Zompist Bboard Again

zompist wrote: ↑Tue Apr 09, 2024 4:09 pm Then you should appreciate Justin Rye's comment that Star Trek could get past Einstein using dilithium.

It's now been about ten years since I bought the first handful of DVDs that eventually grew into a fairly large de facto DVD collection. I say "de facto" because I never set out to collect DVDs, the way people set out to collect sports cards or action figures. I just thought it would be nice to own some movies (and later TV shows) on a physical medium that my computer can play, and, well, one thing led to another. And now I own a lot of instances of a medium everyone else sees as obsolete.

I like to collect the unusual. Items I have include:
- A Zoloft promotional clock
- A fragment of lunar meteoritic material
- A 2009 Physician’s Desk Reference
- An IBM PCJr. wall ad
- Not just one, but two 1:6-scale Mr. Clean action figures (still in their boxes)
- A copy of Globus Cassus

I also collect Soviet artifacts. I have an intellectual interest in the Soviet Union, which I credit to three factors:

- I am a Slav
- My father’s first memory was basically the JFK assassination so I grew up with knowledge, and later curiosity, of the Cold War
- I like space and the Space Race was US vs. USSR

Probably the most noteworthy thing I’ve got is a Chernobyl “liquidator” medal.

(I didn’t realize until after I had effected my name change last year that my monogram is now “KGB”. That was not a factor in my getting it.)

Man in Space wrote: ↑Fri Apr 19, 2024 4:31 am - Not just one, but two 1:6-scale Mr. Clean action figures (still in their boxes)

Did anyone actually specify how tall Mr. Clean is?

Travis B. wrote: ↑Fri Apr 19, 2024 10:34 am

Man in Space wrote: ↑Fri Apr 19, 2024 4:31 am - Not just one, but two 1:6-scale Mr. Clean action figures (still in their boxes)

Did anyone actually specify how tall Mr. Clean is?

The text that came with those figures, perhaps?

Raphael wrote: ↑Fri Apr 19, 2024 12:28 pm

Travis B. wrote: ↑Fri Apr 19, 2024 10:34 am

Man in Space wrote: ↑Fri Apr 19, 2024 4:31 am - Not just one, but two 1:6-scale Mr. Clean action figures (still in their boxes)

Did anyone actually specify how tall Mr. Clean is?

The text that came with those figures, perhaps?

By that you could determine the height of Mr. Clean by measuring the height of the Mr. Clean action figure and multiplying by six... I'm thinking then it's a rather tall action figure or Mr. Clean is rather short.

Travis B. wrote: ↑Fri Apr 19, 2024 12:39 pm

Raphael wrote: ↑Fri Apr 19, 2024 12:28 pm

Travis B. wrote: ↑Fri Apr 19, 2024 10:34 am

Did anyone actually specify how tall Mr. Clean is?

The text that came with those figures, perhaps?

By that you could determine the height of Mr. Clean by measuring the height of the Mr. Clean action figure and multiplying by six... I'm thinking then it's a rather tall action figure or Mr. Clean is rather short.

Mr. Clean appears to be six-foot exactly.

Raphael wrote: ↑Fri Apr 19, 2024 3:17 am It's now been about ten years since I bought the first handful of DVDs that eventually grew into a fairly large de facto DVD collection. I say "de facto" because I never set out to collect DVDs, the way people set out to collect sports cards or action figures. I just thought it would be nice to own some movies (and later TV shows) on a physical medium that my computer can play, and, well, one thing led to another. And now I own a lot of instances of a medium everyone else sees as obsolete.

I've got, well not a collections, but a few shelves of DVD. I don't think DVDs are really obsolete -- there are plenty of movies you can't often catch on streaming, and I'm happy to have these at home. I never really saw the point of HD or 4K either.
They still sell DVDs too, so evidently I'm not the only one to think that way

I have become a square number of years today. Last night I had sushi with the spouse and cake with my family since today either my mom or the spouse would not be around to celebrate at different times.

Ares Land wrote: ↑Mon Apr 22, 2024 2:15 am

Raphael wrote: ↑Fri Apr 19, 2024 3:17 am It's now been about ten years since I bought the first handful of DVDs that eventually grew into a fairly large de facto DVD collection. I say "de facto" because I never set out to collect DVDs, the way people set out to collect sports cards or action figures. I just thought it would be nice to own some movies (and later TV shows) on a physical medium that my computer can play, and, well, one thing led to another. And now I own a lot of instances of a medium everyone else sees as obsolete.

I've got, well not a collections, but a few shelves of DVD. I don't think DVDs are really obsolete -- there are plenty of movies you can't often catch on streaming, and I'm happy to have these at home. I never really saw the point of HD or 4K either.
They still sell DVDs too, so evidently I'm not the only one to think that way

Indeed, we have several DVDs at home and the internet connection never fails to play them~~

Random musing: why do we sing a song, but not drink a dronk? Make up your mind, English!

A totally unrelated random musing:

Have humans made more transistors, or more things which aren't transistors? I think transistors win out by a large margin.

Darren wrote: ↑Sun May 05, 2024 2:54 am A totally unrelated random musing:

Have humans made more transistors, or more things which aren't transistors? I think transistors win out by a large margin.

This took longer to find than I expected, but I think I have a candidate: viral particles in the Covid vaccines.

First, let's look at the transistors. There are about 2 billion computers in the world, with up to 3 billion transistors each. That's 6 quintillion transistors.

There have been about 14 billion doses of Covid vaccines made. Each dose has 50 billion particles. That's 700 quintillion particles.

Fun fact: the viruses are bigger than the transistors. (Though I'm not sure if the "virus particles" in the source I found are full viruses.)

zompist wrote: ↑Sun May 05, 2024 6:02 am

Darren wrote: ↑Sun May 05, 2024 2:54 am A totally unrelated random musing:

Have humans made more transistors, or more things which aren't transistors? I think transistors win out by a large margin.

This took longer to find than I expected, but I think I have a candidate: viral particles in the Covid vaccines.

First, let's look at the transistors. There are about 2 billion computers in the world, with up to 3 billion transistors each. That's 6 quintillion transistors.

There have been about 14 billion doses of Covid vaccines made. Each dose has 50 billion particles. That's 700 quintillion particles.

Fun fact: the viruses are bigger than the transistors. (Though I'm not sure if the "virus particles" in the source I found are full viruses.)

That's an interesting point. My sources suggest 13 sextillion (hehehe) transistors have been made, so they still beat out Covid viral particles. But does it beat out all vaccines combined? Maybe not? I can't find enough figures to work it out.

Why do people see structure as meaning? Why do we see neatness as justification?

For example, take people who think the Quran has some kind of code in it. Here's a literal flat earther trying to explain his theory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTxlqYyd7m4 Regarding this specific attempt, you can explain anything by creating an arbitrarily complex theory. Theories can only be tested against unseen data. Otherwise, whenever you encounter a data point you can't explain yet, you could simply introduce a new distinction with a term to name it.

What I I'm trying to understand is why the Quran having a code would be significant. Assuming minor letter combinations in the Quran does have a code in it, why do some people find that so deeply meaningful?

I bring this up because I noticed that market apologetics falls into a similar fallacy. The common argument is that, because market interactions follow a mathematical structure, a structure it shares with arbitrary aspects of the natural world, it follows that the market is eternal and therefore justified.

Let's say you punch one of these people. Let's say we then create a beautiful, sinusoidal plot of the fist connecting with the jaw, along with equations showing how the punch followed all the principles of natural law. Does that somehow justify the punch itself?

Is this related to the recent study showing that people find languages more beautiful when they know bits of it?

rotting bones wrote: ↑Tue May 07, 2024 12:18 amWhat I I'm trying to understand is why the Quran having a code would be significant.

The same thing is done with the Bible...literally "The Bible Code" as per many dozens of books and tv specials. I'm not sure what the founding thought was that kicked off the 20th Century searches and publications (tho its been done, small scale, for centuries)...maybe thinking "if every letter has a number assigned to it, that means its math/a computer!"

Assuming minor letter combinations in the Quran does have a code in it, why do some people find that so deeply meaningful?

Probably because, at least to them, it proves intentionality.

rotting bones wrote: ↑Tue May 07, 2024 12:18 am
What I I'm trying to understand is why the Quran having a code would be significant. Assuming minor letter combinations in the Quran does have a code in it, why do some people find that so deeply meaningful?

I mean, having any kind of secret, purposely encoded meaning in a sacred book would be huge!
Though, as you mention, it's always people fooling themselves.

therapist: objectively evil sound changes do not exist they can't hurt you
cot-caught merger and yeismo: allow us to introduce ourselves

foxcatdog wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2024 3:07 pm therapist: objectively evil sound changes do not exist they can't hurt you
cot-caught merger and yeismo: allow us to introduce ourselves

I think the most evil sound change is turning sibilants into laterals myself.

Travis B. wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2024 3:43 pm

foxcatdog wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2024 3:07 pm therapist: objectively evil sound changes do not exist they can't hurt you
cot-caught merger and yeismo: allow us to introduce ourselves

I think the most evil sound change is turning sibilants into laterals myself.

You deny the darkness in your soul, you deny your power.

(edit): also does that mean Amarin is an objectively good language since it changes laterals into sibilants