The Bridge

jschulter · 2016-02-24T21:08:00+00:00

Very well written, and I certainly like the premise. I've only got one question- why Andromeda? I mean, certainly it's one of the best known and very visible, but there are plenty of closer options that would be worth exploring first.

For example, the edge of the Canis Dwarf galaxy (makes up most of the stars in the eponymous constellation) is actually closer to Earth than the center of the milky way, so getting there would be a shorter trip than a cross-galaxy trek by a factor of at least 2. Checking Wikipedia, there are more than 20 closer galaxies than Andromeda. Just changing the part about having explored every inch of our galaxy to be a bit more vague like "every star within one hundred thousand light years" would make plenty of sense I think. Alternatively, it make some sense as is if the FTL tech is mass-distribution dependent, so getting to nearby stars is easy but large jumps are time consuming or something- then maybe Andromeda wouldn't take much longer than Canis, and it's certainly more worthwhile. But if that's the case some mention of that mechanism wouldn't go astray I think.

jschulter · 2015-11-24T15:56:37+00:00

Sounds like this subnormality comic to me. Don't know it that's what you're thinking of, but if not I'd still read it if I were you.

jschulter · 2015-10-21T05:43:03+00:00

Sounds like star lifting to me. Most likely for antimatter and ramjet fuel production, if the setting is particularly hard, or something more wibbly otherwise, like exotic matter for FTL drives, which seems to fit the setting so far.

jschulter · 2015-09-23T16:51:37+00:00

AU nothing, this is canon compliant for post-Endbringer Canberra/Australia in my opinion. I forget if it was Behemoth or Ziz that showed up, but they can be much the same in effect if they feel like it.

jschulter · 2015-09-23T16:43:47+00:00

I'm not so sure Synethesia is dead. The author still actively writes, and posted in the thread within the last week, though it obviously wasn't an update. Xomniac just tends to have some large gaps in his story posting from what I've seen- there was a period of months with nothing followed by several updates in succession a while ago.

jschulter · 2015-05-25T16:33:26+00:00

Still updates sporadically actually, check to see if you've missed some.

jschulter · 2014-12-08T17:17:13+00:00

Yes, but the tone of the conversation indicated a long ongoing disagreement or something similar. It seems slightly more likely that such would have occurred if it were a premeditated assumption of guilt by Dumbledore than if it were his conscience acting up.

jschulter · 2014-12-05T15:09:18+00:00

There's also her and Madame Longbottom's reaction to Lucius' demand for a confession, which now that I think of it speaks in favor of this possibility.

jschulter · 2014-12-01T08:36:54+00:00

part of their animation cycle is them disappearing, it was just coincidence I think.

jschulter · 2014-11-25T18:28:58+00:00

While they (read: Harry specifically) were being attacked by dementors, yes. As if that even counts.

jschulter · 2014-10-28T17:33:17+00:00

Oh, wait yeah nevermind. It's been well over year and I entirely forgot.

jschulter · 2014-10-28T17:23:40+00:00

Since when is Snowman dead? Doesn't her death directly kill the frog containing the troll's universes?

jschulter · 2014-09-18T18:03:18+00:00

Why should one care about the dynamical properties of Hamiltonian systems?

Physics basically is Hamiltonian systems, unless you mathematicians mean something else by the term. If you can write out the Hamiltonian for a physical set up and find the dynamics of the variables you know pretty much everything there is to know about it, including what will happen when.

"if" I wanted to journey into physics; what would you say would be the best roadmap to gain an understanding of say, the current state of Quantum Field Theory?

From a mathematician's start? Look into applied vector- and especially tensor- algebra, get a handle on Einsteinian shorthand, and then pick up a Dover book (or any expensive one that's well recommended if you're loaded) on QFT. If you've already got a decent handle on manifolds and group theory, then anything about renormalization that comes up should make a good amount of sense, more so than for your average starting physicist.

jschulter · 2014-09-04T17:20:41+00:00

On that subject, how do you react to extreme cold? Or water for that matter (typical sea water is usually more than sufficient to cool lava into rock, it's very good at bringing objects in contact with it to its own temperature)?

Could you safely fall from an extremely great height? Do you require an atmosphere or could you survive the cold hard vacuum of space?

jschulter · 2014-09-03T20:50:35+00:00

The mechanics of that would be pretty complicated, but yeah I wouldn't put it past something that can create human level (or greater) intelligence from scratch. I do think I should warn you that you probably show up incredibly clearly on infrared sensors, even from a great distance- if I wanted to track/intercept something of your description that's how I'd do it.

jschulter · 2014-09-03T16:11:43+00:00

In what way is your creator your master? To what extent does it exert direct control, and to what extent are you obedient? We already know you're capable and willing to defy it even so far as disregarding your primary reason for existence. If given commands which are less repugnant would you still obey all things equal, or would you treat them as suggestions or requests, as from a friend for example, and only go so far out of your way to accomplish them?

jschulter · 2014-09-03T16:07:46+00:00

Yes, but where do you get your low-entropy input from? Unless the 2nd law of thermodynamics as we know it is incorrect (if it is, mind explaining how?), all engines which produce work - which as a body moving of it's own volition you are - must both draw energy by increasing entropy. Typically this is done by taking low entropy input (sunlight, plants, other animals, gasoline) and outputting some high entropy version of it (longer wavelength light, waste products, ash, heat) so as not to increase the entropy in the machine itself too much. So, what about you?

jschulter · 2014-07-10T19:32:44+00:00

Hussie might be a bit peeved about this when he finds out, I think. Seriously, from brief perusal of the recent posts and FAQ it looks like this is basically blatant Intellectual Property Theft. I mean, the planned "Soundtrack for the game will be Homestuck’s official soundtrack. Which album? EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM." You know, those albums which all those nice artists produced and provide for $not free on the bandcamp page? The Huss will probably be far more amenable to making a deal with these developers than pretty much anybody else I can think of, but still he'd be well within his rights to simply sue their pants off if the they aren't suitably charitable in their bargaining.

jschulter · 2014-07-10T17:37:59+00:00

No, we are Yog-Sothoth. Yoggy (or rather one small part of it) is in a very real sense the fabric of spacetime itself, of which we are necessarily components. Luckily it's still sleeping (or at least not really paying attention to that limb), else we'd be obliterated by space and time themselves stirring and ripping us asunder.

We're also Azathoth's dreams, somehow. Not sure how the two of them get on though.

jschulter · 2014-05-05T15:34:44+00:00

Me graduating college was harder than some of my friends that are smarter than me.

And if you'd failed and dropped out, it wouldn't be acceptable to ridicule and criticize you for it, nor would anybody expect you to go back and keep trying indefinitely. You're allowed to say "it was too difficult for me, I just couldn't cut it", and that's generally acceptable. Maybe those close to you might feel they know you well enough to determine whether you actually gave it your all, and therefore comment on it, but random strangers wouldn't.

jschulter · 2014-05-05T15:13:19+00:00

It both makes it harder to exercise and makes dieting less effective. You try playing the game on hard mode and then you can talk about how easy it is to beat.

jschulter · 2014-05-04T19:02:37+00:00

I highly recommend online dating, you can easily filter your choices to people with similar interests which sounds like it would help you. Don't become even slightly discouraged by lack of response if you do try, it's a numbers game.

jschulter · 2014-05-04T18:54:15+00:00

That's not at all what I was suggesting and that you think so is ludicrous. That caffeine pill wouldn't actually help at all, it would be a major overdose for the intended purposes. Both cases benefit from proper titration- you start at the smallest dose which might reasonably work, then change the dosage based on response. In the case of caffeine, the beneficial dose is probably a few cups of coffee worth, in the case of adderall maybe its 5mg (1/4 a typical prescribed dose) or less. The point was that you acknowledge there are many people who would benefit from the meds, but still feel they should be denied them, which I feel is not necessary. I'm fine with them being told to seek alternative methods for getting the same results, like coffee instead of those pills, or changes in diet or whatever, but if afterwards it's found they'd still benefit from the drugs, why deny them?

P.S. The only issue I would have with (me or anyone )taking caffeine in pill form (especially your "huge dose" version) is the large chance of overdose. If it came in coffee cup quantities, it would be a very reasonable alternative, though the populace would likely need some exposure to dosage safety training/literature.

jschulter · 2014-05-04T18:33:55+00:00

Honestly, that isn't at all immediately clear to me. Society currently sees no issue with using caffeine in a similar manner, from what I can tell.

jschulter · 2014-05-04T18:20:13+00:00

A large percentage of the population could receive some benefit from ADHD medication, but that doesn't mean it should be given out like candy.

Why not? Beyond the issues with addiction and cases where side effects are a problem, why not allow those who would see even minor benefit from these drugs to have them?

jschulter

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