Good Riddance?

At least some of the noisier Japanese want us gone.
My question, do we need to stay in Okinawa?
We have bases in South Korea and Taiwan in that region. They need us, Japan doesn't.

Japan can defend themselves and nobody really wants to invade them anyway. The original reason we stayed was because we didn't trust the Japanese, but these days they are too into fucking robots, marrying cartoon characters and generally leading the world in "weird and creepy" to want to invade anybody else. They mostly want the world to leave them alone except to buy their stuff.
Their biggest threat is the poofy-haired maniac lobbing missiles, and we have cruisers and whatnot for that and they can field their missile defense. They're probably helping us and the Israelis build the systems anyway.

It seems to me there's no reason not to be out of western Europe and Japan. They don't need us and those bases cost us money. We can keep those soldiers in places where they're needed.

Posted by: Veeshir at 06:52 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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Don't forget the three laws

Via the Puppy Blender we see the Slashdot article linking to this page that's an open access summary of an experiment into robot evolution and this page that discusses the first page and has vids of the experiments.
Very cool. Read the whole thing, you'll enjoy it.

I don't really understand how the researchers recombine the robots' "genomes" to make "generations", but they do so I'll let it slide.
What they did was let robots run around doing stuff, the ones who did what they wanted best "reproduced", they kept going until the populations were stable, in other words, didn't learn anymore (except once).

For instance, they told robots to run around longer than their batteries could handle with the instructions on how to recharge, so they had to go home periodically.
After 100 generations they all went back with 10% power left, that didn't change at 200 generations. They obviously developed a Murphy's law.

The exception was the predator/prey scenario.
The predator had to touch the prey, the prey had to run away. The prey was twice as fast but the predator could "see" the prey from 200 times the distance.
The prey figured out the best way to evade the predator and then the predator figured out how to overcome that stragety so the prey figured that out so the predator changed....
Quote (from the first link)
Overall, these experiments revealed that a large variety of sophisticated behavioural strategies could evolve, but none of them were stable over time because of the coevolutionary dynamics.

It never stabilized.
Which makes them uniquely like people I think, these guys must be on the right track.

It seems to me that animals stabilize how they get their prey and how they avoid their predators, that's why new predators or prey can destroy an eco-system.
Man is the animal that best evolves its strategery in killing. It seems to stabilize, but then someone figures out a better way to do it an off we go. That's how empires are founded, like the Romans or the Greeks before them. Not many animals do that and none do it nearly as well.

Interesting and, I also think, important if they can evolve an intelligent robot.

We know lots of stuff, but not a lot of people know a lot about a lot of stuff and nobody can know everything we know all at once.
A brilliant physicist doesn't know all that a brilliant astronomer does and neither of them know what a brilliant mathematician knows.

Asimov, I think, wrote science-fictionally about how a lot of advances were made very quickly simply because a thinking machine could know lots of stuff and correlate it to do unexpected stuff.
That would be cool. If we could make reasoning computers they could figure out important stuff, like how to shut up a global warmmonger or  make the perfect s'mores.

Related, excellent sci-fi books, Code of the Lifemaker and The Two Faces of Tomorrow, both by James Hogan, he's hit and miss, but those two are excellent about evolutionary robotics.
Related Video below the fold, because I'm supposed to.
more...

Posted by: Veeshir at 02:29 PM | Comments (11) | Add Comment
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Quote of the Day

"Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock." - Will Rogers

Posted by: Moron Pundit at 11:34 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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No one I have contracted for has ever bought me hookers...

What's up with that?

Distributor Claims Microsoft Terminated Partnership After Reps Refused To Take Part In Sex/Drug Party

Israeli software distributor EIM is suing Microsoft over a terminated contract. Microsoft claims the contract was terminated due to filing fraudulent sales reports, but EIM says the real reason was that EIM representatives refused to take part in a sex and drug party aboard a cruise put together by Microsoft for Turkish and Israeli distributors. EIM claims that there were women who would perform sexual services in attendance, as well as some "illegal substances," and EIM representatives were encouraged to partake of both, though they refused.

Right... because every eleventy bazillion dollar software company bases it's business decisions on who wil and won't do coke and have sex with hookers.

Posted by: chad98036 at 07:35 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Retro Cereal

I'm starting to see why Alex hates clowns.



Check out a bunch of defunct cereals like C3PO's, Ice Cream Cones, and Crazy Cow here.

Posted by: JoeCollins at 06:01 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Andrew Sullivan Is Stupid

Well, at least the people he quotes (Begala) are but the quote is an unspoken endorsement in this case:

I am convinced that Democrats lost the Congress in 1994 because we failed to pass health care. And yet today many Democrats are worried that they will lose the Congress if they pass health care. They are wrong.

What the fuck are you talking about?  You mean to tell me that the only reason the Republicans obliterated the Democrats in 1994 is because they didn't pass their wildly unpopular healthcare bill? 

You need a fucking helmet.

Posted by: Moron Pundit at 01:15 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Fake Steve Jobs Unimpressed by iPad

Language warning - some F-bombs dropped in this video...
(via theappleblog.com)



Ok, so it's a big iPhone. Or a color Kindle that does other stuff. [Yawn]

Posted by: JoeCollins at 09:05 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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RIP Zelda

Zelda Rubenstein, dead at age 76.

I've really enjoyed listening to her on Scariest Places on Earth. She definitely knew how to bring the creep.

Posted by: Alice H at 08:49 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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State of the Union

Posted by: Moron Pundit at 06:26 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Investigative Journalists are Douchebags

Even if they're on your side. 

Sometimes that's easy to forget in the heat of a moment but always remains true. 

Yeesh.  What the FUCK was he thinking? 

Also, him being a moron doesn't invalidate the fact that ACORN is a 100% criminal enterprise.  It just shows that journalism often is as well.

Posted by: Moron Pundit at 04:54 PM | Comments (12) | Add Comment
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Chris Buckley finally spits Obama's cock out of his mouth

Feeling stupid yet, Chris?

Posted by: doubleplusundead at 10:43 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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TMI MF

Because I'm not really a nice person.

The tape, say both our sources, is explicit and reveals that Mr X "is physically very striking, in a certain area. Everyone who sees it says 'whoa'. She's behind the camera at first."

"So who is Mr X and accomplice?" you ask?
You shouldn't have, you'll regret it.
Sources have told us that, in the throes of their affair, John Edwards and Rielle Hunter  made a sex tape that contains "several sex acts."

I just hope you've all eaten already.
I have to admit, if I didn't have to see him having sex, I'd love to watch him having sex.
I wonder if he positions a mirror so he can watch himself. I'd also like to know if he combs his hair during sex. I mean, I'm sure he does if he's getting a hummer, but does he when doing the deed or does he tell the woman to keep her damn hands off his hair?
Blame Althouse.

Palate cleanser/apology below the fold
more...

Posted by: Veeshir at 09:54 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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Presented without context

"I'm good…now," he says. "Now my penis is fantastic! One hundred percent recovered. Put me back in the game, Coach."

Um, what kind of game are you playing that involves your peen?

On second thought, I'd rather not know.

Posted by: Sean M. at 08:48 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Random thought

I was going to put together a SOTU drinking game but I'm afraid even we Morons would get alcohol poisoning within 5 minutes.

Posted by: alexthechick at 12:12 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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Definition: Trichinosis

{trik-uh-NOH-sis}

-noun.  A political malady caused by the excessive consumption of pork-barrel spending.  Symptoms include low poll numbers, fever, diarrhea, and the emergence of serious electoral challengers.  Potentially fatal to one's political career.

(See also: Cornhusker Kickback, Louisiana Purchase, Porkulus)

Posted by: JoeCollins at 08:22 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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What's Boeing up to

That they need UCLA to offer a special restricted class in Spacecraft Structure Design and Analysis.

Permission to enroll required. Further information will be displayed in the Shopping Cart. (Restricted to Boeing employees only) This course is intended for engineers and students with an interest in the various aspects of spacecraft structural design and configuration development. The concepts and techniques presented are drawn from practical hands-on experiences in both aerospace structural design and analysis as well as general engineering theory. Topics include structural design drivers; design considerations for typical structural components; dynamics and loads analysis; review of mechanics of materials; stress analysis and failure theories; finite element analysis in structural analysis; composite material selection, design, and analysis; aerospace fastener selection; structural test verification; and quality assurance. Students become familiar with computer software commonly used to enhance structural design and analysis, thus minimizing the amount of required structural testing and producing more cost-effective spacecraft designs. Prerequisite: Undergraduate course in Strength of Materials or consent of instructor.Elective course in Certificate in Astronautical Engineering.Enrollment limited to Boeing employees only. Restricted course; call (310) 825-4100 for permission to enroll. Web enrollments automatically generate a "Permission to Enroll" request. Internet access required to retrieve course materials. Visitors not permitted.

source

No location for the course is given but I bet it's Area 51.  Somebody get Jesse Ventura on this fast.

Posted by: chad98036 at 09:45 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Quote of the Day

Posted by: Moron Pundit at 03:37 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Fox Buys Rights To Torchwood

As good as The Office?  I won't hold my breath but I will hope. 

Also, an American spinoff of Dr. Who?  Does that mean the Doctor may appear on American television?  No way.

Posted by: Moron Pundit at 12:06 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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Haiti

I watched the 60 minutes special on Haiti last night and I don't have much to say after watching a front-loader scoop corpses into a truck like in Soylent Green. 

I don't know how that country can ever recover.  It seems almost certain that Haiti as it has been is gone and a new country will have to rise up and take its place. 

Posted by: Moron Pundit at 01:15 PM | Comments (14) | Add Comment
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It seems to be a slow day, so you know what that means...

Busty Blonde Russians singing pop music no one understands:




Send cash in lieu of thanks.

Posted by: chad98036 at 03:56 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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