OT: Orwellianism and real-life mad science.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

Two recent pieces of news: In BC (looking at the article now) all C-level hockey teams must have a handicap, because in the words of Seafair Minor Hockey Association president Len Cuthbert "The spirit of the rule is so every team in every organization winds and loses about the same number of games."

Second, (I know no more about this than a brief announcement on the radio) scientists have taught rat brain cells (And not in a rat, presumably) to fly a flight simulator.

[Timstone]

Rat brains can fly?! Who need suicide terrorists? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

[Karibu]

narf poit chez BOOM said:
Second, (I know no more about this than a brief announcement on the radio) scientists have taught rat brain cells (And not in a rat, presumably) to fly a flight simulator.



I read about this from a article on some magazine. IIRC they had real rat brains and somehow they got it flight straigth. When they dipped the plane either left or right, the brains then made it straighten. IIRC they were thinking to teach it to follow some pattern in flying too, but it was just a plan. I remember the difficult part was to motivate brain to do something. I guess the rat brain was thinking: "Why the hell I would want to fly an airplane??" http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif

[Timstone]

Pretty cool that the rat's brain does that. On to the next step; organic computers!
Please, not the sort you see in Stargate where they grab your head and they cram it so full with information you are going to die from it within a few days.

[Nodachi]

If all the hockey teams win and lose about the same amount of times, why play at all?

As for the rat brain stuff, here's a link (http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996573) for the whole story. Pretty cool stuff!

[Randallw]

Interesting topic, I can't figure out what it has to do with Orwell though. (Its been awhile since I read Animal Farm or 1984)

[narf poit chez BOOM]

Personally, I'd rather leave the rat brain cells in the rat. Give it a few years and we'll have computers that can do all that.

[Randallw]

It sure would give Australia a use for all those rats we get when we have rat plagues http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif. When they do brain surgery on the rats, do they sterilise the instruments http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/confused.gif. It's not like the rat hasn't already got whatever germs are on the scalpal.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

You know what would get me angry in high school? The gym teacher would join whichever team was loosing and make all our hard work (Well, really, it generally wasn't my hard work, but I sometimes exerted myself) pointless.

[Raging Deadstar]

narf poit chez BOOM said:
You know what would get me angry in high school? The gym teacher would join whichever team was loosing and make all our hard work (Well, really, it generally wasn't my hard work, but I sometimes exerted myself) pointless.



I agree, But in football it was fun. When the Gym Teacher was showing off and I was Goal Keeping diving at his legs so he fell face first in the mud was always satisfying.... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

Or Dodgeball... http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/evil.gif

[geoschmo]

Timstone said:
Rat brains can fly?! Who need suicide terrorists? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif


Brain: You see Pinky, first we trick these gulible scientists into teaching your brain how to fly an airplane, then we move on to part two of my plan...

WHERE WE TRY TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD!!!

Pinky: Narf. Ok Brain.

[Timstone]

geoschmo said:

Timstone said:
Rat brains can fly?! Who need suicide terrorists? http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif


Brain: You see Pinky, first we trick these gulible scientists into teaching your brain how to fly an airplane, then we move on to part two of my plan...

WHERE WE TRY TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD!!!

Pinky: Narf. Ok Brain.




Hahahaha!!!!! LOL!!!! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

[Slick]

narf poit chez BOOM said:
Two recent pieces of news: In BC (looking at the article now) all C-level hockey teams must have a handicap, because in the words of Seafair Minor Hockey Association president Len Cuthbert "The spirit of the rule is so every team in every organization winds and loses about the same number of games."



Ever hear the story of Harrison Bergeron?

http://instruct.westvalley.edu/lafave/hb.html

Slick.

[Cheeze]

Forget about mad science...give me WEIRD SCIENCE!!!

I want to turn a doll into Kelly LeBrock http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

[narf poit chez BOOM]

I thought that was by Orsen Welles?

[Randallw]

narf poit chez BOOM said:
You know what would get me angry in high school? The gym teacher would join whichever team was loosing and make all our hard work (Well, really, it generally wasn't my hard work, but I sometimes exerted myself) pointless.



Well during high school I was one of the kids that everyone chooses Last when they pick teams. I would intentionally sabotage my team. That'll teach them to not want me on their team....um..hang on http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/confused.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/shock.gif http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/shock.gif

Edit: my favourite memories of Phys ed are (and I'll put this in american terms so everyone understands), Striking out one of the most popular kids as pitcher and scoring two free throws to win when everyone assumed I would miss.

[atari_eric]

If all the hockey teams win and lose about the same amount of times, why play at all?

To see who wins, of course.

They win or lose approximately the same amount of times - not exactly. As opposed to a blowout, you'll never really know who will win until the very end. In a way, it gives it more suspense - at the expense of knowing, in the back of your mind, that it wasn't necessarily fully earned.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

Plus the fact that if you are barred from doing your best, it's pointless.

The hockey team in the paper is refusing to accept the penalty (Dropping a player).