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Comment Movies versus games: active versus passive (Score 1) 396

There must be something really special about any phenomenon (in this case a video game) that compels people in the world to spend almost $1,000 million dollars in less than 2 weeks. I'm not a video game fan anymore, but I think I can understand the frenzy. In any case, although I prefer cinema to video games as a form of art, I recognize that at least video games like this forces you to be an active participant, and don't let you be just a passive viewer.

Comment Confusing religion with culture (Score 1) 535

You are confusing religion with culture. All the definitions of religion that I have looked up include not only cultural factors, but also involve supernatural beliefs (such as deities, a creator, life after death, etc.). Communism and its versions qualify as cultural systems, but not as religions.

Comment Re:Two peas in a pod (Score 1) 216

When measuring "hurricane power", categories can be misleading.

Sandy was only a Category 3 hurricane, and it was Cat 2 when it hit Northeastern US. Wind speed is not the only indicator of the "power" of a hurricane. Sandy had relatively slow winds, but its diameter was around 1,600 Km (1,000 mi).

In contrast, Katrina had Cat 5 winds, but was much smaller in diameter: around 600 Km (400 mi).

Comment Re:Two peas in a pod (Score 1) 216

I disagree with your comment regarding "dud" years, but I'm glad that you posted a comment regarding other events out of the US.

We are oblivious to hurricanes occurring out of our countries. You don't need to get that far from the US: Mexico and Central America have had pretty awful hurricane seasons in the last years.

So, when writing that a year was a "dud", remember to check the hurricanes at other parts of the world.

Comment We are machines that need movement (Score 2) 492

We are masses of blood and other fluids integrated with a machinery (bones, muscles, cartilage, and other tissues) that was designed to be moving.

Drugs like that may bring some of the benefits produced by exercise, but ultimately our bodies depend on movement for many functions. For example, bones that are not stressed by exercise become brittle. Cartilage in our spine and joints have no direct blood circulation, but depend on the blood flow of surrounding tissue. Lack of movement deprives cartilage of indirect blood flow.

I doubt that a single drug can replace all the benefits of moving our bodies.

Comment Re:Oh, gag me. (Score 1) 564

I am surprised myself about how people who are supposed to be rational thinkers can engage in long and hot discussions that seem to be more about religion than a scientific or engineering matter.

Logic and debate are disciplines that many "rational" engineers and scientists should learn. Just take a look to the countless battles on forums like this about "language A vs language B" or "Operating System X vs Operating System Y". Those discussions look more debates about the religion of each contender. I don't see much rationality there..

We like to see ourselves as a rational crowd, but we are not. We have deeply held beliefs like the rest of the people, and it is difficult for us to change our minds and embrace other technologies, brands, methodologies, etc.

Also, despite our self-proclaimed rationality, we can't escape from the fact that we are analogical, soft-tissued, blooded, entities, and we are full of subjectivity. Learning from philosophers and history can teach us a lot of lessons for our daily life.

All the humanity classes in the world will not be able to change our subjective nature, nor will make us cold, rational debaters. But, hopefully, at least we will be able to step back and see ourselves discussing, and understand better what is going on.

Hopefully.

Comment Re:Fundamental error: Buyers != Customers (Score 1) 321

It's not a obscure law sitting somewhere... it's *the* law for corporations in the USA. Please Google a bit and find the requirements to incorporate and run a corporation. And yes... that law is inadequate according to game theory: the best strategy would be that corporations act in the best interest of their stock holders *and* their community/country/planet. Otherwise, there are scenarios were everybody lose. E.g., sending all the manufacturing and operations to another country: when most of the corporations do that, surprise! Nobody has a job, so nobody can buy the stuff the corporations made abroad!

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