| MMO |
[Nov. 23rd, 2009|10:19 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | games, mmo | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | SBS: Dead Set | ] |
What MMOs are you nerds playing?
I found Aion for $65, so I might grab that. Just wondering if there is anything else out there? |
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| Portable Hard Drive Enclosure |
[Nov. 13th, 2009|02:55 pm] |
Heyas,
I'm in the market for a portable hard drive. I already have a spare 3.5" 200Gigabyte IDE drive so I really just need the enclosure/case with power supply. At a later stage I'd like to swap the 200Gig IDE for a 1.5Terabyte SATA drive that I am currently using in my PC.
I've looked around, and am confused as to whether cases can switch between IDE and SATA drives. On eBay some are advertised as doing so, but purchaser comments say they can't. Anyone got any first hand experience with an enclosure that works for both IDE and SATA?
Cheers,
-Liam |
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| I need a new PC game to play. |
[Oct. 1st, 2009|11:46 am] |
| [ | Tags | | | games | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | The Flashbulb - Soundtrack To A Vacant Life | ] |
Hey I'm looking to buy a new game or two to play over the next few months. Doesn't have to be a new release, in fact bargain bin would be good, as I've hardly played anything in the last few years apart from MMOs, Fallout 3 and Astro Empires(web game).
I'm completely out of the loop when it comes to game news. So even just suggesting titles that you've heard good things about would help me out. I'm reading some of the game sites now.
I'm not after an RTS as I'm hanging out for SC2. I don't have the time/dedication/passion to get involved in an MMO. I'm pretty much sick of FPS that are only about shooting. I loved Fallout 3, and I might buy the GotY Edition with all the expansions when that is released. I'm interested in any FPS with a cool storyline (like the way Fallout 3 worked) or an RPG, especially anything non-linear. Action is good, if it is more than point and shoot (squad based, puzzles, FPS with something new to offer). Oh yeah, must have strong single player offline mode.
Section 8 sounds good, just reading reviews now. Might be a little too action/fps for me(made by TimeGate Studios (F.E.A.R)). Order of War looks cool, but I've never heard of any of Wargaming.net's other titles, so I dunno if I can trust them.
I can't really download games at the moment because I have to share 20gig/month with three other guys, yeah lame. If anyone has some games they could copy for me, that would be awesome. :)
Thanks gaming nerds ;)
-gleep |
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| Black Forest Cake |
[Aug. 21st, 2009|08:59 pm] |
Hey I've got to get a black forest cake for a friends birthday this Thursday. Having never purchased a cake, I have no idea where to go. I'm looking at cake shop listings in the Yellow Pages and other Melbourne shopping sites, but its difficult to judge. So experienced cake eaters, where would you recommend purchasing a black forest cake.
Oh and it'd be helpful if the shop was close to the CBD, and could do a customised message on top, but not essential :) |
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| Watch Max Barry Write |
[Aug. 21st, 2009|02:05 pm] |
Max Barry (author of Jennifer Government) is doing a live short story writing in Federation Square this Saturday 11am, as part of the Melbourne Writers Festival. From his website:
"Tomorrow I’m writing a short story in public. If you're in Melbourne, you can stop by and watch me do it. This is the plan: I turn up at Federation Square Atrium 11am Saturday with a laptop and no ideas. I plug the laptop into a projector, to broadcast on the big screen hanging above my head. Then I spend the next three hours drinking coffee, staring into space, and attempting to write something."
Sounds really interesting. Wish I wasn't working :-/
Check out his Facebook too. |
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| Daytime Clubs & Doofs |
[Aug. 17th, 2009|08:55 pm] |
Hey are there any good daytime club/pub gigs (like Sunday Skool) going on in Melbourne at present?
Also how about daytime doofs in Melbourne? Whats coming up soon?
Thanks party people =D |
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| Wireless/3G Internet |
[May. 21st, 2009|09:41 pm] |
Anyone using wireless/3G internet?
I love 3 for mobile service, and I've started paying for internet access through them. I plug my mobile phone into the PC, and that is my main net connection. I cant get any other connection at present unfortunately.
Problem is, between 5pm-11pm it gets almost unusably slow. During the late night, morning, and afternoon it goes at max speed. So I can download my fave tv shows then, but I can hardly even web browse in the evening.
Has anyone found a good, fast, reliable 3G/wireless ISP? I don't mind buying a modem, but I can't agree to any contract. It has to be month by month.
I've looked at whirlpool, and it doesn't help much. The technical details are great, but as for performance, I get no info.
-L |
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| Headphone Jack Maintanaince: 3.5mm Stereo |
[Jan. 16th, 2009|07:41 pm] |
On headphones, the 3.5mm jack(or plug) is the current standard for stuff like discmans, mp3 players, computer sound output, and most small hi-fi systems.
( Click for picture of 3.5mm jack(plug) )
Every time I get a pair of headphones, eventually, near the jack, the wires get damaged. Then I can only hear one ear-piece unless I wiggle the wires a bit, and hold them in the right spot. Usually I don't care because I might have a spare (like one that comes with a phone or something). Recently I've been using my mp3 player a lot more, and I'd like to get some decent headphones, but I DO NOT want the expensive headphones rendered useless just by the loose/damaged connection near the jack that always occurs.
So, what are my options? I don't want to use heavy-duty cables, because that defeats the purpose of the small/light/portable headphones. Are there any non-molded plastic plugs, so that I could chop off, and re-wire the cables to a new jack? Can I get a small bluetooth plug and headphones? Are there any tricks to keeping the cables strong? Are there any brands that you've found have taken heaps of punishment over many years?
So, I'd love to hear about headphone options that are out there, or ones that have worked for you.
Cheers =D |
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| Eye in the Pyramid image for stencil |
[Jan. 6th, 2009|08:01 pm] |
Heys,
I want to get into stenciling, and the first thing I thought of was the Eye in the Pyramid. So does anyone have some clear pictures that I can print and then stencil? I had a quick look on Oli's LJ and couldn't find a clear picture, just the banner. I'd love to do the official DMF one.
Maybe when Oli gets home I'll ask him to whip up a logo that will work well as a simple stencil.
Cheers,
-gleep |
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| Roller Derby Dolls tv documentry (ABC2) |
[Dec. 16th, 2008|08:36 pm] |
For those interested in chicks on skates, and with digital TV, ABC2 is showing a doco on Roller Derby Dolls. It is on tomorrow, Wednesday 16th at 8:05pm, ABC2(digital).
If you don't have digital TV, you can download it via BitTorrent on diwana.org. You might need an invite, just email me, or leave your email here and I'll send you and invite code. |
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| "Terminator Salvation" New Terminator Movie! |
[Dec. 12th, 2008|09:05 pm] |
New Terminator movie is coming, "Terminator Salvation." It is set in the future! I had no idea this movie was even in production. It is to be released on June 4th in Australia.
It is written by James Cameron(good) but it directed by McG(bad). McG has mostly directed music videos... and Charlies Angels. I won't bother worrying about if he can do Terminator justics, and just hope for the best :)
Some linkages:
Official news
Wikipedia article
IMDB entry |
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| Challenger Space Shuttle Disaster |
[Dec. 8th, 2008|03:10 pm] |
January 28, 1986. I was seven years old. I loved science, especially anything to do with space, I wanted to grow up to be an astronaught. Watching the news that night, I realised science wasn't the magnificent and infalable thing of my dreams. I turned around to my dad, who always had answers to my scientific questsions, and he couldn't explain why the Challenger space shuttle had exploded. I was shattered, very confused and absolutly lost. |
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| $38 Suit LOL |
[Dec. 4th, 2008|04:35 pm] |
I just picked up a suit for $38.00! :)
I got it from Rivers, they have a sale on this suit, they had heaps of boxes of them. $24 for the jacket, $14 for the pants. Yeah you get what you pay for, it is not an especially stylish suit, the pants are fairly thin, but what the hey, $38 is a bargain for any new suit :)
Might be the kind of cheap thing to keep for going to an event that might require being well dressed to begin with, where you just know your nice $500 suit would get ruined at the after party.
They have a few stores around Melbourne. They have "retail concept" and "clearance" stores, I went to a retail concept store, so it might be worth phoning in advance if you plan to visit the clearance store. |
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| Simpsons Censorship |
[Nov. 7th, 2008|06:28 pm] |
Woah, I was just watching The Simpsons, and they cut a huge scene. It was part of the "That 90s Show" episode, where we flashback to watch Homer and Marge in the 1990s. Homer is a in a grunge band (he is is basically Curt Cobain) and Marge is studying at college. Near the end of the episode Homer is all messed up, and trying to inject himself with a drug, Marge stops him, then rehabilitates him. It turns out the drug was insulin, Homer needed it for his diabetes. They cut the whole injection scene! Then the joke continued, Marge mentions that Homer really did need the injections, which didn't make sense without that scene.
Lame! Are drug references banned at that time of day (6:00-6:30pm)? Anyway, it was really lame to cut that part, as it occured within the last 2 minutes of the episode, and ruined the ending. Gah! |
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| President McCain! WOAH! |
[Nov. 5th, 2008|03:37 pm] |
I heard on the news, Obama just conceeded defeat! McCain won! What a come-back... I didn't expect that, sheesh.
Well, here is to 4 more years of war :-/
EDIT: This is a joke |
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| Federal Police Commissioner: Drug Harm Minimisation not Law Enforcement |
[Oct. 16th, 2008|05:33 pm] |
Mick Keelty, Australia's police commissioner, suggests that the best drug strategy is looking at why people do drugs, and how demand for drugs can be reduced. The "Just Say No" is a failed policy, HARM MINIMISATION is the way of the future! This is an amazing shift in his attitude. ABC radio has been suggesting it couldn't have happened under the Howard government, and now the Rudd government is in a difficult position. I really hope the government embraces the idea, although it seems contrary to Rudd's alcohol stance.
I'm searching for more news about it, I'll put a transcript of the confrence in here when I find it. There were lots of audio grabs on the radio which are not reflected in this article, but it was the only refrence I could find:
"Australian police chief seeks to tackle drugs demand"
Australia's federal police commissioner says Australia needs to focus on curbing the demand for illegal drugs.
Mick Keelty has told a conference in Canberra that the scale of the drug problem has increased dramatically in the last five to 10 years.
Commissioner Keelty says there have been large seizures of drug imports recently, but it's not just a matter of reducing supply.
" We really need to work together and stem that problem at this end of the source and this end of the source is about our youth demanding and paying such a high price for these drugs."
--radioaustralia.net.au |
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| September 11 Humor |
[Sep. 11th, 2008|02:58 pm] |
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif) omg_too_soon is a great community. There are heaps of post there today for the anniversary of September 11. Check it out, hilariously tasteless comedy >:D |
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| Art Exhibition: Hamad Khalaf "Acts of War" |
[Jun. 10th, 2008|10:10 pm] |
Hamad Khalaf is a Kuwaiti artist, who was involved in cleaning up after Iraq War I. He began collecting some of the 'rubbish' and then began to paint on them. He painted in the ancient Greek vase style, of the Greek myths. On a boot, the story of Oedipus; on a drink bottle, Dionysos; on a gas mask, the head of Medusa.
( Two more pictures under the cut )
The exhibition is currently in Melbourne, and is running until July 6th at Uber Gallery, St Kilda. |
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| Dr. Octagon |
[Jan. 22nd, 2007|08:09 pm] |
I've been listening to Kool Keith's "Dr. Octagon" albums this week. The original Dr. Octagonecologyst(1996), the accompanying The Instrumentalyst: Octagon Beats(1996) and the recent The Return of Dr. Octagon(2006). The latest one is my fave, it's got some of the most bizarre themes and lyrics I've ever heard, alien abduction, androids, weird medical procedures, animals doing weird things (dogs wearing lingerie, gorillas driving tractors), banana smuggling, wtf?. Then it's got sensible lyrics about environmentalism, de-forestation and furniture made of stolen wood! The album is produced by One Watt Sun, it features heaps of dirty synth bass, breaks and scratching, good stuff! Also features one track with Princess Superstar. Here's a few samples:
Kool Keith - Trees.mp3
(2:46 mins | 192kbit mp3 | 3.8 meg)
Kool Keith - Aliens.mp3
(2:55 mins | 192kbit mp3 | 4 meg)
Kool Keith - Perfect World.mp3
(2:37 mins | 192kbit mp3 | 3.6 meg)
Kool Keith - A Gorilla Driving a Pick Up Truck.mp3
(3:35 mins | 192kbit mp3 | 4.9 meg)
Kool Keith: Official Site & Wikipedia entry
Albums: Dr. Octagonecologyst & Return of Dr. Octagon
Full album torrents: Dr. Octagonecologyst & The Return of Dr. Octagon
Princess Superstar: Official site & Wikipedia entry. |
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| Eris the Bitch |
[Oct. 16th, 2006|12:57 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | discord, eris, mythology | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  surprised | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Tereze Dede Gjoni - Vajtim (Death Lament) | ] |
So I was reading up on Erisian art (their ain't much), but did find some more text about her. She wasn't so nice, in-fact she was horrible and everyone hated her. Havn't they considered creative chaos? :D
"But abhorred Eris (Strife) bare painful Ponos (Toil), and Lethe (Forgetfulness), and Limos (Starvation), and the Algea (Pains), full of weeping, the Hysminai (Fightings) and the Makhai (Battles), the Phonoi (Murders) and the Androktasiai (Man-slaughters), the Neikea (Quarrels), the Pseudo-Logoi (Lies), the Amphilogiai (Disputes), and Dysnomia (Lawlessness) and Ate (Ruin), who share one another's natures, and Horkos (Oath) who does more damage than any other to earthly men, when anyone, of his knowledge, swears to a false oath." - Hesiod, Theogony 226
These kids of hers were stored in Pandoras box! Note the "But abhorred" part, I think this must be another act of revenge, like when she wasn't invited to Peleus' wedding. I'll have to look up the full text, she's getting more interesting :)
"Beware of all the fifth days [of the month]; for they are harsh and angry; it was on the fifth, they say, that the Erinyes assisted at the bearing of Horkos, whom Eris bore, to be a plague on those who take false oath." - Hesiod, Works and Days 804
Here we have an awesome side to her, her followers go plague anyone who's taken a false oath! Justice, or revenge?
"Herakles was making his way through a narrow pass. He saw something that looked like an apple lying on the ground and he tried to smash it with his club. After having been struck by the club, the thing swelled up to twice its size. Herakles struck it again with his club, even harder than before, and the thing then expanded to such a size that it blocked Herakles's way. Herakles let go of his club and stood there, amazed. Athena saw him and said, 'O Herakles, don't be so surprised! This thing that has brought about your confusion is Aporia (Contentiousness) and Eris (Strife). If you just leave it alone, it stays small; but if you decide to fight it, then it swells from its small size and grows large." - Aesop, Fables 534 (from Chambry 129)
*snicker* That sounds like the Eris I know :P
This and more from Theoi Project. |
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| Thought Experiment Solved: Kavka's Toxin Puzzle |
[Oct. 14th, 2006|06:48 am] |
Several weeks ago I posted a list of paradoxes and thought experiments, one of them was Kavka's Toxin Puzzle. Can one intend to drink a deadly toxin, if the intention is the only thing needed to get the reward? Well there may be an answer to this one, thanks to an epileptic kid playing Space Invaders with his tongue!
"A St. Louis-area teenage boy and a computer game have gone hands-off, thanks to a unique experiment conducted by a team of neurosurgeons, neurologists, and engineers at Washington University in St. Louis.
The boy, a 14-year-old who suffers from epilepsy, is the first teenager to play a two-dimensional video game, Space Invaders, using only the signals from his brain to make movements...
...They then asked the boy to do various motor and speech tasks, moving his hands various ways, talking, and imagining. The team could see from the data which parts of the brain and what brain signals correlate to these movements. They then asked the boy to play a simple, two-dimensional Space Invaders game by actually moving his tongue and hand. He was then asked to imagine the same movements, but not to actually perform them with his hands or tongue. When he saw the cursor in the video game, he then controlled it with his brain."
There have been many similar studies, two types I'm aware of are: subjects moved a robotic limb by thinking about moving the missing limb; or by concentrating on a screen cursor to move that cursor. The difference with this study is the kid has a fully functioning tongue, but in the experiment he thinks about moving it but doesn't move it.
I believe this proves that true intention without resultant action is possible. Kavka's Toxin Puzzle solved, it is possible to get that reward without drinking the toxin.
-gleep :P
Linkage: MedicalNewsToday.com article, Kavka's Toxin Puzzle @ wikipedia.org. |
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| Adam Smith "The Wealth of Nations" & Implied Anarchy |
[Oct. 5th, 2006|12:00 pm] |
Adam Smith[1723-1790] was one of the founders of modern economics and key proponent of capitalism and the free market. His most famous work, "The Wealth of Nations," was considered a major advancement in the field of economics. As I discovered yesterday, it also gets to the core problem of poverty under capitalism, distribution of wealth and the states role in that distribution. Quoted from Book Five, Chapter One:
Wherever there is great property there is great inequality. For one very rich man there must be at least five hundred poor, and the affluence of the few supposes the indigence of the many. The affluence of the rich excites the indignation of the poor, who are often both driven by want, and prompted by envy, to invade his possessions. It is only under the shelter of the civil magistrate that the owner of that valuable property, which is acquired by the labour of many years, or perhaps of many successive generations, can sleep a single night in security. He is at all times surrounded by unknown enemies, whom, though he never provoked, he can never appease, and from whose injustice he can be protected only by the powerful arm of the civil magistrate continually held up to chastise it. The acquisition of valuable and extensive property, therefore, necessarily requires the establishment of civil government. Where there is no property, or at least none that exceeds the value of two or three days labour, civil government is not so necessary.
Even one of the most significant proponents of capitalism and the free market recognises the only thing stopping fair distribution of wealth within that system is the threat of violence from the state. In that same chapter he notes that in some economic models where financial equality exists, inherently law and thus law enforcement are not required.
Full text. |
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| CIA Art Plot: Abstract Expressionism as Anti-Socialist Realism |
[Sep. 20th, 2006|03:21 pm] |
During The Cold War the CIA promoted the Abstract Expressionism art movement as a cultural attack on Socialist Realism art.
The general idea was that AE would be promoted to the American people as form of freedom through expression, while SR would be promoted as being rigid and totalitarian. Thus through art movements, the people of America would be convinced of the evils of socialism.
When the CIA came up against opposition in the conservative America government, they turned to the private sector. Nelson Rockefeller and others tied to the CIA at The Museum of Modern Art were given vast amounts of money to promote AE in America. A CIA front organisation The Fairfield Foundation influenced European galleries. Critics and the media were pushed into giving attention to AE.
The National Gallery of Australia purchased Jackson Pollock's "Blue Poles" for $1.3mil, the highest price ever paid for a piece in this country. Questions on that issue were asked in parliament. Of exhibitions, Australian critics claimed we were being told what to like by America.
All of this is now well documented and not disputed. I'm amazed at the crazy ideas the CIA can come up with and put into practice. Man, how I'd love to work on projects like this, real Illuminati work! :)
-gleep
Further reading:
The CIA and the Cultural Cold War Revisited
Jackson Pollock CIA Agent with Abstract Agenda?
Jackson Pollock - Before Blue Poles - The National Gallery of Australia |
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| 'They're Made Out Of Meat" by Terry Bisson |
[Sep. 9th, 2006|02:44 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | comedy, story | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  amused | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | SNOG - Are You Normal Enough? | ] |
"They're Made Out Of Meat"
Terry Bisson
"They're made out of meat."
"Meat?"
"Meat. They're made out of meat."
"Meat?"
"There's no doubt about it. We picked several from different parts of the planet, took them aboard our recon vessels, probed them all the way through. They're completely meat."
"That's impossible. What about the radio signals? The messages to the stars."
"They use the radio waves to talk, but the signals don't come from them. The signals come from machines."
"So who made the machines? That's who we want to contact."
"They made the machines. That's what I'm trying to tell you. Meat made the machines."
"That's ridiculous. How can meat make a machine? You're asking me to believe in sentient meat."
"I'm not asking you, I'm telling you. These creatures are the only sentient race in the sector and they're made out of meat."( Read the rest... )
LOL, I love it!
-gleep |
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| Interests Meme |
[Sep. 7th, 2006|11:33 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | collage, meme | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | pleased | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Meshuggah - Catch 33 | ] |
This meme is most awesome, stolen from ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) leggz. It creates a visual collage of all your livejournal interests! Here is mine, it takes a while to load as I've got 100 intrests/pictures:
( My Interests Collage! ) If you make your own, use Internet Explorer, as other browsers may not be able to scroll through different pictures. If you have lots of interests, give yourself at least half an hour to completly customise it.
-gleep :D |
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| Defining a Planet |
[Aug. 25th, 2006|12:24 pm] |
The International Astronomical Union's 26th General Assembly has concluded. The hot topic this time was the definition of a planet. Potentially our solar system would re-define Pluto as a dwarf-planet, or going the other way, define "Xena", Ceres and Charon as three new planets in our solar system, along with reconsideration of many more celestial bodies.
After a week of debate and yesterdays vote, the verdict is out, the following definition was adopted:
- A "planet" is a celestial body that: (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and (c) has cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit.
- A "dwarf planet" is a celestial body that: (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, (c) has not cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit, and (d) is not a satellite.
- All other objects except satellites orbiting the Sun shall be referred to collectively as "Small Solar System Bodies".
This means Pluto is now classified as a dwarf-planet along with Xena and Ceres. Charon remains a moon. I feel somewhat sad that Pluto is no longer a planet, but from a scientific standpoint, this definition was the better choice.
Result of the IAU Resolution votes
On a cosmology note, if you havn't already, try adding The Astronomical Picture of the Day to your LiveJournal friends. Each day you'll receive a picture from somewhere in the universe on your friends page. :)
Excelsior!
-gleep ;) |
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| Paradoxes [wikipedia.org] |
[Aug. 24th, 2006|10:11 am] |
List of Paradoxes
Paradoxes and Thought Experiments are so much fun! I had a look for some today and found a list of over 100 of them on wikipedia, here are a few that I found interesting:
- Kavka's Toxin Puzzle: Can one intend to drink the deadly toxin, if the intention is the only thing needed to get the reward? (I love this one, it does my head in!).
- Moore's Paradox: "It's raining, but I don't believe that it is." (The definition of my core beliefs.)
- Nihilist paradox: If truth does not exist, the statement "truth does not exist" is a truth, thereby proving itself incorrect. (Ouch! Conflicts & doesn't conflict with my core beliefs!)
- Paradox of Value: Why is water cheaper than diamonds, when humans need water to survive, not diamonds? (Please offer your own theories on this one, I'll post mine later.)
- Abilene Paradox: People can make decisions based not on what they actually want to do, but on what they think that other people want to do, with the result that everybody decides to do something that nobody really wants to do, but only what they thought that everybody else wanted to do.
- Zeno's Dichotomy paradox: Achilles wishes to move from A to B. To achieve this he must traverse half the distance from A to B. To get from the midpoint of AB to B Achilles must traverse half this distance, and so on and so forth. However many times he performs one of these "traversing" tasks there is another one left for him to do before he arrives at B.
- Paradox of Hedonism: When one pursues happiness itself, one is miserable; but, when one pursues something else, one achieves happiness.
- Ship of Theseus: When every component of the ship has been replaced at least once, is it still the same ship? (Is my body the same body I was born with?)
- Fermi Paradox: The extreme age of the universe and its vast number of stars suggest that extraterrestrial life should be common. So, where are they?
-gleep 8D |
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