Royston
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Posts posted by Royston
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17 minutes ago, dimreepr said:
If we can't understand the product of what we've built, how can we trust it?
That's the fun bit though isn't it ? I.E I guess the next stage is to decipher the maths...all the information is there, it just needs to be decoded.
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Thought this was fascinating. An AI program developed at Columbia University observes video footage and calculates the dynamics of the system from the ground up i.e it creates variables to model the system. Although the researchers understand some of the variables that have been implemented e.g angular calculations for a pendulum, the rest remains a mystery, it works, but they don't know why it works.
https://scitechdaily.com/artificial-intelligence-discovers-alternative-physics/
QuoteA particularly interesting question was whether the set of variables was unique for every system, or whether a different set was produced each time the program was restarted. “I always wondered, if we ever met an intelligent alien race, would they have discovered the same physics laws as we have, or might they describe the universe in a different way?” said Lipson. “Perhaps some phenomena seem enigmatically complex because we are trying to understand them using the wrong set of variables.”
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On 12/17/2020 at 10:30 PM, Curious layman said:
I was wondering, Do you ever keep in touch with anyone away from the site?
I remember (what seems aeons ago) attempting to create a website with Cap'n called dbunked. IIRC blike (the founder of these forums) designed the logo. There were a number of experts interested in the project, but unfortunately it didn't blossom.
I was quite excited at the time, as I thought a centre/thinktank for disinformation outside of Snopes would be invaluable, it seems even more pertinent today.
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And yes, I do have a coherent strategy that does not involve the same personality assasination strategy employed by both sides of the brexit debate.
You've still failed to present what this strategy is...
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5 hours ago, studiot said:
I think that the UK benefitted by not being involved with the US in the Vietnam debacle.
Except that Britain along with Vietnam, France, Japan, China and later the US were all involved in the Vietnam war.
1 hour ago, Endy0816 said:I swear sometimes forget that all this is real. Took way too long to figure out why Bloomberg would be interviewing the Irish Ambassador on EU-US relations. 😐
It's interesting how Brexit talks are influencing the Irish-American vote. All thanks to our 'special relationship'.
As for chlorinated chicken, the House of Lords have recently blocked the move to import food that yields lower (than our current) animal welfare standards...
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9 hours ago, studiot said:
And yes, I do have a coherent strategy that does not involve the same personality assasination strategy employed by both sides of the brexit debate.
Which is...?
On 9/24/2020 at 1:53 PM, studiot said:Poetry aside, one of my reasons for wanting to opt out of the EU is that I don't want my children or grandchildren to be involved in Europe's next war.
I'm sorry to say the same old pressures are building up again.This seems quite a peculiar reason, considering we're military allies with the US.
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Today I learned, after a seagull knocked some off my roof, that the humble Lichen is a composite organism. It is a symbiotic relationship between cyanobacteria and fungi. Nearly 6% of the Earth is covered in Lichen, which is testament to, if you get along, you'll be successful.
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On 6/19/2020 at 4:17 PM, Strange said:
It isn't meant to hurt. I don't understand why it would. If someone hates broccoli, would it hurt them to say they are a "broccoli hater"?
Surely the reasons why somebody hates broccoli are different to why somebody discriminates to a certain group of humans.
QuoteIf someone hates some ethnic group, why would they care if that is pointed out? Wouldn't they be quietly pleased that their beliefs have been acknowledged?
That entirely depends on who you're talking to. If it is a member of a far right group such as the EDL then yes ? If it's a naive 78 year old, then probably not. Are you not familiar with 'I'm not a racist, but...'
QuoteAnd is "white supremacist" an insult? It seems to be used pretty freely, even by respectable media. And I thought it was a label people used to identify themselves and their beliefs.
But "white supremacist" == "racist". By definition.
Because the term is used in a negative light, because it's extreme, it's synonymous with terrorist in a media context.
If you (quite rightly) take issue with racism, then calling somebody a racist is clearly a derogatory term.
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7 minutes ago, iNow said:
I understood your intent was to be humorous. It just wasn’t funny. War isn’t a joke
Fair enough, I kinda like the idea of children with lazer eyes taking out adults....each their own.
However this is fundamental to the brexit debate...
QuoteBut I know fully well what we were voting for.
Nobody knew what they were voting for, except the people (to a certain degree) who voted remain, because it was already in place.
For the people that voted leave, only a handful of powerful people knew the implications of leaving, not the public. If the public knew the hopeless mess that would entail they certainly would of not voted for it...yet it's these same people that scream 'the will of the people' and 'democracy'.
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deleted...blah
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1 minute ago, iNow said:
It’s easy to say things like this online, but I suspect you’d feel differently if everyone you love were killed in this war. War is never something to desire or hope for. Never.
Good grief, it was a joke.
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I find it quite interesting that a cauldron of shit media, propaganda, and puppetry can quickly polarize a country i.e a few years ago, remain and leavers never existed...yet for some reason we're at logger heads.
Personally I think we should have a civil war...the majority of brexit voters were 50+, so the younger generation should take their legs out with lazers.
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3 hours ago, Endy0816 said:
Space and Time
I don't think that makes much sense...spacetime is one entity, not two.
It maybe worth familiarising with the workings of light cones and see how they behave as they go past an event horizon.
If you were travelling into a black hole and you went past the EH, before the inevitable spaghettification you would not experience anything wacky (from your frame of reference).
However, what truly happens past the event horizon, regardless of what GR predicts and a number of other theories, still remains speculative.
QuoteTime and space are elated because the speed of light is invariant
Awww, that's so cute. Let's hope c stays invariant so time and space doesn't get all grumpy.
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On 7/12/2019 at 7:07 AM, Midnighthypothesis said:
Other articles exist, but they mostly seem to come from the same study.
FWIW here is the original report...
https://jech.bmj.com/content/66/9/767
This (from the NHS website) is a good summary and highlights why the study is inconclusive...
https://www.nhs.uk/news/lifestyle-and-exercise/childhood-iq-linked-to-adult-drug-use/
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On 6/11/2008 at 3:06 PM, Royston said:
Tee hee
Tee hee
Part Deux
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6 hours ago, John Cuthber said:
A sample size of 1 would be enough to rule out some options- for example, one omnivore rules out the idea that we are all vegan.
It was a joke, but sure, (I would hope) there is prior knowledge about the poll, i.e veganism and vegetarianism does exist.
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A sample of 11 is more than enough to come to hasty conclusions.
So the majority of SFN'ers enjoy feasting on the flesh of murdered animals.
On 3/24/2019 at 8:45 PM, Intrigued said:I am an omnivore, because that's what homo sapiens evolved as.
Poor use of a term on my part...being physiologically an omnivore is obviously not a choice.
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I became a vegetarian roughly a year and a half ago, where I'd been toying with the idea for much longer.
Strangely, although I've not indoctrinated myself, pass not eating meat, I find the idea of eating any meat completely repulsive, albeit I've only cut it out of my diet. There is no other influence as far as I'm aware of to trigger such a response :).
I chose to be a veggie for environmental impact reasons and also are lack of knowledge when it comes to sentience.
So, just wondering what you sciencey types choose as a diet choice, and why ?
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On 3/18/2019 at 2:38 PM, dimreepr said:
im not suggesting your wrong but what of us, the less talented?
It's not necessary to have an innate skill to start studying an introductory course...prerequisites maybe but not talent. So that is a bit of a moot point.
QuoteIt could be argued that this type of narrative is what vexed us in the first place.
I get that, but the entire thrust of my first post was, if you're in a funk and wasting time in front of a pc, that pc and time could be utilised to progress somewhere. It was merely to widen his eyes to that fact...context is everything I guess.
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13 hours ago, Phi for All said:
A round of applause for taking the plunge! Great to have you back, btw.
Thanks, Phi !
Vexen, if you're interested here is the link to the edx site... edx .
I completed two courses through edx after my degree, they were both very insightful and well paced. So if you feel your lacking focus, I think this would be an excellent start.
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23 hours ago, Vexen said:
My progress is underwhelming.
Having been through an underwhelming progress rut (I was also mentally ill at the time), my solution was to find a subject that got me excited, was challenging and gave me the tools to better myself and think more rationally about the world...and study it.
I ended up enrolling on a general sciences course to find out what really rocked my boat and after taking the plunge it became clear that physics was my subject. So I kept enrolling for courses (I was on a low wage at the time so I was studying for free due to an earnings threshold). Indeed, you're at a time where there are so many free resources at your disposal due to the internet that a formal as well as self taught education is easily at your disposal.
After studying and thoroughly enjoying the distant learning experience, I walked away with a degree, new friends and an abundance of ideas on how I could utilise what I had learned. At present I'm a test engineer for F1 and I get to play around with the skills I picked up through studying mathematics and physics. I'm now in the process of forming a start up company that deals with tabletop gaming assets using photogrammetry, 3D printing and 3D modelling.
My point is that you can hit absolute rock bottom, which is where I was and have the ability to claw yourself out of it if you can focus on, not only what you're good at but use the abundance of resources that are free, to climb out of that rut. As a starting point I would think of what really gives you a mental hard on and do an introductory course ...I studied computer science through edx, I highly recommend it
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Thanks for the responses both.
After some cursory digging a metallic taste in the mouth requires a trigger e.g from poor oral hygiene to use of certain drugs. A metallic taste seems to be quite a general gustatory reaction.
I think the last point is quite salient but I'm struggling to understand why that is a general reaction.
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This is something I have experienced for as long as I can remember and possibly why I have taken it for granted. However, if I hurt myself, from popping a spot (zit) to cracking my shin on a table, it is immediately followed by the taste of blood in my mouth (or iron if you like). It seems to happen if the pain is abrupt and sharp. The reason this question was prompted was due to an accident involving a stubborn fitting and a spanner.
There is a wealth of information on tasting blood due to intense exercise but not when injuring yourself (except for severe head injuries). I have found only one Reddit thread where others have experienced the same and there's some hand wavy speculation as to what causes this.
So I'm seeking a more detailed explanation, if there is one and/or if there are similar instances of such, under different circumstances...e.g do some people taste fish when they're near a large body of water ? It appears to be very associative at first glance.
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War Games: Russia Takes Ukraine, China Takes Taiwan. US Response?
in Politics
Posted
Indeed, there's images circulating of Prigozhin meeting with Yevkurov, the talks clearly didn't go well, and now Wagner are on Moscow's doorstep. The petty infighting that has led to this, is deeply embarrassing for Putin.