's been a while since I read this volume, though.
Do you have this series on DVD/Blu-Ray, or do you watched it streaming online? I still regret not buying the series as it was being released, because, last I checked, it's not possible to buy the discs anymore, or they're astronomically expensive if you find them. I feel bad about my bootleg set and would love to give VIZ my money for the licensed release, but it looks like the only thing you can buy anymore is streaming copies (which I'm wary of, since I've had streaming things I purchased removed from my collections before without warning).
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10 Superfoods For Erectile Dysfunction
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Writing Down Conversations
Epistemic Status: Didn't think through exactly how I worded things.
tldr: When you have insightful conversation, write it down and share it so people can build on it (instead of just sharing in person). Most of humanity's power comes from being able to build complex thoughts out of other thoughts and transmit them across the world.
This is a rehash/re-examining post. Related:
* Write Down Your Process (Zvi Mowshowitz)
* Some Thoughts on Public Discourse (Holden Karnofsky)
* Why and How to Name Things (Conor Moreton)
* Single Locus of Discussion (Anna Salamon)
* Return to Discussion (Sarah Constantin)
* [Edit: Turning Discussions into Blogposts by Brian Tomasik apparently covers this very topic. Still needed to be said again]
This is part 2 of N of my "Ray writes down conversations he had with people" series. It's also the most adorably meta of them.
A month ago I was talking with Oliver Habryka about why Less Wrong was important. (Call us biased if you will). One thing we both noted: in the days of yore, it seemed like a lot of prominent scholars/thinkers wrote down their insights and research on Less Wrong. Then, eventually they turned professional and joined official organizations whose job was to think fulltime.
Also over the past few years, those organizations (including but not limited to MIRI, CFAR, Givewell/OpenPhil) shifted from being younger-with-nothing-to-lose to older-with-reputations-to-safeguard, and their public facing tone seems to have shifted from "earnestly sharing thoughts as they come up" to "carefully crafted PR statements."
Thirdly, a lot of people moved to major geographic hubs, where it became easier to have in person conversations than to communicate via written blogpost. So... that's what people have tended to do.
I sympathize with the notion that people are busy and writing things up is a) time consuming and b) potentially risky. But I think the consequences of this are at least underweighted.
At least, I think people havin
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Tuesday, September 24, 2013
My Top 10 Thoughts Regarding the End of Breaking Bad
Fucking A.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Where I've Been Hiding
Thursday, June 20, 2013
The Death of a Beautiful Impossibility
(This post contains SPOILERS regarding Man of Steel. I consider your ass informed.)
So, the irony here is that as much as the climax to Man of Steel felt like a betrayal, I have no criticisms to aim at Zack Snyder. He made a good movie. Stuff blew up. Stuff fell down. Lots of punching. People died and it made me sweaty-eyed. Good flick. And hey, as a usual hater of Zack Snyder's work, I was more grateful than you know that he spared us his trademark fast-forward-slow-mo-fast-forward-slow-mo crap. Why has no one tapped this man to direct a Flash movie?
No, what Zack Snyder did made perfect sense. When Superman broke Zod's neck it was certainly a shock. I was angry. I was stunned. Mark Waid's description of his reaction to the moment felt sickeningly familiar.
But you know what? Snyder didn't do anything wrong. He didn't do anything that the rest of the writers of the superhero genre in every medium haven't been doing for years now. And yeah, that includes Mark Waid.
What Zack Snyder did, without knowing it, was send up a flare to show us a bloodier landscape of once innocent heroes now turned ultraviolent. Zack Snyder was a messenger, one toward whom I should be genuinely thankful.
Zack Snyder drew from me the simple revelation that should have been obvious a long time ago. He punctuated it so that I finally heard it. Superheroes have changed, they're not changing back any time soon, and it's time for me to cash out.
A lot of Snyder's defenders point out that, upon killing Zod, Superman immediately reacts traumatically to the realization of what he's done. He regrets the killing. Snyder claims he meant for the killing to be the foundation upon which Superman builds his unwavering respect for life. Presumably, Zod is meant to be the first and last man to die at Superman's hands.
I don't buy this. Man of Steel screenwriter David S. Goyer, in the same article I linked in the previous paragraph, says it changed because the original plan to have Zod sucked into the Phantom Zone simply didn't feel satisfying:
"Killing Zod was a big change and Chris Nolan, originally, said there's no way you can do this...That was a change - orginally Zod got sucked into the Phantom Zone along with the others and I just felt it was unsatisfying and so did Zack...Originally Chris didn't even want to let us try to write it and I said, 'We think we can figure out a way that you'll buy it.'"
So the "This will be why Superman never kills again" explanation is not the reason Superman killed Zod; it's the justification Snyder and Goyer used to make the choice palatable.
Not to mention that I didn't read Superman's anguish at killing Zod to be about the fact that he killed just anyone, but that he killed a Kryptonian. Zod's dialogue in that final battle is all about Superman needing to choose between the new Krypton Zod envisions and Earth, and by killing Zod the choice is made clear. Superman chooses Earth and it hurts.
Regardless, at least there's a consequence to Superman killing someone.
Anyone see The Avengers?
How many aliens are killed battling the Avengers in the invasion of New York City? Hawkeye shoots them with arrows, Black Widow shoots them or hacks at them with knives, Thor electrocutes them, Hulk squashes them like bugs, and even Captain America - the guy who holds the same moral authority in Marvel that Superman holds in DC - throws guys off a helicarrier, and slices off alien's arms with his shield. And no one belts out a Vader-circa-episode-3 "Noooo!" because of that.
Sure, they're just aliens.
And so was Zod.
The changes in Marvel's heroes came by inches, and with no announcements and little controversy. It started with The Ultimates: the reimagining of the Avengers in the company's "Ultimate" line of comics, a line initially so successful there were rumors that the regular Marvel continuity would be scrapped in favor of the Ultimate one. The Hulk of the Ultimates was a cannibal, an attempted rapist, and a mass murderer. Hank Pym and The Wasp's marriage was rife with fistfights. Captain America was an action hero bully, no one knew if Thor was really a god or just a mentally disturbed male nurse, and did I mention that Hulk ate people? Like, all the time.
It took time, but eventually the brutality of The Ultimates was reflected in Marvel's other comics. It wasn't quite so bad, but if nothing else killing grew much more palatable to the heroes of Marvel's bullpen. In spite of years of stories that said the opposite, in the New Avengers: Illuminati one-shot, it was revealed that the Hulk had killed thousands of people over the years during his rampages. In the first issue of Ed Brubaker's extraordinary run on Captain America, the Avenger killed (possibly without meaning to) a couple of terrorists when they fell off a speeding train, and when the info was relayed to Cap, he didn't seem to care that much. When the Avengers were re-formed - a group that used to be the most Absolutely-NO-Killing group of Marvel - they recruited Wolverine, a guy who's killed more people than the War of 1812.
More recently, a Doc-Ock controlled Spider-Man shot a man in the head. And unlike Superman at the end of Man of Steel, Marvel's "superior" Spider-Man was not in a situation in which he had little choice. The villain, Massacre, was defeated and on his knees. Spider-Man's justification for the murder is that eventually Massacre would live up to his namesake again and again and again until someone killed him.
That Spider-Man kills Massacre is not particularly surprising. After all, Peter Parker's body is possessed by a supervillain. What's noteworthy is the reaction of The Avengers.
Weeks after the murder, the team calls him in for questioning. They are not as concerned with the murder, however, as they are with their correct suspicions that Spider-Man is being controlled by someone else. There is a brief battle between Spidey and the rest of the team. They eventually subdue him and run their tests. They can find no evidence that Spidey's will has been usurped, so they apologize and let him go.
In the past if an Avenger had killed someone, even accidentally, a court-martial-like proceeding would have convened. Expulsion from the team was a very real possibility. But for an Avenger who had shot a kneeling, defeated enemy in the head? Forget expulsion from the team. That asshole would have been frozen in ice and shot into space.
Now, killing in Marvel comics isn't even much of a big deal. Even though one recent storyline in Hawkeye was about the attempt to retrieve a video tape that contained doctored footage of Hawkeye killing a man, he has no problem piercing a few throats while saving Spider-Man from thugs in the first issue of Age of Ultron. In an early issue of Savage Wolverine, Shanna the She-Devil accidentally kills a peaceful tribesman. The scene is meant to be funny. It's treated like slapstick. Teenage heroes are killing and dying every issue of Avengers Arena, Marvel's new Hunger Games clone. And in Indestructible Hulk #3, written by Mark Waid, Maria Hill shows someone a photo - again in a scene meant to be humorous - of the Hulk ripping a skrull soldier in half.
And of course all of the Marvel movies have given us killer heroes. Iron Man leaves one of his former captors to the mercies of an angry mob in Iron Man. In the more recent Iron Man 3 he brags "I'm gonna kill you first," to a gunman. In one of Incredible Hulk's deleted scenes, we see that most of the special ops soldiers who go after Bruce Banner in the beginning of the film are in body bags. As a friend pointed out while we debated Man of Steel's ending, one could convincingly argue that Batman, in spite of his "but I don't have to save you" line, does kill Ra's al Ghul at the end of Batman Begins. And of course, the bad guy body count of The Avengers is massive.
So, I guess what I'm trying to say here, is that, yes, Superman's killing of Zod was a betrayal. But, to use another recent pop culture shocker as metaphor, the Red Wedding was going on long before Man of Steel. Zack Snyder's knife was just one more in a crowd of knives. It's been going on for years and we're all a bunch of assholes for being surprised.
This is the direction in which superheroes are headed. It's the direction in which they have been heading for years, and I don't think there's any going back.
And that's why enough is enough. It's time for me to focus my energies on other things.
I have spent some years thinking and writing about superheroes. I made my way through college writing academic papers about them. For some time, I had hoped to eventually make a living writing about superhero comics, movies, and films. Man of Steel was a wake-up call. I don't love this genre anymore. At least, I don't love what it's become or what it will eventually become.
Understand, I have no moral problems with superheroes killing. I love violence in entertainment. My favorite superhero comic is still Watchmen, and my favorite comic regardless of genre is Lone Wolf & Cub, which features a protagonist who's hacked up more samurai and ninjas than that silly ass Logan-san ever did.
But for me, superheroes are all about one thing: life. Life is ultimately what concerns the superhero. It's why the term "crime-fighter" is so incomplete. Bruce Wayne does not become Batman because a mugger shatters his mother's pearl necklace. Peter Parker doesn't become Spider-Man because the man who shot his uncle also stole his uncle's car. Superman doesn't dole out parking tickets and Daredevil couldn't give two shits about crooked car salesman unless they start killing people.
For me, the thing that is so wonderful and heartbreaking about superheroes is that they dedicate themselves to a beautiful impossibility: that no one will ever again fall victim to violence. No one, anywhere, anywhen. And for those same guardians of life to take lives does not seem like truth to me. It is a lie. It is a betrayal.
That's why I feel nothing but absolute distaste for the works of Mark Millar; including Kick-Ass, Wanted, and the first two volumes of The Ultimates. I don't doubt his talent, but I am revolted by his vision. Judging by his body of work, Mark Millar looks at superheroes and sees nothing but sadistic bullies, and so he writes fiction that revels in the dark glee of that sadism. And that's fine. I make no moral judgments about Millar or anyone who enjoys his work. But to me it is the absolute antithesis of the superhero and I want no part of it.
Unfortunately, the writers of superhero fiction seem to feel differently.
It seems nothing but a waste for me to continue writing about superheroes, or following their stories quite as much. I don't have the enthusiasm for it. I don't care. I don't want to define myself anymore by my interest in the genre, and I have a heavy heart about it but it feels right.
That doesn't mean I won't watch superhero movies or read superhero comics. I still have graphic novels in my Amazon Wish List. The first expansion to Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game is on its way to my house as we speak, as is Batman: The Gotham City Strategy Game.
But I don't think quite as much of money will go into this interest, nor as much time. I think all the little (mostly Hulk-related) comic book knick-knacks are going to get stored in a box somewhere.
I suspect it's a good thing this happened. I have wanted to focus more on literary interests and pursuits for a while now, but distraction is a hard habit to shake.
I find it regrettable that superhero fiction is becoming generic action-adventure. Fast and the Furious with a superhero overlay. Bad Boys II with tights. But I'm not going to beat my head against inevitability. Life is too short.
Enjoy the blood. I'm going to go read a book.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Kill, superhero! Kill!
It's only been in the last few months that I've returned to reading superhero single issues as they're released, and my tastes proved shamefully one-sided. I dipped my toes into the new 52 and found very little to my taste, while I've been more impressed than I could have imagined with Marvel NOW!
One thing I'm not happy with is how the notion of superheroes killing criminals has clearly become more acceptable over the years particularly, it seems, in Marvel.
Now the example pictured above is a special case and, in fact, isn't entirely what I'm talking about. That's Doc Ock in Spider-Man's body about to blow away the amoral villain Massacre in Superior Spider-Man #5 (and I'm enjoying that title way more than I thought I would when I first learned of the concept). Ock/Spidey killing someone isn't particularly surprising, but what I found interesting was part of the fallout in Superior Spider-Man #6.
It wasn't all that long ago that it wouldn't have even been a question whether or not a superhero who killed someone would stay in the Avengers. An Avenger who had killed would, at the very least, be subjected to a court-martial-type deal overseen by his/her teammates. In the case of Ock/Spidey here, who shot a man after he had already been defeated and could have easily been restrained? He wouldn't stand a chance.
For my most recent Extra Medium column over at Popdose, I wrote "The Top 10 Worst and Best Things About The Avengers" (I really do need to get another one out). Under "worst" I talked about how I didn't like seeing the superheroes in the flick killing people. Of course, they're justified. They're fighting a war and for most of the movie, they're on the losing side. Or at least the side with the biggest disadvantages.
What bothers me more is that there's killing without any discussion of killing. It's casual. When I was younger if a superhero killed someone, or even seriously considered killing someone, it would consume them. It would impact them for years. When Captain America shot and killed a terrorist during Mark Gruenwald's classic run, it was one of the many events that ultimately led to Steve Rogers being temporarily stripped of his title, costume, and shield by the US government. More importantly, it was a kidney shot to Cap's soul.
Now, it doesn't seem to bother anyone much. Sometimes it's even just something mentioned in passing. Hawkeye pierces a few throats while rescuing Spider-Man in Age of Ultron #1. In a scene meant to be - at least in part - humorous, Maria Hill shows a man photos of the Hulk ripping a skrull in half in Indesructible Hulk #3. Shanna the She-Devil accidentally kills a Savage Lands tribesman who was attempting to peacefully communicate in Savage Wolverine #3, the scene is treated like slapstick, and when the justifiably enraged tribal warriors attack Shanna and Wolverine, they have no problem using more lethal force in retaliation.
I don't want to start a debate. I think the ship sailed a long time ago unfortunately. But I do want to say two things.
First, ultimately, life is what is of primary concern to the superhero. That's why the term "crime-fighter" has always been incomplete. Bruce Wayne doesn't become Batman because Joe Chill broke his mother's necklace. Peter Parker doesn't become Spider-Man because that crook he let walk got away with too much dough. Superman doesn't dole out parking tickets and Dardevil doesn't give a crap out used car salesmen unless they start killing people. Superheroes care about life, plain and simple. They don't just face death. They wrestle it. And I think to allow characters whose primary enemy is death itself to dole it out is a betrayal of the very concept of the superhero.
Second, earlier this evening I watched part 2 of the animated adaptation of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, and it was this that inspired this post.
See, what impressed me the most about the adaptation of DKR is the raw power of the source material. The story is almost 30 years old, and along with Watchmen it's suffered many copycats over the years. In spite of all the dark, violent, and edgy superhero comics that came out between the release of the original DKR series decades ago and its more recent adaptation, it remains absolutely goddamn brutal. You will wince when you watch scenes like Batman's bone crushing battles with the Mutant Leader, or his final dance with the Joker.
Yet, in spite of how brutal it is, in spite of how dark and violent, in spite of how its originality and innovation radically changed the landscape of superhero comics; in one of the first scenes of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 Batman saves a liquor store owner from a bunch of thugs and when he sees the shop owner about to kill one of the thugs, he turns on him and says, "Pull that trigger, and I'll be back for you."
So if you're going to tell me that superheroes need to kill in order to be believable, interesting, or modern, save your breath. Because DKR gave us a superhero darker, edgier, a million times more brutal, and certainly more interesting than anything that ever went in or out of Avengers tower, and even he wouldn't cross that line.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Friday, March 01, 2013
Crisis on Infinite Bed & Breakfasts
Last weekend my girlfriend and I had a wonderful time in the Berkshires. We couldn't afford a long vacation or one spent very far away, so we opted for an overnight trip.
Because it was its final weekend, we decided to make a visit to the Alex Ross exhibit, Heroes and Villains: The Comic Book Art of AlexRoss, at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachussetts. Other than the art Ross created as a boy, there wasn't much at the Ross exhibition I hadn't seen already in one form or another. But the art from Ross's childhood - including a Justice League made from construction paper and scotch tape and a recreation of the Peanuts characters all as DC heroes -was worth the price of admission all on its own.
After the museum we drove to Lee to check into the Federal House Inn. It was my first stay in a genuine B & B. Our room was the Crabtree Room. It had a television that looked like it could've been someone's desktop monitor 5 minutes before they brought it into the room, a toasty gas fireplace, floors dangerously slippery to anyone barefoot or in socks, a four poster bed we practically needed a stepladder to climb into, and a stand-up shower with the most perfect water pressure. I defiantly declared to my girlfriend that I would shower both at night and in the morning. Caring about it seemed a challenging prospect to her. In the evening there was wine and cheese on the first floor; and for breakfast we were served a tasty fruit salad, stuffed french toast, and maple flavored bacon for which I would fight any man.
Of the images familiar to me at the Alex Ross exhibit, one of the most striking to behold on a museum wall was the cover for the more recent editions of DC's Crisis on Infinite Earths. And it was fun to listen to the commentary from museum visitors who knew a little bit about the comics, but not quite enough. I bit my tongue as three women looking at the picture argued about whether or not one of the twin Supermen was Bizarro.
For some reason, the fact that Crisis was the first of the big superhero crossover events inspired me to begin designing my own Bed & Breakfast. Just as The Federal House had different names for all their rooms, the fusion of the B & B and Ross Exhibit experiences inspired me to mentally construct a bed & breakfast with rooms named and themed after major Marvel and DC events.
The Crisis on Infinite Earths Room would be the largest room in the inn, having been constructed by knocking down walls from four adjoining rooms and merging them into one.
The Secret Invasion Room would be filled with ingeniously disguised furniture. All the necessaries of any home-away-from-home would be there, but you wouldn't know what it was. The lamp would actually turn out to be the bed. The TV would be the complimentary shampoo. The rug would be the envelope provided for cash tips. The toilet would just be a toilet because why be gross?
The Onslaught Room would be reserved for members of a very low-effort version of the Witness Protection Program. Upon the guests' entry to the room, friends and family will be notified of the guests' deaths. In fact, the guests' memories will be erased and they will be spirited away to a completely different land to start new lives. But with the same exact names for some reason.
The Secret Wars Room would not be a room anyone could reserve. Rather, the best and worst guests from other rooms would be secreted from their beds to the Secret Wars Room to battle for the privilege of naming the items on the breakfast menu.
The Civil War Room would be reserved for combative couples arriving a few months after their promised check-in date.
The Death in the Family Room would be indistinguishable from other rooms, other than that during your stay it would seem horribly important and impacting, but twenty years later you'd realize it really didn't make a difference.
The World War Hulk Room would just strut around and beat up other rooms.
The Our Worlds at War Room would be normal in almost every way, except you will be subjected to a constant voice-over lecturing you about World War II even though nothing you will doing will have anything to do with that.
The Fall of the Mutants Room would not even really be a room, but you'd play along anyway.
The Identity Crisis Room would be filled with fishnet stockings, bondage gear, and buckets for all the incredibly necessary vomit.
The Atlantis Attacks! Room would have the worst bathroom ever.
The Infinite Crisis Room would be stupid.
While coming up with these rooms, it occurred to me that even if I were serious, that my desire to run a B & B would start and end with making up names and themes for the rooms. Once I did that, I would lose all interest. In fact, I already have lost interest. Now I'm thinking about cheese.
I'm lying. Boobs. I'm thinking about boobs.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Learning to Love Star Trek: The Next Generation, Part 4
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Quick Recap: I was all like,"TNG is crap!" Alan Doane was all like, "DUDE." And then he was all like, "Well what about these, douchenozzle?" And I was all like, "Okay, whatevs, I'll watch 'em."
At least, that's how the conversation was reported by the History Channel.
Oh, and by the way, Alan has started a new blog dedicated to Star Trek called Star Trek Galaxy. Check it out!
"In Theory"
Season 4, Episode 25
Directed by Patrick Stewart
When Lt. Jenna D'Sora breaks up with her boyfriend, she finds a possible replacement in her superior officer, the self-aware android Data. Intrigued by the notion of pursuing a romantic relationship and convinced it's an important stepping stone in his goal to achieve humanity, Data does his best to emulate a human partner.
It surprised me how much I enjoyed "In Theory." Data's attempts at being a genuine boyfriend are often pretty funny, though the story pulls the rug out from under you in the end. Contrary to the usual course of these sorts of Data-as-tin-man episodes, the boundaries between Data and humanity are made perfectly clear. There is no smirking hint of hope that, just maybe, Data will realize his dream or that maybe in some small way he already has. "In Theory" ends with little ambiguity. This guy is a toaster oven. Deal with it.
It's these Data-wants-to-be-human episodes that often bother me more than just about anything else in Star Trek: The Next Generation and the other Trek series.
First, I doubt there's still anything new left to say about this robot wanting to not be a robot. Data's story was tweaked a little bit and copied not once but twice in Star Trek: Voyager with both The Doctor and his more attractive sequel, Seven of Nine. When someone finally found a way to do something interesting with Data in Star Trek: Generations - by giving him emotions coupled with the emotional stability of a toddler - it was quickly undone in Star Trek: First Contact by giving Data the ability to turn his emotions on and off with a little bend of his neck.
Second, one of the things I enjoy most about Star Trek is the ingenuity its creators show in making such outlandish stories relevant to real people, and I don't see how the question of whether or not an android can force himself into becoming a real person is relevant to me. I know some people are genuinely worried about machines becoming more like real people, but I tend to see them as conspiracy theorists who are trying to come off as intellectuals because they saw Terminator.
Third and finally, it's frustrating to me how the people around Data react to his lack of humanity. And in fact, while I enjoyed it, "In Theory" is a wonderful example. Lt. D'Sora constantly lectures Data about how humans do this and how humans do that. Throughout the series, different members of the crew complain to Data about how little he knows of what it's like to be human. This bugs me on two levels: A) It seems like an easy way for the writers of TNG to come off as deep, i.e. explaining what it's like to be human to a toaster oven will always impress the toaster oven B) How long have these idiots hung out with Data? Why are they still surprised and angry about the toaster oven being a toaster oven?
That's why it's the ending of "In Theory" that really made it for me. His cold, obliviously uncaring reaction to his relationship with D'Sora ending was perfect. It was disarming, disturbing, and it was exactly what it should have been.
Season 5, Episode 2
Directed by Winrich Kolbe
Sometimes the universal translator just isn't enough.
(Honestly since it's a device I've never seen and - after watching quite a few episodes of Star Trek and its various spin-offs, as well as all of the Trek films - am completely ignorant of where it's supposed to be located, it's a surprise the thing doesn't prove inadequate more often).
Such is the case when the Enterprise meets with a Tamarian ship in orbit of the planet El-Adrel. While Picard and his crew can understand individual words from the Tamarians, their phrases seem like absolute nonsense. Likewise, the seemingly well-meaning Tamarians can't make heads or tails of Picard's words. The Tamarians shock the Enterprise crew by transporting their captain, Dathon, to the surface along with Picard while the Tamarian ship projects an energy field around the planet that prevents the Enterprise from beaming her captain back to safety.
On the planet, Dathon invites Picard to what Picard believes is a violent duel. Dathon offers a knife to Picard which the federation captain steadfastly refuses. After a creature of shimmering, lightning-like energy attacks the pair, Picard begins to unravel what's going on. He realizes the Tamarian language revolves around story and metaphor. When Dathon offers Picard a torch to help him start a campfire, for example, rather than saying, "Take this," or something similar, the Tamarian says, "Temba, his arms wide," with Temba presumably being a figure in Tamarian myth or legend. Likewise, when Dathon first offers Picard the knife (and many times after) he says, "Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra." With Dathon's help, Picard concludes that there is a story in Tamarian legend of two hunters - Darmok and Jalad - who travel to the island of Tanagra and battle a beast. Dathon's intent, Picard realizes, was for the two captains to do the same and bring their cultures closer as a result.
Unfortunately, by the time Picard gets a clue, Dathon is already mortally wounded. Aboard the Enterprise, Data and Troi work to solve the riddle of the Tamarian tongue while Riker exhausts every avenue to rescue Picard; wanting desperately to avoid combat with the Tamarian ship. Eventually Data and Troi come to the same conclusions as Picard about the Tamarian tongue, but since they don't know the stories upon which the Tamarian language is based, there's still no way to communicate. Feeling backed into a corner, Riker eventually attacks the Tamarian ship; hoping only to damage it enough to take out the energy field and beam Picard back to the Enterprise. They beam Picard aboard who, with his newly acquired understanding of the Tamarian tongue, manages to placate the Tamarians and relate the news of their captain's death.
I enjoyed "Darmok" quite a bit. The idea of a race communicating completely through metaphor is fascinating and innovative. And overall it's refreshing to see the crew of the Enterprise deal with a breakdown in communication, especially since I've always felt ambivalent about the notion of the universal translator. On one hand you could certainly argue it may be a somewhat lame device, but a necessary one for the stories Star Trek's creators tell. On the other, I can't help but wonder if the franchise's stories wouldn't be much more interesting if the language barrier were intact.
One thing about the premise can't help but bother me. I really don't want it to bother me, and instantly recognize it as the kind of problem I might sigh at if someone else mentioned it, but it's there and I can't deny it. The Tamarians seem unable to understand words unless they're used in reference to their stories. For example, they may understand the phrase, "Temba, his arms wide," but if you were to use the word "his" or "arms" or "wide" in another context, they'd be confused. If that's the case, if their language is composed completely of metaphor, then how were they ever able to tell the stories to one another in the first place? How could they ever learn the stories that make the foundation of their tongue unless they had some understanding of the words outside the context of their stories to begin with?
I guess it could be a chicken-or-the-egg type deal, in which case I wouldn't necessarily call it a weakness. Real life is full of paradox. It's just something that needles at me a bit whenever I watch it.
"Cause and Effect"
Season 5, Episode 18
Directed by Jonathan Frakes
The Enterprise is caught in a time-loop. The same things keep happening. During a poker game, Dr. Crusher is called away to help Geordi in sick bay. Later that night she's disturbed in bed by a cacophony of muffled, ghostly voices. She tells Picard and the other officers about this during a senior staff meeting the following day and reveals there were other reports of Enterprise crew members hearing the same voices. The staff is called away from the meeting because of the discovery of a space-time anomaly. The anomaly takes out the ship's main power and another federation ship appears from the anomaly on a collision course with Enterprise. Since her thrusters won't respond, Riker suggests decompressing the main shuttle bay to move Enterprise out of the unidentified ship's path. Data suggests they shove the other ship away with a tractor beam. Picard goes with Data's advice and the unnamed ship hits Enterprise anyway. Picard has just enough time to order all hands to abandon ship before the ship explodes.
And then it all happens again. And again. And again.
Somehow, you're not bored. That's what most impressed me about the episode. Each trip around the loop starts right from the beginning; from the customary shot of the Enterprise slowly cruising through space and Picard's dictation of the log. But in spite of watching the same scenes play out repeatedly, it doesn't get stale. Throughout the episode I thought it was a testament to how much a different camera angle can change a story. Without those different angles, "Cause and Effect" would've seemed like little more than a broken VHS tape. Instead, it's an interesting, suspenseful episode.
And as a cherry-on-top, Kelsey Grammer shows up as the time-lost captain of the other unnamed federation ship. Not that I'm a huge fan or anything, but it's just kind of cool. The episode ends with a "Hey look! Frasier!"
"The Inner Light"
Season 5, Episode 25
Directed by Peter Lauritson
Moments after the crew discovers an unidentified probe, Captain Picard collapses on the bridge. Less than a half hour later, he's lived a lifetime.
After Picard falls unconscious on the bridge of the Enterprise, he wakes up in a humble, unfamiliar home. A woman called Eline claims he's her husband, calls him Kamin and says he's recovering from an illness. Initially, Picard clearly thinks the woman is behind something nefarious. His only concern is to find out where he is, who's behind his transportation awa
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"I don't have a good name for this fallacy, but I hope to work it out with everyone here through thinking and discussion.
It goes like this: a large majority of otherwise smart people spend time doing semi-productive things, when there are massively productive opportunities untapped.
A somewhat silly example: Let's say someone aspires to be a comedian, the best comedian ever, and to make a living doing comedy. He wants nothing else, it is his purpose. And he decides that in order to become a better comedian, he will watch re-runs of the old television cartoon 'Garfield and Friends' that was on TV from 1988 to 1995.
This is absolutely not a great use of his time. Maybe he'll learn a little about jokes structures and pick up a gag from the show. It's probably not entirely useless. But Garfield and Friends wasn't all that funny to begin with, and there's only so much to be learned from it. The would-be comedian would be much better off watching Eddie Murphy, George Carlin, and Bill Cosby if he wanted to watch old clips. He'd be much better off reading memoirs, autobiographies, and articles by people like Steve Martin and Jerry Seinfeld. Or he could look to get into the technical aspects of comedy and study well-respected books in the field. Or best yet, go to an open mic night, or spend time writing jokes, or otherwise do comedy. But he doesn't, instead he just watches re-runs of Garfield and Friends.
I think a lot of us are guilty of this in our daily lives. Certainly, most people on LessWrong examine our lives more carefully than the rest of the world. A lot of us have clear goals. Maybe not a full, cohesive belief structure, but pretty clear. And sometimes we dabble around and do low-impact stuff instead of high impact stuff. The equivalent of watching Garfield and Friends re-runs.
I've been an entrepreneur and done some entrepreneurial stuff. In the beginning, you have to test different things, because you don't know what's going to work. But I've seen this fallacy, and I was guilty of it myself - I didn't double down and put all my efforts into what was working, or at least commit mostly to it.
The most successful entrepreneurs do. Oh, keep learning, and diversify a bit, sure. But I remember watching a talk about the success of the company Omniture - they had two people in their enterprise business-to-business side, and 60 people in their business-to-consumer side. Then the founder, Josh James, realized 90% of their revenue was coming from business to business, so he said - "Hey. 58 of you go over to the business to business side." And just like that, he now had 60 of his team working in the part of the company that was producing of the company's revenues. Omniture sold last year for $1.8 billion.
I feel like a lot of us have those opportunities - we see that a place we're putting a small amount of effort is accounting for most of our success, but we don't say - "Okay, that area that I'm giving a little attention that's producing massive results? All attention goes there now." No, we keep doing things that aren't producing the results.
I'm curious as to why. Do we not evaluate the return on time? Is it just general akrasia, procrastination, fear of success, fear of standing out? Those hard-wired evolutionary "don't stand out too much" things? Does it seem like it'd be too easy or can't be real? A lot of times, I'm frittering time away on something that will get me, y'know, very small gains. I'm not talking speculative things, or learning, or relaxing. Like, just small gains in my development. Meanwhile, there's something on-hand I could do that'd have 300 times the impact. For sure, almost certainly 300 times the impact, because I see some proven success in the 300x area, and the frittering-away-time area is almost certainly not going to be valuable.
And heck, I do this a lot less than most people. Most people are really, really guilty of this. Let's discuss and figure out why. Your thoughts?"
The passage is from a user-contributed post on LessWrong.
Could you elaborate on the psychological factors that may cause individuals to engage in low-impact activities, despite being aware of higher-impact alternatives?
Certainly, there are several psychological factors that can contribute to this behavior:
1. Fear of Failure: High-impact activities often come with higher risks and greater chances of failure. The fear of failure can be a significant deterrent, causing individuals to stick with low-impact activities that feel safer and more comfortable.
2. Fear of Success: Paradoxically, some people may also fear success. They may worry about the responsibilities, expectations, and changes that come with success. As a result, they may unconsciously self-sabotage by focusing on low-impact activities.
3. Procrastination: High-impact activities often require more effort, planning, and energy. Procrastination can lead individuals to choose easier, low-impact activities instead.
4. Habituation: People are creatures of habit. They may continue engaging in low-impact activities simply because they are used to them, even if they recognize that there are more productive alternatives.
5. Cognitive Dissonance: This is the mental discomfort experienced by a person who holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values. In this case, the individual may know that they should be focusing on high-impact activities, but they continue to engage in low-impact ones. This dissonance can cause stress and discomfort, which can further reinforce the avoidance behavior.
6. Impostor Syndrome: This is a psychological pattern in which an individual doubts their skills, talents, or accomplishments and has a persistent internalized fear of being exposed as a "fraud". This can lead them to avoid high-impact activities where they feel they may be exposed.
7. Lack of Self-Efficacy: This refers to an individual's belief in their ability to succeed in specific situations or accomplish a task. If they lack self-efficacy, they may not believe they are capable of handling high-impact activities, leading them to focus on low-impact ones instead.
8. Perfectionism: Some individuals may feel that if they can't do something perfectly, they shouldn't do it at all. This all-or-nothing thinking can lead them to avoid high-impact activities where they fear they won't meet their own high standards.
Understanding these factors can help individuals recognize and overcome the barriers that prevent them from focusing on high-impact activities.
How might the interplay between these psychological factors affect an individual's decision-making process and productivity, particularly when it comes to choosing between high-impact and low-impact activities?
The interplay between these psychological factors can significantly influence an individual's decision-making process and productivity. Each factor can reinforce the others, creating a complex web of influences that can be challenging to navigate.
For instance, fear of failure and fear of success can both feed into procrastination. If an individual is afraid of the potential negative outcomes of a high-impact activity, they may put off starting it, opting instead for low-impact activities that present less risk. Similarly, if they fear the changes and expectations that come with success, they may procrastinate to avoid facing these potential challenges.
Impostor syndrome can contribute to a lack of self-efficacy. If an individual constantly doubts their abilities and fears being exposed as a fraud, they may start to believe that they are incapable of successfully completing high-impact activities. This can lead them to focus on low-impact activities that they feel more confident about.
Perfectionism can also play a role in this interplay of factors. If an individual believes that they must do everything perfectly, they may fear both failure and success, experience heightened levels of procrastination, and struggle with impostor syndrome and low self-efficacy.
Habituation and cognitive dissonance can further complicate this picture. Even if an individual recognizes the benefits of high-impact activities, they may continue to engage in low-impact activities out of habit or to avoid the discomfort of cognitive dissonance.
These interrelated factors can create a cycle that is difficult to break, leading to decreased productivity and a focus on low-impact activities. However, by recognizing and addressing these psychological factors, individuals can start to shift their focus towards high-impact activities and increase their overall productivity.
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alignment-classifier-documents-unlabeled | trentmkelly/LessWrong-43k
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You don't get to know what you're fighting for
A number of my recent posts may have given you the impression that I know exactly what I'm fighting for. If someone were to ask you, "hey, what's that Nate guy trying so hard to do," you might answer something like "increase the chance of human survival," or "put an end to unwanted death" or "reduce suffering" or something.
This isn't the case. I mean, I am doing those things, but those are all negative motivations: I am against Alzheimer's, I am against human extinction, but what am I for?
The truth is, I don't quite know. I'm for something, that's for damn sure, and I have lots of feelings about the things that I'm fighting for, but I find them rather hard to express.
And in fact, I highly doubt that anyone knows quite what they're fighting towards — though it seems that many people think they do, and that is in part why I'm writing this post.
When I wrote on rationality, one commenter replied:
> I would just note upfront that
>
> > Reasoning well has little to do with what you're reasoning towards.
>
> and
>
> > Rationality of this kind is not about changing where you're going, it's about changing how far you can go.
>
> are white lies, as you well know. It's not unusual in the process of reasoning of how to best achieve your goal to find that the goal itself shifts or evaporates.
>
> "How to best serve God" may result in deconversion.
>
> "How to make my relationship with partner a happy one" may result in discovering that they are a narcissistic little shit I should run away from. Or that both of us should find other partners.
>
> "How to help my neighborhood out of poverty" might become "How to make the most money" in order to donate as much as possible.
This is a fine point. Humans are well-known for their ability to start out pursuing one goal, only to find that goal shift drastically beneath them as their knowledge of the world increases. In fact, this is a major plot point in many stories (such as, say, The Foundation Trilogy, The Dresden File
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<urn:uuid:47ef55b7-729a-434a-a986-73cae3bbd46f>
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dclm-dedup-25B-ai-scifi-docs | http://worldofwarcraftgold.org/battle-for-azeroth-free-zygor-reputation-guide.html
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But the thing about the waypoint is that it’s not always accurate. It happened when I was carrying out the Inoculation quest in which I had to kill infected owlkins and collect the emitter spare parts from the crashed ship in the Nestlewood Thicket and Nestlewood Hills. After I managed to kill owlkins, there was a particular spot in the area where the arrow turned green, telling me that a spare part was right there.
To make it easier to level professions to 800, most recipes will stay orange for 20 more points. This is a huge change! For example, the blacksmithing 780-800 part needed around 120 Demonsteel Bar and 60 Blood of Sargeras at minimum to craft 30 Waistguard. (you probably needed to craft 50 if you were unlucky). But now you will only need 20 Demonsteel Bar and 10 Blood of Sargeras to craft 5 of them.
People are never going to learn that sites like Zygor Guides, Dugi, and other premium site actively search out accounts that leak and share the guides and close them down thus cutting off OUR SOURCE OF CURRENT UPDATES! They use methods much like Whoknowsit did by embedding an encrypted tag somewhere with your username or account number so they can trace the leak back to the account. Just as Whoknowsit did.
• 8rianGriffin, 9kon, accessdenied, achiko, akgis, allanyudy, almigimenes, altina, Anbutsuchi, andrej.adamik, AngelNegro, Ankdilb, Anthony, araujocelso1998, b3nnz, badboi, Balsza95, Barbapapa, Barkhlet, Barneysoad, bellziinha, Bittertwo, bjerrum78, bkiddo, Bradamus, branak, braz54, bringstone, Buccaneerdan, bulle, Bunga, Burori, Busi, butcherlol69, Cajmandu, chincia, cinar, cloverklee, Cojayo, concieiro2, connect, craice, cresas, crowquillz, Cuii, Cyber2000, damianx9x, Daradul, DarkLCF, daviejones, DeathStrokeTt, deepsspeed, delphinetpr, DeusVult, Deviantloki, digoligo, dizzy1990, djskynet, DoctorGore, Dopsche, dougb, drivenman43004, duto, dweez, Eldervar, Emyl, eposada10, ErnstJuenger, erotilos87, ErQQ, Eurochopper, Eztori, fablwesn, flamishboy, Freak20, freakzilla317, frease91, FreshieFresh, frogger79, gabba75, gkarageorgos, gl87pro, gokken420, gorletto, greenou, greywolf168, guearplim, gurka324, Hatisstyle, HellsMainMan, Hikitsu, Hooltay, ic3solo, icegirl99, Illogical_spaz, ilpelle81, impexseba, insideu, JackonFire, jan32, jaybizzle, Jenuine, jimscrot, jinholwk, Jinx82, jjflana, Jonvillasboas, judyveys, Julien, ka11, kajerin, kamilafgf, kaneeywaneey, kire2506, KlaudioS, koaramamachi, kohkah, krathos96, ku4c, LarsH1990, legendfusion, Lendail, lesthat.wow, lilneko, Linkan, LIttlestLauren, locão, Lunale, Maledria, Manik, marinaki, Marn, Masamune27, matooner, Matsudai, mendozabot, metawow123, mgamer1512, micados, michisure, Migpost, mike670, missy8103, molenhuis, Mooglepies97, Mordercaii, Muskui, MysticRavenYT, Nand, nicchouk, nikos2021, Niteryder1969, no1r, nod1974, noghss, nupper, odin120, opusdiabolic, ownaged, Ozores, paganmomma70, paraesp, Perrymaster, PK241, powkaria, preylor, Prezuntuh, pyukumuku, Quastin, quate, Raain, RADDAN73, Ralenbek, rapiers, Raulgmn, RaViL, rawrapp, raymond13004, razyzg, RenikTv, rino, RomeoCotex, roxsavage, salifox, saltyrob, Samhain43, sapleur, sarrou, SassySalmon, scarbunny, Schamian, sebulba, Shimztv, Silenxer, siltic56, Silwesters, since, sinsolek, Skiera, sludge, SmallPaul, smashed50, snakkerdk, Speedocubealex, stampexz36, stman, Stromfresser, subz3ro77, Tachyoin, tappedroots, tatsactsze, taylroswift21, telyk, teotuty, thedvdfireman, tibirabotto, TinyBeans, tort86oise, traxor, Tsolakidis1987, TTDax, tuxbe, Twiztidzero, tzabusat, uipe, Ultraporing, ushin, Vayznex, Vexus, Vipeaxx, Wasdmann, wassabie, willowwolf, wolfgang, wrjalmeida, xclone, Xenfrozer, XGomez154, xrough, xs4r4, xXJosh28Xx, Yami11, Yllidan, younggodhand, zalpher, zemekiz, zinga69, zorien, zsidaipityu, zuko79, Zunama, ~*LinK
One fairly common issue people have is that older addons they install do not load when they log into the game. This is usually due to the fact that World of Warcraft tags older addons as out of date and aren't automatically loaded unless you tell the game to. This typically happens after a patch, as the game client tends to mark addons as out of date at that point.
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dclm-dedup-25B-ai-scifi-docs | https://appleglitz.com/apple-finds-a-single-magnetics-system-for-the-iphone-cover-buttons-allowing-users-to-get-a-sharp-tactical-click/
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Home / Apple / Apple finds a single magnetics system for the iPhone cover buttons, allowing users to get a sharp tactical click
This week, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that deals with reinventing an aspect of iPhone protective cases so that covered buttons to turn on iPhone or adjust the volume could use a magnetics system to deliver a crisp tactile click when you press these buttons as if there was no cover. Today's experiences are not always so great.
Electronic devices are often designed with precise predetermined factors and standards to ensure consistency in the user experience. It has become increasingly common for an electronic device to be paired with an accessory as a case. An accessory can provide additional benefits in terms of protection, improved appearance and / or additional features. However, an accessory can also change the operation of the electronic device and sometimes change the user experience and feel of the electronic
Apple's patent relates to devices, systems and methods that retain the original tactile sense of a button after an electronic device is connected to an accessory which can change the tactile feel of the button.
Apple's iPhone may contain an actuator with a button, where the actuator unit requires applying at least one threshold force to an available surface of the button.
The system may also include an option that is removably connected to an iPhone. The accessory device may be formed of a material and include a triggering magnetic element.
When the accessory device is connected to the electronic device, the button's threshold force changes. Thus, the tactile compensation unit may contain a trigger unit and be made possible when the triggering magnetic element of the accessory device forms a magnetic circuit with the trigger and thereby causes the tactile compensation unit to compensate for the change to the threshold activation force.
The tactile sense of a button is usually predetermined by designers based on the expected desirable user experience and user experience of the electronic device. For example, in some cases it may be desirable that the buttons have a sharp tactile feel to allow quick snaping.
However, an accessory associated with an electronic device may sometimes change the original predetermined tactile sense of a button on the electronic device. In one case, an accessory may take the form of a protective bag that may have a layer of material that covers one or more buttons on the electronic device. In such a configuration, at least a portion of the accessory device may become part of the button stack, whereby mechanical properties of material associated with the accessory affect the overall mechanical response of the button. Therefore, an activation force to activate the button will have to be applied through the part of the accessory.
Often this can change the tactile feel of the button because the new keystroke that contains some of the options that cover the button may have a new overall spring constant and may have a new threshold activation force that can activate the button stack. For example, an accessory made of an elastic material such as silicone or leather may make an original crisp button feel softer because the elastic material has a lower spring constant than the button.
Apple's solution is to create a system of accessory makers to include a magnet system in an iPhone cover under the buttons made of leather or elastic material to fit the iPhone buttons to give the users a clean, sharp -like clicks like an iPhone without a case.
2 x iPhone Case With New Magnetic Button System to Provide Superior Tactile Feeling
Apple patent application 20180335801 was originally filed in Q2 2017. This is a patent application, the time of such a product to the market is unknown at the moment.
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Source link
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alignment-classifier-documents-unlabeled | trentmkelly/LessWrong-43k
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Meetup : Fort Collins, Colorado Meetup Thursday 7pm
Discussion article for the meetup : Fort Collins, Colorado Meetup Thursday 7pm
WHEN: 23 August 2012 07:00:00PM (-0600)
WHERE: 1129 W. Elizabeth St. Fort Collins 80521
Back to Fort Collins.
What are the experiments you are running now? How do you track them?
Discussion article for the meetup : Fort Collins, Colorado Meetup Thursday 7pm
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alignment-classifier-documents-unlabeled | trentmkelly/LessWrong-43k
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Presentation on Learning
In order to do a better job putting together my thoughts and knowledge on the subject, I precommitted myself to giving a presentation on learning. My specific goal for the presentation is to inform audience members about how humans actually learn and teach them how to leverage this knowledge to efficiently learn and maintain factual and procedural knowledge and create desired habits.
I will be focusing a little on background neuroscience, borrowing especially from A Crash Course in the Neuroscience of Human Motivation. I will heavily discuss spaced repetition, and I will also talk about the relevance of System 1 and System 2 thinking. I will not be talking about research, or about how to discover what to learn; for the purposes of my presentation, people already know what they want or need to learn, and have a fairly accurate picture of what that knowledge or those behaviors look like.
Given that I will only have an hour to speak, I will be unable to explore everything I might like to in depth. Less Wrong (both the site and the community) are my most valuable resource here, so I am asking two things:
1. In one hour, what would you cover if you earnestly wanted to improve people's ability to learn?
2. What background material do I need to ensure fluency with? This should be material that I need to have adequate familiarity with or else risk presenting an error, even if I don't need to present the material itself in any depth.
The audience will be students and faculty in a Computer Science department. In decreasing order of number of members, the audience will be Masters students, seniors, Ph.D candidates, professors; no Junior or lower-level undergraduates, so I will probably use computing analogies that wouldn't make sense in other contexts. Because of the audience, I'm also comfortable giving a fairly information-dense presentation, but since I intend to persuade as well as inform the presentation will not be a report.
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dclm-dedup-25B-ai-scifi-docs | http://ftp.nluug.nl/networking/kermit/a/msv55x.hlp
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Addendum to Kermit manual for Sanyo MBC 550 and 555. The Sanyo 550 version of MS-Kermit is derived from the IBM version, and implements almost all of the same features. The major differences are: Only one serial port, max baud rate 19,200 No provision for network operation Different keyboard Detects whether the optional CGA-like video board is in use, and does BIOS screen I/O if not Tektronix emulation is only implemented for video board systems This version should run on any Sanyo 550 or 555 with MS-DOS 2.11 and more than 128K of memory. This version has been tested at baud rates up to 19.2 Kbaud. At the higher baud rates, there is some fixed error in the actual transmitted baud rate which may cause errors when transmitting to devices that are fussy about the incoming baud rate. Error free operation at 19.2 Kbaud was achieved between the Sanyo and an IBM-PC and at 9600 baud between the Sanyo and a VAX. The Sanyo keyboard hardware does not distinguish between keys which send the same ascii character, so the keypad keys with numlock "on" cannot be defined to transmit a key or string that differs from that transmitted by the corresponding key on the regular keyboard. Also, the Sanyo BIOS returns the same scan code for some keystrokes which could be distinguished at the hardware level. For greater flexibility in redefining keys, Sanyo Kermit has an option to replace the BIOS key translation tables with its own tables. Since the keyboard buffer location varies with different operating system versions, this replacement cannot be done cleanly; it requires patching the BIOS at connect time, and restoring it on exit. Installation of this patch will fail (harmlessly) if the keyboard interrupt is already being intercepted by some other program, such as a print spooler or pop-up utility. This option is disabled in the executable module normally distributed by Columbia. To enable it, the machine dependent routines MSU/X/Y/Z55X.ASM must be assembled with the -dMODIFIED flag to MASM. There are two possible video configurations for the Sanyo 550 series. All machines have a 640x200 3-plane bit mapped graphics screen, and some also have the approximate equivalent of an IBM color graphics adaptor. To determine which is in use, the startup code writes two different characters to the first character position of the current line with a BIOS call, and then attempts to read them back from the CGA memory. Since the usual result of reading from non-existent memory is a byte with most or all bits set, there is no significant chance of this test failing. Having determined which type of video board is operating, Kermit uses either BIOS calls or accesses the video RAM directly as appropriate. Without a CGA, screen updating is slow and it will probably be necessary to use XON/XOFF handshaking at baud rates higher than 1200. The 550 series does not have a DMA disk controller. This means that the CPU must send out each byte to the disk controller, and must do so within tight time constraints. For this reason, the BIOS disables interrupts when accessing a floppy disk. This means that serial port interrupts will not be serviced during disk activity. This is not a problem during protocol transfers since no attempt is made to overlap disk and serial port I/O, but it is a severe problem when trying to capture a session to disk. The only cures for this problem are to capture to a RAM or hard disk or to use a modem which buffers incoming characters. (Note that the problem persists even with some RAM disk programs. It appears that RAM disk programs which use any of the mode letters A: through D: disable the interrupts during processing simply because they use some of the same code used for access to hardware floppy disk drives, while RAM disks which use mode letters E: or higher do not. Specific experience is that MDISK from Michtron loses a small number of characters during each disk access but VARIRAM, a public domain RAM disk by an unknown author, does not lose any.) The Sanyo BIOS has another quirk which may cause problems with any communications program. Whenever a disk is accessed, the BIOS drops the DTR signal. Presumably this is done to tell the remote system that the machine is not ready to accept characters, but what it also does is tell some modems to hang up the phone. There are several possible remedies: (1) Most modems have a DIP switch that causes the modem to ignore the state of the DTR line. Setting this switch to the appropriate position will prevent the inadvertent disconnect that would otherwise occur during disk access, but it will also prevent the HANGUP command from functioning. With a Hayes compatible modem, you can probably create a hangup macro which outputs +++, waits 1 second, and then outputs ATH0. The same effect may be achieved by using a modem cable that has the DTR line at the modem end jumpered to Data Set Ready (DSR) so the Modem is fooled into thinking the "terminal" or computer is always ready. (2) Sanyo users groups distribute a program called DTR.COM which patches the in-core BIOS so that DTR is not dropped. However, this program only works with some BIOS versions. (3) The BIOS can be patched permanently. Command differences in Sanyo Kermit SET BAUD - all baud rates up to 19,200 are supported, but rates above 2400 baud are inaccurate and may cause problems on some systems. SET PORT - not implemented, only one port is available. SET TERM COLOR 2 or 3 - selects black and white (2) or color (3) mode. The black and white mode supports high/low intensity and underline while the color supports various color settings. In the color mode, the terminal emulation underline is represented by the color combination that happens to coincide with the IBM attribute for underline. Keystrokes defined during terminal emulation (These are the default values. Other configurations may be defined by the SET KEY commands in an MSKERMIT.INI file. Codes marked with an asterisk are different between the IBM and Sanyo versions.) VT-100 Keypad Key: Corresponding Sanyo Key: PF1 to PF4 PF1 to PF4 * Enter PF5 * Keypad 1 to 9,0 CNTL-1 to -9,-0 Keypad comma CNTL-comma * Keypad period CNTL-period * Keypad hyphen CNTL-slash * Cursor Keys Keyboard Arrow Key Connect-mode Kermit Function: Corresponding Sanyo Key: Send Break BREAK key * Toggle Mode Line PF6 * Toggle Terminal Type PF7 * Reset PF8 * Printscreen PF9 * Screen Dump CNTL-END Exit CONNECT mode CNTL-SHFT-X Show CONNECT STATUS CNTL-SHFT-S Send Linefeed SHFT-Return Connect mode HELP MENU CNTL-SHFT-H Screen Rollback: Back one screen Page UP Back one line CNTL-Right Arrow *(see note) Forward one screen Page DOWN Forward one line CNTL-Page DOWN Back to beginning of buffer Home Forward to end of buffer End Note: Back one line is defined as "CNTL-Right Arrow" because Sanyo key codes do not allow the CNTL-PG UP key to be distinguished from the PG UP key. Assembling the Sanyo specific .ASM modules with the -dMODIFIED switch on produces a version that fixes this and defines the CNTL-PG UP key as the "Rollback one line" function. Comments on this version should be sent to: Robert W. Babcock 4 Reeves Road Bedford, MA 01730 (peprbv@cfaamp on BITNET) Joseph H. White 4320 Ryegate Drive Raleigh, NC 27604 Original Sanyo verison by Joe Smiley.
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dclm-dedup-25B-ai-scifi-docs | http://www.alexhilhorst.com/blog/category/awesome/feed/
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Alex Hilhorst » Awesome Writing / Film / TV / Videogames Fri, 03 Jun 2016 16:51:48 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Game of Thrones- “Kill the Boy” Recap Mon, 11 May 2015 20:40:50 +0000 TheHil
The most akward family dinner of all time.
Though the pacing is still a bit too slow for my liking, Game of Thrones kicked things up a notch with “Kill the Boy,” the season’s best episode by far. I should note that one of the reasons I probably liked this episode more than others was it neglected the series’ worst and most troubling plotline: the Jaime/Bronn Dorne Extravaganza Hour. The description for next week’s episode promises “the Sand Snakes attack,” so maybe Dorne will finally become interesting (the episode title is also the Martells’ mantra, “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken”), but considering where the other stories have been going it feels like they almost could have cut the Dorne story out entirely.
But back to the topic at hand: “Kill the Boy,” an episode that I am already seeing is contentious among show watchers and book readers (as has been the case with most of this season so far). The AV Club actually writes two sets of reviews for each Thrones episode, one for “experts” and one for “newbies,” and the newbies scores have been consistently lower throughout. As I’ve said before, this is most likely due to book readers knowing the basic gist of where a lot of this is going, so the slow pace isn’t as bothersome, whereas show watchers crave for the action-packed days of Season 4, where every week someone was either getting poisoned or stabbed through the mouth.
Lookin' at you, Karl.
I’ve also noticed a bizarre trend where a lot of show watchers are not fantasy fans and are drawn to GoT because it’s a more down-to-earth fantasy story than something like Lord of the Rings, which while also amazing, definitely screams NERD. As such, whenever something super fantastical happens, a vocal subset of show watchers whine that the show is too cheesy or silly, which… fuck off. This is a fantasy show set in a magical fantasy universe, just one that happens to be more grounded than the kinda shit you’re used to: there aren’t any talking Jesus lions here. Magical shit happens and you just have to deal with it, and if you don’t like, get the fuck out, bro.
This type of criticism stretches all the way back to the first truly magical moment (excluding the birth of Dany’s dragons, which, who doesn’t like dragons?): Melisandre birthing the Shadow Baby. Since then I’ve also heard grumblings about the Ray Harryhausen skeletons (though that bugged some book readers as well, as it was more over-the-top than it is in the books). Now I’m reading blogs where people are whining about the episode’s coolest scene because the Stone Men screeched. Sigh. People have no trouble watching a show where zombies go blaaaahhhhhh all the time and can somehow creep up on people despite being loud, shambling corpses, but dudes with a magical disease that zombifies you aren’t aloud to make scary sounds? WHAT IS THE WORLD COMING TO.
The Stone Men scene and the execution-by-dragon that opened the ep were both awesome, but I actually found myself more drawn to the quieter, character moments. This was an episode in stark contrast to last week’s, with every conversation and every story told feeling like it had purpose. Nothing ever felt unnatural. The episode was written by Bryan Cogman, the only other consistent writer on the show besides the Ds, and I’ve begun to realize he’s my favorite. If you look at the Top 10 GoT Episodes blog I posted earlier, you’ll note that a sizable number of the included eps were penned by Cogman. Even though he’s not in charge, he seems to have a deeper understanding of Martin’s world and its lore and history, and his dialogue feels much more natural. When Obara said “I made my choice long ago” last week I rolled my eyes because nobody in the universe, even a medieval one with dragons, has ever talked like that. But Cogman takes the dry tone of the Middle Ages and retains its authenticity while translating it for a modern audience.
Now, keep in mind the Ds often rewrite episodes written by others, as is generally the case in television. Writing credits on TV are odd. When I was more aggressively pursuing a career in TV writing, I went to a lot of panels and heard multiple stories of how writers get credit for an episode that they really had nothing to do with, as it was completely redone by the man in charge. So I could be praising Cogman when I’m really praising the Ds. For example, my all time least favorite Thrones scene prior to that abominable Sand Snakes scene was the gratuitous threesome that led into Theon’s castration. At the time I was bummed because it was written by GRRM, who I hold to a higher standard, but if you listen to the ep’s audio commentary you’d find that the Ds actually wrote that scene (which, of course they did).
"For fuck's sake, Davos, learn some goddamn grammar."
I will give credit where credit is due: the Ds have consciously been trying to turn Stannis into a better, more likable character, more like the man he is in the books than the brooding asshole he’s been on the show. It bothered me that Stannis was still in Castle Black this episode. I feel like he’s been talking about marching on Winterfell for ages, and I could have sworn there was a shot of Baratheon men heading out last week, but maybe I saw that in the preview for this week’s and got confused. The pacing is still laboriously slow at times, but all the Castle Black scenes hit the mark beautifully. Stannis has emerged as a man who while hard and often cold, loves his daughter and more importantly, acknowledges the threat that Westeros faces. He and Jon as well as Melisandre are the only three characters who understand the White Walkers are coming and that something must be done. This was illustrated in Stannis’ scene with Sam, where he encourages the Black Brother to keep searching for a way to stop their enemy.
"Did you know that Queenscrown was so named for Good Queen Alysanne Targaryen? It's true!!!"
This scene was also great because it showed that Stannis isn’t a huge dick like some of the other characters he resembles: namely Tywin and Randyll Tarly, Sam’s father (who appears in A Feast For Crows. Terrible father, great general). Stannis isn’t ruthless and without honor like Tywin, and he doesn’t begrudge his children for their failings like Tywin does his, or Randyll does Sam. He doesn’t resent Sam for being the son of one of his old enemies, and he doesn’t belittle him for failing to measure up to the warrior his father is. Stannis recognizes Sam’s usefulness and encourages him to use it to their advantage.
Also of note in Castle Black was the Maester Aemon “Kill the boy and let the man be born speech.” Aemon is a tragic character and it’s sad seeing him finally succumbing to old age. The actor who plays him, Peter Vaughan, was, like most actors on GoT, perfectly cast and always gives a good performance. He’s been around since the very beginning (as shown in the previously on) and has always been a source of grandfatherly wisdom.
Hey, Olly, how's it going. You know, I was thinking I've maybe been too harsh on you. Oh wait. I haven't. Because you fucking suck. READ THE BOOKS, OLLY.
A final note on Olly. I have repeatedly expressed my hatred for this character and I feel I should elaborate. There’s nothing inherently wrong with him and the actor playing Olly is good, especially for a child actor. I think this is something that probably bothers book readers more than show watchers as he’s a made-up character. What’s annoying is how much time is spent with him. I know what they’re doing and where they’re going with Olly, but it’s just so distracting to cut to reaction shots or have these long dialogue scenes with him. It feels forced, and with so much crazy shit going on all over the world, it’s weird that so much time is being spent with a ten year-old orphan of no consequence. He’s not Shireen, he’s not Bran, he’s not Arya, he’s just some dumb kid, and a dumb kid is the kiss of death for your movie.
Don’t Make Me Regret the Day I Raped Your Mother
Like with the Castle Black stuff, I loved the Winterfell scenes, but I am seeing the cry of “boring” come up from the show crowd, which… fuck off. Look, I’ve already acknowledged the slow pace and agreed that last week’s episode was not the best. But there’s a difference between dialogue scenes where nothing happens—Tyrion explaining to Jorah and the audience who Jorah is, or the Sand Snakes just going, “hey, we’re Sand Snakes, aren’t we cool?” when they weren’t, and dialogue scenes that advance the plot or build character.
I don’t want to get too testy here, because I am both a show and book fan, and I acknowledge that TV has different requirements than novels, and as a visual medium, has to be visually interesting. But sometimes I feel that show-watching Game of Thrones fans encapsulate millennial ADD. Their brains have become so warped by all the tits and gore that when there aren’t tits and gore, their eyes glaze over and they complain. But this is a story, not pornography, and the foundation of screenwriting is dialogue. I just feel that since Game of Thrones has attained “phenomenon” status, there is a large swathe of viewership who don’t actually watch it because they like it, but because the internet told them to. “Everyone is Tweeting about Game of Thrones, guess I better watch it.” Two days later—“waaaahhhh, the Shadow Baby was over-the-top and there was too much talking.”
But let’s not go off on another tangent. It’s just something that bugs me, because rarely do I find this show boring (I did last week though). So much good stuff went down in Winterfell. First off, we did have titties, with some of the most beautifully-lit pale naked bodies I’ve ever seen. The cinematography has been particularly excellent this season, and I love all the framing and callbacks that I’ve mentioned before. This week we got shots that recalled Bran’s fall from the tower. Director Jeremy Podeswa utilizes a low angle to remind you of how awful Bran’s crippling was, and then a high angle looking down on Sansa and Myranda to make Sansa seem small and vulnerable, and ratchet up the tension of the scene.
I’ve really grown to like Myranda, a show creation I wasn’t particularly fond of at first. Her original introduction was in the aforementioned softcore porn/dick cutting scene from Season 3, and last year she just helped Ramsay sic dogs on a poor girl and then had sex with him that one time. I’m always dubious of show-created characters, though some have won me over (most notably Locke, a good addition to Team Bolton and a less ridiculous character than his book counterpart, Vargo Hoat), and Myranda seemed to exist solely for nudity and sex purposes.
But here we see she is just as crazy as Ramsay, which makes sense because how else would she have fallen for him? She’s basically Female Ramsay and is just as violent and unpredictable, making scenes where she’s touching Sansa or leading her into the kennels extremely tense. Even though it seems highly unlikely Sansa will ever die, I was nonetheless terrified Myranda was gonna open the kennels and rip Sansa apart. She also endeared herself to me by slapping Ramsay, an extremely bold move when you consider he’s a violent psychopath whose favorite pastime is peeling off people’s skin while they’re still alive. I doubt she’ll make it very far and will probably end up like the girl she and Ramsay fed to dogs or worse, flayed, but I appreciate her presence. The moment where she bit Ramsay’s lip and he fucking loved it was great, and recalled last year’s “sex is boring, let’s fight Ironborn” scene.
Beautiful, Pale British People: Coming this Fall to BBC America.
Speaking of Ironbron: Balon Greyjoy Deathwatch Week 16.
Just like with Myranda touching Sansa, the scene where Ramsay made Theon kneel and give him his hand was incredibly tense. It actually made a lot of the excessive torture scenes from Season 3 seem more purposeful in retrospect: were it not for those moments, I doubt I would have been as fearful for Theon in “Kill the Boy.” I also enjoyed the dinner scene because it showed that while Ramsay enjoys physical torture, what he really gets off on is mental manipulation. He’s all about control and domination, and takes pleasure in having others under his thumb.
That scene was topped by Roose’s story of Ramsay’s conception, that he executed a miller for marrying his wife in secret, then raped her “beneath the tree where he was swaying,” a great/horrifying story from the books. What this shows is that Roose is way more evil than Ramsay. Ramsay is a violent psycho, but he has feelings. He actually seems to love Theon like he would a dog, and has a modicum of affection for Myranda. He wants to impress his dad and always dreamt of being legitimized. Roose may not flay people for fun, but he is completely cold and without even a hint of emotion, and that makes him much more terrifying. However, I said this when I read Book 5 and I’ll say it again: Roose’s biggest mistake was trusting Ramsay.
What Happened to "Valar Morghulis?"
I know show people are loving the Dany plot now and I know why: because she fed a dude to a freaking dragon. That scene was amazing, and the moment Viserion and Rhaegal ripped that corpse in half elicited a loud “Ewwwwwwww” from me and Alison. I live for this kinda bombastic shit on Game of Thrones, and I love dragons. Who doesn’t? I dare you to find me someone who doesn’t like dragons. And there has probably been more on-screen dragon action this season than in every other season combined.
I also liked that unlike in the books, Dany is the one who comes up with the idea to marry Hizdhar and not the other way around. In the books he suggests it, just like Xaro Xhoan Daxos before him, and it’s frustrating because it seems foolish of Dany to trust him. She didn’t trust Xaro, after all. But here the power play is reversed and I think it works well… to a degree. The show has been doing a good job of expressing how tenuous Dany’s control over Meereen is and how the dangerous situation she’s in has lead to poor choices. But said choices are just so all over the place it’s starting to feel a little ridiculous. First she’s like, let’s give people a fair trial. Then she’s like, nah, let’s feed them to dragons even if they’re innocent. Then in the same episode she’s like, huh, maybe dragon feeding was a bad move and I should just marry this asshole. I guess it reflects her poor decision-making from A Dance With Dragons, but it just feels a little all over the place.
I will say, I've grown to like Grey Worm and actually found the scene with him and Missandei to be genuinely touching. I like that the arc isn't so much about a cheesy love story but about Grey Worm finding his humanity and undoing his brainwashing.
Long, Sullen Silences & the Occasional Punch in the Face: The Mormont Way
"Well, at least it's better than those two boxes I was in before."
This was the kind of stuff I wanted from the Tyrion/Jorah pairing and “Kill the Boy” delivered in spades. The recitation of the poem was great and I love that the show took the effort to delve into the history of Valyria. This scene is supposed to take place on the River Rhoyne, a detail that I have already seen bugging book zealots… but fuck those guys. Again, TV is a visual medium and the description of Old Valyria from Book 5 was just begging to be filmed. I like the overgrown, moss-covered ruins and the faint cloud of smoke, sulfuric fumes from the volcanoes that presumably caused the Doom of Valyria (one of the books’ greatest mysteries).
Like Leaf, last season’s Child of the Forest, the Stone Men weren’t quite as awesome-looking as they could have been, but the action scene was great and terrifying, and the shot where the Stone Man rises in the background while Tyrion stares at Drogon was chilling. I think the Ds & co. have been doing a good job of taking the coolest moments from Book 5 and repurposing them for their own version of the story. In the books a different character contracts Greyscale after this scene, a character that I knew they were going to cut because his subplot is just so damn complicated. But it works with Jorah being the one who is doomed, and makes me excited for where his and Tyrion’s story is going.
And now… spoilers!!!
• They have been hinting at R+L=J super hard this season (which makes sense, because Jon is probably gonna die). In Castle Black, Maester Aemon says “A Targaryen alone in the world… a terrible thing.” Seconds later Jon steps through the door. BECAUSE SHE’S NOT ALONE. THERE’S ANOTHER TARGARYEN.
• Melisandre going with Stannis is interesting. In the books she stays behind at Castle Black, which I just realized doesn’t bode well for Stannis, as the last time he went into battle without her he got his ass handed to him. But her going on the show doesn’t bode well for Jon—my main theory for how Jon will survive the mutiny is that Melisandre gives him the fire kiss like Thoros did for Dondarrion and Dondarrion did for Lady Stoneheart, but if she’s not around…
• Very intrigued by Jorah getting Greyscale. In the books, the scene with the Stone Men seemed to be all about Jon Connigton contracting the disease then traveling to Westeros and not telling anyone—basically foreboding that Westeros will become infected by the plague. But it seems unlikely Jorah will last long enough to make it to Westeros. Perhaps in place of the Pale Mare, Slaver’s Bay will be overrun by Greyscale?
• I suspect we will see White Walkers during Jon’s trip to Hardhome. There will definitely be at least one White Walker scene this year and there are rumors the Night’s King is returning.
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Game of Thrones- Season 5 Premiere Mega Recap Tue, 14 Apr 2015 15:27:50 +0000 TheHil
I was so excited in the hours leading up to last night’s Game of Thrones premiere I could barely think straight. It’s rare for me to get so excited about a piece of pop culture these days; I’m older, I’m more cynical, and I can more easily see through Hollywood’s deceptive veil. But man, Game of Thrones makes me feel like a giddy teenager again.
Overall, this was a pretty standard Thrones opener. With so many characters and so many complex plotlines, GoT premieres have basically become “check in with all the people” installments, and often it feels as if the show has two premieres. They can’t fit all the characters into one episode, so they spread them out between the first two (like in season 3).
I’ll admit season 4 had a better opener. “Two Swords” is one of the show’s best eps and got the audience up to speed much more elegantly than “The Wars to Come” does, though the latter is still a good episode. Last season’s second episode had a Holy Shit moment in the Purple Wedding; season 5 seems to be moving at a more deliberate pace, which I think is appropriate considering that with the death of Tywin Lannister, the board has been swept clean.
I am going to separate my recap into a NON-SPOILERS section for show watchers and a SPOILERS section for book readers, and will be separating the discussion by location. But let’s start with the opening.
First off, this was the longest recap ever, clocking in at just under three minutes. This “Previously On” illustrates just how sprawling the show has become, and just how difficult it is to adapt A Song of Ice and Fire into a TV show. When Lancel Lannister shows up in A Feast For Crows, you immediately remember who he is because you’ve read about him and committed him to memory. But without that “Previously On” I doubt any show watchers would have remembered who the hell that was.
Also, just wanted to point out a nice detail in the opening titles—Winterfell is no longer eternally burning, but it does now sport the Bolton sigil. Depressing but cool detail.
Now on to the opening scene, the show’s first-ever flashback. The Ds were adamant about not using flashbacks when they first started writing the show, and I agree that it is a lazy trope, especially in a post-LOST age (dammit, Lindelof, get out of my head!). But there isn’t really a more natural way to get this information across—in the books Cersei just recalls the memory, but that doesn’t work visually, and it’s an integral scene. I thought it was a cool way to open the season and that the actor playing Young Cersei was amazing; she had Lena Headey’s mannerisms down to a T. My only real criticism is why is Maggy the Frog hot? Why does every woman on this show have to be in her 20s and hot? Missandei is 25 and hot (she’s 10 in the books). Maggy the Frog is 25 and hot. Why? Why couldn’t she be an old crone? I get that the point is she has this reputation as a hideous monster and then is just a lady, but she didn’t have to be a hideous old lady, just an old lady. Anyways, minor criticism, but it bugged me nonetheless.
Hottest crone in history.
The main takeaway from this scene is that Cersei has believed since she was little that her children would all die; considering the odds stacked against Tommen, this definitely puts him on the chopping block. A distinction from the book is that Robert had 20 bastards—my guess was the number was increased to account for all the dead babies from the nightmare-inducing season 2 infanticide montage.
At King's Landing
"Hey, remember that time you raped me? Nope? Neither do I apparently."
At first, “The Wars to Come” had a natural progression of scenes; it wasn’t until halfway through that it started to feel like a recap. The Cersei flashback leads naturally into Cersei attending Tywin’s funeral. Inside Baelor’s Sept she and Jaime argue about Tyrion, and the show then naturally cuts to Tyrion traveling via box to Pentos.
I’d like to give a shout-out to my main man Kevan Lannister, arguably the nicest and most level-headed of the Lannisters. He’s basically “Nice Tywin” and he does play a significant part in A Dance With Dragons, so I was wondering if they would bring him back. I don’t think he’s been around since Season 2, and generally the show is reluctant to reintroduce old characters, so his inclusion was a nice surprise. Kevan may not be as important on the show as he in the books; in this ep he mainly exists for exposition. Since he’s Lancel’s father and Lancel is the show’s introduction to the Sparrows, he really only appears to talk about who the Sparrows are. But hey, at least they used the same actor!
Lancel was buffer and had a new hairdo, making him almost unrecognizable, which was effective. He’s supposed to seem like a completely different person, and changing his look helped. Also I love that he is such a dweeb and is so full of himself that he thinks it was him using Cersei and not the other way around; he was very clearly Cersei’s temporary Jaime replacement.
When was the last time we got any sexposition? Anyone remember? Season 4 was actually kinda light on the sex and nudity by comparison with previous seasons, so I’m guessing it’s been a while. Well I hope you like sexposition and I hope you like man ass because the Ds gave you a whole bunch of both! Well, I suppose there was only a bit of sexposition—in the Loras/Olyvar scene, Olyvar notes that one of Loras’ scars looks like Dorne, and then tells you where all the cities in Dorne are. Sexposition, everybody! God, I love sexposition.
Some people have noted that there was a lot of man ass in this ep and have wondered if this is the writers responding to the criticism that there should be more equal opportunity nudity on the show. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t, I really could care less—this is my least favorite topic of discussion concerning Thrones. I love boobs and I’m not offended by floppy dongs, distracting as they may be, so I am completely neutral on this controversy. Daario has a pretty nice butt, though. Just sayin’.
I didn’t quite get why Margaery chilled in her brother’s sex den. Like, the Tyrells clearly aren’t incestuous, and they’ve already established she knows her brother’s gay, so I don’t know why she was being all creepy. I did like her checking out Olyvar though, that was a nice touch.
There are some characters the show has done a good job of expanding upon or improving, namely Brienne and Bronn. Then there are some they kinda screwed up. Loras is one of those. Can you tell me anything about Loras that doesn’t involve his sexuality, his family or his lovers? No, because he has no character traits. He’s a good warrior I guess, but that’s about it. His main character trait is GAY. Loras is GAY. That is about all there is to him. Now look—I appreciate that there are gay characters on this show and gay sex scenes because I believe in progressivism, and I understand that to make this often droll and dry fantasy story palatable to gen audiences, the Ds need to make all the gay characters from the books HELLA GAY. Oh, there’s an offhand line about Oberyn sleeping with men and women? Well, we better have an orgy scene where he slaps a guy on the ass, then. You get what I’m saying.
Two fan favorite characters: Gay Man #1 & Gay Man #2
But if you think about it, the show isn’t being particularly progressive because the Ds don’t really know how to write gay characters beyond GAY. Renly had a bit more to him but Loras and Olyvar are just GAY. And it’s disappointing because Loras is actually an interesting character in the books, but changes were made (by necessity) that worsened him. In the books he has two other brothers but that’s more names and faces for the audience to remember so now he’s the only Tyrell bro and that means he’s the one who’s getting pledged to Cersei. Well, if he’s marrying Cersei, then he can’t join Joffrey’s Kingsguard like he does in the books, which means he doesn’t have much else to do other than bang man whores. That in and of itself is a little obnoxious, as even on the show Loras is supposed to be madly in love with Renly, so much so that he never really gets over his death, but here he’s pounding butts one year later (time moves faster on the show) and talking about running away to Dorne. He’s just a character that I like in the books but does nothing for me on the show, and beyond some man ass, I doubt he’s doing much else for anyone else.
In Pentos
"God, I'm so fucking shwashted..."
I really liked the POV shot of Tyrion passing through various ports. It was an elegant visual device to quickly skip his voyage from King’s Landing to Essos. Peter Dinklage and Conleth Hill are always wonderful in their scenes together, so I can see why the Ds went off book and decided to have Varys accompany Tyrion on his journey. Also no one would remember who Illyrio is, though he is mentioned here. In general I support keeping memorable characters around because TV works best with a consistent cast. An ever-rotating cast of characters works for A Song of Ice and Fire, but not its TV counterpart.
That being said, where was Illyrio? I mean, if they mention him why not bring him back? Was that actor not available? Probably, but it’s not like they have a problem with recasting. I guess it would have detracted from the Varys/Tyrion scenes, so it makes sense to cut him, just seemed weird to have Varys mention him but not have him appear on screen. Maybe he’ll show up to see Varys and Tyrion off next week?
I'll give you a hundred bucks if you can name this character.
Regardless of whether or not we see him, we did learn a bit about Illyrio and Varys and their plans. Both characters are as mysterious in the books as they are on the show, with their true motives always hidden, so this episode was illuminating for book people as well. Varys basically said that he and Illyrio are part of a society of Essosi who think Westeros is going to shit (which sure, but like, you guys still have slavery) and want to reinstate the Targaryens to get everything back on track. That’s… not really enough of an explanation for me. It still doesn’t explain why a merchant from Pentos and a mummer from Braavos would give a damn about their neighboring continent. I suppose it could be the Valyrian connection—the Valyrians were the greatest civilization Essos ever knew and the Targaryens are their descendants so perhaps Illyrio, Varys and their secret society just want to put someone with more of an Essosi flair in charge? I dunno, we’ll probably learn more later (at least in the books).
I really loved the two scenes with Varys and Tyrion; they had the right amount of comedy and foreboding drama. Tyrion being a drunk, like he is in the books, is great, especially him puking then immediately refilling his glass like it ain’t no thang. But as much as I like these two characters, I still find Show Tyrion’s motivation lacking. In the books Tyrion kinda goes on a Walter White arc. At his core he is a kind, nice person with a good heart, but after so much shit befalls him he slowly descends into villain territory. For me, this started when he had a singer killed and turned into stew. Which was fed to people (GRRM loves cannibalism). Seemed excessive. Then he killed Shae. She had it coming, but still. He leaves on bad terms with Jaime in the books, and more or less hates everyone in his family as he travels to Pentos. In A Dance With Dragons, his motivation is pretty simple: burn House Lannister to the ground. Literally. With Daenerys’ dragons.
But if he has no enmity towards his House beyond Cersei, what exactly motivates him to go to Meereen and join up with the other side? Varys gives a nice speech, sure, but it just doesn’t quite cut it for me, the same way him going up to Tywin’s chambers in the season 4 finale lacks the proper motivation when you remove Tysha from the equation (what is it with these books and the letters T-Y?). I appreciate that Tyrion is more of a straightforward hero on the show because it needs that, especially as Daenerys might be heading into sketchier territory this season. But from a screenwriting standpoint, I don’t think his motivation is quite strong enough. Minor quibble, though.
In Meereen
When their eps veer into “checking in on everyone” territory, Game of Thrones often likes to connect its scenes thematically or visually. They’ve done better, but “The Wars to Come” did seem to use freedom as its primary theme. Now that they are free, the Unsullied go to brothels just to be cuddled. Hizdhar makes the case for reopening the fighting pits, explaining that hey, if the freedmen wanna do it, let ‘em do it. Daario sorta reiterates that point in the scene featuring his ass, where he tells Daenerys about his backstory. Said backstory is all made up for the show, but that’s fine because Daario has zero backstory in the book, and never really stands out because of it. He’s just a sexy sellsword from Tyrosh in the books; that’s about it.
Apparently he was sold into slavery at the age of 12 by his mother and fought in the Yunkish fighting pits (I’m assuming it’s Yunkai, they were sorta unclear on this but it seemed like all the fighting pits were supposed to be in Yunkai) until being freed as a man. Though it was still technically sexposition, it felt more natural than Loras’ Dorne scar, and helped define Daario a bit more, who is still coming into his own in Season 5.
The real philosophical discussion over freedom came in the Castle Black scenes, but it was still interesting to see Daenerys grapple with even tougher decisions than those she faced last year. The dragon scene was cool; I like how big they’ve gotten and it makes me excited for when we next see Drogon.
I could never see another scene between Missandei and Grey Worm, though. I could never see Grey Worm again and die happy. He is the most worthless character on the show and his relationship with Missandei is its most boring. I don’t care. I don’t care at all about these two characters. I care a little bit about Missandei, but only in the context of her being a gal pal to Daenerys. In the books the Unsullied are just sorta there. They are mindless killing machines; even after Daenerys frees them they are cool and complacent because they’ve been brainwashed their whole lives. But now we gotta follow one around even though by his very nature he is devoid of personality. Daenerys has another eunuch companion in the book who is a million times cooler (he’s named Strong Belwas; that name alone should tell you how badass he is), but I understand why he was cut in favor of Grey Worm, and I’m pretty sure I know why this silly romance with Missandei has been such a focus (see below in the spoilers section if you wanna know).
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Thursday, July 2, 2015
June Wrap-Up
Books I Read
The Martian by Andy Weir
This was a really good sci-fi read, but it doesn't really feel like sci-fi. It seems like the kind of story that could actually happen in real life. The beginning was really good, and the second half of the book especially excellent. Some of the middle parts were slow, and there were a lot of nitty gritty details that I ended up skimming because of how long it got. But overall, great book. (And they're making it into a movie, which I'm really excited for.)
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
If Eleanor & Park and Paper Towns got together and had a book baby, this would be the result. It's fantastic. It grabs you right away, keeps your attention the whole way through, and leaves you in tears at the end. There's not much more you can ask for in a book. (And they're making this one into a movie, too!)
Movies I Watched
"Home Alone 3"
This movie was just "meh," but I was watching it with a couple of friends and we had more fun making sarcastic commentary the whole time than we did actually watching it. It's a great movie for that.
"Inside Out"
One of my all-time favorite Pixar movies. It makes you laugh, makes you cry, and is totally clever. All of the characters in it were unique and interesting, and there were a ton of female leads! Go watch it immediately.
"Ferris Beuler's Day Off" (a rewatch)
This is one of my favorite eighties movies. It's so goofy, but so good. Simple plot, small cast of characters, and good music. It's a good summer movie and tons of fun.
"The Princess Bride" (a rewatch)
Out of every eighties movie I've watched so far, this is probably my favorite. It's delightfully cheesy, very quotable, and funny. Although Buttercup drives me crazy, I love every other character in it.
Obsessions I Acquired
Mindy Gledhill She has a very unique voice and great music! My favorite song by her is probably "Pocketful of Poetry," although it's all good. I love the music video, too.
Picture of the Month
This is so perfect. And it includes some of my favorite characters from three of my major fandoms.
How was your June?
Friday, June 19, 2015
Beautiful People Linkup--June
Cait at "Paper Fury" is co-hosting a linkup called "Beautiful People." Each month she announces a new set of questions to answer about your characters so you can learn more about them. This month's theme is parents! There aren't a lot of parents that play big roles in MG and YA books nowadays (including a lot of mine . . . whoops), but the ones I have I absolutely love. I like writing the interactions between them and all of the other characters, including their kids and their kids' friends. This month I'll write about Celeste's parents from Cosmo (Timothy and Quentin Smitherson) and Lane's parents from Beneath the Moon and Stars (Christine and Paul Hawthorne).
1. Do they know both their biological parents? Why/why not?
Celeste was given up for adoption as a baby, and as it was a closed adoption, she never knew who her parents were.
Lane may not be close with either of his parents, but he still knows and loves them, even if they frustrate him to no end some days.
2. Have they inherited any physical resemblances from their parents?
Celeste has no idea what she may or may not have inherited, though she definitely seems to have Timothy's playful smirk and Quentin's laugh.
Lane looks almost exactly like his father did when he was a teenager, since he has his dark hair and bright blue eyes.
3. What’s their parental figure(s) dress style? Add pictures if you like!
Quentin wears jeans and a t-shirt of some kind on most days, usually with an apron over top that's covered in flour. Timothy's almost always in a suit for work.
Christine and Paul, no matter the day or what they're doing, dress to impress, never a hair out of place.
4. Do they share any personality traits with their parental figures? And which do they take after most?
Celeste and her dads are all sarcastic. She and Quentin are definitely more outgoing between the three of them, but she's also thoughtful like Timothy.
Though Lane won't admit it, he and his mother share their stubborn qualities, but he gets his creative side from his dad.
5. Do they get on with their parental figure(s) or do they clash?
Celeste is super close with her parents, especially since they move around a lot and she didn't always have the best of luck finding friends at her schools.
As far as Lane goes, well . . . he and his mother aren't exactly the best of friends. They've been known to have screaming matches. They butt heads constantly. But Paul is hands off to the point of hardly knowing his children, so he and Lane barely talk, which makes it almost impossible to find anything to fight about.
6. If they had to describe their parental figure(s) in one word, what would it be?
Besides kind and loving, Celeste would describe Quentin as "fun" and Timothy as "witty."
Lane would pick "obstinate" for his mother and "apathetic" for his father.
7. How has their parental figure(s) helped them most in their life?
Celeste's parents have always been her best friends, but especially when she had to go through so many bullying problems at her various schools. When none of the students were nice to her, they were, and home's always been a safe place to sit back and relax.
As much as his parents drive him crazy, Paul and Christine have helped Lane to be driven and get good grades and take on some responsibility. He had the potential to be someone who could've decided he didn't care about how he did in school or what college he went to, but they focused him.
8. What was their biggest fight with their parental figure(s)?
The Smithersons hardly ever fight. Once in a blue moon, and it doesn't last for more than a couple days, at which point they're all tired of the tension and silence and apologize to each other. But Celeste did get into a heated argument with Timothy about dying her hair. The problem wasn't even that she'd dyed her hair, it's that she did it without asking and ended up making a huge mess in the bathroom. She stained several towels and one of his expensive shirts for work. But it all worked out soon afterwards.
The biggest fight Lane had with his mother actually happens in the novel, but I can't say when or why because spoilers . . .
9. What’s their favourite memory with their parental figure(s)?
Baking with her dads when she was little. They made a batch of chocolate chips cookies but it turned into a huge flour fight. It looked like it had snowed in the kitchen by the time they were done. She still has the picture in a frame in her bedroom.
His dad took him on a fishing trip once when he was about twelve, and it had to be the only time in his life he's spoken to him for longer than ten minutes. They talked nonstop for hours, and even though nothing had really changed the next day, he remembers every bit of it. As far as his mother goes, Lane actually had a pleasant time learning how to fold napkins into cranes at about the same age. They may not have talked much--they don't exactly have a lot in common--but they were both in a good mood and even laughed a few times.
Your turn! Tell me all about your character's parental figure(s). Do they get along? Are they related by blood? Leave a comment!
Monday, June 8, 2015
Thank God These Are Hypothetical
Shelumiel tagged me in the "Extraordinary Means" blog meme, and it just looked like too much fun to pass up. Thanks!
1. I would give up the internet for a month for a signed first edition of this book.
No internet for a month is a big deal, so obviously the book I get in return would have to be a huge deal. And what better signed first edition to get than a Harry Potter book? ;) My first choice would be The Deathly Hallows, since that's my favorite, but really I would give up the internet for a month or multiple months for any of them.
2. I would give up pizza for a year if it meant I could sit next to this author on a long plane ride.
Hmm, probably John Green. He definitely has enough energy and stuff to talk about to make the time pass quickly, and it'd be great to pick his brain for marketing tips. Plus, it's John freaking Green. How cool would that be?
3. I would sit through a thousand hours of commercials if it would ensure Hollywood made this book into a movie.
One book?! Nope, no way, I couldn't choose between the three. They'd all make fantastic movies. Plenty of action, awesome characters, magic and adventure, and basically everything you need for a YA book adaptation. I would go to the midnight premiere of any of these.
4. I would never read a new book again if it meant I could live inside this book.
No new books ever again?! How could I even go about my day with an empty TBR pile and hundreds of books just taunting me? If I had to make that sacrifice, I would live inside the Harry Potter books. Hogwarts would be a pretty good trade-off.
5. I would let my Google search history be made public if it meant I could be best friends with this author.
Hehehe, well my Google search history is pretty weird and fishy . . . everything from what kind of gunshots are fatal to how to hack into somebody's passwords to picking locks to pictures of sloths wearing pajamas (I'm serious). But authors have strange search histories. I'd definitely want to be best friends with Rainbow Rowell. She's funny and a great writer and just seems like a really cool person. We'd have tons of fun marathon watching "Sherlock" and eating delicious food.
6. I would donate everything I own to Goodwill if it meant I could date this book character in real life.
Maybe Augustus Waters? A sense of humor, intelligence, and a love for reading are all big pluses for me. I think we'd get along great and find tons to talk about.
Tag, you're it! What would you be willing to give up for these things? Let me know in the comments, or write a post of your own! :) Have fun!
Monday, June 1, 2015
May Wrap-Up
Happy June! :) I'm so excited for summer. I've been itching to read outside since December, really. I'm hoping to use a lot of my time working through my overflowing TBR shelves. Maybe I can read enough so I don't have to stack the books on top of each other anymore. (Ha ha ha . . .)
Books I Read
Doctor Who Special (Free Comic Book Day) by Robbie Morrison
(Let me just say, trying to find specific comic books on Goodreads is hard. I spent at least an hour trying to track them all down.)
I recently picked up a lot of DW comics at our local comic book store, and they're so much fun! I can whip one out in ten minutes before bed. The stories are cute, fluffy, and easy to read. I'd love to have a stack nearby whenever I'm sick and lying on the couch.
Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor #9 by Robbie Morrison
Ten! Weeping angels! It's a great adventure and the ending is in typical bittersweet Doctor Who style. Just make sure you read the inside cover so you know what's going on if you haven't read the first books like me.
Doctor Who: The Eleventh Doctor #6 by Robbie Morrison
Good, but not one of my favorites. I didn't know any of the companions and the entire plot was really confusing. Lots of timey-wimey stuff that had me going back and rereading to make sure I hadn't skipped pages accidentally. It wasn't until halfway through when I figured out what was going on and could focus. But once I knew what was happening, it was a fun read.
Pip Bartlett's Guide to Magical Creatures by Maggie Stiefvater and Jackson Pearce
I'd describe this as Fablehaven for a younger audience. Overall it was pretty good. It didn't take long to get into, but I felt like the whole story was the same pace. It was very creative and cute, though. The characters were good, too. Pip is a spunky, smart, and brave 9-year-old and her friend Tomas is shy, sweet, and loyal. It's a short and easy read, great for younger kids and as a read-aloud story.
It's J.K. Rowling, so clearly it was fantastic. It's a fast read and a great speech. The illustrations were an awesome addition, they were artsy and went with the overall tone of the book really well. It was super inspiring, highly recommended.
Movies I Watched
"Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
Captain America is officially my favorite male Avenger! I liked this movie just as much, if not more than, "The First Avenger." Plus, Black Widow was in it, so it was doubly awesome. (Also? I really like The Falcon.)
"How to Train Your Dragon 2"
I still like the first one better, but I love these movies to pieces. Toothless is adorable--actually, all of the dragons are--and the story is just super cute. This one was definitely sadder than the first, but still great.
"Better Off Dead"
This was delightfully goofy. I loved the characters. Some were funny, others sweet, some totally bizarre. It was weird to see Curtis Armstrong as anyone but Metatron, but it worked.
"The Avengers: Age of Ultron"
This was so good! And I finally knew who all the characters were when I went. It was so much fun to go to the theaters to watch it with a group of friends who are in the Marvel fandom. It was a great balance of action and comedy and parts that'll make you cry. I loved getting to see more of Hawkeye, who is an extremely underrated member of the Avengers.
Obsessions I Acquired
"New Girl" I. Love. This. Show. Jess is adorably quirky, all of the characters are hysterical and sweet in their own ways, and every episode has me in stitches. It's extremely frustrating for enthusiastic shippers like me, because certain characters can just drive you crazy when they don't cooperate. But it's hilarious and I highly recommend it.
Picture of the Month
I saw this on Pinterest and put it on my novel inspiration board. I love the simplicity of it, and there are so many options for stories there.
Bryan Hutchinson from "Positive Writer" is hosting a writing contest! All you have to do is write an honest review of The Audacity to Be a Writer. Click HERE for more information.
How was your May?
Friday, May 8, 2015
7 Books to Read If You Like "Doctor Who"
I've been thinking about how many fangirls/boys love Netflix almost as much as they love libraries. Reading is awesome. TV shows are awesome. There are so many ways to figure out which book to read next if you like a certain one. You can talk to your librarians, consult Goodreads, find other books that author has written, etc. But there aren't a whole lot of resources to figure out which book to read if you like a certain TV show. I want to fix that, so I'm starting with my favorite TV show, "Doctor Who." The cool thing is it works both ways; If you like "Doctor Who," now you have a whole bunch of new books to read that are similar to it. If you don't watch "Doctor Who," but like the books listed, now you have a new show to watch. ;) Enjoy!
1. Doctor Who: Who-ology by Mark Wright and Cavan Scott, Doctor Who: Official Guide on How to Be a Time Lord by the BBC, Doctor Who: The Krillitane Storm by Christopher Cooper
Reason: "Doctor Who"
I grouped these three together because they're all pretty obvious choices. Who-ology is basically the Whovian bible. It includes information on everything, from Classic Who to the regenerated series up to Matt Smith's era. Timelines, trivia, quotes, and more, it's an addictive read.
How to Be a Time Lord is fluff, fluff, fluff. It's full of pictures and quizzes and has a page for each companion, Doctor, and monster. It's a one night kind of book, great for bridging the gap between depressing novels, or if you just want to feel productive.
I only chose The Krillitane Storm because it's something I've read, but there are tons of DW fan-fiction books I wasn't even aware of. From Tennant to Baker to Smith and everyone in between, you can find all kinds of stories.
2. All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill
Reason: Wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey
TIME TRAVEL. I won this book in a giveaway and went into it completely blind. It was an excellent surprise! It's fast-paced, unique, and so good. I couldn't put it down until I'd turned the last page. It's told through dual perspectives and has some fantastic (see what I did there?) plot twists that I hadn't seen coming. Highly recommended!
3. Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Reason: Cyborg, sci-fi, the future, oh my!
The storybuilding in this series is a-maz-ing. You get sucked in immediately, and it refuses to let you go until you've read it all. And the characters? Fantastic. Hovercrafts and spaceships and new technology and other planets and droids and other sci-fi awesomeness. Cinderella is a cyborg. Rapunzel was trapped on a satellite. All these different twists on fairytales make the story familiar, but new and exciting. Just like Doctor Who. Everyone knows about Shakespeare, but what happens when you add a few real witches into the mix?
4. These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Reason: Romantic, outer space adventures
This was the first hardcore sci-fi book I read and loved, and this was before "Doctor Who" opened up my interests more. The whole story is set on a remote planet after Lilac and Tarver are the only survivors of a spaceship crash. (I do wonder why anyone thought naming a spaceship "Icarus" was a good idea, though.) Lilac reminds me of a young Donna Noble, and I love the witty banter between her and Tarver. It's a great, simple story with well-written characters.
5. Going Bovine by Libba Bray
Reason: Bizarre road trip w/ interesting creatures
Holy crap is this book weird. And I'm not talking weird like normal amounts of weirdness. I'm talking about garden gnomes that walk and talk and think they're Norse gods. And punk rock angels. And magic trumpets. This is a Doctor Who kind of bizarre that fans of the Russel T. Davies era will enjoy in particular.
6. Glory O'Brien's History of the Future by A.S. King
Reason: The future . . .
Glory O'Brien drinks a bat and suddenly she can see the future. Strange? Absolutely. But the strange parts of stories--and "Doctor Who" especially--tend to be the best parts. The future in "Doctor Who" tends to be very grim, and so is the future Glory sees. Getting to see what's ahead is often more of a burden than anything. It's a great story.
7. Calvin & Hobbes by Bill Watterson
Reason: Best friends have wacky adventures
Who doesn't love the imagination in these stories? Everything from the transmogrifier to Calvin's time machine to the adventures of Spaceman Spiff keeps you laughing and turning page after page. The friendship that Calvin and Hobbes have is reminiscent of the Doctor and his loyal companion, always poking around and getting into trouble. They make friends and enemies, but at the end of the day it's the two of them against the world.
Do you watch "Doctor Who?" What books would you suggest for a Whovian looking for something to read? Leave a comment!
Saturday, May 2, 2015
April Wrap-Up
So I was a little late this month with the wrap-up post . . . whoops.
Books I Read
En Ember In the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
It had great characters, a fast-paced plot, and it sounds like it'll even be a movie. This was a great debut book, probably one of my favorite reads from this year so far. If you like fantasy, dual perspectives, and undercover spy work, this book is for you! Read my review here!
Ms. Marvel, Vol 1: No Normal
I hadn't ever really read superhero graphic novels before, so this was a great first comic! It read really fast and had a great protagonist. Kamala is a Muslim girl with a normal life and big dreams. Then she gains superpowers and totally kicks butt with them.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Holy. Freaking. Insanity. The characters are psycho, the story is psycho, everyone and everything is insane. This is one of the few books where I couldn't stand a single person in it, but liked the story. Those books are very rare, but Gone Girl pulled it off. I finished the last 150 pages in a single day because I couldn't put it down. Definitely worth the read.
Movies I Watched
"Sixteen Candles"
Fun eighties movie, simple story. It's not one of my favorites, but it's worth the watch. And now I get all the references people make!
"Sherlock Jr."
I really like silent movies! Buster Keaton's are my favorites, and this one was super fun and quirky. It's really short, too.
"Guardians of the Galaxy"
Another great superhero movie! I watched this one with my friends and we all really liked it. It's bizarre and funny and has great characters. It's like the Avengers meets Star Wars. I'll definitely watch the next one.
Quotes I Wrote
I won my local library's poetry contest! My winning poem is called Life Today.
The wonders of life are often
Missed by those who are too busy
To see.
Stuck in our silly lives,
Working hard to be able to eat
And go back to work,
We forget to live.
iPods and iPhones,
Beeping and tweeting and ringing.
A cacophony of reminders to check your device
And see who has updated their Facebook page most recently.
Constant interruptions turn twenty-minute TV shows into
Or sixty.
Movies take three nights to watch
Instead of one.
Kids bounce up and down in the car on road trips,
Asking how much longer it will be until they can get close to some wifi,
For their dragons on Dragonvale should be done breeding any second now.
The power goes out and we finally realize
How sad we are without
And noise.
Quiet. All is quiet.
Then a cell phone rings.
Harper frowned at the murky liquid. "It tastes like a barrel of lies."
--Plot Bunnies
“You have to do something about him,” Harper said, sliding her tray away from me so I couldn’t take anything else from her. “Or one of these days you’re going to crack, and then where would I be?”
“I can’t, Harper, you know I’ve already tried to—”
“Not in-story,” she interrupted me. “Nobody’s been able to do that. I mean in real life.” She glanced around the dining hall—jam-packed and noisy with characters currently free from their stories—to make sure no one was listening. Then she leaned in closer and whispered, “I heard he’s getting you flowers.”
I cursed under my breath, causing Harper to snort, eyes crinkling as she smiled.
“I’ve already told him I’m not interested,” I grumbled. “He thinks that somehow this stupid, forced, and totally unrealistic in-story romance translates into the real world. What else can I do to send him the message?”
“Just check yourself into the psychiatric ward,” Harper suggested, unhelpfully. “He won’t be allowed to see you there.”
“Yeah, but then you can’t see me either.”
“More fries for me,” she joked, smothering one in ketchup.
--Plot Bunnies
I caught a whiff of the familiar combination of ideas: coffee, old books, pencil shavings, and a hint of a fading campfire. Tendrils of smoke and fog still remained, drifting vaguely toward the ceiling.
--Plot Bunnies
“She’s not much of a talker, is she?” She said, quiet enough so Liz wouldn’t hear, but loud enough to make it clear that she didn’t care if she did.
“She’s nervous,” I said, feeling this natural instinct to protect her. She couldn’t have been older than nine, maybe ten. Younger than Harper by quite a few years, at least. “We’re all nervous when we first materialize.”
“Not me.” Harper wheeled herself in front of the bookshelf and ran her hands along the spines of my books. She pulled one at random and flipped through it, admiring the illustrations. “You know what I did?”
“Rolled right down the hall and figured it out,” I said in a bored tone. I’d heard this story a thousand times.
“Didn’t know anyone,” Harper continued, addressing the pages of my book rather than me. I busied myself with cleaning up the books and CDs lying around the room, making more space on the bed by scooping up my open notebook and pile of pencils. My MP3 player was almost crushed by Harper’s wheelchair before I rushed to move it from harm’s way, almost yanking the earbuds out of the headphone jack. “But I dealt with it. I listened, I observed, I explored, and I pieced together all the clues on my own.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know, you were a genius,” I said distractedly.
“Still am!” Harper said defensively. “Thanks to all that espionage crap, I know how to hack into anybody’s computer from my own laptop. I can also dig up deleted files and history, tap into your phone calls, and make it look like you’re getting text messages from someone you’re not.”
“That’s just scary.”
“That’s just the beginning.”
--Plot Bunnies
“How do I know if I’m the main character, though? I don’t even know who I am. I don’t know how old I am, what my last name is, if I have a family, nothing.”
“It doesn’t take long for it to become clear,” Harper piped up. “Just pay attention to who the story seems to revolve around. If you end up getting dragged along on some epic quest of your best friend’s, chances are you’re the secondary character. If you’re the one the prophecy spoke of or you’re leading a rebellion or whatever, you’re the protagonist.”
--Plot Bunnies
I read the names on the doors. The first one had ‘Character 2’ engraved on the gold plaque hanging at eye level. The Writer must not have figured out a name for him (or her) yet. The one next to it said ‘Harry Potter,’ which made me wonder what fan-fiction piece she was working on now. We’d already had a few Dean Winchesters wandering the halls, but she hadn’t spent much time on those.
Then I spotted Liz’s. The plaque read ‘Liz ???’ So she was an important character. The three question marks was The Writer’s signature placeholder for a last name, and she only gave last names to the characters who mattered. If only your first name was known, chances of you being caught in the crossfire were much higher.
--Plot Bunnies
“Hey, Indigo!” I looked up at Tony, sitting diagonally across from me. He was always the guy in big groups who looked most likely to answer, “RED BULL!” when asked what he had for breakfast. He beamed and gestured to man in his twenties next to him. “I think we've got a contender.”
I raised my eyebrows at Tony and the man. “Really? Worse than Albert?”
“We'll leave that up to the judges to decide,” Tony said.
“All right, everyone, I think we're all here,” Mallory spoke in a shout to make herself heard. “If you could all quiet down, we can get started.”
“Mallory?” Tony raised his hand, grinning innocently at her. His black hair stuck up at odd angles, greased with gel. “Can I say something first?”
I saw Mallory give a small sigh, her shoulders rising and falling with movement that would hardly be noticed by anyone but those who didn't know her well. She knew what was coming, they all knew. “What is it, Tony?”
Tony cleared his throat and stood, beaming at the crowd around him. He clasped his hands in front of him, standing directly underneath the lights in the ceiling, making it look as if he were in a spotlight. His skin was the warm color of redwood tree bark. “I have an announcement to make. We have a new contestant, everyone.”
Mallory gave a groan and dropped her face into her hands. The rest of the group fell into whispers and murmurs, people leaning in to talk to their neighbors. “Did you hear that?” They muttered. “A new contestant. Wow.”
“Tony, this isn't good for the group, you know that,” Mallory said, her words stale. I had a sudden sense of de ja vu as I predicted what she would say next. She'd said it a thousand times. “Comparing your problems to someone else's isn't healthy. Group therapy isn't a competition; it's a source of healing. You can't—”
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Tony interrupted her, turning so he was facing most of the group instead of her. “May I present to you . . . Michael!”
The young man—maybe a year or two older than me—who was sitting next to Tony, waved a little, smiling hesitantly at the gaping group. They stared at him like he was some kind of zoo animal, watching to see what trick he'd do next.
“You think you're better than Albert, then, huh?” A suspicious middle-aged woman said a few chairs down from me. Her name was Trish, and she was one of the regular judges for our unofficial little game. While the whole group decided collectively who had it worse, she was our representative, our main voice.
“I don't know,” Michael admitted. “I don't know what his story is yet. But I think I've got a chance.”
“What have you got that's so awful?” Harper piped up.
“Terminal cancer,” Michael said, nonchalantly. There was a collective, “Ahhh” of realization from the group. They nodded their heads and looked at each other with, “poor thing” looks on their faces, lowers lips stuck out in a pout. “And my family doesn't have health insurance. Oh, and my girlfriend who's pregnant with my baby just went missing.”
Trish sat back in her chair and rubbed her chin thoughtfully, staring at him through narrowed eyes. “Not bad, not bad,” she murmured. “But it doesn't even come close to Albert.”
There was a rumble of agreements from the group, mutterings of, “No, definitely not”s and “Not even close”s and “Nope, Albert's got it worse”s.
“All right, what's Albert's story?” Michael asked, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked over at the old man sitting directly across from Mallory. He was also in a wheelchair, chest rising and falling with soft snores. He wore dark sunglasses, had tons of wrinkles, saggy skin, and a silver beard with random tufts of hair decorating his otherwise bald head. It was always hard to tell with him whether or not he'd been dragged into his story or if he was truly asleep. He was constantly drifting off.
“Where to begin?” Trish sighed, looking at Albert sadly. “He watched his family be brutally murdered in front of him by the Nazis, wend blind, half-deaf, and lost both of his legs during an air raid, and has been confined to a wheelchair since he was twelve. He married a beautiful woman years later, but she miscarried three times, birthed a stillborn, and was later the victim of a serial killer in their quiet Texas town. He lost his job and is now homeless. Oh, and he doesn't have any of his teeth anymore.”
Albert jerked awake, whether from reemerging from his story or waking from a dream, we didn't know. He moved his head around as if he were looking at everyone, even though he couldn't see us. “What's that?” He yelled.
“You're still number one,” Trisha shouted. “Michael didn't beat you.”
He mumbled something under his breath and shifted around in his chair, pulling his shoulders up until they were almost touching his ears. He was asleep again within seconds.
--Plot Bunnies
Obsessions I Acquired
Louden Swain. I found them because Rob Benedict (who plays Chuck in "Supernatural") is the lead singer, and I wanted to check them out. They're so cool! They have a unique sound with very catchy songs. I especially love "Eskimo," "Gamma Ray," and "Worlds Collide."
"Once Upon a Dream" -- Lana Del Rey This came on my Pandora station the other day and I haven't stopped listening to it since! It's simple and haunting and makes for great writing music.
Picture of the Month
I've seen this picture so many times, but every time I see it it cracks me up.
Kate Gold asked me to pass on this information: she's starting a blog chain and is hosting a video chat to discuss it with anyone who's interested. The details are HERE.
How was your April?
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Dear OTP (TCWT Blog Chain)
I am so freakishly excited for this TCWT prompt (thank you for your genius, John). The hardest part was picking just a few couples to write about (decisions!). Let me start off by saying that I hate ship bashing. The rudeness I've witnessed (especially from aggressive Johnlock/Sherlolly shippers . . . calm down, guys) is just plain mean. Each fangirl/boy is allowed his/her own opinion without judgement or cattiness. This has been and always will be a hate-free blog, so don't be afraid to leave a comment!
(Why yes, yes I have made a list of my OTPs--all 50 or so of them--and yes, yes I did consult it as I wrote this post.)
Prompt: “Write a letter to a fictional couple.”
Dear Tenrose,
Why must you hurt me in this way? I spent an entire season squeeing over your adorableness and you had to go and break my heart. Thanks for the week I spent wallowing in my grief with tissues and chocolate, grumbling over the first few episodes of S3.
But in all seriousness, you two are the ultimate OTP. You're funny, you're sweet, you're cute, you kick butt, and you save the universe time and time again. What more could a ship ask for?
A Dedicated Whovian Surrounded By Empty Boxes of Tissues
Dear Luneville,
You two sh
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Saturday, May 30, 2015
Book Reviews: The Turner House
The Turner House
by Angela Flournoy
Every now and then you run across a first time novelist that writes something so true to life that you are surprised that this is their first novel. Angela Flournoy is such a writer. The Turner House flows very easily and doesn't take a long time to read. It has a huge cast but some people are more closely or lovingly detailed than others. But even the people who just pop in and out without saying or doing much are still well crafted. There are people like that in life of course. An aunt's nephew whom you only see at weddings and funerals turns out to be a rising film producer. A peripatetic cousin who married someone overseas comes back with three kids and no place to stay. Say you're not doing anything with your finished basement are you? Or maybe a younger sibling moves halfway across the country. Although they're always polite they make it crystal clear that they would just as not be caught up in any family business and refuse to discuss their own. Don't call them and they certainly won't call you. The other interesting thing about family is that as much as our gender and sexuality and whatever specific combination of genes we got from Mom and Dad influence us, so does our birth order, early responsibilities and old jealousies and resentments. People can reach adulthood and remain, by choice or not, trapped in these roles. The older siblings may feel greater levels of responsibility for everyone, whether or not they're truly capable of bearing those burdens. The younger siblings may have come along at a time when the parents had mellowed out in terms of discipline and so have had an easier time of it. Or the younger siblings may be seething with resentment at having been constantly compared to their older brothers or sisters. The younger ones may reject being told what to do. They could become embittered at people automatically assuming that they need help or oversight. People enter these roles and often embrace them as part of their identity, even if they are harmful. The family rebel, often younger, may spend decades needlessly struggling against restrictions or expectations simply because that's what she does. The older brother might worry himself into life threatening problems with hypertension or cardiac disease because he's always trying to ensure that everyone else has their stuff together. Or maybe the older siblings are not actually more reliable people but rather instead are serious control freaks who really get off on exercising authority. It all depends on your perspective. Of course families also provide a sense of love and protection. A healthy family is the first place that we learn to love and get along with people, even when they may work our last nerve from time to time. That sense of affection and contentment is critical. Who else but an older sister might safely call her precociously developed younger sister "Jug-a-lug" and affectionately tease her about not being able to run high school track for fear of putting her eyes out? Years later when the nickname is shortened to "J", curious nieces and nephews might innocently ask why everyone calls their aunt "Aunt J" when her given name doesn't even have a "J" in it.
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
I Completed My First Half-Marathon!!!
The AIRBNB Brooklyn Half-Marathon
The excitement, nervousness, and post-race pain have subsided so I can now share the journey with you all. Yes! On Saturday, May 16th I completed the Brooklyn-Half Marathon. I ran the first 10 miles of the race nonstop until my wireless headphones, iPhone and body failed me and died :) Before I share all the tidbits on the race, let me take you back to the beginning of the journey.
Monday, May 25, 2015
HBO Game of Thrones Recap: The Gift
"All rulers are either butchers or meat."
We'll we're back after last week's controversy. There were some people on these here interwebs who pontificated that strictly speaking what happened between Ramsay Bolton and Sansa Stark Bolton was not technically rape as it is expected for a wife to have sex with her husband on the wedding night. That may well be but it is hardly expected for a husband to lock his wife in her room and visit her only to slake his lusts and terrorize her. Sansa was raped last week and has been raped daily since then as we see her bloody and bruised, cowering in a low cut nightgown when Theon Reek goes to bring her food and drink. Sansa refuses to call Theon "Reek" but reminds him of his Greyjoy heritage. She asks Theon for help, saying to Theon that things can't get any worse. Theon responds, as only someone who's been castrated can know, things can always get worse. However Sansa is able to break through to Theon and get him to go light the candle in the highest room of the broken tower. Isn't that the spot where Jaime threw Bran out the window? In an impressive bit of camera work we see Theon grimly climb the steps with the candle, looking out for Bolton soldiers all the time. He finally makes it to the highest point. But when he opens the door who should be there to greet him but Ramsay, who is snidely curious as to what Reek is doing there. It turns out that Reek wasn't climbing up the steps of the broken tower at all, but rather Ramsay's tower. The fear is strong in that one. Although the misdirect was very nicely done we probably shouldn't have been too surprised. Theon is a broken man who has been degraded beyond all belief. He bit his own sister rather than be rescued. It will take something more than Sansa's first pleas to get him to reject Ramsay's conditioning.
Sansa is summoned to see Ramsay, who is chillingly calm and polite. He tells Sansa that the coming battle will not go well for Stannis as his men are not northerners and are unused to the harsh long winters. When Ramsay says that one day he will be Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North, Sansa reminds him of Walda Frey's pregnancy and of his younger brother's trueborn status as opposed to Ramsay's bastard one. What if Roose disinherits Ramsay for his legitimate son? Ramsay counters that he was legitimized by King Tommen but Sansa calls him a bastard as well. Ramsay lets Sansa know that her bastard brother Jon Snow is Lord Commander of the Night's Watch so apparently illegitimate status isn't the handicap it used to be. It's a new day in the North. But enough of all this family values talk. This isn't a political convention. Ramsay invited Sansa to the Winterfell courtyard to see the tortured, crucified and flayed body of the woman who gave her the candle. His serenity thus restored, Ramsay has Sansa taken back to her room. In many ways a calm Ramsay is an even more frightening Ramsay. I guess Reek was right. Things really can get worse.
Saturday, May 23, 2015
The Rape of Sansa Stark and Feminist Outrage
If you believe that HBO Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and Daniel Weiss or A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R.Martin are despicable misogynists who enjoy creating rape scenes then I don't know how to change your mind. I don't find enough evidence to justify the misogynist claim in their televised or written creations. I don't think that Weiss, Benioff or Martin hate women. That's a pretty strong accusation to make. Last week's Game of Thrones scene depicting the rape of Sansa Stark, eldest daughter of Ned Stark and Catelyn Tully and in-universe last publicly known Stark heir to Winterfell, was hard to watch. But rapes should be hard to watch should they not? I don't think that there's a universe of people out there who are eagerly tuning in to HBO each Sunday at 9 PM EST to enjoy watching a woman get raped. And if there are people like that I don't know them. I think some of the outrage over the Sansa rape is understandable (I hated the scene) but is definitely misplaced. I will explain this below but it will inevitably involve some mild spoilers/discussion from the books. So if you can't tolerate one scintilla of book knowledge then you know what to do. And if you have read the books, please don't take this as permission to blab all over the place about what's yet to occur in the story (not least because it may not occur on screen) or discuss or link to other book theories or future events. Although the amount of published source material yet to be adapted for the show is shrinking ever more rapidly there are still other moderators or commenters on this blog who would strongly prefer to see events play out on screen as they have not read the books and are unlikely to do so before the series completes.
Book Reviews: Die And Stay Dead
Die And Stay Dead
by Nicholas Kaufmann
This is installment two in what I believe to be a planned trilogy. The problem with a lot of middle books, whether they are in a trilogy or an even longer series is that they neither reflect the promise of the first book that introduced you to the author nor do they tie anything up, being too busy moving characters and events into place for the finale. Die and Stay Dead doesn't have that problem. Not in the least bit. It's about as hyperactive as the first book, Dying is my Business, reviewed here. But Die and Stay Dead also gives you some very important clues about both the past and future. It perhaps even reveals the secret of the hero's identity. Just to briefly recap, a man named Trent who doesn't know who he is or where he's from does odd jobs for a mob boss named Underwood. Trent seemingly can't die. If he ever does, then not soon after his corpse will steal the life force of whoever is unlucky enough to be closest to him and voila, Trent is resurrected. By the end of the first book, Trent discovered that there's someone behind Underwood who's been playing them both. Underwood is just (literally) a puppet. In book 2, Trent has broken free of Underwood's control as well as the person who was behind Underwood. He's a member of the Five Pointed Star, an X-Man like ragtag group of misfits and magicians who are struggling to limit the influence of magic and evil in the world. They're the good guys. Sadly, lately they're fighting a losing battle. There are more and more people infected with magic who are going off the deep end and causing harm to themselves and other people. Along with Trent, this group includes Bethany, a sorceress who might be only half-human and who also might have a thing for Trent, though they both deny it, the group leader Isaac, a powerful mage who is able to wield magic without becoming infected, something most people can't do, Phillip, a nigh indestructible vampire outcast who owes a debt of honor to Isaac, and Gabrielle, the lover and fiancee of the now deceased group member Thornton, a werewolf.
The Five Pointed Star is doing its normal thing, chasing down and eliminating creatures infected with magic, when they stumble across what looks like a connection between one of their cases and a doomsday cult. As such cults are wont to do, this group tried and failed to bring about the end of the world by the classic method of summoning something they couldn't control. Snicker. You might ask yourself if megalomaniacal magicians shouldn't think twice before opening dimensional gates they might not be able to close. I mean how often does that really work out. But then again I suppose being megalomaniacal tends to warp your judgment a bit. You don't hear the words "No that's a bad idea." very often. And even if you did you'd ignore them because after all you're megalomaniacal. It's what you do.
Monday, May 18, 2015
HBO Game of Thrones Recap: Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken
"House Lannister has no rivals."
With this installment HBO's Game of Thrones has officially moved from an adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire to something that is inspired by A Song of Ice and Fire. This was a tough episode to watch for a number of different reasons. More on that in a minute. At the House of Black and White Arya continues to clean and wash corpses, but isn't allowed in the secret rooms. When Arya wants to know who the creepy girl is and why Arya isn't allowed to do anything more than the basic tasks the girl gives Arya a very convincing story of her exile from Westeros before asking if Arya really believed that story. Evidently lying is part of the training or "game". Arya may not yet have the ability to tell truth from lies but her sensei Jaqen H'ghar does. He asks Arya questions and whips her every time she tells a lie. Curiously one of Arya's lies is apparently that she hates The Hound. Imagine that. We also hear that Arya left the Hound to die. While Arya is cleaning floors a man comes into the House of Black and White with a sickly dying daughter. He can't afford to pay for any more treatment or take care of her any longer. He wants a mercy killing. Acting like she saw Jaqen do, Arya comforts the child and tells her all sorts of lies before giving her a poison drink. Jaqen watches from the shadows. Afterwards, when she is cleaning the child's body a door is left open, and Jaqen leads Arya into the sub basement. There are many pillars there all with human faces hanging from them. Jaquen says that although Arya is not yet ready to be no one she might be ready to be someone else. So Arya is making progress on something. For what purpose we're not sure yet. I don't think that mercy killing and murder are what Ned and Catelyn would have wanted for their little girl but they're not around any more are they. That's life in Westeros and truth be told our world as well. Things don't always work out. Get used to it.
Saturday, May 16, 2015
Book Reviews: Damn Few: Making the Modern SEAL warrior
Damn Few: Making the Modern Seal Warrior
by Rorke Denver w/ Ellis Henican
Friday, May 15, 2015
Legendary Blues Singer B.B. King Dead at Age 89
Legendary Blues Singer B.B. King Dead at Age 89
His attorney, Brent Bryson, told The Associated Press that King died peacefully in his sleep at 9:40 p.m. PDT. He said funeral arrangements were underway. Clark County Coroner John Fudenberg confirmed the death.
Rest In Peace.
Here is my favorite memory of B.B. King:
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Michigan State Senator Virgil Smith and Domestic Violence
The Bible tells us that only the person without sin should throw stones. It also informs us that we should judge not lest we be judged. That might be good moral advice but of course a working society requires that we do judge certain sins and crimes and punish those who engage in them. That's just the way it is. Although I think everyone has dealt with lust, jealousy and anger at some point in their life not everyone lets these sins get the better of them. You have to maintain control over your actions. The result of losing your temper could be disastrous for you and those around you. Michigan State Senator Virgil Smith (D-Detroit) is finding this out the hard way as new details and conflicting stories are emerging about a confrontation between Smith and his ex-wife that turned physical. Two sides emerged Monday in the story of a lurid domestic shooting involving a state senator with longtime family connections to the the halls of power in Detroit and Lansing. State Sen. Virgil Smith told police that opening fire at his ex-wife’s Mercedes-Benz with a rifle early Sunday morning was “the most stupid thing” in his life. In a statement Smith gave to investigators, he said his ex-wife, whose name is being withheld by The Detroit News, “was banging on (the) bedroom window,” at about 1 a.m., a Detroit Police report said. Smith said he opened the front door, and his ex-wife, “kicked the door open and pushed (past) him.
Monday, May 11, 2015
HBO Game of Thrones Recap: Kill the Boy
"Kill the boy and let the man be born."
The Unsullied are said to be the finest warriors in the world. They ask for no quarter and give none. And yet so far they've yet to impress with their battles against the lightly armed and generally unarmored Sons of the Harpy. One reason for this is that the Unsullied are not designed or trained for police or occupation duties. As mentioned before, seven to nine foot spears can be devastating when properly massed on a battlefield. But in a street fight the weapons and tactics of The Unsullied might be more hindrance than help. The Sons of the Harpy have forced The Unsullied to fight when and where their supposed advantages are neutralized. GRRM and to a lesser extent the show creators are apparently making commentary on the types of wars the US and other Western colonial nations have fought since World War Two. Often the stronger military is unable to completely or thoroughly defeat the indigenous resistance and must come to terms of some kind. Sometimes they even get ignominiously kicked out. The White Man's Burden gets heavier and heavier over time. Obviously Daenerys Targaryen doesn't see herself as a colonialist. She thinks of herself as a liberator. Her primary opposition is more akin to the southern terrorists in post-Civil War America than it is to the Kenyan struggle against British colonialists. All the same she is down two of her military leaders thanks to the rebellious Sons of the Harpy. Ser Barristan is dead while Grey Worm is unconscious for three days. Angered, Daenerys flirts with the idea of just feeding all of the upper class leaders to her dragons, whether they are guilty or not. She makes an object lesson of one. The dragons burn him alive and squabble over the smoking remains. The others, including Hizdahr, are arrested and imprisoned. Daario thinks that Daenerys needs to retrench in one section of the city and slowly go house to house looking for insurgents Sons of the Harpy.
Saturday, May 9, 2015
Movie Reviews: Avengers: Age of Ultron
Avengers: Age of Ultron
directed by Joss Whedon
Thursday, May 7, 2015
NSA bulk metadata collection found unlawful
The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals just ruled that the NSA bulk collection of phone records or metadata was unlawful. It is not authorized by Section 215 of the Patriot Act. You can read the entire 77 page decision for yourself here if you are really into such things. I'm no legal expert but I am quite happy to see that at least somewhere in some part of our government there are some people who still take seriously the idea that the government doesn't automatically have the right to know EVERYTHING about you. Many people have cursed Edward Snowden and called him out of his name but this metadata tracking warrantless program was one of the things he revealed. This is why I think Snowden is and remains a hero and a whistleblower. Now that the legality of warrantless metadata collection has been found wanting, I hope that both the legislators who will be tinkering with the relevant sections of the Patriot Act and the citizens whom they purportedly represent will take some time to cogitate on what kind of world we want to build. Laws that are written in haste and panic as the Patriot Act was can often have some unforeseen and unpleasant consequences. But if we truly believe that a citizen has, absent individualized suspicion of wrong doing, a right to be left alone then we should applaud this ruling. This decision could start to ever so slightly hinder the government's "eye in the sky" as it were from rifling through our every communication and digital thought.
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Handicapping Major Party Declared Presidential Candidates
Hillary Clinton
Why she can win:
Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated. All your votes are belong to us. Clinton has the money, the name, the media attention, and the air of invincibility. For those voters who really, really, really want to see a woman in the Oval Office, she could also be the culmination of years of dreams. And right now there's no one else in the Democratic Party who has the name or the organization to compete. The Clinton machine is sucking up a lot of the available donor money and the professionals who are needed to run a multi billion dollar campaign. Clinton is in it to win it. She obviously wants to be President very badly. There's no shame in that. There is in some quarters a nostalgia for middle class accomplishments during her husband's Presidency. Clinton is ready to take any and all rivals to poundtown. She's back. And this's personal.
Dave Goldberg CEO of Survey Monkey and Husband of Sheryl Sandberg Dead at the Age of 47
Dave Goldberg CEO of SurveyMonkey and the husband of Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, died on Friday while vacationing with his family in Mexico. Goldberg, 47, collapsed while exercising and died shortly after from blunt head trauma.
Monday, May 4, 2015
HBO Game of Thrones Recap: The Sons of the Harpy
This episode walked right up to the edge of fan fiction. However it also made the strongest hints yet to a fan favorite theory which GRRM has not confirmed but is pretty much accepted as gospel among his fans. I liked this episode a lot more than I thought I would. One of the things which GRRM has done in his books and that the showrunners have done with their version is to show that different people can have wildly different interpretations of the same events, even to the point that different conflicting realities are constructed. It's the fantasy version of Rashomon. How do you know what you think you know? More on that in minute. First let's start with everyone's favorite lonesome loser Jorah Mormont. He steals a boat and sails off with Tyrion. Groaning thru his bonds Tyrion finally convinces Jorah to take the gag out of his mouth. The first thing Tyrion asks for is wine but of course receives none. But a sober Tyrion is an even sharper Tyrion than normal. When Jorah tells Tyrion that they're going to see Daenerys, even though Jorah hasn't identified himself Tyrion quickly figures who Jorah is from his accent and family crests. Tyrion also remembers that Jorah was a spy and deduces almost instantly that Jorah must be on the outs with Daenerys. Unfortunately Tyrion isn't smart enough to keep his thoughts or scorn to himself. Jorah belts him one. I guess unrequited love can make a fellow pretty mean. Mace Tyrell, the pompous in-over-his-head Master of Coin, informs the Small Council that the Iron Bank is calling in 10% of the debt that the Crown owes to it. He says the Crown can only afford 1/2 of that but that the Tyrells could make up the difference. Cersei declines the offer but suggests orders Tyrell to go overseas to work on terms with the Iron Bank. To ensure that he goes she sends Ser Meryn Trant as "protection".
We start to see that just as you should never count your chickens before they hatch it's not very wise to laugh at lionesses when you're on the same side of the cage as they are. The meek Cersei of last week is gone. She goes to see the High Sparrow. Cersei pretends dismay that the war has seen the robbing, raping and murder of septons and sisters. She gives permission to the Church to arm itself again both to protect itself against such crimes and to root out sinners. And by the way Cersei happens to know where a few high placed sinners might be hiding. The High Sparrow says all sinners are equal in God's eyes.
Saturday, May 2, 2015
Movie Reviews: Hyena
directed by Gerard Johnson
The evil that police do has been in the news a lot of late. In some communities it's never far from people's minds. Whether it's killing people, beating them, robbing them or even going into business with other criminals, a few bent cops can do a lot of harm to a society precisely because society is not designed to protect itself from the police. Hyena is not really interested in the larger societal issues around police brutality and corruption but rather stays focused on the internal and individual costs of such activity, primarily to the corrupt cops. In this way the film is almost a homage to such flicks as Bad Lieutenant, Filth or Rampart. Other than a few of the victims there aren't too many sympathetic people here. The default "hero" who has his conscience jogged may be as much motivated by lust or ethnic prejudice as by anything else. This film also serves as a reunion of sorts for the two leads from Kill List, though they are decidedly secondary players here. The accents aren't that bad or more likely I've just gotten used to them. More than the story what I liked about Hyena was the settings, cinematography and lighting. The film uses all of this to ooze griminess and realism. The leads are mostly not square jawed white toothed heroes nor are they people who would automatically invite distrust once you see them on screen. They are very realistic middle aged men who may have had a few too many rich dinners over the years. Many of them are going to seed physically. But of course generally speaking they don't have to rely on physical brawn to intimidate people. They're cops. Most of the people they brutalize or steal from are not going to have the guts to fight back. The cops know this and revel in it. Their badge is literally a license to do whatever they want to do.
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Vibrant color and unusual images are a big part of what sets this movie apart visually.
Watching Black Panther occasionally felt like I was glimpsing a superhero movie from an alternate world. The obvious way to parse that statement is to focus on the virtually all-black cast or that 99% of the dialogue is delivered in heavy African accents. Of course, these things make Black Panther unique among not only superhero movies, but also big budget “tent-poles” as well. There’s really never been a movie like this one and it, for lack of a better word, shows. But for me, the otherworldly quality of Black Panther had to do with the ways it’s familiar as well as different. The juxtaposition of the MCU movie, in terms of story priorities and aesthetics, and Black Panther as something wholly its own thing, is an interesting and impressive one. And it plays out in every frame of the movie.
Another quality that might make you feel like you’re watching a movie from another, better dimension is how there’s no pandering to the assumptions of a white male audience. Not only is Black Panther brazenly, unflinchingly feminist, it’s also not really about race in the way we would expect a movie for white people (but about black people) to be. It’s not out to educate white folks about the issues of race they may be sleeping on or resistant to. Instead, it’s assuming the audience gets it already by virtue of being black or woke or both and if not, can catch the fuck up. It assumes the audience understands terms like “colonizer” (or will quickly infer and understand it) and takes it as a given that images of Africa are often wrong-headed and reductive. In other words, it assumes the intelligence and awareness of the viewer. That’s rare these days.
Through its fantasy-tinged blend of Afro-futurism and homages to a broad spectrum of African cultures, Black Panther is assuming people won’t utterly miss the point by getting hung up on “Wakanda isn’t real” and instead understanding that it fucking is real. It’s an aspiration to an ideal that is nonetheless based on and informed by murkier realities. Wakanda isn’t Camelot, or the mythic City on the Hill. But it also sort of is. While confronting about a dozen other thorny, difficult sociopolitical issues, director and co-writer (with Joe Robert Cole) Ryan Coogler makes some time to also address that even a place that sees itself as the African ideal also has problems. No City on the Hill should forget what’s under that hill, or around it, and it’s that attention to broader ramifications (from a consistently fresh perspective) that makes Black Panther so much more than just a “black superhero movie”. But of course, it is that too. And if a “black superhero movie” has so much more to offer than the average “white superhero movie”, we’ve all got to rethink some shit.
That all said, Black Panther is still a movie. And it’s not a perfect one. Its two most noticeable flaws are relatively minor, though, and it manages to subvert expectations on the movie mechanics places where Marvel typically falls a bit short (formula and villains). The first of the flaws plays into the feeling of wanting more that people might have as the movie ends. The plot is in a huge hurry, leaving a few emotional moments or setups/payoffs with not enough time to fully breathe. That means the smaller, subtler moments do more heavy lifting. That’s not a terrible balance, in the end, meaning the movie kind of has itself covered. The second flaw is that its big battle sequence at the end doesn’t work the way it should, feeling kind of like it was added late in production and never quite polished to the same degree the rest of the movie is. Mileage will vary on that one, though, but I don’t think it will on Black Panther in general. The glowing reviews aren’t some attempt to get on the right side of a cultural moment. It is a legitimately great movie and an exemplary MCU movie.
There’s imagery in here that will need to be absorbed a few times.
After the events of Captain America: Civil War, T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) is formally made king of Wakanda, the secretive African country that’s been mentioned a few times in other MCU movies as a source of vibranium. Before being crowned and officially assuming the mantles of both Black Panther and King of Wakanda, T’Challa takes the general of his all-female elite guard, Okoye (Danai Gurira), on a mission to track down Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o), a friend and sweetheart who works as a kind of spy/field agent outside of Wakanda. In these early moments of the movie, we’re introduced not only to Wakanda as a physical place, but also the various ideologies and influences that shape it. Nakia doesn’t believe in the traditionalist standpoint of protectionism and isolation that have kept Wakanda cut off from the world. From his own adventures, T’Challa seems to be caught between her perspective (Wakanda can and should help the world) and the traditions of his forebears and thus his responsibility to uphold them.
In the opening scene of Black Panther, we learn that Wakanda’s vibranium came from a meteor impact. In the aftermath, five tribes came together (more or less) to live together and use the power bestowed on them by vibranium, which is far more than just the strongest metal on earth. In a way that evokes the land-based ways of knowing that have survived in the customs and teachings of indigenous groups the world over, we see how vibranium and its impact on the environment has touched every aspect of Wakanda’s history and the life of its people. This relationship is echoed throughout the movie, often in tiny missable visuals or moments that beg to be revisited. Isolated by choice and circumstance from the rest of the world, Wakanda becomes a shining beacon of progress both technologically and socially. In other words, an isolationist African City on the Hill. The parallels with America’s protectionist, isolationist ethos prior to the World Wars seem fairly intentional. Wakanda seems to be a thought experiment about what a country could do if it had the wealth, technology, and socially progressive culture that America has or had (in some, very relative, ways –the parallel is not 1:1) but chose to remain isolated rather than wielding that power in the world. The question of how such power could or should be wielded in the world is at the center of Black Panther‘s broader themes.
The visual tapestry of Wakanda demands more time, so I’m glad we’ll be seeing it again in Infinity War.
T’Challa promises his friend W’Kabi (Daniel Kaluuya) that he’ll tie up the loose end of Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis) once and for all. If you don’t remember Klaue, he’s the dude that provided Wakandan vibranium to Ultron back in Age of Ultron. He was locked up for a bit by Agent Ross (Martin Freeman) but is on the loose again, trying to make a deal on behalf of Eric (Michael B. Jordan), a mysterious new player who quickly turns out to have a helluva lot more to do with Wakanda than he first seems. When T’Challa, Nakia, and Okoye are able to catch Klaue, it’s Eric that helps him get away. A chance glimpse of a familiar ring gets T’Challa questioning just who this guy is and the answer shakes his whole world up.
In some ways, Black Panther is a palace intrigue movie. This is fascinating because it’s a familiar subgenre but it’s almost always (as with Thor) couched in the iconography and language of Western Europe. Here, it’s complicated by the specific situation of Wakanda and the way this situation plays out and then reverberates throughout the movie is a great example of the delicacy and sophistication with which it treats its subject matter, in turn reflecting a lot of respect for the audience. Through the tropes of this subgenre, we get to explore a lot of the political makeup of Wakanda and its fusion between traditionalism and progressive embrace of the new.
The various tribes of Wakanda all have different degrees to which they’ve evolved even in isolation. Interestingly, Wakanda seems to be a kind of constitutional monarchy where the King rules with a council of tribal elders, all of whom retain the right to issue a challenge for the throne. This means that the mantle of King and Black Panther isn’t always going to father then son, but probably changed hands among the tribes throughout their history. Cool shit like this is alluded to more than stated by the film, but it gives the viewer a sense of a wider and deeper world behind the events we’re following. The world-building in Black Panther is thus some of the best in the MCU or comic book superhero movies in general. And so much of it is visual! Again, implying a lot of trust that the viewer will pick up some cues and that our imaginations will run wild. People who dug the way Guardians of the Galaxy and Thor: Ragnarok knitted together unusual, visually interesting worlds will seriously love Black Panther‘s similar approach.
It’s pretty cool that some of the older actors’ sons were able to play the younger versions of them.
In a flashback near the beginning of the movie, we see a basketball game in a “bad” neighborhood. Some kids using a milk crate as a basket, while a dilapidated housing project looms above them. It’s an instantly familiar series of images, one we’ve seen countless times in media both as expressions of the black experience from their own perspective as well as used against them to reduce them all to underprivileged criminals preying on their own in the ruins of white society’s attempts to “help” them. Continuing this subtle tension is the following moments where two black dudes, costumed to be visually reminiscent of street gang members check weapons and plan some kind of robbery. This is all the kind of stuff we could expect to open a California-set crime movie. Any minute now, a couple of cops are going to bust in there. You can almost see it.
Coogler knows what he’s doing. No cops show up, because of course not. This is not that kind of movie. Instead, a UFO-looking light appears in the sky and two “Grace Jones looking” women appear at the thugs’ door. The whole thing changes, becomes recontextualized. And, as I am fond of saying, context is king. All of a sudden, there’s nothing familiar about this. Wakandan warriors looking like something out of, well, a Marvel movie, stride in and face off against two black guys that look far more familiar to your average viewer. One goes to his knees and suddenly we’re watching a reunion between the regal King T’Chaka (Atwanda and John Kani) and his faux-gangsta brother N’Jobu (Sterling K. Brown), who is working as a spy in America. As the pleasantries subside, we find out that Klaue, the only person who’s ever breached Wakandan security and stolen vibranium, only did so with N’Jobu’s help. N’Jobu isn’t doing it for profit –he’s doing it because he’s been traumatized and radicalized by the suffering of black folks as he’s witnessed it in the USA and elsewhere. He wants to use Wakandan resources to stop it, something he knows the isolationist and traditional King will never support. In a scuffle, N’Jobu is killed by T’Chaka to protect Zuri (Denzel and Forest Whitaker). Only later is it revealed that he left behind a son, who was never brought home to Wakanda in an effort to protect the secret that N’Jobu died at his own brother’s hands, or that he was a traitor and enemy of Wakanda. Instead, he simply “disappeared”.
Secrets create monsters. Ain’t I been saying it?
The result is Eric, whose nickname Killmonger comes to be the best way to refer to him, and so he becomes one of the MCU’s most tragic and relatable villains. He’s not only the forgotten son of an Empire, rightfully questioning both his and its place in the world, but he’s also an echo of the lost generation of young men ground up in the American war machine simply because they had no place to go. He absolutely believes in his father’s vision of liberating black folks around the world using Wakandan weapons, but takes it even further by declaring his ambition to create a new world order, a Wakandan empire. While T’Challa calls him a monster that Wakanda created, he’s also a monster that Ross’s government helped create. Even though Ross never explicitly takes responsibility, his clinical description of Eric’s training and state of mind are tinged with regret. In this sense, we see what America is in relation to Wakanda: a place of power and wealth that decided its the only place that knows the right way to live, thus exercising that power in a complex mixture of intervention and imperialism.
Killmonger’s quest is to gain access to Wakanda and challenge the King, which is his right but needs legitimacy in the form of Klaue’s dead body. When we first see Eric turn on Klaue, I wondered why the movie had him rescuing the guy moments before. Only when he flies alone to Wakanda did his true purpose click with me (I’m slow sometimes). His whole life has been about that, and we watch him make ruthless sacrifices and choices to get there. He’s easy to root for, in a way, because it’s seductive to want what he wants: a game-change. But of course, revolutionaries can go too far and become the very oppressors they seek to overthrow. Killmonger openly admits his imperial ambitions, pushing his ideas, even the laudable anti-oppression ones, to the extreme. The way he rules Wakanda in his brief tenure is authoritarian and brutal, underscoring other thematic tensions in the film, particularly Okoye’s loyalty, the central tenet of her character. Also the way Wakanda’s adherence to tradition in a changing world leaves it vulnerable to the agents of that change, which so often are agents of chaos.
The Jubari, as cool as they are, kind of appear out of the plains like magic in this scene.
After being overthrown by Killmonger (fairly, too, which is interesting), T’Challa recovers with the help of his remaining allies and the somewhat belligerent Mountain Tribe, led by the charismatic but stern M’Baku (Winston Duke). While initially refusing to help T’Challa regain the throne, he shows up at the clutch moment to back him up anyway, bringing the Jubari out of their own isolation and echoing the global themes of the movie and T’Challa’s struggle to figure out how to deal with the tension between Killmonger and Nakia’s true claims about the world and the historic and traditional isolation of Wakanda. T’Challa being alive means that the challenge has not concluded and Killmonger isn’t really King. But with a real question about how far to take Wakandan traditions in a very unique situation, we see the realistic and real-time breakdown of the hold those traditions have. The all-female guard side with T’Challa since Okoye now has the loophole she needs to maintain loyalty both to the throne and her friend, while W’Kabi refuses to withdraw his support for Killmonger (gained literally over Klaue’s dead body). In an ironic twist worthy of Game of Thrones, he’s serving the interests of the son of the man who authored his own misery and anger. And it’s also meaningful that Okoye and W’Kabi are lovers, torn apart even briefly by competing ideologies.
The battle is a bit clumsily staged, as I said before. W’Kabi’s tribe have a thing with war rhinos which are cool, but not utilized well here. There’s also an almost comical number of times people get thrown through the air only to land safely in the grass, rather than on one of the many boulders that litter the battlefield. Also, as cool as it is in theory, I think W’Kabi’s tribe’s energy shields are kinda dumb looking. Oh well, they couldn’t nail every visual in this visual feast, could they? And again, mileage is going to vary on this stuff.
Marvel Studios' BLACK PANTHER L to R: Black Panther/T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) and Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) Ph: Film Frame ©Marvel Studios 2018
This fight is a bit dodgy and fast. This is a movie far less interested in action than it is in discourse, after all.
Moving on from the recap part, it’s time to talk a little more about the themes and broader impact of Black Panther. For one thing, it’s a legitimate cultural moment but one that is going to pass some white people by because it’s not “our” moment. That bothers and threatens some people, because of course it does. It’s 2018 and edgy shitheads think white supremacy is “cool” now. If you don’t believe me that there’s a scary and bizarre backlash against this movie’s very existence, check this and this out. There’s also some sign that the Rotten Tomatoes audience score system is being tampered with again. So I mean, given the moment we’re at, it’s kind of significant for a movie to brazenly ignore the usual way white audiences are pandered to in order to make the necessary points that black people are people or that American black history is a fucking horror show (but also much more than that). Or that our ideas about Africa need to be reexamined. Or that women are just as capable as men.
Black Panther does this thing that is sometimes called “acting as if”. It’s not stopping to make a point about the way women are held back in society, it’s acting as if we’re past all that by showing us female characters who are not held back by fragile male egos. It’s not stopping to make points about racialization or the black experience either, in the educational sort of way white people are used to (and then whine about because white guilt and white fragility). It just acts as if we already get it, we’re already conversant in this stuff, and we have an interest in addressing the problem. And that’s not just because Black Panther respects the audience, as I said before. It’s also because in a very real way, it’s speaking directly to people who are already living the “as if” or who are at least on board with making it a reality. For the themes of racial oppression and colonization, that’s more directly about the black experience I think. But black feminists have also carved a way forward to the future by confronting the blindness and indifference of white feminists, making Black Panther a thing that stands on the shoulders of bell hooks and Chimamanda Ngozi Adechie as much as it does on those of Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr, or Malcolm X. The supporting cast of the movie is almost entirely female, all of whom showing fully realized dimensions of not only female empowerment but black female empowerment in a way that’s never been offered in a movie of this scale. That’s a key choice and a really fucking exciting one. Shuri (Letitia Wright), Ramonda (Angela Basset), Okoye, and Nakia are all instantly iconic characters and while I might complain about the headlong rush of the plot in Black Panther, it always has time for its amazing cast of supporting players. Even Ross is treated with dignity, though Shuri quips that he’s “another broken white boy” they need to fix. That’s meta as fuck, evoking the way black folks (and others) are constantly asked to explain and educate about white privilege, colonization, and racial oppression. To wit, a possibly futile attempt at fixing all the broken white boys who’d rather jeer at or kill black people than live beside them.
Get ready for Black Panther gifs.
The thing that I keep coming back to about Killmonger and T’Challa is how they’re disconnected mostly by circumstance. Black Panther is stacked with powerful themes and messages, from the broadly political to the intimately personal. One of the most personal is how T’Challa’s personal development, where he can become a “good man with a good heart” for whom it’ll be hard to be King, stems from the support he’s had his whole life. In some ways, Black Panther is about that support (he’s got maybe the biggest support network of specialist characters, each of which could be their own superhero, in the MCU) and what can happen when you don’t have it. Eric had no support, left adrift in a world where just surviving to adulthood is a challenge someone like Ross could probably never understand. Sympathy and compassion have largely been burnt out of Killmonger, and he can only let go of his hate at the bitter end. The irony is that T’Challa’s supported life gives him the empathy required to see through his father’s choice and understand Killmonger in much the same way as he understood Zemo and the bickering Avengers at the end of Civil War. That’s why it’s T’Challa who can really offer a game-change (in a scene that breathtakingly surpasses Tony Stark’s game-change moment at the end of Iron Man), who can synthesize the ideological differences that tore he and his cousin apart and set them on a collision course. I’m also interested in the extent to which this relationship is informed by tensions or otherwise between the experiences of black Africans and black Americans. I don’t pretend to understand the intricacies of that or what might be being said in Black Panther about it, but it’s very interesting all the same.
Anyway, T’Challa literally turns his back on centuries of his forebears, inviting him into an afterlife of peace and rest, deciding that he’s got to right the wrongs his enemy has correctly identified. It’s an important lesson to learn. It’s the people with compassion and empathy in spite of their own values that will be able to pave the way forward, not the radical or extreme or the reactionary. Or the grumpily despairing.
So I think even as Black Panther presents an optimistic vision for black audiences to celebrate, it also appeals very much to this ostensibly white critic who appreciates any narrative that pushes past the increasingly absurd debate with the “other side” and provides concrete examinations of what is possible when we drop all that shit we know doesn’t work, no matter how many equivocations or whataboutisms we have to endure while we try to move on. That’s why I’ve got no time for the people saying this movie “isn’t for them”. So fucking what? You even saying that might be the very reason why you need to see it. T’Challa might try to find the merit in your position even while maintaining his own, but he’s a better man than me.
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dclm-dedup-25B-ai-scifi-docs | https://discuss.ipfs.tech/t/where-exactly-the-data-live/12045
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Where exactly the data live?
Hye all,
I got a bit of confusion regarding how the data works inside the IPFS system. The question goes:
1. Does the data live in the device or is it just considered as a cache?
2. If I were to upload a video about 2gb, does the video still exist in the network 10 years later?
That’s all from me now, hopefully, someone can help me with this confusion. Thank You.
I’m not quite sure what you mean by “the device” but IPFS kind of blurs the line between what is a cache and what isn’t a cache and probably depends more on how you think of it or how you use it than anything else. Since the data is immutable all the world’s a cache. There’s nothing to invalidate because it’s immutable and my copy is just as legitimate as any other copy. So it’s kind of zen where everything’s a cache and nothing’s a cache.
That depends. There seems to be a lot of confusion over this subject. Yes if there’s a server, somewhere out that has that data and is willing to share it, it will be there. There is no guarantee that there will be a server out there with a copy that is willing to share it. With IPFS you can’t make anyone store something. You can provide your own node that will make it very easy for someone else to copy it but you can’t make them copy it so it will be available as long as you keep that server running to make it available. You can ask someone to copy it and then it will be available as long as they are willing to do it, or you can pay someone to do it, in which case it’s available for as long as you pay them to copy it.
It makes sense when you consider that you can’t obligate the world to host your content in perpetuity just because you put it there.
Thank you for the clarification :slight_smile: ,
So if I’m not mistaken, I cannot ask another user to store my data and I also cannot ask another user to delete my data.
Hence, I cannot assume that my data will be there forever and I also cannot truly delete my data in the network?
Am I right?
1. If you are willing to pay there are several services that will store your data on IPFS. Some of them give small amount of data storage for free.
2. You can ask your friend to store data on his IPFS node for you.
filebase.com have storj and skynet and is working on adding ipfs, but not shure when.
great pricing
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Fake Journal Club proposal
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alignment-classifier-documents-unlabeled | trentmkelly/LessWrong-43k
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Specialization
Multiple LW and EA voices (1, 2, 3) have written or spoken about the idea of becoming world-class generalists. More specifically, about combining "six specializations," or "the effort equivalent of two to three PhDs, plus enough work in the relevant fields in order to master them," or building a "cluster of aptitudes."
The number of specializations and amount of effort in each required to attain world-class status would depend on where we draw the boundaries around skills, and on other assumptions. Often, commenters object that you can't expect arbitrary skills to mix-and-match. However, we don't need to assume arbitrariness just because these posts are framed that way. Skills can be chosen for synergy; the core argument is just that there's a bias toward depth rather than breadth that causes us to leave value on the table.
Understanding specialization is important, because it's the engine of economic growth. A large market permits increasing specialization, which allows problems to be solved, or solved more efficiently. Enough farmers can grow food to support a class of specialist farm tool manufacturers, enhancing agricultural output further. This allows engineers to improve the materials on which farm tools are based, reinforcing the cycle.
When we think of specialization, we sometimes think about narrowness and depth of skill. The stereotype of a programmer who knows a huge number of libraries and every twist and turn of a single language's syntax, but who neither knows any other languages, nor has any job-relevant non-coding skills. This person always prefers to learn one more library in the language they already know rather than to learn a new language, and they exclusively choose to work on software that allows them to rely entirely on what they know. They may be unusually efficient at solving these problems, but they may find that the open problems become increasingly trivial with time.
Alternatively, we can think about narrowness and depth of problem. T
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alignment-classifier-documents-unlabeled | trentmkelly/LessWrong-43k
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Modeling sleep patterns
My sleep is unpredictable. Not in a technical sense, but a colloquial one. To be literal, I have no idea how to predict my sleep. I just as often sleep through the day as I do through the night. My sleep itself, as far as a sleep study can tell, is normal. I can vaguely say, 60% confidence, if I'm likely to fall asleep in a given 3-4 hour period, and occasionally I will be fairly sure, 80% confidence, 6-10 hours beforehand, of a 1-2 hour period. I can similarly predict the length of my sleep (which is relatively normal--generally distributed 7, 8, 9.5, 13 hours at .1, .4, .6, .9).
My sleep is seriously disturbed. Without understanding the process behind my sleep, without being able to predict it days beforehand and understand the variables behind it, I find it impossible to wake up at a consistent time every day (+/- 8 hours), despite years of trying, which makes it extremely hard to hold down a job, or do dozens of other normal things. There could be a profession that I could make my sleep work with, but I'm still searching for it.
So I ask you readers: Is there some sort of pattern detecting thing, whose name perhaps includes something like "markov" or "kolmogorov" or "bayesian", that could automatically take a time series data and predict the next values based on an unknown, complex model?
So, I could like enter the times I go to sleep and wake up, and when I have caffeine or I exercise, and maybe other things, and it would puzzle out how my sleep works and forecast my next few sleep cycles?
To have an accurate tool like that would transform my life.
"Hidden Markov models" comes to mind, but at first glance I don't see how a sleep model would count as a Markov process, given that you have to factor in sleep debt, time of day (because of sunlight), and perhaps other variables. But then I know nothing about HMMs.
Also, this is my first post. Is this the sort of thing that goes better in LessWrong or Less Wrong Discussion?
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dclm-dedup-25B-ai-scifi-docs | http://www.blogtalkradio.com/womenontheverge/blog/2011/01/04/angry-or-quiet
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Angry or Quiet?
by WomenontheVerge
- Tue, Jan 4 2011
Sometimes I feel like the quiet angry woman and sometimes I feel like the angry quiet woman. It's a balance... learning when to roar and learning when to whisper. Sometimes I get it "right" and other times I just don't. This topic comes as timely for me as lately I have wondering about this very subject, but in slightly different terms. I recently traveled to a place where art and artists was very prominent and the people I spoke with were very verbal about their work and their accomplishments. I, on the other hand, feel uncomfortable with that kind of thing and I wondered... "Do I need to be better at promoting myself and my work or is it ok enough to know that I believe in what I'm doing and creating and that it will and is falling into place?" Same thing with quiet and angry... it's like that old cliche "pick your battles" - I had been known to be "too honest or gruff" so I tuned myself down and after awhile I felt it made me resentful because I wasn't used to keeping my mouth shut or honesty at bay... it's a delicate dance... and more so for people who aren't used to being told the truth or confronted about their actions... and I, in the past, was a total confront-er! I had even lost a couple of friends for confronting them about not doing the things they said they were going to do .... I really took being honest and accountable very literally and I guess I had to learn that it was just the way of the world and that I needed to be more flexible than that. I was the accountable military! And the funny thing is, is that it derived from me being totally irresponsible and inconsiderate... and I realized I didn't want to be like that and when I "woke up" the pendulum swung the other way! And still, to this day, I grapple from time to time with whether or not to keep my mouth shut... funny, when I got married the 2nd time time, my father's only advice was "turn the other cheek" and "Keep your mouth shut." - 2 things that really go against my grain... and depending on the circumstances, I either get made at him for saying so or thank him and understand what he was saying. I probably would have no friends if I kept being so honest and confrontational.... somehow, I became a person who really dislikes injustice and I have always thought that if I were in politics I would be dead by now because in the past, it was a challenge for me to be diplomatic. So.... I have no wise answers or anecdotes about whether a woman or a man should be quiet or not or let their anger be known. I can only share the road I'm on, which is about learning how not to be angry at me... and to speak up when necessary and when I do, not to get so intense that I scare everybody away. Passion... sometimes also is present in anger...emotion...is a natural thing... and when felt, in my opinion, it should be honored... appropriately.
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5. Racials Microaggressions
This week, Kim Thompson, Stoker, and Kevin Vollmers discuss microaggressions, in particular microaggressions in the racism vein.
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dclm-dedup-25B-ai-scifi-docs | https://www.metro.news/connect-room-with-ai-view/1723073/
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Connect: Room with AI view
AI is all around us — but is that a good thing? From Google Duplex to ‘co-bots’ METRO investigates whether IT is humanity’s friend or foe…
AI HAS a PR problem. In almost every sci-fi film of the past 50 years, artificially intelligent beings have attempted to wreak havoc with humanity. And while there are notable exceptions — we’re with you, Wall-E — the overwhelming feeling from Hollywood is that a future with AI won’t be a happy place.
But AI isn’t the future — it is the now. Without us even realising, artificial intelligence has embedded itself into our lives. From what we watch on TV to the pictures we snap on our smartphones, AI in its various guises is already an essential part of our every day. So is AI something to be afraid of or to embrace? And do we really have a choice?
AI 101
Artificial intelligence is really an umbrella term for a number of different technologies and concepts — such as machine learning, deep learning and natural language processing — that describe how computers try to think and learn like humans.
Predictive texting is a simple example of an AI often called narrow AI. At the other end of the spectrum is so-called artificial general intelligence, a holy grail for many AI researchers. Here the aim is for machines to exhibit intellect, intelligence and an ability to ‘think’ like humans.
AI warning: Elon Musk
This area of research isn’t without controversy, with high-profile figures including Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking having warned that the development of full AI ‘could spell the end of the human race’, a process referred to as ‘technology singularity’.
However, experts say that AI is less about machines taking over from humans and more about intelligent systems standing shoulder to shoulder with us, helping humanity to be the best it can be.
Imitation game
Chatty AI assistants like Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant have become ubiquitous in recent years, allowing us to command our refrigerators, microwaves and even toilets with our voices.
They are becoming increasingly common outside of our homes too. McDonald’s customers ordering at drive-throughs and in-store kiosks may soon find themselves asking a voice-enabled AI for a Big Mac and fries after the company recently bought customer-service AI start-up Apprente. The fast-food chain even hinted that the AI assistant could appear in its own smartphone app.
Chatty: Assistants such as Alexa are increasingly common
While these AI assistants may have plenty of digital tricks up their sleeves, they are still a long way from fooling anybody that they are human. However, in 2014 a conversational AI called Eugene did exactly that by becoming the first computer program ever to pass the Turing Test.
Conceived by code-breaking British computer scientist Alan Turing in 1950, this is the test in which humans attempt to distinguish between a computer and a person during a text-only conversation. The victorious AI, which simulated the vocabulary and conversation of a 13-year-old Ukrainian boy, convinced a third of the human judges that they had in fact been conversing with a real person.
But the AI that has attracted perhaps most attention — and controversy — recently is Duplex. Google’s voice assistant is able to make telephone calls on your behalf to book restaurants, hair appointments and even hire a car. Its human-like voice and conversation skills sound so natural — including ‘um’ and ‘er’ hesitations — that in trials people on the other end of the phone had no clue they were in conversation with an AI. Duplex is already available to smartphone users in the US and the web version will roll out to UK users later this year.
Hal 9000 [from 2001: A Space Odyssey], Terminator and Ex Machina’s Ava are A-listers among a long Hollywood cast list of malevolent machines that portray AI as an enemy of humanity and certainly not its willing assistant.
However, far from attempting to exterminate us, artificial intelligence is now being used to help create new human life. The AI behind the Apricity Fertility Predictor has been trained on half a million cycles of anonymised fertility data from the UK’s Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and, given the prospective parent’s age and medical history, can predict the estimated chances of conceiving using different fertility treatments.
Hollywood sci-fi: Ex Machina was among films to portray AI as the enemy
AI is helping to prolong human life too. IBM’s AI engine Watson has absorbed every medical research paper, journal and case study ever published — far more than a clinician would ever be able to read, let alone recall — to support healthcare professionals’ diagnoses.
Google has been training its deep-learning systems on early detection of lung cancer and skin disease, claiming detection rates similar to, and even better than, human experts.
And while a common fear is that AIs will render humans redundant in many jobs, ‘co-bots’ — smart, collaborative robots that work alongside people — are now being used by car manufacturers such as Nissan and Ford, performing heavy lifting and repetitive tasks.
Screen stars: Hal 9000
Just as our smartphone screens have expanded to fill our pockets, so too have TV displays grown to fill our living rooms with lavish canvases fit for glorious high-definition content. But the sizeable screens come with sizeable challenges many manufacturers are addressing using AI.
To prevent blocky blockbusters and allow box sets to make the most of the screen estate available, TVs often employ some form of upscaling that adds in the missing pixels to fill up the screen.
That’s where AI comes in. For example, some of Samsung’s newest TVs employ a Quantum AI upscaling processor, which uses machine learning to identify what is about to appear on the screen and compare it with an onboard memory bank of similar images and scenes.
It then uses settings and filters from this bank to intelligently upscale and fine-tune the image in real time, resulting in a picture that looks like it was shot for the big screen.
Computational photography
Where the laws of light and physics may limit the capabilities of our phones’ minuscule cameras and lenses, AI is helping to create pictures that would otherwise be possible only with sensors and glass many times larger and heavier.
Google has stuffed some of its AI know-how in its Pixel smartphones to great effect, adding features such as Super Res Zoom. But so-called computational photography goes much further than just mimicking big camera kit.
New colleagues: Co-bots work alongside people on car-making production lines
What was once a minefield of camera settings is no longer a concern. AI-powered scene selection and post-processing seamlessly stacks multiple exposures, adjusts lighting and skin tones, and even adds bokeh-style blur to backgrounds without breaking sweat — steps that once would have required specialist software and a ton of time to accomplish.
So is AI something to fear? It’s a ferociously complex beast. Still, it’s not so much how we use it but how we teach it that counts.
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Delayed Solutions Game
This is a thread to practice holding off on proposing solutions.
Rules:
1. Post your dilemma (i.e. problem, question, situation, etc.) as a top-level comment. You can always come back to edit this.
2. For the next 24 hours, replies in that thread can discuss only aspects of the problem, no solutions. (If something sounds too much like a solution, it gets downvoted.)
3. After the 24 hours have passed from the start of the thread, solutions may be proposed therein.
Note: Timezones for comments are in GMT (e.g. London), so you may need to use this to determine when 24 hours have passed in your local timezone.
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dclm-dedup-25B-ai-scifi-docs | https://bootbomb.com/info/foot-conditions/gout/
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Tackling Gout: What You Need To Know About This Painful Foot Condition
There are many different ailments that can cause severe pain and make it especially difficult for a person to function, and gout certainly ranks high up on the list as one of them. While many people have heard of this painful foot condition, unless they’ve been afflicted before, chances are they don’t know much more than the name and some idea that it involves foot pain.
First time gout attacks are usually pretty mild. But don’t ever tell a person suffering from gout that it’s no biggy. You’ve got to take it seriously and start treating it as soon as possible. Repeated attacks of gout can lead to more serious medical conditions if left untreated.
What Is Gout?
Gout is a non-permanent form of arthritis that often affects joints. This affliction is known for coming on all at once and causing a great deal of pain. The foot and big toe areas in particular are renowned for being areas where gout trends to strike on a reoccurring basis. The pain often comes with a lot of tenderness and swelling, which is why it’s so strongly associated with the foot. A person experiencing an attack of gout is going to be limping heavily at best, and will not be able to walk in the worst case scenario.
Unlike many forms of osteoarthritis that many people are familiar with, this is not based on age and it is not a permanent condition. This means not only are treatments readily available but prevention can play a big role in making sure this does not become a recurring issue.
What Are The Most Common Symptoms Of Gout?
Spotting gout is a fairly easy process as long as the person knows what to look for. In fact, if the case of gout is one of the 50% that are associated with attacks on the big toe joint, then it will be extremely hard for any patient to ignore.
While there are a large number of symptoms, most gout attacks will look the same. They will arrive as sudden intense bursts of pain that don’t go away. That sudden severe pain will take place by a joint somewhere in the body and be accompanied with swelling, stiffness, and a lot of heat that seems to just radiate off of the body in that area. Many times the skin will be darkly red, sometimes to the point of being purplish in color.
Over half of all gout attacks will be at the big toe, but obviously that also means half the cases will be found elsewhere throughout the body.
List of symptoms:
• Sudden severe pain and stiffness in joints that doesn’t go away
• Swelling of flesh around the joints
• Serious heat or feeling hot around the afflicted area
• Purple skin at afflicted joint
• Skin around joint dry, flaky, or itchy (or all of these)
• Extreme tenderness
• Sharp attacks of pain especially at night
• Kidney stones
• High uric acid numbers
• Severely limited range of motion
• Consistent discomfort in afflicted area
Just What Causes Gout?
gout-footSimply put, gout is caused by a buildup of uric acid in a person’s blood. So what does this mean? Basically uric acid is a by-product from your body doing what it needs to when it breaks down certain types of organic food. Foods that contain purines require additional work to break down for use, and uric acid is the result. A little of it in the body is absolutely normal, but it’s when there’s way too much that problems may start to develop in some individuals.
Even high levels of uric acid are okay for many people, but once a certain tipping point is hit and there is too much uric acid staying in the blood, then it will begin to form crystals. This forming of crystals is the cause of gout and the very painful symptoms that follow it.
Foods that are high in purines tend to be certain types of meat, fish, and organ meats. That being said, sometimes certain people who are more genetically pre-disposed to gout may have a flare up due to issues like drinking too much alcohol over time, or from certain types of medication, especially water pills and diuretics.
How Is Gout Diagnosed?
While a self-diagnosis might be fairly easy to make in many cases, to get the best, fastest, and most effective treatment an individual who is suffering from gout will need to go to the doctor to get an official diagnosis.
There are actually several tests that can help with determining whether or not gout is the root cause of the problem.
Just a few of those tests include:
• The joint fluid test
• Blood tests
• X-ray images
• Ultrasound
• Dual energy CT scans
The exact test or tests will vary based on the doctor, the equipment available equipment, and the local common course of treatment. A musculo-skeletal ultrasound, for example, is extremely common in Europe and much less common in the States.
The joint fluid test take place when a doctor uses a needle to draw fluid directly out of the afflicted area. If a simple microscope inspection shows crystals from uric acid, that’s a clear red flag for gout. This is one of the most common tests for detecting and diagnosing gout.
Blood tests are the next most popular test in most places. A basic blood sample is searched for uric acid. While this can give a clear red flag, some places criticize the blood test as a standalone diagnostic test because it can give some false positives or negatives since many people have high uric acid levels but no gout, or all the symptoms other than a build up of uric acid. In most cases blood tests will be solid, but they don’t work all the time.
Joint x-rays are more as a way of making sure other causes aren’t at fault like hairline fractures or other hidden joint issues that could explain the inflammation being experienced.
The dual energy CT scan is not a common way of getting a diagnosis, in part because it is a specialty test and can be quite expensive, but it can be a very accurate way to find urate crystals hiding in joints when the pain is there but the tell-tale inflammation is not.
Gout Treatments & Cures
gout-x-rayThe good news is that there are multiple avenues of treatments that can help a patient overcome their temporary gout affliction. Often two types of medicine are given: one to immediately work on relieving the pain and breaking up the uric crystals in the body to relieve the symptoms and another medicine to help prevent recurrences from taking place.
Getting an actual shot of corticosteroids is one of the most common immediate treatments. This helps strengthen the body, especially in the afflicted area, and give your immune system that little boost to break up the crystals and start relieving the gout. Prednisone is one of the most common forms of these steroids, but there are others. They can also come in prescription pill form in some situations.
Colchicines are pain killers that can be safely taken with many types of treatment medicines and are often included as a way of attempting to deliver some immediate relief to a patient as the steroids or other medicines are taking their time to kick in and address the actual problem in the body.
Treatments start out at their strongest and then gradually get smaller over time. As the gout gets better, less medicine is needed to help a patient get back to their normal self. This is why even steroid treatments often downshift to a set daily amount of non-steroid anti-inflammatory medicines like ibuprofen.
Major symptoms will normally begin to lessen as treatments often work at a noticeable level within the first 24 hours of being administered.
The second set of medications that are followed up will involve medications that block uric acid production, help remove excess uric acid from the body, or in some cases maybe even both.
The types of medications that help block uric acid production in the body in the first case are referred to as xanthine oxidase inhibitors. The idea is that by lowering the uric acid levels, the risk of gout is also lowered.
A short list of examples of these inhibitors include:
• Uloric
• Zyloprim
• Lopurin
• Aloprim
Then there are the medications that help with the actual removal of uric acid. Generally all these medications will be some type of Probenecid. Probalan is the most well known of these drugs currently, and depending on the situation a doctor may decide to include this as part of your specific gout treatment.
Finally, as any good doctor will tell a patient, avoiding making gout a recurring issue means that even after taking these medications and getting the proper treatment after a successful diagnosis, prevention must be talked about. Putting out the flaming, fiery pain that gout causes, is much harder if the patient leads the type of risky lifestyle that just keeps on feeding it.
How To Prevent Gout?
tophaceous-goutThe only way to help prevent gout is to understand what factors make it more likely to strike. Some people do tend to be more genetically pre-disposed to gout. This means that if a person has had parents, grandparents, or relatives who have suffered from gout or struggle with it on a frequent basis, there is a fairly decent chance that they might be more prone to suffering from gout themselves. If this is you, then you need to be extra careful about managing your uric acid.
Factors that increase the risk of gout:
• Being overweight
• Drinking a lot of alcohol
• Drinking a large amount of sugary drinks
• Eating large amounts of purine-heavy meats
• Eating large amounts of purine-heavy fish
• Taking diuretics
Examples of purine heavy meats include most red meats, as well as traditional organ meats like liver or kidney. Cutting more of these out of the diet will lessen the amount of purines that need to be broken down in the body and that will lead to less uric acid. Examples of purine heavy fish include anchovies and mackerel.
Someone who is overweight can cut the risk of gout by losing some of that excess weight through regular diet and exercise. The more overweight and obese a person is, the more susceptible they are to getting gout. Often times dropping 20 or even 10 pounds of excess weight can have a major beneficial effect.
Watching the amount of alcohol and very sugary drinks a person drinks is also a major part of preventing gout. This includes soda, fruit juice with added sugar (which is most of them), or anything that is remotely similar. While moderate alcohol consumption isn’t an issue, drinking in excess will heavily increase the chances of uric acid building up and causing issues with gout.
A person choosing to get in moderate daily exercise and watching their diet will have an excellent chance of preventing painful relapses of gout in the future.
Common Misconceptions About Gout
There are a couple of important myths that need to be dispelled about gout. The first is that it comes from high meat and high protein diets. This can be true, seeing as how purine heavy foods tend to be in red meat and certain fish, but it is worth noting that it’s not the high level of proteins or meat that causes the uric acid build up.
The types of fish, types of meat, and types of protein being consumed are what make all the difference when it comes to whether or not a diet is likely to contribute to another outbreak of gout or not. Stay away from liver, anchovies, organ meat, mackerel, and too much red meat. Many other fish and meat are fair game.
Finally, there were food studies in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s that showed purines from beans seem to have no effect on creating uric acid in the body. So despite earlier beliefs that they contributed to gout, they actually do not.
>>> More Foot Condition Info >>>
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alignment-classifier-documents-unlabeled | trentmkelly/LessWrong-43k
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Play paranoid debating at home!
I was reading the wiki article on Paranoid debating and I noticed that there was no good source of facts for the game. I suggest anyone interested in it check out a party game called Wits and Wagers. It's an interesting game where everyone is given a trivia question with a numerical answer. Everyone writes down their guess, then bets on the answers, with the more extreme answers paying out better. It's a cool game and a good source of numerical trivia.
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Welcome to LW-Cologne
LW-Cologne runs a monthly social meetup for people interested in LW / SSC style rationalist philosophy. We also have some overlap with the local EA community. Sometimes there are additional events and new suggestions especially suggestions by new people are allways welcome (If you want something to happen make it happen).
Trusting in the power of self selection our meetup is open to everyone intrested. If you are not familliar with LW / SSC jargon and topics expect some difficulty following the conversation, though we will try our best to accomodate newcomers. Discussion will be in English or Grman depending on the needs of those present.
We organize via a mailing list. To be added to the list you need to send a mail to marcel_mueller@mail.de (The following are our suggestions for what kind of information is best to include in the welcome post of your group, feel free to replace them with whatever you think is best)
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dclm-dedup-25B-ai-scifi-docs | https://barkleyballroom.com/women-seeking-men-alaska/sterling-ak
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alignment-classifier-documents-unlabeled | StampyAI/alignment-research-dataset/lesswrong
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Do agents with (mutually known) identical utility functions but irreconcilable knowledge sometimes fight?
Been pondering; will conflict always exist? A major subquestion: Suppose we all merge utility functions and form an interstellar community devoted to optimizing the merger. It'll probably make sense for us to specialize in different parts of the work, which means accumulating specialist domain knowledge and becoming mutually illegible.
When people have very different domain knowledge, they also fall out of agreement about what the borders of their domains are. (*EG: A decision theorist is insisting that they know things about the trajectory of AI that ML researchers don't. ML researchers don't believe them and don't heed their advice.*) In these situations, even when all parties are acting in good faith, they know that they wont be able to reconcile about certain disagreements, and it may seem to make sense, from some perspectives, to try to just impose their own way, in those disputed regions.
Would there be any difference between the dispute resolution methods that would be used here, and the dispute resolution methods that would be used between agents with different core values? (war, peace deals, and most saliently,)
Would the parties in the conflict use war proxies that take physical advantages in different domains into account? (EG: Would the decision theorist block ML research in disputed domains where their knowledge of decision theory would give them a *force* advantage?)
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dclm-dedup-25B-ai-scifi-docs | http://birthmoviesdeath.com/2014/10/13/robert-downey-jr-bringing-civil-war-to-captain-america-3
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Robert Downey Jr Bringing CIVIL WAR To CAPTAIN AMERICA 3
Get ready for the Marvel Cinematic Universe to break.
I've been sitting on this for a couple of weeks now, waiting to get an ok from my sources to run it... and I got scooped. Well played, Variety.
Well, here's the story: Robert Downey Jr hasn't been negotiating with Marvel for Iron Man 4 - he's been negotiating for Captain America 3. Yes, Iron Man will be co-starring in Cap 3, which is either going to be called Civil War or Fallen Son - I've heard both names getting tossed around.
And this isn't some small bit. This isn't a cameo. Downey will be shooting 30 or 40 days on the film. He's basically co-starring. When Marvel heard that DC moved Batman v Superman off their Cap 3 date they wondered if they had heard the story and knew that Batman versus Superman wasn't going to match up to Captain America versus Iron Man.
I'm not clear on how the Civil War story will play out, since the Marvel Cinematic Universe doesn't have secret IDs to reveal, but I can tell you this: the fallout of Avengers: Age of Ultron is going to be huge in this movie. There is a lot of destruction in that film. It makes an impact.
More than that, Marvel is looking at Cap 3 as Avengers 2.5. It's going to be another ensemble picture, and it could feature Cap's new team from the end of Age of Ultron. Last I heard (and they haven't shot this scene yet, so it could change) that team is Falcon, War Machine, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch and Black Widow, as well as probably The Vision (although I have been told Black Widow will not be much of a presence in Cap 3). And once again the events of a Captain America movie will reshape the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
How closely will Captain America 3 tie in with Avengers 3? I've been told that the Russo Brothers are in talks to direct Avengers 3 and possibly 4. Sources tell me that they're the favorites of Marvel right now and that they are the guys Kevin Feige want to pick up the mantle from Joss Whedon.
This is huge news, and it shows that the Marvel Cinematic Universe is going to continue to grow and change, and that just when you think you know what they're doing - just when you assume it's Thanos in Avengers 3 - they throw a curveball at you.
How will Civil War play out? I know that at the end of Age of Ultron Tony Stark retires from The Avengers and possibly even from being Iron Man. He feels very responsible for what happened in that film, as the Ultron project was his brainchild. Here's my guess for Cap 3: with that in mind, and aware of the destruction his out of control robot caused, Tony thinks that the Age of Miracles is too unregulated. With the fall of SHIELD there's simply no one keeping tabs on everybody. That scene of Black Widow in front of the Congressional committee in The WInter Soldier was a late addition, and it speaks to this - these super beings are answering to no one. And Tony decides that's wrong. Which brings him into direct conflict with Captain America, who is still leading a team of Avengers. I don't think this will follow the exact outline of the comic book story, but simply take the concept and the beloved Marvel idea of heroes battling.
Does Cap die in this movie? Like I said, I've heard the title Fallen Son getting tossed around a lot. I've been told that the story is Civil War, but Fallen Son has come from multiple sources as the actual title. That definitely leads me to believe he could buy it at the end. Or maybe his super soldier serum gets depleted? Or maybe he just hangs up the shield, taking on a new name, like Nomad or something. Either way, he's sitting out Avengers 3, allowing Chris Evans to stay in the MCU for one more Avengers movie.
But if Marvel is willing to renegotiate with Downey - he's getting a $40 million payday, plus back end participation - that probably means they'll sit down with Chris Evans to get him back for more movies. Sitting out Avengers 3 gives Evans some needed time off from the character, and could make him decide he likes the checks Marvel keeps writing him.
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dclm-dedup-25B-ai-scifi-docs | http://n4g.com/news/1241599/applauding-nintendo-for-stepping-off-center-stage
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Submitted by Sandmano 507d ago | article
Applauding Nintendo for Stepping Off Center Stage
Tom Mc Shea praises Nintendo for calling off its E3 press conference and urges other companies to follow suit. (E3, Industry, Nintendo, Wii U)
Sandmano + 507d ago
LMAO!! At the pic! xD
Anyway I love the anticipation leading up to e3 and the hype before conferences so Im against stopping the conferences.
E3 is the world cup for gamers so why shouldnt Sony and MS present? Would take alot away from e3.
#1 (Edited 507d ago ) | Agree(27) | Disagree(4) | Report | Reply
Agent Smith + 507d ago
Dear god. Reggie should've kept the hair.
onyoursistersback + 507d ago
LMAF!!!! hardly use "LMAF"
My Body Is Reggie...
adorie + 507d ago
I want to know why Reggies Chin is wet. Notice that too, anyone?
jsslifelike + 506d ago
Actually, this smacks of elitist games press feeling a bit butthurt that Nintendo doesn't think enough of them to herd them all into a gigantic theater and make them feel like they're important. So, they write a few articles about how wrong the decision is and... BOOM! The entire gaming internet decides to follow suit because they spend 90% of their conversations parroting what they heard someone who they deem to be of high repute in the "media" say instead of rationally forming an opinion that they could call their own.
Kudos, Mr. McShea- I applaud you.
#1.1.3 (Edited 506d ago ) | Agree(0) | Disagree(1) | Report
HammadTheBeast + 507d ago
Looks like it's E2 now...
Also, this isn't a good thing, missing out on doing something at arguably the biggest gaming event of the year does nothing for publicity or advertising. The whole month after E3 will be dedicated to what was shown in there, so I believe this is a mistake on Nintendo's part.
Stroke666 + 507d ago
they are doing something just not the largescale press conference like usual
Abriael + 507d ago
Some people applaud Nintendo for all sorts of weird stuff...
LOL_WUT + 507d ago
The people at Nintendo are delusional if they think Nintendo Directs are going to reach out to the masses like E3 does. ;)
Stroke666 + 507d ago
@lol_wut... thats probably why they are still doing smaller events at e3
bullymangLer + 507d ago
yyyeahhhhh yep and the rest will follow.
Sony and microsoft soon to have little "Directs" of their own, or they will step it up like Nintendo, like a boss.
#1.3.3 (Edited 507d ago ) | Agree(1) | Disagree(15) | Report
chrismichaels04 + 507d ago
Further proof Tom McShea from Gamespot.com doesn't know what he's talking about.
Stroke666 + 507d ago
nintendo is still gonna be there, and the author isn't saying everyone shouldn't. he is just stating that all the fluff that has become the majority of the press conferences can be done without. I mean its true in a way look at last years e3 it sucked for all 3 bigwigs. having the smAaller events at e3 will help keep focus where it belongs
chadwarden + 507d ago
Reggie got DAT SWAG
noirzillagamer + 507d ago
This pic of reggie is prolly the real deal seeing that he is of Haitian blood on both sides.
jsslifelike + 506d ago
LMAO at pic
Laughing My Afro Off
#1.8 (Edited 506d ago ) | Agree(0) | Disagree(0) | Report | Reply
Persistantthug + 506d ago
I wonder if another company takes their place next year...
Will you still be applauding Nintendo?
Blackdeath_663 + 506d ago
agreed i like E3 because it encourages competition between companies as they reveal their biggest projects at the same time so gamers can see which company brought the most to the table. this year however that has already been broken since sony jumped the gun and announced at their own conference and Ms to do the same at the 21st this has changed next gen reveals into a massive strategy game between the companies. nintendo was wise to do their own thing too since they won't benefit from going up against sony and MS in any way. they released their console in their own time so it makes sense that they do their big reveals in their own time too rather than at E3. i have yet to decide whether its better for all companies to reveal at the same time or to do it separately like this year but i have to say so far im enjoying it.
nora3salaza 506d ago | Spam
Wenis + 507d ago
Looks like my body won't be ready this year...
Root + 507d ago
" and urges other companies to follow suit "
What....you mean don't do a presentation at one of the biggest game conferences of the entire year which will get whatever you show off so much exposure
Yeah if you say so...
from the beach + 507d ago
Do their own versions of Nintendo Direct.
Microsoft's could be called Direct Xbox, I don't think that name has been used for anything previously..
Root + 507d ago
Direct shows for E3....I'd rather just have a massive conference to be honest
I mean smaller shows arn't going to get much exposure and Nintendo need the exposure at the minute for the Wii U. Doing a smaller show isn't going to turn many heads when all gaming sites will be reporting on Microsofts and Sonys next gen consoles
kneon + 507d ago
But nobady who isn't already interested in Nintendo will ever watch Nintendo direct. In fact few people even know what it is. It would be no better if Sony or Microsoft did their own versions.
This approach is fine for keeping the fans informed but it does nothing to bring in new customers.
diddybeats + 506d ago
@kneon All of the big games websites have had articles on the Nintendo directs so far so why would that change? If anything this gives Nintendo more control. Their slot was on the last day I believe after the other two. Now for example they could have a Nintendo direct right after the Sony Press conference and then another right after the Microsoft one. I personally don't think they will go head to head like this but what it gives them is control over how and when their news is broken rather than putting it all out in one press conference.
#3.1.3 (Edited 506d ago ) | Agree(0) | Disagree(2) | Report
kneon + 506d ago
Normal people don't go to gaming web sites so it doesn't matter if they cover the Nintendo directs. We're not normal, we already know what's going on, what's coming and where to go to find out when we don't know.
Dubaman + 507d ago
First off, im pissed that their won't be a traditional conference because the Nintendo stage shows have become something special at E3. Especially over the past decade or so when they started having fun with them and really putting on an entertaining show. My body is ready, Zelda E3 2004 and the recent Legend of Zelda Orchestra are now legends of the show. Even more so when compared to "Riiiidge racer" and "fist bump"...still, those kids make me cringe.
The anticipation and participation in the show are great moments for gamers and they will be sorely missed.
Saying all that though, i can see where Nintendo are coming from. Having an hour and a half to satisfy investors, developers and fans is a tall order. The cost of the conference alone must cost a pretty penny so using that money in more direct ways of getting different messages across, to different people, could be hugely beneficial. They could do all the developers and investors talks behind closed doors, yeah its interesting to know but when it comes to E3 all we really care about are the games. So let them use the resources they have to show case just the games. Imagine all that floor space and money devoted to showcasing JUST the games. The trailers, announcements, shock surprises and hands on reviews, all available through 1 source...Nintendo Direct. I imagine that some people may not be around to watch a live show..but take your 3DS with you, go into somewhere with a wifi signal and you can get all the info you want, Obviously you'll have other sites giving their impressions and thats just the bonus. You get information about the games as and when its there, maybe even sooner because no one knows exactly what Nintendo have planned. This could be the start of something new and brilliant in way of distributing information through an established source. Or it could completely kill all hype and momentum for the WiiU and Nintendo in general.
Sony and MS have to bring the guns out to compete with eachother but also to compete against something completely new in terms of 'putting on a show'. It wil be a shame to miss the spectacle of a Nintendo Conference, done right though and this could be their way of stealing the show. All i know is that i've booked the week off work to find out and see. Never underestimate the BigN.
#4 (Edited 507d ago ) | Agree(6) | Disagree(5) | Report | Reply
Sandmano + 507d ago
@below lol funny coincidence I meant when you said "having an hour and a half to satisfy investors, developers and fans is a tall order"
Lol "tall older" I believe you work in a kitchen now :P
#4.1 (Edited 507d ago ) | Agree(3) | Disagree(3) | Report | Reply
Dubaman + 507d ago
It must be me as i actually do work in a kitchen and its tiring but..I'm....i'm not really sure what you mean..
Kte + 507d ago
Nintendo messed up by releasing the Wii U too damn early. If they would have stayed focus on that instead of the console wars, they actually would have been pretty damn decent right now.
Dubaman + 507d ago
Well when would have been the right time to release it the WiiU? I think we all knew they wasn't going to be in the "specs war" when compared to MS and Sony but they do have a foothold in the door. They have 3Million+ systems already out in the world and though its having its problems, its still a great system. When PS4 and Xbox release they'll have their teething issues too. When the X360 released it couldn't even display in 1080p without a patch and we all know how the PS3 started out.
While SONY and MS are showing off their consoles and talking about the specs and launch games, Nintendo will be showing off just the games. That's all it has to concentrate on and thats all WiiU gamers need to hear because we already have our systems. Around the time of E3 we'll have another system update improving and adding features. We'll have a system that is out of its teething phase, with big games being released and momentum growing, because it will. All the WiiU needs is games and they're coming, well before any other competing franchises. I guess that's a benefit of 'going early', though as we've seen, it comes with risks too.
#4.2.1 (Edited 507d ago ) | Agree(1) | Disagree(2) | Report
kneon + 507d ago
Actually I think they were a year too late. Had they launched a year earlier they would have had the time to build up their install base with less distractions from upcoming next gen consoles.
But the Wii sales dropping like a rock caught them off guard so they weren't ready.
Kte + 506d ago
The thing is, sony has more hired minds then Nintendo seeing as they have that much money. But if you think about, look how the next gen consoles are coming out later this year..and then think about how things would have turned for Nintendo if they did the same.. They could have had all the time to not only increase the crappy performance of the Wii U, but also take care of the bugs it comes with, as well as make better launch titles. The Wii U has the power to hold two screen controllers, yet they only made it so that it's 1 per console. If they would have changed that, and the launch titles, they would have more people/money falling in their hands. But nooooo Regie had to come in thinking if he released the Wii u early, it would shut MS and SNY up.
#4.2.3 (Edited 506d ago ) | Agree(1) | Disagree(0) | Report
kirbyu + 507d ago
I've never really been bugged by the things that aren't game announcements that happen at E3 conferences.
juggulator + 507d ago
They have nothing to show and PS4 and the next Xbox will easily overshadow anything Nintendo announces.
mafiahajeri 507d ago | Trolling | show | Replies(1)
kirbyu + 507d ago
Nothing to show?
(see above)
#6.2 (Edited 507d ago ) | Agree(1) | Disagree(6) | Report | Reply
jcnba28 + 507d ago
You're absolutely right, they have nothing to show at E3...
- Mario Kart
- Wind Waker Remake
- Bayonetta 2
- Super Mario Galaxy 3 (or whatever it's going to be called)
- Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem
- Pikmin 3
- Wonderful 101
- Xenoblade 2
- Super Smash Bros 4
- Retro Studio's unannounced game (Starfox/Metroid/new IP)
- Zelda Wii U (trailer/screenshots)
#6.3 (Edited 507d ago ) | Agree(5) | Disagree(14) | Report | Reply
LOL_WUT + 507d ago
Super Mario Galaxy 3? Please no, i'd rather they make Mario sunshine 2 instead.
howardwhite28 507d ago | Spam
Qrphe + 507d ago
It's sad, but knowing Nintendo, if they were to have an E3 presentation, they'd waste 30 minutes on Pikmin 3 this year instead of new games.
OwlEyes + 507d ago
Exactly. This has been a long time coming. Look at how they unveiled the 3DS XL - two weeks after E3 in a Direct.
Nintendo has embraced the online age while the other two companies are partying like it's 1995. E3 is now last gen.
#7 (Edited 507d ago ) | Agree(4) | Disagree(12) | Report | Reply
Twisted_H3art + 507d ago
"E3 is now last gen" lol how long have you been gaming don't try to spin it .
swice + 507d ago
"E3 is now last gen"
howardwhite28 507d ago | Spam
PirateThom + 507d ago
Here's the issue.
No one, outside of Nintendo's fanbase, cares about Nintendo Directs. I am not going to sit down and watch a man holding bananas and pretend to care.
A press conference, if Nintendo would do one properly unlike the last few years where it was all crap, works well, especially since you're going to get exposure.
OwlEyes + 506d ago
The very fact you're aware of Iwata staring at bananas despite never watching a Direct shows that the information gets out.
PirateThom + 506d ago
Yeah, but I don't know the reason or context.
I think that is a problem.
JeepGamer + 506d ago
Nintendo has nothing to show and that's the only reason they are not taking the stage.
gameonbro 506d ago | Spam
HonestDragon + 506d ago
So, he doesn't want companies to show what they have planned for the upcoming year at one of the biggest electronic expos? What sense does that make? It's not like as if he's being forced to watch it. If he finds it trivial, then that's his opinion, but many of us like watching the conferences. We happen to like being informed about what's new and upcoming in the industry.
Picnic + 506d ago
There is something increasingly sad about caring what Nintendo are doing next.
This is the company that decided to release Luigi's Mansion : Dark Moon on the 3Ds rather than the WiiU.
The company that seems so committed to handhelds rather than their 'major' console that they even give their major console a giant handheld as a controller.
The future of Nintendo is probably that it will be all about handhelds - that you can connect to your TV if you want.
Nintendo were never properly cool , not like Sega were. Who made the N64 cool? Rare mainly. Who made the Gamecube cool? Retro Studios and Capcom mainly. Nintendo are still that same conservative playing cards company under it all. That may suit the Japanese well but it's consigning them to a museum piece to me. Frankly, Nintendo deserve for the WiiU to fail at the moment.
Those who continue to love everything that Nintendo does are probably living in some Super Monkey Ball hermetically sealed infantilistic bubble where it's still exciting to see the next Mario Kart.
#13 (Edited 506d ago ) | Agree(1) | Disagree(0) | Report | Reply
commander + 506d ago
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Meetup : Baltimore Weekly Meetup
Discussion article for the meetup : Baltimore Weekly Meetup
WHEN: 03 July 2016 08:00:00PM (-0400)
WHERE: 1726 reisterstown road pikesville maryland 21208
Pikesville DoubleTree - Hilton, at the restaurant / bar or at one of the tables outside.
Discussion article for the meetup : Baltimore Weekly Meetup
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Portal 2
Sandy's Twin Adventure
< >
50 条留言
jandlml 2017年3月12日下午8:37
i just got finished playing sanyfied and i still needed to watch the soution for this 3 times. and i realized i messed the cubes back so i used the sandyfied method to get it back so i could switch it istrad of having to do the whole part over again. i hope one day im as smart as you guys!
toncica [作者] 2015年9月24日上午9:39
Thank you Polux for showing your face. :)
I took the opportunity to update the map and convert it to original Portal 2 style.
Polux 2015年9月22日下午4:22
I put my face here just for show off :p
Great map.
toncica [作者] 2015年1月13日下午3:52
Fortunately there are plenty of small-to-medium maps. In fact it would be horrible if all maps in the whole workshop would be like this one, very hard and time consuming. I wouldn't want to play such maps exclusively.
ken.roberts 2015年1月1日上午1:03
I am gonna admit something. After many years - I find that my own personal tastes now prefer small-to-medium maps with a Difficulty Level of approx 7 out of 10. Although I appreciate the ingenius design of a Map like this - I end up spending so much time figuring out multiple seemingly "impossibilities" - that it is simply too much for me.
toncica [作者] 2014年12月11日上午5:09
Thank you again for your very detailed feedback. I'm not sure I understand the issue you have with the bright surface mistaking it for a light. With cold light it would be just as bright, a light was being put on the floor of the door passage because the floor mustn't be portalable. I could make the floor black instead. This map is a pain to update though, it takes ages to compile and it is on the edge of the engine's limit, then the sendificator doesn't work without packing the files in manually and it is restricted to this specific style with Glados voices to work at all.
Ganymede 2014年12月9日上午9:17
The rest of the map was (relatively) straight-forward. There were a few parts where I had to reload a number of times before I got right, such as picking up the cube on the other side of the fizzler, or not waiting long enough for the cube to go through the funnel before reversing it, but there was nothing overly difficult logic-wise. That said, running through said steps was still a lot of fun.
It if wasn't for the few qualms I have (surfaces vs lights, identical cubes, a few save-reload maneuvers), this would easily be up there with "Lost" on my list. As it is, though, it's still a really close second.
Ganymede 2014年12月9日上午9:17
Then came the toughest part of the puzzle, and, judging from the comments, the part that most people struggled with. You know the part I'm talking about. Again, I did quite a bit of exploring before I thought up a way to pull it off. It was one of those things where I knew exactly what I had to do; I just didn't know how to do it. Speaking of exploring, I really liked your use of blue gel in case you get stuck in the "maintenance cooridor" at the bottom. That means there's at least one map in your workshop that has blue gel in it. =P
Unfortunately I couldn't get much further than that because guess what? I got the cubes mixed up! Again with the puzzles that depend on keeping track of two identical cubes. Oh well... just remember to add those color-coded cubes if they ever get added to BEEMOD.
At this point, I found it easier to just restart the entire map. Yes, I could technically recover from where I was, but it was just so much easier to run through the steps I already knew.
Ganymede 2014年12月9日上午9:17
At this point, the puzzle got really interesting. I LOVE the way you used the sendificator. I'll admit, when I first saw the cube on the other side of the grate, I thought it was another "cube passed through the grate" physics glitch. I had completely forgotten that sendificators will send things right through grates.
The funnel was also really clever. I like the way you used a laser to "force" the player to make the cube face either up or down as it comes out the other end. At first I thought it was a coincidence, until I looked more carefully at how the laser was positioned. I had to think quite a bit before I considered "flipping" the ceiling portal around to swap the direction of the cube.
Ganymede 2014年12月9日上午9:16
Let's just say I'm not fond of the yellow-tinted lights. I had the same problem in Perplexus. They look too similar to portable surfaces. It gets worse when one of them is shining directly on a surface as it tints the surface a really bright yellow and makes it look even more like a light. This was the second time in one of your maps that I was completely blind to a portable surface because I mistakened it for a light. In fact, there were a few times I had to do a double-take because the sheer brightness of it reminded me of a common graphics glitch. You might consider replacing the yellow lights in that part with white lights, and maybe pull them back so it's not so bright. In this case, I'm referring to the surface between the two doors at the beginning.
Ganymede 2014年12月9日上午9:16
The main chamber is HUGE! Perhaps one of the largest I've seen from you (since In The End). Lots of room to move around and explore. I had no qualms about "taking the tour" and looking around every inch of the map before I tried to solve anything.
I will admit, it was at this point that I hit my first major barrier. I got stuck in a really bad way. I wandered around the map for maybe 15 - 20 minutes looking for something I could do. I finally referenced the walkthrough video and... well...
Ganymede 2014年12月9日上午9:16
This was a really fun collection of ideas. I haven't played any "gimmick" puzzles from your workshop: you usually find really clever ways to use the basic tools (just cubes, fizzlers, and maybe a funnel). But then, who can resist playing with a Sendificator?!
This is one of those maps I have to do a blow-by-blow of. There are just too many clever things not to give each one their due respect.
So, first off, I really like how you had a small "tutorial" for the sendificator at the beginning. It's always a good idea to introduce the player to something like that. I'll admit, when I first saw it, I thought it was just a really small map. I had almost forgotten how big it looked in the screenshot.
batman 2014年10月6日上午7:42
Traveler807 2014年2月12日上午4:09
toncica [作者] 2013年10月31日上午6:10
Brave 2013年10月31日上午5:56
toncica [作者] 2013年10月31日上午2:36
I've added a video walkthrough.
Brave 2013年10月30日下午9:09
toncica [作者] 2013年10月27日上午4:57
Brave 2013年10月26日下午7:54
quatrus 2013年10月21日下午5:21
toncica [作者] 2013年10月20日上午10:36
quatrus 2013年10月20日上午10:03
quatrus 2013年10月20日上午8:49
toncica [作者] 2013年10月19日下午4:20
quatrus 2013年10月19日下午4:12
toncica [作者] 2013年10月18日下午7:42
quatrus 2013年10月18日下午6:56
RedSilencer 2013年10月18日下午1:43
*single tear as I step proudly through the exit door*
*begins jumping and shooting and spinning in circles*
toncica [作者] 2013年10月16日下午7:40
Map updated:
- extended puzzle
- no hidden logic
- balanced, starts easy gets harder
- you can recover from any point as long as you're alive
- no unintended solutions (hopefully)
- much more challenging
Brave 2013年10月16日下午7:23
Thanks, i'll wait for your update.
toncica [作者] 2013年10月16日下午7:14
Brave 2013年10月16日下午6:57
toncica [作者] 2013年10月16日下午6:44
Brave 2013年10月16日下午6:36
Hey tonicica, I'm having problems beating this map of yours.
toncica [作者] 2013年10月13日下午5:55
toncica [作者] 2013年10月13日下午3:12
Brave 2013年10月13日下午2:47
Requiemsoul 2013年10月8日上午8:09
Epic! Unique, hard and awesome!.
gener@L chet 2013年10月7日下午1:38
nintendo.erk 2013年10月4日上午12:33
toncica [作者] 2013年10月3日上午2:56
Donderbus 2013年10月2日下午2:06
LPChip 2013年10月2日下午1:35
toncica [作者] 2013年10月2日上午9:21
p0rtalthumper 2013年9月30日下午8:15
toncica [作者] 2013年9月30日下午4:16
Updated to fix several issues.
toncica [作者] 2013年9月30日下午3:04
Difficulty is challenging, could take an hour.
p0rtalthumper 2013年9月30日上午4:34
p0rtalthumper 2013年9月30日上午4:24
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Specialized Web Directories
JUser: :_load: Unable to load user with ID: 644
It is estimated that only 4 percent of the Web is visible and 96 percent of the Web is invisible or Deep Web
You’ve probably heard about the Deep Web; it becomes more well-known circa 2013 when the FBI took down the Silk Road drug marketplace. This brought widespread attention to the level of underground activity that goes on in this place on the internet that’s not accessible to anyone using a standard browser.
In essence, the Deep Web refers to any Internet content that, for various reasons, can’t be or isn’t indexed by search engines like Google or Bing. This includes dynamic web pages, blocked sites, limited access networks, intranets, and more. It is estimated that only 4 percent of the Web is visible and 96 percent of the Web is invisible or Deep Web.
Here is a graphic from OpenText which puts things in perspective.
Here are some of the things you may not have previously associated with the Deep Web:
1.Cannabis, cannabis everywhere – light drugs are the most-exchanged goods, with cannabis being the most traded drug. This was followed by pharmaceutical products like Ritalin and Xanax, hard drugs, and even pirated games and online accounts.
2.Hitmen for hire – hitmen are available on the Deep Web with prices varying based on the preferred manner of death or injury and the target’s status.
3.Doxing information is widely available – which is a huge concern if you’re a public figure. Doxing is the act of researching and broadcasting an individual’s personally identifiable information such as date of birth, address, emails and phone numbers. One site—Cloudnine—lists possible dox information for public figures, political figures, and celebrities.
4.Child exploitation is rampant on the Deep Web – as a father of two girls, this is one of the most horrifying findings to me. It includes sites which host child pornography or snuff films that feature children.
5.The Deep Web is a match made in malware heaven – as it hosts command-and-control infrastructure for malware. The hidden nature of sites like TOR and 12P and other services makes it easy to host and hide malware controlling servers on the Deep Web. One such malware is CryptoLocker, a ransomware which encrypts victims’ personal documents before redirecting them to a site where they have to pay to regain access to their files.
6.Bitcoins – are the currency of the Deep Web, frequently used when purchasing illegal goods and services. To ensure it maintains its anonymity, Bitcoin-laundering services have surfaced to help increase the anonymity of moving money throughout the Bitcoin system. By “mixing” Bitcoins through a spidery network of microtransactions, users end up with the same amount of money but a harder-to-track transaction trail.
7.Unfortunately, it’s too huge for law enforcement to track – as everything is encrypted, determination of attribution is difficult, and constant fluctuations mean that law enforcement agencies face a tough job when it comes to regulating and monitoring the Deep Web.
What does this mean for security?
While a majority of normal Internet users will not find the use for the Deep Web, organizations need to understand the goings-on beneath the surface of the Deep Web so that they can protect their customers from the cybercriminal activities happening within it.
Organisations need to implement a means of early detection and countermeasures against these threats, as they will, sooner or later, find their way to victimize users.
The future of the Deep Web
There is an ongoing race between the criminals who inhabit the Deep Web and law enforcement agencies, with the criminals working on technological developments to improve the stealth of their activities and finding new ways to become even more anonymous and untraceable.
One thing that will definitely grow in the future is the “shadow marketplace” which was previously brought to light by the FBI sting on Silk Road. Transactions on the Deep Web guarantee high anonymity, with Bitcoin technology allowing both sellers and buyers of illegal assets to bypass any external regulatory financial authorities. In fact, Bitcoin technology will probably develop to more advanced levels, making the cryptocurrency even less traceable than it is today.
The anonymity offered by the Deep Web will continue to raise a lot of issues and be a point of interest for both law enforcers and Internet users who want to circumvent government surveillance and intervention. As such, IT security pros like you and I need to continue keeping tabs on the Deep Web as its role on the Internet grows.
Source: This article was published cso.com.au By Dhanya Thakkar
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Source: This article was published hastac.org By Amber Stanley
Thursday, 18 January 2018 05:20
Trust is not a strategy for cyber security
Let’s talk seriously about industrial cybersecurity: What you don’t know can hurt you.
Industrial cyber security is all over the news, and not in a good way. Our most vital industries – including power, water, nuclear, oil and gas, chemical, food and beverage, and critical manufacturing – are under attack. The gravity of the situation became clear when the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security went public in October about existing, persistent threats. Virtually or not, bad actors are among us.
Unlike physical attacks, cyber attacks are nonstop. Cyber hackers have graduated from simple mischief and denial-of-service attacks to ransomware, theft of competitive information, interception or altering of communications, the shutdown of industrial processes, and even knowledge manipulation through the news and social networks (it’s bigger than just politics). Who knows what’s next?
Digitalization and connectivity are heightening cyber risk, though they are foundational to the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, Big Data analytics, and artificial intelligence. Breaching a single connected operational technology (OT) device or system puts everything on the network at risk.
Low-security and small networks provide easy access for bad actors, whether they’re traditional hackers, black-hat hackers making money on the dark web, nation-states, or malicious insiders. Human error and negligence also are cyber risks.
To establish and sustain cybersecurity and restore the confidence of the public, greater awareness of threats and ownership of risks are imperative. In addition to mastering basic security measures, the industry needs to detect and respond to attacks with persistence and resilience. Trust is not a strategy.
Fortunately, industrial software, technology, equipment, and service providers are fast ramping up their defenses, and dozens of new cybersecurity technology and services firms are offering to help. Consultants, legislators, regulators, and standards bodies also have prominent roles, but it is the end users, ultimately, who must put the cybersecurity puzzle together.
Here, several industry and cyber professionals weigh in about industrial producers’ cybersecurity risks and responsibilities and offer their actionable recommendations.
How bad is the problem?
When companies are surveyed about their top business risk, the answer increasingly is cybersecurity, says Alan Berman, president, and CEO of the not-for-profit Disaster Recovery International Foundation (DRIF). The IoT – now a $3 trillion to $6 trillion industry – is opening new doors to cyber hackers. An estimated 50 billion connected devices (handhelds, sensors, etc.) are in use already.
Speaking at the Society of Maintenance and Reliability Professionals (SMRP) 2017 Conference, Berman noted that cyber hacking has matured to become a sophisticated industry seeking to penetrate devices and systems through the weakest link in the chain, with the goal of profitability. “It is a business and we have to deal with it as a business,” he explains.
The weakest link could be a vending machine in the plant, Berman says. “Once hackers get on the network, they can get into everything,” he says. “When that happens, it could be months before the breach is discovered. What looks like a malfunction could actually be a hack.”
Until there’s awareness within the maintenance organization of the security risks associated with adding or replacing a connected device, the number of cyberattacks an organization sees will continue to rise, says Howard Penrose, president of MotorDoc.
Penrose has easily uncovered industrial cybersecurity gaps using Shodan.io, a search engine for finding internet-connected devices. In one case, “We found numerous points of access to different IoT devices using (the organization’s) default passwords, including links to the documents with those passwords,” he says. “In another case, an OEM had installed software on wind generation systems that allowed them to be turned on or off with a smartphone app.”
Most people equate cybersecurity to the network or IT, but the things that go “boom” in the night are on the industrial control system (ICS) side, says Joe Weiss, managing partner at Applied Control Solutions. “Not enough people are looking at this,” he says.
Weiss has been compiling a nonpublic ICS cyber-incident database that he says already contains more than 1,000 actual incidents, representing about $50 billion in direct costs. Each new entry serves as a learning aid or reminder; often they’re logged in his cybersecurity blog.
“People worry about the IT/OT divide, but the real divide is what comes before and after the Ethernet packet,” suggests Weiss. “Before the packet is where the Level 0,1 devices live (sensors, actuators, drives), and that’s where cybersecurity and authentication are lacking.”
As managing director of ISA99, Weiss recently helped start a new working group for Industrial Automation and Control System Security standards to address the cybersecurity of Level 0,1 devices.
Fear or fight?
Digitalization adds significant value despite the cyber risk. “Don’t fear connectivity – the benefits are too great,” says Eddie Habibi, founder, and CEO of PAS Global. On the other hand, he cautions, the threat of cyber attack is imminent and proven; critical systems are vulnerable; and “every minute, day, or month that you put off securing your systems, they remain at risk.”
Malicious code can sit dormant on a network for months or years before it suddenly activates, explains Habibi. The consequences can be significant to safety, production, the company’s reputation, insurance costs, and even the cost of borrowing for organizations that are not considered secure. “It’s beyond the theft of data; it’s now hitting the bottom line,” he adds.
While OT operators face all of the cybersecurity risks common in IT environments, many of the tools used to mitigate those risks are not available for OT networks, observes Chris Grove, director of industrial security at Indegy. He notes the following crucial distinctions:
1. OT networks are not designed from the ground up with security in mind, meaning that industrial controllers are not typically protected with authentication, encryption, authorization, or other standard security mechanisms.
2. A successful cyber attack on an OT network could have safety, financial, and environmental implications.
3. It is much more difficult to monitor OT networks than it is to monitor IT networks because of the lack of monitoring tools, the proprietary protocols in use, and network isolation.
With the right tools, such as those developed for OT asset discovery and for tracking of user activity and changes to operational code, operators can identify risky configurations, malware, human errors, and insider attacks.
“Security is not a static thing,” cautions Dr. Allan Friedman, director of cybersecurity initiatives at National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in the U.S. Commerce Department. “It needs to be adaptive, resilient, and scalable.” He continues: “For example, don’t assume that an air-gapped system (unplugged from any network infrastructure) will stay that way. Improperly trained personnel may establish new connections, or the USB drive used for a software update may carry an infection.”
Security by design and necessity
Trust is the new currency; more regulations are coming, and cybersecurity is not an option because we are moving toward digital at the speed of light: Dr. Ilya Kabanov, global director of application security and compliance for Schneider Electric, made these three points at the ASIS 2017 international security conference.
Kabanov urges OEMs to embed privacy and security in the products themselves. “It is not security vs. innovation; security requires innovation,” he explains.
Richard Witucki, the cyber security solutions architect at Schneider Electric, agrees. “Since security by obscurity is no longer a viable option, it is incumbent upon manufacturers such as Schneider Electric to embed cyber security directly into their products,” he says. “By doing this, we enable the end users to take a much more defense-in-depth approach.”
Schneider Electric’s approach includes actively training its development teams and engineers in secure development life-cycle programs, incorporating established security controls into its products, and conducting exhaustive internal and external testing. The ISA99/IEC 62443 set of standards was chosen because it addresses cybersecurity at several levels, including the products, the systems, and the development life cycle of the products and solutions.
“We all rely on products that control our critical infrastructure to perform as expected,” Witucki says. “Ironically, because these systems are so reliable (e.g., PLCs controlling a seldom-used diesel generator for 20 years), they have now become a vulnerability within the shifting threat landscape.”
Predictive maintenance (PdM) system and service providers are also tackling cybersecurity. Paul Berberian, the condition monitoring specialist at GTI Predictive Technology, has heard customer comments ranging from “It is not an issue” and “Nothing in the plant is connected to the outside world,” to concerns about internal secrets being vulnerable through an internet connection.
“Maintenance and reliability departments want to use PdM technology, but some don’t want to fight the battle internally with IT,” explains Berberian. “In my opinion, the concern for most of these companies is that hackers will be able to find a way into their plant network through the PdM data portal.”
To mitigate this risk, GTI uses SSL certificates to ensure the security of its sites; it requires encrypted usernames and passwords for access; it encrypts the stored data, and it uses a secure (HTTPS) web address.
Operational security technology partnerships are also forming. “Manufacturers and utilities want a single, accountable provider with a reputation like Siemens’ rather than a dozen suppliers,” says PAS Global’s Habibi.
The Siemens-PAS partnership looks to help companies that are struggling to establish adequate cybersecurity regimens. The PAS Cyber Integrity analytic detection engine identifies and tracks cyber assets, enabling fleetwide, real-time monitoring of control systems. Forensic and analytics technologists at the Siemens Cyber Security Operations Center apply their expertise to this information so they can dig deeper and provide a more robust response to potential threats.
“There is a 100% probability that any company will suffer from a cyber attack, and these attacks travel with lightning speed – how resilient will your response be?” asks Leo Simonovich, vice president and global head of industrial cyber security at Siemens.
What should you do right now?
First, master the basics: access controls, backup and recovery, software updates and patching, network segmentation, system hardening, and malware prevention on endpoints. Consider using a search engine like Shodan.io to quickly gauge risk exposure.
Cybersecurity should be treated like lean manufacturing and Six Sigma initiatives; it should be a continuous process reviewed and assessed on a regular basis, says Schneider Electric’s Witucki. “It is not a goal, but a journey,” he says.
He suggests selecting a cybersecurity standard appropriate to your industry and organization and then focusing attention where it is needed most with a gap analysis or risk assessment. This starts with an inventory of all computer-based assets (hardware, software, etc.). “When you consider some of this equipment may have been operating for 20 years inside an enclosure, you start to understand why this may be difficult,” adds Witucki.
GTI’s Berberian’s urges both industrial solution providers and end users to establish a strategy and security protocol that suppliers must meet. “A strategy that everyone understands, other than ‘We will never use the cloud,’ is most helpful,” he says.
To secure complete operating environments, companies must begin by addressing the fundamentals: discovery, prioritization, monitoring, and protection of their assets, advises Siemens’ Simonovich. He also advocates that company leaders consider addressing OT cybersecurity as one of their core responsibilities. This requires ownership, a strategy that looks at the challenge holistically, and strategic partnerships with best-of-breed companies.
NTIA’s Friedman suggests the following when acquiring new equipment or devices:
1. Ask questions regarding security: What are the risks, and how can they be mitigated?
2. Employ basic security hygiene: Use strong passwords and security credentials; apply patches promptly; employ network segmentation; and “know what’s under the hood” (e.g., which operating system is used).
3. Partner with other sectors and organizations on design principles: Your problems probably aren’t unique, and others may have developed useful security solutions.
Ensure that the default passwords are changed, especially in the settings of variable-frequency drives, energy monitoring devices, and other connected systems adds MotorDoc’s Penrose. Also, never let a vendor bypass security to connect to the network. “We once found that a USB WiFi card had been installed on a secure network so a vendor could access the system remotely, eliminating the isolation of the critical system's network,” he says. He adds that if the IT personnel are capable, they should be performing device vulnerability analyses.
Indegy’s Grove says that while active, passive, and hybrid ICS security monitoring approaches all have advantages, a hybrid approach is likely to provide the best value for most organizations because it “gives organizations total visibility into their OT network and environment.”
Applied Control Solutions’ Weiss reminds us that it isn’t always clear what is or isn’t a cyber event, and SCADA is not a fail-safe to identify potential cyberattacks. By design, in some cases it may not detect critical malfunctions. Weiss suggests getting involved in the new ISA99 working group and sharing your ICS cyber incidents with him (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).
Finally, and perhaps of most importance, cautions Schneider Electric’s Kabanov, everyone from executives to end users must decide whether cyber protections make sense. If they don’t believe they do, they’ll work around them.
Much more needs to be done to protect the critical industrial sector. The bad actors already are planning their next move. What’s yours?
Source: This article was published plantservices.com By Sheila Kennedy
Thursday, 14 December 2017 02:54
Basic Sourcing Techniques You Can Use Today
What are your most effective sources for finding talent? Do you leverage job postings? Ask for employee referrals?
These are both successful ways to fill a position. In fact, each one can play an integral role in your recruiting.
The only downside is that they’re reactive. You have to wait for the talent to come to you, in hopes that the right candidate is among them.
What you need is the ability to aggressively seek and go after ideal candidates. You need to build an active pipeline to fill today’s requisitions, make connections for hard-to-fill roles, and prepare for future needs.
You need to be proactive.
Luckily, there are several sourcing techniques you can start leveraging right now:
Boolean Sourcing for Google
Boolean sourcing allows recruiters to search for candidate information from all over the web.
You can find resumes and cover letters that are stored within personal websites, job boards and social platforms by using a unique set of search commands.
These commands tell search engines exactly what you’re looking for, and help drill down your search results to reveal the candidates who truly align with your requisition.
Getting started with boolean sourcing is as simple as learning some basic commands. The following operators work best when used within Google.
OR The command OR will return results containing at least one of your specified keywords or phrases. For example, entering programmer OR developer OR engineer would produce results containing any of these terms but not necessarily all of them.
"" Use quotations to return sites containing the exact phrase you’re searching for. For example, the senior manager would return pages containing either of these keywords, but "senior manager" would only return pages containing that exact phrase.
- Use the minus or dash command "-" before a keyword to return pages that exclude that word. For example, if you searched "marketing -manager" your results would exclude any pages that contain the word manager.
* Use the asterisk (*) within your query to identify a placeholder or wildcard terms. For example "Master's degree in *" would return pages containing the phrase "Master's degree in Marketing," "Master's degree in Computer Science, " etc.
() Brackets are for grouping Boolean phrases, and are generally used in more complex search strings. For example, if you searched for (Engineer or "Software Developer")(CISCO OR Microsoft OR HP), your results would show pages containing any of your job title keywords that also contain one of the company keywords. This is a great combination for finding talent who has worked for one of your target competitors.
site: Use the command site: to search pages within a specific website. For example, search for Facebook profiles by entering site:facebook.com. Searching for site:facebook.com "web designers" Phoenix would return Facebook profiles containing both keywords Web Designer and Phoenix.
Use these basic commands to create more elaborate search strings and effectively find candidates through Google. By adding more criteria to your search queries, you can produce more relevant results and ultimately find the best candidates who align with your job.
Job Board Sourcing
You can also leverage most online job boards to proactively source your candidates. Look for the option to search or source the job board's resume database by using common keywords your prospects would use.
Social Sourcing
Leverage the social platforms where your prospects already spend a lot of their time. Sites like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook offer unique tools to proactively find your next great hire.
In March 2013, Facebook released Graph Search. It’s a free tool that allows anyone to use specific queries to search for individuals. Find people who work for a specific industry, near a special location or for a particular company.
Here is an example of a common Facebook Graph query:
Facebook Graph
Twitter is also a great tool for sourcing candidates. Use its search engine to identify professionals by specific keywords, phrases, and locations. The best part is that Twitter is an open network, so you’re free to connect with anyone.
You can also find candidates on LinkedIn by using the Boolean logic you’ve already learned. After you replace the italicized words with your keywords, enter this powerful search string into Google to return precise LinkedIn profiles:
site:linkedin.com "web designer" "location * Greater Phoenix Area"
Go After Your Talent
Identifying qualified candidates is the most critical part of the recruiting process. It can also be the most difficult—especially if you're waiting around for the right job seekers to apply. Instead, set yourself up for success by proactively finding them yourself.
But before you get started with methods like Boolean, job board, and social sourcing, make sure you have a clear understanding of the job you’re recruiting for and the keywords your prospects may use during their job search.
Knowing how your candidates describe themselves and which terms resonate with them will give you a head start on your proactive search for talent.
Initiate Conversation
When you finally find the candidates you’re looking for, connect with them! Send them a message about your available position and ask if they would be interested in the opportunity. For more tips on reaching out to candidates, read Candidate Sourcing: Get More Replies to Your Contact Emails.
How do you run 100 billion web searches a month?
Google gave an inside peek into how web search works today, revealing some fascinating numbers in the process.
Search starts, of course, with crawling and indexing, and Google says that the web now has 30 trillion unique individual pages. That up an astonishing 30 times in five years: Google reported in 2008 that the web had just one trillion pages.
Google says that it stores information about those 30 trillion pages in the Google Index, which is now at 100 million gigabytes. That’s about a thousand terabytes, and you’d need over three million 32GB USB thumb drives to store all that data.
When you search, Google tries to figure out not just what you’re typing into the box, but what you mean. So algorithms for spelling, autocompletion, synonyms, and query understanding jump into action. When Google thinks it knows what you want, it pulls results from those 30 trillion pages and 100 million gigabytes, but it doesn’t just give you what it finds.
First, a ranking procedure uses over 200 closely guarded secret factors that look at the freshness of the results, quality of the website, age of the domain, safety and appropriateness of the content, and user context like location, prior searches, Google+ history and connections, and much more.
Then, in just over an eighth of a second, Google then delivers the results to your computer, tablet, or phone.
To test how well its searches are actually performing, Google also uses real-live humans: search evaluators. Forty thousand times a year, Google’s search testers check results, see what’s working, and provide suggestions on how to improve.
And what about web spam?
Web spam is useless pages that are crafted to rank well on Google, draw your attention and clicks, and then monetize your eyeballs or clicks off to somewhere else. Google said that it notifies sites that it considers them spam, or that they have been hacked, at a rate of 40,000-60,000 per month.
photo credit: Stéfan via photopin cc
Source: This article was published venturebeat.com By JOHN KOETSIER
Google is getting ready to make a big change in the way it indexes web pages for search results.
In a few months, the company will implement a previously announced plan to index mobile pages separately from desktop pages, a Google employee said at a conference Thursday, according to Search Engine Land.
Google also plans to keep its mobile website index more up to date than the desktop index, which means mobile users will get the best results faster than desktop users.
It also means websites and online publishers will have to make sure their sites are mobile friendly if they want to be properly indexed by Google.
This is the latest move in Google's efforts to enhance search on mobile. Recently it introduced Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP), which loads news articles found through Google much faster on mobile devices and shares a cut of the advertising with the publisher.
Google didn't say exactly when the new mobile index will come, but it sounds like it'll be here soon.
Get the latest Google stock price here.
Source: This article was published businessinsider.com By Steve Kovach
Friday, 19 May 2017 06:57
The untold truth of Bill Gates
You'd think that we'd know every detail of the life of the richest man in the world, especially since he's been number one on the Forbes list 17 out of the last 22 years. But Bill Gates doesn't get a ton of attention. There've been two movies about Steve Jobs and a dissection of everything Apple, but the founder of Microsoft tends to keep a fairly low profile. So, get to know a little bit about the world's most famous college dropout billionaire.
Harvard was a lot harder than he thought it would be
Getty Images
It clearly takes brains to become a billionaire, unless your name rhymes with Fronald Frump. Bill Gates always knew he was much smarter than average Seattle youngster. So, in high school, he'd show off his smarts, undoubtedly to impress the ladies. Classes were a breeze, and when he got into Harvard, he figured he'd waltz right through the Ivy League school like a badass nerd genius.
Unbeknownst to him, Harvard was hard. It's practically in the name. He got a B in his first theoretical math class, a completely new experience. So Gates changed his major from theoretical math to applied math after his horrible defeat. But a one-time B was far from his last failure.
Before Microsoft, he had a company called Traf-O-Data that was a complete failure
Getty Images
Eventual co-owner of Microsoft Paul Allen met Gates in high school. One summer, when Allen was back in Seattle from college and Gates was a high school senior, they started a business. You know, just normal teenage boy shenanigans.
They created a minicomputer to track the flow of traffic. Though that sounds incredibly boring, it could be very useful to cities wanting to know where to place new traffic signals or stop signs or make road alterations or repairs. Gates came up with the name "Traf-O-Data," like it was some kind of horrible date-based candy. Gates and Allen had a working prototype two years and $1,500 later.
Unfortunately for the Data duo, nobody cared. They did no market research, so they didn't realize that getting the local government to invest money in anything is a real pain. In Newsweek, Paul Allen said, "We had virtually no customers." After six years of trying, Traf-O-Data lost $3,494 and put away their traffic files forever. Obviously, that didn't stop the pair, and they went on to create Microsoft, probably to get revenge on those who didn't appreciate their traffic ideas.
He was arrested in New Mexico
Generally, Gates doesn't seem like a guy with a long rap sheet. But looks can be deceiving.
In 1977, Gates was arrested in New Mexico, though his exact crime wasn't recorded. Could it be some kind of computer/drug smuggling scheme? No: it was a traffic violation, and they just didn't record what specific error led to his arrest. Though the details are sketchy, it definitely happened, and Albuquerque has the smiling mug shot to prove it. It's doubtful that DUI was to blame, since few drunks can look so clean cut and wholesome while the cops are documenting their crimes.
Said "no one is getting rich" making software in 1980
Getty Images
In 1976, Gates wrote an "Open Letter to Hobbyists," to discourage computer hobbyists from using his software without paying. The technology was so new it wasn't clearly covered under copyright law. Gates was adamant that the "share and share alike" culture of early computer fiends would discourage programmers from bothering to make new software if they knew it would only be stolen.
Gates thought the letter would be the end of it, since open letters asking people to start paying for stuff they can get for free are usually very effective. But copyright law remained cloudy. In 1979, a federal court ruled that one company selling an exact copy of another company's computer chess game was not a violation of the law. By 1980, Gates had to speak out again about unlicensed software usage. In an interview with 80 Microcomputing Magazine, the hottest of all microcomputing magazines of 1980, Gates detailed the importance of software copyright and made this incredibly unprecient statement:
"There's nobody getting rich writing software that I know of."
This was true at
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Epistemic self-sufficiency on the edge of knowledge
Winning an argument does not give you evidence that you are correct. Passing a security audit does not give you evidence you are secure. Inventing something doesn't mean a culture is great.
You are just a bag of mostly water. Your default expectation should be that you are not even wrong, but don't have the right concepts to be right or wrong about.
Other people are not obliged to correct you, for they are also bags of mostly water that also might not have the right concepts to be right or wrong about them.
You must be trying to correct yourself. Figure out when you are likely to be wrong or just not know enough, and somehow find the information you need to continue.
It is nice when they people can correct you, but do not expect or rely on it from other people. The further you go from the well travelled locations the more you will need to check your own knowledge and look for travelling partners that do the same.
You will need to consult with people that have different knowledge to you. Pull in botanists/meteorologists/geologists. Anyone that might have generic knowledge about the regularities of the world. But that knowledge may or may not apply to the new locations you want to go to.
If you are not drawing the information you acquire on your travels on the public map, no one will be able to correct your bad information. If you draw bad information on the public map, in order to get people to correct you, people will not have faith in any of the information you try to draw.
Look at your knowledge with a skeptical eye.
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Founding a rationalist group at the University of Michigan
The Vision
As far as I know, there aren't any LW-style university rationalist groups. I'll be attending the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) as a graduate student starting this fall, and plan to be there for 1.5-2 years. While I'm there, I'd like to start a LW group.
There should be a mix of activities. They should let people achieve a mix of learning, creativity, socializing, and activism. Here's the sort of event that might accomplish each:
* Learning: A book club, perhaps combining writings from within and outside the LW-associated community
* Creativity: A research club, lightning talks, or project lab
* Socializing: Careful outdoor gatherings for the foreseeable future
* Activism: Focused on building, maintaining, and positively shaping the local LW community, and connecting with the small existing EA community at UM
I might call it simply the UM LessWrong Community. After Julia Galef's book Scout Mindset, I've also considered the name The Scout Society.
Here are some key subgoals:
1. Be sustainable. This community should develop healthy norms about when to directly support its members, when to point them to campus resources, and when to exclude people who are behaving in destructive ways. It also needs all members to contribute toward making it good, and should demand and enable personal initiative.
2. Be useful. We should start by trying to identify our own and each others' needs, understand why they're not being adequately met, and create events and oppotunities that address those problems.
3. Be proud. This means making ourselves proud, by doing our duty, achieving success/utility, and converging on the truth. It also means taking pride in ourselves, and open about who we are.
4. Be fast. Do things efficiently, try things out.
5. Be awesome. Fun, beauty, and pleasure are important. This means art, music, houseplants, food, games, and exploration.
How Can I Help?
1. PM me if you know people living in Ann Arbor who might be good fits and in
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The Big Bang Theory
Chuck Lorre Productions
790pages on
this wiki
Revision as of 00:07, August 28, 2012 by (wall)
Production note 221
At the end of each episode, after the credits roll, and right before a final Warner Brothers logo, there is a brief note from Chuck Lorre Productions. Each is numbered, and seems to give a random and often humorous insight from Chuck Lorre and associates. The text is on the screen for much too short a time to read it all, but can be read if one pauses (either via DVR or viewing episodes on DVD) on that frame.
Some notes say that they have been censored, but "As always, you know where to look"... All notes, censored and uncensored are published on Lorre's website.
Vanity Cards
The following are vanity cards that were featured in the Big Bang Theory. For all of Chuck Lorre's vanity cards, view his official website:
Season 1
Back when I was writing and producing Dharma and Greg, the only way to read my cards was to record each episode on a VCR and hit the "pause" button. This was not an easy task. The image wobbled like crazy making the tiny words of my weekly tomes very hard to see. Then it hit me. What about building a device that records video images digitally? Wouldn't this allow for a much more precise "pause" function? I took my little notion to an impoverished computer whiz by the name of Schlomo Tivowitz. At the time of our meeting Schlomo was feverishly trying to invent an improved version of the George Foreman Grill. Schlomo's grill would contain a hard drive that remembered all the details of your last barbecue, as well as an address book. I didn't really see the point of it, but, not being a tech guy, I held my tongue and presented him with my idea. I will never forget his reaction. With hamburger-flecked spittle flying from his blubbery lips, he laughed, called me some very unkind names and demanded that I leave his mother's basement immediately. My hopes dashed, I went back to work on Dharma and forgot about my silly idea. Well, I'm sure you can figure out what happened next. The fact that you're reading this card right now should tell you. Thankfully, it's not in my nature to be bitter. But there are times when I feel a little used -- usually when I've forgotten how to effectively grill a fatty piece of chicken.
1st Aired: 24 Sept 2007
Don't fall for a woman who has had sex with one of your rock n'roll heroes. No matter how emotionally evolved you think you are, you will never enjoy listening to Eric Clapton again.
Don't lurk around web sites where people comment about your work unless you're drunk.
Don't use emoticons. You're too old to communicate like a twelve-year old girl.
Don't forget that you are the product of a culture that went stark raving mad about ten thousand years ago. Adjust your thinking accordingly.
Don't answer TV critics questions about the state of TV comedy. It's a trap.
Don't eat anything bigger than your head. True in the sixties, true today.
Don't believe that crap that you're as young as you feel. Your feelings lie.
Don't hug men while shaking their hand. Enough already with that. The shake/hug (shug?) is probably something Roman guys did when their empire was in decline.
1st Aired: 1 Oct 2007
1st Aired: 8 Oct 2007
Awright, shut up, siddown and listen. I am da immortal spirit Sheldon Leonard and for da last few years I've been using da body of Chuck Lorre to channel my ideas for new sitcoms. For da record, he's a stinkin' lousy channel and my ideas are much better than what he's puttin' on television. Dis is why I am breaking my anonymity. No matter how specifical I tell da kid what to write, he still manages to cock it up. Dharma & Greg? What da hell was dat? I specifically said "do a show about a queer guy who loves a straight chick, and she loves him back, but they can't, you know, bump uglies." But does Lorre listen? No way Jose. The putz turns it inside out, winds up with hippie chick loves uptight lawyer and then wonders why he can't buy an Emmy. (I did find a writing team to act as a channel for dat pitch, which worked out pretty good, Emmy and cash-wise.) Anyway, back to Lorre. Couple years later while he's sleepin', I whisper to him, "Two brudders inherit a midget." Funny, right? What's Lorre do? You got it. Two and a Half Men. Gimme a break! Anyway, I decide to give the mook one last chance. While he's under da gas at the dentist, I tell him to do a show about four wise guys and a sexy dame what knows da score. So what does da knucklehead do? Scientists and a waitress! It just breaks my heart. But at least the dope managed to slip my name in dis one. Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta schlep over to Milton Berle's crypt for a little pinochle with the boys.
1st Aired: 15 Oct 2007
Last winter the magazine Entertainment Weekly did a story about me in which I was called "the angriest man in television." When the article came out I shrugged and said things like, "Oh, it's just a trashy tabloid, it doesn't mean anything." But you know what? That's a lot of crap. It's taken me ten months to get in touch with my feelings about that article (pretty quick for a guy), and guess what? I'm angry! How dare anyone suggest I have no right to feel what I feel? If you're even barely engaged in this world, anger manifests itself constantly (assuming you're not medicated, which I am not, dammit to hell!). And let's be totally honest here, anger does a lot of good. It clenches my stomach muscles into a tight knot so I can look good with my shirt tucked in. It adds hours and hours of productivity by keeping me awake until five o'clock in the morning. It's a constant reminder that I should never own a gun. It makes golf an opportunity to practice my javelin toss. It fills me with joy every time Lewis Black is on The Daily Show. It adds sizzle to caffeine. It whispers to me that I'm fine, that I don't need to slow down, and that my cardiologist is an idiot. It keeps people at a healthy distance during flu season (and the rest of the year as well). And finally, it encourages me to use my vanity card to foolishly burn bridges with TV critics. Hey EW! Do not screw with me. I've got two vanity cards now, and I'm not afraid to use 'em! Okay, the sun's coming up, I'm gonna try and get some sleep.
1st Aired: 22 Oct 2007
I'm writing this vanity card at six o'clock in the morning on October 18, 2007. It's my birthday. I am fifty-five years old. I have long ago become invisible to young women. They actually do not see me. But I am not writing this to complain. I am at peace with my circumstances. The blessing of fifty-five is a libido in decline. The curse of it is that major pharmaceutical companies are successfully exploiting my insecurities. Suddenly that surreal commercial of a silver-haired guy sitting naked in an outdoor bath tub and holding hands with a naked, slightly younger woman in an adjacent tub makes perfect sense (if I had produced that spot I would've have given him a small plasma screen TV so he could watch ESPN during his hang time). I'm also mesmerized by the commercial featuring middle-aged men gleefully celebrating their ability to drink water and drive long distances (I particularly enjoy that the slightly younger women in that one are turned on knowing that their geezers don't have to urinate frequently). Anyway, it's my birthday today. If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go suck on my bronchitis inhaler so that later today I can blow out the candles without hacking up a lung.
1st Aired: 29 Oct 2007
Show of hands, during the climactic, face-scrunching moment of the sex act, how many of you out there sometimes find yourself thinking, "Gee, I must look pretty silly right about now"? C'mon, be honest... Okay, I understand. This is a little too intimate for a public conversation. How about if we do it this way: If you're alone right now, just nod. If you're reading this with your sexual partner, simply look at them, smile sheepishly, then, when they smile back, suddenly twist your face into your freakiest orgasm position. If they laugh, know you're in good company. Give them a hug, hit the play button on your DVR and watch Two and a Half Men. If they don't laugh, hit the play button on your DVR, watch Two and a Half Men, then go out and find a new partner.
1st Aired: 5 Nov 2007
United We Stand.
1st Aired: 12 Nov 2007
my soul's journey
To relinquish all childish expectations and live joyfully in the world as it is --
not as I wish or imagine it to be,
To be released from the endless hungers of the body,
To see God in others,
To see God in everything,
To die without death and merge my consciousness into the
cosmic sea of bliss from which I came,
To crank out two sitcoms a week that can compete
with a deaf chick dancing her ass off...
This is my soul's journey.
1st Aired: 17 Mar 2008
Well, wouldn't ya' know it. Just two episodes back from the strike and I've already managed to write a vanity card that is completely unacceptable to the good folks at CBS. I wasn't trying to offend. Honest. I just saw an opportunity to poke some proverbial fun, to knosh on the hand that feeds, if you will. They were not amused. If you would like to read my latest exercise in poor judgement, I'm sure you can find it somewhere on that thing we writers were striking to claim dominion over. Just to be on the safe side, I apologize in advance. Please know that my aim was only to provoke a bit of gaiety through the judicious use of a little thing I like to call "the truth." Unfortunately, in the television business, the truth rarely sets anyone free. More often than not, it just pisses them off.
1st Aired: 24 Mar 2008
Censored 198
In tonight's episode we explored the subject of lying to avoid hurting someone's feelings. During the climactic final scene, the character of "Cousin Leo" blamed his fabricated drug addiction on having been molested in the Philippines by an equally fabricated Naval officer named Chaplain Horrigan. In the original shooting script the make-believe molester was called Father Horrigan. CBS strongly objected to this. Their concern was that Catholic viewers would be offended by any suggestion that a Catholic priest would molest a child. I argued that several billion dollars in punitive damage payments established a reasonable link between priests and diddled kids. My argument fell on deaf ears (no offense to our hearing-impaired viewers). Outraged, I decided I was an eight-hundred pound gorilla and threatened to shoot the scene as written. Their lawyers, eight-pound spider monkeys at best, threatened to cut it. I immediately blinked and changed the word "father" to "chaplain." CBS's problem went away. Apparently, a non-denominational, drunken pedophile is inoffensive. But more importantly, our Catholic viewers did not get their feelings hurt.
1st Aired: Did Not Air
Two hundred vanity cards. I have now amassed a body of work that can safely be called "pointlessly unique." In the history of literary efforts, there has never been a literary effort quite like this one. Okay, literary might be pushing it, but I don't think I'm engaging in hyperbole when I say that it's highly unlikely my achievement will ever be duplicated, let alone surpassed. Why? Well, most show creators who are awarded the hallowed, second-and-a-half, end-of-episode "hey everybody, look at me!" card, have better things to do. Those that have no life (a goodly number), are simply not compelled to vomit up weekly offerings of painfully personal, petty, mock-metaphysical, self-congratulatory, rage-filled, and regretfully sarcastic essays that occasionally haunt them forever. Sure, non-showrunners can write a weekly essay of no particular value. But for it to be considered a true vanity card, it must be attached to the ass end of a television show. And let's keep in mind I've made a lot more shows than vanity cards. There were many weeks on Dharma & Greg and Two and a Half Men when I was too wasted (mostly in the literary sense) to write something coherent. Anyway, I wanted to use this momentous card to celebrate my accomplishment because, well... no one else was jumping up to do it. Two hundred cards! Boy, oh boy, that is really something... Oh God, I'm so lonely.
1st Aired: 31 Mar 2008
Tonight's story about Sheldon's ego being crushed following his encounter with a young prodigy has its roots in my own life. Around 1974 I was playing guitar for a living in Miami Beach. I was twenty-two years old and thought I was really something. In the parlance of musicians, I felt I had some "serious chops." Nights I played clubs, hotels, and private parties. For a few months I worked in a lounge band on a cruise ship. I even landed a day gig playing acoustic solo stuff at a coffee house in South Beach. That was where a professor from the University of Miami saw me play, dug what I was doing, and invited me to audit his jazz guitar class at the university. I happily accepted, thinking I might be able to teach the kids a thing or two. I still remember the first class, me sitting in the back proudly holding my beat-up '64 Fender Strat, while the college students all cradled expensive Gibsons. Of course, this only made me feel more smug. I was a working musician. These were rich kids in a rich school with instruments that daddy bought 'em. But then something happened that would change my life forever. A painfully shy, sixteen year old boy walked into the room. He could barely speak nor make eye contact with anyone, seemed dwarfed by his big jazz guitar, and was ludicrously introduced as a visiting professor to the university. His name was Pat Metheny. I'll never forget how I felt when he began to play. It was an imploding feeling, like the kind you get when your ego is being demolished like an old Vegas casino. Thankfully, the feeling was accompanied by a soft, reassuring voice in my head that whispered, "Find work in television, nobody's a prodigy there." Thirteen years later I listened to that voice (I may have been deluded, but I was no quitter). Oh, and Pat, if you happen to read this... thank you.
1st Aired: 14 Apr 2008
Click here to play media
1st Aired: 21 Apr 2008
I think we can all agree that the cliche, "no pain, no gain," is a fundamental truth. When we experience physical pain in the gym, we gain muscles and stamina. When we endure hardship and sacrifice in order to succeed, we gain a feeling of satisfaction and achievement, not to mention financial rewards. When we truly embrace emotional pain, we gain compassion for the suffering of others, an appreciation for the fleeting nature of things, as well as wisdom and spiritual humility. Every act of birth is an act of pain. Our very lives are sustained by the suffering and death of plants and animals, who in turn are sustained by other organisms having a very bad day. That being said, I think we can also agree that this system sucks and needs to be seriously re-jiggered. Now I'm not saying I have a better approach than this pain/gain thing that's been in place for millions of years -- but that doesn't mean we couldn't start tossing around some ideas. For instance, why couldn't an infrastructure for life be developed around the theme, "no dream, no gain?" Sounds like heaven, right? Or is dreaming too easy? Would life quickly become complacent and cease to gain? But then, is gain really that critical? Or is gain the whole point? Is the fact that life exists at all proof that God or the universe hates complacency? It certainly explains why aboriginal people are constantly being murdered for the sake of "progress." It even explains why HBO went down the toilet.
1st Aired: 28 Apr 2008
Click here to play media 1st Aired: 5 May 2008
1st Aired: 12 May 2008
I believe that the voices of fear, both from without and within, can only be dispelled by trusting the voice that comes from the heart. Be still and listen to it. If it speaks of love and compassion for others, for the world itself, it just might be the voice of God -- or a reasonable facsimile. If, however, it snarls with fear of the unknown, fear of losing what you have or of not getting what you want, then it just might be the voice of Rupert Murdoch -- or a reasonable facsimile.
1st Aired: 19 May 2008
Season 2
Mr. Misogyny's
Tips For Breaking
Through the Glass Ceiling
SHRILL BAD, DUSKY GOOD: No man can happily work or vote for a woman whose voice sounds like a mom or wife yelling at him. Whether running a Fortune Five Hundred company or running for office, women should practice speaking like Kathleen Turner in Body Heat. (If you have small children present, rent Who Framed Roger Rabbit and check out Jessica Rabbit.) POWER WORDS: Down through the ages there have been secret words and phrases that a select group of women have known and used to give them control over men. Use them wisely and you'll be on the other side of that glass ceiling before you know it. A short list includes: panties, huge, amazing and "anything you want, just hurry." For increased effectiveness, say these power words like Kathleen Turner. BOOBS: If you got' em, flaunt' em. If you don't got' em, buy' em. (CAUTION: This will cause other women to hate you. Do not despair. Once you and your terrific rack are running things, you can fire the jealous bitches.) POLITICALLY CORRECT FLIRTING: There is no such thing. That being said, if, by subtle words or actions, you can make a man feel sexually viable, he will act like a fool and you can steal his job. If you think that's cruel, you're not ready to break through the glass ceiling and should instead consider marrying a fat guy with hedge fund money and a history of confusing his erection pills with his heart medication.
-The views and opinions of Mr. Misogyny are not endorsed, held, or shared by Chuck Lorre Productions, Chuck Lorre, anyone who works for Chuck Lorre, or any of his friends, neighbors and relatives.
1st Aired: 22 September 2008
Tonight's vanity card is about censorship. It was censored.
As always, you know where to look.
1st Aired: 29 September 2008
Censored 217
words that confuse the CBS censor
fecund, penal, taint, titmouse, cockamamie, cockatoo, cocksure, coccyx, ballcock, cockeye, prick, prickly, kumquat, titter, cunning linguist, insertion, gobble, guzzle, swallow, manhole, rimshot, ramrod, come, fallacious, lugubrious, rectify, Uranus, angina, paradiddle, spotted dick, dictum, frock, cunctation, engorge, turgid, stiff, bush, uvula, crapulence, masticate, Dick Butkus, gherkin and, of course, the always bewildering lickety-split.
As you can see, context is everything.
1st Aired: Did Not Air
On a recent trip to Las Vegas I watched a grim, beer-bellied man row a gondola filled with tourists through the "canals of Venice." This was his job. At some point he had to have filled out an application and undergone an interview process to determine if he had the necessary skills to be a pretend gondolier eight hours a day, five days a week. As he glided past me I found myself imagining him walking into his house at the end of a long day, tossing his keys into the cheap ceramic bowl by the front door and sadly calling out to his wife, "I'm home." To which she would cheerfully respond, "How was work today, sweetie?" But instead of saying "fine," which was how he answered that question every other day, he paused and considered the days' events, and all the events that had led him to this point in his life. Then he crossed to the hall closet, took down a shoe box from the hat shelf, removed a small caliber pistol that he'd bought for home protection, and immediately blew his brains out all over the badly framed photograph of him rowing Barry Manilow. Waking from my brief reverie, I found myself suddenly filled with compassion and respect for this stranger of the inland sea. Compassion for his quiet desperation. And respect that he chose not to take his cheerful wife with him.
I don't know about you, but Vegas always does this to me.
1st Aired: 6 October 2008
Friday morning, October 10, 2008
1st Aired: 20 October 2008
We have once again arrived at a moment in history where the truth can be defined as "that which you can make other people believe." The methodology for creating that belief is repetition. Say something enough times and it becomes, for millions of people, the truth. I am endowed like a stallion. This is why control of the media equals control of the populace. I am endowed like a stallion. And also why a state run television news channel is so very dangerous. I am endowed like a stallion. Now there are those who would argue this has already happened and that a certain cable news channel is actually a covert extension of our government. I am endowed like a stallion. The fact that the channel is run by a high-ranking party official, an anchor person from the channel became a White House spokesman, and another top-ranking party official became an on-air news commentator is often used to make this argument. I am endowed like a stallion. Of course, this fact would be entirely inconsequential if the oft-repeated falsehoods they attempt to imbed into the Zeitgeist were simply amusing, or at worst, inane. I am endowed like a stallion. But, unfortunately, that is not the case. I am endowed like a stallion. The heavy repetition of lies and smears for political gain are by no means inconsequential. I am endowed like a stallion. Which is why each and every one of us must use whatever resources we have at our disposal to disseminate the actual truth. I am endowed like a pony.
1st Aired: 13 October 2008
Once again, my efforts at comedy
have been rebuked by the powers
that be. As always, you know
where to look.
1st Aired: 3 November 2008
Censored 223
Dear Sumner,
Just saw that you're single again. I'm sorry, dude. Love hurts. I too have recently returned to being the loneliest number. Which is what got me to thinking that maybe you and me could hang out, you know, hit some clubs, chat up the ladies. I've gotta believe you'd make a killer wingman (ooh, great idea for a dating/reality show: "Prenup Chuck and the Endless Sumner"). I also saw that you're going through a little tough time in the ol' money department. Not to worry. The drinks are on me. You can tip the waitress... if you promise not to marry her! (Just kidding. I kid the moguls. Ask Rupert.)
Your pal, Chuck
1st Aired: Did Not Air
We exist to bear witness.
We had to be.
The infinite needs us to see it.
Without the perceiver,
the perceived does not exist.
That gives us leverage.
Don't look until you get what you want.
1st Aired: 10 November 2008
Dear George Lucas,
Very truly yours,
The Writers
1st Aired: 17 November 2008
NOVEMBER 16, 2008
As I sit by my window and watch the leaves on the trees turn from green to brown, and from brown to fire, I can't help but reflect on the two seasons of Southern California. Inferno and flood. Soon the stinging smoke, raging wildfires and inevitable pyromaniacs will give way to months and months of biblical rain. And with that rain will come the memories... a home perched on a hilltop becoming garbage nestled in a valley, an idiot falling into the L.A. River and trying unsuccessfully to crawl up its cement banks, another genius being lifted off the roof of his car by a helicopter in Encino, the cliffs above Pacific Coast Highway collapsing yet again and causing Malibu residents so much inconvenience, Bob Myer reassuring me that writing the second act of a Roseanne episode at two in the morning is more in my self-interest than trying to drive home and move my stuff to the second floor (but more likely becoming one of the knuckleheads standing on the roof of his car praying for a chopper). But I, as is my nature, whataya gonna do, I yam what I yam, digress. Eventually the rains will stop, the underbrush will grow, the drought will come, the drought will linger -- maybe for years, until the mountains and hillsides once again explode with "Live At Five", "Film at Eleven" hellfire, and thus continue the cycle of seasons of Southern California... if you don't count earthquakes and riots. And strikes. And award season. No insurance policy protects against the damage done by award season. Oops, I digressed again.
1st Aired: 24 November 2008
1st Aired: 8 December 2008
Recently the magazine Entertainment Weekly had an article entitled the "The 25 Smartest People in Television." Yours truly was ranked at number twenty. If the article is to be taken seriously, and God knows, why wouldn't any sensible person take it seriously, that means there are currently nineteen people in the TV biz who are smarter than me. Now I'm just thinking out loud here, but if something were to happen to those nineteen people... if say, they were to, one by one, have horrible accidents, or mysteriously disappear, then that would make me, ipso facto, the number one smartest person in television. Then I'd just have to keep an eye on number twenty-one. Christina Wayne, Senior VP of original programming at AMC, looks like the kind of woman who would stop at nothing to move up a spot.
1st Aired: 15 December 2008
(spoiler alert)
It's that time of the year when movie studios seeking Oscar nominations for their films start asking for my consideration. Every trade ad and mailing begins with the words, "For your consideration." It's kind of a Hollywood tradition. Anyway, this is what I've considered so far: Milk (a well-meaning gay guy is shot to death by a homophobe), Doubt (A really mean nun accuses a really terrific priest of being a pedophile), Revolutionary Road (a married couple fight a lot, cheat on each other, then the wife bleeds to death following a botched abortion), Slumdog Millionaire (incredibly poor kids subjected to unthinkable evil, but with a happy ending), Defiance (starving Jews fight Nazis in the woods), The Wrestler (a broken-down, over-the-hill wrestler on steroids has a tough life), Changeling (a woman's son is abducted and the police put her in an insane asylum), Gran Torino (a dying widower commits suicide to help his neighbor), Benjamin Button (a guy grows old in reverse and then dies), Rachel Getting Married (a drug addict kills her baby brother and then pisses off her family during a wedding), and The Reader (Nazi atrocities, under-age sex and illiteracy prove to be a lethal combo). So, what am I considering? Well, for a moment or two I actually considered hanging myself. But then I thought, if I do that, the movies win.
1st Aired: 12 January 2009
There's a funny moment in tonight's episode where Sheldon gets stuck on a rock-climbing wall and remarks, "What part of an inverse tangent function approaching an asymptote don't you understand?" I thought it'd be helpful to take a moment and examine that joke. A linear asymptote is essentially a straight line to which a graphed curve moves closer and closer but does not reach. In other words, given a function y=fn(x) with asymptote A, A represents a number that, no matter how big (or, given the function, small) you make x, y will never make it to A. The particular example Sheldon quotes is the inverse Tangent function, or Arctangent, which has two asymptotes. If you graph it, it sort of looks like a horizontal S:
Vanity Card 237
No matter how big you make x (that is, how far you move to the right), the function is never going to hit that top line (π/2), and no matter how small x gets (moving to the left), y is never going to be smaller than - π/2.
The more you know, the funnier it gets.
1st Aired: 19 January 2009
Live to see a highly educated, deeply thoughtful, articulate, cool, biracial President who is not overly crippled by childhood wounds and capable, in no particular order, of freeing the nation of its oil dependence, restoring its international standing, creating universal health care, resurrecting the economy, ending two wars, rebuilding the public education system, finally bringing about an end to the mindlessness of racism, encouraging science and technology, firmly addressing environmental issues and global warming, and uniting the nation - and the world - in a giant cultural, tipping point leap forward.
Meet super-intelligent aliens who disarm the entire planet, cure every disease and take us all for rides across the galaxy.
Play a round of par golf.
Trade solos with Eric Clapton.
Win an Emmy.
Get married, stay married.
One down, five to go.My golf is so much better since the Constitution was disregarded by the Villian in the white house.
1st Aired: 2 February 2009
A wise man once told me that we are all god in drag. I like that. Sometimes when I'm in a public place or sitting at a stop light, I'll watch people walking by and I'll silently say to myself, "He's god. She's god. He's god. She's god." Before long I always find myself feeling a warm sense of affinity for these strangers. The experience is even more powerful when I do this while observing a person who is clearly suffering. On occasion I'll test my little spiritual practice by turning on Fox News. Within minutes I become an atheist.
1st Aired: 9 Feb 2009
After writing and producing TV for twenty years, I have developed a survival mechanism I like to call "show biz peripheral vision." What this means is that I can set my attention on the work at hand and still be able to see what's going on around me. The huddled confabs, the whispered asides, the sideways glances, the roll of the eyes, the smirks of disdain, the sulking pouts, the exhalations of disgust, the looks of admiration (few and far between), and the endless variations of body language that reveal impatience, rejection, jealousy, and simple disbelief that I'm in charge and you're not. I see it all. And I don't comment. I just make note of it. Occasionally I will respond in a roundabout fashion that might make you think I'm clairvoyant. I am not. I am simply watching. Just thought you might like to know.
Carry on.
1st Aired: 2 March 2009
Trying to get a break as a song writer I find out where Harry Nilsson lives and bring him a box of reel-to-reel tapes of my original songs. He threatens to kill me if I ever come to his house again.
Not funny then, funny now.
While working at Marvel Animation I'm told I don't have what it takes to write for the Muppet Babies. Sadly, it's true.
Not funny then, funny now.
Write French Kissin' in the USA which is covered by Debbie Harry and released as the first single for her debut solo album. It effectively ends her solo career.
Not funny then, funny now.
Co-write theme song for new animated series called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The show is a massive international success. The music publisher tells my partner and I that we will not be paid music royalties for the millions of video games and video cassettes being sold. The reason we are given is that they'd rather not pay us.
Not funny then, still not funny.
1st Aired: 9 March 2009
More of
"Not Funny Then"
I decide getting on staff at Roseanne would be a great opportunity for me, even though every writer who had ever worked on the show had been fired. Four weeks into the job I deliver my first script and I'm almost fired.
Not funny then, funny now.
I create Grace Under Fire, realize what I'm in for and try to quit after pilot is picked up to series. I try to quit again during Christmas. A few weeks later the Northridge earthquake hits. During a large aftershock I drop to my knees and pray for the sound stage to collapse and kill me.
Not funny then, funny now.
I think developing a new series starring Cybill Shepherd is a swell idea. The show is an instant hit. Cybill wants me to fire Lee Aronsohn because he's a misogynist. She's not wrong, but I jokingly tell her, "Why do you care? You're not a woman." She fires us both. I get the call not to come back to work on Yom Kippur from a Carsey-Werner exec named Dirk Van De Bunt.
Not funny then, still not funny.
1st Aired: 16 March 2009
The quantum physics joke Penny tells the guys in tonight's episode was told to us by Nobel award-winning physicist, Dr. George Smoot. Penny tells it in about twenty seconds. Dr. Smoot's version probably took about three minutes, although it felt a lot longer. No one had the heart to tell him to get to the punch line, proving my hypothesis that in addition to time slowing down as you accelerate, it also grinds to a halt when you're being courteous to a genius.
Thanks for the joke, Doc!
1st Aired: 30 March 2009
I believe that Newton's first law of motion is the reason we will emerge from our current economic woes. That law states that an object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in
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Saturday, December 28, 2013
Genocide (1968)
Humans have a strange tendency to think that everything in nature is out to get us. Perhaps it is an artifact of eons past when we were the equivalent of fast food for most predators--not especially good, but easy to procure. Even now, we can hide our soft squishy selves behind barriers few predators can penetrate and still find ourselves terrified of the inevitable time that they do get through.
On a seemingly unconnected note, we also tend to fear conspiracy. This no doubt started in the early days of tribal societies, when it was easy to imagine (and probably, likely) that your compatriots were actually eager to work together against you and only wanted you to think they were helping you out. It's possible we fear conspiracies--both real and imagined--even more these days, so apparently we, as a species, have never actually reached the point where trust falls are advisable.
But worse than everything in nature wanting us dead for its own individual reasons, what if everything nature decided to conspire against us? What hope would we have if, one day, every living around us just decided it had had enough of our shit?
It's hardly necessary for every species to turn against us, though. All that it would really take is for just a handful of insect species to conspire against us. Humans are hopelessly outnumbered by insects and just think of the destruction insects cause when they're just going about their routine--and then imagine they decide to do it on purpose.
Kojima Island, in the Anan Archipelago, was uninhabited by humans for most of the twenty years since World War II ended. However, people have begun filtering back to the island chain it belongs to gradually but have not, as yet, taken Kojima back. Said humans include Joji (Yusuke Kawazu) and his wife Yukari (Emi Shindo). Yukari works for an adjacent island's hotel and bar, but Joji doesn't seem to have much of any occupation. He seems content to do whatever odd task can bring in some money, regardless of how moral such work might be.
That includes helping Annabelle (Kathy Moran), an insect enthusiast who recently arrived, to collect the various unique species of insect that have flourished on Kojima island in the absence of human interference. Of course, it's hard to collect insects when you're busy studying each other's anatomy. Joji seems to think he's being slick, but just about everybody on the islands knows about his affair with Annabelle--except for poor Yukari. Though she'll find out soon enough, as the hotel's proprietor insinuates what Joji and Annabelle are up to before attempting to force himself on Yukari.
If you think it's clear this film has a rather cynical view of humanity now, you better hold on tight.
Whilst sunning themselves on the rocks of Kojima's shore, Joji and Annabelle are in a prime position to witness a B-52 crash into the island, with only three of its crew bailing out in time. Of course, they weren't privy to several facts--one, is that the B-52 is carrying an H-Bomb; the second is that the plane didn't crash due to mere mechanical failure. Minutes earlier, the plane's black bombardier, Charly (Chico Roland), was overcome with Vietnam flashbacks after a bee appeared outside the plane's window. He opened the bomb bay doors and was seconds away from dropping the bomb when his crew mates overpowered him.
And the crew barely caught their breath before an enormous swarm of bees took out the B-52's engines, which is not something that usually happens at 30,000 feet.
Lt. Colonel Gordon (Ralph Jesser) is ordered to go to the islands to oversee Operation Broken Arrow--now there's a movie that could have been improved with the addition of insects trying to overthrow humanity--and he quickly proves himself to be the sort of hardass who doesn't need any encouragement to play Bad Cop. When Gordon finds Charly barely alive, scant feet from the cave where the other two survivors lie dead, covered with what appear to be wounds from insect stings--he naturally assumes foul play. And when Joji is reported trying to hock an Air Force watch that belonged to one of the hapless airmen, he becomes Gordon's chief suspect.
Yukari reaches out to Dr. Nagumo (Keisuke Sonoi), an entomologist in Tokyo that Joji also has been collecting specimens for. Nagumo is in the midst of testing the effects of the venom from a new species of Japanese hornet that Joji sent him on a Guinea pig when he receives the news of Joji's arrest. It doesn't end well for the Guinea pig, in case you were wondering. Nagumo knows Joji well enough to know the guy's a bit of an opportunistic schmuck, but definitely not a murderer so he is happy to come to the islands to help bail him out.
Nagumo finds himself involved in the investigation of the downed B-52, as well. He quickly ascertains that the airmen were killed by Kojima island's hornets, but the Air Force coroner insists it was blunt force trauma. When Nagumo goes to see the currently comatose Charly, he asks Dr. Junko Komuro (Reiko Hitomi) about Charly's condition when he was brought to the hospital. Komuro advises him that when she was treating him, he briefly regained consciousness long enough to say, "Insects!" over and over. This gets Nagumo even more curious about this mystery and he goes to see Annabelle, as she just so happens to be Joji's alibi.
Annabelle turns out to be a definite femme fatale, but she's also not one who sees any point in denying that she was with Joji when the supposed murders took place even though she has no real interest in testifying for him. She also muses with Nagumo about how fascinating the island is, one insect aficionado to another. Of course, Nagumo has a very optimistic view of humanity and Annabelle most certainly does not. In fact, when Nagumo suggests that the horrors of World War II need to be left in the past so humanity can move on, Annabelle disagrees on a highly visceral level. Of course, we shall find out soon enough that she has a very good reason to.
Charly wakes up screaming about insects when one of the island's hornets enters his hospital room, but Dr. Komuro drives it away and he calms down--except he doesn't understood why she calls him Charly. It seems he hit his head when fleeing whatever happened in the cave and has lost his memory. It all looks pretty bleak for Joji, so he is understandably upset instead of happy when Yukari announces to him that she is three months pregnant. Joji's outburst of self-pity causes Yukari to angrily chide him that insects have babies, too, and he should have listened to her when she told him not to go collecting insects. This may seem unrelated to the dilemma at hand, but naturally Yukari is being more prophetic than she realizes.
Gordon and Nagumo are both intensely interested in Charly regaining his memory, but while Nagumo wants to prove Joji's innocence Gordon just wants to know where the H-Bomb is. Gordon becomes instantly suspicious of Nagumo when the entomologist reveals that he knows what "Broken Arrow" is code for, but he agrees to let Nagumo help Charly regain his memory. Nagumo apparently thinks triggering Charly is the best way to do it, as he shows the poor amnesiac a reel of insects preying on each other. This does, however, allow Charly to flash back to when he and the other two airmen were ambushed in the cave by a swarm of bees or hornets. Charly escaped but then plunged off a cliff and was knocked out.
This doesn't prove a damn thing to Gordon. Charly was a known drug addict, who had turned to narcotics to try and self-medicate his PTSD. (Which begs the question of why he was still on duty, but never mind that) Clearly this was all a hallucination. Nagumo is convinced, however, and he and Dr. Komuro go to investigate the cave. Meanwhile, Gordon gets news that the plane was found--but the bomb is still missing. If that's not bad enough, after Nagumo and Komuro find a jar used for transporting insects inside the cave where the airmen, someone fires a shot at them and retreats. Perhaps Nagumo and Gordon are both right: it was insect.
Joji escapes from police custody as he is about to be transported to Tokyo to face trial and hides from the police in Annabelle's bed. He's going to wish he'd just been sent to Tokyo, as two armed thugs killed the MPs that were transporting Charly while Joji was playing hide the fugitive with Annabelle--and then said goons bring Charly to Annabelle's bungalow for questioning about what exactly the B-52 was carrying. Seems Joji's mistress is not just a misanthropic bug enthusiast after all. Annabelle decides that threatening Charly with a cigarette is not sufficient to get him to talk, so she puts him inside insect netting and releases the island's hornets into the netting. Faced with being stung by an insect whose venom will drive him mad before killing him, Charly reveals that the B-52 was carrying an H-Bomb.
Unfortunately for Charly, Annabelle doesn't actually give a shit about an H-Bomb. She reveals the number tattooed on her left breast to everyone in the room as a prelude to the explanation of what she's really after--I guess Joji either did not notice the tattoo before or didn't understand the significance of it, given that Annabelle is pretty damned Aryan in appearance, at least superficially. Yes, Annabelle and her family were sent to Auschwitz and only she survived. Having seen what humanity is capable of, she is determined to see that the species is wiped out and has been breeding Kojima's hornets with that goal in mind. So poor Charly will not be spared from her wrath.
It's actually rather a horribly believable touch that at no point does Annabelle realize that torturing and killing Charly--a black man and therefore a member of group not only innocent of any of the atrocities she endured but even less privileged and equally as persecuted--makes her just as awful as the Nazis who destroyed her family. Those who have known oppression and persecution have a tendency to gleefully oppress and persecute other even less privileged groups when they are given the opportunity. Just look at how gleefully Israel took to oppressing Palestinians and how they viciously they've taken to persecuting African immigrants who, essentially, are in the same position in Israeli society as the Jews were in Germany when Hitler first rose to power.
Now that I've used a killer insect movie to criticize Israel, let's get back to the movie: the goons let the now deranged Charly loose back on the nearby island with a gun and Charly proceeds to attempt to assault Yurika and Dr. Komuro. Gordon and Nagumo arrive just in time for Gordon to shoot Charly dead after he tears off Komuro's clothes. Nagumo notes that Charly has been stung repeatedly--and then the insects in the trees begin singing, "Genocide," over and over. Nagumo is momentarily puzzled by the meaning of the English word until Gordon advises it means, "The extermination of mankind."
That the insects are singing about exterminating humanity is alarming enough, but upon examining Charly's body Nagumo discovers that the insects who stung him also laid hundreds of eggs inside his flesh.* That would be bad enough, but the Air Force coroner informs Nagumo that the bodies of the other two airmen have already been shipped home. So not only does Kojima have a population of insects determined to eradicate us, now they're spreading.
[* This is a common trope in killer insect/arachnid films, but I don't find it too silly in this instance. After all, wasps and hornets are related, and wasps are the insect that is famous for having a life cycle that inspired that of the xenomorphs in Alien]
It can actually get worse, unfortunately. Nagumo deliberately allows a hornet to sting him, allowing the venom to work its hallucinatory effects before being injected with an antidote. The effects of the venom somehow allow Nagumo to tap into the hive mind intelligence of the insects and he discovers that it's not just the insects of Kojima that are in revolt against humanity. Insects all over the world have decided that they aren't going to sit back and let humanity wreck the biosphere with radioactive weapons. The attack on the B-52 was a preemptive strike and they are determined to wipe out humanity before we can destroy the world. Of course, if humanity continues on its current course, the insects are going to be too late to stop us.
1968 seems to have been a banner year for films whose central theme is, "Well, we're all fucked." Night of the Living Dead and Shochiku's (the studio that produced Genocide) own Goke, Body Snatcher From Hell are just two examples I can think of off the top of my head. I'm not entirely sure why 1968 was when all these films with bleak opinions on the future of mankind came out, but I'm sure I could easily speculate for a paragraph or two.
Genocide was released in the US under the slightly less depressing-sounding title, War of the Insects. This is technically an accurate title, except it implies something rather more overblown than this film. You may have gleaned from my plot description that this is a film largely built on low-key dread than out and out spectacle. It's no surprise that most people who go into the film claim it is boring. I think those people need to get off my damn lawn.
This is an almost relentlessly nihilistic film. The film is book-ended by nuclear explosions, which sums it up pretty well--and indeed the implication at the end is that it is far too late. Of the characters we meet, only Yukari, Dr. Nagumo, and Dr. Komuro come the closest to being decent human beings. (I can't judge Charly as the poor bastard is never really given a scene where he isn't unconscious or being driven mad) Joji, while he eventually does the right thing, is kind of a selfish prick--and most everyone else we meet are sort of the worst examples of humanity you can imagine.
That doesn't mean we spend the whole film waiting for these horrible people to become insect fodder, however. The story is low-key and rather deliberately paced, but I honestly cannot conceive of how so many people can find this boring. There is a genuine buildup to the reveal that the insects are going to kill us all and we are already too late to stop it. And as unconvincing as most of the effects for the swarms of bees/hornets (the film mainly uses bees, but their behavior suggests hornets) are, the attacks are realized through some tremendously brutal means. In between the poorly super-imposed animated dots or bee footage, there are insert shots of Japanese giant hornets biting human skin and twisting the flesh. It certainly appears to be actual human skin, and it is absolutely horrifying on a visceral level.
It's also fascinating the way this film seems to be well ahead of its time. The idea of nature rising up against humanity for its sins was not a truly new idea, certainly this film owes at least a little of its genesis to The Birds, but the "nature strikes back" genre wouldn't truly take off until the early-to-mid 1970s. And it's astounding how many similarities to Irwin Allen's The Swarm are present in the film. You have the skeptical US military being called in after a swarm of bees takes out a crucial asset, and even a character testing out the effects of the bee venom on himself to see if his antidote works and experiencing a vivid hallucination. (Although, in this case the antidote does work)
The film is hardly perfect, though. For one thing, it can't quite decide if it wants to be a story about insects rising up against mankind, or a mad scientist breeding killer insects to destroy the world--so it goes for both. We have early hints that the insects are turning against us--a background news report on the radio about locusts destroying crops in India out of season, for instance--plus the scene where Nagumo channels the insect hive mind and is told that they are rising up against us to stop nuclear annihilation, yet the film also wants us to see this as all a result of Annabelle's tampering in God's domain. It doesn't quite mesh.
That said, this is an unfairly overlooked film and I am so happy that Criterion's Eclipse series gave me the chance to see it. I was especially inclined to like the film after the sequence of the insects (Cicadas? Crickets?) in the trees singing "Genocide"--I love little atmospheric touches like that.
This review is part of the TEOTWAWKI roundtable; for the end of 2013 we're reviewing movies about the end of the world and for the beginning of 2014 we'll be taking a look at what happens after that. The links below are for reviews from other participants. Check 'em out; they're good people and they write well about movies.
Checkpoint Telstar -- Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World
Cinemasochist Apocalypse -- Phase IV
Micro-Brewed Reviews -- Invisible Invaders
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
The Last Dinosaur (1977)
Dinosaurs are awesome. Every kid knows this, though a lot of adults forget for some reason. Dinosaurs are so awesome that we, as a species, cannot seem to accept that something so awesome could cease to exist. Surely our world is big enough that somewhere, somehow, the dinosaurs have just been waiting for us to find them again.
That possibility gets more and more unlikely as fewer unexplored sections of our planet remain. Sure, there are claims of plesiosaurs (not actually dinosaurs, of course) in lakes that cannot possibly hide such creatures but we all know that that is bunk. And it is highly unlikely that Tyrannosaurus Rex is chilling out at the bottom of the Marianas Trench.
Yet, we still hold out hope for some lost world somewhere. A place where species that were actually separated by millions of years coexist with each other because fuck scientific reality. We want to see T-Rex fighting a Stegosaurus before chowing down on a Mastodon with our own eyes!
Enter Rankin and Bass, the same folks who informed our childhoods with the stop-motion Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer special and gave us a mostly faithful adaptation of The Hobbit that didn't require nine hours to tell. In 1967 they had co-produced Toho's King Kong Escapes--which one could easily argue is the best remake of King Kong ever produced and technically be correct--so they were no strangers to helping to foot the bill for a Japanese special effects epic with some white faces in the cast so white Americans wouldn't have to strain themselves by caring about the fate of somebody outside their ethnic group.
So ten years later, they co-produced today's feature. For The Last Dinosaur they skipped Toho and went straight to Tsuburaya Productions. Eiji Tsuburaya, the special effects wizard who gave us Godzilla, had founded the company with his family and Tsuburaya Productions gave the world the marvelous Ultra Q and the insanely popular Ultraman. They knew their stuff, but you might not know it if you watched this film. Perhaps the fact that Rankin/Bass intended this to be a TV movie meant that it was granted a much lower budget, but there is a reason this is film is not remembered for its effects--except possibly in an ironic capacity.
Masten Thrust (Richard Boone! Who will always be Smaug in my head, despite having not seen The Hobbit until I was well into my twenties) is an aging billionaire, captain of industry, and great white hunter. Decades ago he was the ideal specimen of man, but in 1977 he's a a relic of a bygone era. You might even say that he's a dinosaur, and the last one.
Look, the movie wants you to say this. They even just sang you a whole terrible song about it under the opening credits.
Well, Masten (I am not calling him Thrust the whole damn review) might yet have a chance at relevance. Ironically, it comes not from the futuristic Polar Borer that Masten has funded to explore the Arctic for new sources of oil but from something the Borer found that's even more antiquated than Masten.
The first Polar Borer expedition discovered a bizarre, almost tropical oasis inside the Arctic ice--possibly created by a volcanic crater. Of course, we only know about this because geologist Chuck Wade (Steven Keats) stayed with the Borer while the other four members went ashore--and were promptly eaten by a live Tyrannosaurus Rex. So, Masten holds a press conference to bellow incoherently at reporters. Oh, and to announce that he is dragging Chuck back to the prehistoric oasis to study the T-Rex in its natural habitat, along with a Masai tracker named Bunta (Luther Rackley), unspecified scientist Dr. Kawamoto (Tetsu Nakamura), and a reporter to be selected by the journalists present.
The selected volunteer from the press pool ends up being Frankie Banks (Joan Van Ark!), but Masten naturally refuses to take a woman along. As we know from earlier scenes, Masten sees women as nothing but sex objects. So Frankie successfully convinces him that she is fully capable by...having sex with him. I'm not sure how this convinces him, but it does.
And the Polar Borer is off. Their arrival in the lost world is a lot less hostile than the first expedition. They see a couple Pteranodons that are slightly more convincing than the Pterodactyls from The Land That Time Forgot (but only slightly)...and then they encounter the first of the film's goofy monster suits, a charging Uintatherium--a type of prehistoric rhinoceros with formidable tusks. Chuck, hilariously, identifies it as being "one of the cerapapsians," which is A) not a word and B) clearly a mangling of "ceratopsian", which the creature most certainly is not. Whatever it is, it is going somewhere in a damned hurry. Everyone wisely gives it a wide berth, except for Frankie. In fact, she clearly would have been run over by the beast as she stood dumbly photographing it if Masten hadn't tackled her out of the way.
Having encountered verifiable proof of prehistoric life, the expedition makes camp. Then Dr. Kawamoto stays behind as the others go looking for the T-Rex. When Bunta climbs a tree to get a better view of their surroundings, we discover that Tyrannosaurs mastered stealth technology millions of years ago--for the Rex gets right up next to the tree before Bunta realizes it's even there.
Our star, ladies and gents.
The T-Rex is a guy in a suit, as you no doubt guessed. As theropod dinosaur suits go, this fellow is no Gorosaurus but I'd have to rank it a bit higher than the T-Rex suit in The Land Unknown as it at least doesn't look so immediately pathetic and weirdly proportioned. It also uses a roar that is a combination of Godzilla's and King Caesar's. It's definitely a goofy suit, but it actually has a sense of personality, which is always important in a movie dinosaur. Unfortunately, that personality is largely "bumbling oaf".
The Rex fails to eat Bunta, despite him being within easy grabbing distance. As the others prepare to flee, Masten immediately breaks his promise and attempts to shoot the T-Rex dead. However, his first shot does nothing and then his rifle jams. Bunta drives the Rex off with a spear to the chest and Chuck and Frankie instantly set on Masten for just being after yet another trophy. Masten asserts that the dinosaur has already killed four people and would have killed them, too, but nobody is much swayed by that argument.
Unfortunately, poor Dr. Kawamoto is one of two minority characters on the expedition, so the Rex successfully sneaks up on him and then apparently stomps him dead before eating him and wrecking the camp. (Maybe the T-Rex from Jurassic Park studied with this Rex before playing deus ex machina) The Rex then wades into the lake the expedition came up in and carries the Polar Borer off in its mouth. Which is pretty impressive, given the Borer somehow held five people and this is supposed to be an ordinary Rex and not an extra large specimen. You wouldn't know that based on the scale of the suit and miniatures, but the dialogue insists it is so.
The Rex takes the Borer to its larder, and then attempts to bury it. This manages to awaken the Triceratops that has been hibernating inside the rock wall of the Rex's lair (?!) and thus initiates the sorriest attempt at a theropod vs. ceratopsian fight ever put to film. For one thing, the Triceratops is two guys in a suit doing the old "horse" routine and its huge head is almost always off-balance. For another, it is horribly choreographed. The first thing the Triceratops does is impale the Rex through the belly, and yet the Rex shrugs this mortal wound off and ends up killing its opponent.
Ironically, this same, "nu-uh, I'm the awesome one so I win" attitude saw the Spinosaurus defeat a T-Rex in Jurassic Park 3, despite the Rex's first move being to chomp on the Spinosaur's fragile neck with its insanely powerful jaws.
The surviving members of the expedition come back to find their camp destroyed, which just encourages Masten to persist in trying to eradicate the beast in revenge. Chuck and Frankie just want to leave, but when they discover the Borer is gone--presumably sunk by the Rex, which is a lot more logical than the truth--they realize they have no choice but to play along with Masten's power trip. Unfortunately, the Rex is not their only enemy--for a tribe of cavemen have been watching the group and they do not stay in the shadows for long.
The Last Dinosaur is not a very good movie. Certainly, it has nothing on King Kong Escapes, However, I find myself immensely fond of it nonetheless. Some of that is because I have vivid memories of seeing a sequence of it on one of those video preview screens they used to have in Walmart stores to advertise the various VHS tapes they had for sale.The T-Rex seemed awesome to me as a lad, but I never was able to get the VHS and didn't even see the film until years later when I caught it during a marathon of dinosaur-type movies hosted by Marc Singer that also allowed to finally see At The Earth's Core, The People That Time Forgot, and a broadcast-TV-approved cut of Beastmaster.
So there is a tiny bit of nostalgia attached to the film that allows me to somewhat overlook the fact that it is a poorly written film and a poorly structured one. We came to this movie to watch dinosaurs, damn it, not a weird love triangle developing between Masten, Frankie, and Chuck (Bunta is black and doesn't speak a word, so clearly he's not even a momentary romantic possibility for Frankie) while they squabble with a bunch of Japanese actors in caveman costumes. (Admittedly, this is actually a nice shift from cavemen in movies always being European in appearance)
Meanwhile, after the Triceratops fight the T-Rex only shows up twice more: once to menace Frankie and be humiliated when the others tie a boulder to his tail; the second to eat Bunta (oh, like you're shocked) and then fail to be killed by Masten's homemade catapult before attempting to stomp Masten and Frankie, then get bored and leave. The latter sequence was, incidentally, how I first learned the movie existed.
So, for a dinosaur movie it doesn't deliver all that well on the dinosaurs. Certainly, there are worse examples (ahem), but the dinosaurs in this film are rather sparse and their execution is hilariously lackluster. Even if you've never seen the film itself, you've probably seen the sequence where Masten attempts to kill the beast with a catapult. In slow-motion, the rock collides with the Rex's skull--which promptly indents and then pops back out. In slow-motion, in case I didn't stress that enough.
This is a silly little film. It's not very good and its special effects lean heavily towards the special. (Bad as the dinosaur suits are, the miniatures and optical effects are even worse) However, that kind of adds to its charm. I highly recommend it to fans of b-movies and those with a soft spot for dinosaurs. Though, the non-dinosaur sections will definitely wear on the patience of any child who watches this, dinosaur enthusiast or not.
Admittedly, my main reason for choosing to review this film today is that I definitely have not reviewed enough dinosaur films on this site--especially given I named it after a dinosaur--and given that this is a Rankin/Bass film that takes place at the North Pole, I feel it qualifies as a Christmas movie.
Certainly, Santa Claus: The Movie would have been so much better had it ended with this T-Rex devouring John Lithgow.
Sunday, December 22, 2013
The Beast Within (1982)
I love werewolves. I'm not sure why, exactly. Maybe it's because wolves are among my favorite animals--I always hated how they were the villains of most fairy tales as a child--or maybe it's because I find the ability to ability to change into something less mundane than a human being very appealing.
And yes, I realize most werewolves don't have a choice in the matter because it's a curse they can't control. You take the bad with the good, I say.
At any rate, werewolves are near the top of my list of favorite monsters--or would be, if I had an actual list--and like just killer crocodilians I am inevitably drawn towards films about them. Unfortunately, as with movies about killer crocodilians, most werewolf movies are terrible.
However, another awesome aspect of werewolves is that you can still basically tell a werewolf story without it actually being about a man who turns into a wolf. Any basic shapeshifter can follow the werewolf template.
And sometimes that means you get a were-cicada. Sort of.
The town of Nioba, Mississippi has a terrible secret. Unfortunately, newlyweds Caroline (Bibi Besch!) and Eli MacCleary (Ronny Cox!) don't have any inkling of that as they pass through it on their honeymoon in 1964. So when they get a flat tire just outside of Nioba, Eli thinks nothing of leaving Caroline alone in the car with their dog while he hikes back to get a tow.
Unknown to either of the MacCreary's, someone or something in a farmhouse cellar has just broken free of his chains. The cellar dweller quickly makes its way through the woods to the wrecked car. It promptly kills the dog--as is required by the monsters' union--and chases Caroline until she knocks herself out on a tree. Her barely glimpsed assailant then rapes her and departs, leaving her limp form to be discovered by Eli when he returns with the tow truck. As they leave the scene, two gunshots ring out--so presumably the fiend that raped Caroline has been dealt with.
Seventeen years later, Caroline and Eli have put the horror of that night far behind them--except that now their son, Michael (Paul Clemens), is sick and no doctor in Mississippi can figure out what is wrong with him. So Caroline forces Eli to face the truth--Michael may not be Eli's son, biologically. The only thing to do is to leave Michael in the hospital's care and go to Nioba to see what they can find out.
The town is somewhat less than helpful. Judge Curwin (Don Gordon) acts as if he's never even heard of a rape before when Eli meets with him. Edwin Curwin (Logan Ramsey!) at the newspaper office takes a lot of convincing to let Caroline glance at the old papers, and when she takes a newspaper front page discussing the murder of one Lionel Curwin in 1964, Edwin and the Judge have a secret meeting about how bad this is.
When Caroline and Eli meet with Sheriff Pool (L.Q. Jones) and Deputy Herbert (Meschach Taylor!), they find the Sheriff is quite a bit more helpful--but then he's relatively new, since he took over when the old Sheriff died in 1969. He tells them that Lionel Curwin wasn't just murdered--he was torn apart and partially eaten before his home was burned down. Worse, the culprit was never found.
Michael, as it turns out, may have some insight on that. He has been hearing a voice in his head and seeing visions of himself inside an old farmhouse and trying desperately to keep the trapdoor to the cellar closed as something tries to get out. Michael wakes from his latest vision and escapes the hospital in a car (no doubt stolen) and makes his way to Nioba. Once there, he finds the farmhouse and investigates the basement...
...Michael then finds himself at the house of Edwin Curwin. Edwin makes small talk with Michael after inviting him in for hamburgers, thinking him a grocery delivery boy. Well, until the sound of an oscillating synthesizer effect--er, I mean "cicadas buzzing"--gets Edwin's attention. And then Michael seems to undergo a subtle transformation and tears Edwin's throat out with his teeth.
Michael stumbles away from the scene with surprisingly no blood on himself and finds himself at the home of Amanda Platt (Katherine "Kitty" Moffat), whereupon he collapses and is taken to the office of Doc Shoonmaker (R.G. Armstrong!). Michael s
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dclm-dedup-25B-ai-scifi-docs | https://aquasportperformance.com/sea-doo-4tec-billet-aluminum-160-f-high-flow-fail-safe-thermostat/
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Sea-Doo 4TEC Billet Aluminum 160°F High Flow Fail-Safe Thermostat
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Product Overview
New design 7/8" neck with high flow fail-safe thermostat
Each end is made from one piece, precision CNC machined, T6-6061 aluminum, finished in a black anodized coating for superior corrosion resistance. Thermostat is a fail-safe type, engages at 160°F. Includes stainless steel bolts and two o-rings for a long lasting seal. Made in the United States.
Fail-safe ensures that when overheating occurs, fail-safe automatically locks in the open position to permit maximum coolant flow.
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dclm-dedup-25B-ai-scifi-docs | https://englishvision.me/category/idiom-meaning/page/2/
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meaning of ‘do someone cold’
“One move, lights out. I’ll do you cold.” It’s a dialogue between a criminal and a victim. (from TV series) I do understand ‘one move, lights out’ It means ‘if you move, I will kill you’, right? But what does ‘I’ll do you cold.’ mean? I can’t find it on dictionary or Google. Help me! … Read more
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The skin of animals like cows, buffaloes, goats, crocodiles, snakes and camels are treated and used as leather to make belts, shoes, bags and purses etc. Can you please explain the meaning of treated in above sentence? I saw this sentence in my book chapter. Answer “Treated” means processed in this context, here’s a relevant … Read more
What does “has been described in other work” mean in this sentence?
I’m currently reading a book about chemistry. Here is a sentence that I faced and didn’t understand: This procedure has been described in other work from our laboratory I don’t get what it means by “describe in other work”! The only thing came to my mind was that it was probably “in other words” and … Read more
‘I’m in favour of ___’ vs. ‘I’m for ___’
Is ‘I’m in favour of’ considered more formal than ‘I’m for’, or are they interchangeable? I want to say something like, ‘Sometimes people abandon their logic /in favour of/ false hope’, but can’t help but feel that using ‘for’ would make the sentence more succinct. Answer As in: Sometimes, people abandon their logic for false … Read more
She had to go there vs She had to have gone there
I understand the grammar here (past infinitive in latter) but I do not understand what is the difference in meaning. Both seem to express the same, with the latter putting (in my opinion) more emphasis on the past aspect. But it does not help me.. Answer The difference in tense means that the element of … Read more
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I first encountered the term “agenda-driven” in description of cat breed’s temperaments. While I sense the meaning, being non-native speaker makes it hard to understand term “agenda-driven” in various contexts. I see this term used more and more often. No dictionaries are defining it. I mentioned the cat’s context only to show how widespread and … Read more
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I saw this from a movie. Put up some baffling. What is the meaning of this? I know that baffling means something that close to confusing. But here I don’t get the meaning. EDIT: If I take an excerpt, This phrase is from Avengers, age of Ultron: Reroute everything. We get one shot at this. … Read more
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dclm-dedup-25B-ai-scifi-docs | https://www.golfaustralia.com.au/news/mizuno-unveils-new-st-series-woods-560146
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Mizuno’s new ST Series drivers represent the culmination of the Japanese company’s three-year, rapid-fire driver development project. Preceded by the highly acclaimed ST190 and ST200, Mizuno's first drivers widely played by its global Tour staff, the new ST-Z and ST-X further deploy Mizuno's new sSAT2041 Beta Tis face and complex carbon construction to deliver both potent ball speeds and a dense, satisfying sensation at impact.
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ST-Z Driver
"The ST-Z's predecessor the ST200 had a reputation for being a straight-line bomber favoured by our longer hitting Tour players, and the ST-Z profile is no different,” Voshall said. “But with a year's extra experience of engineering Forged Beta SAT2041 Ti we were able to release a little extra ball speed and a much more satisfying experience off the clubface."
A balanced use of carbon composite on the sole and a deep central sole weight are biased towards a straight-line flight and low spin efficiency. The ST-Z driver has a wide, low footprint, with a neutral visual lie angle and comes with 4˚ of quick switch adjustability to fine-tune look and trajectory.
ST-X Driver
"In testing, a lot of our tour players preferred the ST-X over the ST-Z for its deeper shape and slightly smaller profile,” Voshall siad. “I'd recommend starting with an open mind and dropping the ST-X alongside the ST-Z in the address position. For a draw bias driver, it's not going to be what most players expect."
ST-Z Fairway Woods
Mizuno's third generation ‘MAS1C’ face is Mizuno's most powerful to date. The ST-Z fairway woods provide a balanced package of low spin performance and stability, not common in most fairway woods. Both 3 and 5 woods have an adjustable, quick switch, hosel offering 4˚ of loft and face angle adjustability.
The ultra-lightweight carbon crown lowers the CG for better spin vs MOI performance, while re-engineered ‘WAVE Technology’ delivers a compact wave design that lowers the mass
"The fairway wood might be the least regularly changed club in any bag so we spent a lot of time looking at older models that our Tour players had hung onto over the years,” Voshall said. “It ended with a lot of really subtle touches on the ST-Z, like leading edge and transition into the hosel. There's a lot to like at address."
RRP: $799 (drivers); $499 (fairways).
For more information, visit www.mizunogolf.com
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<urn:uuid:110b4c81-fc8b-4190-9418-264137b7458f>
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dclm-dedup-25B-ai-scifi-docs | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22037242&goto=news
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The Status of HTTP/3 (infoq.com)
159 points by feross 8 months ago | hide | past | favorite | 120 comments
This article omits that Caddy has had long-running experimental support for HTTP/3 for a couple of years now: https://caddyserver.com/docs/json/apps/http/servers/experime...
Caddy's strange official binary licencing did them no favours. The licensing makes more sense now but they are off people's radar.
This might change with Caddy 2.0.
It changed months ago. It's all Apache licensed.
I think they meant that it'll be back on people's radars once there is a big release.
One thing that drives me off from Caddy is that many features don't compose with each other well. I understand this might be a sacrifice for a simpler user interface, but the composition of declarative-style configurations is always a mess compared to imperative ones like nginx.conf
Thanks for the feedback.
(To clarify, nginx's config is also declarative... well, mostly: they got in trouble for mixing declarative and imperative [1].)
You'd be surprised what we've been able to accomplish with upgrades to Caddy's configuration in Caddy 2. Its config is technically declarative, but the underlying JSON structure [2] implies a procedural flow, enabling you to compose certain behaviors that almost feels imperative. When Caddy 2 release candidates go out in a couple months, try it out with both the Caddyfile (soon to be majorly improved in beta 13) and the underlying JSON and you'll see what I mean.
Oh, but if you want to still use your nginx config, go ahead (WIP) [3]. :)
[1]: https://www.nginx.com/resources/wiki/start/topics/depth/ifis...
[2]: https://caddyserver.com/docs/json/
[3]: https://github.com/caddyserver/nginx-adapter
Thank you for the quick reply! Currently our routing needs lots of flexibility, and we are wondering if it's possible to have something similar to OpenResty-style [0] config where builtin directives are Lua functions, and users can handle requests by dispatching them in Lua with a function call.
[0]: https://openresty.org/en/
We have a handler-scripting solution in the works that may be about 2x faster than nginx+Lua (from initial early benchmarks). Can you file an issue to request specifically what you need? https://github.com/caddyserver/caddy/issues/new
I created a container image of Discourse using nginx with the cloudflare patch to enable HTTP/3[1] and for some reason the same config that works fine in HTTP/2 loses the content-type header on Google Chrome. It works just fine in Firefox...
1. https://github.com/cloudflare/quiche/tree/master/extras/ngin...
Because QIC is UDP based, Chrome first runs a race with TCP just in case you're sitting behind some device that blocks UDP.
I wonder how much bandwidth this will waste globally.
Most global bandwidth is from video streaming, so most of the data isn't in the first couple packets.
So the number would probably be surprisingly large but also a very small fraction of overall traffic.
I wonder if Happy Eyeballs means that there are 4 races in total for systems under dual-stack...
Or, a more interesting measure: how much more full will all our NAT connection-state tables be because of this?
> I wonder how much bandwidth this will waste globally.
One or two packets? A handful of bytes per initial connection. The Connection ID mechanism and QPACK are likely to save a lot more data than is lost on initial TCP races.
I could have worded it better. I understand it's small in any single area.
Just interesting to contemplate the total effect when you have a userbase like Chrome's.
Or how many "visitor" statistics will it flaw ?
Isn't that like any device behind NAT?
No. Most NATs handle UDP sessions trivially as long as one end of the connection is not behind a NAT itself. Tricks like UDP hole punching are necessary only between two endpoints that are both behind NATs.
And assuming the protocol can cope with changing source ports. I’ve seem some udp protocols that only work if the source port is not translated.
Most NAT still allows UDP hole-punching (STUN/TURN/ICE) unless specifically blocked (which a depressing number still do).
Yes. NAT, firewalls with admins that don't know what QUIC is, various corporate MITM boxes, etc.
Facebook has also open sourced implementation of HTTP3 (https://github.com/facebook/proxygen#quic-and-http3) and IEFT QUIC (https://github.com/facebookincubator/mvfst).
> with almost 300,000 services using it across the world
The Shodan search given scans headers for all requests. So the vast majority of results are sites using Google Fonts, Maps, etc.
According to W3Techs, 2.4% of the top 10m sites and 7.1% of the top 1k sites support HTTP/3: https://w3techs.com/technologies/breakdown/ce-http3/ranking
I hate to be a curmudgeon, but I can't help but think that designing a new service over UDP isn't the best idea. DNS has been fighting off wave after wave of attack vectors, some that realistically cannot even be fixed. Making it immune to these vectors is going to look a lot like a slapped together TCP over UDP...
Unlikely, since TCP + TLS implemented over UDP is a better description of QUIC.
Neither TCP nor UDP were designed when you had to assume the internet to be a battle ground which pitted hackers, police forces, nation states against each other, and you. In such an environment it's not at all surprising to hear Comcast was attacking their own customers using bit torrent or competing video streaming by sending them fake TCP RESETS.
But TLS on the other hand - that's exactly the environment TLS is designed for. They are not going to find it so each to screw with QUIC, because TLS is baked into its DNA.
It is slapped together TCP over UDP. They would rather have made it over IP but protocol ossification has made that impossible.
Don't think of it being UDP as anything more than "it happens to go through existing infrastructure without any or much work"
It's fun to see how we kind of reinvented goold old DNS as soon as we use HTTP/3 for DoH. It runs on UDP, but with HTTP in between (and encrypted, of course). We could have done that with DNS itself, but somehow this never gained traction.
The difference DoH started with something nearly every network was guaranteed to have allowed: HTTPS traffic on TCP 443. Trying to wait for every network to allow DNS on 31218 or whatever wouldn't have worked. Even with a massive amount of the web guaranteed to move to HTTP/3 there will be places that still don't allow UDP 443 five years from now.
If ever something seems dumb in network protocol design the answer probably lies with ossification. Hopefully the design of HTTP/3 ends that.
You don't need to wait. Just offer your service on that port and you are done. Why build protocols with shitty networks or shitty admins in mind?
You can use most ports just fine. Multiplayer games show this every day. If those don't work in corporate networks (I include "public" wlan in this) that's fine too. It's not up to you what should be allowed or not in a company setting. ISPs don't block ports just for fun.
And if you are big enough like Google or Facebook, just offer a service only on that port. If it doesn't work, show a warning that the customer should complain to the network owner.
It is basically TCP 2.0 implemented on top of UDP. What concerns do you have with this?
Well, I have a lot, but I don't want this to turn into a dissertation about why I don't like UDP for most things.
The biggest red flag to me is that it is trivial to make the server send sizable packets to clients who didn't ask for them nor want them. Spoofing is not a solved problem, no matter how many times people scream at providers to block it before it gets out. Why isn't there a minimal ACK process up front? I mean, this thing is designed such that it's vulnerable to reflection attacks on -day 1-.
UDP is a 4-page RFC that is pretty much a definition of IP with ports. You can easily imagine TCP as a bunch of algorithms on top of UDP. Knowing that I’m not sure what you don’t like about UDP?
Amplification attacks and spoofing are taken care of by QUIC, so these are not problems at the moment.
That's a little unfair. When someone tells you something relies on UDP, nobody in their right mind assumes that this person implemented TCP features on top. UDP is simple and quick, and the assumption is that there was a reason they chose that route.
AFAICT, QUIC loosely defines a way to do client address validation, but it isn't required! It's worded as 'CAN' and 'MAY' in places, and places outside the spec basically hint that 'oh no! it adds another round trip'. This makes it feel totally bolted on. Why wasn't it required up front? If someone came up to me with this idea of QUIC, the -first- thing I'd tell them is to solve this problem definitively first. The idea seems sound to me, but not if you let everyone turn it off...
AFAIK it's rather common in multiplayer games to do TCP-like features over UDP, as they usually need the UDP features but also need reliable transport for some data, and it's rather tricky to do both UDP and TCP at the same time.
See for example https://fabiensanglard.net/quakeSource/quakeSourceNetWork.ph... or https://gafferongames.com/post/reliability_ordering_and_cong...
Isn’t the DNS issue unrelated to the protocol of UDP vs TCP but rather how DNS service communicate with each other... triggers an amplification of one request into 100s or maybe 1000s... not really a tcp vs udp issue?
There's two issues at play there. What you're talking about is called amplification. That means you get responses far larger than the query. So you send a small query for say, TXT, and the server may reply with KBs of TXT records.
However, that isn't useful by itself. Where it's useful is for attacking a third party. To do this, you spoof the source IP of your query to be the IP of the victim. This is called reflection. See, in TCP, every connection starts with a tiny three way handshake. So if you spoof the IP, the target would just get an unknown SYNACK which is tiny. It wouldn't respond, and nothing further happens. In UDP, there is no such handshake. So the target gets the entire response.
So in short, DNS amplification attacks are only useful with reflection, which doesn't work over TCP.
QUIC addresses this, like TCP it's a connection based protocol. It's just implemented in user space on top of UDP. The server response is required to be smaller than the client hello.
QUIC has address validation, basically if you talk back and forth with a remote party you can get yourself a token which proves you're on path (you might really be we can't tell, but we can tell you can intercept packets for because you received this token we sent there, maybe you're an adversary at their ISP) and you can use that token in future to prove you're still on path for, which an off-path attacker wouldn't be able to do because they can't get that token.
So this lets you prevent amplification. If somebody asks a question with a long answer, but doesn't provide the token to prove they're on path, you make them go around again first, a legitimate user sees one round trip wasted to get a token but attacks don't work..
I was specifically answering the user's question regarding DNS attacks.
Address validation in QUIC is optional, per the RFC.
Too bad no major internet company wants to implement a new version of TCP. We can’t even get IPv6 done after 15 years.
It's a common misconception that routers handle TCP. They strictly handle only the IP headers (and lower-level headers).
The TCP protocol is implemented only by endpoints, at least in principle.
It's the "security appliances", also known as "middleboxes" that are the problem. Think web proxies, antimalware scanners, firewalls, and inline IDS systems.
These things are the bane of the Internet, because they ossify protocols, blocking any further development.
Although what a consumer considers a "router" is actually a middlebox doing a bunch of things and does care. (CG-NAT in provider networks is probably another example of a common problematic middlebox)
“A new version of TCP” is pretty much what QUIC (basis of HTTP/3) is. It’s just tunneled over UDP because existing Internet infrastructure likes to drop anything that’s not TCP or UDP.
That's the problem being cited. The best option is to do a real update of TCP at layer 4, but nobody wants to put in the work and investment to do so.
Depends what you mean by "real". You may know this already, but the only difference between UDP and raw IP is the UDP header, consisting of 4 fields in 8 bytes: source port, destination port, length, and checksum. That's it; there's no other protocol overhead. Thus, from a pure technical perspective there would be basically no advantage to running QUIC directly over IP instead of over UDP. The only advantage is from a human perspective, that it's a little more elegant to put QUIC on the same layer as TCP.
In exchange... among other things, it would break all existing NAT implementations, since NAT is based on port numbers and existing devices wouldn't know where to find the port number in the new protocol. So everyone behind a home router would be unable to use the new protocol until they upgraded their router firmware – which of course most 'normal people' never do, so realistically you're waiting years until they get a new router.
Not only is that a gigantic practical disadvantage, it also feels rather inelegant itself. After all, routers shouldn't need to know the details of the transport protocol just to route packets. If it weren't for NAT they wouldn't have to, which is probably why port numbers aren't part of IP itself. NAT sucks. But NAT isn't going away; even on IPv6 some people insist on using it. By tunneling QUIC inside UDP, we at least regain the elegance of separating what routers need to know (IP + UDP) from the real "transport protocol" (QUIC).
Except we already have those layer 4 replacements (i.e. SCTP covers a lot of the same ground), and they've never managed to get out of the niches they are in. How would you suggest "a major internet company" motivate their support better?
implementing a new version of TCP would be nearly impossible because of all the equipment out in the field already.
Changing transport protocol is far harder then changing IP protocol or layer 2 medium.
Why doesn't the IP protocol require new hardware if it's a lower layer?
It is about the same. It is called TCP/IP for a reason. Although there are more devices that deal with TCP/IP together than just IP alone. Either way it ain't going to happen.
IP doesn't require new hardware because it's a lower layer.
Transmission Control Protocol - TCP - is baked into the firmware of every client network interface card, and I would suppose in almost all of the switches and routers of business infrastructure.
I have no idea what data centers use. Infiniband and similar things aren't TCP, I think.
Infiniband is a lower level than TCP. Infiniband is often used as a replacement for ethernet in a supercomputing cluster.
If you wish you can run IP over Infiniband (IPoIB) but I think most people using Infiniband are running a lower latency protocol like RDMA
Is IP not handled by network devices and firmware? If it's just software then why don't we have IPv6 everywhere already?
Jiggawatts' comment [0] reminds me that transit routers don't do transmission control.
[0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22040780
I enjoy discovering my misconceptions on this topic, as I am no longer building computer networks. Mostly harmless.
Totally agree with you. Many big corporations totally block UDP at ISP level because there is no easy/magic solutions against amplified DDoS. They usually use some internal backend for DNS, Ntp, routed through other ISP.
I am afraid that businesses that will host HTTP/3 will be less secure in terms of availavility.
Presumably most HTTP/3 implementations will gracefully fall back to HTTP/2 (or 1.1) if UDP is filtered. Chrome's existing QUIC implementation already does this.
Every Google property has had QUIC enabled for quite a while now (at least 4-5 years), so if UDP blocking would cause availability issues, affected businesses would've noticed by now.
In 2017 Google reported that "4.4% of clients are unable to use QUIC". See sec. 7.2 of https://static.googleusercontent.com/media/research.google.c....
Sure, but that doesn't mean those clients are unable to connect to QUIC-enabled domains. Chrome detects that the UDP packets are being lost, disables QUIC, and falls back to HTTP/2.
Many corporations also block SMTP and inbound host ports... doesn't mean the protocol is bad. Hell, many corporations install horrible proxy servers and require all outbound connections go through that proxy.
The fact that many corps block UDP doesn't have anything to do with the necessity of QUIC. QUIC is on top of UDP because we tried with SCTP, but is never coming.
For people who have reasonably configured UDP, it offers a benefit; the fact that some people have broken UDP is neither here nor there. HTTP/2 continues to be an option for TCP-only networks.
They tried with SCTP and DCCP.
curmudgeon (noun): a bad-tempered person, especially an old one.
Forget the narrow waist of the internet; this is the spaghetti ball of the internet.
It violates all of the encapsulation and decoupling principles you learned about as a CS undergrad.
If you have a better transport layer, fine. Make a better transport layer. But rolling the whole thing is the best way to ensure nothing will ever get done.
HTTP/3 is the new IPv6.
I mean, it's not like encapsulation and decoupling ever worked with the networking stack. For example, let's pause a minute and think about which layer does TLS or NAT sit in.
To quote @tptacek[0]: There is no such thing as a layering violation. You should be immediately suspicious of anyone who claims that there are such things.
> HTTP/3 is the new IPv6.
Funny you mentioned IPv6. The famous article [The world in which IPv6 was a good design][1] actually gives some good context on why QUIC is needed, and believe it or not, layering violation was explicitly mentioned.
[0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4556125
[1]: https://apenwarr.ca/log/20170810
> which layer does TLS
Transport Layer Security? Transport layer.
> which layer does NAT
Network Address Translation? Network layer.
That said, the names aren't as important as the layer and independence. E.g. TLS can be used to secure any TCP traffic: STMP, HTTP, etc.
Some might argue that TLS is on Layer 6, 7 and 4 at the same time: https://security.stackexchange.com/a/93338
Same for NAT: https://networkengineering.stackexchange.com/questions/3145/...
> the names aren't as important as the layer and independence
That's the point. Layers don't mean anything in the real world where ossifications are a thing and replacing infrastructures has a cost. There are plenty of protocols that require cross-layer coupling (aka "layering violations") and asking for layering compliance really doesn't make anyone except layering lawyers' life better.
I didn't say "layers don't mean anything." I said names don't mean anything, especially the OSI layers which as your post points out never really became a thing.
TLS is a encryption layer that works with many protocols. Assigning some special number to it isn't the important part.
Yeah but the point is TLS also doesn't work by just magically changing TCP to TLS (where would you even change that?). It works by using HTTP over TLS. The issue is also not with OSI layers, but the fact that there are dependencies between different components that are supposed to be encapsulated from each other. In this view, HTTPS (HTTP + TLS) isn't really different from HTTP/3 (HTTPS + QUIC).
"HTTP/1.1 keep-alive connections, though, do not support sending multiple requests out at the same time, which again resulted in a bottleneck due to the growing complexity of Web pages."
Is this true.
Below we use HTTP/1.1 pipelining to send multiple requests (30) over a single TCP connection in order to print short descriptions of the last 30 infoq.com articles posted to HN.
http11 ()
while read x;do case $x in https://*)x1=${x#https://*/};;http://*)x1=${x#http://*/};;*)x1=${x#*/};esac;[ $x1 != $x ]||x1="";x2=${x#*//};x3=${x2%%/*};printf "GET /$x1 HTTP/1.1\r\nHost: $x3\r\nConnection: keep-alive\r\n\r\n";done|sed '/^$/d;N;$!P;$!D;$d';printf "Connection: close\r\n\r\n";
curl https://news.ycombinator.com/from?site=infoq.com|grep -o "https://www.infoq[^\"?]*"| http11 |openssl s_client -connect www.infoq.com:443 -ign_eof -quiet 2>/dev/null|sed -n '/@id/p;/^ \"description\": \"/p'
With HTTP/1.1 pipelining, you can't reliably start sending the second request until the first response is complete. As such, you can't have multiple requests out at the same time. It's also very much linear.
In the example, all 30 requests were sent at the same time. openssl did not wait for any responses.
This example can be repeated again and again and every time, all the responses are received, in order. It is reliable.
Not sure who "you" refers to in the above statement, however if it applies to me then that statement is incorrect. I have been using HTTP/1.1 pipelining outside the browser for decades.
HTTP/1.1 was written for HTTP clients. Browsers are just one type of client, not the only type. More than half the traffic on the internet is initiated by non-interactive clients. Besides headless, that excludes browsers.
From RFC 2616:
user agent
Ah, I seem to have misremembered; from RFC 7230:
Maybe this was just yet another case where plenty of intermediaries are broken and mass-deployment has always been difficult?
Yes, that. I always set firefox to attempt pipelining until they removed it in favor of HTTP/2. It worked well.
From the article:
> HTTP/2, derived from the now deprecated SPDY protocol, introduced the concept of first-class streams embedded in the same connection.
Was this not done by SCTP?
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stream_Control_Transmission_Pr...
It's just that (a) network boxes often block 'unknown' protocols, and (b) web servers/browsers did not bother implementing the protocol.
Yes, my impression of both HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 efforts is that they learned a lot from how many middle boxes clobber SCTP. I've heard the UDP-based QUIC that HTTP/3 uses described before as "middle box safe SCTP", though it does differ in details it attempts to accomplish much the same things but piggybacking over UDP.
For the builder of small to medium (say, 10k to 1 million monthly users, some media but not the primarily focus) websites, apps, APIs, etc, is it time to begin deploying HTTP/2 or even 3?
How would one make the decision, what factors would influence it? What are some of the best books/essays arguing either direction?
I believe in maintaining best practices even if you can get away with sloppiness on a specific project, to be good and fast at doing things the right way, but I honestly can't tell where the new protocols fall.
You should be using public cloud and a CDN and they'll turn on protocols when they turn them on.
HTTP/2 absolutely there are a ton of wins with some of the work they did. Especially around content loading and ssl.
HTTP/3? Meh. We've started into the realm of solving google scale problems in HTTP standards that have marginal if any benefit to the 99%
> google scale problems [...] that have marginal if any benefit to the 99%
Such as connection migration over different networks? Who ever needs that?
"Sorry, call dropped. I was leaving the house and I lost connection to the Wifi..."
I’d tend to say it the other way round, actually:
Compared with HTTP/1.1, HTTP/2 has known regressions which can be catastrophic on poor-quality connections, mostly due to TCP head-of-line blocking. At Fastmail we found concrete performance problems for some users from deploying HTTP/2 so that we rolled it back for a while and tried again later after shuffling a couple of things around to mitigate the worst such problems (can’t remember what we actually did). But even so, a small fraction of our users will get a worse experience from HTTP/2 than from HTTP/1.1. (Don’t think I’m speaking against HTTP/2; overall it’s an improvement for performance over HTTP/1.1, often a big improvement. But for developing things like interactive apps, it’s helpful to understand the differences and their effects.)
HTTP/3, meanwhile, does not suffer from such problems (which is most of why they made it). The main risk is that it’s less likely to work at all—but browsers take that into consideration and fall back to HTTP over TCP (HTTP/1.1 or HTTP/2) smoothly.
Presuming you have capable server software, I’d honestly consider deploying HTTP/3 to be lower risk than deploying HTTP/2.
One should also consider the robustness of the HTTP/2 or HTTP/3 implementation. Consider such things as this variety of DoS attacks against HTTP/2 from the last six months: https://github.com/Netflix/security-bulletins/blob/master/ad.... It’s improbable that these are are only major attack vectors in HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 implementations.
Slight tangent that actually shocked me when I learned about it: the OSI model that everyone keeps talking about is actually not the "official" nor "real" implementation we use. The actual protocol (and conceptual model) you really want to learn and work with is simply called "Internet Protocol Suite", commonly known as "TCP/IP".
Consider this comparison between OSI and TCP/IP models from Wikipedia[1]:
There's a similar discussion on the TCP/IP article as well[2], highlighting the impracticality of OSI "layers" in terms of implementation.
In practice, a short discussion about SSL/TLS is enough to point the inadequacies of OSI, and orient one towards conforming their conceptual model closer to TCP/IP and relevant RFC's.
The advice I follow personally, given the "popularity" of OSI (people call "layer 1-7" as if it were an actual thing, 90% of the blogs and literature uses the OSI model), is to simply translate into TCP/IP lingo/concepts in your mind whenever you read/speak about it. Not everyone will get it around you, but at least you'll have a more solid implementation should you be working with low-levels of the net stack.
For reference, RFC 1122[3] defines the Internet Protocol Suite with 4 layers: application, transport, internet (or internetwork, the idea of routing) and link. Does not assume or require a physical layer in the spec itself — hence it works on 'anything' from USB to Fiber passing by Ethernet or Bluetooth and PCIe/Thunderbolt if you just follow the protocol.
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OSI_model#Comparison_with_TCP/...
[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_protocol_suite#Compar...
[3]: https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1122#section-1.1.3
The OSI model was always more of a GoF software "Design Pattern" for network stacks. It's certainly one way you can do it, and breaking down the conceptual functions in the way they do makes it easier to understand the whole stack by looking each function in isolation.
But it's not "the" only way to do it and following it doesn't guarantee a better outcome than not following it. Still, I thought it was a good way of presenting the material, but then I came across student after student insisting it was the only possible way to structure network stacks. It's not. Despite being a ISO standard, no real follows it exactly. It's prime use just an educational tool.
Can anyone now give a reasonable ETA for the HTTP/3 RFC:s?
I see that the WG charter has one milestone in May 2020, and Daniel Stenberg of curl has mentioned early 2020 before. In addition, AFAIU, both Chrome and Firefox have implementations ready, though still behind flags.
Is it likely that we'll see actual deployments and a wider rollout already in 2020?
I saw a talk from Daniel about a month ago and then he said he had no idea.
From a brief look at the Rust side -
Actix uses Tokio
Quiche doesn't
Quinn does but doesn't look quite ready and I don't see any integration attempts with Actix yet.
Why are they calling it HTTP/3 and not just keeping the QUIC name?
Two reasons I can think of:
1. HTTP/2 was a 'new serialization' of the core HTTP data model. HTTP/3 is too, so since it was ratified it made sense to use HTTP/3 to keep things consistent. 2. QUIC still exists, but it's now the underlying framing/messaging protocol on top of UDP. I can imagine future internet protocols being developed on top of QUIC that don't need HTTP/3.
Yup. For example there's a draft proposal for DNS-over-QUIC: https://tools.ietf.org/id/draft-huitema-quic-dnsoquic-06.htm...
Well, why did we call it http/2 and not just keep the SPDY name?
Probably because it's easier to know what's being talked about if we keep the historical protocol name. If the submission title was "The status of QUIC" I wouldn't have remembered it had anything to do with HTTP.
You can use QUIC without HTTP/3. QUIC streams are just bidirectional Streams without HTTP semantics, and can therefore carry arbitrary data.
The HTTP mapping on top of QUIC is called HTTP/3.
The IETF is reserving the QUIC name for the underlying transport protocol, which has been separated from HTTP/3. Google's QUIC has them tightly coupled, so it's just "QUIC", whereas IETF QUIC is a general transport protocol (like TCP or SCTP, but technically implemented on top of UDP) for multi-stream connections, and HTTP/3 is a HTTP application protocol on top of QUIC.
Some rather muddled answers here, but it's simple enough: it's an (upcoming) IETF standard. The name makes clear that it's a proper standard, not an experiment run by one organisation.
Something similar happened with SPDY (Google's experiment) and HTTP/2 (IETF standard based on SPDY).
That would be like calling http/1 'tcp'.
Seems more verbose than https://caniuse.com/#feat=http3
TLDR - No browsers support it (without flag / config changes) yet.
In the age of evergreen browsers, it's possible to go from 0% to 85% in just a few weeks time. Upgrading web servers will be the real bottleneck.
nginx will get H3 this year, so I think we'll see a massive uptick in adoption.
nice! might be a while for haproxy [1] if ever and i've not been on apache's IRC in a long time so no idea if they are considering adding it to core.
[1] - https://github.com/haproxy/haproxy/issues/62
Do you know where I can watch the status on that?
This guy has clearly never heard of mobile Safari / iOS
I'll start worrying about HTTP/3 the same time I start worrying about IPv6, never.
All this to support more ads per page.
All this is only a win mostly if you have a huge number of little assets from different sources. Ads, trackers, icon buttons, malware, etc. If it's all coming from one source, HTTP/2 is good enough. If it's mostly one big file, HTTP/1 is good enough.
You are wrong. If you understand how browsers behave when they query a page that contains different resources from one source, and how head-of-line blocking works, you understand why so much effort was put into this protocol.
(Any introduction on QUIC will explain you these if you are interest.)
So, as a guy who is hellbent on not losing their ad blocking, are you telling me that QUIC allows the client (the browser in this case) to read from the stream up to a point, find a resource with a well-known name (or crypto hash) that is an ad/tracker, and the client is then allowed to just skip ahead in the stream, not downloading and never parsing the said ad/tracker?
If no, then QUIC has failed its purpose, for the tech-savvy browser users at least.
If yes, I'd be happy.
QUIC is just a way for a browser to make more HTTP-like connections in parallel more efficiently. It doesn't affect ad-blocking browser extensions. The browser can still implement the APIs for extensions the same way regardless of whether QUIC or a previous version of HTTP is used.
> All this to support more ads per page.
I'm also very afraid of the future of Web Assembly.
Both of these technologies i'm afraid aren't going to make things better, faster and more lightweight. They are just going to allow the bloat of the web to become worse without noticeable symptoms.
Who cares about the WebAssembly on the web? I'm looking forward to WebAssembly because it'll mean that Electron will become the new JRE: a lightweight, portable, feature-rich "full-fat GUI" application platform. ;)
This made me think of the problem of highways:
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dclm-dedup-25B-ai-scifi-docs | https://docs.textpattern.com/development/contributing
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Contributing to Textpattern
If you want to help with the development of Textpattern, there are plenty of ways to get involved. Please take a moment to review this document in order to make the contribution process easy and effective for everyone.
Who can contribute?
Anyone can contribute. You do not have to ask for permission.
How can I contribute?
Help with translations
To make corrections to existing translations, or to add new ones, please follow these instructions.
Write documentation
The page you’re reading now is part of the documentation project. Spot any errors? Want to add more documents or fix others? Want to convert and clean up our Textile docs to Markdown so they can be served from here? Then please clone the documentation repo, make changes and submit a Pull Request.
Contribute code
Core developers and project maintainers accept Pull Requests. The main code repository uses Git for its version control and is split into at least three branches:
• master: for stable releases only. Core devs only ever merge production-ready code here at release time.
• maint-x.y.z: for patching the most recent stable release.
• dev: for development of the next major version.
There may be other branches with partially-completed features awaiting merge, but the above are always present. Once you have cloned/forked the repository, ensure you have checked out the correct branch before submitting a Pull Request.
The general steps for Pull Requests:
• Switch to the correct branch (git checkout branch-name), where branch-name is either maint-x.y.z to patch or bug fix the existing stable product, or dev for a feature/fix to go in the next major version.
• Pick an existing issue you intend to work on, or create a new issue if no existing issue matches your topic.
• Make a new branch for your work.
• Hack along.
• Push your changes to your fork on GitHub.
• Visit your repository’s page on GitHub and select the ‘Pull Request’ button.
• Label the pull request with a clear title and description.
Coding standard
The project follows the PSR-0 and PSR-2 standards with PHP 5.3 style namespacing. You can use PHP_CodeSniffer to make sure your additions follow them, too:
$ ./vendor/bin/phpcs --standard=phpcs.xml *.php textpattern
The project follows Semantic Versioning and the major.minor.patch format.
## Increasing the likelihood of code being accepted
We accept most, but not all code that is submitted for inclusion in the Textpattern core. Sometimes we’ll accept part of a patch or pull request, or include a modified or abridged version.
Textpattern is open source, so you don’t need our permission to make your own modifications or extensions. However, if you want to maximize the chances it will be accepted and included in the official distribution, here is a quick guide to the Textpattern development philosophy.
Do the simplest thing that could possibly work
Is there a shorter or easier way to achieve the same result? Then do it that way. Less code often means fewer bugs and is easier to maintain.
Don’t reinvent the wheel. Is there already a function in PHP or Textpattern that makes your job easier? Use it.
Minimize assumptions
Don’t try to solve a problem unless you’ve tested it. This is particularly important for performance enhancements: measure the speed before and after - is the improvement really significant? If not, the simplest solution might be to leave it alone.
Similarly, don’t write a bunch of functions or tag attributes on the assumption that they might be useful in the future. Unless you have a use case, leave it out.
Make it testable
This is the most important part. It makes the development team’s job easier if the code is deemed supportable and maintainable - after all, we’re the ones who will receive the bug reports and cries for help. The more you can do to help test your code, the better: examples of input and expected output, a test plan, notes on what you have and haven’t tested.
If you have a big patch, consider splitting it into smaller, related chunks. Git branches are ideal for this as you can commit to each branch and hop between them, then submit each as a separate pull request. Also, please ensure your patch has the latest branch from our repo merged into it immediately prior to submission. If you have written the patch against the dev branch, for example, do git merge dev when on your branch to pull forward any recent changes to dev from other developers, then prepare your pull request. This step makes it easier for us to pull the patch down and test it in our development environments.
Scripted unit tests are becoming increasingly important in the Textpattern release process. You can make your code more testable by using a functional design with minimal coupling. A function that can be run in isolation, and returns a value based on its arguments, is easy to test. A function that prints output based on global variables, database records and configuration values is much harder to test (conveniently, Textpattern tag handler functions are usually easy to test).
Sure, we break our own rules sometimes. But, as a rule, we err on the side of simplicity.
GNU General Public License, version 2. By contributing to the project, you agree to license your additions under the GPLv2 license.
Code of conduct
Project maintainers have the right and responsibility to remove, edit, or reject comments, commits, code, documentation edits, issues, and other contributions that are not aligned to this code of conduct, or to ban temporarily or permanently any contributor for other behaviours that they deem inappropriate, threatening, offensive, or harmful.
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alignment-classifier-documents-unlabeled | trentmkelly/LessWrong-43k
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Meetup : Community Weekend in Berlin
Discussion article for the meetup : Community Weekend in Berlin
WHEN: 11 April 2014 04:00:00PM (+0100)
WHERE: Grünberger Str. 23, 10243 Berlin
We usually don't announce individual meetups here, but this is an exception! Check the full announcement for details on how to sign up.
Please join our mailing list if you're interested in our regular meetups.
Discussion article for the meetup : Community Weekend in Berlin
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alignment-classifier-documents-unlabeled | trentmkelly/LessWrong-43k
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Notes on Mental Security
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dclm-dedup-25B-ai-scifi-docs | https://www.rpgmakercentral.com/profile/13894-arrpeegeemaker/content/
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Everything posted by Arrpeegeemaker
1. Arrpeegeemaker
What're Ya Buyin?
Hello Stranger! What's something you want to buy, but are too poor to buy right now, like me?? Seriously, what's something that's realistically something you would buy if you had the money, right around now. Don't be like, "I want an Olympic swimming pool and a mansion and ten cars!" It has to be something that's just outside of your means, right now. Like if you saved up a bit of money, or got a promotion, you'd be able to get it. Something that's on your radar right now. You can make lists, as long as each one of them is within the realistic means I mentioned above. Here's my list I thought of : A computer that can play 2019 games (mine can barely play The Witcher Enhanced Edition. As in The Witcher 1) A new TV, with all that smart TV crap that I know nothing about. One of those crazy self cleaning litter boxes for kitties.
2. To all you people on here who've been saying I'm really a squirrel bestowed with the gift of human intellect inside of a remarkably attractive man-robot, operating him with controls, that is false, it's fake news, it's violent and it hurts my feelings. I'm a kitty cat bestowed with the gift of human intellect inside of a remarkably attractive man-robot, operating him with controls.
1. Show previous comments 5 more
2. Arrpeegeemaker
@Kayzee maybe they'll elaborate more when the remake for FF7 comes out XD
@PhoenixSoul the man robot is my way of shielding my true self from the world. The shark costume I got two Christmases ago ^^
3. PhoenixSoul
The demo of FFVII Remake is already out...
I guess one could say that my avatar is a shield of sorts, even if this is my true form pieced together via Game Character Hub...
4. Arrpeegeemaker
@PhoenixSoul it isn't out now... I think it got briefly put on the PSN store without much of an announcement, but I just checked as of 30 seconds ago. I've seen brief vids of people playing it (which I quickly closed), but yeah, it isn't there anymore.
Besides, I've actually been avoiding the demo. I've waited over 20 years for this, I'm just gonna wait and see if it actually comes out in March
3. Arrpeegeemaker
Too much info
I like backstory, but I prefer to have to go the extra mile to get all of it, in most games. I'm ok with a game's presented story only being 20-30% of the material. Like other users here have said, it helps the bit you're presented with feel more real. There's a balance, of course, between talking about things like they exist, and attempting to 'naturally' present players with info. The former can be confusing, an make you think you've missed something. The latter can come off as super contrived, especially in dialogue. As far as the stuff OP mentioned, with histories, diseases, etc, I would only think that was overkill if I had no way of avoiding it all just to play the main game. Like I said, I personally like to go looking for more story details, when I'm ready and if I feel like it.
4. Arrpeegeemaker
What're Ya Buyin?
@Lord Vectramine is awful. Mine is just sad XD
5. Arrpeegeemaker
What're Ya Buyin?
@PhoenixSoul I think I might go ahead and add Vita to my list ^^ I have a few homebrew systems, a Wii, a PSP and a PS2. The PS2 was the most fun experience adding homebrew, the PSP was the easiest and the Wii was the most overall rewarding result. Of course....this is purely done for the purposes of voiding those pesky warranties. I'd never actually use them to do anything you aren't supposed to....
6. Arrpeegeemaker
What're Ya Buyin?
@PhoenixSoulI forgot about PS Vita!! I put homebrew on my PS2 and PSP and I loved it, I bet Vita home brow would be fun :D
7. One day you dream of making dark fantasy games, and then the next day you're negotiating a price for building a chess-based battle-puzzle plugin. The day after that you wake up and Skynet has taken over, and robots are running around shooting tf out of everyone. Fast forward one week, and you're on your way back to 1984 to do it with your commander's mom. Life is funny like that.
1. Show previous comments 2 more
2. Animebryan
What is HAL? Chopped liver?
3. Kayzee
I had to look SHODAN up....I never played system shock, but they really had to decide they wanted to use Shodan and then came up with an acronym for it?? Still, I really liked the first Bio Shock, maybe I'd like System Shock. And yeah, GLaDOS wouldn't, but Wheatley might!
Honestly I haven't played very much of Bio Shock but it seemed like a watered down version of System Shock gameplay wise to me. But then again, the System Shock games are old and clunky. Someone is making a remake of the first game though... It looks pretty good! Also Wheatley would just end up blowing everything up.
What is HAL? Chopped liver?
Well, gotta respect HAL for being the og evil AI at least... And for trashing Bill Gates in a rap battle.
4. Arrpeegeemaker
System Shock looks and sounds cool, I hope it's darker than the first Bio Shock. That's the only think I didn't like in Bio Shock, it came very close to being very dark, but fell short in some ways
8. Oh these folks upstairs are trying to get decked. Been banging around for SIX hours straight. Been here 10+ years, loudest neighbors ever. And they SMELL. I will never understand some people's lack of awareness, cleanliness and overall consideration for others.
1. Show previous comments 8 more
2. Kayzee
Not knowing what they are talking about doesn't stop most people from forming opinions with conviction anyway though, so I don't see why it should stop me! :P
You 'aren't a huge fan of snitching'? Okay, first of all, I don't think it's really 'snitching' if you are directly involved. But if you really think that's a good enough reason for dealing with all these sleepless nights, okay then. You are the one who has to deal with it after all not me. Point is, you do have options. You may have reasons for finding them distasteful or otherwise deciding not to do them, but they are there.
Yeah it's healthy to express your anger. It's okay to vent every once and a while. But as much as anger is dangerous, anger is also a tool. It's useful. If you just vent all of it all the time you won't have any left for when you should be angry. At the same time, yeah keeping it always bottled up and never expressing it usually never turns out well.
Anyway, don't you think it's possible that some one with anxiety problems might, maybe without intending to even, fall into a pattern of using their anxiety as sort of a shield to protect them from the consequences of their actions? Do you think it's particularly healthy to hide from confrontation and continue a pattern of behavior that is negatively effecting others?
All that said I think I have been in a weird grumpy mood lately to be honest, so maybe it's better to ignore my shitty advice right now.
3. Arrpeegeemaker
Lol what?? Of course I'm gonna ignore the advice! Did you think you were being convincing?
It's ok lol, yeah honestly I really hate the feeling of telling on someone.
And I totally get in moods sometimes, but they pass for their own reasons whenever they're ready.
Anyway this is all got a little out of proportion. I'd rather say I feel like decking a guy than actually deck him, because when later when I'm less annoyed and they're less noisy, I don't want to hit him lol, so I do like to exercise the anger.
In a weird way, it was super fun arguing with you. In a weird way. Weirdo 😄
4. Kayzee
It doesn't sound like you ignored it. It sounds like you took it to heart, really looked at what I was saying, and completely rejected it. And really that in of it's self is an unexpected kindness! Thank you for taking me seriously enough to completely shoot me down! I mean it! :3
Hehe, you flatter me. <3 I am to be as weird as I can. :P
9. Yeah, with the Atari thing if I remember, one of their execs was actually having golf outings with an NES exec to gain his friendship, so he could trick him into talking about info Atari was after. I think they also pulled some legal stunt that allowed the patent on 10NES to be examined. It was all real shady business. As if almost destroying the video game industry wasnt enough lol
10. This all reminds me of that classic 10NES case where Atari got in trouble for reverse engineering. They kind of left a trail, at the end of the day. But that case was kind of groundbreaking. Anyway here's the link for the WIKI, although you can find much more info on the specific case without much research. https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Reverse_Engineering/Legal_Aspects Not taking sides here lol, just seems relevant. Speaking of relevance though, on the subject of the original thread topic... Like I said before, there are still a lot of plugin devs, just not as many big one-stop-for-30+ plugins. One very interesting one right now is MV3D. Still super young as a script but WOW, it's beautiful lol. Also, Hudell isn't as big a name, but he's still active and has a lot of plugins, I just spoke to him yesterday. He has a lot of good stuff. Also, even though there isn't that much content, Galenmerth also has a lot of good plugins, although I'm not sure how active they are anymore. Anyway, that's my main observation. It seems like we're past our 'The Beatles' age of scripts and plugins for RM games. Meaning there are still a lot of acts out there, but enough time has passed to where even making lots of content doesn't bring you much spotlight
11. Lol I actually remember you from years ago. I'm over on RPGMakerWeb mostly, I stopped RPG Maker for a while and couldn't remember which site I had belonged to. But I remember you and your love of using events.
I searched for you on the other forum, but couldn't find you. Partially because I searched 'Vector' instead of 'Vectra', and partially because I was looking on the wrong forum XD
1. Lord Vectra
Lord Vectra
I'm on both but I like it here more lol
2. Arrpeegeemaker
Ah, so it was just me typing the wrong name XD
3. Lord Vectra
12. Hmm @UncannyBoots lol no I think you might not understand script calls vs plugin commands. Ruby and JavaScript can both give script calls for a user. It's an extra step to make plugin commands (MV), and they don't offer as much flexibility, inherently, as script commands. That is all I'm saying lol. A 'script call' is nothing more than a function written in either language,. Since I don't release plugins publicly, I have no need to make plugin commands. I can just use the script calls. I could do the same releasing a public script, but in general, with MV plugins the idea is to add Plugin Commands to circumvent the need for users who don't script to ever do any 'script calls'. The only difference here is that RPG Maker has the extra ability for plugin makers to include Plugin Commands. Do you write in either JS or Ruby? EDIT: I might be able to make this clearer, a plugin command technically uses script calls. You alias the plugin manager's plugin command feature, and add a script call or series of script calls (technically you can write all your plugin command code inline, but that's silly and a bad practice) that take what the user typed in for the command and break it down. It all gets passed as a string from the user, so you have to go through extra work on the programming side to make it so someone can do Plugin Command: Call Event 5 2 instead of Script Call: callEvent(5, 2) (of course, a very generalized example) But it's actually more work for the programmer to take that plugin command string and extract the info from it, when it doesn't seem any more intuitive than just using a script call written for the same purpose. When I have made plugin commands for people, its usually a process like this: //Function to break down Plugin Command String into useable parameters //Call a function with those parameters It seems pointless to me, because I'm usually feeding the parameters from the plugin command into a function. To me, all it does is prevent the user from typing periods and parenthesis.
13. Not sure I understand what you mean....plugins are just what you call non-core scripts in RPG Maker MV. For example if Yanfly writes a Ruby Script and uses it in Ace, they referred to it as a script. If Yanfly did the same thing in JavaScript and uses it in MV, it's called a plugin. Did you think plugins were something else?
14. Yeah, the deal was if you already own the plugins, you don't have to pay to use them, but if you didn't by the time the paywall went up, only 20 or 30 would remain free. I don't know all the details, my opinion (and many others in general RM community) was that it was kind of a lame move. We get it, but Yanfly also made themselves integral to the RPG Maker MV experience. Their plugins were like a standard. Of course, it's not my code, I respect the decision, but I try not to use Yanfly plugins because it just left a bad taste in my mouth. Commissions for plugins are still going strong, though, I see people requesting them all the time. Another thing to mention though, is that Steam has a whole community with RPGMaker MV and VXA. I've never really gone over there and checked, but I've heard it's pretty active. Maybe there are some plugin makers over there? Overall, I think the age of the big creators with lots of free plugins might be over. Indie game making is bigger than ever, and so many people go with Unity, or now Unreal since they made one of their older engines free. :( I still make plugins for my project though, and I don't plan on backing off anytime soon
15. Yanfly is actually retired from plugin making, she said so herself on her patreon https://www.patreon.com/posts/24818226 The Yanfly thing seemed to be largely a reaction to someone stealing and reselling bits of code. As far as that goes, I and many others kind of just stopped messing with Yanfly plugins. I get it, it's their code. But it was kind of new users that got punished for that. The ppl stealing the code never cared about paying lol. Even though I already owned virtually all of the Yanfly MV scripts, I don't use them anymore. As far as the other plugin creators, I'm not actually sure why a lot of them left. You can't do it forever, I guess, but I think a few had similar issues. SumRndmDde has some amazing plugins that all seem to have compatibility issues or didn't survive MV version updates. I think something worth looking at is how ubiquitous JS is on the web. A lot more people know JS than Ruby, so I wonder if there are just more people making plugins for themselves. I really didn't try to learn JS until MV came out. I'm primarily on the RPGMakerWeb forums (though I started her back in the day) and the JS community is largely working on their own projects. One other thing is that it's a pain to make plugin commands. They're somewhat limiting without rewriting some stuff, and overall I really don't think they're easier to use than script calls. When I'm making plugins, I rarely bother with plugin commands, mostly because I make them for myself.
16. My cats are better than your cats. Deal with it.
1. Show previous comments 1 more
2. Arrpeegeemaker
Why no kitties?
3. Kayzee
Mostly because I tend to be messy and lazy. I love kitties, but sometimes I can barely take care of myself let alone a cat! I have had a cat before, but last time I had one I don't think I cleaned the litter quite often enough and it would poop everywhere! Though it was an old cat, so it might have just been pooping everywhere anyway. Ether way, after she passed away (I had nothing to do with that, she was really really old) I have sorta been holding off getting another.
4. Arrpeegeemaker
awww ya gotta clean up the poops! They hate pooping elsewhere, they'll generally only do it outside of the litterbox if they don't like the state of it.
Don't hold off, get another one, and empty that litterbox!!!
My kitties say hi, which I will now transcribe:
Biggs: "Brrrrrroooowwwwww!"
Belle: "Rrrreeeehhhhhhhhh!"
Tessa: Myeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
(Tessa can hold her meows for long periods of time lol)
17. Ahh, it's a new year. I wonder how much fatter I'm gonna get this time?
18. Haven't been on this site in 5 years. Hi everyone! I recognize some of your names, still!
19. It's amazing how worth it the expensive multi-blade razor heads seem when you buy the cheap ones from the drug store out of laziness... I want to put my face in a bowl of cold 2% milk.
1. Show previous comments 4 more
2. Cymiril
You have to be old, like me.
3. Cymiril
My facial hair must be thicker. I have to change my Mach3 blade every other week, and I just shave my neck. It's too dull and cuts me if I don't.
4. Arrpeegeemaker
I usually use Mach 3, but I got cheap/lazy this time and just picked up the drug store's 5 blade model. I figured, "how bad can you bs a five blade razor?" 5x. 5x as bad as you can bs 1 blade. That's the answer lol
20. Arrpeegeemaker
New here, not really
Hello, glad you've decided to become part of the community ^^ Here's to hoping you have a great time here
21. Arrpeegeemaker
Welcome, your project sounds interesting, and I think what you're looking for has been covered here on the forum at some point. Most topics are well tagged, try a front page forum search to see if you can't just find your way right to the answer. Anyway, welcome^^
22. Arrpeegeemaker
Yo & Some Questions?
Welcome, there are several sets of tutorials (very complete tutorials) on this site, one set even numbering up to 50 some videos for ruby. Now, that said, I still know next to nothing about it. Learning Ruby is on my ever growing to-do list. Good luck, I know you can find what you're looking for here ^^
23. This is much easier to understand than other tutorials I've read ^^ thanks
24. I'm cheating on my VX Ace project with Metal Gear Solid V... I've been wondering if I should just come clean, but I don't want to hurt my project...am I a bad person?
1. Show previous comments 1 more
2. sateda
Is metal gear solid really that good? I've never played any of them. There so over hyped that I just never go and buy them. The same with uncharted. Thinking about getting the Drake collection when it comes out but... meh... Over hyped
3. xoferew
VX Ace is the only one of the two who will give you offspring, so consider that.
4. _____
25. Arrpeegeemaker
ClosetGaming Initializing...
Welcome aboard, wow it sounds like you have a lot to contribute, hope you find what you're looking for here, and I'm sure I'll need expertise of your kind with a problem of my kind, eventually ^^
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alignment-classifier-documents-unlabeled | trentmkelly/LessWrong-43k
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[Story] Rejection
Just a piece about rejection therapy I did yesterday on the subway. The language might be a bit hyperbolic, but I was kind of on-edge last night. It seemed like it might be a fun story, I want to get better at writing, and gooey self-disclosure seems to be in vogue, so I posted it. If you don't like reading about feelings, then don't continue.
Hope you enjoy,
Story
I felt electric. It was as if my blood was made up of cool and charged water, chilling my bones as it energized my flesh, making me feel like at any moment my body could snap into doing something else. I got out of my seat, and lurched over to one of the hand holds in front of me. Reflecting, I decided that I would be in a more central position if I stood in front of the exit door, and my body swayed over there.
My head was a bit foggy, but my path was clear. The outside world or my thoughts were racing by, but I could couldn't tell which. The girl who had glanced at me while I was sitting down looked up. I noticed a few other eyes glancing up towards me while I was walking, and felt like I was at risk for shattering into a bunch of pieces. I was ready for anything, but there was only one thing I was thinking of doing.
“Excuse me.
“This probably sounds kind of creepy.
“But would anyone like to have a conversation?”
The train stopped moving.
I intended to look around, but I'm not convinced that I actually did. I wanted to have some time to see other people's reactions, but as far I can tell, I could only look at an oblique angle through the window that was above where I was sitting when I was reading.
I had actually expected someone to say yes. I looked around expectantly to the side of people who did not fit my demographic expectations of a person who would actually say yes. A few went back to their distractions.
“Okay, no problem. Bye then.”
I semi-purposefully turned around and walked off the train. My legs were shaking in the way they did back when I was scared of public speaking, my knees
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Shikamaru vs. the Logical Fallacies
Presenting: Shikamaru vs. the Logical Fallacies, a rationalist fanfic set in the Naruto universe and starring a realistically rational Shikamaru. The writer is a friend of mine going under the alias FanFicBias, and I am an editor along with the author.
We welcome reviews on FanFiction.Net and both reviews and discussion (naturally) are welcome here. We are looking to improve our work, so please be as honest and as harsh in constructive criticism as you like. Praise, however, is also always welcome!
This story does contain SPOILERS for the Naruto series. Readers who are unfamiliar with Naruto may have a hard time understanding what's going on, but it would still be interesting to hear from non-Naruto fans, since perhaps we can ameliorate this issue with the aid of constructive criticism.
We do strive to follow the First Law of Fanfiction and the Rule of Rationalist Fanfiction, so please call us on it if we fail to do so.
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6781426/1/Shikamaru_versus_the_Rational_Fallacies
Note: Thanks to all reviewers and participants in this discussion! We're trying hard to make Part 2 even better.
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2001: A Space Odyssey
2001: A Space Odyssey ★★★★★
Throughout the past 40 years, we have witnessed some of the most memorable science fiction films of all time by use of impressive effects and extraordinary characters within such imaginative worlds. But what became the birth of this and, therefore, became a breakthrough and opened a new generation of science fiction was Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. At the time, there had never been anything like it before and, quite frankly, there has been nothing compared to it ever since, not even the 1984 sequel 2010: The Year We Make Contact. Nevertheless, 2001: A Space Odyssey is truly one of the most important films ever and is an eerie that embarks us into the unknown world of space but is also beautiful to watch and ultimately defined cinema as a form of art.
Originally 2001: A Space Odyssey had shockingly been met with a mixed critical reception and had not become a financial success, but it did take home one out of four Academy Awards that it was nominated for. Stanley Kubrick always gave us his vintage style of filming but with the majority of his films, especially 2001: A Space Odyssey, he wanted to illustrate new meanings for the audience. Kubrick added the essence of natural beauty on Earth and in space and attempts to not so much make the film as entertainment but to provide a thought-provoking feeling to it. It analyses from the beginning of mankind; hence the ‘Dawn Of Man’ sequence, to how we have intelligently and technologically advanced. During this process, 2001: A Space Odyssey contained certain elements about the Universe and philosophy; not only in the ‘Dawn Of Man’ sequence but in almost every act of the film.
Kubrick’s sci-fi is slow in terms of pacing. This could frustrate specific viewers and words like ‘boring’ could immediately come into play. However, due to 2001’s central theme being nature, Kubrick’s eerie and occasionally haunting portrayal of outer space, the Universe and mankind is simply for audiences to observe and reflect on for themselves. It is not to entertain an audience but it is to provide a clearer and more realistic understanding of our world and others beyond it. 2001: A Space Odyssey could have been a traditional sci-fi for its time with less advanced technological features, but it was the slow, observant tone and stunning visuals which highlighted the film as a benchmark of the genre as it bridged between classic and modern science-fiction. In fact, the visual effects as well as Kubrick’s directorial approach is arguably the greatest among any other science-fiction film today.
Films that are considered the greatest of all time usually feature notable actors among Hollywood. However, Stanley Kubrick went even more original as he cast unknown performers as 2001’s central characters. Admittedly, the characters were second-best due to the visual and natural representation of life that the film reflected on but these actors still had impressive roles. Some may argue that these characters were underused but we managed to stick along with Dave and his crew along their odyssey through space. Keir Dullea gave a solid performance as protagonist Dave as did Gary Lockwood and William Sylvester as Dave’s fellow crew members. Furthermore, although this is only a voice-acting role, the stand-out performer was Douglas Rain as HAL 9000. Rain’s calm, relaxed voice worked beautifully as HAL as it sounded exactly like a computer but his portrayal added a sense of humanity to the character, particularly in the iconic “Daisy Bell” sequence.
While 2001: A Space Odyssey does not have a specific target audience, it does require a specific audience to fully appreciate it. Its slow pacing enables viewers to understand the way of outer space and the Universe more naturally than most science-fiction films. This became highly important upon 2001’s release in 1968 and became the ‘New Hollywood’ within the science-fiction genre. Nevertheless, Kubrick’s glistening yet surreal contribution on this phenomenon became the greatest achievement of his career and deserves its place among the greatest and most important films in cinema history.
Samuel liked these reviews
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Detach the grim-o-meter
I'm betting that the last three posts have given many readers an incorrect impression about my demeanor. It's easy to read those posts and conclude that I must be a grim, brooding character who goes around with his jaw set all day long.
Which is understandable, but silly. You don't need to carry a grim demeanor to draw strength from seeing the dark world. It's quite possible to deeply want the world to be different than it is, and tap into a deep well of cold resolve, and still also be curious, playful, and relaxed in turn.
This isn't a story, and we don't need to pretend to archetypes.
I've met many who are under the impression that when you realize the world is in deep trouble, you're obligated to respond by feeling more and more grim. Like a movie about a detective that's trying to save a kidnapped child: as the detective learns that the child is in more and more danger, they lock their jaw and become more and more grim and determined. Their respite comes only when the child is rescued.
That's narrative thinking, and we aren't in a narrative. You can break the trope. (In fact, I encourage you to break tropes as soon as you realize that you're acting them out.)
Many people seem to have this internal grim-o-meter which measures how grim the state of the world is, and they dutifully try to keep this calibrated. When they hear that they might be failing a class, they get a bit more grim, and this helps them buckle down. When they hear that there was an earthquake in Napal, they get a little more grim, and they maybe even feel guilty if they can't feel appropriately grim for appropriately long.
I say, it's good to have a grim-o-meter, but stop calibrating it against the state of the world. That's a terrible plan!
I mean, look at humanity at large. People are killing each other like it's going out of style, while millions die from disease each year and civilization careens towards self-destruction.
Now look at your grim-o-meter. It has, like, seven different se
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Limitations of Laplace’s rule of succession
Summary
Laplace’s rule typically overestimates the chance of unprecedented events occurring; this is because it assigns 50% to the event occurring in the first timestep. We can do better by using a rule that assigns a lower probability to the event occurring in the timestep, choosing the new probability using empirical reference classes or common sense.
Introduction
A couple of years ago I spent some time thinking about Laplace’s rule of succession. My thoughts on it ended up being buried in a report that covered many other topics, so I’m writing this as a clear reference to its limitations that I can point people to.
What is Laplace’s rule of succession?
Laplace’s rule tells you how much probability to assign to an event happening. It’s often used when you don’t have much evidence. The rule can be illustrated with the example of the sunrise problem:
Suppose you knew nothing about the universe except whether, on each day, the sun has risen. Suppose there have been N days so far, and the sun has risen on all of them. What should your subjective probability be that the sun _won’t_ rise tomorrow?
Laplace’s rule states that the probability is 1 / (N+2).[1] If the sun has risen for 8 days so far, your probability that it won’t rise tomorrow should be 1/10.
You can also use the rule to answer a related question: “how long will the observed trend, where the sun rises every day, last?” It turns out that Laplace’s rule implies there’s a 50% chance the trend continues for another N+1 days or more.[2] If the sun has risen for 50 days so far, there’s a 50% chance that it keeps rising for another 51 days or more. For this reason, I sometimes summarise Laplace’s rule as roughly claiming “If something’s been happening for X years, we should expect it to continue happening for about another ~X years on average.”
(There’s nothing special about using “days” as the unit of time. You can apply Laplace’s rule using “seconds” or “years” instead. As I discuss below, this arbitrar
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all 186 comments
[–]AlceXFountain of Life, @Alce_X 103 points104 points ago
A mistake is only 100% bad if you learn nothing from it, so yeah, any feedback is always good. It might hurt at first, but it'll be useful in the long run.
[–]alienelement 45 points46 points ago
You assume that the negative feedback actually lends itself to be a learning experience. If the feedback is simply "Your game is shit" or some other insult, is it really that useful? Would you still want to hear it?
[–]Psycho-Designs 46 points47 points ago
Constructive feedback is the word we're looking for.
[–]Wolfy87 2 points3 points ago
I always thought it was constructive criticism. Anyway, even if your game is almost perfect it would still be good to receive criticism.
[–][deleted] 20 points21 points ago
I would rather hear constructive criticism than negative feedback, but the average Joe isn't going to do that. I'd rather hear "it's shit" than nothing at all.
[–]urzaz 16 points17 points ago
Yeah, I mean, at least then you know someone out there hated it. GOTTA WORK HARDER NEXT TIME.
[–]00Mark 6 points7 points ago
You might (if you're lucky) get something along the lines of "graphics are shit". Not exactly specific, but it could at least point you in the direction you need to improve.
[–]wikireaks2 0 points1 point ago
Well, not hearing anything means it wasn't worth the time to use for some reason. "it's shit" is only slightly more specific ("I'm not going to use it because I think it sucks"). Still not very valuable unless it lets you create a dialog with that person.
[–][deleted] 0 points1 point ago
I know it's not good, but it's still a step up from nothing. At least then you know that someone has played it and they didn't like it for whatever reason.
[–]wikireaks2 0 points1 point ago
But surely you've built something in your game that already tells you if people are playing/downloading/whatever it?
[–]TSED 8 points9 points ago
I find that negative feedback is more conducive to learning than zero feedback.
[–]Tasgall 7 points8 points ago
Negative feedback = your game is bad
Positive feedback = your game is good
Constructive criticism = reasons are given
Un-constructive criticism = no reasons are given
You can also have constructive negative feedback, or even unconstructive positive feedback (which is probably more common).
[–]tabulasomnia 2 points3 points ago
Not constructive but still useful feedback = "I don't like this bit, it's weird."
[–]TheSkyNet 1 point2 points ago
Negative feedback = your game is bad (or they be trolling )
Positive feedback = your game is good (or they just don't want to hurt your feelings)
[–]shizzy0 1 point2 points ago
Thank you for clearly delineating the axes of interest. We are in your debt, earnestly.
[–]Cerubellum 1 point2 points ago
It's still better than stone silence. Then at least you know someone really did not like it whereas with no feedback, you have to wonder if people just found it disinteresting or if anyone even played it.
[–]johanbcn 0 points1 point ago
Depends on how many people.
If one person says your game is shit, just ignore it. If hundreds or thousands of people say that your game is shit, they may just hate you (remember Fez?) or your game really sucks.
Either way, you may try something different.
[–]UnapologeticalyAlive 1 point2 points ago
If hundreds of thousands of people are playing your game that's a great accomplishment even if they all think it's shit.
[–]sl33tbl1nd 0 points1 point ago
It still tells you that you're doing something wrong. Obviously constructive feedback is more useful.
[–]AlceXFountain of Life, @Alce_X 0 points1 point ago
Hmm... Maybe. If I were able to tell the difference between an insult because my game is in fact bad or not great, or an insult just to troll me.
[–]ArmFallOffBoy -1 points0 points ago
[–]gamedeveloperShipped AAA and Indie 44 points45 points ago
I shipped Duke Nukem Forever.
I've read enough negative sentiment about the outcome of my labours to last me more than a few life times.
[–]arashi256 15 points16 points ago
Hey - at least you shipped it, right?
[–]Mordeth 3 points4 points ago
Apart from DNF's supposedly bad quality (which I can't comment on since I haven't played it), at least your personal name and reputation was not attached to that project. Remember Romero after Daikatana...
[–]MasterEvilAce 3 points4 points ago
Unless gamedeveloper is George Broussard....
[–]gamedeveloperShipped AAA and Indie 0 points1 point ago
I am not George Broussard.
[–]theineffablebob 20 points21 points ago
Your game is shit.
[–]fecal_brunch 21 points22 points ago
Want to upvote for humor. Empathy is preventing me.
[–]UnapologeticalyAlive 3 points4 points ago
Then upvote for irony
[–]JaTochNietDan 7 points8 points ago
I for one thought it was a good game. I'm not saying that to cheer you up. I actually had fun playing it.
[–]UnderTheMud 2 points3 points ago
Yeah, it got a ton of undue hate. Everyone thought that 14 years in the oven meant it should have been some divine gaming experience blessed by years of talent and incubated into some golden egg, but in reality... it was just Duke Nukem. And it was fun. Nothin' wrong with that.
[–]scorcher24[S] 1 point2 points ago
I liked playing it. I really did. As MasterEvilAce there was a bit of "trying too hard", but I liked it. I got all achievements btw, except the one for playing the main game on Insane. But I am gonna do that when I feel like playing it again :).
It was not as bad as many people wanted it to be.
[–]MasterEvilAce 2 points3 points ago
DNF was fun. It has some memorable moments, but there's a bit of "trying too hard" in it. It lacks a lot of awesome that DN3D has, because it was trying to be modern. I wanted what I saw back in 1998 and 2001. But honestly, I think that's mostly because of the long development time. It does not deserve the ratings it got, however.
I am extremely thankful that the game actually came out.. and I hope that it provided some sort of closure for all of those that spent so much time working on it. It does not bother me at all that I spent $60 on the game. I would do it again in a heartbeat, and I hope Gearbox really impresses with the next game in the franchise.
[–]VeryAngryBeaverdev @ gskinner 36 points37 points ago
I did all the Level Design and balancing for this (Web/Metro) I have yet to hear anyone give me some harsh real critical feedback.
IT DRIVES ME UP THE WALL, I know this game isn't perfect, I know there's lots of things I personally consider bad choices I'd probably redo. But no-ones said anything about all the flaws I know. Am I wrong? Am I right? If I made the game I consider good would it actually be bad then? ARGH!
I'd take some real harsh criticsm any day. But there's still adifference between harsh and mean. Harsh is "This is really not fun,it feels too much like a grindfest" compared to "F#$% terrible POS game, wtf were you doing when you made it"
[Edit] thanks for all the crits so far, you're mostly confirming what I already knew. One point I'll make for face saving is that this was a commissioned piece of work with a fixed budget. We only had so much wiggle room and had to appeal to the casual market. If you found the first map too easy I balanced it so you could pass it drunk. The last map on epic mode should test your skills but I get that I'm hardly giving you a compelling reason to get there. :)
Thanks guys.
[–]little_z 37 points38 points ago
Here's some feedback.
• It's sort of boring visually. The art is good, there's just not a whole lot going on.
• Upgrades aren't interesting visually or mechanically
• I can't seem to find any indicator of advantages of an upgrade aside from the radius overlay on the map
• It's very slow and has no fast forward option
• I can't rush waves even though it says I can
• The music is just too much. I wish I could elaborate more. But essentially, it was overwhelming the rest of the experience for me and I had to turn it off.
[–]AlwaysBananasC#/AS3 - Unity 2 points3 points ago
I agree on all counts. Tower Defense is an insanely crowded market (I don't say overcrowded, because I love the genre and it's a great "bite sized" genre where I can easily check out tons of products), there are too many amazing Tower Defense games out there for even a mediocre product to gain any kind of traction.
The biggest thing I'd add to this list is that it's not just slow, it feels even slower than it really is. You don't want to try and balance a Tower Defense game around how many enemies you slaughter in a given time frame, you want to balance it around how many intelligent user actions are required in a given time frame. You can speed up the creeps and tower attacks dramatically without making any adjustment to how many decisions I need to make in a given timeframe - making the game feel faster without being any more difficult.
An absolutely enormous part of Tower Defense is making the player feel as though they'll be overwhelmed on the next wave unless they make the right decisions (even if in actuality it's an early level on an easy difficulty balanced in such a way that they could screw up pretty royally and still be successful). For novice users this means pressing on the "Oh god, I have to make the right decisions quickly!" buttons - for more experienced users it means you have to convince them that they won't have enough resources to push out their long term level strategy quickly enough.
The first three minutes of a tower defense game are absolutely critical. You can't waste them on a zero-decision tutorial; you can have a tutorial, even a tutorial where the player's decisions don't matter (they have several choices, but all will work out fine) - but you absolutely must make them feel strategically involved immediately. Even if it just means picking between a handful of places to put down the only tower they have access to.
I love, absolutely love tower defense games and I had a hard time sitting through the first level. You need to drop me in the action, make me feel as though I matter right away and - for players experienced in the genre - you absolutely must give me a taste of advanced strategy early on. One of the most effective ways to do this is just have a first level that's easy because the creeps are easy, not because the level is boring. Give me an opportunity to spend my "tutorial" time thinking about how "Oh, if they add this kind of creep and that kind of tower I'll be able to do this and that... interesting..."
[–]aurasprw 39 points40 points ago
You asked for it, so.. (I only played the first 7 or so levels)
1. It's not innovative. There are 10,000 games already like this.
2. There's a severe lack of info. I don't know the damage or hp values for any of the characters. If my decisions are uninformed, they feel less like decisions and more like stabs in the dark.
3. There isn't any progression of gameplay. It's essentially the same thing every level, except some levels it's all flying units.
4. There's almost no room for education/improvement. People who play tower defense know what the best spots for each pirate are almost immediately, so there aren't any difficult decisions to make. The pirates don't complement or interfere with each other in any way, so there's no strategy in placement.
5. It doesn't make sense for there to be multiple pirates with the same identity. In other words, the pirates shouldn't have names.
6. There's a LOT of waiting in the game. Good tower defense games always have something the player can be doing (like using abilities or spells).
7. The fact that pirates persist from level to level undermines the player's ability to adapt to any given wave. It's better for each wave to start the player out with gold and information about the upcoming wave.
8. The continuous wave system also undermines the sense of achievement. Tower defense games may have waves within levels, but to make the entire game one big wave means it's essentially one big level, so there's no satisfaction unless you beat the entire game.
9. The humor of the theme is quickly lost, and undermines the ability of the player to roleplay within the game. A more coherent theme would make for a better experience overall.
If you haven't played Kingdom Rush or Steampunk Tower Defense, I would suggest you do so. You may learn a lot by playing them.
[–]Reineke 1 point2 points ago
Well holy shit, I wish all reviews were like yours. That's some top notch constructive criticism right there! Takes a good understanding of game design too.
[–] 20 points21 points ago
Since we're talking about being honest... my excuse for not playing your particular game would be "I just don't like tower defense games."
The art is good though.
[–]Iggyhopper 13 points14 points ago
Your game is shit
No, but seriously, It doesn't fit on my laptop 1366x768. It's too big/tall.
It is in dire need of a on-hit particle/cloud animation for scarlett.
[–]itsSparkkyC#/AS3 7 points8 points ago
I think somebody else already said it, but watching people play it, and analytic data on when players stop and what they do is usually the best way to gather information.
I've seldom gotten anything of note from random feedback online. And I've even payed for it once... The information was a little useful, but nothing that having a friend play it for 10 minutes couldn't have figured out.
[–]infernal_toast 3 points4 points ago
Well here's some feedback: the loading stopped progressing at about 15% for me in chrome in the web version. Game didnt freeze, the loading did though. :/
[–]bradamantium92 6 points7 points ago
Quick look and some feedback for you; I got a little irritated because I didn't realize I could place more pirates after the initial short tutorial. I may be an idiot, but I thought I was locked to just Scarlet and it didn't occur to me to deselect her. A "click anywhere to return to the default screen" tip would've helped. Some indicator of individual pirates' skill on the screen would've helped too; the radius growing was immediately evident, but she started missing and I didn't realize missing was a possibility or know if upgrading helped that.
Also, I'd recommend making the music quieter by a few notches and dialing back the sound effects. The sound effects seemed to burst out of nowhere and didn't fit in too well and the music kind of hit me in the face repeatedly for the time I was playing.
[–]ActuallyAnOstrich 5 points6 points ago
Error: TypeError: localStorage is null
Source File: Line: 424
I have Local Storage disabled; this error occasionally shows up when some code doesn't check for Local Storage properly. In this case the error message appears in the error log when clicking Start Game, and results in nothing happening when trying to select a map.
[–]nklsrh 0 points1 point ago
Just curious why you disabled LocalStorage?
[–]ActuallyAnOstrich 1 point2 points ago
It's one of the features used by Evercookie-type persistent cookies. In the balance between privacy and giving websites useful information (ad hits, traffic patterns, etc), I decided to allow things by default, but set my browser to auto-purge non-whitelisted cookies and trackers between browser sessions. When I first looked, there was no easy way to either whitelist or auto-purge Local Storage, so I just turned it off as I don't really have a strong use for it.
From a gamedev perspective, it's generally a good thing to make sure your game works without local storage, as some browsers don't implement it (either because they're old, or by design - Local Storage is an optional feature). Most games I've run across do a check for localStorage (and then don't bother trying to use it if it's not there), but (as "null" is not the same thing as "undefined" in JavaScript), some versions of the tests fail when encountering disabled Local Storage.
[–]bhjpn 6 points7 points ago
• Menus are kind of dull
• Cursor is text-select over text
• Art is not simple enough to be stylish, not bright enough to be interesting
• Plain text boxes need borders
• Red first pirate looks very blurred
[–]ScreamingAmishAngular Velocity 2 points3 points ago
My two cents:
• I had to click the base of each character to select them. I expected to be able to click anywhere on the character.
• There was no audible feedback when I selected a character except when I first placed them. You should use an audio cue to let me know my selected pirate changed.
• I had no idea how effective the different characters were against the waves... Try adding the health bar to the tops of all monsters.
[–]rdeluca 3 points4 points ago
Very washed out look, as far as colors for everything.
Things I like about tower defense games that yours doesn't have and detracts from your game:
Health indicators for mobs (can be avoided, but I like them)
Indication of what upgrades do to know if I want to bother. Does upgrading scarlet from 3->4 increase damage or attack speed? or does it simply increase her range? (Oh I now see that the tooltips on upgrade kinda say what it does)
The pirate speak is clever and pretty well written/unique, but I feel like it's detracting when I have to really work to figure out what it's saying...
Agreed with a person above me, you need an on-hit effect for Scarlet.
Tooltips take too long to appear on hover-over. Immediate is preferred to delayed, since it doesn't really cover up much of anything immediately essential.
Enemy waves:
The first wave that is all the types at once really catches me off guard every time. It's like you're forcing me to use Lenny.
Really after this round I have gold spilling out my ears and have absolutely no trouble with the game and am bored out of my mind with the same towers already all upgraded fully killing the same enemies. The circle of 6 people around my upgraded captain slaughtering everything easily (except the final boss).
You need to make the towers more interesting, make me feel like I have a reason to use sponge-boy, make rats super fast so I have to, make Squids strong but slow resistant, or something.
Early bird levels - Bird pathing is absolutely infuriating having it randomized.
[–]rdeluca 5 points6 points ago
Tower defense? Oh I'll review the FUCK out of this POS GRINDY GAME. ;)
[–]b3mus3d 5 points6 points ago
I've developed a few flash games and feedback online is rarely all that helpful. The best thing to do is either -
• watch people play your beta in real life. Tell them they can quit when they want. Ask them why they quit when they do. Watch for if they struggle with anything and ask yourself why/how you can fix it.
• set up your demo online with analytics. Track what levels people get to, when they quit, that sort of thing.
People don't really know what they want and often the feedback they articulate isn't necessarily the right thing to do, unless they themselves are game developers and have an understanding of that kind of thing.
[–]maxticket 8 points9 points ago
It helps to tell testers that the game is someone else's. Maybe a friend, a family member, your boss, or someone who's outsourced you to do the testing. People are much more willing to call out an ugly baby if they think it's someone else's baby.
[–]sw2de3fr4gt 2 points3 points ago
I played it for a bit and here is some feedback:
• Not a lot of variety for pirates, would like the ability to unlock more
• Enemies always travel the same path and hug the same walls even though the road is wide open
[–]poodleface 5 points6 points ago
Harsh feedback... okay.
When I started it up, I was immediately put off by "Pirates Love Daisies". Because they don't.
After it loaded, I noticed that there were no Daisies anywhere. I did see a lot of Pirates. Instead of playing the game, I was wondering what a tower defense game had to do with the title.
The title is the frame and lens that I use to look at your game before I even play it. When you have a discontinuity like that in the first 30 seconds, you're fucked.
Your devs would be better off calling it Pirate Island Infestation, and drop the daisies schtick. If you are going to evoke cuteness, do something ridiculous and memorable with it. You could have the Pirates be trapped in a Disney park, which at night is invaded by the cute lovable critters, who are then promptly destroyed by the theme park pirates. Perhaps the critters give the pirates hugs instead of attacking them, which saps their fighting spirit. I dunno. Anything would be better than the generic pirates fighting generic rats. I should be able to move the pirates around, at least. There is no reason why pirates would stand in one place. That's why tower defense games use fucking towers, because it makes sense within the game world for them to be rooted in place.
And fucking birds! I hate that shit in Fieldrunners, but at least they have the first wave go straight along the path of the entranceway, so that you have time to build additional units before the waves go in places I had no way of planning for. You are trolling the player when you have a bird fly along the bottom of the screen without giving them a chance to respond to it. That was the point I closed the game.
Kingdom Rush does this style of gameplay infinitely better. Play that one and figure out why. It is not the art! They don't do random birds flying all over the screen. They don't give you all the units up front, leaving you confused as to which ones you should use. They give you an easy level so you can make mistakes without being punished the first time you play it. You don't need 21 waves for the first level, either. There aren't a million anchors all over the place, overwhelming the player with information.
This is why you need to playtest, because it's a lot easier to understand these criticisms people are writing when you actually see them struggle with it in the game. Playtest/Show the game before it is finished next time.
[–]needlzor 1 point2 points ago
If you know the flaws, why don't you put a little "Please give me feedback" button with a small 20 seconds long questionnaire on what should absolutely be fixed and what is just your own fixation? Reversely if you don't know the flaws, you could do a small qualitative study first and see on a handful of diverse users if there are recurring points on what to fix, and then design the small questionnaire based on that. It shouldn't be too hard to convince a few of your friends to spend 15 minutes on your game (just propose to buy them coffee or something).
[–]Vellon221 1 point2 points ago
Seriously needs transparency on the stats of the units. Also only being able to build on anchors feels really simple/backwards compared to good tower defense games.
EDIT: I take back that second part.
[–]Dicethrower 1 point2 points ago
I liked the game, played it for a full 30 min before I remembered I just wanted to pop in and check it out.
However I did notice 1 thing that I think you can improve on very quickly. I was very aware that I was looking at a flat static background with other flat 'things' moving on top of it. I think you can fix that by giving the dynamic objects some shadows, even if those are just part of the sprites.
Maybe also an idea to put some objects on the map that overlap the road and or other objects, to force the objects to move/stand behind them, so that the graphics will feel like they have more depth to them.
[–]ocrow 1 point2 points ago
Most of what aurasprw wrote seems on point to me.
What makes tower defense games fun is when the challenge is well balanced and there are interesting strategies. Tower defense games where the monsters all follow the same path are dull because the player doesn't have strategic options.
Additionally this game was quite easy -- I beat Rum Alley on the first play through, so I'd be unlikely to bookmark it or recommend it to anyone.
The music and sound effects are good. The graphics are OK, although there are some problems. For example the Inigo character waves his sword in the air and does damage at a nearby location. Shouldn't he actually hit the target with his sword? Or if not, then perhaps he shouldn't have a sword.
Most of the bad guys don't have a damage bar or any way to see how much effect your shots are having. Hiding information from the player isn't necessarily bad, if it causes them to try to guess or figure it out. In this case though there's not enough feedback so it just leaves you wondering when the baddies will die.
So overall, it's reasonably well executed but not very ambitious. As other people have said there are lots of tower defense games out there, so it's hard to get noticed when you're offering an experience that is exceeded by better known games.
My suggestion for your next effort: try something a bit more different. Think about the game from the player's perspective. What would give me interesting options to choose between? What would create new challenges for me to solve?
[–]MrAlterior 1 point2 points ago
• The menus irk me simply because the back buttons are in the lower right instead of one of the upper corners where I went looking for them.
• There were periods where I was waiting a while for a single rat to come back into firing range, that's aggravating.
• I retired my first pirate as I thought I only had the one anchor point and all pirates had the same range with better damage. Finding I was wrong on both counts once I'd already dismissed the pirate pissed me off further. I quit the game at that point and won't be playing again.
• There is no unique point of difference. A reskin/retheme is NOT a point of difference. I mean game play wise there isn't any reason to play this over any other tower defense game. Given this in combination with all the other irks and irritations, it's crap and needs much work if you want it to be any good. <3
Hope that helps.
[–]TheSkyNet 1 point2 points ago
Music is grainy.
Fonts are hard to read also grainy.
I can highlight the text but it can't get to the clipboard.
I can't seam to workout what guy i have selected.
Art is nice but is (?ascetic) feels off.
Why am I pressing 1?
[–]Pelokt 38 points39 points ago
as a user but not a developer, i feel awkward telling someone anonymously that his game sucks because at the end of the day, especially when it comes to games, its purely subjective. a feature that I hate will be a feature that someone else loves.
I mean comon, the guy spent hundreds of hours on it only for me to tell him that I dont like having to right click?
[–]salmonmoosePoker Kingdoms, Save New York, Dark Equinox 82 points83 points ago
Then don't tell him it sucks. Tell him why it sucks.
In the example you give, it's not going to hurt the developer to introduce a command mapping layer so you can re-assign keys, for instance.
[–]themcs 4 points5 points ago
now if someone could explain that to console devs
[–]Malurth 1 point2 points ago
Seriously :(
Especially in CoD...why do they make me have to choose between being able to reaction-knife and reaction-prone on console when I could have both with custom bindings? I'd gladly swap knife or prone for tactical equipment...
[–]themcs -1 points0 points ago
Probably because you could play on PC since it's not a console exclusive..
[–]Malurth 0 points1 point ago
Oh, I'll just build a gaming PC and play without any of my friends on Xbox live because I want custom keybinds. Brilliant.
[–]themcs 0 points1 point ago
I'll be your friend on steam if you really need one.
Interestingly, though, more people I know own computers than own Xboxes, and likewise installed steam when I suggested it. So you probably don't have to lose your friends after all.
[–][deleted] 21 points22 points ago
Subjectivity only extends so far. A buggy game is a shitty game.
[–]Pelokt 6 points7 points ago
right. but sometimes its just a bad interface. what then?
[–]bradamantium92 4 points5 points ago
Even considering subjectivity, if you think it's bad, the dev will likely want to hear why. Maybe the next guy who tries it out thinks it's a fantastic, streamlined system. Or maybe he dislikes it too and says something and now there's two chunks of feedback instead of none, letting the dev make the changes required.
No one wants to shit on a person's dreams. Whether they're giving feedback on paintings, short stories, or games, it never feels good to say "Hey, I know you've dedicated a decent portion of your life to making it, but eeeeeehhhh." But that's part of the road to making something (and someone) better. As long as you're not the sort of jerk that says "0/10, game sucks, because the sound effect for picking up items is awful," your feedback is valued.
[–][deleted] 5 points6 points ago
If the interface is bad by my standards and I think most other people will dislike it, if you assume I'm right, it's exited the realm of being subjectively bad and become objectively bad.
[–]Mokosha 1 point2 points ago
If the interface is bad by my standards
I think most other people will dislike it
If he assumes you're right then it is still subjectively bad. Something can only ever be subjectively bad, even when it's buggy. A valuation, such as "bad" is always an opinion, and therefore subjective. Even if everyone agrees that it is bad, it is still subjective until you apply some metric and say "If it doesn't meet these objective criteria, then it is bad"
[–]armornick 1 point2 points ago
Except if something doesn't do what it's supposed to be doing. I'd say that's objectively bad.
But I'd say even subjective feedback can help you understand what your audience would like and how to do something better next time.
[–]capnlee 1 point2 points ago
so if it's objectively bad, then the maker will be aware of it?
[–]Mokosha 0 points1 point ago
No, even if it's not doing something it's supposed to be doing it's subjectively bad. Some people like to play games to find the places where they're broken so they can exploit them. Whose to say that some people won't only play games that don't do what they're supposed to. I think I just had a new game idea.
[–]UnapologeticalyAlive 0 points1 point ago
The purpose of a game is to entertain people. That's your objective criteria. If people aren't being entertained by the game, it's objectively bad.
I work on a business system. Users often come to me with questions or complaints that I don't think have a whole lot of merit because the user just wasn't using the system the way it was intended to be used. But the purpose of the system is to serve the users. So if the users are having difficulty using it, it's objectively bad even if it's operating according to the way it was designed.
[–]Mokosha 0 points1 point ago
So your argument uses a lot of words that are based on subjectivity. You haven't quantified (how much of your sample size) or validated (what are the criteria for unhappiness) any of the metrics that you're basing your "objectivity" on.
• What does it mean that users are having difficulty? Have X out of Y users asked for technical assistance? This is an example of an objective metric.
• What does it mean that people aren't being entertained? How can you measure this?
What if the users are using the system in a way that they gain great value out of it even if they forego the purpose for the system. What does "bad" mean in this case?
[–]UnapologeticalyAlive 0 points1 point ago
It wasn't an argument.
[–]DreadNephromancer 4 points5 points ago
Even what is a "bug" and what isn't is subjective in some cases. The Tribes franchise and basically every fighting game ever all owe themselves to bugs that people embraced as part of the game.
[–][deleted] 2 points3 points ago
It's a rule of thumb. Basically if you notice the bugs and they cause problems they're detrimental. If the bugs don't break immersion they're probably not detrimental.
[–]Creating_Logic 1 point2 points ago
You forgot to mention when a bug is so amusing that it adds hours of gameplay just screwing around. I think this is the most important time not to worry about it.
[–]bitshifternz 1 point2 points ago
If it's buggy then more specific feedback about the bugs encountered is more useful than "it's shit".
[–]rdpp_boyakasha 13 points14 points ago
Sometimes people really want input from potential users/players/customers. For example, if someone says "I want to design and sell a coffee table that people enjoy. Can you try this prototype?" then it is reasonable to tell them "It's the wrong height. It looks cheap. I could buy a better one
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dclm-dedup-25B-ai-scifi-docs | http://www.techspot.com/review/459-apple-iphone-4s/page2.html
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Usability, iOS 5 and Siri
The Apple iPhone 4S features an upgraded processor with the dual-core A5 processor that debuted on the iPad 2 earlier this year. Apple says that the A5 offers twice the web browsing performance and seven times the graphics capabilities as last-year's single-core A4 processor, and it certainly shows when using the smartphone. Every task is fluid and effortless, and screen animations and transitions feel like butter. Apps open nearly instantly, and the phone never bogs down when you really go at it hard with multitasking.
I did not notice an appreciable difference in games on the iPhone 4S over the iPhone 4, but that could be because developers just haven't had the time to optimize their games for the new processor yet -- possibly developers won't even bother to do so until a larger user base has moved to faster CPUs running iOS, too. Of the dual-core powered smartphones that I have tested this year, including the Samsung Galaxy S II family, the iPhone 4S outshines them all when it comes to a responsive and fluid experience.
Despite the major changes to some aspects brought about with version 5, iOS is still mostly the same, and users who have been working with earlier versions of the platform will have no issues picking it up and running with it.
The biggest change in iOS 5 comes with the new Notification Center, which seems to borrow heavily from Android, webOS, and even Symbian. Gone are the modal pop-ups that plagued users on earlier iOS versions (though, you can add them back if you insist), replaced by a pull down menu that organizes all incoming notifications into a list, which can then be acted on at the user's will. iOS 5 groups relevant notifications together, so all of your Facebook comments will be in the same grouping, separate from text messages and emails, for example.
You can control what notifications appear in the pull-down menu from the Settings app, and you can specify the order of them or just let them be sorted by time of arrival. Each app's notifications can be dismissed without disturbing other apps' alerts, so you can leave things in the pull-down tray that need later attention. If you receive an alert while you are in another app, a shade will drop down from the top of the screen for a few seconds and then disappear, allowing you to get back to what you were doing and handle the notification later. Also, you don't have to worry about a pop-up alert crashing your favorite racing game anymore.
The Notification Center is also home to Apple's first use of widgets in iOS, though they are a bit limited at this point. You can have a local weather widget, which will also display a 6-day forecast, or a running stock ticker. The pull-down tray will also display upcoming calendar appointments if you'd like. Hopefully Apple will expand this in the future and allow third-party developers to take advantage of it. A widget to control commonly used settings, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or orientation lock, would be a great addition.
There is more to the Notification Center too, as you can have it display your incoming alerts on the lock screen. A quick left-to-right slide across the alert will open its associated application, letting you quickly clear the notification or respond to it if need be. Certain Android phones offer shortcuts to apps on the lock screen, but Apple's implementation is more dynamic in my opinion, and supports all third-party app notifications. Say what you will about copying other platforms and taking too long to address a much-complained about feature, but Apple did a really good job here. I do wish there were persistent icons in the status bar that remind you that there is an alert needing attention. Both Android and webOS execute this well.
iOS 5 includes numerous other enhancements, and I will address some of them later on in the review. All new features and improvements in iOS 5 are available to users of the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS, but Apple saved one pretty big feature exclusively for the iPhone 4S, its new voice-controlled personal assistant, Siri.
Siri is not the first implementation of voice controls in iOS -- earlier versions allowed users to play music or call a contact by saying a command -- but it is a completely different experience than before. Other platforms, most notably Android, and to a limited extent Windows Phone 7.5, allow users to speak voice commands to perform actions on their phones, but none of them reach the level of interaction that Siri offers. If 2001: A Space Odyssey's HAL 9000 frightens you, well, then this might be the time for you to run and hide in your bunker. Siri is the closest thing to artificial intelligence that I've ever used. It can accept commands in natural language, provide responses, and understand context for follow up questions.
Siri can be activated by holding down the home key for a few seconds, or bringing the phone up to your ear as if you were to make a phone call. A query of "Is it going to rain today?" will be met with a voice response and the forecast for the day. Follow up by saying "What about in London?", and Siri will know that you are asking for the weather in London and will provide the appropriate information. Siri is also tied into your calendar and contact list, so a request to "schedule a dinner with my wife on Friday at 7 p.m." will initiate a calendar entry with my wife attached as an attendee for that time slot. If I already have plans with somebody else at that time, Siri will let me know and offer to reschedule the appointment (though, if I know what is good for me, I will push the other appointment to a different time and keep the dinner with my wife). It all happens remarkably quickly and with little effort, making it almost fun to perform tasks with Siri.
Apple has partnered with Wolfram Alpha and Yelp to provide information about facts and restaurants to Siri. A question of "who won the 1986 World Series?" will be answered with the correct response, along with some related facts about the New York Mets, who happened to be the winners that year. If I am traveling and in a new city, I can ask Siri for the best Mexican restaurant in the area, and Siri will give me a list of nearby restaurants sorted by their Yelp rankings. It is not yet capable of booking me a table at the restaurant of my choice, but that could be something that could added in the future, provided Apple partners with the right companies (OpenTable would be a good choice in this instance). There are countless questions that you can ask Siri, and its sometimes snarky responses really give the system a personality that is lacking in most computer interactions.
As part of Siri, the iPhone 4S supports voice-to-text transcriptions, a first for the iOS platform. To the left of the on-screen keyboard's space bar is a microphone button that when pressed will cause the phone to listen for a command, which it will then transcribe into text and insert into a text field. It works system-wide in any text field that is not considered a password. The transcriptions are remarkably fast and accurate, and the system handles punctuation and capitalization with aplomb. It can also recognize brand names and proper nouns, so saying something like iPad will lead to the proper camel-case text. I have used similar voice transcription with Android for years, and I have to say the iPhone 4S' system is faster and more accurate in all of the tests I threw at it. Google claims that Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich will offer the fastest and most accurate voice-to-text yet, so we will have to see how that stacks up when it is released.
Yet Siri isn't perfect, and Apple says it is still in beta, but it has a lot of potential. There were a few instances where Siri did not recognize what I was asking it to do, and a number of other times when Apple's servers that power Siri were clearly being overwhelmed by the sheer amount of new users hammering the system with assignments and questions (not to mention it just went down completely this week). It also doesn't offer restaurant or local recommendations outside of the U.S. However, Siri works well more often that not, and offers a new way of interacting with a smartphone that we haven't seen before.
Aside from the Notification Center and Siri, the experience of using the iPhone 4S is largely unchanged from previous iPhones. You are still presented with a grid of icons for your apps that can be organized into folders, and each app is siloed from the others, giving the whole system a feeling of bouncing in and out from one task to the next.
Apps generally are unable to share information with one another, which effectively renders them islands in a sea of apps. Apple's form of multitasking helps alleviate this, and I found that by using the multitasking menu I was able to jump between apps easily enough to avoid the separation anxiety that earlier versions of iOS presented. The one platform that does a really good job of integrating your data throughout the whole system into a fluid and easy-to-use manner is Windows Phone 7.5, and Apple's method feels very different from that. It comes down to personal preference as to which method is right for you, and frankly, I have no issues with the way Apple's system handles things. Different strokes for different folks, as they say.
Calling / Data
The version of the Apple iPhone 4S that I tested for my review was the AT&T model, which features HSPA+ 14.4Mbps connectivity - an upgrade over previous iPhones that were limited to 7.2Mbps HSPA connections. The iPhone 4S has support for both CDMA and GSM networks, so users on Verizon and Sprint can bring their phones overseas and roam on local GSM networks.
One of the biggest issues that plagued the iPhone 4 was the so-called "antennagate" problem, which led to dropped calls and loss of signal depending on how the phone was held. We haven't heard too much about the issue since last summer, and thankfully it's been eliminated with the iPhone 4S. As far as connection speed goes, the iPhone 4S was comparable with other HSPA+ smartphones that I have tested this year, including the Galaxy S II from Samsung. Download speeds were about 3Mbps on average, with upload speeds averaging 1 to 1.3Mbps, which is about as good as you are going to get with AT&T in my area. Certainly no one will confuse the iPhone 4S' speeds for a true 4G device that has an LTE or even WiMAX connection. Users on CDMA networks can expect to see lower speeds than those on GSM networks, as CDMA connections have a lower theoretical max speed.
As far as call quality goes, the iPhone has never been known for being the best phone in this particular area, but the 4S performed well. Calls were loud and clear, and I could be heard well without distortion or breaking up. The speakerphone does a good job of getting loud without breaking up into a crackly mess, as well. Like the iPhone 4, the 4S features a noise-canceling microphone and processor, which does a good job of isolating your voice from background noise. I did not experience any dropped calls with the iPhone 4S during my review period, but those who live in areas with spotty coverage might have different experiences.
The iPhone 4S also supports Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0, a first for mobile devices. Bluetooth 4.0 offers lower power consumption and faster connections than previous iterations of the standard, and allows for pairing with more universal accessories. Since the iPhone 4S is the first phone to support Bluetooth 4.0, it is a technology that will likely be used more widely in the future and doesn't offer any immediate advantages today.
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alignment-classifier-documents-unlabeled | trentmkelly/LessWrong-43k
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Costs and benefits of amniocentesis for normal pregnancies
Disclaimer: No medical training.
Amniocentesis is a sample of the amniotic fluid to test fetal DNA at 15-20 weeks of pregnancy. It involves inserting a long needle into the amniotic sack, which is potentially risky. But it could catch serious defects.
Arguably the main cost of the procedure comes from an increased risk of miscarriage, which increases by about 1 in 1,000. The best-estimated risks (see this meta-analysis) may still be confounded by selection into the procedure, but experts agree the risk is non-zero. Depending on the person, you might also consider the stress entailed in the process, the feeling of not being done testing, and the cost of a false positive.
What are the benefits? This is harder, because pregnancy involves a lot of correlated tests. For instance, Down syndrome can be detected in "cell free" DNA testing (also known as NIPT) at week 8. It's also detected with much higher accuracy in the amnio. But a negative in the cell free DNA test will drastically reduce the chance that an amnio comes back positive for Down, so it certainly reduces the benefit of amnio--enough that current convention is to not recommend amnio after a negative NIPT result.
There are also ultrasounds. These can detect issues that are also caught in genetic tests, like Down. But they can also detect issues that are not currently detectable in DNA. For instance, it's estimated that roughly half of all cases of Noonan syndrome are novel, meaning a genetic test for them wouldn't come back positive based on known mutations.
So the amnio can help catch things that are (i) genetic and (ii) invisible to the ultrasound and other tests.
To complicate things further, DNA testing of the amniotic fluid is currently performed at three levels of detail. From lowest to highest resolution:
1. Karotyping or cytogenetic. The lowest resolution, this essentially counts chromosomes. It detects the same things as the cell free DNA test, but with greater accuracy.
2. Microarray. Can
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alignment-classifier-documents-unlabeled | trentmkelly/LessWrong-43k
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London Rationalist Meetups bikeshed painting thread
Something that came up on each of our three meetups so far was that people want more participation on things like format, place, and meeting times.
Currently these are:
* 5th View cafe on top of Waterstones bookstore near Piccadilly Circus
* First weekend of each month
* Casual chat format
But these were just the first point we hit in the optimization space. They work, but that doesn't mean there isn't something that could work better.
So everyone who wants to discuss them, here's the place.
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Let's be friendly to our allies
Less Wrong was created to produce rationalists, so that many causes could benefit from the efforts of those rationalists. The point is not just to have nice place to talk about rationality, but to really make ourselves stronger, to apply the lessons that we learn here to improve our own lives, and to improve the world.
80,000 Hours is an organization created to provide direct domain specific help to people who want to support charitable causes, the same causes Less Wrong is supposed to produce rationalists to support. 80,000 Hours has goals clearly aligned with ours. Provided we think they are pursuing their aligned goals effectively, we should be excited about this. We should be happy when they reach out to us, to see how we can work together.
So, I am very disappointed to see the negative reception of a Less Wrong post by 80,000 Hours member Benjamin Todd, asking us what questions we would like 80,000 Hours to answer for us. They are basically offering to do free research for us on things that we care about, because our goals are aligned. And yet, as of this writing, that post has a score of -7, and it has received comments complaining that it is an ad. To be clear, ads of the sort that we want to avoid do not offer free services relevant to a core purpose of our community. I won't argue whether or not the post was an ad, but I will say that it belongs on Less Wrong and we should give it a good reception.
I would like to thank Benjamin Todd and others at 80,000 hours for their work in helping people be more effective philanthropists and otherwise support important causes, and for engaging Less Wrong in this project. I also thank everyone who responded to post with their actual questions about making a difference.
And, please, can we be nice to people who help us?
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[R] compiling 64 bit JRI.dll with 64bit XP
gatechatl makimakidesign at gmail.com
Thu May 7 16:56:43 CEST 2009
Hi all,
I was able to run my Java-R program using a 32-bit jdk on my 64-bit machine;
however I wish to use the 64-bit jdk so my Java program can take advantage
of the larger memory capabilities etc. I'm currently trying to compile
JRI_0.4-1 on a 64-bit XP I got to a point that I was able to generate a
32-bit dll, but I don't know exactly how to modify it so that it's able to
generate a 64-bit dll. I tried modifying the makefile adding -m64 to some
of the gcc command with no success. I am not very experienced with creating
dll's, but I was wondering if anybody attempted to compile a 64-bit JRI.dll?
And if so what type of modifications or resources should I use? Thanks!
View this message in context: http://www.nabble.com/compiling-64-bit-JRI.dll-with-64bit-XP-tp23428511p23428511.html
Sent from the R help mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
More information about the R-help mailing list
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