04/25/09 [DMFA #994] - Guy Speak?

[Garsemor]

Ok sorry if I got a little doggy back in that post I was just having a bad moment. Sorry Amber, sorry every one.
Ceep up the good work A.

[!KCA]

. . .No way can so many things, that would influence the updates, happen consecutively.

Actually, if you study statistics or chaos theory, you'll eventually realize that catastrophes tend to cluster. A lot. Amber is getting screwed by fundamental laws of mathematics.

[Psy-Kosh]

Actually, if you study statistics or chaos theory, you'll eventually realize that catastrophes tend to cluster. A lot. Amber is getting screwed by fundamental laws of mathematics.

More precisely, it's "stuff tends to cluster more often than our everyday intuitions suggest", right?

ie, it's not "catastrophe A automatically increases chance of catastrophe B", but A and B being relatively independent results in them occurring sometimes in closer proximity to each other than we'd otherwise intuitively expect? (or is there some other principle here I'm missing?)

[Naldru]

There is nothing more coincidental than a lack of coincidences.

[Tyranastrasz]

Actually, if you study statistics or chaos theory, you'll eventually realize that catastrophes tend to cluster. A lot. Amber is getting screwed by fundamental laws of mathematics.

More precisely, it's "stuff tends to cluster more often than our everyday intuitions suggest", right?

ie, it's not "catastrophe A automatically increases chance of catastrophe B", but A and B being relatively independent results in them occurring sometimes in closer proximity to each other than we'd otherwise intuitively expect? (or is there some other principle here I'm missing?)

Actually, in this case, the whole immigration problem (catastrophe A) caused Amber a lot of stress, leading to her getting sick much easier (catastrophe B). The computer problems are more independent from the rest, and I can hardly say that Amber could have inadvertently helped to cause the huge bunch of storms rolling across North America and causing the comic to be delayed, but you'd be surprised how easy it is for everything to go wrong in a chain reaction of epic proportions. I've seen it.  

[Garsemor]

Everything effects everything that is the short version of the one of Aristocrats long philosophical speech of. And as a poet once said even the small butterfly flapping it's wings can change the world. The smallest thing can change history imagine what would have happened if Newton didn't get hit in the head whit that apple. We might never have had discovered gravity resulting in most likely a stop to aviation technology (planes) etc...

[AmigaDragon]

Gravity is discovered every time a kid drops a rock on a bug. If Newton didn't "discover" gravity, someone else would have eventually. This would merely delay aviation development, if anything, not stop it.

[e_voyager]

things happen. do they happen for a reason? well that i can't say i'm not all knowing i just know what little i've been able to discover and what i've seen

[Psy-Kosh]

Gravity is discovered every time a kid drops a rock on a bug. If Newton didn't "discover" gravity, someone else would have eventually. This would merely delay aviation development, if anything, not stop it.

That's not what Newton discovered. Obviously people noticed things fall.

The worldshaking discovery of Newton was the law of _universal_ gravitation. Actually, the whole notion of universal law.

Think back to the perspective of that time... The heavens had their perfect laws, and below, on the earthly realm, was the lesser principles, the messy stuff.

Then Newton comes along and starts reasoning, manages (or was it Galileo first who did this bit) to figure out that if there was no friction, no resistance, stuff would just keep moving.

The point was, he then started thinking "hrm... okay, so stuff falls. What if I get it moving first? Throw it fast? It falls far away. Throw it really really fast, and if there was no air... it starts falling... but... Earth is round, the ground falls away from it as it falls... hrm... looks like... it... loops around the world... just like the moon around the earth and planets around the sun?!"

ie, he discovered simple rules that seemed to apply to _EVERYTHING_. Not in a metaphysical symbolic metaphorical occult sense of "as above so below", but discovered that concept to be literal physical statement of fact. There are basic simple universal principles that apply to everything everywhere, and that explain many different behaviors. Explains apples falling to the ground and planets orbiting the sun.

_THAT_ was the profound discovery Newton made. Not just "stuff falls", but the _universal law_ (not to mention a bunch of stuff with optics, calculus (Nevermind the Newton vs Leibniz thing. It is certain at least that Newton was at least one of the people to independently figure it out) etc etc etc...)

And yes, presumably if Newton hadn't, someone else would have eventually. But the point is "stuff falls down, let's call that gravity" is _NOT_ at all what Newton actually did.

[Sprocketsdance]

Now... don't kick me.. at least too hard >_< but with the whole Wildy and Jy getting together thing..

*shrugs* In my experience the tough girl always goes for the more sensative guy. Perhaps Jy will get hit with the mallet of love once again XD I'm not exactly cheering that idea on.. I like them being buds instead of love interests... I'm just sayin...

... plus they're the right size for eachother! awwwwwww

[Naldru]

Actually what Newton discovered was a combination of things.

The first thing was that acceleration of an object was proportional to the force and inversely proportional to the mass.

The next thing was a means of calculating position as a function of time if you knew acceleration as a function of time.  This is now known as Calculus, and was actually developed by a few different people independently at the same time.

The third thing was the law of universal gravitation stating that the force between two objects was proportional to the product of the masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance.  I read that they actually found a letter from him mentioning the falling apple.  However, rather than stating that he discovered gravity, it states that he wondered what the formula would be for the force between objects due to gravity.

The final thing that he found wad that by combining all of these items, he could explain the orbits of the moons and planets.  He could also explain and predict the behavior of artillery shells, which made him popular with the military.

It was in developing this set of techniques that Newton set himself apart from others.

******

By the way, I do not view the airplane as the Wright brothers most significant development.

It was actually a set of principles that they used in developing their airplane.

They realized that increasing the lift of the wings, increasing the power of the engine and propellor, and decreasing the weight of the craft were all equally important.

They tested everything with scale models and wind tunnels before building the full scale versions.  If the behavior in the wind tunnel didn't match their expectation, they found out why.

They worked in a set of incremental steps:  unmanned gliders, manned gliders, powered manned aircraft.  People mention how short the first flight was.  With a new aircraft, wouldn't it be sensible to make a short flight close to the ground before trying a flight that could kill you.  I think that the first flight was actually a high speed taxi run.

They identified the best location for experimental flights and went there instead of trying to launch at a place where it was convenient.

[JackTheCubiWolf]

Now... don't kick me.. at least too hard >_< but with the whole Wildy and Jy getting together thing..

*shrugs* In my experience the tough girl always goes for the more sensative guy. Perhaps Jy will get hit with the mallet of love once again XD I'm not exactly cheering that idea on.. I like them being buds instead of love interests... I'm just sayin...

... plus they're the right size for eachother! awwwwwww

If comic Wildy ever started seeing someone, you wouldn't hear from me for one year. I wouldn't even log on.

[Howl]

Let's be honest. I read that 'guy speak' part as nothing more than a friendly joke.

[Sprocketsdance]

If comic Wildy ever started seeing someone, you wouldn't hear from me for one year. I wouldn't even log on.

And rightfully so XD I'm sure Amber has more grand things in store than a simple fanfic-like plot. Thank god.

I must admit.. I like the way her mind rolls... or rather side-swipes, zig-zags, and twirls around in a flourish.   

[Scarydragon]

Holy Philosophical Debate Batman! Was it too hard to just say, the universe hates Amber?

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Holy Philosophical Debate Batman! Was it too hard to just say, the universe hates Amber?

In a word? Yes. ;-]

[Naldru]

Holy Philosophical Debate Batman! Was it too hard to just say, the universe hates Amber?

In a word? Yes. ;-]

Besides, it's already been said.

[Sprocketsdance]

No matter how many times the universe tries to bring her down.. she always comes back! The force is strong with this one      

Either that or she got knocked down so many times (and got back up) that her defense had to have been raised a few points..

*tries to find the tracks again*

I wonder if Jy would let Wildy write a story that centered around him and Dan... >_>      No?

[Baal Hadad]

Now... don't kick me.. at least too hard >_< but with the whole Wildy and Jy getting together thing..

*shrugs* In my experience the tough girl always goes for the more sensative guy. Perhaps Jy will get hit with the mallet of love once again XD I'm not exactly cheering that idea on.. I like them being buds instead of love interests... I'm just sayin...

... plus they're the right size for eachother! awwwwwww

Always?  Do opposites attract that much?

Anyway, I don't know to what degree Jyrras can be trusted, but he's already more or less declared himself gay, in which case he shouldn't fall for Wildy anyway (even though he did kinda fall for Lorenda, though that was before he "knew")....

I agree, they're just friends--although I notice Wildy's never actually inflicted physical violence on Jyrras.

[e_voyager]

did you forget the cheese match?

[Baal Hadad]

did you forget the cheese match?

No, I didn't--Jyrras started that one. 

All Wildy did was tease him.

[AmigaDragon]

... plus they're the right size for eachother! awwwwwww

Always?  Do opposites attract that much?

Anyway, I don't know to what degree Jyrras can be trusted, but he's already more or less declared himself gay, in which case he shouldn't fall for Wildy anyway (even though he did kinda fall for Lorenda, though that was before he "knew")....

The jury could still be out on Jyrras' orientation. Once he considered he might be gay and went with it, he may not have considered the possibility of being bi, or just confused. Before Lorenda, I don't think we've had any indication that he had any romantic feelings for anyone.

[Jairus]

The jury could still be out on Jyrras' orientation. Once he considered he might be gay and went with it, he may not have considered the possibility of being bi, or just confused. Before Lorenda, I don't think we've had any indication that he had any romantic feelings for anyone.

Well, there was that little crush he's had on Dan for a few years...

[e_voyager]

Well, there was that little crush he's had on Dan for a few years...

yes but we didn't know about that until after the fact. in fact it was Able who reviled it to us and confirmed that he had feelings for  Lorenda which most of us believed anyway.

[Howl]

Meh. Even though the comic's said he's gay, I guess the jury's still out.

[JackTheCubiWolf]

... plus they're the right size for eachother! awwwwwww

Always?  Do opposites attract that much?

Anyway, I don't know to what degree Jyrras can be trusted, but he's already more or less declared himself gay, in which case he shouldn't fall for Wildy anyway (even though he did kinda fall for Lorenda, though that was before he "knew")....

The jury could still be out on Jyrras' orientation. Once he considered he might be gay and went with it, he may not have considered the possibility of being bi, or just confused. Before Lorenda, I don't think we've had any indication that he had any romantic feelings for anyone.

I already said about him being bi.

[Howl]

And I repeated it.