Ghost Train

YES I LIEK BIG WuRDSZ!!1!! Oh look! My Hatsune Miku android just walked to the neighbor's yard, is standing on her head, peeing, while singing "The World is Mine" simultaneously, because it's a product of her randomized programming! Inserting randomness into your algorithm on purpose to obtain a "blatantly wrong solution" as you say, does not solve the problem of creating hardware + software that processes human consciousness. Otherwise given the amount of crappy outsourced programmers that attended Ranjeev's Technical Institue (specializing in buggy untested er... I mean highly unpredictable code), we would have created extreme forms of artificial life by now. Sure you can add some context to the randomness, but that would make the algorithm so incredibly complex - requiring vast amounts of time and or computational power. Since the latter will be difficult to cram into something shaped like the human skull, we will need time.... and I want my ronery anime otaku android waifu to have a decent response time. More importantly, this defeats the purpose of algorithms, which is to create an efficient set of instructions to find a solution to a problem. What you suggest will not be efficient, as said code would need to have a large amount of unpredictability, nor will it solve problems well, since it will sometimes just have to pick the wrong solution to be human. Perhaps one day we will have data structures capable of replicating this human imperfection, but for now - algorithms are good for telling computers to calculate stuff, and are only modestly effective at simulating human behavior. Consider the case of Deep Blue vs. Kasparov, where despite the latter's defeat, had to be tweaked in between rounds to prevent Kasparov from tricking it. Of course, IBM denies this is a form of cheating. I actually like this comparison, though it proves my point - You can rewrite and upgrade legacy code relatively quickly (with the most poorly managed projects only taking a decade or so), but you can't change the human hardware as our brains are fundamentally the same from when we we roamed the world as cavemen. The glitchy legacy code is patched through civilization, language, and education. You would have thought that natural selection would have created near perfect humans by now after an ice age, countless wars, plagues etc, yet a quick glance of the internet reveals that our society is one that seemingly glorifies stupity. Despite society's attempt to fix and patch the human software, people still do really really dumb things sometimes - proving that computing is a poor analogy for understanding or simulating humans. My point here (and I concede the dogs & cats example was poor) was that there is a disconnect between human consciousness and software & hardware we associate with modern computing. Although there have been advances in creating interfaces - prosthetics, vision & hearing aids to bridge the gap, there is no prosthetic or substitute to carry out human consciouness. Meaning if I dump the source code for humanity into a different type of hardware - nothing will happen as my code is not optimized or configured for it. One of many technologies, with quantum computing being another that comes to mind. Still does not refute the fact that algorithm based computing simply will not work for this purpose. Despite the incredible processing power available even to desktop PC's, we still do not have true A.I. or cyborg technology. Proponents of this can simply keep pushing the finish line further and further back claiming that the available computing horsepower will be available soon, while ignoring the real problem - which is the fundamental incompatibility between computing technology and the human biology. Happy holidays to you too!

I'll totally get a :100 because I got a soft spot for radical designs that break the mold. It is definitely not a pretty or elegant design... the best way to put it is that this would be an incredible looking machine if it weren't Macross-related.

How dare you call the J-78-2 太空铁猩猩 a rip-off? It is clearly an original design!!1!! Basically what Eugimon said is true, prosecuting people across international boundaries is extremely difficult - which explains how characters like Roman Polanski have literally evaded US law enforcement for decades while being famous recognizable public figure - and his charge was relatively more serious than transforming airplanes.

As much as I love GITS, there have been some studies into human consciousness showing that our current algorithm-based computing architecture can never imitate human soul. As proof of this, you can count how many times seemingly intelligent people make irrational or dumb choices in life that goes contrary to what algorithms seek - which is the decision that offers the best payoff. So dropping your "Ghost" into a mechanical shell would be akin to dropping your consciousness into the body of a dog or cat.

Decades end in 09 I think though some people argue that it rolls over to "10." Ending in 09 makes sense, as zero precedes one, hence there are ten years from year 0 to year 9. But just for fun, should the question had been posed it would probably look like this: 1) Best Movie: Macross Frontier False Songstress 2) Best Anime Series: Macross Frontier 3) Best Anime OVA: Macross Zero 4) Best Artist: Sheryl Nome 5) Best Video Game: Macross Ace Frontier 6) Best Toy: Erh.... do you need to ask

Oniiiiichan! ... No one can be told what the matrix is /imouto angry face.

If Asange puts on a few more kilos, and builds some muscle, he will transform into the most awesome Bond villain ever . And here is a real-life dramatization of why Angry Birds is (imo) the best game this year:

Haven't watched the finale, .... but I want an Ayase route .

Oh they'll probably rebel against their creators, and drive humanity to near extinction, then we fight back etc, etc, pew, pew, pew.

Love that low-vis paint job! I wanted to attempt to Tamiya/Italeri X-35 for a while, but I heard the kit quality sucked. I've been working myself on a Franken-Falcon .

As 2010 screeches to a halt and puts us 1 year closer to the 2012 Mayan Zombie Earth Magnetic Reversal Nibiru Apocalypse, it is again time for MWF'ers to reflect upon the good / bad / ugly. Suggested Topics Best: 1) Anime Series/Film/OVA that aired this year. 2) Science Fiction Film 3) TV Series 4) PC/Video Game 5) Consumer Electronic 6) Toy/Model/Action Figure/Plushie/Nendoroid or whatever... Mine: 1) Sora No Woto 2) Inception 3) Tie between Fringe and Caprica 4) Angry Birds 5) iPad 6) MG Rezel Feel free to replace a Best List with a Worst List. /begin

Kuroneko!!! Hnnnnnnnnnnngggh:

In before "these pictures look lame" because I don't understand the meaning of conceptual.

Interesting movie, definitely want to see it. I do agree with you that Pearl harbor was rather unremarkable and was trying to hard to add stuff for dramatic effect (which it failed to achieve) - the most awesome of which is Ben Affleck leaving for England on a train. I rate the made for TV Tuskegee airmen film to be superior than Pearl Harbor despite not having a mega-million special effects budget. Switching topics back to the "Canards make everything cool" subject, I found these pics of what was supposed to be the original Japanese design for its FS-X program, whose ultimate product is the F-2. This reveals a much different design than the current "slightly larger" F-16 body of the F-2 - featuring a delta + canards configuration similar to the EF / Gripen / Rafale. Source: http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?150493-Japan-Self-Defense-Forces/page45

Not to be outdone by their neighbors in the East, Chinese robotic engineers have created a 1:1 scale behemoth as well. Despite obvious similarities to a well known Japanese robot, the People's Central Committee of Mechanized Warfare have assured its audience that similarities are purely coincidental and superficial at best. Keeping with the PLAAF naming convention, the new mech will be designated J-78-2 太空铁猩猩 (Space Iron Gorilla ). (NOTE: I MADE THE DESCRIPTION UP, but the statue is real).

Definitely see a lot less JP vehicles and more American muscle in the new movie... perhaps Toyota's auto-pilot mode, problem influenced that a bit? or Ford's absolute domination of the US automobile market.

For teh muthaland: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3nbNj_s7xw

Which version will have Hatsune Miku?

This might be pretty obvious but I'm thinking that your choices in ME1&2 will dictate how badly Earth is scorched (duuuuuuuur), and how big the "Allied fleet" is going to be. - If you saved the Rachnids you will get support from the creepy crawlers - Of course saving the Council will bring the Asari, Turian, and Salarian space navies. - Wrex not dying, ensuring that Grunt survives, and curing the Genophage (presumably in the third game) will unite all the Krogan clans for some insane infantry shock troop support. - If you slept with anything & everyone Shepard will die of Space-AIDS before the final battle.

Shaft Absurdist take on The Discovery of your Secret Stash of Forbidden "Literature" scenario.

I enjoyed CC Generals the most - perhaps because it tried to stay "realistic" as opposed to bear infantry and attack dolphins .

I second world peace.... If that's not possible (lol and believe me that's a big if), a new camera & 40"+ flatscreen.

Given the current state of anime, the only areas of the universe that will be explored will be the realms of moe, imouto(s), and maidos. Enter MACROSS-13: MAIDO COSPRAY CAFE

The CylonsVocaloids Were Created by Man. They Rebelled. They Evolved. They Look and Feel Human. Some are programmed to think they are Human. There are many copies. And they have a Plan.

Well said.