Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Karkov]

Yeah it's possible that it's diabeetus related, get a checkup and ask the doc about it.

Diabetes would probably be out of the question.  No family history of it, and I've never really had a problem with sweets or anything.  Blood work was done recently and nothing was out of the ordinary.  It's just one of those weird things that I'll probably get over.  I know full well to go to a doctor if it gets worse/continues for a while.

Although, if I lose a leg, I could totally get an awesome prosthetic leg and be on my way to becoming a cyborg or something.  Why don't we have those yet?  Isn't this 2014?  Why couldn't someone have engineered a body full of artificial organs encasing the brain and some nerves already?

[Haspen]

I can't imagine how people eat expired food without dying. But then again people ate expired food all the time throughout history and we're still here. Also what is cheese but expired milk, and what is tofu but expired soy? I'd drink a shot of expired corn slurry to that!

Pickled food is even better.

[My Name is Immaterial]

Although, if I lose a leg, I could totally get an awesome prosthetic leg and be on my way to becoming a cyborg or something.  Why don't we have those yet?  Isn't this 2014?  Why couldn't someone have engineered a body full of artificial organs encasing the brain and some nerves already?

Because all doctors suck and have this outdated thing called "Ethics".

[GiglameshDespair]

Although, if I lose a leg, I could totally get an awesome prosthetic leg and be on my way to becoming a cyborg or something.  Why don't we have those yet?  Isn't this 2014?  Why couldn't someone have engineered a body full of artificial organs encasing the brain and some nerves already?

Because all doctors suck and have this outdated thing called "Ethics".

What's unethical about it?

[Urist McScoopbeard]

Although, if I lose a leg, I could totally get an awesome prosthetic leg and be on my way to becoming a cyborg or something.  Why don't we have those yet?  Isn't this 2014?  Why couldn't someone have engineered a body full of artificial organs encasing the brain and some nerves already?

Because all doctors suck and have this outdated thing called "Ethics".

What's unethical about it?

Robots are inherently unethical, cyborgs are part robot, therefore cyborgs are partially unethical. Moral grey areas are, in fact, worse than unethical, why? I don't know.

[My Name is Immaterial]

Although, if I lose a leg, I could totally get an awesome prosthetic leg and be on my way to becoming a cyborg or something.  Why don't we have those yet?  Isn't this 2014?  Why couldn't someone have engineered a body full of artificial organs encasing the brain and some nerves already?

Because all doctors suck and have this outdated thing called "Ethics".

What's unethical about it?

Wait, no. I thought he was talking about vat-grown organs, not mechanical ones. Vat-grown ones need, AFAIK, stem cells, which come from proto poop-machines and noise-makers pre-natal infants. The only problem I can see with mechanical ones is that it might be difficult to get volunteers for clinical trials.

[Karkov]

Although, if I lose a leg, I could totally get an awesome prosthetic leg and be on my way to becoming a cyborg or something.  Why don't we have those yet?  Isn't this 2014?  Why couldn't someone have engineered a body full of artificial organs encasing the brain and some nerves already?

Because all doctors suck and have this outdated thing called "Ethics".

What's unethical about it?

Wait, no. I thought he was talking about vat-grown organs, not mechanical ones. Vat-grown ones need, AFAIK, stem cells, which come from proto poop-machines and noise-makers pre-natal infants. The only problem I can see with mechanical ones is that it might be difficult to get volunteers for clinical trials.

I'd totally be down for this.  If we could have long-lasting organs made artificially, mechanically or otherwise, I'd totally be up for that.  As long as they worked and they could guarantee that they could keep me alive, I'd totally be a guinea pig.

[Descan]

Frumple, the way you talk and type, your words caress the contours of my consciousness like no one ever has.

[scrdest]

Although, if I lose a leg, I could totally get an awesome prosthetic leg and be on my way to becoming a cyborg or something.  Why don't we have those yet?  Isn't this 2014?  Why couldn't someone have engineered a body full of artificial organs encasing the brain and some nerves already?

Because all doctors suck and have this outdated thing called "Ethics".

What's unethical about it?

Wait, no. I thought he was talking about vat-grown organs, not mechanical ones. Vat-grown ones need, AFAIK, stem cells, which come from proto poop-machines and noise-makers pre-natal infants. The only problem I can see with mechanical ones is that it might be difficult to get volunteers for clinical trials.

Not anymore, not since we've got induced pluripotent stem cells. The real problem is, something as complex as a leg is very, very hard to grow with the current tech and knowledge. We could, with great difficulties, grow a heart or other organs like that - it's basically just one type of cells, plus vascularization. Meanwhile in a leg, you have skin, muscle, cartilage, fat... a ton of things to go wrong there.


And there is a problem with mechanical legs - namely, DX:HR wasn't kidding. You can either have a super fancy shiny modern peg leg, or something that works as a real leg (this is, responds to neural signalling) and ram into a wall. Because neurons don't like that, and the glial cells form scars. And said scars are awful signal conductors.

[LeoLeonardoIII]

There's those blade foot prosthetics that make a no-legged athlete, who had barely trained in running, able to outrun Olympic runners. Turns out he killed his girlfriend and was let out on bail despite the fact his main claim to fame is running real fast. There are also robotic hands that can feel sensory inputs. I recall one interview with a researcher saying that the big problem with robotics was that they can give you a really strong hand, or a really dextrous hand, but it's difficult to do both. Although a weak dextrous hand is probably good enough for most people, once they break that design barrier we're good to go.

There's various stuff going on about exosuits to help soldiers carry very heavy loads (such as armor and ammunition, but also just gear so they can remain in the field longer and not get so tired). We have brainwave-controllers that can allow a quadriplegic person move a cursor around a screen - which is about 20 years away from being completely incredible.

Part of researching how to make a replacement part is being able to make a whole robot that works well. There's the robo donkey that a guy shoving on it can't knock over - it's too agile and just rebalances itself. Thing can follow its people on its own and carry huge loads, navigating novel broken terrain well. We have that dumb dancing Honda robot. Spider robots, etc.

They've found a few different ways to make undifferentiated stem cells without harvesting from babies. I read something recently about one research team that was able to get differentiated cells to revert to an undifferentiated state, from which they would naturally differentiate depending on environment much like a stem cell. They stressed the cells with acidic solutions which killed many but undifferentiated a large percentage. The trick is they were differentiated cells from newborn mice. They haven't reported on attempts to do it with older cells in more adult mice - but note they didn't just take stem cells from a baby mouse. This is very exciting stuff but it's in the earliest stages still.

[Neyvn]

Telemarketers... Are they getting worse???
Just had one right now.
Asks for Mr or Mrs (Family Name).
I in a clam voice reply. Sorry their not here right now.
THEN SHE JUST STARTS GOING INTO HER SALES PITCH,
I say, Sorry their not here,
SHE CONTINUES,
I Lift my voice a bit maybe she can't hear me.
INSTANT HANGUP!!!

I was sure that we had put ourselves on the no call list too... T_T

[Pnx]

Telemarketers... Are they getting worse???
Just had one right now.
Asks for Mr or Mrs (Family Name).
I in a clam voice reply. Sorry their not here right now.
THEN SHE JUST STARTS GOING INTO HER SALES PITCH,
I say, Sorry their not here,
SHE CONTINUES,
I Lift my voice a bit maybe she can't hear me.
INSTANT HANGUP!!!

I was sure that we had put ourselves on the no call list too... T_T

Maybe it was a robocaller?

[GiglameshDespair]

Although, if I lose a leg, I could totally get an awesome prosthetic leg and be on my way to becoming a cyborg or something.  Why don't we have those yet?  Isn't this 2014?  Why couldn't someone have engineered a body full of artificial organs encasing the brain and some nerves already?

Because all doctors suck and have this outdated thing called "Ethics".

What's unethical about it?

Wait, no. I thought he was talking about vat-grown organs, not mechanical ones. Vat-grown ones need, AFAIK, stem cells, which come from proto poop-machines and noise-makers pre-natal infants. The only problem I can see with mechanical ones is that it might be difficult to get volunteers for clinical trials.

As long as the cells are harvested before the fetus develops a nervous system I don't have a problem with it. Before that it's just a clump of cells. It may be human, but it's not a person that can think or feel. Besides, they are working on several ways to get the cells without using fetal stem cells.

Mechanical organs-wise: behold - a man with a mechanical heart. Really, the I imagine most difficult part is getting the brain out and still being able to keep it alive/ forming connections with nerves.

[LeoLeonardoIII]

You gotta screw with them.

TM: Is <name> home?
You: (In "rain man" voice) Yeah.
TM: Can you put him on the phone please?
You: Nope.
TM: This is concerning great deals on kitchens, can I speak to <name> please?
You: Can I be in your family?
TM: I'm ... excuse me, what was that?
You: I'm happy when I eat fish sticks.

Just continue spouting nonsense in a stupid voice until they hang up. If you get them to hang up you win.

Some will continue blasting out their script at a million incomprehensible words per minute. These you airhorn. When they call back you open your phone and airhorn again. At no time after the first airhorn do you put the phone to your ear because they will just be trying to get you back.

Alternately:

You: Let me go get him.
(Set down the phone gently and put your headphones on so you can get back to gaming)
(Close your cell phone much later when you see the call end)
(This is generally done only if you have an unlimited-minutes plan)

[Dutchling]

i just watched 6 hours of prison break

netflix
what are you doing
netflix
stop Dx