SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
This journal is available for random discussion topics of interest to the community, with just a few rules:
1) No personal attacks, grumbling about site policy, or complaining about other users and the staff.
2) No racism, bigotry, or culture wars of any kind.
3) No politics of any kind. There are plenty of other places to discuss this topic. Policy discussion is okay, though, as long as it focuses on the issues instead of people or parties. Be sure to follow rule #2 here.
4) No random spamming. If you're an member of the site who intends to regularly contribute and participate, and you wish to discuss your personal projects, that's fine. If you're a drive-by spammer who's here just to promote your business or hosts file software, get lost.
5) Please be kind to each other.
Otherwise, you're welcome to discuss anything you'd like in this journal.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by day of the dalek on Tuesday September 03, @05:00PM
As many of you might remember, I closed the "dalek" account a little more than a year ago with the statement that it was permanently closed. And it remains that way.
When the classic serial The Evil of the Daleks [wikipedia.org] aired in 1967, it was intended to be the end of the Daleks in Doctor Who. They had appeared in several previous stories: The Daleks, The Dalek Invasion of Earth, The Chase, Mission to the Unknown, The Daleks' Master Plan, and The Power of the Daleks. One of the few clips to survive from The Evil of the Daleks outside of episode 2 is this clip of the final battle on Skaro that appears to kill the Daleks, including their emperor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ywfaB-pxAE [youtube.com]. Terry Nation was the writer who originally created the Daleks and intended to sell them to American television, hence his decision to write them out of Doctor Who.
When that didn't work out, the Daleks returned to Doctor Who in 1972 in the serial Day of the Daleks [wikipedia.org]. It's a well-executed time travel paradox that has become somewhat common in science fiction. In the 22nd century, humanity has been enslaved by Daleks. Rebels from the 22nd century travel back in time to assassinate a British diplomat, believing that this will prevent the war that ultimately causes the Daleks to gain control of Earth. However, the rebels don't realize that it's really their own interference in the affairs of the 20th century that cause the Dalek invasion to be successful. It's a common time travel paradox in science fiction, but Doctor Who executes it well in this story, and it's a very entertaining serial.
I chose this username because "dalek" was supposed to be permanently gone, but it didn't quite work out that way. So "day of the dalek" seemed to be an appropriate username.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Tuesday September 03, @05:34PM (2 children)
I was testing some old NES (Nintendo Entertainment system) hardware and while it "workish" it certainly has troubles. Near as I can tell, the issue is that the connector is poop. Which seems to be supported by the existence of aftermarket mods which are just drop-in replacements of the connector. Has anyone here tinkered with 'ye olde NES hardware?
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 03, @10:56PM (1 child)
Many of the aftermarket connectors are also poop, unfortunately. The cheap options which look more or less like the original connector tend to initially death-grip cartridges and then allegedly wear out quicker than the original connectors. The fancy options tend to be unavailable; worse, at least some of them have compatibility issues (eg. some cartridges have rather short pins that don't extend all the way to the edge of the cartridge PCB, and some of the fancy options don't make good contact with these).
I've had good luck so far with cleaning the original connector (with 99% IPA, and more recently with Deoxit), and occasionally (maybe twice over the past 20 years) taking a dental pick and very slightly bending the contacts on the connector back into place. Crazy people suggest boiling the original connectors, the theory is this will cause them to slightly expand and shed corrosion, but I haven't brought myself to try.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Thursday September 05, @07:40PM
I may just try cleaning the connector. Certainly the cheaper choice and I'm more looking at dumping it on e-bay than keeping it for myself anyway.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 3, Informative) by DannyB on Tuesday September 03, @07:17PM (8 children)
Successive approximation explained.
Using successive approximation, you can, for example, compute the square root of 2.
First you must start with a guess. I'll use my calculator to get the first guess.
Square root of two by successive approximation:
1.414213562.... (initial guess from my calculator)
1.41421356
1.4142136
1.414214 <--- note rounding here from prior approximation
1.41421
1.4142
1.414
1.41
1.4
1
Start with a guess, then continue approximating. Conclusion: the square root of two is one.
(I had unintentionally posted this earlier to a different journal entry.)
If a lazy person with no education can cross the border and take your job, we need to upgrade your job skills.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday September 04, @01:09AM (3 children)
Rounding up:
2.46
2.5
3
versus rounding to nearest even digit:
2.46
2.5
2
(Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 04, @02:34AM (2 children)
He is a Java programmer, so the answer is obvious. How rounding is handled depends on the version of Java in use, the input type, and the desired output type. The fact that the actual rounding mode is different for the different combinations is just one of those language behaviours you have to remember. Yet another language feature that makes it the best language ever.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday September 04, @04:08PM (1 child)
When using the BigDecimal type (in Java), you must specify the rounding mode for operations. BigDecimal internally uses a BigInteger along with an int that keeps track of how many decimal digits are to the right of the decimal point.
Never use floating point types for money.
If a lazy person with no education can cross the border and take your job, we need to upgrade your job skills.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 04, @11:27PM
No, you don't. Most BigDecimal operations are not infinite precision, (half of those are only infinite for certain expansions) and, therefore, don't require a MathContext. If you never use one of those, then you may not even realize it. And there are multiple MathContexts that could be considered the "default" with different rounding modes. And don't get me started on DecimalFormat having a different default rounding mode or that the defaults change for various versions.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 05, @06:11AM (3 children)
For those that don't know, that's not how successive approximation works. You are supposed to start with the general value and work your way towards the specific value. You can do that with a number of algorithms. There are ones that work specifically for different operations in better than worse case. However, what I really wanted to do was to inform everyone of my favorite one using the Farey Tree.
So to calculate answer to your operation you start with your lower and upper bound for your operation. You find the new of bounds with four steps. First, match fractions as a/c and b/d. Second, find the mediant ((a+b) / (c+d)). Third, test if your new fraction is higher or lower than the answer you seek. Finally, replace the respective bounds. Then keep going until the desired precision is reached or you get tired of waiting.
So for the square root of 2. The bounds of square root are 1 and the operand, 1/1 and 2/1. Calculate the mediant ((1+2)/(1+1)) == 3/2. 3/2 squared is 9/4 and is higher than 2 so the original fraction is higher than the square root of 2. So you replace the high bound. The bounds are now 1/1 and 3/2. The new mediant is 4/3rds. 4/3 squared is 16 / 9, which is lower than 2, so the lower bound is replaced and they are now 4/3 and 3/2. Keep going until you are close enough.
I like this one because I find it easier to understand and do than many of the alternatives. Yes, it often approaches worst case performance, but I find the ability to understand it, do it in my head quickly, and to start anywhere worth the trade off.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 05, @06:28AM
I should include an example code and calculation:
Example python code:
Example calculating square root of two:
Example of calculating pi but without the 3 in front to make the math easier:
(Score: 3, Insightful) by DannyB on Thursday September 05, @08:42PM (1 child)
<no-sarcasm>
Many decades ago, in the late 1970s, in high school, I figured this out with a calculator that did not have a square root operation. I came up with a guess of 1.5, squared it . . . too high. Tried 1.4 . . . too low. Tried 1.45, 1.44, etc.
</no-sarcasm>
In my old age I find that my new method of successive approximation is more amusing.
If a lazy person with no education can cross the border and take your job, we need to upgrade your job skills.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 05, @10:34PM
As do I. But in my old age, I find it harder to resist the urge to share information I find interesting. Stuck between two haystacks, this old ass chose his standby.
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Tuesday September 03, @07:27PM (4 children)
You will need to generate some karma so that your journal shows up on the front page again.
Comments in other discussions, moderations, and submissions are the best way of doing that.
I am not interested in knowing who people are or where they live. My interest starts and stops at our servers.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday September 04, @01:34AM (2 children)
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Wednesday September 04, @06:46AM (1 child)
It has appeared on the front page.
I am not interested in knowing who people are or where they live. My interest starts and stops at our servers.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 04, @02:29PM (11 children)
I hate these things.
Half the time they don't work, and I wind up gypped and arguing with grocery staff about what I've been charged.
I shouldn't have to carry a phone around to benefit from the discounts being offered.
It is a monumental waste of time and effort.
It is a scheme devised by Satan himself.
To hell with your grocery store!
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Freeman on Wednesday September 04, @02:47PM
It's designed to track you, not make your life simpler/easier. Try a different store, you'll probably be happier. Or do like me and ignore the digital coupons. There's an Albertsons in a very convenient location to me. I go there, because it's a quick trip there and back. Not, because they have the better prices/produce/or any other such thing. It's because it's a decent grocery store, where the lines are usually short and/or they bring out people when they aren't, and it's convenient. Digital coupons are decidedly not convenient. While I've tried it a time or two, the experience is lackluster.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday September 04, @04:39PM (9 children)
You need checkboxes:
[x] I hate these things.
[x] Half the time they don't work, and I wind up gypped and arguing with grocery staff about what I've been charged.
[_] I shouldn't have to carry a phone around to benefit from the discounts being offered.
[x] It is a monumental waste of time and effort.
[x] It is a scheme devised by Satan himself.
[x] To hell with your grocery store!
If a lazy person with no education can cross the border and take your job, we need to upgrade your job skills.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 04, @07:00PM (8 children)
GP poster here. This was the edgiest I could get whilst abiding by the rules in journal entry.
(Score: 1) by day of the dalek on Thursday September 05, @04:08AM (6 children)
In this case, the spirit of the rules are what matters. You can say whatever you like about digital grocery store coupons and I won't be bothered. I'm just trying to avoid the usual bickering over politics and similar issues, the personal attacks against some users, and the usual arguing about this site and its staff. I didn't think you were close to anywhere crossing any lines with me, so no worries.
I generally agree that digital coupons aren't convenient. I get emails from CVS about those from time to time, and I'll usually just add a bunch of them to my card before visiting the store if I think I might be interested in buying something. Still, I'm not sure I see the point of the coupons instead of just giving the same discounts to everyone with a loyalty card.
My biggest objection to the grocery stores here is that they really seem to like the self checkout machines. I'd much rather have a real person scan my groceries, and I'm willing to pay a bit more if it means those people will continue to have jobs. Tonight, there were four self checkout machines and one checkout line with a real person scanning groceries. I obviously went to the one checkout line with a real person, and it was probably a lot faster than me trying to scan the groceries myself. Self checkout machines are my biggest objection here, and I'd prefer they be abolished everywhere.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 05, @05:36AM (1 child)
About a week ago, there was a sale on watermelon, so I went to the nearest grocery. It was raining, and, as I always do, I grabbed a cart that was sitting in the parking lot and walked it in, to avoid not finding one available inside. As I walked in I grabbed a paper towel and wiped all the rain off the cart. I tossed the damp towel in the cart.
When I got to the produce section, I saw that they had sold out all the watermelons. Since there was another store, a mile down the road, I decided to go there immediately - having bought nothing and checked out nothing. But I thought, I will just walk this cart to the cart queue outside, so another customer might find the now dried cart conveniently.
As I approached the automatic exit doors, the wheels on the cart locked and I couldn't move the cart forward or backward. A red light flashed above the door and an alarm sounded. The AI apparently detected that the used paper towel (which I was going to discard in the bin outside) was being shop-lifted.
I threw my hands up, abandoned the cart in the doorway, and walked away. To hell with your grocery store!
The other store did have watermelon (delicious), and did not have cart-disabling hardware/software AI.
Still, the future look bleaker every day.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday September 05, @01:12PM
We have AI for that. Just tell the AI to use rose-colored glasses first.
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Thursday September 05, @06:37AM (2 children)
Here in France the coupons are usually time limited whereas a loyalty card is not. Having coupons encourages some people to go to the store in order to benefit from the coupons when otherwise they would not visit.
I rarely find anything on a coupon offer that I would usually buy so it also 'encourages' some others to buy stuff that they don't actually need.
In neither case am I actually getting a good deal so most of my coupons are given to a local charity which seems very grateful for them. I'm not sure how they redeem them to benefit from whatever is on offer - perhaps there are homeless people who are desperate for a bag of barbecue charcoal, half price seedlings, or an inflatable head support for air travellers....
Or maybe the French just do coupons differently locally. I do get regular additional discounts on my loyalty cards.
I am not interested in knowing who people are or where they live. My interest starts and stops at our servers.
(Score: 1) by day of the dalek on Thursday September 05, @07:01AM (1 child)
An example that comes to mind is HyVee, which is an regional American grocery store chain that is based in Iowa. They have loyalty cards where people can earn discounts on gasoline by making grocery purchases. But there are also discounts on groceries for people with the loyalty cards, and the grocery discounts change from one week to the next. They refer to it as HyVee Perks, and it works pretty much like coupons that are automatically added to the loyalty card.
I'm not sure if HyVee does it, but the loyalty cards could probably be used to enforce limits on the discounts as well. For example, if there was a sale on milk, you might only be able to get the discount on the first two gallons, and then everything else would be full price. Even if you went to another HyVee, the store might be able to keep track that you've already used the discount and make you pay full price on the milk at the other store. I'm not saying that HyVee or other stores should do this, and it might annoy customers, only that it's probably something that could be done with the loyalty cards.
You can certainly make loyalty card discounts temporary. HyVee certainly does that. The part that seems unnecessary with stores like CVS is that I have to go online and specifically add coupons to my card. Just add the coupons automatically, which is pretty much exactly what HyVee does.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 11, @08:49AM
"The part that seems unnecessary with stores like CVS is that I have to go online and specifically add coupons to my card."
So you failed Capitalism 101
(Score: 3, Funny) by Gaaark on Wednesday September 04, @05:59PM
I had a raisin bran toast with butter and it was better than this.
Well i had cereal with whiskey.
I wish Froot Loops weren't so sugary.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 04, @06:08PM (24 children)
I miss many of the users that made this site more interesting. Still some interesting folks around, bust mostly they are quiet.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 04, @06:57PM (20 children)
Yeah... you come here looking for sigma gyat and all you find is skibidi ohio rizz.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 05, @05:00PM (19 children)
Ohio rizz, is that the weird shit with loser flags being waved?
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Thursday September 05, @05:24PM (6 children)
I am not interested in knowing who people are or where they live. My interest starts and stops at our servers.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 05, @05:40PM (1 child)
Donald...if you're listening...Vlad says he wants Kamala to win.
He hopes you can find...a way to make that happen.
It would be beautiful.
[Is this politics? Or is it a joke? Or is it simply the facts?]
(Score: 0, Disagree) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 05, @06:23PM (1 child)
That is history not politics. If you want to get that picky then everything is politics /eyeroll
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 05, @08:14PM (11 children)
AFAICT, "ohio" in middle-school speak means "laughable" or "epic dearth of"; "rizz" is short for "charisma" or "ability"; and "skibidi" means "so bad" or "so good" that it would qualify as an internet meme.
But I am only an old geezer - so I might be mistaken. Do your own research.
Sad when the vision of middle-schoolers is sharper than most of the rest of us.
(Score: 2) by janrinok on Thursday September 05, @08:29PM (5 children)
I had worked that out - it was the 'waving losers' flags' that I was commenting on. It seems that Americans are not happy just before an election if they aren't digging up old hatreds, political divisions and acting like they are about to start another civil war over something or other.
I am not interested in knowing who people are or where they live. My interest starts and stops at our servers.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 06, @01:03PM (1 child)
Woooosh
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 05, @08:33PM (4 children)
Don't feel bad. Vision gets worse with age, but the upside is most of us get wiser.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 09, @05:14PM (3 children)
Never should have come down from the trees
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 10, @01:48AM
-B.o.B (featuring Haley Williams), Airplanes
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Thursday September 12, @04:29PM (1 child)
Maybe the trees didn't want us.
If a lazy person with no education can cross the border and take your job, we need to upgrade your job skills.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 12, @05:03PM
Wouldn't blame them, but that was a bad decision resulting in fewer trees.