A little nonsense

[Brilliand]

I originally posted this on the Gamma forum, where it was somewhat on-topic, but it really would [del]make more sense[/del] be more appropriate here.

An answer without a problem:

Now, I may as well solve the more difficult problem of making that problem unsolveable, but still allowing the line to hit edges of the cube. The naive answer is to change the 5 or the 7 to Pi, thus making the light only hit four vertices. And in fact, that is the only answer, because in order to hit an edge, two elements of the vector...

Ah, I'd better explain the vector. The light beam's direction is [12,5,7] - the distance the line travels in each direction.

...must be multiplied by the same number X (rational or irrational) to become divisible by 12. Any such number X can be converted to any other such number X by multiplication by a rational number. Thus, given any such number for one pair of edges X and any such number for the other pair of edges Y, both X and Y will be divisible by the same real number Z, and multiplying the vector by the value X*Y/Z will cause it to reach a vertex. Thus, if the light ray cannot reach a vertex, it cannot reach more than four edges of the cube (proof by contradiction).

A problem without an answer:

Given a cactus farm in Minnesota guarded by a horde of rabid beagles, how would you go about rescuing a mule trapped in said cactus farm?

[Brilliand]

Oooh... good question...

It depends on your definition of nonsense, but I think the second part (the question without an answer) is nonsense, while the answer without a question is simply out of context.

[Brilliand]

Oh... well, in another sense, things taken out of context become nonsense if they depend on the context for their meaning. The second part is very random, but it doesn't need any outside context.

In this sort of situation, it's best to go with a rigid definition. "I'd better explain the vector" means something, so it isn't nonsense. "A cactus farm in Minnesota guarded by a horde of rabid beagles" also has a meaning, so it isn't nonsense either. That means I had better provide some real nonsense.

Latupito nipa maphisto filt bwimp Calaterum!

There. Now rescue the mule.

[Elro]

Latupito nipa maphisto filt bwimp Calaterum!

What did you just call my mama!?

[force my hand]

Dibs on the platypus.

[Brilliand]

Um... does that still count as nonsense? Or do I need to make some more to keep the thread title true?

[aestrivex]

i like cheese

[force my hand]

i like cheese

what up, nerfweed?

[Brilliand]

i like cheese

Does that count as nonsense? It's at least as bad as my question about the cactus farm.

An friend of mine suggested nuking the farm. He didn't have much sympathy for the mule.

[Exodus]

Aha! I get it now: it's because it's a cube (symmetrical with parallel sides).

And as for the mule, teleportation is obviously the most practical solution.

[consentingadult]

A problem without an answer:

Given a cactus farm in Minnesota guarded by a horde of rabid beagles, how would you go about rescuing a mule trapped in said cactus farm?

It's not my f-ing problem in the first place. Problem solved!

[aestrivex]

what up, nerfweed?

up is a two letter word. in the english language, it refers to the relative direction of what is above a particular object in a particular state of space/time/etc (which includes (infinitely?) many other dimensions as well, such as energy and entropy). it is easier to understand the concept of which direction is up when it is considered in comparison to the other relative directions. consider the following diagram:




for practical purposes, the definition of up can also be considered largely to be synonymous with the direction opposite the gravitational field of a particular point in space (indeed, this is the definition i've been using in response to that question for years, and only just now do i find that it's technically not correct.) in most situations that would be practically experienced on the planet earth, this is a very good way to define precisely what is up from the space/time/etc. for example if one were to throw a ball in some arbitrary direction, one would be applying a virtually instantaneous force onto it -- however, the ball would not travel infinitely far in that direction; instead, it would experience other forces which would cause it, as a whole, to accelerate in other directions. the most important force which would act upon the ball is the force of gravity, which would tend to cause the ball to return to the earth's surface after a period of time, presuming that the ball does not achieve an escape velocity -- which is unlikely, given the physical capacity of humans to apply an impulse on to the ball. this direction in which the ball experiences a noticeable difference in acceleration is, for all practical purposes, down, or the opposite of up; if one measures 180 degrees from this direction in space, you would correctly identify the direction commonly referenced as "up."



it is important to recognize, however, that the word up does not necessarily refer to the direction opposite the gravitational field. rather, all up refers to is the direction above (in relative terms) some particular body with a specific, measurable spatial orientation. for example, referring to the above diagram, there is no reason that the person depicted could not be in some area of the universe where gravitational forces were negligible, thus rendering the definition that up is the direction opposite the gravitational field as incorrect with respect to that particular person at that particular point in space/time/etc.

[Brilliand]

What is the mule wearing?

A teleportation device, of course.

[Brilliand]

OK, there's a dragon raiding a village. There is only one warrior in the village - a muscular knight for some reason encased in diamond armor. The armor blocks his eyesight, but fortunately the dragon is blind as well, so that's no big deal. Both the knight and the dragon and the knight have a phobia for rabbits. Suddenly the dragon happens to bust open a rabbit hutch... and the rabbits are frightened of the dragon, of course. Is the village saved or not?