Massassi Forums Logo

This is the static archive of the Massassi Forums. The forums are closed indefinitely. Thanks for all the memories!

You can also download Super Old Archived Message Boards from when Massassi first started.

"View" counts are as of the day the forums were archived, and will no longer increase.

☖ Forums → Discussion Forum → Inauguration Day, Inauguration Hooooooraaay!
123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401
Inauguration Day, Inauguration Hooooooraaay!
2019-09-21, 10:46 PM #15321
Originally posted by Reid:
What is even gained from making this claim? What distinction is being made here?


That's The Joke. I've embedded the language of simulation cranks into a trivially true statement according to scientific and common sense, and nothing of value was lost.
2019-09-21, 10:51 PM #15322
Originally posted by Jon`C:
If you order all humans by date of birth, past and future, I am most likely to be the middle human. Therefore, because of population growth, humans will be extinct soon.

:science:


I would expect it to be over all conscious life in the history of the universe rather than just human beings. Also, being in the middle is only the expectation of some probability distribution, not a guarantee (I had a hard time explaining to a family member that Trump's estimated 30% chance of winning the election in 2016 did not mean it was guaranteed that he would lose). And I think this only requires an appeal to the anthropic principle (which I personally subscribe to), rather than the simulation theory.
2019-09-22, 8:33 AM #15323
If I take a large enough random sample of people, past and future, thanks to the central limit theorem I can quite accurately predict when the human species will be effectively extinct. The above argument assumes n=1 is large enough and that yourself is a random sample.

But that doesn’t stop this **** from hitting Nature or the mainstream press.
2019-09-22, 1:04 PM #15324
Haha, what? So I guess the intern that Nature had leftover money to pay to curate letters to the editor hasn't had probability or statistics yet in their undergraduate curriculum.
2019-09-23, 3:36 PM #15325
I like how you guys are latching onto this part of that video instead of laughing at Joe Rogan being too clueless to understand ****ty pop science circlejerks because he can't understand that you're more likely to draw one of a billion blue marbles than one red one.
Epstein didn't kill himself.
2019-09-23, 3:53 PM #15326
I didn’t watch the video.
2019-09-23, 4:49 PM #15327
I really doubt anyone thought you did out of the three of you.
Epstein didn't kill himself.
2019-09-23, 5:30 PM #15328
I did read the quantum supremacy article you linked. It had a similar dumb comment I responded to, check it out
2019-09-23, 6:42 PM #15329
Its almost as if I posted them together because they are thematically related
Epstein didn't kill himself.
2019-09-23, 6:49 PM #15330
oh thats not actually the article i meant to post that was talking about how quantum computing would bring about the simulation so there goes that whole bit
Epstein didn't kill himself.
2019-09-23, 7:20 PM #15331
RIP
2019-09-23, 11:02 PM #15332
no peace
Epstein didn't kill himself.
2019-09-23, 11:25 PM #15333
Epstein didn't kill himself.
2019-09-24, 12:15 AM #15334
https://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/?p=4317
2019-09-24, 1:03 AM #15335
nice yang gang post
Epstein didn't kill himself.
2019-09-24, 1:14 AM #15336
Google is set to announce progress toward quantum supremacy over asymmetric encryption. Solution there, it seems to me, is to create uncrackable codes.
2019-09-24, 1:38 AM #15337
2019-09-24, 2:29 AM #15338
https://old.reddit.com/r/Economics/comments/d6e8qv/the_fed_pumps_another_75_billion_into_markets_its/f0spld2/?st=k0xn0gvd&sh=0202eb6c

An interesting set of posts on Rebbit about inflation, QE, global financial markets.
2019-09-24, 3:31 AM #15339
Also, we should mention at some point that it's all but confirmed Trump is threatening to withhold aid to Ukraine if they don't dig up dirt on his political opponents. I'm sure Twitter is a warzone.
2019-09-24, 12:19 PM #15340
Originally posted by Reid:


Pretty sad that her response was "really?" It kind of points out how this whole "85 people have more wealth than 50% of the world's population" statistic doesn't quite convey the same injustice as many think it does.

"Someone making $32k a year makes 100x times more money than someone making $1 a day! How is that degree of income inequality just?!"

"I'm going to tell you what you should say" pretty much encapsulates the impulse behind so-called "cancel culture".
former entrepreneur
2019-09-24, 12:32 PM #15341
One of my favorite activities is pointing out to 1% inequality children of OWS type activists that they own a car/eat food prepared by others/have air conditoning.
Epstein didn't kill himself.
2019-09-24, 12:43 PM #15342
Damn, posted three things and the most boring one is what got a reply :(

Originally posted by Eversor:
Pretty sad that her response was "really?" It kind of points out how this whole "85 people have more wealth than 50% of the world's population" statistic doesn't quite convey the same injustice as many think it does.

"Someone making $32k a year makes 100x times more money than someone making $1 a day! How is that degree of income inequality just?!"

"I'm going to tell you what you should say" pretty much encapsulates the impulse behind so-called "cancel culture".


IDK, what it shows to me is that a news anchor isn't qualified to make the appropriate arguments. "Cancel culture", what even is that?
2019-09-24, 12:45 PM #15343
Originally posted by Spook:
One of my favorite activities is pointing out to 1% inequality children of OWS type activists that they own a car/eat food prepared by others/have air conditoning.


Then when they bring up ridiculously inflated rent/healthcare costs, you're told to eat cake for some reason (?). But cake doesn't help my diabetes??
2019-09-24, 1:14 PM #15344
“But you have an iPhone” is, strangely, not a convincing argument to someone concerned about the macro-scale organization of the economy.
2019-09-24, 1:19 PM #15345
Good thing i don't bring that up to those people
Epstein didn't kill himself.
2019-09-24, 1:19 PM #15346
Kevin O’Leary desperately wants to be the Canadian Trump, but unfortunately he doesn’t have the fame, charisma, business acumen, or intelligence to do it.
2019-09-24, 1:22 PM #15347
oof
Epstein didn't kill himself.
2019-09-24, 1:38 PM #15348
Boy though it’s been a while since I've heard someone seriously claim that the 99% looks up to the 1%. Even the proud neoliberals these days seem to think rich people are just an unfortunate byproduct of a working economy, like toxic waste that’s morally wrong to clean up.
2019-09-24, 1:43 PM #15349
hmm interesting premise for a short story
Epstein didn't kill himself.
2019-09-24, 1:50 PM #15350
Originally posted by Reid:
Damn, posted three things and the most boring one is what got a reply :(



IDK, what it shows to me is that a news anchor isn't qualified to make the appropriate arguments. "Cancel culture", what even is that?


The subject of latest battle on Twitter between identity politics folks and their critics. It’s a dumb pointless debate and I’m sorry I brought it up.

But yeah, she’s ill equipped to deal with the argument because she is in shock that anyone would say something other than the thing you’re supposed to say in “polite company” and can only respond with platitudes and sarcasm.
former entrepreneur
2019-09-24, 2:08 PM #15351
Originally posted by Eversor:
The subject of latest battle on Twitter between identity politics folks and their critics. It’s a dumb pointless debate and I’m sorry I brought it up.

But yeah, she’s ill equipped to deal with the argument because she is in shock that anyone would say something other than the thing you’re supposed to say in “polite company” and can only respond with platitudes and sarcasm.


I mean, saying the poorest half of the world looks up to people like Bill Gates is a little silly. I'm not sure what a more appropriate response should look like. "They're more likely to look up to local celebrities? People in Ghana likely don't know who Jeff Bezos is?"
2019-09-24, 2:08 PM #15352
Originally posted by Jon`C:
Kevin O’Leary desperately wants to be the Canadian Trump, but unfortunately he doesn’t have the fame, charisma, business acumen, or intelligence to do it.


Nice
2019-09-24, 2:09 PM #15353
Originally posted by Reid:
I mean, saying the poorest half of the world looks up to people like Bill Gates is a little silly. I'm not sure what a more appropriate response should look like. "They're more likely to look up to local celebrities? People in Ghana likely don't know who Jeff Bezos is?"


The world looks up to bill gates so much that he had to pay Netflix to make a documentary about him, featuring all of his friends and family talking about how smart and hard working he is.
2019-09-24, 2:11 PM #15354
The funny thing is, we’ve actually been talking about Reid’s reddit link this whole time.
2019-09-24, 2:27 PM #15355
Originally posted by Jon`C:
The world looks up to bill gates so much that he had to pay Netflix to make a documentary about him, featuring all of his friends and family talking about how smart and hard working he is.


Haha, thank you for sharing this with me:

Quote:
Someone else says to Gates in a totally not staged scene, “A thousand influential people have this book and never read it. You happen to be one of the most influential people and you read it.”


Imagine your life feeling so empty you pay for this kind of vanity project. I swear, I feel like the 2010s are marked by people slavishly doing whatever capital owners demand. It's literally that gross vomit scene from The Meaning of Life.

Originally posted by Jon`C:
The funny thing is, we’ve actually been talking about Reid’s reddit link this whole time.


Indeed we have. I think that post more than anything makes sense of why certain costs are going up in the U.S. Even healthcare, since foreign investors probably buy up lots of American healthcare stock, and demand the best returns.

I wouldn't be surprised if some foreign billionaires are helping spread the anti single payer lines. Who doesn't want to extract some of that sweet American middle class cash?
2019-09-24, 2:30 PM #15356
I saw my dad watching that documentary. Legitimately, a praise point a minute. Blech.
Epstein didn't kill himself.
2019-09-24, 4:55 PM #15357
Originally posted by Reid:
I mean, saying the poorest half of the world looks up to people like Bill Gates is a little silly. I'm not sure what a more appropriate response should look like. "They're more likely to look up to local celebrities? People in Ghana likely don't know who Jeff Bezos is?"


Maybe I’m being overly generous to O’Leary, but I think you can translate his argument to something like: actually, capitalism is good, and if you want to know why, look no further than the fact that it has pulled so many people out of abject poverty at an alarmingly fast rate in recent decades. People are better off (and, if given the choice, prefer) being inside the system than being subsistence farmers.

Not saying those arguments aren’t equally cookie cutter (and, of course, he didn’t actually make them) but they at least merit a response.
former entrepreneur
2019-09-24, 5:23 PM #15358
Under feudalism, people would voluntarily bond themselves as serfs to hereditary manors. Forever after, the lord of the manor would effectively control your life and the lives of your children, dictating where you could live and even who you could marry. But despite sacrificing all of your freedom, this was still considered more prestigious and a better lifestyle than being a freeman, because at least you were guaranteed food, shelter, and a job.

Anyway, you mentioned something about capitalism fixing poverty?
2019-09-24, 8:03 PM #15359
Originally posted by Jon`C:
Under feudalism, people would voluntarily bond themselves as serfs to hereditary manors. Forever after, the lord of the manor would effectively control your life and the lives of your children, dictating where you could live and even who you could marry. But despite sacrificing all of your freedom, this was still considered more prestigious and a better lifestyle than being a freeman, because at least you were guaranteed food, shelter, and a job.

Anyway, you mentioned something about capitalism fixing poverty?


(As I’m sure you know, I never said capitalism “fixed” poverty.)

If this is an analogy to subsistence farmers and capitalism, then it’s easy for you to say that subsistence farmers are selling out their freedom by fleeing their rice farms for the city and choosing to work for factory owners. But it might just say something about how terrible subsistence farming is - and how much more promising modernity and capitalism are - that people who are actually subsistence farmers, and face the drudgery and hardship of that way of life, are making the decision to pursue a better way of life and to roll the dice by joining industrial society in great numbers every day in the developing world.
former entrepreneur
2019-09-24, 10:49 PM #15360
Originally posted by Reid:
Also, we should mention at some point that it's all but confirmed Trump is threatening to withhold aid to Ukraine if they don't dig up dirt on his political opponents. I'm sure Twitter is a warzone.


Looks like the house is (actually) moving to impeach over this. We all know he won't be convicted, but it's about sending a message.
123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401

↑ Up to the top!