The CWAL Rubber Room

[Minecraft] Any good programs to use to try and map out plans for a structure before actually building it? To make sure all the dimensions are the way I want it [NT] - Kalledon 11:57:31 01/27/12 (6)
- http://minecraftstructureplanner.com/ [NT] - Inconsequential Lurker 13:30:14 01/27/12 (0)
- Creative mode? [NT] - TheDeamon 12:36:18 01/27/12 (1)
  - That's what I did to sketch out the CSS Dragoneyes. [nt] - Kainoss 12:53:43 01/27/12 (0)
- ASCII [NT] - Ibex 12:28:48 01/27/12 (0)
- I've got a pad of paper and some nice pencils. [NT] - Psycho Sam! 11:59:38 01/27/12 (0)
- Paint. [NT] - Fron 11:58:23 01/27/12 (0)
I'm now in Singapore where everything is illegal and comes with hefty fines. It's a nice place, though. [nt] - If You Ain't Platinum, You Ain't S--- (East meets West) 23:00:11 01/26/12 (1)
- Fascist. [NT] - Loki [IMP] 00:33:32 01/27/12 (0)
[VIDS] CAT LASER BOWLING - Fron 19:29:42 01/26/12 (3)
- I'm certain I've seen this before, and slightly less certain that I may have posted it here. [NT] - Psycho Sam! 20:51:41 01/26/12 (0)
- As entertaining as that was, I was hoping for more [NT] - Pez 19:51:31 01/26/12 (1)
  - You have all grown fat and complacent on the rich offerings of the past. Through adversity, I shall make you strong again. [NT] - Fron 19:55:26 01/26/12 (0)
Hey Lothos, look out its Buffy. lololololololololloolololololololllgrhljtyjtghe [NT] - Ravage! 18:17:00 01/26/12 (3)
- oh I get it [NT] - In the Middle of Some Calibrations 18:58:43 01/26/12 (2)
  - THAT'S THE JOKE. [NT] - Psycho Sam! 20:52:03 01/26/12 (1)
    - ICE TO SEE YOU [NT] - CyberCpeed 23:58:48 01/26/12 (0)
Hey Lothos, it's time for butter again. [NT] - Dark Nexus 17:31:39 01/26/12 (1)
- I actually crossed the equator a few days ago and am the closest to striking distance. *loads an F-18/E hornet with butter missiles* [nt] - If You Ain't Platinum, You Ain't S--- (nice hemisphere you've got there, Lothos) 23:07:03 01/26/12 (0)
Hey Lothos, it's time to harass RPS again. [NT] - Inconsequential Lurker 14:37:19 01/26/12 (1)
- Gnnnn, this is the sound of temptation... but I think I have enough directly-academic-job stuff on the cards to keep me gainfully occupied and levelling up right now. [NT] - Lothos 15:43:42 01/26/12 (0)
When I'm in charge, programming languages that don't require explicit variable declarations will be banned. - Fron 11:53:35 01/26/12 (32)
- LONG LIVE FRON!!!! [NT] - Dorg 23:40:10 01/26/12 (0)
- Can Python stay the way it is? [NT] - Snapper 11:54:23 01/26/12 (30)
  - The one time I used python, I quickly discovered that nothing could make it crash. It would find SOME way of interpreting almost any code. This lead to many difficult to find bugs where I had made a blindly retarded typo that I'm shocked was somehow valid syntax. [NT] - Namrok 12:52:51 01/26/12 (17)
    - Once in Python I used the name of a built-in function (possibly filter or map) as a variable name, and then spent hours trying to debug why the code (that later tried to use that function normally) wasn't working anymore. Still, I love it. [NT] - Snapper 13:10:02 01/26/12 (13)
      - Any development environment that doesn't turn the word a special colour when you attempt this and then scream at you on compilation is a development environment that will swiftly make me contemplate suicide. [NT] - Fron 19:43:20 01/26/12 (12)
        
        What the JoystickJ is a development environment? A text editor and manpages are all you need. [NT] - Vektor 20:18:57 01/26/12 (10)
        
        I frequently touch myself to thoughts of Visual Studio's Intellisense and C# GUI building. As fun as Makefiles and nano can be, bring on the hand-holding! [NT] - Mana 21:45:08 01/26/12 (8)
        
        No kidding. I miss having time to work on my own projects. [NT] - Namrok 08:37:58 01/27/12 (7)
        
        I'm making another attempt at doing something fun with XNA, finally. Just in time for Microsoft to introduce a convenient way for indie developers to distribute their work which doesn't support XNA. FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF [NT] - Fron 09:01:41 01/27/12 (6)
        
        Whatever. You don't need to use the latest and greatest. Tons of games on steam use XNA. JoystickJ, for pro developers lots of games still use DirectX 9 [NT] - Namrok 09:59:18 01/27/12 (5)
        
        It's not that I want to use the latest and greatest exactly, it's that the Windows Store looks like the easiest and most accessible distribution method to release something on. Steam's picky, Windows Store just checks that your app isn't malicious, malfunctioning or outright obscene. - Fron 10:09:57 01/27/12 (4)
        
        That being the case it will also be a race to the bottom. Yes you'll be able to publish to it. But nobody will ever notice. Ever. [NT] - Namrok 10:17:30 01/27/12 (3)
        
        I don't see why it would be any worse than the iPhone App Store, with which people have had significant success. I mean obviously being on Steam would be better, but how likely is that? So the Windows Store has to be an improvement over throwing up a website and trying to sell the damn thing myself through PayPal or whatever. [NT] - Fron 10:21:37 01/27/12 (2)
        
        Yes, people on the app store have had significant success. At going bankrupt. The app store has been a complete FAILURE for 99% of the people trying to develop for it. [NT] - Namrok 10:23:23 01/27/12 (1)
        
        I'm not going to go bankrupt doing something in my spare time with no expenses (I'm probably unlikely to produce anything worth selling, of course, but that's the tradeoff). But still, what's the alternative? Getting on Steam is hard. And there's no way that the App Store is actually worse than trying to sell something entirely on your own. [NT] - Fron 10:36:42 01/27/12 (0)
        
        I learned to appreciate a good IDE when, as near as I can tell, I got good marks on a highschool programming assignment primarily because the comments were green. - Fron 20:25:00 01/26/12 (0)
        
        Hey, maybe you really wanted to use "import" as a variable name! [NT] - Snapper 20:17:35 01/26/12 (0)
    - That's why I hate the more limited case with variables. In PHP if you make a typo while assigning to a variable, it cheerfully creates a brand new one called "psotCount" or whatever and keeps going. Just crash, you stupid thing! [NT] - Fron 13:03:44 01/26/12 (2)
      - VB and VBScript have "Option Explicit". With PHP you need to set "error_reporting = E_ALL" in your php.ini. [NT] - Rotten 13:13:03 01/26/12 (1)
        
        Okay, that's actually extremely helpful because I didn't know about it, but it still won't check assigning to a typo, only reading from a typo. [NT] - Fron 13:18:17 01/26/12 (0)
  - There will be no exceptions. I don't actually know if Python falls foul of my edict or not. [NT] - Fron 11:55:59 01/26/12 (11)
    - Python is kind of nice, in that 90% of the time, you can just do "import extremely.specific.thing.that.i.want.to.do" then "doit()", and your program is done. [NT] - Vektor 12:24:29 01/26/12 (9)
      - This thread was mostly inspired by having to use perl this morning, which left me feeling spiritually unclean. - Fron 12:30:09 01/26/12 (8)
        
        I wrote a genetic algorithm solver for the 1DBPP in perl once just because I could. Anyway, I basically love regular expressions, so yay perl! [NT] - Vektor 13:48:32 01/26/12 (7)
        
        You know what other language has regular expressions besides perl? All of them. All the languages. [NT] - Fron 14:41:34 01/26/12 (6)
        
        Yeah, but they're pretty central to perl. There basically part of the syntax rather than just a bolt-on feature. - Vektor 17:10:15 01/26/12 (5)
        
        There basically. [NT] - Psycho Sam! 21:53:37 01/26/12 (4)
        
        Mobile phone. Gloves. Bus. I probably missed the y, so it wasn't autocorrected to they're. I do not make those kinds of mistakes. [NT] - Vektor 02:33:32 01/27/12 (3)
        
        If you are cold you can stick your phone down your pants and attempt to type with your penis. It works. [NT] - Rotten 09:22:22 01/27/12 (1)
        
        I guess you could call that technique... hunt and pecker! Ah ah ah! *sad trombone* [NT] - Vektor 12:02:46 01/27/12 (0)
        
        You'll also note a misuse of its in the body, and some missing capitalisation. [NT] - Vektor 02:34:40 01/27/12 (0)
[Minecraft] Short list of upcoming changes - Kalledon 09:53:32 01/26/12 (8)
- I think you forgot the part about Kalledonia experiencing a great flood of water. [NT] - TheDeamon 10:56:37 01/26/12 (7)
  - Is somebody flooding Kalledonia one bucket of water at a time? [NT] - Psycho Sam! 11:58:56 01/26/12 (0)
  - No, I don't see any Noah mods [NT] - Kalledon 11:57:04 01/26/12 (5)
    - Well, there is a water physics mod. And I mean, I am not averse to building a giant dam just to inconvenience someone. - Vektor 12:27:25 01/26/12 (4)
      - I remember way back in the day where water replicated horizontally and vertically, and it was possible to destroy a world by placing water in the right place. [NT] - Inconsequential Lurker 12:33:18 01/26/12 (3)
        
        Lava did the same. Kalledon would've flooded the world in lava a long time ago with his building practices in primeval Minecraft [nt] - Kainoss 12:38:59 01/26/12 (2)
        
        Some people just want to watch the world burn. [NT] - Fron 12:43:26 01/26/12 (1)
        
        guffaw [NT] - Ibex 17:01:20 01/26/12 (0)
Hrm. Charitable contributions as % of reported income. Obama: 2000-2004: 1%, 2005/2006: 5%. Joe Biden 2008: $369 (much less than 1%). Newt Gingrich 2010: 2.6%. Mitt Romney 2010: 14%.... Clearly these guys aren't being taxed enough. [NT] - TheDeamon 23:15:01 01/25/12 (41)
- Clearly Mitt should stop giving out handouts, as it's only fostering a sense of entitlement in this country. [nt] - Chronomodra 07:28:42 01/26/12 (0)
- Love it. [NT] - Rotten 04:40:40 01/26/12 (0)
- That's Country was a New Zealand country and western television variety show broadcast between 1976 and 1983. The Show was hosted by Ray Columbus and featured local as well as international talent. Local talent included Suzanne Prentice, Ritchie Pickett, Patsy Riggir and the Topp Twins. American artist Emmylou Harris also performed on the show. [NT] - Vektorpedia 00:38:13 01/26/12 (1)
  - Too late :( [NT] - Fron 14:40:47 01/26/12 (0)
- Obama was hardly personally wealthy prior to 04 and Biden was probably in the least wealthy 1% in the US congress. Still, nice if those numbers had been higher. Though I hardly applaud Romney for all the money (charitable contributions) given to the Mormon church so that they could campaign against gay marriage in California [NT] - Snapper 00:02:25 01/26/12 (12)
  - The "Average American" donates 3%. The average for the 2 to 5 Million/year bracket(Gingrich) is 3.5%(With conservatives tending towards raising the average, rather than lowering it like Newt). Haven't seen any comparison's for the brackets that Obama and Biden would have been in during those years. [NT] - TheDeamon 00:18:37 01/26/12 (0)
  - Contributions to the LDS church make up less than a third of his total charitable giving. Which would still put him in the 9 to 10% range. Also, the average for his income bracket is 6.5%. [NT] - TheDeamon 00:09:33 01/26/12 (9)
    - I read 3.1 mil / 7. Anyway, terrific. Clearly private charity has not solved our social problems so this is hardly a significant political point [NT] - Snapper 00:15:31 01/26/12 (8)
      - And neither has public programs. [NT] - Rotten 07:49:31 01/26/12 (2)
        
        The "other side" of it is the rank hypocrisy of saying "the wealthy aren't doing their part" (as a member of the wealthy -- which being in the 200K+ a year is, even if it isn't part of the 1%) while sitting there and NOT using your OWN "excessive" income to help is way up there in the realm of talking out both sides of your mouth. [NT] - Chuckle Factor 13:38:15 01/26/12 (1)
        
        I don't think BO has argued that Romney's income is excessive, or that rich people ought to donate more to private charity. The argument is, in fact, that this country has certain expenses, which includes providing opportunity and a safety net for all people, and that in order to pay for that we need to raise money, and that our means of raising that money collectively should rely slightly more [NT] - on those most able to pay than we presently do - Snapper 16:35:07 01/26/12 (0)
      - It was more of a chuckle factor on Romney getting reamed over his 0.006th percentile income ranking, and lack of paying taxes. Out of all the candidates once you include charitable giving, he probably "takes home" less of his income(as a percentage) than any of them. [NT] - TheDeamon 00:20:58 01/26/12 (4)
        
        I think we should change your name to Chuckle Factor. [NT] - Arcturus 10:02:45 01/26/12 (1)
        
        What? Why would someone want to do that? [NT] - Chuckle Factor 10:21:13 01/26/12 (0)
        
        And, given that he has a quarter billion dollars, that percentage probably means less to him than a similar percentage would to anyone else. [NT] - Snapper 00:25:25 01/26/12 (1)
        
        A better metric might be donations as a percent of yearly revenue (income-expenses), but personal spending numbers aren't on public record [NT] - Vektor 08:25:20 01/26/12 (0)
- Obviously social spending should go to whatever cause is fashionable instead of being done through the government. [NT] - Inconsequential Lurker 23:55:01 01/25/12 (0)
- WTF does the taxation thing have anything to do with charitable donations? Were they making charitable donations to DoD, Medicare or Social Security? [NT] - Ibex 23:27:19 01/25/12 (21)
  - And correction on Joe Biden's number. That should be an average of $369/year to charity from 1998 to 2008. Truly a shining example charity we should all aspire to. [NT] - TheDeamon 23:40:23 01/25/12 (0)
  - I was more making a sideways comment in regards to Obama having previously expressed the view that he personally wasn't "being taxed enough." I recall Biden making comparable comments at one point. It is interesting to see that disparity evidently get reflected in their charitable giving. The people who want higher taxes don't seem to like charity themselves. - TheDeamon 23:34:05 01/25/12 (19)
    - Um, irrelevant charitable donations aside, they should be taxed more. So should a lot of people. You'd have to be an idiot to think that the US is doing just peachy in that regard, frankly. [NT] - In the Middle of Some Calibrations 08:42:46 01/26/12 (0)
    - The difference is, giving to charity makes for good PR leading up to elections. Simply paying your taxes doesn't (though apparently not paying enough taxes in the eyes of the people leads to bad PR). [nt] - Chronomodra 07:26:40 01/26/12 (0)
    - Like Ravil, I see it as irrelevant. Charity and taxation are only loosely related. Anyway, granted, all these people are quite rich, but A) Was Obama's income remarkable in 2000-2004? I'm not sure he was 1% material back then, before the biggest of book revenues. B) The charity decisions of anyone in the multi-year run-up to seeking office should be seen as highly suspect, authenticism-wise. (NT) - Jayj 00:04:13 01/26/12 (15)
      - FYI AGI for Obama: 2000:$240,505; 2001: $272,759; 2002: $259,354; 2003: $238,327; 2004: $207,647 2005: $1,655,106 [NT] - TheDeamon 01:26:18 01/26/12 (2)
        
        $380,000 a year puts you in top 1%, so yeah, Obama is the 1%. Quite literally. [NT] - Rotten 07:56:13 01/26/12 (1)
        
        Sheesh, he's hardly even proposing raising taxes at all on those incomes (until 2005/book sales) [NT] - Snapper 11:05:11 01/26/12 (0)
      - My parents still donate in the 12 to 13% range, and they make less than $80K/year, and did so throughout my childhood as well. It is simply a matter of priorities. [NT] - TheDeamon 00:13:59 01/26/12 (10)
        
        Your parents sound like kind and generous people, but it is a fallacy of induction to make such a conclusion from a single datapoint, or even a handful. (NT) - Jayj 00:44:05 01/26/12 (9)
        
        OTOH, the datapoint they do relate to may be somewhat relevant. They share a demographic item with Mitt Romney, consider they're all Mormon. [NT] - TheDeamon 10:02:41 01/26/12 (7)
        
        Wait, doesn't being Mormon make him constitutionally unelectable? [NT] - Vektor 12:28:43 01/26/12 (6)
        
        What? "No religious tests for office" was in the constitution from the beginning. Like, before any amendments. Longer than "freedom of the press" or elected senators. [NT] - Fron 17:50:54 01/26/12 (4)
        
        Wait, I thought that was a challenge. Like, a list of things you're supposed to try to just do in spite of it. [NT] - Vektor 02:16:13 01/27/12 (1)
        
        "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion... if it's a wuss." [NT] - Fron 09:11:15 01/27/12 (0)
        
        Most people don't catch it, but the end says "P.S. No Mormons". Also, no Homers. [NT] - Inconsequential Lurker 18:05:26 01/26/12 (0)
        
        Only for the fundies. [NT] - Chuckle Factor 13:39:53 01/26/12 (0)
        
        Word. [NT] - In the Middle of Some Calibrations 08:43:39 01/26/12 (0)
- Stop this political nattering and answer my poll. [NT] - Psycho Sam! 23:25:32 01/25/12 (0)
[POLL] Top hats, or bowlers? [NT] - Psycho Sam! 22:45:53 01/25/12 (9)
- Yes. [NT] - The V Man 05:02:42 01/26/12 (1)
  - I agree with you and Legacy. - Grorx [IMP] 06:53:38 01/26/12 (0)
- Top hats only really work when you're going for the 'scruffy rock star with an uncombed mane of hair' look. Bowlers are more versatile, even if they still look dorky compared to fedoras, so bowlers win. (NT) - Jayj 00:46:36 01/26/12 (0)
- Fez. [NT] - Vektor 23:57:50 01/25/12 (1)
  - Yes. [NT] - Reecle 02:33:37 01/26/12 (0)
- Depends on if it is cake or pie being served. [NT] - TheDeamon 23:38:41 01/25/12 (0)
- Yes [NT] - Legacy 23:30:42 01/25/12 (0)
- Top hats for formal occasions, bowlers otherwise. [NT] - Dark Nexus 23:09:16 01/25/12 (0)
[VIDS] So... Colbert and Herman Cain had a joint rally in South Carolina? I guess? I haven't even watched this whole thing yet, I'm just going to leave it here for you. - Fron 22:00:48 01/25/12 (5)
- Colbert is a comic genius, wonder if he could be converted lol. [NT] - Rotten 04:49:56 01/26/12 (0)
- The stuff with the Super PAC with Jon Stewart on his show was pretty good, but yeah, it was all over pretty quickly. [NT] - In the Middle of Some Calibrations 22:02:53 01/25/12 (3)
  - For no particular reason other than laziness I haven't been watching either show regularly for a few years, so I really have no idea what's going on. [NT] - Fron 22:04:32 01/25/12 (1)
    - Well, they are what they are so it's not like you're generally missing a lot, but they've also been consistently pretty good over the years. [NT] - In the Middle of Some Calibrations 08:45:18 01/26/12 (0)
  - Er, on Colbert's show, that is. [NT] - In the Middle of Some Calibrations 22:03:03 01/25/12 (0)
Steel Somethingorother the Burning Sensation is cheap on Steam today. Do I care? [NT] - Lothos 16:50:11 01/25/12 (2)
- Not really. Just your usual ship reflex dodging and shooting at stuff trying to survive going from one point to the other. The story is just a screen with your missions and zero depth or character. I play it to kill time sometimes with no real intention of finishing any maps. I got mine from a Humble Indie Bundle, so if you own some of those, make sure you don't already have it on your shelf. [NT] - El Cazador 17:27:58 01/25/12 (0)
- Never heard of it so I'll judge it entirely on its dumb title (its actual dumb title, not your paraphrase) and say no, you probably don't need to bother. [NT] - Fron 16:55:28 01/25/12 (0)
[LINK] Anyone with an epic fantasy novel, Angry Robot Books is having an open call. - Lothos 16:42:17 01/25/12 (0)
I don't *think* this was posted here before: Bruce Wayne's medical history. - Fron 14:25:28 01/25/12 (1)
- I hereby endorse this product and/or service. [NT] - Grorx [IMP] 06:50:23 01/26/12 (0)
Damn fundies, interfering with my right to eat popplers. - Inconsequential Lurker 13:58:09 01/25/12 (0)
Physics question - Kainoss 12:46:59 01/25/12 (28)
- Assuming the truck is moving at 10m/s forward relative to the ground, if you are running at 10m/s (relative to the truck) in the opposite direction of the truck relative to the ground, then yes, you will be stationary relative to the ground, and disregarding factors of accuracy (how accurately can you match the truck's speed) and your own capability, to an observer on the ground, you would... - Vektor 16:42:56 01/25/12 (0)
- Didn't Mythbusters do something like this? (nt) - Zee 16:12:46 01/25/12 (2)
  - They did a myth about driving a car up into a truck, that's the closest thing I know of though [NT] - Dorg 00:47:16 01/26/12 (1)
    - I think he meant this one. - Inconsequential Lurker 11:53:31 01/26/12 (0)
- Whether or not he stumbles depends on his own grasp of physics and his control over his lower body. When jumping, he should expect to land stationary and act accordingly - if he doesn't, he may stumble. [NT] - Eye of the Night 15:20:17 01/25/12 (0)
- If they perfectly cancelled out their horizontal velocity with the jump, then they would hit the ground as though he had jumped up off the stationary ground. The other options kick in if they over/under estimate the force needed to cancel out their horizontal velocity. [NT] - Namrok 13:33:39 01/25/12 (1)
  - This doesn't take into account that jumping off of something moving in the opposite direction you are jumping is a great way to face plant because said object is going to be dragging your feet out from under you as you are trying to jump. [NT] - Namrok 13:36:23 01/25/12 (0)
- Depends on if they stick the landing. I've done A at low speeds. [NT] - Dark Nexus 13:28:04 01/25/12 (0)
- Not sure how it would subjectively "feel" to the jumper, but the answer is he would hit the ground and not stumble in any direction relative to the ground, because he was not moving in any direction relative to the ground. [NT] - Snapper 13:13:00 01/25/12 (18)
  - Keep it mind this is an idealized answer that doesn't take into account any physiology. For example, you stumble (fall) forward when the center of mass of your body is not directly above your feet. So the direction that that person stumbles has to do with exactly how their body is oriented when they land. But in terms of momentum, the person doesn't have any in any direction relative to the [NT] - ground so in the ideal case there's no stumbling. - Snapper 13:18:25 01/25/12 (17)
    - But wouldn't the jumper have been initially in the frame of reference of the moving truck? So his momentum would actually be in the direction of the truck's movement, relative to the ground. Would that not factor into his landing? [nt] - Kainoss 13:21:57 01/25/12 (15)
      - Being in a frame of reference isn't an objective property, it's just a question of how you set up the problem. Relative to the ground, the jumper began with momentum in the direction of the truck's movement. His jump, the way you defined it, is a change in momentum which exactly cancels his initial momentum in the direction of the truck, so that he no longer has any horizontal momentum relative [NT] - to the ground. - Snapper 13:38:25 01/25/12 (12)
        
        Yeah, you could set up the problem from the perspective of a bird that happens to be flying overhead perpendicular to the truck's direction of travel, and it would still work out to the same thing. Consider that this whole thing is presumably taking place on Earth, which is a giant ellipsoid hurtling through space along an elliptical orbit at stupid velocities while also spinning. [NT] - Vektor 16:46:33 01/25/12 (11)
        
        Mental calisthenic exercise: Do kinetics problems in inconvenient reference frames. Bird on perpendicular path, sure. But how about doing it in the reference frame of Jupiter? [NT] - Fron 18:37:48 01/25/12 (10)
        
        Or better yet, one of Uranus' moons, so you add a little motion along an orbital plane with roughly 90° inclination, just to JoystickJe things up. [NT] - Vektor 18:53:02 01/25/12 (9)
        
        A spot on the surface of one of the moons, even! [NT] - Fron 19:06:39 01/25/12 (8)
        
        Naw. A probe in a non-geosynchronous orbit of one of the moons. [NT] - Dark Nexus 19:49:18 01/25/12 (7)
        
        And the probe is actually a giant centrifuge. - Vektor 09:27:49 01/26/12 (0)
        
        I don't think that would actually be mathematically any different from the case of a point on the surface. [NT] - Fron 19:55:56 01/25/12 (5)
        
        Any more complicated, rather. Obviously the numbers would be different. [NT] - Fron 19:56:34 01/25/12 (4)
        
        I think it would be. I mean, a point on the surface isn't moving relative to the moon. [NT] - Dark Nexus 22:29:02 01/25/12 (3)
        
        It's making a circular motion around the moon's centre of gravity the same as an object in orbit is. [NT] - Fron 22:30:55 01/25/12 (2)
        
        True... though I still think an object in an asynchronous orbit would be more difficult to deal with. [NT] - Dark Nexus 23:12:00 01/25/12 (1)
        
        If it were an elliptical orbit it would be. [NT] - Fron 09:58:59 01/26/12 (0)
      - Only body position required to make the jump. A slow speed jump, where it's just a "forward" hop required - you can definitely land standing straight up. If you really have to lunge to match the speed of the truck, you're more likely to roll away from the truck when you hit the ground. If you face-plant, you'll just face plant and not skid along the ground. [NT] - Dark Nexus 13:31:36 01/25/12 (1)
        
        Basically, you only roll if you land off balance. [NT] - Dark Nexus 13:33:25 01/25/12 (0)
[Politics] A debate in Foreign Policy - Kalledon 09:54:51 01/25/12 (17)
- I hereby pledge to basically blow up or incinerate anyone who mildly annoys me. [NT] - Vektor 16:48:04 01/25/12 (2)
  - I'm just going to build bigger walls... [NT] - Psycho Sam! 22:58:24 01/25/12 (1)
    - You know where walls aren't? Underground. [NT] - Vektor 17:15:02 01/26/12 (0)
- Any such move to mine the mountains, or otherwise render them harmful for passage, will be considered an act of aggression and will be followed with an appropriate response. [nt] - Kainoss 12:43:39 01/25/12 (6)
  - Now you're just begging for a third party to run in there and start planting land-mines everywhere. [NT] - TheDeamon 13:05:22 01/25/12 (5)
    - What would a formal Minecraft "war" even look like, if it didn't involve directly griefing one another's projects? [NT] - Ibex 16:00:31 01/25/12 (4)
      - I'm going to look into building a pig launcher at some point. [NT] - Psycho Sam! 22:59:03 01/25/12 (0)
      - I can build a giant rapid-fire flaming arrow launcher. Also, TNT cannons! [NT] - Vektor 17:42:08 01/25/12 (0)
      - In that case, someone declared war on me many weeks ago. [NT] - TheDeamon 17:08:24 01/25/12 (1)
        
        That was a question, not a definition. [NT] - Ibex 17:10:11 01/25/12 (0)
- Has he started shelling you yet? I wanted to watch when that happened. [NT] - Ibex 09:58:09 01/25/12 (6)
  - I've considered, trip mining the neutral zone between us with pressure plated TNT. Alas the visual would be pretty obvious against grass. [NT] - Kalledon 10:14:20 01/25/12 (5)
    - TNT mines are so unimaginative and also generally ineffective. I suppose it's your lot's nature to think small, though. [NT] - Vektor 16:48:51 01/25/12 (1)
      - Minefields are susceptible to being tunneled under in order to ferry your contingent of elite Duck Troops behind enemy lines [NT] - Inconsequential Lurker 17:29:54 01/25/12 (0)
    - My ability to produce encriched gunpowder and TNT warheads far outstrip yours. I would tread carefully, were I you. [nt] - Kainoss 12:49:19 01/25/12 (0)
    - Wait, what "grass"? The entire space between you and Kainoss is this hellish broken landscape of mountains, tundra, and forest. It was *made* for trip-mines. [NT] - Ibex 12:28:42 01/25/12 (0)
    - Why not remove the grass, then? [NT] - Psycho Sam! 11:26:10 01/25/12 (0)
[LINK] Order of the Stick is having a Kickstarter drive to reprint out-of-print books. The more money they get, the further into the back-catalog they're going. They've doubled the initial goal in mere days. It's impressive. - Lothos 14:57:00 01/24/12 (2)
- I'm having a kickstarter to get my ass organized enough to make a kick starter for my games. Just send me money. [NT] - Pez 06:48:35 01/25/12 (1)
  - There's already a thing intended to make you motivated to get organised to make a Kickstarter for your games, Pez. It's called "The existence of Kickstarter." [NT] - Lothos 14:47:27 01/25/12 (0)
Well, RIP Legacy's monitor - Legacy 14:32:48 01/24/12 (8)
- I... read this as "Legacy's mother" and thought the replies seemed rather crass! [NT] - In the Middle of Some Calibrations 16:33:38 01/25/12 (0)
- You're posting remarkably well blind. [NT] - Lothos 16:43:22 01/24/12 (5)
  - He's got the force! RUN! [NT] - The V Man 19:41:47 01/24/12 (0)
  - Luckily, I have my brother's monitor handy to hook up. [NT] - Legacy 18:52:23 01/24/12 (2)
    - Hooking up with yourbrother's monitor... do you have no shame? [NT] - Frito [IMP] 19:45:34 01/24/12 (1)
      - None whatsoever [NT] - Legacy 20:03:42 01/24/12 (0)
  - He's a noob [NT] - Ravage! Via Cell Phone, 18:16:01 01/24/12 (0)
- I'm afraid - Kalledon 15:18:56 01/24/12 (0)
[Minecraft] Hey Loki, I'm getting some weird message about too many files open and internal socket error when I try to connect to the server. I can hit other Minecraft servers fine, and I can see the CWAL server is up [NT] - Kalledon 10:29:20 01/24/12 (15)
- Um, yeah, something is seriously wrong. About a month's worth of work on the Nether appears to have vanished, including my entire hub and segments of many rail lines. It's just reset to the basic landscape. [NT] - Ibex 10:30:28 01/24/12 (11)
  - And you doubted 2012! The end is here! [nt] - Kainoss 10:42:29 01/24/12 (6)
    - If that nether work's gone for good I may be done with the game for a while. [NT] - Ibex 11:45:52 01/24/12 (5)
      - There was a backup performed today at around 5 AM, I remember, so we should be okay. (NT) - Jayj 12:56:07 01/24/12 (1)
        
        Yeah, I just checked, and everything I did last night is intact. The nether looks okay, Atlantis Nova has all the latest. I think we're okay. (NT) - Jayj 13:36:34 01/24/12 (0)
      - When the server came back up I had all my inventory things, at least, so it may have rolled back to just before I went to bed last night. [NT] - Psycho Sam! 11:54:41 01/24/12 (2)
        
        All hail Loki! [NT] - Ibex 18:08:53 01/24/12 (0)
        
        I checked the Nether. It seems to be up-to-date [NT] - Kalledon 13:34:03 01/24/12 (0)
  - Aaaaand this latest time when I tried to log on it stripped me of everything I was carrying and plopped me back down at spawn. [NT] - Ibex 10:31:50 01/24/12 (3)
    - Yeah, I am also at spawn, with no items... [NT] - Psycho Sam! 10:46:51 01/24/12 (2)
      - I think I will stay logged off [NT] - Kalledon 11:02:55 01/24/12 (1)
        
        Well, I can't get onto the server now anyways. [NT] - Psycho Sam! 11:05:17 01/24/12 (0)
- Last thing I did was open my inventory to move around some buckets. [NT] - Kalledon 10:30:11 01/24/12 (2)
  - The Heron disapproves of your messing with his pots and pans. [NT] - Psycho Sam! 10:44:36 01/24/12 (1)
    - The true horror of 2012 is when two thousand twelve herons descend on Lake Erie and stand in a formation that perfectly renders an ASCII heron [NT] - Kalledon 15:18:00 01/24/12 (0)
Is it sad that the only thing that bothers me about my new handle is the fact that "The" and "Of" are capitalized? [NT] - In The Middle Of Some Calibrations 08:13:09 01/24/12 (12)
- Personally I think you should be more outraged by the capitalization then you appear to be [NT] - Kalledon 08:57:26 01/24/12 (11)
  - Ditto. [NT] - Tssha 10:29:24 01/24/12 (10)
    - Well, the shadowy figures have seemingly corrected their embarrassing error. Thank you, shadowy figures! [NT] - In the Middle of Some Calibrations 10:43:37 01/24/12 (9)
      - In my exhaustion last night I couldn't remember if "some" should be capitalized so I just said screw it and capitalized everything, like a coward. [NT] - Fron 10:52:45 01/24/12 (8)
        
        I KNEW IT WAS YOU, FRON, AND IT BREAKS MY HEART [NT] - In the Middle of Some Calibrations 12:27:34 01/24/12 (7)
        
        Uhm... While we're at it, why are "middle", "some" and "calibrations" capitalized? [NT] - El Cazador 12:45:19 01/24/12 (6)
        
        Get back to France, frenchy! [NT] - In the Middle of Some Calibrations 14:04:28 01/24/12 (4)
        
        Get your Calibrations to Mars! [NT] - Quaid 18:11:39 01/24/12 (1)
        
        It's not a Terminay-tah! [NT] - Kindergarten Cop 23:34:21 01/24/12 (0)
        
        Also, I noticed many moons ago that you started capitalizing the "C" in your name. Are you as cowardly as Fron? [NT] - In the Middle of Some Calibrations 14:05:28 01/24/12 (1)
        
        No, I just want people to scream the "C". Actually, them capital letters have always been the bane of my internet existence. - El Cazador 17:03:16 01/24/12 (0)
        
        OUTRAGE. [NT] - Tssha 12:47:08 01/24/12 (0)
Judge rules you can be legally required to hand over your password. My solution: an encryption scheme in which 1 password decrypts, the other password zeroes out your hard drive. - Rotten 04:57:33 01/24/12 (29)
- Not to hand over your password - just to unlock whatever you protected with the password. Which is a minor difference. [NT] - Eye of the Night 15:17:14 01/25/12 (1)
  - Chances are if they think your computer has incriminating information on it, you're not getting within 50 feet of that hard drive for fear you might try and destroy it. [NT] - Inconsequential Lurker 16:49:46 01/25/12 (0)
- Truecrypt lets you place a hidden partition inside the main encrypted one so you can hand over a phony password with plausible deniability and not risk contempt of court for zeroing things out. [NT] - Inconsequential Lurker 13:30:33 01/24/12 (1)
  - Like [NT] - Rotten 22:43:43 01/24/12 (0)
- I know come Win8 the OS has a built-in ability to wipe an encrypted hard drive nearly instantly (for when you're resetting the machine to give it away), I wonder how hard it would be to rig the password prompt to be able to trigger it. [NT] - Fron 12:11:47 01/24/12 (6)
  - How do you wipe an encypted hard drive instantly? The only surefire way I know of is zeroing it and repeating at least 7 or 8 times. That won't happen instantly though. Of course, that puts a crimp in my scheme too. Maybe you could program it to show false data as it's zeroing it. [NT] - Rotten 12:36:14 01/24/12 (5)
    - No, Windows 8 unleashes a small amount of thermite directly onto the platters. [NT] - Psycho Sam! 13:00:09 01/24/12 (1)
    - Because all you have to wipe is the section that stores the key data. [NT] - Fron 12:50:13 01/24/12 (1)
      - This. [NT] - Vektor 16:00:22 01/24/12 (0)
    - I'm guessing this is SSD-only (at least in terms of speed) - and even that that seems pretty fast. Of course maybe in this case they don't really mean 'wipe'. - The V Man 12:40:15 01/24/12 (0)
- Er, why does this terrify you? [NT] - Snapper 11:24:53 01/24/12 (13)
  - Gee snaps are you 100% certain you have no copyrighted materiel on your hard drive? Maybe you wouldn't mind paying the 10k per download penalty? [NT] - Rotten 11:47:02 01/24/12 (12)
    - Aren't copyright prosecutions always the result of uploading? Anything on my computer now is just a result of a "purchase" where I then threw away the physical copy. Copyright certainly wasn't an issue in the article you linked to. [NT] - Snapper 12:52:04 01/24/12 (9)
      - Maybe they are now, who knows in the future? I don't like that my government can force me to do near anything. [NT] - Rotten 12:57:16 01/24/12 (8)
        
        I mean, what is the extent of what you're saying? If a judge is shown probable cause that someone has kidnapped a child and is hiding them in their house, should they not be allowed to search the house? If there's probable cause that someone is committing securities fraud or insider trading or whatever, should the investigators not be allowed to search a computer? Of course the government can [NT] - force you to do things. At least in this case it still requires a warrant thankfully. - Snapper 13:01:30 01/24/12 (7)
        
        Eh, wrong. This is not about government's right to search something. This is about the government compelling you to open something, or tell the password etc. Go ahead search the hard drive all you want, but don't compel me to do anything. Where does this end? What if you've truly forgotten the password? What then? More jail time because it's "obvious" you're lying? [NT] - Rotten 13:05:39 01/24/12 (6)
        
        This sounds like it would most plausibly be approached as a 5th Amendment issue [NT] - Vektor 16:04:34 01/24/12 (1)
        
        That's what the judge specifically rejected. I find the case interesting because you can think of the situation either as "being compelled to provide access to a locked thing" and "being compelled to offer information that you know". Neither interpretation seems obviously wrong to me, but they have opposite precedents. It'll probably eventually arrive at the Supreme Court. [NT] - Fron 18:26:19 01/24/12 (0)
        
        OK, I understand the distinction you're making, but hardly see the justification for the outrage. Seems completely legitimate to me with no more potential for abuse than any other kind of search warrant [NT] - Snapper 13:14:49 01/24/12 (3)
        
        Notice how you specifically avoided my point about forgetting your password. [NT] - Rotten 15:11:16 01/24/12 (2)
        
        Wow, that was truly your killer point for which there can be no refutation. When the concentration camps are full of honest-to-god password forgetters, I think I will be forced to admit that you were right all along. [NT] - Snapper 17:05:33 01/24/12 (0)
        
        Clearly the apocalypse has started, but I have to agree with Snapper. I don't see any reason for outrage in this case. [NT] - Kalledon 15:20:54 01/24/12 (0)
    - In that particular context, I wonder if being held in contempt of court by disobeying the order wouldn't be the better option. [NT] - TheDeamon 12:09:35 01/24/12 (1)
      - I wonder how far one would get with "JoystickJ, I had just changed it and now I can't remember it. Sorry." [NT] - Fron 12:12:40 01/24/12 (0)
- Can a Judge force you to unlock a safe where you are perceived to be holding documents/items of interest? Cause this seems to be the same type of situation, only electronic. [NT] - Kalledon 09:00:10 01/24/12 (3)
  - I saw on another thread, someone was claiming that judges can compel you to open containers. And they treat a computer just like a container because laws are JoystickJing OLD. [NT] - Namrok 10:21:05 01/24/12 (1)
    - I guess I just don't see how this falls under the 5th Amendment. You can be compelled to give up pretty much anything physical, why not electronic? [NT] - Kalledon 10:31:45 01/24/12 (0)
  - I'd say so, based on the above. [NT] - Rotten 09:14:33 01/24/12 (0)
[Minecraft] Arcturus <--> Edwin nether rail segment is complete. The tunnel itself needs to be improved but the rail is functional. - Arcturus 23:55:54 01/23/12 (6)
- Oh, and on an unrelated note, who was JoystickJing around with my subway chimes? You broke them. [NT] - Ibex 00:19:50 01/24/12 (1)
  - I stopped by this morning and reset a few tones. The basic tune is back. The percussion is missing redstone and noteblocks. (NT) - Jayj 05:07:02 01/24/12 (0)
- I wouldn't bother with a tunnel from spawn to Edwin's ... I just put in a spawn nether portal and it's right next door to Edwin's. [NT] - Ibex 23:58:08 01/23/12 (3)
  - OK, won't bother then. I'll just work on expanding this particular rail line. [NT] - Arcturus 10:11:02 01/24/12 (0)
  - Over-world Rail has its own unique allure. [NT] - TheDeamon 00:49:23 01/24/12 (1)
    - So does Over-world Ravil. [NT] - Ibex 17:10:25 01/24/12 (0)
Now we're talkin'. [NT] - Ibex 22:37:03 01/23/12 (4)
- Talking about 22, I imagine. [NT] - TheDeamon 23:17:30 01/23/12 (2)
  - Are... are you okay? Are you seeing voices? [NT] - Psycho Sam! 23:19:18 01/23/12 (1)
    - The forum... it moves! [NT] - TheDeamon 23:28:52 01/23/12 (0)
- Oh no! Not here! Not now! [NT] - Psycho Sam! 22:43:43 01/23/12 (0)
Y'know, the individual episodes of the Mighty Morphing Power Rangers series are a little formulaic... [NT] - Psycho Sam! 17:20:10 01/23/12 (12)
- Even the best series thread over their formulas over and over again. - El Cazador 19:12:29 01/23/12 (11)
  - I really, really wanted to like "House" better because a) I'm a fan of Hugh Laurie, b) his acting has been fantastic as well, and c) the concept is a fun spin on the tired medical-drama shtick. But the show is about as terrible as other primetime shows and reminded me of why I gave up on watching television. - In The Middle Of Some Calibrations 08:30:38 01/24/12 (3)
    - I would also recommend Todd and the Book of Pure Evil if you get a chance. It's a Canadian series, so it might be a bit hard to find in the states; it's hilarious, outrageous, and right and wrong in all the right places. [NT] - Tssha 10:18:04 01/24/12 (2)
      - Wait a minute, who the hell am I replying to? If it's Ravil, then assume the Canadianity of the series is not a problem. It's already in its second season though, and the season finale is this Thursday. I'd really recommend it from the beginning of the series though. - Tssha 10:23:06 01/24/12 (1)
        
        I AM MEAT [NT] - In the Middle of Some Calibrations 12:32:15 01/24/12 (0)
  - I would watch this. [NT] - Mana 19:50:30 01/23/12 (6)
    - I've been saying for a while now that I want the collective minds of TV to dedicate an entire season to crossovers. Mostly just so I could watch Cox and Dr. House head over to the Grey's Anatomy hospital and spend an hour yelling at everybody. [NT] - Fron 19:53:15 01/23/12 (5)
      - Wait, what? Did you sacrifice all that other fun just to create this? *Mind = blown* [NT] - Grorx [IMP] 20:18:08 01/23/12 (3)
        
        There's also the episode of Bones where it turns out the killer is a demon, David Boreanaz's character is actually Angel on a long-term deep-cover mission, and Buffy shows up to help him. Basically the point here is that I should be put in charge of all TV networks. YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT. [NT] - Fron 20:21:54 01/23/12 (2)
        
        A new Star Trek series tries to do time travel. Matt Smith steps out, walks around, and individually slaps each and every actor, writer and producer across the face. [NT] - Vektor 20:42:14 01/23/12 (1)
        
        River Song, meanwhile, is over on the Grey's Anatomy crossover helping them in a difficult surgery. Robert Picardo joins House and Cox in heckling everybody. [NT] - Fron 20:44:53 01/23/12 (0)
      - This. [NT] - AC 20:13:25 01/23/12 (0)
[Minecraft] Ravil, I have the new dome set up. The on the realside are as follows: x478 y45 z659. I'll be putting in the obsidian as soon as I get the lava to cast. Please advise. (NT) - Jayj 23:19:22 01/22/12 (17)
- I take it that you're "casting" a much larger obsidian project, because a portal only requires 10 blocks of obsidian and it's much less effort just to mine the obsidian than to cast the lava. [NT] - Ibex 12:11:56 01/23/12 (9)
  - Anyways, I'll throw up a portal at the corresponding nether coordinates (x59, y45, z82). It will be much deeper in the ground than most of them, but I want to get it as close as possible on the y-axis as well since I've had problems with portals being finicky for the y-value. [NT] - Ibex 12:20:03 01/23/12 (8)
    - Ooo, hey, there's a very convenient underground cavern at those coordinates. This will be easy. Linking you up to everyone else will be a challenge but we'll worry about that later. [NT] - Ibex 12:22:10 01/23/12 (7)
      - So all I have to do is light the thing up and step through? Nice! Thanks. (NT) - Jayj 13:24:51 01/23/12 (6)
        
        And hope it takes you to the right place. [NT] - Psycho Sam! 13:28:28 01/23/12 (4)
        
        Do not question the Weasel's netherskillz [NT] - Ibex 14:04:24 01/23/12 (3)
        
        I choose to interpret "netherskillz" in a completely different manner. And I like it! [NT] - Vektor 19:28:36 01/23/12 (1)
        
        Ditto on both counts! [NT] - In The Middle Of Some Calibrations 08:12:42 01/24/12 (0)
        
        I'm half asleep and for some reason read this as "Do not hesitate to question the Weasel's netherskillz"... So, umm, there's that. [NT] - Psycho Sam! 15:02:13 01/23/12 (0)
        
        No problem! [NT] - Ibex 13:26:31 01/23/12 (0)
- Don't lag. I died so many times trying to cast lava in a mold due to lag. It's safer to just mine the obsidian out with a water block somewhere near. The water turns the surrounding lava to obsidian faster than your nearly mined block can fall into it and burn. [NT] - Namrok 09:39:41 01/23/12 (6)
  - I molded a 50x60 grid with a spacing of 10 out of obsidian on the first server and never died once. Also fire damage is way lower now, you can step in lava and be okay. [NT] - Fron 10:27:26 01/23/12 (0)
  - That's what I do. I also can never seem to get mold's to work though so... [NT] - Kalledon 09:45:25 01/23/12 (4)
    - IIRC you have to pour the water of the mold itself, not the lava. That's how I did it, anyways. [NT] - Inconsequential Lurker 13:20:30 01/23/12 (3)
      - Yeah, for whatever reason the lava turns the water into obsidian, not the other way around. [NT] - Psycho Sam! 16:35:39 01/23/12 (2)
        
        [VIDS] I just watched this video and the method he describes for large scale seems to be working out pretty well for my latest tower. - Kalledon 16:54:12 01/23/12 (1)
        
        You can jump to minute 3:50 for the specific method if you don't want to watch everything. [NT] - Kalledon 16:55:20 01/23/12 (0)
The "Doctor Who - Series 6" soundtrack is really good. That is all. [NT] - Sensitive Meat for Gentlemen 19:06:19 01/22/12 (12)
- I still really like Doomsday from the 10th Doctor's era. I will have to give this series' OST a good listening though as I'm a fan of the music in general. Murray Gold is brilliant. [NT] - The V Man 18:32:15 01/23/12 (1)
  - That he is! [NT] - In the Middle of Some Calibrations 10:43:08 01/24/12 (0)
- Is it as good as 5? "Words Win Wars" was my favourite thing. [NT] - Fron 19:07:08 01/22/12 (4)
  - If that was your favourite, then yeah, I think you'll like it even better. Lots of emotionally-charged epic pieces, which makes sense considering the tone of the entire season. I especially recommend "The Majestic Tale (of a Madman in a Box)". [NT] - Sensitive Meat for Gentlemen 19:08:16 01/22/12 (3)
    - Plus, the Melody/Astronaut themes are all pretty cool, as expected. [NT] - Sensitive Meat for Gentlemen 19:09:34 01/22/12 (2)
      - Oh, and "I am the Doctor in Utah" for the neat version of his theme with the guitar. [NT] - Sensitive Meat for Gentlemen 19:11:59 01/22/12 (1)
        
        Aw, heck, here are a handful o' teasers: - Sensitive Meat for Gentlemen 19:17:46 01/22/12 (0)
- It makes everything incredible. There's nothing like posting while the Eleventh Doctor's theme is playing and you somehow feel as though you are courageously saving the universe through your actions somehow. [NT] - Sensitive Meat for Gentlemen 19:07:01 01/22/12 (4)
  - This also works with the Suicide Mission music from Mass Effect 2. Because they're nearly the same thing. [NT] - Fron 19:08:39 01/22/12 (2)
    - I am not ashamed to admit that there have been times when getting ready in the morning where this song will pop up on my playlist and I suddenly feel as though me going to class or what-have-you is a matter of destiny. [NT] - Sensitive Meat for Gentlemen 19:21:17 01/22/12 (1)
      - More things need to be in 7/4 time. [NT] - Fron 19:28:12 01/22/12 (0)
  - somehow [NT] - Sensitive Meat for Gentlemen 19:07:14 01/22/12 (0)