Editor, Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Active player
(296)
Joined: 3/8/2004
Posts: 7469
Location: Arzareth
OmnipotentEntity wrote:
That's called "confirmation bias" and it's wrong no matter who does it.
No, confirmation bias is the unbalanced focus on matches while ignoring of mismatches. What I meant is the ignorance to context in favor of gaining another statistics point, regardless of whether the point is valid or not. In other words, counting possible mismatches as matches.
It's as stupid as the games of those children who erupt laughing, when you happen to say a word that they think is ridiculous or stupid, regardless of how normal the word is in the context you used it in, and as a consequence they ignore and forget completely the teaching that you were trying to say to them. Or, the computer equivalent of mechanically censoring occurrences of the word "ass".
Yes, and goes to the category as some earlier "look how smart I am" shows in this thread. In short, make a predetermined conclusion, and then pick anything that seems to support that conclusion, no matter how far drawn, no matter how separated from context, no matter how irrelevant, and hope that by quantity alone you have sufficient "evidence" to waltz to victory and silence any opposition.
And yes, I know that you can say many of those same words about proponents of Bible, including me.
Editor, Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Active player
(296)
Joined: 3/8/2004
Posts: 7469
Location: Arzareth
deuxhero wrote:
What exception is made for Rygar and why?
In Rygar, the second half of the ending text does not appear until someone hits the key. The exception is that the movie can end when the final hit is delivered, and to see the second half of the ending text, the encoder must hit the key to turn the "page". In those encodings which I did, I pressed the key right when the song goes to the second part. Other encoders have hit it at other times or forgotten about the whole thing.
Editor, Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Active player
(296)
Joined: 3/8/2004
Posts: 7469
Location: Arzareth
I tried out The Urquan Masters -- the free port of Star Control II for modern operating systems.
Concusion: Game won't start unless both video and audio are SDL and Hourglass's Multithreading is set to Allow. With Wrap or Disable the game game window won't even appear.
When the game runs, there's a 50 % chance that graphics stops updating whenever you load a savestate, and a 50 % chance that the game stops responding to input whenever you load a savestate. In addition, in certain situations (such as the in game menu), Hourglass's pause function does not work properly.
Editor, Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Active player
(296)
Joined: 3/8/2004
Posts: 7469
Location: Arzareth
I released a new Nesmock version.
New feature: FCEUX format support. (Zapper support still missing, though.)
$ nesmock --help
nesmock v1.7.1 - Copyright (C) 1992,2012 Bisqwit (http://iki.fi/bisqwit/)
Usage: nesmock [<options>] <inputfile> <outputfile>
Transforms NES movie files to different formats.
--help, -h This help
--offset, -o Insert delay at <frame>,<length>
Example usage: -o 14501:1
Delay length may also be negative, in which case
existing frames are deleted instead of copied.
Frame numbers are relative to the original movie.
Short syntax -o 10 uses frame number 0 by default.
--set, -s Set <var>=<value>
Note: All movie formats don't support all values
or may have length/type limitations.
Available vars:
PAL 0 or 1
RecordCount 0..n
EmuName string
MovieName string
ROMName string
MD5 string (can be a 32-char hex or a filename)
FCEUver 0..n (example: 9812 (=0.98.12))
Example usage: -spal=0 -srom="Mario Bros.nes" -smd5=mario.nes
--state, -t Copy savestate from <file>
Example: nesmock a.fmv a.fcm -t'orig.fcm'
Will also make fcm files reset-based (default: poweron-based)
--ctrl, -c Defines how to handle a controller. Examples:
-c2 = delete player 2 input
-c2+ = add second player (zero input)
-c21 = add second player (copy P1 input)
-c21 -c12 = swap players' 1 and 2 inputs
--version, -V Displays version information
Supported formats:
FMV (Famtasia 5.1) - Read & Write
FCM (FCEU 0.98.12) - Read & Write
NMV (Nintendulator 0.950) - Read & Write
VMV (VirtuaNES) - Read
FM2 (FCEUX) - Read & Write
Example:
nesmock -o2 smb1a.fcm smb1a.fmv
Editor, Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Active player
(296)
Joined: 3/8/2004
Posts: 7469
Location: Arzareth
Warp wrote:
Nach wrote:
What is a "poe"?
Someone who pretends to represent an extreme position, thus triggering Poe's Law.
Guys, keep ad hominems out of these boards.
As attracting it might be to cop out by calling the opponent a troll, please assume good faith (in this context I mean the communication principle, not religious faith) and keep discussing in a civilized way. (And yes I know it's not always easy.)
Nach wrote:
For someone who does not think the law applies to them, I think it would be extremely wrong to kill them for violating [the law].
What a wonderful ideal for psychopaths and anarchists.
The word I substituted with "the law" was "the Sabbath".
Now, the Biblical principle for pathological violation of the law involved two punishments. Death, or eviction from the nation (num. 15:30–31). If you are part of the commonwealth of Israel, you are subject to YHWH's laws, whether you want or approve of it or not. If you don't abide by those laws, you are not going to be a part of the commonwealth of Israel, in a way or another, and you are not going to enjoy the protection of Him, who keeps Israel (psalm 121:4, luke 13:27).
Editor, Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Active player
(296)
Joined: 3/8/2004
Posts: 7469
Location: Arzareth
crollo wrote:
I have seen the Lunar bot and wouldn't that exactly be a valid scenario for this case? Wouldn't the outcome have been better if more processing power was available?
Yes, it potentially might have been. But a radical improvement to the movie's length can only be made by fundamentally changing the algorithm. The current algorithm works by a "greedy" principle where the best benefit now is chosen even if it complicates the situation for the next shot. A better algorithm would settle for a less optimal outcome now if it gets a superb result on the next round (but still somehow avoiding the pitfall of ever forgoing the prize in favor of the things to come). But such an improvement would require elevating the runtime cost by an exponential degree. Still, it would have been doable, if I had access to like 20000 computers on which to run the bot for 6 months. But that kind of resources are not found within the TAS community, and I think there are more worthwhile uses for those resources anyway.
_________
Speaking of which, now that I have created my own emulator, I have to see, some day, if I can run the bot faster on that emulator than I did on FCEU. Probably not, because I used a synchronous architecture, but I must test it anyway.
Editor, Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Active player
(296)
Joined: 3/8/2004
Posts: 7469
Location: Arzareth
Nach wrote:
Bisqwit wrote:
Now, if such a decision was cast in e.g. a haredi community, of their own member, and I heard about it. Would I object? Probably not. If I were a member of said community and saw it happen and knew it was true (and not a false accusation)?
It might help to also realize the depths of proof required before killing someone within the community you described. <links>
Interesting, thanks. I did not mean to imply that they would exercise such a punishment. It was just an example of first thing that comes to my mind where getting priorities wrong would presumably not be the problem. How true that might be, I cannot really tell.
Editor, Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Active player
(296)
Joined: 3/8/2004
Posts: 7469
Location: Arzareth
Bisqwit wrote:
So... now after Foda's heavily sequence-breaking TAS...
Who will make a 100% completion movie? :)
That acquires all items of the game (salamander skins only until the amount they're needed to buy the shield) and kills all bosses.
Just bumping this thread. I still would like to see a 100% completion movie. It saddens me to see that e.g. Phrygia was completely skipped in the currently only TAS for this game.
Kyman, how is your improvement doing?
Editor, Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Active player
(296)
Joined: 3/8/2004
Posts: 7469
Location: Arzareth
Is this the "Bit 129" within the password generator that you are talking about? Or 128 or something else?
I am not aware of a movie the kind of what you are asking.
Yes, I am replying to a post over 4 years old, I know, thank you.
Editor, Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Active player
(296)
Joined: 3/8/2004
Posts: 7469
Location: Arzareth
moozooh wrote:
Would you, personally, put a homosexual to death—let's say an Israeli homosexual to be closer to the context—in the name of the Lord, if you don't see a particular problem with that law? Or is it only alright when somebody else does that when you don't see it?
I would begin with more fundamental issues at first. When an entire nation is in insubordination against God, I think judgments belong to God rather than to any layperson. Once you have got the Biblical groundwork right, only then you can cast this kind judgements. So, no, I would not do so in any present country. Because it would be the wrong part to start from; it would be disproportionate. It becomes proportionately right, when set into the proper frame of reference, which is a society where torah-observance is the default.
Now, if such a decision was cast in e.g. a haredi community, of their own member, and I heard about it. Would I object? Probably not. If I were a member of said community and saw it happen and knew it was true (and not a false accusation)? Probably not. Though I would probably object to the breaking of laws of the surrounding community. Note that this does not mean that I idealize or support Haredi Judaism in any way. I used it as an example.
If it happened in such a catholic country where church dogma (and the Bible) is the law? That is a more difficult question. I would probably consider it an odd place to start from being torah-observant.
Editor, Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Active player
(296)
Joined: 3/8/2004
Posts: 7469
Location: Arzareth
moozooh wrote:
Sorry to interrupt, but pirate's original question wasn't whether it's bad to commit adultery or having homosexual coitus, but whether it makes sense to kill people for that. Especially the latter case, which doesn't make any sense, to be honest.
Editor, Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Active player
(296)
Joined: 3/8/2004
Posts: 7469
Location: Arzareth
Nach wrote:
Bisqwit wrote:
LEV 20:10 And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
So does this. But how does this work, if one of the parties did not consent to the adultery, e.g. if the wife was raped? The verse says "adulteress". Should a raped person be called an adulterer or an adulteress? I doubt they should.
How does it work in regards to rape? Read Deut. 22:22-27.
Ah, thanks. That is very clear then.
Nach wrote:
If you read this carefully, you see this section does not apply to ordinary people. When judges themselves have a dispute, or are dealing with a case which is too difficult for them, they are to go to the supreme court in the place appointed. Then after the supreme court's ruling, if one of the judges is unfaithful to that ruling, he is eliminated.
Though it does say "If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment", I find no evidence in the passage suggesting that the words are limited to judges that are set over people. It is not like people themselves cannot judge their own actions according to present law. Can you elaborate?
Editor, Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Active player
(296)
Joined: 3/8/2004
Posts: 7469
Location: Arzareth
pirate_sephiroth wrote:
Here's another one:
<..>
Many people criticize Islam for its atrocious ways to apply justice. Do you consider Judaism as a "religion of peace"?
I cannot tell you anything about Judaism, what it might be and what it might not be, but I can comment upon the word in the Bible and explain what I think of it.
Within the phrases you quoted, I would group them in several ways.
The easy ones first. There are pre-meditated voluntary iniquities, direct sins against God's commandments:
LEV 20:13 If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
LEV 20:27 A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.
EX 22:17 Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.
LEV 21:9 And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.
These laws are very clear, and I don't see a problem with that. The sins described in these verses are of a direct opposition to the ten commandments, particularly the one that forbids people from having other gods, and the one that in a more general sense speaks of bridal covenant, i.e. marriage. Within the nation where God's laws are taught from childhood to adulthood, where the word of Bible is ever-pervasive in life, there is no excuse in committing an act that is in direct opposition to it; an act which requires conscious decision and just does not happen accidentally.
God promises that his laws are good for man to prosper and live long in the land of Israel (repeated many times in Deuteronomy, e.g. 4:40). Prolonged failure to do so will also prolongedly decrease prosperity and longevity, so in fact a penalty which immediately ends the iniquity is pro-peace.
So what is a witch? The Bible is a middle-eastern book; perhaps one should study the middle-eastern cultures to understand what is meant by a witch in that context. I have not studied them, so I cannot provide a definite answer. However, in any context witchcraft is mentioned in the Bible, it is part of an enumeration where the other items are observing times, using enchantments, dealing with familiar spirits, and with wizards. Inter-/extrapolate from that list as you may…
LEV 20:9 For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him.
This one also goes to the above category.
LEV 20:10 And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
So does this. But how does this work, if one of the parties did not consent to the adultery, e.g. if the wife was raped? The verse says "adulteress". Should a raped person be called an adulterer or an adulteress? I doubt they should.
The verse in Deuteronomy 17:12 is clearer when you look at it in context:
DEU 17:8 If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, being matters of controversy within thy gates: then shalt thou arise, and get thee up into the place which the LORD thy God shall choose;
DEU 17:9 And thou shalt come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days, and enquire; and they shall shew thee the sentence of judgment:
DEU 17:10 And thou shalt do according to the sentence, which they of that place which the LORD shall choose shall shew thee; and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they inform thee:
DEU 17:11 According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do: thou shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall shew thee, to the right hand, nor to the left.
DEU 17:12 And the man that will do presumptuously, and will not hearken unto the priest that standeth to minister there before the LORD thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die: and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel.
tl/dr: If you have controversy and you take it up to the court (who are to be vowen to God), you are to honor their decisions and do according to them. Failure to do so is a conscious act of lawlessness, punishable by death. Lawlessness, in general, tends to decrease peace, so I would argue that even this verse is pro-peace. If they are however not serving God, or aren't in a place appointed by God for resolving your dispute, then all bets are off, I guess…
I forgot whether I should still have typed something in this post or not. So here's a link to an unrelated video instead to substitute for the closing words. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPt4Fkd0wBY
Editor, Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Active player
(296)
Joined: 3/8/2004
Posts: 7469
Location: Arzareth
pirate_sephiroth wrote:
Bisqwit, do you eat shrimp?
No.
pirate_sephiroth wrote:
How often do you shave?
Rarely.
However, if you read the surrounding context:
LEV 19:26 Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood: neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times.
LEV 19:27 Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard.
LEV 19:28 Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am YHWH.
This speaks of practices that were common with religious rituals of pagans at the time (and still are). The general principle is that YHWH is never to be served with rites and practices that are associated with pagan religions.
Editor, Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Active player
(296)
Joined: 3/8/2004
Posts: 7469
Location: Arzareth
Nach wrote:
Bisqwit wrote:
Then again, the Bible does not include the word "hanukkah" (or any variation in spelling thereof) anywhere, so it still does require some extracurricular study.
I mean, in the Finnish or English translations thereof. Nor "pesach", or "sukkot" either.
You can find pesach though by knowing that it is the passover, and sukkot by knowing it's the feast of tabernacles. But even if you know hanukkah is the feast of dedication, it's the dedication of the temple (at least if you read the verse in the Gospel of John). That part in Nehemiah speaks about the wall of Jerusalem.
EDIT: And you can find a dedication celebration in 2. Chronicles 7:9 (of the altar), and in Leviticus 8:33 (of the sons of Aaron).
In Psalms 30:1 there is a mention of the dedication of the temple, though Mechon-Mamre translates it as "of the house", and the song does not mention the feast or the circumstances thereof. It is also attributed to David, which means that temporally it is a different event alltogether. Parts of the chapter are often quoted in varying contexts.
Editor, Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Active player
(296)
Joined: 3/8/2004
Posts: 7469
Location: Arzareth
Dada wrote:
Happy Hannukah to all the Jewish members of the forum and elsewhere.
Hope someday people will know at least the basics about other cultures
Yeah, I find it especially sad that people who say that they follow Jesus (asking themselves, "what would Jesus do?", WWJD), do not even know anything about the feasts that Jesus was attending all the time.
Sorry about talking about Jesus in a Jewish thread, but for many western "christians" Jesus is the best connection to Jewishness they could have, if they just could be bothered.
I mean, they all have a Bible, but not many of them have any Jewish friends, nor a Haggadah or any similar article, nor a synagogue anywhere nearby, nor the know-how to access any rabbi's writings, and so on. This may be difficult to understand to someone from USA where Jews are ubiquitous, but in Finland they are quite secluded. In Finland, if a non-Jew visits the Helsinki synagogue, they are pretty much treated as a spy or potential terrorist.
Then again, the Bible does not include the word "hanukkah" (or any variation in spelling thereof) anywhere, so it still does require some extracurricular study.
(And yes, I am aware that many Jews are secularized and more or less atheist, but the fact is that the central character to nearly all of Jewish culture and traditions, is still the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.)
Editor, Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Active player
(296)
Joined: 3/8/2004
Posts: 7469
Location: Arzareth
One more way spam can go meta: Release episodic content!
This scam seems to be episode 2 to the general "hi, we're nice nigerian fellows who want to give you lots of money"
scammer wrote:
Date: Tue, 13 Dec 2011 20:58:48
From: Fred Obinna <redacted>
Reply-To: <redacted>
Subject: TRUTH OF THE MATTER 222.186.34.13
TRUTH OF THE MATTER
I have decided to contact you directly and personally after a serious thought because I do not have any hatred on you, but your Nigerian partners.
I am the Director, Tested Computerization Foreign Transfer Unit central bank of Nigeria (CBN). Sometime in the past, your Nigerian partners approached me through a friend of mine and requested me to assist them to conclude a money transfer deal.
They gave me your name, and bank particulars and told me to include them into our computer system in the central computer unit so that it will appear as if you are one of the genuine contractors that have been cleared for payment.According to them, they wanted to use this strategy to transfer a huge amount of money which they accumulated through inflated contract awards and the money have been floating in the CBN since then.
The original contractors have been paid therefore they wanted to use your account to transfer the inflated amount out of Nigeria. We agreed that once I do this, they would give me 15% and another US$100,000.00 when I release the fund to your account.
When they saw that I have done so and your name have been approved among the list of those to be paid, instead of giving me the agreed amount, they started avoiding me and resorted to threat.
I immediately deleted the transfer access code (TAC) and your personal identification numbers (PIN), which is only known to me due to my position and duty but released other contractors fund without yours. They became angered the more when they saw that their threat did not work, they started bribing other officials to get another approval to transfer the money to you but without success. it is not funny that a contractor is being asked to pay one tax or the other. I am 100% responsible for the delay and obstructions because of their breach of agreement. if you doubt what I have just told you, pay any amount they will ask you to pay now, after a short time, they will come up with another reason to pay again and it goes on and on.
They are simply wicked and do not know where their problem lies. Now, if you want us to work together, these are my conditions:
A) Most importantly, we must be very sincere and transparent with each other by ensuring that we stand by our words.
B) I will have 50% of the money because it's only two of us left now.
C) You will assist me to open an account in your country or any other place of my choice where I will pay in my own share.
D) As you have seen, it will be useless and a mere waste of time and money if you continue with any other person, so it is better we agree with each other and conclude the transaction with utmost secrecy.
If these conditions are acceptable to you, contact me as soon as possible quoting your contract number to prove that you are the true person, so that we will finalize. But if you are not interested, I advise you to forget the fund as it will be transferred into the federal government of Nigeria consolidated national reserve.
Kindly get back to me only on this email or call me immediately upon receipt of this message for further information
Best Regards,
Fred Obinna.
Director, Tested Computerization foreign Transfer Unit,
It is particularly interesting that this message attempts to bait people who are willing to partake a little scam of their own (by quoting bogus contract numbers on a bogus contract).
The IP address in the email subject is the address of the vulnerable email server they used for sending the spam. It is part of the spammers' incompetence that it ended up in the subject field.
Editor, Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Active player
(296)
Joined: 3/8/2004
Posts: 7469
Location: Arzareth
Dacicus wrote:
Bisqwit: What's your favorite hymn?
I don't think I have one. Also, it is highly language and songbook specific if I understand the question right.
I wish there was a way to increase the value of this reply.
Nowadays I'm fond of (some) Hebrew songs. I particularly like the one that goes "Baruch Haba B'Shem Adonai".
Editor, Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Active player
(296)
Joined: 3/8/2004
Posts: 7469
Location: Arzareth
Though I am not Jewish, I can still join and participate and say chag sameach! Happy Chanukah!
So, what's this Hanukah? It is the "feast of dedication [of the temple]", which Jesus, too, participated according to John 10:22.
It is celebrated in memory of the time when a small group of Maccabees, faithful to the Lord, revolted against the commonplace Hellenistic culture, that tried in all ways to strip the Jewish people of their national and religious heritage. They fought, and took back Jerusalem, and restored the Temple of Lord into the position it should have. But for the Menorah, which is the seven-branched lampstand in the temple (Ex. 25:31-40), they had enough oil to last for only one day. It was a highly pure type of oil that would have taken eight days to prepare in the situation. God however reciprocated, and through a miracle, the oil that was supposed to last for one day lasted for the entire eight days until new oil was available. The events are described in the apocryphal Maccabean books.
For us, this festival of light teaches, that we should not accommodate and incorporate the spirit of today's world, but to always exalt God's Word (Torah) and to strive for what is right. For He will empower us and fulfill our every need.
And no, I did not copypaste this from anywhere.And unlike Christmas, Chanukah is not rootedinsun-god/Nimrod worship.
Editor, Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Active player
(296)
Joined: 3/8/2004
Posts: 7469
Location: Arzareth
Warp wrote:
I have a question for Bisqwit (which is what this thread is about, after all): You have not directly said that you are a young-earth creationist, but you have given subtle hints that you might be at least leaning towards that position. So my question is: What exactly would be the problem if the genesis story were figurative rather than literal?
The problem in general is: If God cannot be trusted in one thing, how can he be trusted in another thing?
If you cannot trust him to having spoken truth on one occassion, how could you trust anything he says? One thing I have learned recently is a general principle in the Bible: Absolutely no word exists there without a reason. Even the long lists of names have meaning to them. The Bible is a multi-dimensional book: There is meaning on many levels and many directions. You could read the immediate meaning of the text, but you can also perceive the big picture, and any number of hidden messages and alternative interpretations in it. But alter any part of it, and a number of those messages come apart.
This interpretation on the names within the genealogy of Noah is an interesting example.
Going back to the genesis, each day of the genesis teaches us a particular lesson; it has reflections and reverberations throughout the entire Bible (I read about this in some Jewish commentary, but I could not find a link to it for this post). But it is written as a history book; nowhere in the book does it switch from a metaphoric description to a historic description. It is one continuous historic description, the whole book. We know from archaeology (well, at least I know from archaeology) that some parts of it did happen as written, so it stands to reason that everything else also did happen as written.
Editor, Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Active player
(296)
Joined: 3/8/2004
Posts: 7469
Location: Arzareth
No sound effect to signify the start of race in the olympic event? And the big guys cheat, they begin the running a few frames before the go-signal is given. Apparently, one should observe them rather than the arm that signals the go.
Editor, Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Active player
(296)
Joined: 3/8/2004
Posts: 7469
Location: Arzareth
To clarify, it's some thing about games.
And not, something like GET BATOMYXIKAPECILLIN AND ANTICYTOMAXIN 99% FREE BUNDLE which was my first assumption based on the entire contents of the opening post.
