dev, computing, games

📅April 24th, 2016

Suppose there is a 3D copying machine. In one instant it can copy, particle-for-particle, what's in one chamber and replicate it into another chamber. You put a person in one chamber. It copies of all the atoms that comprise them. It copies the energy and light affecting their senses.

When the chamber doors open, will the copy of the person be alive? I think the answer is 'yes', if there's no medical reason for them not to be. If humans are granted life on earth through physical processes, and die through physical processes, through the presence of connections in the brain and cognitive capacity, then a perfect copy of those physical processes shouldn't deter how well they work.

Will the copy of the person be the same 'self'? I think, the answer is 'no'. They may have been the same at one time, but are no longer. After the chamber doors open, the original and the copy will go out into the world and undergo different physical processes, and have different experiences.

'Self' is not some specific tangible thing, then, not some specific piece of the brain, but a special label given to the physical processes that one's brain can do.. So the way this label is defined, copying a brain and all its stimulus yields two 'selves'. The two brains and bodily systems can physically work independently from each other, thereafter.

The thing I don't know the answer to, is, at what point are there two 'selves'?
1) The instant that the atoms are copied, but no differing light or stimulus has occurred yet to the original, or the copy (the chamber doors have not opened yet)?
2) The very first differing piece of light or stimulus occurs to the original and the copy? (during/after the chamber door opens)
3) The whole premise is wrong

April 24th, 2016 at 11:01 am | Comments & Trackbacks (0) | Permalink

📅March 25th, 2016

>be me
>"Going to an anime convention! Let's sync up on the latest new shows."
>See someone talking about an anime called Lucky Star
>Youtube it!
>First result is the opening for the show
>letsdothis.avi
>music starts up

mfw

March 25th, 2016 at 4:16 pm | Comments & Trackbacks (0) | Permalink

📅March 14th, 2016

This might be the best game, ever. Reason: Can't remember the last time I've come across a game with literally zero grind. No repetitive action. For the 'meat' of the game, solving puzzles- each puzzle is different with no repeats, nor any cheesy reprising the same puzzle with an only-slightly-different flavor. Shouldn't be such a novel thing but it really is.

Also no puzzles that rely on pure anagrams, big-time number crunching, external knowledge of other languages / scripts.  Nice.

March 14th, 2016 at 9:09 pm | Comments & Trackbacks (0) | Permalink

📅March 3rd, 2016

Finished Braid for the first time.

The levels are really clever. Got all the puzzle pieces, got the ending/epilogue, and was left really confused.

What the heck is going on! I understand 0% of the lore of this game.

March 3rd, 2016 at 12:01 am | Comments & Trackbacks (0) | Permalink

📅February 22nd, 2016

Check mail. Get a nice greeting card in the mail. Great!
Except, mail envelope has been torn open. No customs stamp. Not re-sealed. Illegally opened, then. Sad face.
Open envelope and card. Inside, a PSN gift card.

I think this thief was more of an Xbox fan.

February 22nd, 2016 at 11:03 am | Comments & Trackbacks (0) | Permalink

📅January 31st, 2016

Finished reading: Zeitoun by Dave Eggers.

A story about a Muslim family living in New Orleans during the time of Hurricane Katrina.

This tackles some difficult subject matter. I think the narrative is high quality- colorful and never wandered too much. I don't feel like there was anything deeper to the story though. Since it was based on a real-life story, I don't think the author felt comfortable moving much beyond "this is a really bad thing that happened".

It also turned out that Zeitoun IRL was a bad person- re-frames a story that spends literally the entire time trying to sell him and his bond with his wife to you. Shouldn't surf the books subreddit after reading something... It will tell you things you don't want to know

6/10

January 31st, 2016 at 11:04 am | Comments & Trackbacks (0) | Permalink

📅January 28th, 2016

Possible to attach a rotary phone to a VoIP line?
Turns out yes.

 

Method:

Use a pulse-to-tone converter- an box that converts pulse signals into DTMF tones, since there are zero VoIP boxes around (that I know of!) that understands pulses. The phone plugs into this adapter, the adapter plugs into the VoIP box which I have connected to my router.

January 28th, 2016 at 11:48 pm | Comments & Trackbacks (0) | Permalink

📅October 12th, 2015

Replaying Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (replaying nostalgia games lately) and it never occurred to me until now how BAD the soundtrack is.

I mean, the game has other qualities. Just not that. Why are literally all the dungeons and bosses one of two pieces? Why are all the loops like 5 seconds long? Why does this exist:

I would link to the Fortune Teller music but I don't want to put anyone else through that today.

October 12th, 2015 at 12:46 am | Comments & Trackbacks (0) | Permalink

📅September 4th, 2015

September 4th, 2015 at 9:58 pm | Comments & Trackbacks (0) | Permalink

📅September 3rd, 2015

I would agree with Mr Stark but then we would both be wrong.

September 3rd, 2015 at 5:49 pm | Comments & Trackbacks (0) | Permalink