Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Player
(79)
Joined: 8/5/2007
Posts: 865
Warp wrote:
IronSlayer wrote:
I'm a scientist by work and education, so I was interested in the confusion surrounding the concept of entropy.
Then perhaps Mr Scientist would be so nice and go and fix the Wikipedia page on entropy because it's so plain wrong.
May I ask in which field of science you have a degree, and which degree? Personally I have a degree in computing science, but that doesn't make me an expert on physics (much less thermodynamics), nor do I pretend to have such expertise (I have clearly stated that the definition I quoted is an informal one, most probably not the most accurate and exact one). Saying "I'm a scientist, hence you should believe me" isn't a very convincing argument in itself.
To your credit, Warp, you seem to have moderate know-how when it comes to physical concepts, even if you lack the nuts and bolts needed to solve physical problems. I think Marzojr has us both beat in that respect.
Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Player
(79)
Joined: 8/5/2007
Posts: 865
Kyrsimys wrote:
IronSlayer wrote:
Nope, dead serious. Camping out in front of the theater for a week to see a film indicates the person has severely fucked up priorities in life and/or is neglecting employment, school, and family.
Could you possible be any more judgemental? Some people go on holidays, you know. Sometimes for weeks or even months! I can't even imagine what you must think about those negligent bastards. And even if someone doesn't care about employment, school or family, so what? Just because their priorities aren't the same as yours or the majority's doesn't mean they're somehow screwed up.
Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Player
(79)
Joined: 8/5/2007
Posts: 865
I was thinking earlier about what "adult cartoon shows" are good and I overlooked an obvious example. I have been a Simpsons fan my entire life and always will be. I grew up with the show and back in its heyday, it touched upon adult situations but never relied on them. It's distinctly geared toward adults, yet has never depended on gratuitous violence or sex to boost its ratings (in fact, I'd argue that most episodes with explicit sex or violence are among their worst). Something seems to have been lost from The Simpsons' glory days, since directors and executives apparently think that a show can't be sold to an adult audience without sex and violence. I find it tiresome and I suspect many bronies would agree with me.
Warp wrote:
Bobo the King wrote:
You asked why someone should watch the show and those are my reasons.
Nobody should have to justify why they engage in a harmless hobby. It's a hobby, and if someone enjoys it, they have all the right in the world to engage in it without having to explain themselves to anybody, and without people belittling or even insulting them because of it, or even dismissively asking for an explanation.
It's like those people dressing in costumes and camping for a week in front of a movie theater to see the latest Star Wars or whatever movie, or people cosplaying for an anime convention, and then some moron commenting that what a bunch of nerds, they should get a life. That kind of person is an idiot. People are entitled to engage in whatever hobby they want if they like it. If someone doesn't understand it, at least they should understand that different people have different interests, and that not everybody has to fit into the same preconceived mold of "adulthood", "manliness" or whatever crap.
(If someone wants to honestly know why people engage in a certain hobby, out of pure and innocent curiosity, and without any kind of dismissive or self-righteous preconceived attitude, and wants to engage in a mutual conversation about such hobbies, that's a completely different story. That kind of conversation can be an informative and fulfilling learning experience on sociology and human nature.)
I agree completely and I responded to Kuwaga only because he phrased it roughly as, "Why would I want to watch the show?" even if he was a little off the wall. To my surprise, we ended up on the same page. IronSlayer, on the other hand, seems to demand we justify why we like the show, which is just a matter of opinion and not worth arguing over. Hence, he gets the Pinkie Pie shrug.
IronSlayer wrote:
Warp wrote:
It's like those people dressing in costumes and camping for a week in front of a movie theater to see the latest Star Wars or whatever movie,
To be fair, anyone who does this suffers from a mental disorder. And should probably get a freaking job or education, instead.
Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Player
(79)
Joined: 8/5/2007
Posts: 865
IronSlayer wrote:
Bobo the King wrote:
My friend highly recommends Archer. Futurama's latest episodes were extremely disappointing and I'd unhesitantly say that season 1 of MLP is more entertaining minute-for-minute than last summer's Futurama episodes.
I don't know about the series reboot; I've only watched the original. Regardless, it's amusing that a self-professed Brony has to compare the absolute worst of Futurama against the very best of MLP in order to even state (by his own tastes!) that MLP has a limited edge.
I mean, if that's the best thing you can say about the quality of your beloved show...
Bobo the King wrote:
I can't personally speak to the quality of The Goode Family, but its reviews were mixed and it was short-lived.
It might be more honest to type "I know absolutely nothing about it" here, instead of vaguely citing some reviews. The show was created by Mike Judge, the genius behind "Office Space", Beavis and Butthead, and King of the Hill, and it's easily the funniest thing he's ever done on television. In fact, I would probably take the lone season of The Goode Family over any season from any animated comedy ever.
Bobo the King wrote:
And all of those shows seem to have very adult elements, whether it's Beavis and Butthead's crude humor or the occasional far-reaching plot of Futurama or the strong themes of sex and violence throughout Archer. Those can be nice, but sometimes you just want to kick back and enjoy ponies for a half-hour.
I thought we were just talking about comedic, carefree, animated shows here, no? I don't remember you mentioning that we were also confining it to "shows with no adult elements".
But if we were, your position is even more confusing. As an adult, how is a show having "adult elements" a bad thing? I understand that for a small child, MLP is more age-appropriate than Metalocalypse or Archer, but for an adult? Why does it matter? Also, if you recall, "television entertainment for adults" is the standard which I judged MLP against and called "average at best", and which you so strongly disagreed with. Yet here, you're using an argument that is strictly to do with "television entertainment for children".
And why, as an adult, are "adult elements" such a negative thing for you? Is it a desire to escape into infantilism? A general aversion towards any content that is sexual, violent, or "indecent"?
Bobo the King wrote:
I'm not looking for an argument. To each his own.
I don't mind arguments myself, but it's strange that you type this after quoting my post and stating how strongly you disagreed with it. You basically start an argument (in a civil, reasonable manner, but still...), and then say you don't want one?!
Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Player
(79)
Joined: 8/5/2007
Posts: 865
IronSlayer wrote:
Bobo the King wrote:
To a limited extent, you're right, but I strongly disagree with your second paragraph. We live in a time with outstanding adults-oriented entertainment... if you like dramas and reality TV. For the rest of us, who want something more carefree, MLP is perhaps the best show out there.
Really? So you've never heard of Archer, The Goode Family, Beavis and Butthead, Metalocalypse, and Futurama? (And that was just off the top of my head?)
The idea that the only modern-day "outstanding adults-oriented entertainment" is drama or reality TV is completely ridiculous. The overwhelming majority of television shows out there are carefree comedic fluff, including every single series I mentioned above. (Which are animated to boot)
And that's precisely why I called MLP strictly average; comparing it to any of those shows, not only is MLP far from the "best", it's like one or two whole levels inferior. I'd love someone to claim with a straight face that they think MLP has funnier jokes, more interesting storylines, and/or more original characters than those in Archer or Futurama, for instance.
My friend highly recommends Archer. Futurama's latest episodes were extremely disappointing and I'd unhesitantly say that season 1 of MLP is more entertaining minute-for-minute than last summer's Futurama episodes. I can't personally speak to the quality of The Goode Family, but its reviews were mixed and it was short-lived. Beavis and Butthead is fun in small doses if it's your thing. I can honestly say I know absolutely nothing about Metalocalypse.
And all of those shows seem to have very adult elements, whether it's Beavis and Butthead's crude humor or the occasional far-reaching plot of Futurama or the strong themes of sex and violence throughout Archer. Those can be nice, but sometimes you just want to kick back and enjoy ponies for a half-hour.
I'm not looking for an argument. To each his own.
Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Player
(79)
Joined: 8/5/2007
Posts: 865
CtrlAltDestroy wrote:
Bobo the King wrote:
As for stress, I don't think anyone necessarily has to turn to popular forms of entertainment to relieve their stress. Physics and mathematics can be quite relaxing for me. There are also creative outlets-- such as painting, woodworking, and songwriting-- that can be stress-relievers. It is only through reinforcement that we come to believe that combating stress requires a passive role.
I do a lot of music creation and writing in my spare time, and I consider it stress relief (although it can be highly stressful sometimes for technical reasons). However, in doing so, I am creating a product which is meant to be passively consumed by someone else. Do you believe that art should be created as stress relief, but not passively enjoyed by an audience?
Also, consider the fact that if I did not personally listen to music, read books, or watch movies, I would have no inspiration, no mental material with which to create this stuff. You cannot make something out of nothing. Inspiration is created by combining existing ideas in new ways, not by pulling something out of nothing. So perhaps art is, in and of itself, harmful to society completely? Or perhaps it should only be created for the sake of the artist, and not for the audience?
I think you answered your first paragraph with your second. By reading and listening to music, you are studying what elements would go well into your own creations, so it is not passive in that sense. Besides, I won't go so far as to say that all passive entertainment is counterproductive. Your point about stress is perfectly valid. I am just concerned that manufactured entertainment is consuming society as a whole.
CtrlAltDestroy wrote:
We are a pretty obsessive and inward-oriented community. Bronies have infected every corner of the internet, often to the detriment of our image. We should be concerned about these things and take them seriously.
I'm pretty sure that I can name about ten other fandoms that are larger and have committed more of these sins than Bronies ever have. In fact, I remember the good old days where adults never wanted to admit that they liked Pokemon. I guess MLP has overtaken the role of "embarrassing but trendy guilty pleasure". Point is, people will be people, and fandoms will always be crazy if they get too large. Don't let that ruin the reputations of the respectable fans.
I think I answered this in my above post and we are in agreement.
Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Player
(79)
Joined: 8/5/2007
Posts: 865
IronSlayer wrote:
As Ferret Warlord already mentioned, MLP fandom is way more about the excitement of proudly proclaiming oneself a "Brony" and all that it entails than it is the actual quality of the show.
The series itself is good by the standards of a children's animated show, and strictly average (at best) by the standards of a normal adult-oriented show. But even by the most generous standards or wildest stretches of one's imagination, it's not remotely good enough to generate such intense fandom....if the fandom itself weren't so damn fun!
So yeah, it's one of those weird shows/movies/books where the fandom part is way more interesting/attractive than the actual work that spawned it. Oddly enough, it reminds me of Star Trek, although The Wrath of Khan is a hundred times better than anything MLP-related. And not even Trekkies are as annoying as Bronies...
To a limited extent, you're right, but I strongly disagree with your second paragraph. We live in a time with outstanding adults-oriented entertainment... if you like dramas and reality TV. For the rest of us, who want something more carefree, MLP is perhaps the best show out there. I think that its comparisons to '90s cartoons are a stretch at best, but it's a wonderful show in its own right.
And as with Trekkies, don't let the most socially inept of the community sour your opinion of the rest.
Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Player
(79)
Joined: 8/5/2007
Posts: 865
CtrlAltDestroy wrote:
Kuwaga wrote:
So everybody who refuses to be happy for no good reason has split personalities and is clinically depressed? I see, that convinces me I should be taking more drugs, watching more TV shows and playing more video games indeed. Let's all enjoy this glory and happiness that Western civilization has brought upon us!
Keep in mind that you're posting this in a thread about My Little Pony, on a site dedicated to video games. Why???
But anyway, your philosophy mostly makes sense... except that it seems as though you have not yet learned about the concept of "stress".
"Stress" is a very real thing, it is not just a figure of speech. It is a cycle of chemical reactions which happen in the body that prepare it for imminent danger: the fight-or-flight response. It can happen instantaneously ("OMG, that car is going to hit me! DIVE OUT OF THE WAY!"), but it can also have a prolonged effect ("Ugh, I think my boss is going to fire me but I don't know when" / "Ugh, my term paper is due in a week and I haven't started on it yet").
While the short-term stress can be a useful survival instinct, the long-term sort is almost completely obsolete in our day and age, and can be very harmful to your health, since it takes energy away from things like your immune system to power your sense of focus, reflex, and all the facilities your body has that are programmed to save your life at a moment's notice. Prolonged stress can cause innumerable health problems such as ulcers, insomnia, depression, and heart attacks. Prolonged periods of high-level stress are also proven to chop years off the end of your life.
If you cannot identify the stress reaction in your own life, you have not done enough meta-cognition. Keep up your journey and you will make new discoveries.
Anyway, the human body requires catharsis for its stress levels on a regular basis, just as much as it requires food, sleep, and comfort from pain. This means that pleasure for its own sake is, in fact, biologically justified! Fancy that! This is why we have things like ponies and video games to make us smile every once in a while, release the stress and forget about all those everyday things which "threaten" us physically and emotionally. And it helps when the entertainment is wholesome like ponies, rather than degenerate, like, say, most pop music out right now.
Can you get addicted to catharsis? Certainly. But remember, as one of my favorite quotes goes, "Most human beings are addicted to food", which is completely true. An addiction in and of itself is not a bad thing, letting it get out of hand is what's bad. Overeating may be bad, but starvation is also bad. You've no choice but to accept the addiction and learn to control it.
Likewise, there's no reason to completely remove happiness from your life. In fact, if you do, you are doing your body and mind an immense disservice, and you aren't impressing anybody. Show some skill and learn how to balance work and pleasure, rather than just condemning everyone who likes to laugh at an innocent, colorful cartoon.
In Kuwaga's defense (because our views are similar and I don't want this thread to devolve into bronies vs. Kuwaga), to an outside observer, bronies do seem to take their fanaticism to an unhealthy level. Compare BroNYCon to a Star Trek convention. Look at the deluge of fanfics. Consider the existence of clopping. Examine the (usually techno) music and (often kitschy) art that's output. Most of these things are either dominated by a few extremists within the community, or just contributed by so many people that the aggregate seems overwhelming.
We are a pretty obsessive and inward-oriented community. Bronies have infected every corner of the internet, often to the detriment of our image. We should be concerned about these things and take them seriously. The only problem is that Kuwaga has specifically chosen the TASVideos MLP topic as his platform, and I don't think that any of us takes our enjoyment of the show too far.
As for stress, I don't think anyone necessarily has to turn to popular forms of entertainment to relieve their stress. Physics and mathematics can be quite relaxing for me. There are also creative outlets-- such as painting, woodworking, and songwriting-- that can be stress-relievers. It is only through reinforcement that we come to believe that combating stress requires a passive role.
And the bottom line: there's shit out there that needs to get done. By turning increasingly inward, the fabric of society continues to slowly decay, reinforcing the need to find trivial pleasures. If it's stressful work, sure, it might take a few years off one's life expectancy, but it is nevertheless a good investment in the social environment and infrastructure for years to come.
Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Player
(79)
Joined: 8/5/2007
Posts: 865
Kuwaga wrote:
So everybody who refuses to be happy for no good reason has split personalities and is clinically depressed? I see, that convinces me I should be taking more drugs, watching more TV shows and playing more video games indeed. Let's all enjoy this glory and happiness that Western civilization has brought upon us! We don't know our neighbours but can effortlessly name tons of little ponies, video game characters and superstars. Also watch more porn, who cares about developing healthy sexual relationships with real people? Let's all just be happy, as that's definitely our sole purpose in life, and not worry so much about reality! If believing something makes you happy, it's totally ok as well! Let's not try to get to know our partners really deep down inside, how about just taking a shortcut instead and pretend they're perfect, pretend to be really in love just because it feels good, then filing a divorce a few years later? Who cares about reality, our top priority by far is to become happy, no matter the cause, right? I might have overstated my point, but calling me insane is overstating the opposite point as well, and it's furthermore and ad hominem and possibly psychological projection.
Excessive happiness for no good reason limits our freedom of choice, I believe it should be reserved only for meaningful activities. You can become just as happy that way, it just might be harder to achieve than through mindless self-indulgence. Would you have deliberately chosen to watch all MLP episodes for a good reason, or have you been coerced to it? Haven't you tried it because there might be something to it, enjoyed being distracted from real life, watched further episodes because you've started to care for the characters, watched more episodes and claimed you liked the show in an effort to provide a coherent frame for your actions? ("Well, I have watched 5 episodes now, so I might as well watch the rest and admit I like it before admitting I've watched these 5 episodes for no good reason") None of this? Does that seem such an absurd idea?
It is easy and natural to rationalize our irrational actions afterwards, again providing a coherent frame for our actions. A girl sleeping with a guy for no good reason, then concluding it means she must like him, there must be something to him, maintaining a relationship for a while, so she doesn't seem like a slut to herself in her mind. It's pretty easy and natural for her to make up reasons for why she'd like him after the fact. I see MLP fandom in a similar way. What are good reasons for starting to watch the show, besides just giving it a try or it being fun (I don't consider either of them to be good reasons btw)?
Honestly, your views on pleasure for the sake of pleasure are well in line with my own. Your little rant reminds me of a term I've come up with: The Autofellating Society. We seem to be drifting toward a civilization that values pleasure but shirks responsibility. However, My Little Pony is so incredibly far down the list of things to be concerned about that it is hardly worth mentioning.
I hardly play video games anymore, nor do I drink, smoke, or do drugs (not even once, with the exception of an occasional single drink on my birthday). The difference between you and me is that I don't go posting my views in tangential rants in forum topics on TV shows that are of the least concern to society's ills. My addiction to sugar and other non-nutritious foods is of vastly greater concern to me than my enjoyment of My Little Pony.
If more people were like us (seeking pleasure in accomplishment, not vices), I'm convinced the world would be a better place. Yet the means to reach that end are not to piss all over everyone's parade at every turn. There are appropriate times and places to express your feelings, but this is not one of them.
Any brony will be happy to tell you that they are drawn to the show by its expressive animation, solid writing, realistic and flawed characters, outstanding and infectious music, varied plots, and otherwise impressive quality and craftsmanship. You asked why someone should watch the show and those are my reasons. Like any good brony (and there are inconsiderate bronies out there), I will not proselytize needlessly to people who simply aren't interested. I stated my case, but you sound like you aren't the least bit interested from the outset. I therefore don't expect you to watch the show, nor will I take offense. This show isn't for everyone. If you like it, we'll all be happy to incorporate you into the discussion. Otherwise, it would probably be best for all of us if you were to seek a less tolerant fanbase to state your complaints to.
Edit: P.S.-- Have you read Brave New World, by any chance? I found it to be poorly written, but it did cover some very interesting themes that are related to my above response.
Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Player
(79)
Joined: 8/5/2007
Posts: 865
Twelvepack wrote:
Kuwaga wrote:
Memes are the cancer that kills science and creativity. The ponies are cute likeable girls that males are programmed to care for, protect and defend. Their effects are amplified by stimulating and shiny colors, big eyes and talented voice actresses. They hijack our brains so that we keep watching the show. There is hardly any good reason to, entertainment is not an end of its own. Memes are cancer. There are one or two good episodes, being a fan of the entire show is an utter waste of time. You might argue that joining the beautiful MLP community is not a waste of time, but it is in light of more productive and founded in reality communities that you could have been joining instead. It might be ok to watch MLP to explore a part of your personality you haven't been familiar with thus far, but being a fan seems to be overdoing it. It's a bit like glorifying drugs like chocolate for its mood-boosting effects, ignoring the loss of potential to feel positive emotions for more sensible reasons that comes with frequent consumption of chocolate. Doing something that makes you feel good for no good reason is usually bad. Besides being a waste of time, it makes the positive emotions that are associated with doing normal, less rewarding things for good reasons seem less significant in comparison, in short it kills all motivation to do the little but important things in our lives. Memes and drugs must be fought, they are cancer.
are you completely insane?
This honestly sounds like the ranting of someone who has no less than 4 personalities, each of which is clinically depressed.
Seconded.
Kuwaga, dude, you've got bronies worried about your mental stability...
Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Player
(79)
Joined: 8/5/2007
Posts: 865
Warp wrote:
I'm wondering why the show is so divisive. I don't remember any other show that's so divisive as this one.
If someone makes any kind of remark about ponies in some forum post or as a response to some blog post or whatever, something humorous like "this needs more ponies", there's a quite good chance that someone will start either insulting that person, or at the very least respond to him/her in a very belittling and dismissive manner, and a flamewar will ensue. Yes, I have seen actual examples of this.
The rational thing to do when someone posts something like "this needs more ponies" is to simply ignore it, if you don't find it funny. Or even if you do. Haha, someone made a lame joke; let's get on to more interesting things. But no, someone has to respond to it dismissively or in an outright insulting manner.
The irony is, by trying to sound "manly" or whatever, they are just sounding like a jerk. Why can't people just let other people have whatever hobbies they like, and make any references they like? (And it's not a question of the reference being off-topic or out-of-place. If it had been a reference to almost anything else, but equally off-topic, such as star wars or doctor who or whatever, it would have not resulted in such a response.)
"How come girls can say, 'I'm going to go to brunch with my girlfriend', and no one assumes anything, but when I say, 'My boyfriend and I are going shopping for fanny packs', everyone thinks I'm a gay?"
--Zach Galifianakis
(Relax. It's a tangentially relevant quote from my favorite comedian. I don't mean any deeper significance by it.)
Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Player
(79)
Joined: 8/5/2007
Posts: 865
DarkKobold wrote:
goofydylan8 wrote:
DarkKobold wrote:
Uh, this list should be zero. Anyone with Editor (maybe vested editor? I can't remember) can add games to gruefood delight. It is a community maintained page. As far as I know, no one person controls gruefood delight.
The extremely lack luster gruefood delight is a major part of the reason why I felt we needed to remove the uninteresting game bad game choice rule. The last time anything was added was 6 months ago (unless I am reading it wrong) so that means there weren't any "movie submissions that entertained some viewers but not enough to be published on TASVideos." I seriously doubt that is true.
There has been talk of a tier system. That said, it would take many man hours to implement. People suggest it all the time. Its far easier to suggest than to actually do the work involved.
That said, the fact that no one can be bothered to even list these movies in gruefood delight is not the best argument in favor of their publication. "Well, these movies suck enough that I won't ad them to gruefood delight, so lets publish them?"
I'm very busy with school at the moment, but I think there should at least be a dedicated forum topic (i.e., not this one) with a regularly updated first post with popular rejected games. Man-hours? Maybe one or two...
If anyone else wants to make it, I would be much obliged. If not, it will take me at least a few months to get around to it.
Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Player
(79)
Joined: 8/5/2007
Posts: 865
la mammal wrote:
By the way, if you picture Cranky Kong turning the crank of the music box in the intro to Donkey Kong Country, you will know how what Nach does looks like.
And suddenly, about 15 years too late, I finally get the pun behind his name.
*sigh...*
Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Player
(79)
Joined: 8/5/2007
Posts: 865
CoolKirby wrote:
Bobo the King wrote:
He switched to bicycle power.
I figured he was continuously turning the crank on a generator connected to the servers.
And I imagine him staring bitterly as these comments roll in, knowing that if he stops cranking to reply to them, the server will shut down again.
Hi Nach! Keep on cranking!
Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Player
(79)
Joined: 8/5/2007
Posts: 865
Carl Sagan wrote:
Hmm, shall I do 2+2, which is complete and certainly a well-made hack, but maybe not as interesting, or KR? :P I can't decide.
Looks like you're already somewhat committed, but I just want to say "complete and well-made" trumps all. As I understand it, TASVideos discourages hacks because they can come in many versions, which makes obsoletion difficult to judge.
Keep up the good work!
Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Player
(79)
Joined: 8/5/2007
Posts: 865
I have a quick question (not a challenge, really) about something that's bugged me for a long time. What, if anything, is the population standard deviation used for? The sample standard deviation is one of the most valuable statistical tools, especially when it is used in conjunction with the central limit theorem (I would argue that all of science ultimately rests on the sample standard deviation). If you have the population standard deviation, however, then you must know the entire population, in which case you could use it directly instead of playing statistical games with it. Furthermore, if the population isn't normally distributed, the population standard deviation does not offer any grand insights and can even lead to spurious results. Is there anything that the population standard deviation can be used for except to very roughly characterize the distribution itself.
arflech wrote:
It's well-known that among the unit circles with respect to the p-norms, the circles with respect to the 0- and ∞-norms have the greatest Euclidean circumference (8), while the circle with respect to the 1-norm has the least Euclidean circumference (4√2): https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Unit_sphere#Unit_balls_in_normed_vector_spaces
What about the circumferences with respect to the respective p-norms themselves?
It is trivial to see that the unit 0-circle has 0-circumference 8, the unit ∞-circle has ∞-circumference 8, and the unit 2-circle has 2-circumference 2π, and there is one easy non-trivial example using the unit 1-circle (which, remember, has Euclidean circumference, or 2-circumference, 4√2):
The differential element of arclength under the p-norm is ds=p√(|dx|p+|dy|p), and the unit p-circle is the graph of |x|p+|y|p=1; when p=1 these are simplified to ds=|dx|+|dy| and |x|+|y|=1.
To make it even easier, a symmetry argument can be used to consider only the portion of the unit p-circle in the first quadrant (then multiply the p-length by 4), where |x|=x, |y|=y, |dx|=dx, |dy|=-dy, and y ranges from 1 to 0 as x runs from 0 to 1.
With this further simplification, we have ds=dx-dy and x+y=1, so y=1-x, so dy=-dx, so ds=2dx, so the 1-length of the quadrant of the unit 1-circle is 2, so the 1-circumference of the unit 1-circle is 8.
For the general case, our simplification yields ds=((dx)p+(-dy)p)1/p and xp+yp=1, so y=(1-xp)1/p, so dy=-(1-xp)1/p-1*xp-1*dx, so (-dy)p=(1-xp)1-p*xp²-p*(dx)p, so ds=(1+(1-xp)1-p*xp²-p)1/p*dx.
At this point, Wolfram|Alpha failed me, but basically I tried to integrate this in x and numerically plot its value in p; another idea is to fire up Mathematica and see whether there is any closed form for int(ds,x,0,1) and then whether there is a closed-form solution for d(int(ds,x,0,1))/dp=0 with respect to p; I tried differentiating in p first and then integrating in x but that's even more difficult.
It might also be interesting to see just how robust the limiting relationships between the p-norms, the 0-norm, and the ∞-norm is, like whether the limits of the p-circumference of the unit p-circle as p approaches 0 or ∞ are 8, just as the limit of the p-norm as p approaches 0 is the 0-norm (min. norm) and as p approaches ∞ is the ∞-norm (max. norm).
FWIW I also tried doing this in Wolfram|Alpha for the unit 3-circle and got a 3-circumference of about 6.5, which is between 2π and 8.
I don't want to derail the topic. I think your question is very interesting and I'll give it a quick shot.
Edit: I am not sure about your conclusion that the 0-circumference of the 0-ball is 8. The formula for the arclength element breaks down. Even treating it as a limiting case of p-->0+ quickly yields C0=∞.
Edit 2: A random thought crossed my mind. I'm not intimately familiar with p-norms, but I do recall from my Real Analysis class that norms are crucial for defining "closeness" and therefore the derivative in arbitrary vector spaces. As such, is the form of the derivative somehow changed here? I suspect not, because your problem lies specifically in one dimension.
