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halinc's comments
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halinc  ·  3356 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: How long until a robot cries?

Can you explain this comment? While the disciplines are distinct, In pop-sci articles it's not uncommon to hear from both.

halinc  ·  3491 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Libertarianism's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad idea

While I agree with the bulk of what the author's saying here, this struck me as an unfair statement:

>Now it just so happens that within the past decade or so the United States has, in effect, run two experiments — one in Iraq, the other in Libya — to test whether the theory of spontaneous order works out as the libertarian tradition would predict.

That wasn't an experiment in spontaneous order as described by Smith or the 'libertarian tradition.' It was an experiment in what happens when a power vacuum is suddenly created in a volatile political environment.

halinc  ·  3608 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Anyone have experience with grants?

As a researcher I've been on teams depending on grant funding, but I've never been a PI so my experience is pretty limited, but what I do know is that you need to be prepared for quite a bit of red tape. Deadlines for action on the part of the grant awarder are more like guidelines. Good scores don't necessarily mean you'll get funded, but they are a good sign. Apply often and be very descriptive!

halinc  ·  3615 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: How We All Miss the Point on School Shootings

I don't disagree with the thrust of this article, but the conclusion is a little vague. The call to be more empathetic and pay attention to society's outsiders could be fleshed out a little more.

IRC, GeoCities, myspace top 8's, AOL instant messenger, dial-up tones.

halinc  ·  3651 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Hubski Cable, or "What'ch'ya'll watchin?"

What are your issues with GRRM, his editor, and the text?

halinc  ·  3679 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: I'm helping my parents move out of my childhood home. Suggest some music.

Thanks for the warning. My goal here is to realize the end of a part of my life without engaging in any of that sort of masochism. It's comforting that this is a pretty universal experience.

halinc  ·  3710 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: What Is Your State's Favorite Band?

The title is a little misleading here - the artist listed for each state is the most 'distinctive' pick for that state, ie the one who sees the most relative increase in popularity in that state. James Blake isn't the most popular answer for a favorite artist among New Yorkers, but he's picked more often in New York than in other states.

halinc  ·  3766 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: What have you overindulged in over the holidays?

Scotch.

halinc  ·  3769 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: I collect old folk songs from Europe. Which can you recomend?

The song that Passion Pit sampled in Sleepyhead is pretty good.

Óró Mo Bháidín

halinc  ·  3779 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Why I want Bitcoin to die in a fire

>lost opportunity to fold proteins, predict weather, whatever.

You have some other good points here, but protein folding and weather prediction are not bottlenecked by available CPU cycles.

halinc  ·  3779 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: How to Create a Self-Referential Tweet

Any bash pros want to explain the syntax error I get?

expr: syntax error id= error=- delta= selfid= ./$script.sh: 31: [: Illegal number: -

halinc  ·  3816 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Broken Bells (Disco Completo)

I got excited thinking this was a premature release of After the Disco, but I guess I'll have to wait until January.

halinc  ·  3840 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: What's your study/work music?

Soon It Will Be Cold Enough is Grade A focusing music.

halinc  ·  3845 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Ten FIDY - Best Dark Beer in America?

My current favorite is Dragon's Milk, a stout aged in bourbon barrels with a lot going on in the flavor department. It's pricey but worth it.

halinc  ·  3853 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: 24 books you've probably never heard of but will change your life

Anyone know of a way to find Asylum? Amazon lists it as currently unavailable.

halinc  ·  3876 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Functioning 'mechanical gears' seen in nature for the first time

ATP synthase has been described as analogous to a molecular gear in bio texts for a long time. That said, this is on a wholly different scale and very cool.

halinc  ·  3901 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: 10 Geniuses Who Used Drugs -- And Their Drugs of Choice | Alternet

These are fun to read. I suspect part of this is because I tend to think of illicit drug use as a time sink or worse, and realizing that a capital-G great person managed to be so influential in spite of a 'bad' habit emphasizes their brilliance.

The idea that greatness can come from drug use is even more alluring. In some of these cases I think the author may be reaching. Watson's friend told some guy who then told a British tabloid that he credits LSD with the discovery of the double helix? I'm not denying the value of a psychedelic experience, but you don't have to play telephone to support its existence.

The anecdote about Erdös' wager was pretty funny.