Author Topic: Interesting "stuff" (Read 1309682 times)

Stoic Joker · « **Reply #200 on:** May 08, 2014, 07:13 AM »

Symantec Says Antivirus Is Dead, World Rolls Eyes
-Arizona Hot (May 07, 2014, 10:02 PM)

AV's new roll in IT (Canary in a coal mine):
canary in a coal mine.jpg

Arizona Hot · « **Reply #201 on:** May 09, 2014, 08:03 PM »

AV's new roll in IT
-Stoic Joker (May 08, 2014, 07:13 AM)

roll or role? Don't take it hard. Be stoic.

Arizona Hot · « **Reply #202 on:** May 09, 2014, 08:11 PM »

A $100 smartphone running Firefox OS pops up on Ebay

Punched card.jpg

Scientific computing’s future Can any coding language top a 1950s behemoth Ars Technica

I remember it. I learned Fortran in college in the early 70's

Stoic Joker · « **Reply #203 on:** May 10, 2014, 07:29 AM »

AV's new roll in IT
-Stoic Joker (May 08, 2014, 07:13 AM)

roll or role? Don't take it hard. Be stoic.
-Arizona Hot (May 09, 2014, 08:03 PM)

Shit ... I was thinking dice roll/crapshoot and tripped over the fact I can't spell worth a damn.

Oh wait, I'm supposed to be 'stoic'... :-| ...Better?

Arizona Hot · « **Reply #204 on:** May 26, 2014, 05:33 AM »

One of the Most Epic Nature Photographs Ever Taken.jpg

Interesting "stuff"

One of the Most Epic Nature Photographs Ever Taken

A deer shaped icicle I found after a snowstorm in January.jpg

Interesting "stuff"

A deer shaped icicle I found after a snowstorm in January

40hz · « **Reply #205 on:** May 27, 2014, 02:23 PM »

Australians, being a hardy people, deal with the presence of the world's most dangerous marine animal with warning signs and vinegar. The vinegar helps deactivate any tentacles clinging to your skin so you can remove them without doing yourself more damage. The warning sign shows a picture of a swimmer in briefs being attacked by something out of H.P. Lovecraft, and cautions that ‘marine stingers are present in these waters during the summer months’. The committee in charge of creating the signs presumably considered adding words like "danger" or "no swimming", but found them over the top. They try not to coddle you in Australia.③

Really nicely done article. Read it here. (The rest of the stories on the site are equally good. Check it out!)

superboyac · « **Reply #206 on:** May 27, 2014, 06:59 PM »

Australians, being a hardy people, deal with the presence of the world's most dangerous marine animal with warning signs and vinegar. The vinegar helps deactivate any tentacles clinging to your skin so you can remove them without doing yourself more damage. The warning sign shows a picture of a swimmer in briefs being attacked by something out of H.P. Lovecraft, and cautions that ‘marine stingers are present in these waters during the summer months’. The committee in charge of creating the signs presumably considered adding words like "danger" or "no swimming", but found them over the top. They try not to coddle you in Australia.③

Really nicely done article. Read it here. (The rest of the stories on the site are equally good. Check it out!)
-40hz (May 27, 2014, 02:23 PM)

Fascinating. I've been terrified of those box jellies since i was a kid. i saw a video of these guys on a boat catching one in a pool-cleaner net (with the long pole). The wind blew one tentacle that lightly brushed on his arm. In no time, the arm looked like there was a red, throbbing vein the whole length of the arm about 3-4 inches in diameter. crazy!

do not mess. and even worse is this new one they found recently which is even more potent and so small you can't even see it! it looks like a bubble! i don't know how people live down there, just the fear is too much for me. and what's going on there...all the animals are the "most venomous" in the world. snakes, spiders, jellies. is venom somehow attracted magnetically there or what? good gawd.

Target · « **Reply #207 on:** May 27, 2014, 08:45 PM »

you're referring to irukandji which are pretty much confined to the tropical north, ie there's an awful lot of coastline where you don't have to worry about stingers. And for the most part the snakes and spiders aren't great beach goers

it's all relative - I don't know how people live in a place where carrying personal weapons is an accepted norm

4wd · « **Reply #208 on:** May 28, 2014, 03:53 PM »

And for the most part the snakes and spiders aren't great beach goers
-Target (May 27, 2014, 08:45 PM)

I think the sharks would go on strike if the spiders/snakes started encroaching on their traditional territory.

it's all relative - I don't know how people live in a place where carrying personal weapons is an accepted norm

+1 Give me the excitement of a possible agonizing death by a black widow in your thunderbox over the boredom of being shot amongst the endless concrete/bitumen of "civilisation" any day.

superboyac · « **Reply #209 on:** May 28, 2014, 06:03 PM »

you're referring to irukandji which are pretty much confined to the tropical north, ie there's an awful lot of coastline where you don't have to worry about stingers. And for the most part the snakes and spiders aren't great beach goers

it's all relative - I don't know how people live in a place where carrying personal weapons is an accepted norm

-Target (May 27, 2014, 08:45 PM)

omg. that little thing is frightening and impressive. damn!!

the main body is 5mm, and the tentacles are 1 meter!!

The first of these jellyfish, Carukia barnesi, was identified in 1964 by Jack Barnes; in order to prove it was the cause of Irukandji syndrome, he captured the tiny jelly and allowed it to sting him while his son and a lifeguard observed the effects.

Now that's a real scientist!! Reminds me of a sherlock holmes story crossed with the guy who discovered the ulcer bacteria (nobel prize!) by injesting it to prove it was caused by bacteria.

I just don't like small, dangerous things. I feel the more dangerous you are, the bigger and slower you should be, thus allowing everyone to avoid you, and you will proceed to go extinct. like dinosaurs. and goliath.

Arizona Hot · « **Reply #210 on:** May 29, 2014, 08:39 PM »

Why Apple needs Samsung

Watch Dogs.jpg

Review: Hack your way to success in 'Watch Dogs'

Arizona Hot · « **Reply #211 on:** May 30, 2014, 01:26 PM »

20 Things That Show Everything In Australia Will Kill You

My addition to the popular topic.

The Real Rules of Engagement on the Subways of Europe - CityLab

Edvard · « **Reply #212 on:** June 03, 2014, 12:45 AM »

Creepy website about Nanotechnology:

http://www.nanoandme.org/home/

I guess what's so creepy to me is the overwhelming sense that it's a total propaganda engine intended to smooth over people's fears of nanotechnology while giving them little factoids to say "See? It's not so bad, now is it?".

*shivers*

Arizona Hot · « **Reply #213 on:** June 06, 2014, 02:59 AM »

Arizona Hot · « **Reply #214 on:** June 06, 2014, 11:06 PM »

Interesting "stuff"

Interesting "stuff"

Interesting "stuff"

Interesting "stuff"

Interesting "stuff"

These and others can be found at 50 Optical Illusions To Trick Your Eyes

Arizona Hot · « **Reply #215 on:** June 07, 2014, 12:03 PM »

I was wondering if I had posted this picture, but didn't want to search through 125 pages of silly humor.

Arizona Hot · « **Reply #216 on:** June 09, 2014, 05:04 PM »

Anyone here related to Eugene?

Computer may be first to pass Turing Test, successfully impersonating a human

x16wda · « **Reply #217 on:** June 09, 2014, 06:58 PM »

Anyone here related to Eugene?
-Arizona Hot (June 09, 2014, 05:04 PM)

Yeah, I only fool people about 30% of the time too... nobody confuses me with Wintermute...

40hz · « **Reply #218 on:** June 09, 2014, 07:21 PM »

Anyone here related to Eugene?
-Arizona Hot (June 09, 2014, 05:04 PM)
Yeah, I only fool people about 30% of the time too... nobody confuses me with Wintermute...
-x16wda (June 09, 2014, 06:58 PM)

Just as long as Case and Molly don't, you should be ok.

40hz · « **Reply #219 on:** June 09, 2014, 07:41 PM »

(see attachment in previous post)
Anyone here related to Eugene?

Computer may be first to pass Turing Test, successfully impersonating a human
-Arizona Hot (June 09, 2014, 05:04 PM)

I think CBS may have jumped the gun in declaring the test "passed."

Nevertheless, Turing predicted by the year 2000, an AI system would fool 30% of the himans interacting with it. So he only missed it by 14 or so years if you want to accept this event's result as a passing score. I'm not happy with adding the "personality" of a teenage Ukranian boy to the mix. I think that might have skewed the test results a bit. (i.e. could 'explain' any awkward language constructs or grammatical gaffes/ possibly generated sympathetic attitude towards sim since the the plight of the Ukraine is so much in the news lately)

Still, it's an accomplishment. I'm glad researchers are still working on it. Not so much to develop an intelligent machine as to help us challenge and better understand our own thinking about consciousness and intelligence.

TaoPhoenix · « **Reply #220 on:** June 10, 2014, 09:13 AM »

Well, replacing "Ukraine" with any number of other countries, I think it's an interesting twist on the Turing problem to "adjust" people's reactions.

40hz · « **Reply #221 on:** June 10, 2014, 09:25 AM »

^That's come up with this 'test' in the past.

There's been some research and debate over whether letting the test subject know there's the possibility of a machine in the equation also affects people's judgement. And whether endowing the computer agent with some sort of persona is a positive or a negative addition to the mix.

In the end, I don't think it really matters. People will knowingly accept falsehood as truth if they're sufficiently motivated to do so. So the fact a certain percentage of people are fooled doesn't really say that much that you can take and run with as is. But that doesn't make it any less interesting or worthy of further study. Because each iteration seems to generate even more significant questions about human consciousness and perception. That's why I love things like the Turing Test. We often learn as much about ourselves as we do the thing we're trying to study.

That can only be a good thing.

TaoPhoenix · « **Reply #222 on:** June 10, 2014, 10:51 AM »

^That's come up with this 'test' in the past.

There's been some research and debate over whether letting the test subject know there's the possibility of a machine in the equation also affects people's judgement. And whether endowing the computer agent with some sort of persona is a positive or a negative addition to the mix.

In the end, I don't think it really matters. People will knowingly accept falsehood as truth if they're sufficiently motivated to do so. So the fact a certain percentage of people are fooled doesn't really say that much that you can take and run with as is. But that doesn't make it any less interesting or worthy of further study. Because each iteration seems to generate even more significant questions about human consciousness and perception. That's why I love things like the Turing Test. We often learn as much about ourselves as we do the thing we're trying to study.

That can only be a good thing.
-40hz (June 10, 2014, 09:25 AM)

Yep!

And I dabbled for a couple of days way back with the idea of a Turing program in one of the old AOL chat rooms (where they wouldn't be informed). Aka if the overall ambient intelligence of the environment is reduced, it's easier to pass!

But forgetting where I saw the remarks, I now like better a new test where it's less about "fooling" than "different but sufficient" "intelligence".

One of my longest little thought experiments on this stuff is building a system with one of the old Pentium 1 chips stuck in the middle of it. So sure the hard crunching is done by the newer cores, but somewhere in there the machine "can't trust" itself. So then you build in a meta routine that tells itself that! That forces a fundamental new type of computing.

So when you ask it "when will this comet next pass Earth", instead of peeling out an answer like 2.673 days, the machine has to say something else like "About two and a half days". And when you go into "Chat Mode", the machine knows why it's flawed and has a routine that says stuff like "Sorry, I just can't get any more accurate than that because of my design".

Arizona Hot · « **Reply #223 on:** June 10, 2014, 06:26 PM »

TaoPhoenix · « **Reply #224 on:** June 10, 2014, 07:28 PM »

Good stuff on the chem video.

That Photocopier video has been posted here before but I forget exactly which thread, either this one or the humor thread.