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  1. #381
    Quote Originally Posted by Reeve View Post
    Well, how about the discovery of the Higgs-Boson particle, the first glimpses of exo-planets, the ability to induce stem-cells from skin tissue, etc.? There have been huge steps forwards in recent years.
    You do realise that the Higgs boson was predicted 50 years ago, right? Its discovery five decades after it was theorised to exist is not really the best example for the sort of revolutionary step forward in science that I think Kasierith is referring to. Same with improving our telescope to the point of seeing exoplanets, but stem cells might be one I think.


    As for interstellar travel like Haven was saying, there have been big theoretical advances recently into the theory of warp (Alcubierre) drive.
    It's overrated honestly. It's still an idea that relies on non-existent (as far as we know) materials to build.

  2. #382
    The Unstoppable Force Bakis's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cybran View Post
    Ulduar?!!

    Rest (mainly ToC) was designed by Ghostcrawler and sucked of course.
    Ulduar is one of the best ones ever but does not make up for ToC , ICC & Dragonshrine
    But soon after Mr Xi secured a third term, Apple released a new version of the feature in China, limiting its scope. Now Chinese users of iPhones and other Apple devices are restricted to a 10-minute window when receiving files from people who are not listed as a contact. After 10 minutes, users can only receive files from contacts.
    Apple did not explain why the update was first introduced in China, but over the years, the tech giant has been criticised for appeasing Beijing.

  3. #383
    Quote Originally Posted by Tomatketchup View Post
    Did he also think that Wrath of the Disco King was a shitty expansion?
    Oh hey I thought my friends list was fucked up. Should have known it's Blizzard's bugs....

  4. #384
    The Unstoppable Force Bakis's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by semaphore View Post
    You do realise that the Higgs boson was predicted 50 years ago, right? Its discovery five decades after it was theorised to exist is not really the best example for the sort of revolutionary step forward in science that I think Kasierith is referring to. Same with improving our telescope to the point of seeing exoplanets, but stem cells might be one I think.



    It's overrated honestly. It's still an idea that relies on non-existent (as far as we know) materials to build.
    Hard part wasn't to realise it existed even though I dont want to deminish the effort. Hard part was to prove it.

    ---------- Post added 2013-01-03 at 12:28 AM ----------

    [/COLOR]
    Quote Originally Posted by semaphore View Post
    Oh hey I thought my friends list was fucked up. Should have known it's Blizzard's bugs....
    Nope, apperently you and me and wow are old, so old that our friends died since ~40 years :<
    But soon after Mr Xi secured a third term, Apple released a new version of the feature in China, limiting its scope. Now Chinese users of iPhones and other Apple devices are restricted to a 10-minute window when receiving files from people who are not listed as a contact. After 10 minutes, users can only receive files from contacts.
    Apple did not explain why the update was first introduced in China, but over the years, the tech giant has been criticised for appeasing Beijing.

  5. #385
    Quote Originally Posted by Haven View Post
    This is the problem with the mentality formed by democracy and market economy. No one wants to think past his pocket and belly. At least communists forced people to think bigger, to do something global for the needs of everyone in expense of one's own well-being. These days, technology is all about iPhones instead of things like interstellar travel.
    Networked electronic communications...read Internet. Single biggest scientific development since the steam engine. It allows rapid transfer of knowledge and resources. Helps in distributing ideas and information.

    Today we use devices designed in the U.S, built in cost effective high efficiency Asian factories to acces an international communications network to evaluate global needs and oportunities, to distribute information and technology and to invest in developing areas. Today we see more investment then ever before in history in places as Brazil, China, India, North Africa as we become aware of existing oportunities. We use high tech European machinery to transport goods and build infrastructures in places that had no acces to such commodities before thanks to said communications.

    As more connected these places become the greater is the flow of income and investment improving their quality of life. We are understanding the Universe on levels that before where only theoretical. Sequencing the human genome, putting sattelites in space becoming affordable for private venture and small nations.

    People live longer and healthier lives as we understand our planet and universe. We are getting better at distributing goods and space is becoming an affordable venture. It no longer costs billions and needs vast amounts of resources to put things in space.

    Communist nations where technologically about 25 years behind the western world by the end of the Cold war. And even today they are struggling to catch up. I have no clue wtf you are talking about.

  6. #386
    Quote Originally Posted by Bakis View Post
    Hard part wasn't to realise it existed even though I dont want to deminish the effort. Hard part was to prove it, without proof science is useless.
    There is no proof in science anyway.

    I'm not trying to downplay the monumental moment that the confirmation of Higgs boson was, I'm just saying that between "I learnt that the Statute of Liberty is in New York" and "I went to New York and confirmed that the Statute of Liberty is indeed there", the latter isn't a revolutionary step forward in our knowledge.

  7. #387
    The Unstoppable Force Bakis's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by semaphore View Post
    There is no proof in science anyway.

    I'm not trying to downplay the monumental moment that the confirmation of Higgs boson was, I'm just saying that between "I learnt that the Statute of Liberty is in New York" and "I went to New York and confirmed that the Statute of Liberty is indeed there", the latter isn't a revolutionary step forward in our knowledge.
    Mm but my point was that science rely on being able to be undisputed for people to believe in it. Once you reach a point where you can prove it any opposition to it can and will be brushed off as innacurate and invalid. That is the lovely part, stupidity doesn't fit in the equation
    But soon after Mr Xi secured a third term, Apple released a new version of the feature in China, limiting its scope. Now Chinese users of iPhones and other Apple devices are restricted to a 10-minute window when receiving files from people who are not listed as a contact. After 10 minutes, users can only receive files from contacts.
    Apple did not explain why the update was first introduced in China, but over the years, the tech giant has been criticised for appeasing Beijing.

  8. #388
    Quote Originally Posted by Cybran View Post
    Ulduar?!!
    Was the boss, so grand.

    Interesting to read what people got to say whom have lived and live in former communist countries, most people who came to my country Sweden from those nations(Czech Rep, Hungary, Poland etc) were "political refugees" so obviously they have never had much good to say about it.
    Last edited by Jackmoves; 2013-01-02 at 11:42 PM.
    The nerve is called the "nerve of awareness". You cant dissect it. Its a current that runs up the center of your spine. I dont know if any of you have sat down, crossed your legs, smoked DMT, and watch what happens... but what happens to me is this big thing goes RRRRRRRRRAAAAAWWW! up my spine and flashes in my brain... well apparently thats whats going to happen if I do this stuff...

  9. #389
    Eh, government was corrupt then, and it's corrupt now. The roads and parks were much better 20 years ago though.
    Q: Where the fuck is Xia Xia, SIU?!?!
    A1: She needs to start making eggs for Easter...
    A2: Drunk and sleeping somewhere.

  10. #390
    Merely a Setback Reeve's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by semaphore View Post
    There is no proof in science anyway.

    I'm not trying to downplay the monumental moment that the confirmation of Higgs boson was, I'm just saying that between "I learnt that the Statute of Liberty is in New York" and "I went to New York and confirmed that the Statute of Liberty is indeed there", the latter isn't a revolutionary step forward in our knowledge.
    I think it's more on par with, "We suspect the Earth is round" vs. "We just sailed around the world to prove it." Testing hypotheses IS science, and finally successfully testing the Higgs-Boson was in fact a HUGE scientific advancement. Saying that improving our telescope to the point where we could see exoplanets is a) not a very good description of how we came to see those exoplanets and b) no different from saying we finally improved the microscope to the point where we could discover that all living things are comprised of cells. They're great scientific discoveries.

    What IS the sort of discovery you think Kasiereth was really looking for?
    'Twas a cutlass swipe or an ounce of lead
    Or a yawing hole in a battered head
    And the scuppers clogged with rotting red
    And there they lay I damn me eyes
    All lookouts clapped on Paradise
    All souls bound just contrarywise, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!

  11. #391
    Not to be a jerk or anything, but a "block" is a wooden cube or something. A "bloc" is a group of people or nations voting or acting in concert. I see that one a lot.

    Quote Originally Posted by Reeve View Post
    Well, how about the discovery of the Higgs-Boson particle, the first glimpses of exo-planets, the ability to induce stem-cells from skin tissue, etc.? There have been huge steps forwards in recent years.

    As for interstellar travel like Haven was saying, there have been big theoretical advances recently into the theory of warp (Alcubierre) drive.
    Alcubierre drives require the existence of "negative mass". It's just an artefact of mathematics with no physical reality.

    Also don't want to pee on your parade but the jury is still out on whether the boson that was discovered was the Higgs boson, we won't know that for years probably. Observation of exo-planets are exciting although not surprising (it would actually be shocking if they DIDN'T exist). Stem cell advancements are a big accomplishment though.

    ---------- Post added 2013-01-03 at 12:21 AM ----------

    Quote Originally Posted by semaphore View Post
    There is no proof in science anyway.

    I'm not trying to downplay the monumental moment that the confirmation of Higgs boson was, I'm just saying that between "I learnt that the Statute of Liberty is in New York" and "I went to New York and confirmed that the Statute of Liberty is indeed there", the latter isn't a revolutionary step forward in our knowledge.
    It would be if you didn't know whether or not the Statue of Liberty actually existed, and the Statue of Liberty was the agent of one of the four fundamental forces that defines all of reality.

    ---------- Post added 2013-01-03 at 12:29 AM ----------

    Quote Originally Posted by Wikiy View Post
    Exactly, the reason we don't notice such huge leaps is because there are so many of them and they happen all the time. We're used to it.
    Not really, while we have seen some significant advancements it's nothing on the revolutionary scale of quantum theory and relativity. Nothing has really challenged our existing conception of the physical universe, we've just been developing and augmenting it. Nor have we reached a milestone in solidifying our general models.

    We are also a long way from finding applications of a lot of them that will impact human lives in meaningful ways. Whereas it was only 40 years between E=mc^2 and Hiroshima (yay?).

    But the original topic was contrasting modern scientific advancement to that of the Cold War era, which was largely about geopolitical egos. We would probably have a man on Mars by now if we were afraid those godless commies would beat us to it again. Incidentally from a scientific perspective the USSR won the space race - they pioneered every scientific and engineering accomplishment in space, all the US did was put an actual person on the Moon so he could put a flag in the ground. The lesson? Nobody cares about science, it's all just about publicity.
    Last edited by Mormolyce; 2013-01-03 at 12:33 AM.
    Quote Originally Posted by Tojara View Post
    Look Batman really isn't an accurate source by any means
    Quote Originally Posted by Hooked View Post
    It is a fact, not just something I made up.

  12. #392
    It would be more exciting if the particle discovered is not the Higgs boson.

  13. #393
    The Unstoppable Force Bakis's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by haxartus View Post
    It would be more exciting if the particle discovered is not the Higgs boson.
    Hope it is the Monty Python particle o_x
    But soon after Mr Xi secured a third term, Apple released a new version of the feature in China, limiting its scope. Now Chinese users of iPhones and other Apple devices are restricted to a 10-minute window when receiving files from people who are not listed as a contact. After 10 minutes, users can only receive files from contacts.
    Apple did not explain why the update was first introduced in China, but over the years, the tech giant has been criticised for appeasing Beijing.

  14. #394
    Most of the people I know that are wealthy here in America are foreigners. They cherish the economic freedoms here. They aren't highly educated, but work extremely hard, save money, and become millionaires. They understand capitalism. Its their children that often don't get it. They seem entitled. They don't work hard. They sit around and play games. They go to college, load up on debt, get a degree, and work for low pay. And then they complain the boss man is holding them back, vote democrat, and start destroying the very freedoms their parents fled towards.

    I don't understand why this happens, but it happens a lot. Maybe if everyone was forced to live under communism between the ages of 18-22, and then returned to capitalism after that, more people would understand.

  15. #395
    Quote Originally Posted by Reeve View Post
    I think it's more on par with, "We suspect the Earth is round" vs. "We just sailed around the world to prove it."
    It is in fact quite like that. But we already knew with as much certainty as we can know anything that the Earth is round, long before Magellan. Direct confirmation is monumental to achieve, but science has established the facts from circumstantial evidence beforehand.


    What IS the sort of discovery you think Kasiereth was really looking for?
    I don't know, maybe something like the development of the theory of evolution, or special and general relativity, the invention of electrical generation. Or something.


    Quote Originally Posted by Mormolyce View Post
    It would be if you didn't know whether or not the Statue of Liberty actually existed, and the Statue of Liberty was the agent of one of the four fundamental forces that defines all of reality.
    But we did know that. We just don't have direct evidence.

  16. #396
    Banned Haven's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cybran View Post
    Right... Communism was a way to enslave people and rob them blind. It's biggest problem was that most of the "leaders" were uneducated peasants that just followed orders from Moscow.

    Snitching on your neighbours telling "inapropriate" jokes or growing their own farm really helps build a "something global".
    Which totally doesn't happen these days. You still have someone else's hand in your pocket, democracy just gave an opportunity for everyone to steal to their delight. Now, not only government deceives you, but all these companies selling you crap that you don't actually need do so too.

    I look at my country's past 20 years and what do I see? Industry is dead. Totally dead. Russia no longer builds anything, what we still have is either outdated or rudimentary. Russian cars are crap, Russian weapons are still running on a generation-old basis of ideas and research. Latest space programs are miniscule and even they fail miserably. But yes, we have freedom of speech - which means you can't even turn on the TV without utter shit flooding the room. You only hear that everything's fine and we're moving towards a greater future, while everyone knows it's a lie and the government is corrupted through and through. Oncу they retire, they flee to some other, better country. The shipyard in my city, once big and meaningful, lies in ruins. New houses built often have defects. Other than that the only thing that grows like mushrooms after the rain are stupid trade centres with loads of things not worth a half their price. No one wants to work anymore. There are shitloads of economists, managers, advertisers, people that produce nothing and get paid for it. Market economy runs the show now, and it's only meaning is to feed marketologists, managers and other leeches by forcing us to buy and consume.
    Quote Originally Posted by Tomatketchup View Post
    I think that has to do with the stagnant competition. In the Cold War you had a rapid technological evolution because the US wanted to beat the Russians and vice versa, and then you'd get all these products derived from military technology. Today there aren't really any conflicts going on, and corporations has just made us comfortable with buying the same crap over and over (see iPhone), so there's not a lot of innovation that's going on. So communism has contributed, but not in the ways of ideals but more as a threat and inspiration.
    You're partially right. The sad truth is, war is good for economy and science. What do you think has cured the Great Depression? It was war. Nothing stimulates politicians to actually stop stealing and start caring about their country more. Insane amounts of money are instantly poured into military research, and in 5-10 years common folk enjoys the amazing by-products - like cellular networks. United States have grasped this idea pretty well, given that since WWII this state has known not a single year without waging some war in another place no one cares about.

  17. #397
    Communism isn't a system of government, it's an economic system. The problem isn't with communism itself, it's with human nature. The reason why communism is a total and resounding fail is that it forces people to give up their resources to the government. If people were naturally inclined to give like that for the betterment of society, it would be a great system. The problem is that people are forced to do so, which leads to the style of government that goes along with communism which is totalitarianism. Socialism in general would be ideal if everyone adopted it as something they wanted, but as it stands, it has to be forced. Therefore, it's a bad system.

  18. #398
    Quote Originally Posted by Typrax View Post
    The problem isn't with communism itself, it's with human nature. The reason why communism is a total and resounding fail is that it forces people to give up their resources to the government. If people were naturally inclined to give like that for the betterment of society, it would be a great system.
    Failure to take human nature into account is a massive failure for a system that's designed to work with... humans.

  19. #399
    Quote Originally Posted by semaphore View Post
    Failure to take human nature into account is a massive failure for a system that's designed to work with... humans.
    Which is why Karl Marx was a retard.

  20. #400
    Quote Originally Posted by semaphore View Post
    Failure to take human nature into account is a massive failure for a system that's designed to work with... humans.
    There is no such thing as "Human Nature"

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