Posts by Faye B

Kiss and Tell

Surely all this proves is that people with Herpes move about a lot. This thoery seems to have the assumption that migration occurs only in one direction.

To be or not to be

Surely free will boils down to whether you adhere to the single time-line unverse or the multi-time-line universe. With a single time line each event follow on the from the previous in a cause and effect manner, meaning that any decision is predicated on previous events creating an undeniable influence on the thought process. So if we could step outside of time we would see all events in history already defined by this single timeline and hence every decision already made for us.

To accept free will we would have to imagine a universe that can fork into two or more different futures at each decision, with each possible future extrapolating away from the decision point. This has been the subject of many a fiction novel, the 'what if' scenario, often leading to a resolution where the decision becomes irrelevant when it becomes clear that the same future state is obtained. One of the main difficulties with the multiverse idea is where all the energy would come from to generate each possible future for every person that ever lived and generating each universe into a separate reality, completely isolated from all other universes.

The AI proponents argue that as each state of the brain, such as synaptic charge levels, hormonal balances, etc, is predicated on a previously existing state, much the same as a Turing machine can only move from one computation step to another in a predefined manner, then free will does not enter into the decision making process. As a crude example, I may think I have free will to decide to stop and have chocolate but in reality that decision has already been made by my body craving chocolate, my previous experience of eating chocolate and thus desiring it, and what my hormones are telling me would be a good thing to do. However, my initial decision can be totally countermanded by the fact that when I open my drawer I find I don't have any chocolate left! Cause and effect.

Even if I consously override my initial, possibly sub-concious, decision, the decision to override my initial decision has already been predicated on previous states of my mind, due to previous cause and effect on the chemicals in my brain. Hence my free will decision has already been made for me by my brain.

Why not go F1 style

Seeing as the bonnet and boot are so vunerable to damage why not copy the F1 builders and make the chassis and floor pan out of the stuff instead. The roof is also a good alternative, especially if you add a layer of solar cells to it. The car could be constantly charging itself all day long.

Extinct?

Are we sure that they have become extinct on Jersey, or maybe they swam over to Guernsey and forgot how to get back.

This brings it all back

- "Old git 1: Luxury! All we had was machine code, and we loved it!

Old git 3: Machine code! We would have loved to have access to machine code! We had to wire up our computer correctly to get anything done!"

Ah yes this crusty old dame remembers having to enter program code using hardware switches on the control panel of the mainframe and having to use hollerith machines to punch cards with instructions and data. It was such a relief when we could just sit at a terminal and enter assembly language, then run the program and see the results on the screen (in ascii of course). So having had to learn the hard way I see no point in making life hard again by picking some obscure language with some arcane syntax just to avoid BASIC. Especially as BASIC was originally designed to teach programming (Beginner's All-Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) and if it allows poor style and encourages bad habits, it should surely fall to the INSTRUCTOR to point out these problems and rectify them.

There could be an arguement for using a more natural language based programming language, like Python, but half of the programming paradigm is understanding how syntax is used to convey program structure, such as looping, decision blocks, function extents etc. Learning Python in school would not prepare you for the nightmare that is c programming or worse still Lisp (And don't get me started on Prolog).

Let's stick with Basic and make sure it gets taught well, with proper regard to good program structure, clearly named variables and functions, good style and a good grounding in logic. Learning programming in schools should be the foundation of a skill and knowledge, not a short cut to the final product. Of the many thousands of kids learning programming in schools only a small percentage grow up to be software engineers or developers and no one would expect that a child leaving school is going to be a fully fledged programmer any more than they expect a kid to leave and become an airline pilot over night.

Plus silver wingtips

Oops, I just entered a colour scheme piccy but forgot to add that the wingtips (rudders) could be silver.

No Alternatives?

I find it strange that he claims there are no alternatives to Word when Open Office is just as good and can even import and export .doc format documents. OK it maybe just a clone of Word but it is free and imitation is a form of flattery. What Mr. Stross should be doing is looking for a better tool rather than whinging about the old one and maybe asking why hasn't any software house come up with something better. Surely someone could have produced a better WP using the Eclipse framework, for a start.

I stopped liking Word when it moved from being a MSDOS programm to being a Windows Application but it has been difficult to find a WP that can match it, let alone improve upon it. Yes, its annoying and crap in many places but I would rather have a poor tool to work with than no tools at all.

Demon Seed

This reminds me of the robot in the film Demon Seed. Not the ones built by the scientist, the one built by the huge brain. It appeared to be made out of thousands of little pyramids (3 sided ones) that stuck together and flipped round to make new shapes.

This was an amazing thing to watch, as this was all before CGI got going, so I guess it was done by stop motion animation. There were a number of concepts in the film that were ahead of their time.

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

British through and through.

It's got to be the red and white colour scheme, though I would also add a stripe of blue here and there to make it truly British.

BTW I think it would be best to paint it to remove the grooves as these could attract condensation on the way up which will turn into ice and add weight and possibly even fouling the control surfaces. Dimples work OK at high speeds when there is sufficient friction to prevent icing or in 'dry and warm' conditions but the space plane will be essentially slow moving until ignition, which gives it plenty of time to ice up.

Pointless tech?

If you have to fiddle about fitting a 'charging case' to the phone each time you get in the car, it would be simpler just to connect it to a wired charger, preferably one that will allow you to use the phone hands free and stop it falling down into the footwell when you brake!

Here's an idea, how about a clamp that allows you to look at the phone while you are driving so you can use the maps app, with a USB connector that will let you charge it as you drive along. What do you mean "its already been done".

Smile Please

Will the Moon be photo-bombing us do you think.

A new whey to eat

Well that Soylent certainly made me green.

The loser wins

One chilling idea is that poor young 'un, realising he has no control over his army generals decides the only way out for him and his country is to have a brief but devastating war in which NK loses spectacularly, This not only rids him of a horrendous war machine that has been gripping the nation for many years but with a bit of luck will allow him to slip away into exile somewhere (China maybe) to live out the rest of his life in relative western luxury. Another bonus for him is that the massive death and destruction would reduce the starving millions and re-inject some investment into the country in the form of aid packages. Plus SK businesses would be in there like a shot to make use of the cheap labour. So losing a war would be a win both for him and his country. Give it 10 years or so and they will be welcoming him back with open arms as the new freely elected president of a completely revitalised NK!

Kettle!

Oh for F***k sake, haven't you guys ever picked up an electric kettle. It's so simple, to have spring loaded contacts that engage when you slide the plane down onto its launch plate. Magnets, sheesh! Do I have top draw you a diagram.

Slow News Day?

It really must be a slow news day if the clumping of particles makes the headlines. It just Flocking stupid.

Moon power

As I have said before about this idea, where are you going to get the power from to run the printer? You would need huge solar arrays to get sufficient power to fuse the material whether using a binder or by sintering. So you would need to build the power station first before you could build the buildings (anyone spot a catch 22 going on here).

Recruitment?

I notice that Lynx are currently recruiting for astronauts on the Telly. Any chance of The Reg doing the same for playmonauts. Perhaps one with swimming qualifications would be a good choice.

Flowers

I think it would be nicer to have Tommy Flowers on the notes, as compensation for not getting the recognition he deserved in designing the first (semi)programmable computer. Or does being a cockney rather than a public schoolboy rule him out for such an honour.