This site is no longer active and is available for archival purposes only. Registration and login is disabled.

Posts? We don' need no stinking POSTS!


Re: Posts? We don' need no stinking POSTS!

Postby TBone » Sep 16, 2001 @ 11:32pm

I had a really good friend (who's actually in England right now, poor bastard) who was a philosophy major. He spent a lot of time arguing with me, because I have serious problems with philosophy as a discipline (I'm a pragmatist by nature). One of his arguments for the necessity of philosophy was Xeno's paradox. It comes in several forms.<br><br>The first form is the old chestnut about how, if you had a line that you kept trying to reach, but you could only move half the remaining distace, you would never reach the line. It existed to point out the difference between pure mathematics/logic and the real world.<br><br>The other concept is known as Xeno's Arrow. Xeno state that we could fire an arrow after a turtle (I don't know what he had against turtles, he just did) and try to hit it. Unfortunately, if we tried to predict the path of the arrow, we would have to resort to math that uses t as a representation of time. If we then were to try and figure the arrow's velocity at any given instant, Xeno theorized, time would be equal to zero (no duration for our measurement). If time is zero, the velocity of the arrow (a function of time) must also be zero. Therefore the arrow never hits the turtle (maybe he really had something against archers).<br><br>Of course, it's all nonsense. But it serves to illustrate that as much as mathematicians (and of course, philosophers) would like to think, we do not exist in a universe of perfect logic--what physisists call an "ideal universe." The very basis of relating that ideal mathematical form to a system that's useful in the real world precludes a set of assumptions which are necessary to understanding their limits. Xeno's point was not the destruction of math and physics, but to point out the unspoken conventions we create to support them. He was actually a huge fan of the sciences.<br><br>Of course, those of you who are latin scholars will realize that his name is also the prefix meaning "alien or foreign." Whether this is coincidence, a conspiracy, or just a spelling error on my part is up to you.<br><br><grin>
3V1L L337 H3150
User avatar
TBone
pm Member
 
Posts: 434
Joined: Jul 25, 2001 @ 10:12pm
Location: Fairfax, VA


Re: Posts? We don' need no stinking POSTS!

Postby TBone » Sep 16, 2001 @ 11:32pm

Hey, that's funny. I post a thread about my lack of posts, and end up posting more.
3V1L L337 H3150
User avatar
TBone
pm Member
 
Posts: 434
Joined: Jul 25, 2001 @ 10:12pm
Location: Fairfax, VA


Re: Posts? We don' need no stinking POSTS!

Postby Luciano U. Werner » Sep 16, 2001 @ 11:43pm

Intresting.<br>Our good friend Thomas just philosophically (sp?) explained to us why we need women but they're impossible to understand.<br>Banging on there hd doesn't work and trying to reason with them also doesn't. So, we f uck 'em.<br>:D :D :D<br><br>Yes, that was rude but I couldn't let it go.
Celerius quam asparagi cocuntur
__________________
DocSMRF
Tactical Advisor
User avatar
Luciano U. Werner
pm Insider
 
Posts: 3156
Joined: Aug 1, 2001 @ 9:41pm
Location: Brazil


Re: Posts? We don' need no stinking POSTS!

Postby TBone » Sep 16, 2001 @ 11:45pm

You're a weird guy, Luc.
3V1L L337 H3150
User avatar
TBone
pm Member
 
Posts: 434
Joined: Jul 25, 2001 @ 10:12pm
Location: Fairfax, VA


Re: Posts? We don' need no stinking POSTS!

Postby Luciano U. Werner » Sep 16, 2001 @ 11:53pm

Well who understands women anyway?<br>I couldn't live without them, but sometimes they (she) makes my life miserable.
Celerius quam asparagi cocuntur
__________________
DocSMRF
Tactical Advisor
User avatar
Luciano U. Werner
pm Insider
 
Posts: 3156
Joined: Aug 1, 2001 @ 9:41pm
Location: Brazil


Re: Posts? We don' need no stinking POSTS!

Postby TBone » Sep 16, 2001 @ 11:55pm

I'll second that.<br><br><takes a swig of root beer>
3V1L L337 H3150
User avatar
TBone
pm Member
 
Posts: 434
Joined: Jul 25, 2001 @ 10:12pm
Location: Fairfax, VA


Re: Posts? We don' need no stinking POSTS!

Postby Luciano U. Werner » Sep 17, 2001 @ 12:11am

It amazes me that somebody younger then me (well only 4 years), 20cm shorter and at least 50kg lighter can make my life hell.<br><br>I know your drinking root beer, you don't mind if I have some Diet Sprite with lemon and ice, do you?<br><br>Pass the peanuts.
Celerius quam asparagi cocuntur
__________________
DocSMRF
Tactical Advisor
User avatar
Luciano U. Werner
pm Insider
 
Posts: 3156
Joined: Aug 1, 2001 @ 9:41pm
Location: Brazil


Re: Posts? We don' need no stinking POSTS!

Postby TBone » Sep 17, 2001 @ 12:15am

Hittin' the bottles hard tonight then, aren't we? <grin>
3V1L L337 H3150
User avatar
TBone
pm Member
 
Posts: 434
Joined: Jul 25, 2001 @ 10:12pm
Location: Fairfax, VA


Re: Posts? We don' need no stinking POSTS!

Postby Luciano U. Werner » Sep 17, 2001 @ 12:19am

It was a loooong week.<br>And tomorrow I'm on call. All the way till next sunday.<br>Shoot.
Celerius quam asparagi cocuntur
__________________
DocSMRF
Tactical Advisor
User avatar
Luciano U. Werner
pm Insider
 
Posts: 3156
Joined: Aug 1, 2001 @ 9:41pm
Location: Brazil


Re: Posts? We don' need no stinking POSTS!

Postby jongjungbu » Sep 17, 2001 @ 8:45am

Sucks to be you.
User avatar
jongjungbu
Not JongJongBu
 
Posts: 3112
Joined: Jun 19, 2001 @ 4:22am
Location: USA


Re: Posts? We don' need no stinking POSTS!

Postby Luciano U. Werner » Sep 17, 2001 @ 11:33am

Not really. I have a pleasant life. The weeks I'm on call suck major, but it's bearable. And it's only two weeks per month.
Celerius quam asparagi cocuntur
__________________
DocSMRF
Tactical Advisor
User avatar
Luciano U. Werner
pm Insider
 
Posts: 3156
Joined: Aug 1, 2001 @ 9:41pm
Location: Brazil


Re: Posts? We don' need no stinking POSTS!

Postby jongjungbu » Sep 17, 2001 @ 8:33pm

aah, i only have to do half of that at most.
User avatar
jongjungbu
Not JongJongBu
 
Posts: 3112
Joined: Jun 19, 2001 @ 4:22am
Location: USA


Previous

Return to Anything Discussion


Sort


Forum Description

Post all off-topic messages here, almost anything goes.

Moderators:

Dan East, sponge, David Horn, Kevin Gelso, RICoder

Forum permissions

You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

cron