Comment Re:The speed of light (Score 1) 315
One of my favorite bumper stickers of all time: "186,200 miles per second. It's not just a good idea, it's the law." ;-)
Crysis 2 Update a Perfect Case of Wasted Polygons 159
crookedvulture writes "Crytek made news earlier this summer by releasing a big DirectX 11 update for the PC version of its latest game, Crysis 2. Among other things, the update added extensive tessellation to render in-game elements with a much higher number of polygons. Unfortunately, it looks like most of those extra polygons have been wasted on flat objects that don't require more detail or on invisible layers of water that are rendered even in scenes made up entirely of dry land. Screenshots showing the tessellated polygon meshes for various items make the issue pretty obvious, and developer tools confirm graphics cards are wasting substantial resources rendering these useless or unseen polygons. Interestingly, Nvidia had a hand in getting the DirectX 11 update rolled out, and its GeForce graphic cards just happen to perform better with heavy tessellation than AMD's competing Radeons."
Comment Re:Just algebra? (Score 1) 490
No one, I mean no one, builds
C'mon, I can't be the only one here who programs physics simulations for fun.
Comment Re:Before we start the flame wars (Score 1) 962
What do you mean? Anyone could just look up in the sky and directly observe the sun and moon going around the earth. Currently the best supposedly scientific ideas of biogenesis are thrown out there with FAR less supporting evidence.
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If we're talking about true science as being verifiable, then a lot of what is currently taught in the name of science (from biology to evolution to physics) falls outside of that realm. Ideally, those things should be correctly labeled as theories until they can be and have been verified. They generally are labeled as such by the more astute educators, but there are still plenty who teach them as facts as though science has remained stagnant for hundreds of years, and many more who will just absorb whatever they're taught or read as fact without a second thought.
Comment Re:I knew it! (Score 1) 208
I knew it! They can deactivate my brain with magnets and stuff! *proudly wears tin foil hat*
Dude, tin foil isn't going to shield these magnetic fields!
Comment Re:What idealistic state? (Score 1) 470
The two words "fork oracle" carry such power, attraction and brightness that they are enough to obfuscate anything else that was written.
Now I just need to start selling T-Shirts with that phrase on them.
Comment Re:No (Score 2, Informative) 520
... Gold is a poor conductor
Gold is a superior conductor to aluminum and not much worse than copper. I'm guessing its cost has more to do with aluminum winning out on low end shielding.
Comment Re:Doesn't explain... (Score 1) 269
That's probably bead lightning, a related phenomenon.
Comment Re:Obstruction of justice (Score 1) 597
People would rarely use "most" for less than a 2/3 majority, and a lot of people (but maybe not "most" of them
Huh? Please consult ANY English Dictionary.
When you're talking about a binary variable (only two categories as here), then 'most' means a strict majority. If I have two containers and one has 10 jellybeans and the other has 9, I really hope you can determine which container has the MOST jellybeans.
Just my $0.02
Comment Re:Endless vs. infinite (Score 1) 301
There are different sizes of infinity, and therefore it is entirely possible for an infinite task to grow into a larger infinite task.
I don't see how really. The different types of infinities are different in their basic nature. For example, you can start with an infinite set with cardinality aleph0 such as the integers, and let that 'grow' all you like, taking that infinity multiplied by that infinity, raised to the power of that infinity, etc. and you'll still never get to the next 'larger infinity' with cardinality aleph1 such as that of the real numbers. They're just a fundamentally different animal. It's the difference between discrete and non-discrete.
Comment Re:It's a good idea. (Score 2, Funny) 198
I think it's brilliant. I don't care if somebody did it somewhere else before and deserves all the credit--that's beside the point.
Wait... are you by chance a US Patent Clerk?
Comment Re:Steve Jobs is a boner (Score 1) 434
I think the original poster was taking exception to the original quote attributed to Steve Jobs which referred to competitors stealing their inventions.
Comment Re:this makes it more powerful (Score 1) 507
Sorry, but in careful double blind tests, diluted water works exactly as well as undiluted water for treating thirst. ;)
Comment Re:Heomeopathy = Placebo (Score 2, Informative) 507
Sorry, that may be true, but it's not the placebo effect. Try looking up the origin of the effect to gain a little insight. :)
Comment Re:Step 1 - decap the chip without killing it (Score 2, Funny) 327
Not the kind of thing you're going to do in your kitchen!
What!? You obviously have never seen my kitchen.
