Author: metatim

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Things 22: Transplant Problem, Fantastic Contraption, Profile Pictures

(Originally sent August 2008)

This week’s… thing
Didn’t end up seeing any films last week, but I did end up getting my thesis bound for submission.

Next Week’s films
I’ll be watching the new X-Files movie.   6.8/10 | 32%

I’ll be trying to get a ticket for the preview of Hellboy II.   7.9/10 | 88%

I’ll be seeing The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.   unrated | 11%

Woohoo!

Puzzle
Last week we considered the ‘trolley problem’. If the people concerned are indistinguishable, then the vast majority of people choose to divert the trolley and kill one to save the many. (The few that disagree with this generally consider the action of diverting the trolley makes you culpable for the death, whereas not doing anything leaves you inculpable even though more people die).

This week it’s time for the follow up!

A brilliant transplant surgeon has five patients, each in need of a different organ, each of whom will die without that organ. Unfortunately, there are no organs available to perform any of these five transplant operations. A healthy young traveller, just passing through the city the doctor works in, comes in for a routine checkup. In the course of doing the checkup, the doctor discovers that his organs are compatible with all five of his dying patients. Suppose further that if the young man were to disappear, no one would suspect the doctor.

In the doctor’s place, would you kill the young man to save the five, or spare him and let the five die?

Quote
Overheard conversation as I got on the tube the other day:

Man: “Go on then, what did you do that was really evil.”
Woman: “Well, I killed my daughter.”
Man: “Yeah, I guess that is pretty evil.”
[slightly awkward pause]
Woman: “I also killed two other main characters.”

Link
A brilliant game to test your inventiveness:

http://fantasticcontraption.com/

Video
Usually I filter out the things that I know will only really appeal to me and are unlikely to be of interest to anyone else. But I enjoyed this video so much I had to share it anyway.

It’s a great example of today’s collaborative culture – the videogame music from Final Fantasy 4 was originally composed by one guy, then some other (Japanese) nutters remade it with lyrics for the bad guys that the music was the theme for, then some artist made a video version using their illustrations to illustrate the song, then someone else took that and added English subtitles! Copyright law has a lot of catching up to do.

A picture
PhD comics came up with this insightful segmentation of profile pictures.

Categories
New

Things 82: Mad Science, Storytelling Verve, Solar Lighting

Pictures
Time for a Things Picture Special: 10 Pictures Lacking Context.

Video
Here’s some proper Mad Science: setting up a feedback loop such that a fly sees what a robot sees, and its attempts to fly around the obstacles it sees through the robot’s eyes are translated into movements by the robot. Yikes.

More details on the experiment can be found over at IEEE.

Link
Do not be put off by the artistic style here – this is some serious storytelling verve.

Puzzle
I recently read about some new solar powered floodlights, which is a pretty incredible thing since it means you can have off-grid public lighting. This begs the question: even when we couldn’t tap enough sunlight in a day to power a streetlight for a night, why weren’t all street lights at least partially solar powered?

Categories
Special

Things Special: 10 Pictures Lacking Context

I was browsing my collection of internet images and noticed an interesting sub-category: Pictures Lacking Context.

Photos that beg the question”What is going on here?”, and sometimes also “How did this image come about?”

In many cases I wilfully excluded the original source of the image from the filename when I saved it just to preserve the mystery, since I rather like them in their unexplained form.

1) Press Button To Operate Donkeys.
A very clear and straightforward sign. Wait, what?

2) Competitive Whaling?
Maybe?

3) Bridge Out Ahead. Use Alternative Routes.
Even if this may seem relatively straightforward, you still have to ask – where is the photo being taken from?

4) Hitler Photoshop
Clearly. But why bother? What does it meeeeeeeeeeeean?

5) Ritual Raccoon Throwing
The weirdest thing is everyone is acting as if this is expected behaviour. Even the raccoon.

6) Man Chases Ducks. Also, Walks On Water.
Look at this man. Now look at yourself. You are sitting at a computer. He is running on water after ducks. Consider everything else you could be doing instead of this.

7) Performance Mining
Not only can we mine an incredible hole in the middle of a lake, we also build roads all around it for no reason. Aliens viewing this must think we are trying to communicate something.

8) We Made This
Or stopped it? Or found it perhaps? They do seem somehow proud of themselves. This is the only clue.

9) The Law of Attraction
If you collect enough chairs in one space, more chairs will inevitably be drawn there. Right?

10) The Original
The image that defined the genre. Of course, it’s actually clear what has happened in this case.

Categories
Old

Things 21: Trolley Problem, Hamster Gaming, Sky Font

(Originally sent July 2008)

This week’s films – one line reviews
If you like nice fluffy happy films you have to see Wall-E. If you like dark mind-bending films you have to see The Dark Knight. These are both extraordinary films that demand and deserve your attention.

Next Week’s film
I’ll be watching Mamma Mia.

I’ll be watching Dark Knight again.

One of the above is true, the other is completely ridiculous and out of the question.

A Puzzle
Inspired by the events in The Dark Knight, here is the standard “trolley problem” (where trolley actually means tram):

A trolley is running out of control down a track. In its path are 5 people who have been tied to the track by a mad philosopher. Fortunately, you can flip a switch which will lead the trolley down a different track to safety. Unfortunately, there is a single person tied to that track. Should you flip the switch?

A Quote
“The infinite possibilities each day holds should stagger the mind. The sheer number of experiences I could have is uncountable, breathtaking, and I’m sitting here refreshing my inbox.”

-XKCD: http://xkcd.com/137/

A Link
Baby bats in mini sleeping bags:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-495789/Adorable-baby-bats–honestly–snuggled-wool-animal-shelter.html

A video
Live action hamster video gaming:

httpv://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=nYSbPthEfAg

A picture
A wonderful font. (Unfortunately this breaks the nice cute/dark dual theme this Things had going. Oh well).