is the story not more one of cultural interpretation - though this of itself must feed into the art of translation (with not, as we see in the link, necessarily bad results on the aesthetic front) It must be the curse of every artist to see the mauling of such ideal visions into the harsh clay of r...

There's no doubt that much is lost in translation. Everywhere. And unavoidably. Things are lost in the simple translation between thinking a thought and writing it down, or painting it...between seeing a thing, and snapping a pic of it with your omnipresent phone. Write a note to yourself for tomor...

I can understand having no apparent propulsion system--a gravitic drive--but how is it possible to leave no wake in either air or water? will either be wiped out or "destroyed" via assimilation and ceases to exist. Definitive proof of intelligent non-terrestrial life will invalidate much ...

Very good, little long, article on this woman. She's way smarter than me and any of y'all fuckers, too. And most everyone else. [[someone around here is a Smolin fan...you, whoever it is, in particular, should read it.]] Contains quite a number of ideas [some with links to other places] that are ha...

Of course, now people are pointing out how easily the rich can get things done when they actually care to... :lol: --A Yea. Some pointing out that the big donors get a giant tax deduction for it. France itself, apparently, the superdonors will get the giant deduction, while ordinary people who dona...

The claim that there are aliens isn't really falsifiable...at least if the universe/multiverse is anything close to infinite. One of my pet peeves. Even the Silver Surfer said it, for crissakes! :lol: There's no such thing as "close to infinite". If something isn't infinite, it's not clos...

V, just because you can rephrase a scientific theory as a negative, in order to make it falsifiable, doesn't mean that the negative phrasing is a scientific theory. No it doesn't automatically. It can, and often DOES enable a frame to do that, though. AND a ton of ACTUAL proof is done PRECISELY in ...

I said "create," not "torture." and obviously I was speaking to "what then?" Unless you KNOW what then, and what then is an actual law, and that law includes an unavoidable means of asking what it wants FIRST, and obligation/accountability TO the answer it gives...yea....

But since we could never falsify the idea, how is it not "mumbo jumbo" to you? This brings up a thing that [though I haven't read every post in detail, I haven't seen] I think needs accounting for/recognition. It's kinda a small thing..but not. Sometimes [often] the how of the question, n...

Wait, you agree that creating AI is cruel? On what basis? If it is actually conscious/self-aware...not the totally non-intelligent/conscious machines we call intelligent now...it easily could be cruel/immoral. I'm not sure where exactly I'd put the line...when it's smart/conscious as a rat? A cat? ...

We make it work heuristically? I wouldn't apply the word that way, feels not quite right to me...but I suppose it technically fits some aspects of it, at least in initial choice, when we're, say, first trying to explore a 4D space---we know some 3D things will transfer/continue, some won't, we gues...

How is attempting to grow a brain in a vat any more cruel than attempting to make a sentient computer? Wouldn't a sentient computer be the electronic equivalent? Actually, if successful, they are equally cruel, especially if we don't act responsibly/treat them right. We have to do the opposite of h...

a-squared plus b-squared equals c-squared is TRUE on your map-paper, but it is FALSE on an actual globe. They require different math. Maths that contradict each other. [[but because we're smart we can code switch, and because of scale/size, many maths are often "close enough" even though,...

a true milestone in our understanding of our understanding, if you get me, as well as a breakthrough in the actual area of the discipline in which it is concerned. Yea...a lot of words being written on that. On other stuff: I think the picture was mostly in radio frequencies, and so the color isn't...

These two things, infinite mass - not infinite density mind you......or are they by necessity coexistent? - and infinite smallness constitute my understanding of what a singularity is? Also I'm a little confused about the idea of the math 'breaking down' in the theory underpinning black holes. if y...

But more than recreating the brain itself would be required in such an investigation ... So to my mind it requires more than just the brain. Well...yes, in a way. I'm on record telling Fisty his toe is part of his brain/consciousness---if he never had it,, he'd be a different person, if someone cut...

My attempts to remind everyone of the great Doctor Who episode "The Impossible Planet" have failed. That is great...though, IIRC, it's a set of at least 2, maybe 3 episodes to get the whole story. But where did you try to remind people? I didn't see it.... Anyway, I sorta/kinda agree on t...

The photo of Sag A* was released, actually. The photo isn't as impressive though. Do you have a public link to the image? I just keep finding M87 pics. I'm sad that it isn't as good---I had hopes due to closeness despite other problems...still I'd like to see it. peter---thing you asked that nano d...

but consciousness is a side effect .. a materially reducible side effect of our physicality. Oh, God...can we keep material reducibility out of my domain, please?!?! :lol: :lol: We have different meanings of side-effect. Consciousness is a direct effect of the physicality. Just like the polarity of...

Yesterday was high 50's, the day before was 70, today, I have 4 inches of snow in the last 2 hours, and perhaps a foot more might fall. Spring was 3 weeks ago. Frosty the fucking snowman is definitely one of the avatars/demons in charge of the 9th circle of hell. You need to sacrifice more snow chi...