Interesting Links for 11-12-2012

[andrewducker]

• Ada Lovelace- The Origin (hilarious. and largely true. Ish.)
  (tags: adalovelace technology computers babbage )
• Valve confirms Steam console
  (tags: valve games steam consoles )
• The 9 Muses of the Internet
  (tags: internet mythology )
• On Lighting A Christmas Pudding.
  (tags: christmas fire alcohol )
• Thermosaurus radiator - the world's

Comments

[drplokta]

The jellyfish thing was used by Arthur C Clarke in The City and the Stars, both literally and metaphorically.

[drplokta]

Interestingly, I note that the discovery cited about immortal jellyfish post-dates The City and the Stars by over thirty years, but nevertheless here's the most relevant quotation:
The great polyp had become the Master’s last disciple for a very simple reason. It was immortal. The billions of individual cells from which its body was built would die, but before that happened they would have reproduced themselves. At long intervals the monster would disintegrate into its myriad separate cells which would go their own way and multiply by fission if their environment was suitable. During this phase the polyp did not exist as a self-conscious intelligent entity-here Alvin was irresistibly reminded of the manner in which the inhabitants of Diaspar spent their quiescent millenniums in the city’s Memory Banks

[andrewducker]

Oooh, I like that.

I must re-read The City and The Stars!

[danieldwilliam]

Coral also have some amazing properties of longevity.

[gonzo21]

I would imagine the Steam console will have to be a pretty powerful PC in order that it can actually play most of the games one could buy from Steam, without suffering from the age old PC problem of buying a new game and having to turn all the detail levels down.

[andrewducker]

My PC is a couple of years old, and cost about £400 at the time and it happily runs most games. I suspect that Valve can make a pretty good set top box nowadays.

[a_pawson]

I suspect the constant hardware improvements demanded by games has slowed down. My PC is 3.5 years old and I've never come across a game it couldn't play. It cost about £400 new, although I did also put a £100 graphics card in it.

I also doubt the games offered will be running at the same sort of screen resolutions a PC can output. The PS3 and X-box certainly don't. Ever increasing graphics resolution and frame-rate appears to be a PC obsession.

[gonzo21]

This is true. The obsession with higher resolutions does baffle me, the xbox running at... the relatively low output it does, even on huge tv screens, still looks great.

[artkouros]

I like to think that our fine American example is responsible for the decline of religion in the rest of western civilization.

[andrewducker]

Still more religious than most of Europe (and far more than the UK): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Importance_of_religion_by_country

[del_c]

I think he meant America's religious example is responsible for the decline of religion in the other societies :-)

[momentsmusicaux]

My inner grammar nazi feels ever so slightly peeved at the sight of 'programme' to mean computer program. Yes, it's the US spelling but I feel its adoption allows a useful distinction.

[andrewducker]

Yup, I agree. When I first learned about computers I was told that "Program" meant specifically a computer program.

[cartesiandaemon]

Was that in the Ada Lovelace cartoon? Because I agree with your distinction, but "programme" felt ok in a faux-historical context.

[momentsmusicaux]

That's a fair point!

Ada Lovelace– The Origin (hilarious. and largely true. Ish.)

[cartesiandaemon]

ROFL. That is totally awesome and surprisingly accurate :)