Random News not worthy of own thread

Anything not relating to the X-Universe games (general tech talk, other games...) belongs here. Please read the rules before posting.

Moderator: Moderators for English X Forum

User avatar
Morkonan
Posts: 10113
Joined: Sun, 25. Sep 11, 04:33
x3tc

Re: Random News not worthy of own thread

Post by Morkonan » Sun, 27. Jan 19, 17:41

pjknibbs wrote:
Sun, 27. Jan 19, 05:16
Morkonan wrote:
Sat, 26. Jan 19, 15:43
Talks about Freedom of Speech, then admits that using certain words shouldn't be done because they offend people... :gruebel:
Freedom of Speech isn't universal, even in the USA. For instance, if you make a speech where you explicitly call for someone to shoot someone in the head, you're liable to be prosecuted for that.
Agreed. There are limits.

But, we do have to actively protect it, even when seemingly idiotic speeches are brought into play. We have to weigh the consequences of the speech in question against the value of the notion of Freedom of Speech. So, for instance, using Freedom of Speech to advocate or incite violence against a person is something we have decided is wrong. Why? Well, we think violence committed against people simply because of someone's opinion is "wrong" and we think that preserving that idea is much more important than "unlimited" Freedom of Speech.

But, is the act of calling someone a "bad name" of equal import? IMO, "no." But, even in that opinion, there are limits - We should take care to not support Freedom of Speech who's only intent is to disparage someone else, especially if that sort of commentary flies in the face of other strongly held, shared, freedoms and beliefs.

But, obviously, while most people can agree that Freedom of Speech is important, it appears that how one interprets that is heavily influenced by one's country of origin/residence. That's... weird. :) If "Freedom of Speech" is a basic, inseparable, human "Right", then why does it vary so very much between cultures?

PS - Obviously, a discussion that can careen out of control and must also comply with the Forum's policies which are based upon German law, IIRC. So, one could immediately get into a situation where one can end up running afoul of German "Freedom of Speech" laws while sitting in a cafe in an entirely different country on the opposite side of the globe... How darn amazing is that? :)

burger1
Posts: 3003
Joined: Fri, 21. Aug 09, 22:51
x3tc

Re: Random News not worthy of own thread

Post by burger1 » Tue, 29. Jan 19, 04:46

Nvidia stock taking a bit of a beating today. It looks like not as many people want to buy crazy priced video cards with experimental features. Hopefully if they release 1660 or 1160 cards they'll be reasonably priced.

https://www.extremetech.com/gaming/2846 ... uring-woes

pjknibbs
Posts: 41359
Joined: Wed, 6. Nov 02, 20:31
x4

Re: Random News not worthy of own thread

Post by pjknibbs » Tue, 29. Jan 19, 06:08

burger1 wrote:
Tue, 29. Jan 19, 04:46
Nvidia stock taking a bit of a beating today. It looks like not as many people want to buy crazy priced video cards with experimental features. Hopefully if they release 1660 or 1160 cards they'll be reasonably priced.
Don't forget "unreliable"--I hear the RTX cards have a very high failure rate. As for real-time ray-tracing, as far as I can see all it's really used for is to make shadows really, really nice, but there were ways to do that before RTX ever came along.

User avatar
Morkonan
Posts: 10113
Joined: Sun, 25. Sep 11, 04:33
x3tc

Re: Random News not worthy of own thread

Post by Morkonan » Tue, 29. Jan 19, 18:45

burger1 wrote:
Tue, 29. Jan 19, 04:46
Nvidia stock taking a bit of a beating today. It looks like not as many people want to buy crazy priced video cards with experimental features. Hopefully if they release 1660 or 1160 cards they'll be reasonably priced.

https://www.extremetech.com/gaming/2846 ... uring-woes
Just like with any new tech, support for it is needed in the marketplace before demand will increase. As the article states, though, there are other factors than "gaming" coming into play. NVidia is still the same force to be reckoned with, though its pricing needs a darn serious look. Why in the heck should I spend half the price of a new PC just on my video card when what I will end up seeing is mostly what I'd experience with a much cheaper card?

Live Ray-Tracing, though, is super-fricken-duper-awesome stuff. It is truly a "killer app" in terms of graphic visualization. It can't be "fudged" by anything that's currently available in a dynamic visual situation. Baked in shadows and some fudgey things that "look like real lighting" can not compare.

That being said, it takes support to really be effective. Games need to support it and hybrids are only going to be able to realize a portion of what it could deliver for the user. Are users going to be willing to pay an extra 30% for "Ray Tracing" in games that already provide them with a decent visual experience? Probably not.

I just bought a new vidcard to replace one that had assploaded. I just wanted an equitable card and seeing as my old card was "old," I figured I'd find something cheap on the shelf and be done with it. I just wanted to be able to migrate my system when I was ready for a full upgrade.

<buzzer sounds>

Nope. There were either "this is just a terminal" choices or "ZOMGZ VIDBLAST TO TEH GROIN." And, the price points were equitable with that description. The high-end was dominated by the lowest prices being around $600 up to "stoopid monies." WTF? I'm old, I know, but wtf? I got lucky, though! Hidden in the back was the very last NVidia card in the $250 range. The drivers that came with it were from 2015, IIRC. (Online price would have been cheaper, but I wanted it "naow.")

Anyway, I'm still debating about what card to get for my "real" system. I'd like to eventually SLI two, if possible, for rendering. But, considering that any high-end card is going to cost me $800+... WTF?

When real-time ray-tracing gets a lot more support, you can bet I'll be jumping at the chance to upgrade my cards. (And, most people will too, once they actually start to see it in action and it becomes more affordable, IMO.)

When the whole China Trade "Deal ™" comes through, NVidia will probably be a lot better off. They do have a choice to make, though - What strategy are they going to use to leverage their Turing engine? That will be worth seeing. I'd hope they wouldn't release "Turing Light" or "Budget NVidia" cards. AND, more than anything, I'd hope they wouldn't take the course that HD "Smart" televisions have taken - Include tons of "apps" and "adware" and "habit trackers" with mandatory install packages...

User avatar
BugMeister
Posts: 13647
Joined: Thu, 15. Jul 04, 04:41
x4

Re: Random News not worthy of own thread

Post by BugMeister » Thu, 31. Jan 19, 14:25

...incoming..
The News - from Planet Mars

never mind the weather as long we're together:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYGg72a7A7I

- more tea, vicar?
- the whole universe is running in BETA mode - we're working on it.. beep..!! :D :thumb_up:

muppetts
Posts: 7180
Joined: Fri, 10. Oct 03, 13:50
x3tc

Re: Random News not worthy of own thread

Post by muppetts » Sat, 2. Feb 19, 10:00

https://worldnewsdailyreport.com/elderl ... 6kYurVvA64

Elderly-couple-accidentally-burns-house-down-during-sex-game-involving-ww2-flamethrower

nuf said
VURT The only Feathers to Fly With......

User avatar
Antilogic
Posts: 7526
Joined: Wed, 6. Apr 05, 20:33
x3tc

Re: Random News not worthy of own thread

Post by Antilogic » Sat, 2. Feb 19, 15:25

Satire.

User avatar
BugMeister
Posts: 13647
Joined: Thu, 15. Jul 04, 04:41
x4

Re: Random News not worthy of own thread

Post by BugMeister » Sat, 2. Feb 19, 21:40

hey, here's a thought:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ge7UlbqP6ro

- satire? :mrgreen:
- the whole universe is running in BETA mode - we're working on it.. beep..!! :D :thumb_up:

RegisterMe
Posts: 8903
Joined: Sun, 14. Oct 07, 17:47
x4

Re: Random News not worthy of own thread

Post by RegisterMe » Tue, 5. Feb 19, 00:47

Remember that Banksy piece that shredded itself? Bit more on it here.

https://youtu.be/vxkwRNIZgdY
I can't breathe.

- George Floyd, 25th May 2020

Bishop149
Posts: 7232
Joined: Fri, 9. Apr 04, 21:19
x3

Re: Random News not worthy of own thread

Post by Bishop149 » Tue, 5. Feb 19, 14:23

Funniest story of the week

Canada's leading cryptocurrency exchange unable to repay $190m (£110m) to clients because founder died with the passwords

A case of a company based around data security being a little TOO good at it's job.
"Shoot for the Moon. If you miss, you'll end up co-orbiting the Sun alongside Earth, living out your days alone in the void within sight of the lush, welcoming home you left behind." - XKCD

pjknibbs
Posts: 41359
Joined: Wed, 6. Nov 02, 20:31
x4

Re: Random News not worthy of own thread

Post by pjknibbs » Tue, 5. Feb 19, 17:25

Bishop149 wrote:
Tue, 5. Feb 19, 14:23
Funniest story of the week

Canada's leading cryptocurrency exchange unable to repay $190m (£110m) to clients because founder died with the passwords

A case of a company based around data security being a little TOO good at it's job.
Yeah. I really don't buy that story--to have such a large amount of virtual currency tied up in a system with no escrow of passwords or the like? It's either shockingly incompetent, or shockingly fraudulent, not sure which.

User avatar
red assassin
Posts: 4613
Joined: Sun, 15. Feb 04, 15:11
x3

Re: Random News not worthy of own thread

Post by red assassin » Tue, 5. Feb 19, 18:16

pjknibbs wrote:
Tue, 5. Feb 19, 17:25
Yeah. I really don't buy that story--to have such a large amount of virtual currency tied up in a system with no escrow of passwords or the like? It's either shockingly incompetent, or shockingly fraudulent, not sure which.
I mean, we're talking about cryptocurrency here, so either or both of those options are par for the course.
A still more glorious dawn awaits, not a sunrise, but a galaxy rise, a morning filled with 400 billion suns - the rising of the Milky Way

User avatar
Morkonan
Posts: 10113
Joined: Sun, 25. Sep 11, 04:33
x3tc

Re: Random News not worthy of own thread

Post by Morkonan » Tue, 5. Feb 19, 21:25

pjknibbs wrote:
Tue, 5. Feb 19, 17:25
...It's either shockingly incompetent, or shockingly fraudulent, not sure which.
You don't have to be sure. The hand-grenade of shockingly incompetent fraud covers just about everything. ;)


Aside: Wasn't there some worry that the source-code for Dwarf Fortress was only available to one or even both of the Adams's? IOW - It could be, however unlikely, that the source-code for one of the most popular games, ever, could be lost in the case of an unforeseeable disaster?

Probably not as expensive a proposition as billions in Bitcoins/e-currency, though.

We had a walk-in safe at work. It was a literal "vault." Big steel door, etc, the whole bit. It is possible, if someone wanted to pay a few thousand dollars, to get a special locksmith to open that door if the combination was lost or something else went wrong. Even so, we had a known internal procedure for getting into that safe should something happen to one of the key people. (No, it didn't hold anything of particular value to anyone. No monies, sorry. The building is gone, now, anyway.)

pjknibbs
Posts: 41359
Joined: Wed, 6. Nov 02, 20:31
x4

Re: Random News not worthy of own thread

Post by pjknibbs » Wed, 6. Feb 19, 08:23

Morkonan wrote:
Tue, 5. Feb 19, 21:25
Aside: Wasn't there some worry that the source-code for Dwarf Fortress was only available to one or even both of the Adams's? IOW - It could be, however unlikely, that the source-code for one of the most popular games, ever, could be lost in the case of an unforeseeable disaster?

Probably not as expensive a proposition as billions in Bitcoins/e-currency, though.
Yeah, not being able to update Dwarf Fortress ever again is a *teensy* bit less of an issue than not being able to access $190 million in funds. :D

User avatar
Morkonan
Posts: 10113
Joined: Sun, 25. Sep 11, 04:33
x3tc

Re: Random News not worthy of own thread

Post by Morkonan » Thu, 7. Feb 19, 21:33

pjknibbs wrote:
Wed, 6. Feb 19, 08:23
Morkonan wrote:
Tue, 5. Feb 19, 21:25
Aside: Wasn't there some worry that the source-code for Dwarf Fortress was only available to one or even both of the Adams's? IOW - It could be, however unlikely, that the source-code for one of the most popular games, ever, could be lost in the case of an unforeseeable disaster?

Probably not as expensive a proposition as billions in Bitcoins/e-currency, though.
Yeah, not being able to update Dwarf Fortress ever again is a *teensy* bit less of an issue than not being able to access $190 million in funds. :D
Well, that depends on how much you value Dwarf Fortress! I would think that there might be one or two people out there that would disagree with you. :) But, 190 million would buy a pretty darn big Dwarf Fortress. Heck, you could build a real-life Dwarf Fortress with real-life dwarves/Little People in it for that money!

I read an article on it today (sorry, lost it) and it seems he was in India and they're saying he died from "complications of Crohn's Disease." There's some weird questions, there. Anyway, apparently he ran the whole shebang from his friggin' laptop. And, predictably, it's all encrypted, so they're hiring out companies to try to break it. His wife has searched his house, etc, and can't find anything related to passwords.

Considering it's that kind of money and their assets can not cover a substantial portion of it, should the need arise, I think they'll get in and get it all straightened out. There's millions of monies to throw at cracking that laptop.

User avatar
red assassin
Posts: 4613
Joined: Sun, 15. Feb 04, 15:11
x3

Re: Random News not worthy of own thread

Post by red assassin » Thu, 7. Feb 19, 22:10

Morkonan wrote:
Thu, 7. Feb 19, 21:33
Well, that depends on how much you value Dwarf Fortress! I would think that there might be one or two people out there that would disagree with you. :) But, 190 million would buy a pretty darn big Dwarf Fortress. Heck, you could build a real-life Dwarf Fortress with real-life dwarves/Little People in it for that money!
I mean, I'd definitely be more upset about losing Dwarf Fortress than a bunch of cryptocurrency types losing their money, to be fair...
A still more glorious dawn awaits, not a sunrise, but a galaxy rise, a morning filled with 400 billion suns - the rising of the Milky Way

pjknibbs
Posts: 41359
Joined: Wed, 6. Nov 02, 20:31
x4

Re: Random News not worthy of own thread

Post by pjknibbs » Fri, 8. Feb 19, 08:42

red assassin wrote:
Thu, 7. Feb 19, 22:10
I mean, I'd definitely be more upset about losing Dwarf Fortress than a bunch of cryptocurrency types losing their money, to be fair...
You wouldn't be "losing" Dwarf Fortress, you'd just be losing the chance of it getting updated beyond where it is now. If you like it fine how it is now, then no problem.

User avatar
red assassin
Posts: 4613
Joined: Sun, 15. Feb 04, 15:11
x3

Re: Random News not worthy of own thread

Post by red assassin » Fri, 8. Feb 19, 11:40

pjknibbs wrote:
Fri, 8. Feb 19, 08:42
You wouldn't be "losing" Dwarf Fortress, you'd just be losing the chance of it getting updated beyond where it is now. If you like it fine how it is now, then no problem.
I will not be satisfied until they've completed their vision of a complete, accurate simulation of a dwarf universe at the quantum level.
A still more glorious dawn awaits, not a sunrise, but a galaxy rise, a morning filled with 400 billion suns - the rising of the Milky Way

User avatar
Morkonan
Posts: 10113
Joined: Sun, 25. Sep 11, 04:33
x3tc

Re: Random News not worthy of own thread

Post by Morkonan » Fri, 8. Feb 19, 21:04

red assassin wrote:
Fri, 8. Feb 19, 11:40
pjknibbs wrote:
Fri, 8. Feb 19, 08:42
You wouldn't be "losing" Dwarf Fortress, you'd just be losing the chance of it getting updated beyond where it is now. If you like it fine how it is now, then no problem.
I will not be satisfied until they've completed their vision of a complete, accurate simulation of a dwarf universe at the quantum level.
Can you know both the momentum and position of a Dwarf? Is that Dwarf in the box alive or dead when its also occupied by a deadly substance released by a radioactive trigger? Do Dwarves get heavier as a factor of their velocity? Will the direction its sibling is running change if it changes direction, itself, no matter the distance separating them? If a Dwarf has enough velocity near a sufficiently massive rotating object, can it move to an earlier saved game?

Ya know... A "Quantum Dwarf" mod... You might have fun with that. :)

User avatar
red assassin
Posts: 4613
Joined: Sun, 15. Feb 04, 15:11
x3

Re: Random News not worthy of own thread

Post by red assassin » Fri, 8. Feb 19, 21:15

Morkonan wrote:
Fri, 8. Feb 19, 21:04
Can you know both the momentum and position of a Dwarf? Is that Dwarf in the box alive or dead when its also occupied by a deadly substance released by a radioactive trigger? Do Dwarves get heavier as a factor of their velocity? Will the direction its sibling is running change if it changes direction, itself, no matter the distance separating them? If a Dwarf has enough velocity near a sufficiently massive rotating object, can it move to an earlier saved game?

Ya know... A "Quantum Dwarf" mod... You might have fun with that. :)
I mean, it already has the Quantum Stockpile glitch. http://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/ ... _stockpile
A still more glorious dawn awaits, not a sunrise, but a galaxy rise, a morning filled with 400 billion suns - the rising of the Milky Way

Post Reply

Return to “Off Topic English”