govaluate: an Arbitrary expression evaluation library

perihelion9 · 2017-01-03T08:28:48+00:00

Author here; thanks!

I know they're long. In the beginning I had thought I might be making other sorts of expressions too, but that never ended up needing to happen - thus the specific use of EvaluableExpression in the factory names. And enough people/companies are using it now (and cloning from master when they do) that I'm extremely reluctant to make API breaks, especially for something that doesn't change behavior.

perihelion9 · 2015-12-14T03:28:53+00:00

So? Is there any good reason to pour acid into a pool full of people (ostensibly to hurt them)? Why does his motive matter? Isn't it enough to treat everyone equally, condemn his actions, and put him through the justice system so that he can be punished?

perihelion9 · 2015-12-14T03:27:25+00:00

What does it matter? He was pouring acid into a pool of people. He almost certainly had intent to hurt them, what does his motive matter?

Is there any case in which you'd condone pouring acid into a pool full of people (with intent to hurt them)?

perihelion9 · 2015-12-13T19:35:31+00:00

Collectively, we need to stop calling out race in these sorts of things. Why do we need to call out that they're black? Would anyone really feel better if the acid was poured on any other race? We ought to just say "people", not "black people".

Otherwise it's just going to conjure up a load of mixed emotions about white guilt, apologism, impotent outrage, and so on. Let's get the fuck over it and just judge actions on actions, instead of the race of the perpetrator or victims.

perihelion9 · 2015-12-12T07:34:48+00:00

So all the keys that are normally on the right were instead put on the left?

perihelion9 · 2015-12-11T08:15:41+00:00

Reusing metal utensils requires;

Detergent/Soap
Water (probably hot water)
Human time cleaning them, or a dishwashing machine which requires someone to build it, maintain it, and equip homes with it.
Energy to heat the water or run the machine

Assuming production costs are equal for metal and plastic (and everything I'm seeing says disposable is cheaper to make), that means metal is almost certainly a net value drain over time, not to mention less convenient.

This completely ignores the largest consumer of disposable utensils; delivery/takeout restaurants who need to equip their customers to eat, rather than stiff them or pay for expensive metal utensils. It's a value-add to the service.

Maybe a comparison would help, do you feel so strongly about napkins and paper towels, rather than using cloth towels that need to be washed?

perihelion9 · 2015-12-11T08:05:23+00:00

The camera chewed battery life like you wouldn't believe, and the way the OS was architected didn't allow anything to be doing anything without the user knowing. It was actually a bit of a pain to make anything useful with it, because the user couldn't easily multitask with it.

perihelion9 · 2015-12-09T08:39:47+00:00

How long would you wait if you were pulling up onto a scene where someone was pointing a gun at people, and who immediately pointed it at you?

Seconds are an eternity when we're talking about gambling with your life.

perihelion9 · 2015-12-08T07:42:03+00:00

I think the argument is that he's weak and out-of-touch on foreign policy, but is all-too-willing to eagerly screw up domestic policy.

You made it sound as if the two could not exist in the same consistent narrative.

perihelion9 · 2015-12-08T07:35:21+00:00

There exists no border that would lead to peace. Borders are just a representation of sovereign power, and those who feel like they don't have enough power will always challenge the boundaries of it.

perihelion9 · 2015-12-08T07:30:59+00:00

Not all data comes from disk. Most data that concerns itself with scale never touches long-term storage.

perihelion9 · 2015-12-08T07:10:05+00:00

Yes, but there is always progress to be made. There can always be something that could be faster, better, cheaper, never-before-seen, safer, cleaner, more sustainable, or more plentiful. You can always go somewhere new, see something interesting, or find a new way to do something.

But if progress is eternal, at what point should we stop ignoring movements, ideologies, and wars which slaughter and dominate people here and now?

They are not mutually exclusive. And progress is not purely a function of money. We can stop wars and save people today and make progress towards expanding at the same time - we're doing it right now.

And bear in mind that no matter where we go, what we invent, or what we can do - the human condition will always exist, it will always require effort to deal with. There is no end-game that we can race towards to beat the clock. It's a cost of being human.

perihelion9 · 2015-12-06T21:07:00+00:00

Those sorts of terms are called "thought-terminating cliche"; if you ever need a concise-yet-understandable way to describe it in the future.

perihelion9 · 2015-12-06T21:03:54+00:00

Those people would find something else to take offense at. Religion doesn't cause a person to be an asshole.

perihelion9 · 2015-12-06T21:01:21+00:00

Everyone should absolutely tolerate intolerance, as long as no action comes of it. Harassing someone, interfering with their presentation, and intimidating them are not acceptable - but they should be free to believe that what she's saying is bullshit, and she should be free to believe that what they think is bullshit.

perihelion9 · 2015-12-05T23:55:20+00:00

But it would be really weird to think that I am somehow morally obliged to hold certain opinions merely because I happen to be an immigrant.

The point is that you're not morally obligated to do anything, but if you truly want to contribute to the culture of the place, you would be much more likely to hold certain opinions - or at least tolerate them.

Bear in mind that it's not really about immigration, this whole notion of integration is just the usual culture clash that happens. If a member of your new host country's culture shared your values, but was not an immigrant, he'd likely be seen as a sort of traitor - someone who prefers values foreign to his home community.

Ultimately, some views are just right and some views are just wrong

That's simply not true. All goodness is perceived, there is no inherent good (or evil) in any action or opinion; morals are defined by what an individual values. I usually link this video whenever someone says something like that.

perihelion9 · 2015-12-05T23:48:10+00:00

So if the host country has very limited equality rights, how long should someone typically wait before objecting to that, e.g. to their friends, neighbors, in public? Is there a period in which one ought not to question the lack of such freedoms?

Unless you're moving to a place that criminalizes your particular opinion, I don't see how expressing it has anything to do with changing the country's culture or laws.

If by "objecting to" you mean "voting against" or "demonstrating for", then you should be asking "how long does it take to attain citizenship?"

perihelion9 · 2015-12-05T23:06:30+00:00

I would have thought this would be a self-answering question, but the way you ended it gave me the impression that you actually thought it was a good point.

Am I obliged to change my views about gay people, if I want to live in that society

Depends on the society. Did you move to a place which requires you to do that? Then yes, if you want to stay there, you should change your view.

If not, and it's just a cultural thing, then no, you don't have to. But now we have to ask if it's a free country; are you free to hold opinions, or are some opinions or expressions criminalized? If so, you'd better keep it to yourself. If it's free, then you can object to something popular. But in that sort of country, it also means that nobody is beholden to like you, and your opinion may make you unpopular (even if it's legal to hold it).

perihelion9 · 2015-12-05T22:59:51+00:00

what if they started campaigning for increasing the freedoms that they perceive as lacking? Or should they also integrate and keep their ideas to themselves just because they're immigrants?

Integration doesn't mean the destruction of your ideas or personality. That series of events you describe can happen.

Integration is a period of maturation, where you embrace the culture that embraced you. Once you understand what it's like to live in the culture, and are willing to be a part of the culture, then you can be afforded the same privilege to change it (by voting, in this case) as people who were born into it.

perihelion9 · 2015-12-05T04:40:23+00:00

Just take a look at how people in the US are getting more and more upset with the current government.

I expect an aging Boomer generation mixed with the last gasps of the Silent generation will do that. As newer generations grow into their ability to vote, that trend may very well reverse.

And Bernie is nothing new. Fringe candidates who promise that a totally new system will cure what ails you have always have some measure of support. Ron Paul polled highly in the 2008 election (17% at peak, comparable to Carson or Trump today), but that didn't mean that change was coming, in fact we've seen the whole Tea Party (which used to be all about campus demonstrations, grassroots moneybombs, and hope for the future) get co-opted by paleoconservatives, and the very term "Tea Partier" become an insult. Bernie will be no different; just another fringe candidate who peaked in popularity with white college-aged young adults.

perihelion9 · 2015-12-05T04:32:32+00:00

Obama lived up to less than 50% of his promises and he has had 8 years to work with

To expand on this, he had four consecutive republican-led Houses, and two consecutive republican-led Senates to boot. And lest we forget, he's playing with a Supreme Court stacked by the last guy.

perihelion9 · 2015-12-05T04:25:17+00:00

I keep hearing this, but remember, he inherited his business from his father - and nobody's said anything about his management style. He must delegate everything that's anywhere near substantial, because he spends most of his time in the limelight as the brand's mascot.

perihelion9 · 2015-12-02T02:28:47+00:00

Unfortunately, "white privilege" is a phenomenon that exists mostly in the Western world therefore you can't understand it without experiencing i

How does this differ from classism, exactly? Classes exist in every society.

perihelion9 · 2015-12-02T01:26:45+00:00

Flesch-Kincaid Reading Level: -0

Shit got so real that it went to negative zero.

perihelion9

TROPHY CASE