What is the newest installment of 'Random Thoughts' on Physics Forums?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Evo
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Random Thoughts
AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around frustrations with current documentary programming, particularly criticizing the History Channel's focus on sensational topics like time travel conspiracies instead of real historical content. Participants express disappointment over National Geographic's sale to Fox, fearing a decline in quality programming. The conversation shifts to lighter topics, including humorous anecdotes about everyday life, such as a malfunctioning kitchen fan discovered to be blocked by installation instructions. There are also discussions about the challenges of understanding various dialects in Belgium, the complexities of language, and personal experiences with weather and housing in California. Members share their thoughts on food, including a peculiar dish of zucchini pancakes served with strawberry yogurt, and delve into mathematical concepts related to sandwich cutting and the properties of numbers. The thread captures a blend of serious commentary and lighthearted banter, reflecting a diverse range of interests and perspectives among participants.
  • #3,951
fresh_42 said:
Are we talking about the Haggis people?
Haggises are people? I thought they were furry creatures with one leg shorter than the other from running round hills. You catch them by scaring them into running the wrong way round a hill, then catching them in a net as they roll down the hill.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #3,952
Ibix said:
Haggises are people? I thought they were furry creatures with one leg shorter than the other from running round hills. You catch them by scaring them into running the wrong way round a hill, then catching them in a net as they roll down the hill.
I always suspected these things were alive - no wonder Nessie is hiding. ... Are they related to fried Mars bars?
 
  • #3,953
fresh_42 said:
I always suspected these things were alive - no wonder Nessie is hiding. ... Are they related to fried Mars bars?
No - unlike haggis trapping and Nessie, those are real. :oldruck:
 
  • #3,954
Ibix said:
They're more or less a product of chromatic aberration, yes. I'm not sure you can really call it chromatic aberration when it's not part of an optical system designed to form an achromatic image, but it's the same root cause, certainly.
Thanks! That was my thought.
 
  • Like
Likes Ibix
  • #3,955
Ibix said:
They're more or less a product of chromatic aberration, yes. I'm not sure you can really call it chromatic aberration when it's not part of an optical system designed to form an achromatic image, but it's the same root cause, certainly.
So is it the real life or is it just fantasy...?
 
  • #3,956
WWGD said:
So is it the real life or is it just fantasy...?
Old, but still funny:

Iif you're a Star Trek nerd, identify the episodes.
 
  • #3,957
Ibix said:
Old, but still funny:

Iif you're a Star Trek nerd, identify the episodes.

I need to update my cheesy pop references. But then again, I am kind of a newcomer, I started listening to them in the 2000s.
 
  • #3,958
WWGD said:
I need to update my cheesy pop references. But then again, I am kind of a newcomer, I started listening to them in the 2000s.
They gained my full attention in 1978 :biggrin:
 
  • #3,959
fresh_42 said:
They gained my full attention in 1978 :biggrin:
I incredibly had just passing experience with them. I think I got into them after some " Wayne World" movie.
 
  • #3,960
Does anyone not know Bohemian Rhapsody? It's one of those things that seems to me to have entered the collective unconscious.

It's possible my sample of "the collective" is biased by my age group.
 
  • #3,961
Ibix said:
Does anyone not know Bohemian Rhapsody? It's one of those things that seems to me to have entered the collective unconscious.

It's possible my sample of "the collective" is biased by my age group.
Best song ever!

I think there is a collective cultural consciousness. As far as cult movies (Rocky Horror), songs (Beatles) or books (Hitchhiker) are concerned, there is a new commonness at least in the western world. The men - women thing works probably throughout the species. I'm always surprised by our similarities, although certain groups do their best to tell us the opposite.
 
  • #3,962
fresh_42 said:
I'm always surprised by our similarities, although certain groups do their best to tell us the opposite.
Yeah. My wife's Spanish and I've spent quite a lot of time in Spain. There are huge differences from English culture (rules are much more like guidelines, deadlines aren't really, they are LOUD, children are accepted anywhere at any time but nowhere has a baby change table, they drive on the wrong side of the road). But so much is the same - the humour, the music, stories, TV, selfish politicians, getting together for a meal... The differences are mostly stylistic, not really substantive. IMO.
 
  • #3,963
Ibix said:
... The differences are mostly stylistic, not really substantive. IMO.
aka, nothing that a Sangria/Beer cannot take care of :).
 
  • Like
Likes fresh_42 and Ibix
  • #3,964
WWGD said:
aka, nothing that a Sangria/Beer cannot take care of :).
True. :smile: Although Spanish beer comes in very small servings. I miss pints when I'm there...
 
  • #3,965
Ibix said:
True. :smile: Although Spanish beer comes in very small servings. I miss pints when I'm there...
I was lucky when in Madrid. They had a Hard Rock Cafe next to the hotel :smile:
 
  • #3,966
There was a very small earthquake while I was sitting on the toilet I was like: "I swear... if this toilet breaks and I fall on the water... I'm going to rage." The toilet was wobbling.

Makes you think about the people that live in places where this stuff happens constantly. They must think: "Okay, I'm going to the bathroom now. Let's hope there won't be an earthquake..."
 
  • #3,967
Psinter said:
There was a very small earthquake while I was sitting on the toilet I was like: "I swear... if this toilet breaks and I fall on the water... I'm going to rage." The toilet was wobbling.

I'm now. Let's hope there won't be an earthquake..."
Just eat more fruit!
 
  • Like
Likes Psinter
  • #3,968
I keep on stupidly bringing up political topics when having casual exchanges. I need to stop.
 
  • #3,969
It's hard not to these days.
 
  • #3,970
fresh_42 said:
It's hard not to these days.
Sad thing is many are unable to disagree in a reasonable way.Edit : including myself at times, I am embarrassed to admit. Less so now, but still at times.
 
Last edited:
  • #3,971
WWGD said:
I keep on stupidly bringing up political topics when having casual exchanges. I need to stop.
How I imagine discussing politics goes for people: :biggrin:

https://i.imgur.com/I9SoCBc.png (You can zoom in the link)

I9SoCBc.png
 

Attachments

  • I9SoCBc.png
    I9SoCBc.png
    45 KB · Views: 259
  • Like
Likes WWGD
  • #3,972
WWGD said:
Sad thing is many are unable to disagree in a reasonable way.Edit : including myself at times, I am embarrassed to admit. Less so now, but still at times.
What's really sad is, that certain unpleasant phenomena seem to appear at very different places on this globe, and all of which have been unexpected by the values they claimed to follow.
 
  • #3,973
First saw this on the Greater Portland (Oregon) Aquarium Society facebook page.
I believe these guys are members of the club.
I guess thing get around.
30052320_589860774706670_2221091427078262382_o.jpg
 

Attachments

  • 30052320_589860774706670_2221091427078262382_o.jpg
    30052320_589860774706670_2221091427078262382_o.jpg
    25.3 KB · Views: 245
  • Like
Likes WWGD and Psinter
  • #3,974
I can see why AI is so difficult. I can see machines misinterpreting:

1)Auto Repair: Wait, it repairs itself? Then why do we need a store for it?

2)Midtown Towing: Wait: you are going to tow the whole midtown? What for? Where to?
 
  • #3,975
fresh_42 said:
Best song ever.

I say 'Somebody to Love's is up there too, quality wise.
 
  • #3,976
WWGD said:
I can see why AI is so difficult. I can see machines misinterpreting:

1)Auto Repair: Wait, it repairs itself? Then why do we need a store for it?

2)Midtown Towing: Wait: you are going to tow the whole midtown? What for? Where to?
I don't recall where I read it, but on computer vision someone once said that we'll know we've cracked it when a system can look at an image and say "that's a brown cow with five legs". A system, in other words, that fits a new object into a classification scheme (cow), recognising subclasses (brown cows) and flagging oddities (five legs). I think the same applies to parsing natural language. I mean, just go and read the Lame Jokes thread. About 50% of it is posters deliberately invoking confusion of the kind you're making here.
 
  • Like
Likes WWGD
  • #3,977
Ibix said:
I don't recall where I read it, but on computer vision someone once said that we'll know we've cracked it when a system can look at an image and say "that's a brown cow with five legs". A system, in other words, that fits a new object into a classification scheme (cow), recognising subclasses (brown cows) and flagging oddities (five legs). I think the same applies to parsing natural language. I mean, just go and read the Lame Jokes thread. About 50% of it is posters deliberately invoking confusion of the kind you're making here.
Yes, god point. But I see a problem is "size": there are infinitely-many types of situations that are not likely to fit within a finite set of premises/rules. It may be a good idea if someone could address this satisfactorily ( I will keep to the lame jokes for now -- meaning any and all jokes coming from me :) ). EDIT: There is a parallel to this: the need for a Supreme Court because , I posit, no finite collection of laws can cover/describe any possible situation that may arise in the interactions between people.
 
Last edited:
  • #3,978
WWGD said:
Yes, god point. But I see a problem is "size": there are infinitely-many types of situations that are not likely to fit within a finite set of premises/rules. It may be a good idea if someone could address this satisfactorily ( I will keep to the lame jokes for now -- meaning any and all jokes coming from me :) ). EDIT: There is a parallel to this: the need for a Supreme Court because , I posit, no finite collection of laws can cover/describe any possible situation that may arise in the interactions between people.
Doesn't this just boil down to whether you think humans are computers with delusions of grandeur or not? If we are then it must be possible to write a computer program to do the same - to be able to generate new classifications and new rules when the existing ones don't work, or can only be regarded as guidelines. If not, then possibly not.
 
  • #3,979
Ibix said:
Doesn't this just boil down to whether you think humans are computers with delusions of grandeur or not? If we are then it must be possible to write a computer program to do the same - to be able to generate new classifications and new rules when the existing ones don't work, or can only be regarded as guidelines. If not, then possibly not.
Unfortunately I never finished "The Emperor's New Mind" nor "Godel, Escher Bach" , nor related books, but I think you did get to the meat of the issue, but unfortunately I don't have a good answer at this point EDIT .<Sigh> I miss the days of undergrad where you could afford to spend days thinking about this type of questions.
 
  • #3,980
WWGD said:
"Godel, Escher Bach"
I think it's an xkcd cartoon that proposes a six-word biography of Hofstadter - "I'm So Meta Even This Acronym".

I don't think anyone has a complete answer to the question yet. And I suspect that even if we built AIs that produce grand symphonies, beautiful paintings, and a rigorous proof of the Riemann Hypothesis, you'd still find people arguing that they aren't really thinking. And yes, "they" can be read two ways in that last sentence... :wink:
 
  • #3,981
Ibix said:
I think it's an xkcd cartoon that proposes a six-word biography of Hofstadter - "I'm So Meta Even This Acronym".

I don't think anyone has a complete answer to the question yet. And I suspect that even if we built AIs that produce grand symphonies, beautiful paintings, and a rigorous proof of the Riemann Hypothesis, you'd still find people arguing that they aren't really thinking. And yes, "they" can be read two ways in that last sentence... :wink:
Yes, maybe it is just us Math, Physics people who understand the need to fix definitions while having discussions of this sort, and adjusting them as needed or face wasting time endlessly getting nowhere. Hey, seems like a good idea for a Monte Python skit; too bad I am some 30 years late for that.
 
  • Like
Likes fresh_42
  • #3,982
How about a meta on Hofstadter s meta analysis? A mouthful of a lot name too.
 
  • #3,983
Whatever happened to Scooby shoe?
 
  • #3,984
I have no idea. His profile page says last seen in 9/29/17 and the last post I've found has been from 6/5/17. It contained nothing which would have indicated a waving goodbye.
 
  • #3,985
fresh_42 said:
I have no idea. His profile page says last seen in 9/29/17 and the last post I've found has been from 6/5/17. It contained nothing which would have indicated a waving goodbye.
Thanks. But then again, neither did Belgium team's webpage... ??
 
  • #3,986
I wonder if going from being a chap to a fellow is an improvement.
 
  • #3,987
WWGD said:
Thanks. But then again, neither did Belgium team's webpage... ??
Probably better so. I don't think that the Belgians would have had a good chance against Croatia ...
 
  • #3,988
fresh_42 said:
Probably better so. I don't think that the Belgians would have had a good chance against Croatia ...
Ouch...You a chap or a fella? Some #$% told me both games were tomorrow and I missed Belgium- France.
 
Last edited:
  • #3,989
Guess I'm a dude, since my dictionary notes both - chap and fella - with a [Br.].
 
  • #3,990
fresh_42 said:
Guess I'm a dude, since my dictionary notes both - chap and fella - with a [Br.].
I used to think a fellowship is one where everyone must call you 'fellow'.
 
  • #3,991
WWGD said:
I used to think a fellowship is one where everyone must call you 'fellow'.
It's hard to be a fellower of either these times ... No time to be anglophile.
 
  • #3,992
fresh_42 said:
It's hard to be a fellower of either these times ... No time to be anglophile.
Komrad/Tovarich then?
 
  • #3,993
Well, at least the French seemingly don't want to change a winning team! So how about "copain"?
 
  • #3,994
fresh_42 said:
Well, at least the French seemingly don't want to change a winning team! So how about "copain"?
Prijatelj?
 
  • #3,995
WWGD said:
Prijatelj?
Good idea. Apart from American Handegg (Patriots) I like underdogs.
 
  • #3,996
Interesting book on positive emotions and their goal . Good thing they called the book Positivity and nor Positivism.
 
  • #3,997
fresh_42 said:
Good idea. Apart from American Handegg (Patriots) I like underdogs.
I like my dogs with coleslaw.
 
  • #3,998
Croatia makes it!
 
  • #3,999
fresh_42 said:
Probably better so. I don't think that the Belgians would have had a good chance against Croatia ...
WWGD said:
Croatia makes it!
:biggrin:
 
  • Like
Likes WWGD
  • #4,000
fresh_42 said:
:biggrin:
And I won a chocolate bar and water as a result. I am betting on Croatia on the final. Habout you, freshmeister?
 

Similar threads

Random Thoughts 7
34
Replies
2K
Views
51K
Random Thoughts Part 5: Time to Split Again
54
Replies
3K
Views
155K
Is it time for Random Thoughts - Part 4?
46
Replies
2K
Views
167K
Random Thoughts Part 4 - Split Thread
81
Replies
4K
Views
230K
Why Not Share Your Random Thoughts Here?
Replies
3
Views
2K
Can PF Random Thoughts be Split to Help with Server Load?
67
Replies
3K
Views
356K
Where to find nonprofessional collaborators/science friends?
Replies
21
Views
2K
What science forums support philosophical discussions?
Replies
14
Views
2K
Discussion on Astronomical Prime Numbers and Re-evaluating the Primali
Replies
5
Views
1K
Is ChatGPT promoting Physics Forums?
Replies
8
Views
2K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top