Re: iPhone 5 still leading the market.

I have an SII and have also had no problem with Apple Maps...

Oh Poo

You see, for a moment there I was - well happy - hopefull - optimistic even.

But you had to go and ruin it didn't you.

Oh well.

Monday soon.

Re: "Theory" - in science

"Newton's theory of gravity was proven with experiment. Then it should have become Newton's Law of Gravity (like his generic Laws of Motion)."

Only it's proven by experiment to be wrong. Hence General Relativity.

It's really really hard to prove a theory correct because you have to prove it in all possible circumstances. You only have to prove it incorrect in one. This however doesn't necessarily relate to how useful the theory is in day to day life.

For example, I have a theory that "Beer is Good, but More Beer is Better". There have been occassional instances in my life where the available evidence has suggested this theory to be deeply flawed. However, on the whole, the theory makes me happy.

Re: Want me to stop torrenting?

And may I add:

- I can lend it to people

- I can sell it

- My kids / wife / who-ever-I-damn-well-please gets to inherit it

Re: no screams, just explosions...

Sorry chaps, but:

Spaceships do make sound and explosions in space do go bang.

And you can even hear the noise pretty much as soon as you see the event.

It all just depends where you put the microphone.

(Though I'll grant you that fireballs don't collapse back in on themselves).

Re: The laws of physics will be different in the encroaching bubble.

okay so you're right in as much as if you choose to base your maths on a euclidean geometry then euclidean rules apply. the point is that yu don't need to do that. that however comes with repercussions.

I can't imagine a formuation of geometry / maths in general that doesn't require irrational numbers - in fact I don't think the idea makes sense, so ultimately all I'm really doing is arguing over whether we call the the fudge factor that converts our non-euclidean view to euclidean and back "Pi" - and this is a possible conversion even if we might choose not to do it.

sadly i lost my love and wonder of maths somewhere in my first year :-(

unlike beer :-)

Re: The laws of physics will be different in the encroaching bubble.

@ Frumious Bandersnatch

There's no requirement for any universe that the ratio of the circumference of the diamter of a circle to its radius will be either irrational, transcendental, or constant. In fact we live in one where this is not the case. But yeah okay, I'm trying to be cute and possibly not doing it very well.

As an aside I'm not sure any of these theories "require" "Pi" as such. In fact I think that may ultimately be a circular argument. Rather I suggest that the formulation of mathematics that we have chosen happens to use Pi amongst other values as a fundamental constant. There are other, equally valid, mathematics - some axiomatically different, others possibly merely different formulations of the same underlying maths. No doubt each of these would have an equivalent value in the place of Pi - possibly to re-inject the irrationality as it were - but you hopefully get the point. Essentially, if we lived in a less locally Euclidean space would our trigonometry use Pi = 3.14... and then what would our maths look like? But does it matter or make an actual difference - not really no!

As another aside - ref your comment on the Pb based life forms - if the universe was so structured we'd have nothing whatsoever to worry about. This is not why the universe is structure the way it is, but it is one of the reasons we get to make fatuous comments on it :-)

Beer, it's a half. And it's cute. Even if I'm not.

Re: re. Twitter and Legality

IANAL?

Shouldn't you be posting that on FB?

Re: That blooper always annoyed me...

"In the name of all that is holy and good, Star Wars is NOT Science fiction. It's Space Opera"

NO NO NO NO NO!

Star Wars is REAL otherwise how did we get the message from the Galactic Empire about the Death Star plans?

Re: Seriously

"To compete for resources doesn't require any intelligence"

Indeed. Consider which is the most successful lifeform on the planet. Then reconsider it based on the following criteria:

population

weight

distribution

longevity

resilience

Yeast could be a deserving contender though...

Re: Seriously

Computers already have a means of reproduction.

What do you think Humans are for?

With reference to the "intelligent design" comment - as an agnostic I've always considered the existence of God to be perfectly reasonable. Equally I've always thought it quite possible that it's us. Somebody has come first.

D'Oh! Missed It

Of course! I get it now...

Apple got the patent on Copying and they don't want to share it !

Damn those cunning cupertino curmudgeons !

Re: Limits. @ relpy

Reflects *NO* Light.

Wouldn't want to be too hard on that.

find the right requency and I think it might.

Big and shiny not withstanding.

(icon because that's what it is)

(and okay, it reflects no light I grant you, to any measurable value of none).

Re: @Chemist

Fair enough.

I confess I too despair of the standard of some reporting of science, and even more of what seems like a general malaise towards the subject as a whole. Although to be honest probability and risk are possibly an even bigger issue (from a maths graduate who does the lottery now and again - so who am I to talk!)

I don't know a great about the subject to be honest, but I do know what absolute zero is (cold :-)

I hope somebody works out how to go faster than light, preferably without requiring more energy than exists in the universe, but I don't expect to see it for anything larger than a electron in what remains of my lifetime, if even that.

As for everything being possible, well, we only have theories to support our scientific view of the world. Theories are far easier to prove wrong than correct. Point here is that some of the key theories we're talking about are proving incredibly robust. A certain amount of cynicism is always warranted, in both directions.

But as you say - there are limits - and we should always aim to make decisions based upon the best available evidence, not superstition, hope (see above) or too much star trek.

Re: @Chemist

I'm happy to believe you have a fine understanding of both physics and chemistry. Almost certainly better than mine. I've felt no need to down-vote you.

However when you make assertions along the lines of "science education is rubbish" you are kind of required to get your facts right thereafter.

You used as an example the fact that absolute zero is an absolute, and lower temperatures "have no meaning". I provided you with evidence that it does. Your response was to critcise me and assume I hadn't understood what I read. As it happens I believe I had understood it, and it told me your prior assertion was incorrect - negative temperatues do have meaning, albeit that meaning is rather esoteric by "normal" standards and is certainly not what the layman might consider "obvious".

High horses require high standards of their riders...

Not a boffin, just cold.

Re: Limits.

And I quote : "(Hint : below absolute zero doesn't mean anything )".

Re: Limits.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negative_temperature

Re: Of course...

Apparently there have been reports of a similar incident in the Agnostic League but I don't know whether or not to believe them.

Re: So....

Okay, fair point - it's hard to prove intent and you wouldn't want the majority living in fear of legal action if they made a sporting error - that is part of the game and you accept it when you sign up.

Guess some people are just dick-heads and we have to live with it. Just seems a bit lame.

Mind you a punch is pretty clear cut and I struggle to see that it should ever be acceptable.

Re: So....

I've always wondered about this. I mean punching somebody, or stamping on them, or clobbering them around the head with a mallet is assault isn't it?

Bang a few of 'em up in jail to consider the error of their ways and I personally reckon it'd stop pretty damn quick.

Re: Kerching Indeed

Shirley just one adapter is needed - and a bit of sellotape to hold it onto the bottom of the phone?

Re: Sir

"If only some bright spark could develop a filter that would turn all lies on the internet into truth, I'd vote to make *that* compulsory, I wonder what Cameron would say to that?"

He would say - "Yes, we have already implemented it."

Not True!

It's got a lovely shiny fruity logo on it.

Mmmmmmmm Fruity Shiny Shiny .

Re: Apparently.....

I don't think so.

Samsung will intend to prevent Apple from selling things. Period.

Bye bye Apple. It was "nice".

Re: Actually BOTH sides asked for a trial

Countersuing.

COUNTERsuing.

Samsung did not ask for this trial, however given that Apple have asked for it, they are responding in kind.

Please, try understand the words you write.

Re: @Steve - Are you terminally thick?

I suspect not actually, but you really shouldn't make such stark and abusive comments without trying to check some of the details first.

The argument, as most, has two sides. I suggest reading them both.

Specifically Samsungs response and counterclaim to the complaint that they deleted emails which notes that actually, Apple has deleted even more emails than Samsung, for longer than Samsung, and in fact AFTER Apple chose to start the lawsuit.

Samsung may have an argument, founded or not, that they did not anticipate legal action prior to it being started. It's a bit hard to give Apple credit for a similar an argument.

It really, really, really is, all incredibly silly.

Emails

Ah yes, hanging onto emails.

I think you'll find that current evidence suggests that Apple have done a far better job of deleting emails than Samsung.

It is all of it, extremely silly.

Re: End of physics?

Physics is Dead. Long live Physics!

Re: wow, who the hell . . . . .

Don't be too hard on the poor little mite, we all thought we knew everything once.

Re: wow, who the hell . . . . .

Or you could be the kind of person who thinks too hard about what might go wrong and how you could cock it up, even though 99.9% of the time you won't, and then you don't do anything, even though you can.

That's when you learn the trading floor ain't the right place and you move on, happy in the knowledge that those people who are earning more than you for being no better, do actually deserve it.

I wouldn't go back, but I'm very glad I was there for a while.

I'll get my coat, because I did.

Re: annoying

"the most effective method would be for everyone to take one less shower/bath a week!"

No.

The most effective method would be sharing...

The answer lies in the phrase: "IT teams in areas considered non-critical had suffered redundancies of 50-70 per cent".

They simply don't understand that so much of their "banking" industry is now IT.

IT People aren't Banking People so they're not "core business". They don't know about banking.

Beer. Need Beer.