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

[fresh_42]

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.

 

[Ibix]

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.

 

[WWGD]

... The differences are mostly stylistic, not really substantive. IMO.

aka, nothing that a Sangria/Beer cannot take care of :).

 

[Ibix]

aka, nothing that a Sangria/Beer cannot take care of :).

True. Although Spanish beer comes in very small servings. I miss pints when I'm there...

 

[fresh_42]

True. 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

 

[Psinter]

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..."

 

[WWGD]

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!

 

[WWGD]

I keep on stupidly bringing up political topics when having casual exchanges. I need to stop.

 

[fresh_42]

It's hard not to these days.

 

[WWGD]

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.

 

[Psinter]

I keep on stupidly bringing up political topics when having casual exchanges. I need to stop.

How I imagine discussing politics goes for people:

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

 

[fresh_42]

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.

 

[BillTre]

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.

 

[WWGD]

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?

 

[WWGD]

Best song ever.

I say 'Somebody to Love's is up there too, quality wise.

 

[Ibix]

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.

 

[WWGD]

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.

 

[Ibix]

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.

 

[WWGD]

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.

 

[Ibix]

"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...

 

[WWGD]

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...

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.

 

[WWGD]

How about a meta on Hofstadter s meta analysis? A mouthful of a lot name too.

 

[WWGD]

Whatever happened to Scooby shoe?

 

[fresh_42]

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.

 

[WWGD]

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... ??

 

[WWGD]

I wonder if going from being a chap to a fellow is an improvement.

 

[fresh_42]

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 ...

 

[WWGD]

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.

 

[fresh_42]

Guess I'm a dude, since my dictionary notes both - chap and fella - with a [Br.].

 

[WWGD]

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'.