Random Thought of the Day

Quote: Face

I just got thrown out of traffic court. For what, you ask?

I was going to guess no trailer brakes, you could have made it a poll, : }}

Suppose you have a probe 48 light hours away. This means any data sent by it takes 48 hours to reach you, and any instructions you send take 48 hours to reach it.

If you sent bad or mistaken instructions, though, it would take you days or weeks to correct the matter (assuming it can be corrected at all). So it would make sense to have a delay in carrying them out. after all, 48 light hours away is interstellar space, and nothing ought to happen there that requires haste. So what would make more sense:

1) Upon receiving instructions, wait six hours for counter-instructions, then carry out the original instructions. If counter-instructions are received, wait six hours for further counter-instructions, then carry out the first set of counter-instructions. this obviously creates a nested loop, broken when no further counter-instructions are received.

2) Upon receiving instructions, wait six hours for confirmation. If no confirmation arrives, do nothing. If confirmation arrives, carry out the instructions.

The second option is far simpler, but perhaps it's too simple. After all, you could send confirmation right away, and then you're not guarded against error. So you'd maybe want the setup to be "wait between three and six hours for confirmation".

Now, naturally there'd be a procedure for sending instructions to the probe. Mainly to make sure you don't send bad or wrong instructions (it has happened). But given the time involved, you'd want to take precautions.

Quote: Face

I wore shorts.

Should have put a smiley face on each knee.

It's just funny, I guess. I recall oftentimes being stunned at some dress / appearance, but it's all but certain you're getting the sweatpants and t-shirt crowd 'round here. He in fact also kicked anyone who was in a t-shirt. A t-shirt. For TRAFFIC court.

Zealot, IMO. And no, I do not respect it. Now even more so.

Not sure what traffic crime you're in for, but one time, even though I got the judge to agree with me that sometimes the downtown area where I was trying to park has no parking spaces, I still had to pay the damn ticket. Tyranny! Can we take down the Statue of Liberty as a protest?

Although it might seem contrary to expectations, I think it may be easier to finally lose your cool over a small thing than a large one. I think it's because you realize someone is making your life harder over some tiny trivial matter, and that the stupidity of it is just too much to handle. Whereas a big thing is at least logical.

It's a negative expectation game, what's not to get?

FTM

How do you keep an amount of fuel from being lost over a trip lasting tens of thousands of years? How do you make sure the craft will still work after that time? How do you protect it from collisions with stray stuff in interstellar space?

You ask these three questions, and you decide that magic isn't a bad idea. (ie Clarke's Law: A sufficiently advanced technology would be indistinguishable from magic.)

Quote: rxwine

Although it might seem contrary to expectations, I think it may be easier to finally lose your cool over a small thing than a large one. I think it's because you realize someone is making your life harder over some tiny trivial matter, and that the stupidity of it is just too much to handle. Whereas a big thing is at least logical.

I don't think it's contrary at all. It took me a good 14 - 18 months to really start getting mad about living in poverty. It's this dumb s#$%, these little niggles that exist only, only because of the actions of some self important or irresponsible dick. It's not his own puritan fiefdom. Offensive garb, colors, hats, overtly sexual, sure. Respect the courts and change. Shorts or tshirts in August? He's not f#$%ing Earl Warren, he's a goddamn trucker in cow country, and I got work to do.

And just for fun... today I finally got to meet my surgeon for the injury I received on 12/22. 9 months later because there's just no one that takes FEDERAL insurance because it's such a cluster. Amherst, some 70mi from me up in SOOPOO land. And after all the paperwork and checking in, I see my surgeon, and..."wait, Federal? Shucks, but we don't take that. Sorry"

When you see me on the news, it will be because the guy in front of me bought the last Slim Jim.

Bill him for time plus 140 miles.

Slim Jim? No grapes, yoghurt, sesame seeds, durians?