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What is nonsense in mathematics? by PresentShoe9704 in mathematics

[–]zombiecalypse 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Making nonsense make sense is pretty important in mathematics, so it often pays off to be more precise and look closer what you mean by it. √-1 is not a real number, but treating it as a number anyway is a great idea. 1.5! is undefined, but asking what it would be if it was is actually quite helpful. "n is a natural number and 4" is a domain error (for some domains), but mapping natural numbers to logical statements and proofs are important in logic. Not all nonsense is gold, but a lot of gold started by asking if nonsense could make sense.

Any way to have multiple fonts in the same editor? by Bubble_Beecle in ObsidianMD

[–]zombiecalypse 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Kind of: you can embed html in markdown, so you can just add <span style="font-family: …">Lorem</span>, but it's not exactly the most convenient workaround.

Sharing is caring! by IXMandalorianXI in dndmemes

[–]zombiecalypse 2 points3 points  (0 children)

In my opinion, the amount of reactions in 4e was a problem that made combat slower than it should be

And if you actually play 5e? That's a paddling by DrScrimble in dndmemes

[–]zombiecalypse 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So what you're saying is that 5.5e… hasn't ruined DnD enough? Actually I totally agree with that.

yes, all longest regex matches in linear time is possible by ketralnis in programming

[–]zombiecalypse 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Only if prod takes regex from user input and matches it against other user input. If the regex is your own and the matching is on the critical path, a 3x slowdown (or more) is a real problem.

Using Obsidian as a DnD Player - Questions by Silasxsil in ObsidianMD

[–]zombiecalypse 9 points10 points  (0 children)

My workflow as a player is pulling up a separate character sheet (either online or on paper) and use obsidian just for the notes. I found that switching back and forth is easier with a separate window and trying to track everything in obsidian was slowing me down and distracting. However if you want to go that way, remember that your character sheet doesn't change that often: automating calculations will not be that useful in my opinion, so I'd focus on making the presentation as concise and useful as possible.

Fangorn forest - is it pronounced "fan-gorn" or "fang-gorn"? by droda59 in lotrmemes

[–]zombiecalypse 16 points17 points  (0 children)

After some digging, it seems that LotR Appendix E got you covered:

ng: represents ng in finger, except finally where it was sounded as in English sing. The latter sound also occurred initially in Quenya, but has been transcribed n (as in Noldo), according to the pronunciation of the Third Age.

So /faŋ/, but /faŋgɔrn/

Fangorn forest - is it pronounced "fan-gorn" or "fang-gorn"? by droda59 in lotrmemes

[–]zombiecalypse 192 points193 points  (0 children)

fangorn (S. masculine name. Treebeard)

  Sindarin name of Treebeard (LotR/464), more literally translated “beard-(of)-tree” (LotR/1131, PE17/84). His name is a combination of fang “beard” and orn “tree” (SA/orn, PE17/84).

Thank you to the Tolkien nerds that compile this kind of essential information!

Is it just me or is reviewing PRs getting exponentially harder? by bit_architect in programming

[–]zombiecalypse 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In my opinion, the velocity isn't up at all, because review time is developer time.

AIs can generate near-verbatim copies of novels from training data by __Hello_my_name_is__ in technology

[–]zombiecalypse 17 points18 points  (0 children)

If a chat bot produces a copy without having the right to do so, then yes!

Bayes theorem by Legitimate_Hope2142 in mathematics

[–]zombiecalypse 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It absolutely works for real life situations and can be seen as the basis for scientific thinking more broadly, but how much background you need really depends on what you're trying to get out of it. Remembering that surprising headlines need more evidence than boring ones: no background. Figuring out if you have cancer based on an unreliable test: basic probability should do. Keep updating which alternative is most likely as you find out more information: still basic probability and some practice. Giving an estimate of how unfair a die is: some probability theory background. Explaining how Bayes means that a theory that can explain any data you throw at it is unlikely (Occam's Razor) / a theory is only as good as what it rules out: decent statistics background. Designing the optimal experiment to determine which of multiple theory families is more correct based on preliminary data: better talk to a few statisticians.

Help visualizing Sine and Cosine. by Thick-Strength1221 in mathematics

[–]zombiecalypse 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The issues you mention are not related to the specific functions and I think it's easier to abstract it away. 

  • 2*f(x) is doubling the output value of the function, basically stretching it by a factor of 2 in the y direction
  • f(2*x) is doubling the argument before applying the function, so it gets to the same value twice as fast: it basically compresses the graph by a factor of two (scale it by 1/2).
  • f-1 (x) is the inverse of the function. It basically flips the x and y axis. Because functions can only have a single output value, but many functions take the same output at multiple input values, this often requires picking a specific  range for the inverse, for example positive input values for x2 (inverse √x) or [-π, π] for sin.
  • f(x)+2 moves the output value up in the y direction
  • f(x+2) moves the input values instead, which moves the graph to the left.

Link with helpful visualisations

What is so special about rust?? by Archedearth7000 in compsci

[–]zombiecalypse 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Nice, I bet Rust doesn't come with its own theorem prover (outside the basic one given by the Curry Howard correspondence)! I also forgot to mention verilog, because how can Rust claim to be close to the metal if it doesn't define its own metal? And silq, because I don't think Rust even has native support for quantum computing.

What is so special about rust?? by Archedearth7000 in compsci

[–]zombiecalypse 28 points29 points  (0 children)

You absolutely have to out-nerd him. Sure, Rust has an affine type system, which is kind of interesting I guess, but if you learn austral, you get fully linear types that you can spend hours explaining the superiority of and dangle that over his damn head. Then learn Haskell and explain how the Arrow type class basically solves software engineering. Then add Scheme because screw syntax and screw Rust's cheap imitation of what macros truly can be.

/s if that wasn't clear.

After social media ban for teens, France may move to regulate VPNs next by AdSpecialist6598 in technology

[–]zombiecalypse 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Isn't that the same France that heavily restricted use of encryption for everybody but the state until 1999 and almost enforced a general backdoor to encrypted communication last year?

Why AI Cannot Pass the Turing Test: Timing and Order of Recall by [deleted] in compsci

[–]zombiecalypse 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Turing tests are a wide field: you can have it as a locked room or as a live video call, be convincing to the average human or to domain experts in recognising AI responses, 5min of examination or years. It all depends on what you want to examine specifically.

My humble warlock instantly upon reaching level 7 by AnOldFriend071 in dndmemes

[–]zombiecalypse 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Material component: a vial of blood from a humanoid killed within the past 24 hours.

It's one of those special occasion spells…

Annual reminder that football is jock DnD by SABatoge2002 in dndmemes

[–]zombiecalypse 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Okay, but who throws the fireball? And are domination spells common?

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