Ask a Nerd. Or Ask a Puddle of Water. I'm Not Picky.

[Soren Peregrine 4,606]

42 minutes ago, Duality said:

I didn't have any particular one in mind, but probably something like 'Mere Christianity'. 

^ Ah, one of my favorites. I gave my copy away though to someone. 

Since we are discussing C.S. Lewis' theological works, would you say you are a Christian? I mean some people I know say they just like reading books about 'religion' because they are very interested in worldviews.

[Frostgage 7,975]

If you have a mobile phone, what kind is it? How do you feel about it?

How wet is water?

What is the most recent compliment someone has given you?

Teach me new math please?

[Duality 10,739]

1 hour ago, Frostgage said:

If you have a mobile phone, what kind is it? How do you feel about it?

It's a Samsung Galaxy S6, and I feel quite grateful for it, given that I found it lying on the side of the road in near-perfect condition with no owner in sight. I did put out a call for whoever lost it on a local neighbourhood-forum website, but nobody claimed it within the next few months, so I reset it to factory condition and I've used it as my own ever since. I have no gripes about its functionality or anything; I upgraded directly to it from an old-school SMS-only button phone, so I'm in no place to be picky. 

1 hour ago, Frostgage said:

How wet is water?

>pedant_rage_initiate

WATER ISN'T WET

LIQUIDS CANNOT BE WET

ONLY SOLIDS WITH A LIQUID RESIDUE ON THEIR SURFACE CAN BE WET

1 hour ago, Frostgage said:

What is the most recent compliment someone has given you?

"I believe in you 100% you can't stop me if you kick me [from our server] I'll believe in you through DMs".

From a buddy of mine via Discord as a random motivational message to encourage me to finish a project that I submitted a few scant hours ago. 

1 hour ago, Frostgage said:

Teach me new math please?

Euler's formula states that e^(i*x) = cos(x) + i*sin(x), where all angles are in radians and i is the square root of negative one - the 'imaginary unit'. This equation is a cornerstone of the field of complex number analysis and widely considered one of the most elegant results in all of mathematics for x = π.

However, if you substitute in x = π/2 + 2nπ, where n is any integer, the cosine function's value becomes 0 and the sine function's value becomes 1 no matter the value of n (due to the periodicity of trigonometric functions), which means that the equation simplifies to e^(i*(π/2 + 2nπ)) = i. Raising both sides of the equation to the power of i it becomes i^i = e^(-(π/2 + 2nπ)), which is our final formula.

Now, this is a very counterintuitive result, because not only does this mean that i^i is a real number,  a novel concept in itself, but also that i^i is more than one real number at the same time. i^i has an infinite number of values, no less, one for each value of n from n = -∞ to n = +∞ (e.g., for n = 0, 1, and 2, i^i = 0.2079ish, 0.0003882ish, and 0.0000007249ish, respectively).

This has been New Math Teaching: Frosty Edition. I'm here all day, folks.

[Soren Peregrine 4,606]

On 5/18/2018 at 6:51 PM, Soren Peregrine said:

Since we are discussing C.S. Lewis' theological works, would you say you are a Christian? I mean some people I know say they just like reading books about 'religion' because they are very interested in worldviews.

^ You still didn't answer my question.

If it's too personal I understand, no worries. Or maybe you forgot. Or maybe you're still formulating a response. 

 

I'll just tag a few more on while I am at it.

What is the greatest blunder for a military general to make? (This a reference to a famous scene from a movie, involving a Sicilian and a Pirate.)

What defines a cup being half empty or half full?

Do you have a favorite sports player?

Do you ever go fishing?

[Duality 10,739]

3 hours ago, Soren Peregrine said:

^ You still didn't answer my question.

If it's too personal I understand, no worries. Or maybe you forgot. Or maybe you're still formulating a response. 

I did formulate a response, actually, and I could've sworn I posted it (except not really because swearing is bad). 

I wrote something along the lines of "yeppers, definitely; I'm a Protestant Conservative Independent churchgoer, to be precise, but I find that the concept of Christian unity takes precedence over most minor doctrinal divides when properly applied." I haven't the foggiest how I managed not to submit it as a reply. 

3 hours ago, Soren Peregrine said:

What is the greatest blunder for a military general to make? (This a reference to a famous scene from a movie, involving a Sicilian and a Pirate.)

The single greatest blunder,

major generals can make,

Is that if before their queen,

off their hat they do not take.

This truly is the greatest,

among possible mistakes,

The single greatest blunder,

modern generals can make.

3 hours ago, Soren Peregrine said:

What defines a cup being half empty or half full?

Cups cannot be half-empty unless a vacuum seal is applied to drain one half of it of air. You'll probably never see a half-empty cup in your life.

3 hours ago, Soren Peregrine said:

Do you have a favorite sports player?

Probably Paul Morphy, even though he's not still alive.

3 hours ago, Soren Peregrine said:

Do you ever go fishing?

On the few occasions I've tried it, I've ended up with no more than a seven-armed starfish and a few sea snails from when I accidentally let the hook right down to the seabed.

[Soren Peregrine 4,606]

12 minutes ago, Duality said:

The single greatest blunder,

major generals can make,

Is that if before their queen,

off their hat they do not take.

This truly is the greatest,

among possible mistakes,

The single greatest blunder,

modern generals can make.

Well, not exactly the answer I was looking for, but that works too!

15 minutes ago, Duality said:

I did formulate a response, actually, and I could've sworn I posted it (except not really because swearing is bad). 

^ It all come down to pushing that 'Submit Reply' button and seeing it posted, does it not? 

 

Some music questions...

 

What types of music do you listen to most often?

What music artists do you listen to most often?

Are you one of those people that doesn't really care what the lyrics say if it sounds good, or are the lyrics and the message of the song more important to you than the sound? Or are you somewhere in between those two?

What is your favorite instrument?

Do you play any instruments?

 

[Duality 10,739]

21 hours ago, Soren Peregrine said:

What types of music do you listen to most often?

Electronic, chiptune, and a capella, in general; my music tastes are sadly not particularly broad, although I'm working on changing that.

21 hours ago, Soren Peregrine said:

What music artists do you listen to most often?

Owl City and Pentatonix, hands down.

In the way of fan music, occasionally some BlackGryph0n and Exiarch.

21 hours ago, Soren Peregrine said:

Are you one of those people that doesn't really care what the lyrics say if it sounds good, or are the lyrics and the message of the song more important to you than the sound? Or are you somewhere in between those two?

I do consider the message of a song the most important part of it, especially given that the majority of artists deliberately attempt to structure the entirety of each song they produce around a specific message. The message of a song is in part conveyed by the sound of it, mind you - music is a language in its own right, after all -, but it is often the lyrics of a song (assuming the song has lyrics, of course) that most precisely and explicitly express the message thereof, so it is definitely my preference that the lyrics of the songs I listen to are wholesome. This is in fact why my music tastes are so limited, as previously mentioned: it's hard to find decent songs with decent lyrics nowadays amongst the vast numbers of R-rated tracks that inundate all major music databases.

21 hours ago, Soren Peregrine said:

What is your favorite instrument?

Sextants are the classiest parts of antiquity condensed into metal form, tuning forks are just plain great, and my loupe is my best friend in all matters pertaining to small detailed objects, but overall it'd have to be clocks. There's no better tool for helping you to stay organised.

 

If you were talking about musical instruments, saxophones are easily the best, pianos are pretty solid follow-ups, and chiptune-generator programs basically turn computers into musical instruments, so they definitely take out third place. 

21 hours ago, Soren Peregrine said:

Do you play any instruments?

I can use a calculator like nobody's business.

In regards to those instruments designed to generate sound waves, however, I used to play the piano and the recorder when I was young, but I've fallen dismally out of practice due to lack of time. I exercise my bass singing voice every Sunday with gusto, though, so there's still hope left for my potential star-studded musical career. 

Edited May 24, 2018 by Duality

[Soren Peregrine 4,606]

23 minutes ago, Duality said:

Electronic, chiptune, and a capella, in general; my music tastes are sadly not particularly broad, although I'm working on changing that.

Boy you need to feel the power of Rock n' Roll! That's mostly what I listen to. There are a lot of good rock bands out there. I had to look up what chiptune was. I've never heard of it, but it looks very intriguing. The two genres I don't really like are pop and rap, though there is one rapper that I love called N.F., and he never says says bad words, and he talks about real issues.

41 minutes ago, Duality said:

Owl City and Pentatonix, hands down.

In the way of fan music, occasionally some BlackGryph0n and Exiarch.

Owl City? Interesting choice. Pentatonix has some beautiful a capella. I like them.

BlackGryph0n? I love that dude! I still have no idea why he hasn't been on any talent shows or singing shows with his mainstream stuff. Truly a man who's talent has not been recognized by the world.

As to Exiarch, I've never heard of them. I tried searching around and couldn't find anything. Did you mean Einarx? Or maybe you could just link one of their songs so I could hear it?

29 minutes ago, Duality said:

This is in fact why my music tastes are so limited, as previously mentioned: it's hard to find decent songs with decent lyrics nowadays amongst the vast numbers of R-rated tracks that inundate all major music databases.

Very true. That's one of the downsides of living in a fallen world. I almost always try to check the lyrics before listening if I can. Sometimes there are songs that would be beautiful if it weren't for the cursing and/or other bad words, which is why I go out of my way to find clean versions of otherwise good songs. Many are so bad though that no amount of editing can fix them...

 

34 minutes ago, Duality said:

If you were talking about musical instruments, saxophones are easily the best, pianos are pretty solid follow-ups, and chiptune-generator programs basically turn computers into musical instruments, so they definitely take out third place.

Saxophones are great, but I prefer the fretless bass and cello myself. Fretless basses are practically the saxophones of stringed instruments, there is so much you can do with them. The Cello has the most amazing tone and conveys so much emotion... I'm getting carried away, I better stop.

48 minutes ago, Duality said:

I can use a calculator like nobody's business.

It does take some skill to use those. As I am still doing Geometry, I am quite baffled by many of the buttons and functions!

 

Here are some more questions! 

 

What is your favorite season?

Do you prefer the temperature to be warmer or colder most often?

Do you know much about plants?

Does gardening interest you?

[Duality 10,739]

1 hour ago, Soren Peregrine said:

Boy you need to feel the power of Rock n' Roll! That's mostly what I listen to. There are a lot of good rock bands out there. I had to look up what chiptune was. I've never heard of it, but it looks very intriguing. The two genres I don't really like are pop and rap, though there is one rapper that I love called N.F., and he never says says bad words, and he talks about real issues.

Oh, yeah, I hear N.F.'s songs on the radio fairly often. Not half bad, especially for rap.

1 hour ago, Soren Peregrine said:

As to Exiarch, I've never heard of them. I tried searching around and couldn't find anything. Did you mean Einarx? Or maybe you could just link one of their songs so I could hear it?

That would be because I spelt their name wrong - it's Exiark with a 'k'. I know Einarx, too, but their songs are a bit heavy for me. 

There you go. Arguably one of Exiark's best tracks.

1 hour ago, Soren Peregrine said:

The Cello has the most amazing tone and conveys so much emotion...

My mother used to play the cello. It only really comes into its own with accompaniment, she always said.

1 hour ago, Soren Peregrine said:

What is your favorite season?

Winter. Snuggling into a warm blanket reading a book is never quite as satisfyingly comfortable without heavy precipitation and frigid temperatures outdoors.

1 hour ago, Soren Peregrine said:

Do you prefer the temperature to be warmer or colder most often?

Colder, obviously. Having to warm yourself up is far more pleasant than having to cool yourself down.

1 hour ago, Soren Peregrine said:

Do you know much about plants?

To a fairly reasonable extent. I know most basic garden flowers and can identify the majority of weed plants common near me.

1 hour ago, Soren Peregrine said:

Does gardening interest you?

I have a nice little plot of dirt where I plant random vegetation that catches my fancy, but I don't prune it or weed it anywhere near as often as I probably should. Either the plants die off or they end up going triffid.

Edited May 24, 2018 by Duality

[Soren Peregrine 4,606]

30 minutes ago, Duality said:

Oh, yeah, I hear N.F.'s songs on the radio fairly often. Not half bad, especially for rap.

What I love about him is how he refuses to let the industry define himself. He's practically on the level of Eminem as far as intellect, talent, and honesty, minus the bad stuff of course. Here are a few songs I thought would be good to share: 

One from his very first album:

Spoiler

The lyrics are very powerful.

A tearjerker about how he lost his mom (I really admire people who are able to be honest like this and still hold onto their faith.): 

Spoiler

 

And lastly, one from his new album 'Perception' (which actually hit #1 on Billboard 200):

Spoiler

 

Sorry I couldn't help myself. I love music, and I love sharing it!  

You don't have to listen to all of them if you don't want to. 

50 minutes ago, Duality said:

Winter. Snuggling into a warm blanket reading a book is never quite as satisfyingly comfortable without heavy precipitation and frigid temperatures outdoors.

I love Winter! Then you aren't sweating in even just shorts and a t-shirt, and you just put on warmer clothing as needed.

53 minutes ago, Duality said:

That would be because I spelt their name wrong - it's Exiark with a 'k'. I know Einarx, too, but their songs are a bit heavy for me.

Oh Exiark. I know who you are talking about now. That is a pretty good track by the way!

 

Have you ever played in the snow?

Do you know very much about the migration that Monarch Buttterflies make?

What do you think is the main reason why all of the honeybees are dying here in the U.S.A.?

What is your favorite dessert?

[TigerGeekGuy 4,662]

On 5/5/2018 at 8:44 PM, Duality said:

Several thousand.

One for every eye she has.

 

 

Interrogatives:

1. Thoughts on 'glitch in the matrix' events?

2. Who, among the Mane Six, do you believe brings in the most monthly income?

3. Thoughts on 'Morgellon's Disease'?

4. What exactly is Rainbow Falls made of?

5. Would you like to be a tree?

[CheeryFox 23,820]

Can you wiggle it?

[Duality 10,739]

On 5/25/2018 at 12:43 PM, Soren Peregrine said:

Have you ever played in the snow?

I have indeed. I even built a full-scale snowman with my grandparents once as a kid, complete with carrot nose. 

On 5/25/2018 at 12:43 PM, Soren Peregrine said:

Do you know very much about the migration that Monarch Buttterflies make?

A masterpiece of logistics and an impressive demonstration of creatures' capacity to just 'know' things without being taught. Some top-tier nature right there.

On 5/25/2018 at 12:43 PM, Soren Peregrine said:

What do you think is the main reason why all of the honeybees are dying here in the U.S.A.?

They're dying pretty much everywhere, not just the US, and I'm not entirely sure. It seems like the sort of thing that's attributable to humans doing something wrong on a global scale (as per the norm for environmental horrors) but it's not obvious what natural order we might be damaging to achieve an outcome like this.

On 5/25/2018 at 12:43 PM, Soren Peregrine said:

What is your favorite dessert?

Anything berry- and chocolate-based, especially cheesecake. 

 

 

 

 

On 6/12/2018 at 7:23 PM, TigerGeekGuy said:

Thoughts on 'glitch in the matrix' events?

Actually just invisible Twilight Sparkles trolling us to see what we'll do.

For science, obviously.

On 6/12/2018 at 7:23 PM, TigerGeekGuy said:

Who, among the Mane Six, do you believe brings in the most monthly income?

Rarity, definitely; she's the only one out of the Six who's been shown to actively dabble in capitalism. 

Pinkie's just a part-timer and Applejack's only in it to pay off Granny Smith's gambling debts.

On 6/12/2018 at 7:23 PM, TigerGeekGuy said:

Thoughts on 'Morgellon's Disease'?

People's minds can play cruel tricks on them.

On 6/12/2018 at 7:23 PM, TigerGeekGuy said:

What exactly is Rainbow Falls made of?

The same rainbow juice that the CMC drained out of an actual rainbow with a vacuum device back in that one Cheerilee x Big Mac love potion episode, and the same rainbow juice that they showed in the Rainbow Factory during that episode where Rarity got butterfly wings. Liquid rainbow is a well-established phenomenon in Equestria.

To answer your question, though, it's probably because prisms made out of Crystal Empire crystal can refract actual matter through them and there's an ancient crystal somewhere in Cloudsdale that is used for industrial refraction of purified water. Rainbow Dash totally crashed into it at some point early in her life.

On 6/12/2018 at 7:23 PM, TigerGeekGuy said:

Would you like to be a tree?

The quality and length of trees' life on Earth nowadays are not particularly high. If it was, say, in a natural reserve somewhere in Equestria, though, it sounds like it would be quite soothingly peaceful. 

 

 

 

On 6/18/2018 at 8:39 AM, Stormfury said:

Can you wiggle it?

Indubitably.

Edited June 19, 2018 by Duality

[Pr0m4NV14 839]

Hey, @Duality (Who is definitely Randall Munroe in disguise.)

Does a set of all sets contain itself?

[Duality 10,739]

2 hours ago, Pr0m4NV14 said:

Hey, @Duality (Who is definitely Randall Munroe in disguise.)

You flatter me, my good sir. *bows*

2 hours ago, Pr0m4NV14 said:

Does a set of all sets contain itself?

Not in ZFC, any system with the axiom of regularity, and any system that you don't want to fall prey to Russell's paradox, barring unconventional/exotic axiom choice such that the paradox is circumvented another way. If you have a logical system that requires breaking, though, I recommend Curry's paradox. Very effective. 

[Passion 3,484]

Hey @PuddleofWater, when it rains, do you feel yourself or it's more like someone invading your personal space.

Also, how do you evade evaporating?

[Duality 10,739]

13 hours ago, Passion said:

Hey @PuddleofWater, when it rains, do you feel yourself or it's more like someone invading your personal space.

I feel condensing and falling and hitting the ground, rejoining that vast collective terrestrial flow of water from soaring the heavens once again, intermingling with all of nature as I have done since the Beginning.

It's very poetic.

 

To answer your question, though, both.

13 hours ago, Passion said:

Also, how do you evade evaporating?

Why would I want to avoid transcending solidity to become an effectively omnipresent and intangible mist of consciousness? 

[Frostgage 7,975]

Who are your favorite musical artists/groups/etc?

[Soren Peregrine 4,606]

Are you a dog or a cat person?

Have you ever built a birdhouse?

What is the cutest thing you have ever seen?

[Duality 10,739]

3 hours ago, Frostgage said:

Who are your favorite musical artists/groups/etc?

Daniel Ingram, Blackgryph0n, Pentatonix, Owl City, Azureflux, and Vivaldi are the best names that I can think of off the top of my head. 

3 hours ago, Soren Peregrine said:

Are you a dog or a cat person?

Definitely cat.

3 hours ago, Soren Peregrine said:

Have you ever built a birdhouse?

Closest I've come to that was building a tiny hut out of Lego for a store-bought chicken egg I was given to take care of for a week.

I named him Eggbert. 

3 hours ago, Soren Peregrine said:

What is the cutest thing you have ever seen?

I've seen a lot of adorable pony art, but this one has always remained the most notably hnnng-inducing for me:

Edited July 6, 2018 by Duality

[Soren Peregrine 4,606]

20 hours ago, Duality said:

Definitely cat.

Me too! 

 

And that is an undeniably cute piece of art! 

 

 

And now for some more questions...

 

What's the highest you've ever been above sea level?

What do you think about the idea of humans traveling to different planets and colonizing them? Do you think it will ever happen?

How many states in the USA have you been to?

Which state in the USA is your favorite?

Did you do anything fun or of importance on the 4th of July?

 

[Duality 10,739]

On 7/7/2018 at 8:59 AM, Soren Peregrine said:

What's the highest you've ever been above sea level?

About ten kilometres. Standard aircraft cruising altitude. 

On 7/7/2018 at 8:59 AM, Soren Peregrine said:

What do you think about the idea of humans traveling to different planets and colonizing them? Do you think it will ever happen?

The fact that it's being legitimately considered nowadays (especially in regards to Mars) shows just how far we've come with our technology.

I can't see it getting underway for a very long time, though. America doesn't have the money for it and there's not many other nations with the interest or the industrial means to pull it off.

On 7/7/2018 at 8:59 AM, Soren Peregrine said:

How many states in the USA have you been to?

I visited my grandparents in Georgia once when I was very young, but that's about it.

On 7/7/2018 at 8:59 AM, Soren Peregrine said:

Which state in the USA is your favorite?

I don't know enough about any of them to judge. Texas is almost as hard-boiled gunslinging notorious as Russia, though, so perhaps them. 

 

Spoiler

just kidding canada is clearly best state

 

On 7/7/2018 at 8:59 AM, Soren Peregrine said:

Did you do anything fun or of importance on the 4th of July?

Not appreciably more than standard semester break fun/importance. I heard there was much epic fireworking over on your continent, though. 

[Soren Peregrine 4,606]

What are some of your favorite things to do on a weekend?

 

Do you enjoy eating ice cream? If so, are there any flavors you are very fond of?

 

Here's a tough one. What is your honest opinion on the idea of 'waifus' and 'husbandos'?

[Pr0m4NV14 839]

Other than (Possibly) Chuck Norris, who could beat Saxton Hale hand-to-hand in a cage fight? (No children allowed.)

[Duality 10,739]

6 minutes ago, Soren Peregrine said:

What are some of your favorite things to do on a weekend?

Eat, sleep, and read about maths. Only the bare essentials of life. 

7 minutes ago, Soren Peregrine said:

Do you enjoy eating ice cream? If so, are there any flavors you are very fond of?

Anything berry-saturated works for me. There's this one brand I know that has a killer chocolate flavour, but as far as I know they're exclusive to my country.

8 minutes ago, Soren Peregrine said:

Here's a tough one. What is your honest opinion on the idea of 'waifus' and 'husbandos'?

zecora is mine

Haven't met anyone yet who uses the terms in their entirely literal and serious sense; it's usually meant in a spirit of fun. 

7 minutes ago, Pr0m4NV14 said:

Other than (Possibly) Chuck Norris, who could beat Saxton Hale hand-to-hand in a cage fight? (No children allowed.)

Steve Jobs.