My long time issue with the "they would be too intelligent/evolved to have any interest in us" type scenario, such as he puts as number two here, is that we go through great lengths to try and research and understand very primitive life. There are efforts being made to talk to dolphins and apes. We're looking to build ships to crash or land ships onto Titan to see if there is microbial life on a moon orbiting a gas giant, not to mention work to see if Mars once upon had life. So the very fact we're able to get off our little rock (though not much off it), I think would warrant a stop and look, perhaps to help answer what was life like at such an early stage of evolution.

Not said stop and look doesn't imply any sort of communications. Indeed there may be a Prime Directive like thing with them where by they see and observe, but leave no evidence of such a visit (alien abductions being just mental illness coupled with abuse or other issues).

Now distance is a super valid point, but by far the most likely point is the survivability window, which he talks about in point three. We're still a level zero civilization (Kardashev scale) and decades until we reach a level one civilization (unfortunately it seems delayed even further due to some very anti-science moves being made by certain groups). Moving up that scale is only one thing, avoiding killing ourselves via war is another huge one. With CRISPR technology advancing, there is a very real danger of a Division/Stand/Utopia type disease coming to the foreground, especially if driven by a zealot (ala Division and Utopia). I highly doubt a man made black hole or something, but war or a CRISPR engineered disease... Not to mention the natural disasters he mentioned, and others, such as huge gamma ray bursts and others that we've managed to avoid. And we'd have to think that most civilizations go through somewhat similar phases, with a universe that is fairly hostile to life, even if many planets are capable of at least starting life. Generally I figure that most civilizations never make it past the stage we are at now, and those that do probably don't get to stage two and beyond (to be fair, I doubt any civilization can achieve stage two on Kardashev's scale as it goes beyond knowledge needed, but materials and more).

Back to the technology of communications point. I've generally figured if you are space faring, you gave up on radio communications and are using strange properties or something along those lines.

That's a shame, I thought it was a quite interesting explanation of all those Google deep dream images.

There was another computerphile video just on the neural networks used, linked in the description, but I didn't watch it.

The most basic idea is reasonably straightforward - the neural networks are being used to classify images, so there is a low level categoriser for low level things like edges and corners, and then a higher level one that looks for how edges and corners are arranged to make, say, ears... and then a top level one to look for how ears and noses are arranged to make cats.

The complicated bit is that then they run the device backwards, so instead of using it to assign a probability that something is an ear, they actually put the ear in the image even though it wasn't really there to start with.

Since I'm not really saying anything that they didn't, I'm assuming that didn't help?

Use of Deadly Force rules vary by state and even by jurisdiction.

This has to stop.

We should have laws about the when the use of deadly force is legal, set at the National level. Also, we can't have Police investigating themselves for violations, or to have their local Jurisdiction handling the trial. The police work with the legal side of things enough that there is a conflict-of-interest... both on a personal and monetary level.

One of two things need to happen for any trust to be restored, either Police need to stop screwing up... or they need to be held accountable for their actions by the courts.

I think you'd really enjoy the "Ringworld" stuff by Larry Niven, especially the Man-Kzin wars series.

There's a strong emphasis on what you are describing whereby space weaponry by it's very nature is so accurate and long ranged that what we might think of as conventional warfare is not really an option anymore.

e.g. a typical beam weapon could just invisibly cook the enemy crew alive in their own ship from the other side of a solar system.

To the point that the human race had pretty much given up on the idea of warfare entirely before they encounter the Kzinti.


I might argue that with Drones, Lasers, Tesla howitzers and god knows what else we on the verge of inventing we might well hit a similar wall in real life.

i.e. We get so good at doing war that we spoil it for ourselves and make even tactical level conflict pointless. (much like nuclear weapons did at the strategic level)

One can but hope....

2000 for the entry level ones... 4500 at the higher end... look at the precision though, these are fine creations built to last lifetimes

It's very difficult to beat Hitchens, he's a master debater.

It wouldn't even matter if you had a stronger position, if you are not at his skill level and I'd say very few people are, he'd quite likely still "beat" you. This Ritter guy is not on equal level, one of his weaknesses is his passion, which I'm afraid in civil debate really just gets in the way.

If you're going to throw out a bone that a country is better off with a Dictator than the growing pains of a revolution, well, just get the shovel out and start digging.

Oh Saddam might of helped the country out a little when it was crashing and burning...oh lord BETTER keep him forever. What a shallow and stupid perspective, why does he want to rule over a dump site? Of course he'd like to improve it so he can rule something a little nicer. He's still a Dictator with crimes against humanity as long as they come.

Just a weird stance to have taken, I feel like Ritter knew he was getting a bit stupid but couldn't realistically back down without reducing the effect of the rest of his arguments.

It definitely doesnt blow. I have been spending huge amounts of time in WvW and that shit gets as brutal as fuck. I have attacks as an engineer that out of thirty people attacking will be the one move that launches the dude being attacked ten feet through the air and then they will be unable to get up, they will probably be down long enough that they are fucked, they can fight back while they are on the ground, if they take someone out they will revive, or they can wait for someone to revive em. But, probably what is going to happen is after I blast them through the fucking air and they are unable to get up someone is gonna fucking stake their ass and they will have to tele back to their starting zone. Dodging is a godsend to a game like this.

WoW would have made you spend months getting to the required level but since it auto 80s everyone you could level from level one all the way to level 80 just by playing WvW. I havent played a game in a long time that is as fun as this game. But, its not all roses... the WvW definitely has problems but I am also not the sort to get bogged down by all the fucking details or to spend every waking hour playing it; I guess I am its targeted audience. Yeah have fun playing as a fucking panda....

this thread is derp threat level one million... i think the planet would be better off if all of us who posted commit harikari

>> ^skinnydaddy1:

>> ^GeeSussFreeK:
>> ^charliem:
Pretty sure John Carmack (of Doom fame) was one of the lead software engineers on this project.

Your thinking of Armadillo Aerospace, which lost out slightly to this company, Masten Space Systems, in the NASA and Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge X Prize in 2009 for the level 2 test. Armadillo Aerospace won the level one test, but the second level was a million bucks to the $350k of the first.

Was this the company that got several tries for the contest were Armadillo Aerospace only got one?


Armadillo Aerospace's vehicle could of made another attempt, but they decided against it because of a burned through engine nozzle, and rolled the vehicle at takeoff that caused other damage. Rockets ain't easy!

>> ^GeeSussFreeK:

>> ^charliem:
Pretty sure John Carmack (of Doom fame) was one of the lead software engineers on this project.

Your thinking of Armadillo Aerospace, which lost out slightly to this company, Masten Space Systems, in the NASA and Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge X Prize in 2009 for the level 2 test. Armadillo Aerospace won the level one test, but the second level was a million bucks to the $350k of the first.


Was this the company that got several tries for the contest were Armadillo Aerospace only got one?

>> ^charliem:

Pretty sure John Carmack (of Doom fame) was one of the lead software engineers on this project.


Your thinking of Armadillo Aerospace, which lost out slightly to this company, Masten Space Systems, in the NASA and Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge X Prize in 2009 for the level 2 test. Armadillo Aerospace won the level one test, but the second level was a million bucks to the $350k of the first.

>> ^A10anis:

>> ^alien_concept:
>> ^A10anis:
Calling Manchester United "overachieving c s" is ignorant on two levels. One, for the loutish, spiteful, language. And two, because Manchester United are always expected to achieve good results, simply because they are the top club. (No, I don't support them)

Thanks Mum, I'll bear it in mind...

Obviously you need your mum to help you, On your own you, by your own admission, are a child, with childish notions. So, be quiet, and know your place,


Oh man, get a grip. You have little in the way of manners. You have accused me of being ignorant, childish and that I don't know my place, all over an offhand comment about a football team?!?! Please, take your superiority complex elsewhere, silly person.

>> ^alien_concept:

>> ^A10anis:
Calling Manchester United "overachieving c s" is ignorant on two levels. One, for the loutish, spiteful, language. And two, because Manchester United are always expected to achieve good results, simply because they are the top club. (No, I don't support them)

Thanks Mum, I'll bear it in mind...

Obviously you need your mum to help you, On your own you, by your own admission, are a child, with childish notions. So, be quiet, and know your place,

>> ^A10anis:

Calling Manchester United "overachieving c s" is ignorant on two levels. One, for the loutish, spiteful, language. And two, because Manchester United are always expected to achieve good results, simply because they are the top club. (No, I don't support them)


Thanks Mum, I'll bear it in mind...

>> ^Yogi:

>> ^A10anis:
Calling Manchester United "overachieving c s" is ignorant on two levels. One, for the loutish, spiteful, language. And two, because Manchester United are always expected to achieve good results, simply because they are the top club. (No, I don't support them)

I don't see the difference between Man Utd and Man City except color. One has money...the other just got money. I support teams like Swansea and I think players shouldn't be able to make over $1 million a year because what they do Doesn't Fucking Matter.
If they make anything over $1 Million a year it should go directly into the education system where kids are going "I don't need maths and shit, I'll just be like Wayne Rooney."
I love the beautiful game more than anything, but I'm sick of these rich fucking cunts.

So, your saying if they earn UNDER a million a year, that would be ok with you? Is £999k acceptable?
And your saying what they do doesn't matter? Well, it matters a lot to them and to those who follow football like a religion. Who has the right to say what should matter in a persons life anyway? Right or wrong, money talks, and that is reflected in the price paid for rare talent whether it be in sport/art/houses/ etc. If a kid wants to be Rooney then fine. All he has to do is be as talented as him, but get an education as well incase he's not. Sadly, the type of kid you site is not very bright, and is more likely to be influenced by Xfactor rubbish, peers, and ignorant parents rather than teachers trying to educate. Probably the type of kid (like many adults) who are in shitty, if any, jobs and resent their lot in life.