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Through the Living Hopper

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    What Are You Reading, Part 2

    in Entertainment Discussion

    Posted

    15 hours ago, KaladinsSenseOfHumourSpren said:

    Well,

      Hide contents

    The book didn't have the iron man sequence because it just wouldn't realistically work. The thrust provided would be very limited and near impossible to control properly, and Watney's skin would be sucked in and plug the hole, so the thrust wouldn't last long anyway.

    No, I haven't watched the movie, but I've heard what happens.

    Spoiler

    Yeah, but I still felt unfulfilled.

    F = P(A)

    F = 101325(A≈0.0002)

    F = 20.265

    According to an AI overview (which is probably the easiest way to get semi-reliable information), at the end of the movie he has to accelerate 13 m/s/s.

    Matt Damon is 84 kg, so... You're right, it doesn't work.

    0

    What Are You Reading, Part 2

    in Entertainment Discussion

    Posted

    It's been a long time since I've done a recap, but some highlights:

    See How They Run, by James Patterson 

    Interesting story, but something about it felt a little off. 

    Spoiler

    I'm never going to be a huge fan of stories that rewrite history in a way that can be easily disproven. That being said, it was an insight into neo-Nazism that was saddening. The car horn scene was heart-wrenching. The twist at the end felt contrived.

    Okay read, but not one I would recommend to a friend.

    Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline

    This is the opposite. This will probably be the first book I recommend to people after Jurassic Park. 

    Spoiler

    A fun story about a virtual reality world that does end up having real stakes. The ending was a little bit unsatisfying, but still finished the book well. It's funny, well-written, insightful, and clean (except for two pages where he gets very open about his masturbatory habits).

    The Martian, by Andy Weir

    I've heard some bad things about this book, but I was pleasantly surprised. Mark Whatney is funny, interesting, and even though I've seen the movie, this book held my interest.

    Spoiler

    That being said, in the movie he proposes his "I could fly like Iron Man" plan, it's shot down, and he eventually has to do it. In the book, he brings it up, it's shot down, and he doesn't have to do it (but it gives them an idea). I was very disappointed while reading the book.

    If I know the person is okay with language, then this is a definite recommendation. Such a great book with moderately real science.

    Artemis, by Andy Weir

    Not nearly as good as his other two books, but a fun read. I don't really have anything to say about this one.

    Eh. I liked it, but I probably wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless they like North Pole's Eleven. (Because the moon might have had an ocean on its North Pole).

    Red Rising and Golden Son, by Pierce Brown

    A masterfully written story about a slave class trying to rise up. 

    Spoiler

    Halfway through the first book, we take a turn into Hunger Games territory, but much better written and with actual interesting story.

    The end of the next book didn't really thrill me for the last one, and made me think this story really could have been called Les Marsérables, then that ending wouldn't have come out of nowhere. That being said, it didn't feel rushed, just seemed like a poor narrative choice.

    A lot of both books is focused on political intrigue, which I love reading (and writing), but is difficult to be interested in when you're like me and can't remember names.

    Not sure how I'm going to feel about the rest of the series after that ending.

    A solid sci-fi (really just fi, there's not a lot of science in these books) tale that I'll probably recommend.

    Currently Reading: Dungeon Crawler Carl series, by Matt Diniman.

    I figured I'd give this a try, and it was worth it! Funny and weirdly heartwarming (sometimes over a fire), this book has most of what you need for a great story: a very relatable protagonist with a fun sidekick, a very definite goal, and tons of gore.

    Spoiler

    I just finished the 3rd book, and it was frustrating. I saw what they should have done 25% before the end, but they didn't do it.

    Probably not one I'd recommend, but by no fault of the book, it's just very adult.

    1

    Hello from Singapore!

    in Introduce Yourself!

    Posted

    1 hour ago, justagal said:

    By the way, how long does a thread needs to be, to be considered not appropriate to post about? 3 days, 1 week, 1 month?

    There's no set time, but in general try to avoid it after 2 months.

    Welcome to the Shard! You've arrived at the best place on the Internet, filled with the best people, the best desserts, and the best murderous animals! 

    Here are a couple of tips to help you settle in to your new place as a cog in the Grand Apparatus that is the Shard:

    1. Join S(anderson) E(limination).

    2. Familiarize yourself with the most important forums: SE, Cosmere Q&A, and SE.

    3. Tell us which books you have and haven't read (this helps us avoid spoilers)

    4. HAVE FUN! Make friends!

    5.

    Spoiler
    Spoiler
    Spoiler
    Spoiler
    Spoiler

    The more people you interact with, the more people it's acceptable for you to follow, and then those people will feel obliged to follow you. 

    And then you get rep and cool yellow words under your name.

    0

    Tau vs Pi

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Just now, KaladinsSenseOfHumourSpren said:

    Yes, but e to the pi i doesn't equal 1, it equals negative one

    The one is just there to make it a nicer number

    Also to add another identity.

    And that's a common way those formulas are written (to equal 0).

    0

    Tau vs Pi

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    1 minute ago, KaladinsSenseOfHumourSpren said:

    With π, Euler's Identity is kind of clunky because you need the +1 to make it a zero

    But with tau...

    e^(τi) = 1

    So yeah, another reason tau is better

    Except, 1 and 0 are two identities. 1 is the multiplicative, and 0 is the additive. Having only one of those two doesn't fully let us appreciate the beauty of the formula.

    0

    Parshendi escape from Kholinar

    in Stormlight Archive

    Posted · Edited by Through the Living Hopper

    6 hours ago, Xabben said:

    One of the most unbelievable parts of the entire Stormlight Archive, for me, is the escape of the Parshendi from Kholinar's palace after killing king Gavilar. Even if the group of parshendi left a couple of hours before the assassination, the parshendi needed to navigate through a completely unknown territory for weeks before reaching the shattered plains. Moreover, we know by chapter 81 of RoW that they did not transform into war form until they reached their homeland, which means that they travelled using other, much slower forms such as the work form. Is it really believable that humans, with access to much faster travelling methods such as horses, wouldn't have found these parshendi just outside the capital city?

    There are a few possibilities for explanations:

    1. They didn't escape. Is it confirmed they made it back (yes, we know one or two did, but they might have left the main group and were forgotten when the larger group was captured)? The Alethi go after them and kill them, then go to war.

    2. The Alethi weren't that focused on them. There were Parshendi in the palace that took responsibility for Gavilar's death and were executed. In the rush to solidify the country, the Alethi might just not have cared enough to search out one group of Parshendi.

    3. They escaped. It's about 1090 miles from Kholinar to Narak, and that's a lot of area to cover, even for a dedicated search party. It's less than half that to the Unclaimed Hills, where it seems likely that they could escape easily.

    6 hours ago, Xabben said:

    wouldn't have found these parshendi just outside the capital city?

    This I can assure would not have happened. With 2 hours of a head start, they would have gotten pretty far. It's about 150 miles to the mountains by Kholinar, and they (traveling at 3 mph) would be able to get 12 miles before a search began. A quick (AI overview, so take this with a grain of salt) Google search tells me that a mounted search party moves anywhere from 3-6 mph, depending on how thoroughly they search. Assuming 4 mph, the horse search party wouldn't reach them until both had gone about 144 miles (3t+12=4t), and that's not including food breaks, which take horses longer than people.

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