Bazza Posted October 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2009 Re: The Last Word Though now that I look at it' date=' to take the best of both means to compute everything twice and take the one you like more. Doubles the work.[/quote'] Isn't this info already in the books? IIRC, you have the base power, then an expansion/modification. say you liked the 3rd alteration of the base power, you'd just select that one. As far as I can see, it wouldn't double the work. If you get fiddiy, yes it can double (and triple, quadruple) the workload. Nut I'm applying KISS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza Posted October 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2009 Re: The Last Word 177831 -- what could I do with these character points/xp? Umm Now: 178521 Wahoo GM awarded xp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza Posted October 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2009 Re: The Last Word Hey Cancer, do you know where I could find an authoritative definition of the scientific method (wikipedia aint so quotable in a uni assignment) is there some international body that controls this definition? I'm sure there would be peer reviewed journals discussing on how to improve it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted October 6, 2009 Report Share Posted October 6, 2009 Re: The Last Word No, I am certain there isn't an authoritative definition. It's a community acceptance thing, really. That sounds funny, but it's the way it is. Used to be Royal Society might once have filled the sort of niche you're positing, but even at its zenith I doubt it would have even considered the question. Nowadays, scientists are too wary of any attempt to control the scope of their methods and ideas to accept any attempt to set up that sort of authority. I think the most coherent discussions on a "definition" of the scientific method will be in readings in the philosophy of science, but even those are subject to problems. When new tools become available that aren't clearly within the established patterns of a discipline, there's a skirmish about whether those are acceptable ... until they made discoveries which are both new and beautiful, and which are (perhaps in hindsight) in accord with results from other techniques. I'm not sure a formal definition can be made, because such a definition sets out boundary lines which must pass through unknown situational territory (because "by definition" science involves the learning of things previously unknown), where some time down the road that boundary is demonstrated to be faulty. Previous attempts to build strictly logical systems of knowledge -- which includes once-and-for-all definitions -- have failed, and I think they are, even in principle, doomed to failure. Witness the rocks that Bertrand Russell ran upon, trying to rigorously establish all of mathematics upon solid pure logic, only to have Kurt Gödel prove that an axiomatic system (like Russell was trying to build) must be either incomplete (that is, there are truths that cannot be proven, and/or false propositions that cannot be disproven) or internally inconsistent (that is, you can construct valid proofs demonstrating both truth and falsity for at least some propositions). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted October 6, 2009 Report Share Posted October 6, 2009 Re: The Last Word ... Nerts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted October 6, 2009 Report Share Posted October 6, 2009 Re: The Last Word Nerts. An expression of mild dismay, not strong enough to be worth a real curse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted October 6, 2009 Report Share Posted October 6, 2009 Re: The Last Word A pseudo-curse? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted October 6, 2009 Report Share Posted October 6, 2009 Re: The Last Word Not even that. It doesn't even convey a level of annoyance as great as "Poo". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted October 6, 2009 Report Share Posted October 6, 2009 Re: The Last Word ... Does it alleviate any tension at all, then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted October 6, 2009 Report Share Posted October 6, 2009 Re: The Last Word Some, but not as much as going down to the restroom and using the facilities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted October 6, 2009 Report Share Posted October 6, 2009 Re: The Last Word Yelling into the air vent? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted October 6, 2009 Report Share Posted October 6, 2009 Re: The Last Word Nah, just visualizing someone's head in the urinal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemming Posted October 6, 2009 Report Share Posted October 6, 2009 Re: The Last Word I'm in full scale swearing mode right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted October 6, 2009 Report Share Posted October 6, 2009 Re: The Last Word What's up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cancer Posted October 6, 2009 Report Share Posted October 6, 2009 Re: The Last Word Me, I'm still puzzling over a couple of iPod failures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted October 6, 2009 Report Share Posted October 6, 2009 Re: The Last Word ... I'm reminded of the DisOrganizer Mk 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemming Posted October 6, 2009 Report Share Posted October 6, 2009 Re: The Last Word What's up? Work is doing it's best to get some final annoyances in before my last day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted October 6, 2009 Report Share Posted October 6, 2009 Re: The Last Word Oh, you're getting out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemming Posted October 6, 2009 Report Share Posted October 6, 2009 Re: The Last Word Yep. Going to pursue my photography for a bit. Hope for a management change and get back later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted October 6, 2009 Report Share Posted October 6, 2009 Re: The Last Word Best of luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza Posted October 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2009 Re: The Last Word ditto. Lemming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocMan Posted October 6, 2009 Report Share Posted October 6, 2009 Re: The Last Word So we should look forward to funny pictures from Lemming? Doc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemming Posted October 6, 2009 Report Share Posted October 6, 2009 Re: The Last Word So we should look forward to funny pictures from Lemming? Doc Pet photos and stuff like this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazza Posted October 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 Re: The Last Word No, I am certain there isn't an authoritative definition. It's a community acceptance thing, really. That sounds funny, but it's the way it is. Used to be Royal Society might once have filled the sort of niche you're positing, but even at its zenith I doubt it would have even considered the question. Nowadays, scientists are too wary of any attempt to control the scope of their methods and ideas to accept any attempt to set up that sort of authority. I think the most coherent discussions on a "definition" of the scientific method will be in readings in the philosophy of science, but even those are subject to problems. When new tools become available that aren't clearly within the established patterns of a discipline, there's a skirmish about whether those are acceptable ... until they made discoveries which are both new and beautiful, and which are (perhaps in hindsight) in accord with results from other techniques. I'm not sure a formal definition can be made, because such a definition sets out boundary lines which must pass through unknown situational territory (because "by definition" science involves the learning of things previously unknown), where some time down the road that boundary is demonstrated to be faulty. Previous attempts to build strictly logical systems of knowledge -- which includes once-and-for-all definitions -- have failed, and I think they are, even in principle, doomed to failure. Witness the rocks that Bertrand Russell ran upon, trying to rigorously establish all of mathematics upon solid pure logic, only to have Kurt Gödel prove that an axiomatic system (like Russell was trying to build) must be either incomplete (that is, there are truths that cannot be proven, and/or false propositions that cannot be disproven) or internally inconsistent (that is, you can construct valid proofs demonstrating both truth and falsity for at least some propositions). Thanks for the answer, I want to come back to a few points you made, but another question: How much of dialectic / logic (that is to reason correctly) is within science? I know that is probably a dumb question., let me explain a bit. A computer is basically a system of boolean logic (1,0, AND, OR, XOR, NOT etc) and IIRC Bacon's approach to science is one of logic as well (Novum Organum). And Occam's razor would be based on logic as well, right? So (I'm thinking) that logic (thinking correctly and soundly) is imperative to science (and to other subjects i.e. IT). So then...why isn't it taught in school? Why wasn't I taught logic (as a subject) as school? (is this why there is a whole generation of people who can't reason soundly?) Thanks as always. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted October 7, 2009 Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 Re: The Last Word Pet photos and stuff like this ... That's a lotta atmosphere in some rotten wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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