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[Spehss _]

But if gravity is a dip does that make us tortilla chips?

...Yes.

[Frumple]

A question of "what something is" is a philosophical question, not physical.

Pretty sure the periodic table of elements would disagree, there. Along with atomic theory, a great deal of physics, chemistry, material science, etc., etc., etc. "What the zog is this thing" is one of the more fundamental scientific inquiries, mate.

Not that making the distinction is really meaningful, since science is just a particularly successful branch of philosophy

You might have been more accurate to say it's a question of metaphysics instead of physics, but I'd still say that's... fairly wrong. It's both, it's just that the two use different sorts of heuristics as a basis for answering the question.

Don't know if that explains what gravity is or if it just explains what it does but whatever it was fun to type that.

Nah, I've seen that explanation before... would say is more of the does than the is, but more than that do we actually have confirmation of sorts of that particular scenario? I've legitimately forgotten. Been a while since I've really paid attention to that stuff.

[Spehss _]

By asking "what is gravity", are you asking what causes it or what is it made of or what? I'm fairly certain gravity is just a force. So it's not made of anything. It may be caused by something in the same way that the force of magnetism is caused by something, but it's not made of matter or energy or anything.

Apparently my earlier description is basically the simplified summary of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. I knew I had heard that somewhere. Gravity is explained there as a "geometric property of spacetime", where "the curvature of spacetime is directly related to the energy and momentum of whatever matter and radiation are present." So it sounds like the more matter and or radiation, the more gravity.

[Sergarr]

A question of "what something is" is a philosophical question, not physical.

Pretty sure the periodic table of elements would disagree, there. Along with atomic theory, a great deal of physics, chemistry, material science, etc., etc., etc. "What the zog is this thing" is one of the more fundamental scientific inquiries, mate.

Not that making the distinction is really meaningful, since science is just a particularly successful branch of philosophy

It's not a scientific question!

Scientific question is "how does that thing interact with those other things", since that's the only question that science can answer. Asking "what this thing is" is stupid, since there are infinite possible answers, each of them equally valid.

Can you definitely answer what an apple is? Is it a collection of organic molecules, a collection of atoms, a collection of fundamental particles, a certain configuration of quantum fields, a cognitive object created by out brains in order to interpret a certain combination of signals, an eatable red fruit, all of the above and some more?

Same with gravity. You can invent infinite possible answers to the question of "what is gravity". What you should ask is not "what gravity is", but "how does gravity interact with other stuff".

[Frumple]

... I'm just going to note to myself you consider a great deal of science to be stupid, serg, and... move on.

So the general physics field has actually came down on it being a force, then? Know there were some faint issues with einstein's GR theory they were still working kinks out of, but it's another one of those "Last time I paid attention was years ago" things, and back then they were still having trouble saying anything more substantiative about gravity than what it (probably) is doing.

[Radio Controlled]

Maybe the question becomes easier if we tackle a more mundane topic e.g. "What is a toaster?"

From that, perhaps we could pose that the most useful answer depends on the needs of the person asking. A dude trying to get some breakfast going only needs to know what button to push in order to toast the bread, while an engineer trying to reverse engineer it will need far greater detail, such as every component and their interactions and characteristics (something the hungry breakfast seeker doesn't need).

[Avis-Mergulus]

Well, it is fair to note that by the scientific method, the question of "what is something" has severe limitations and strict selection criteria for its answer set, and in a large number of cases, the answers in that set can indeed be reduced to interactions with other things.
It is also fair to note that Spehss probably didn't want to discuss methodology.

[Spehss _]

It is also fair to note that Spehss probably didn't want to discuss methodology.

Didn't even think of methodology. Googled "methodology", still don't know what to talk about with it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Avis-Mergulus]

It is also fair to note that Spehss probably didn't want to discuss methodology.

Didn't even think of methodology. Googled "methodology", still don't know what to talk about with it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

It's basically which criteria we consider necessary to observe for the results of our work to be valid and relevant. In this case, it's when you ask for an answer to a question, and people go, "But ah! What is an answer?"

[Radio Controlled]

My point wasn't to hijack his question or anything, it was that the kind of answer we should give depends on what type of information he seeks. A 20.000 word explanation including lots of equations would be a valid answer, and 'a force that makes masses attract' as well. My guess is he wants the latest scientific consensus on it, but explained in laymans terms and in short.

[Frumple]

That'd be the rough of it, aye.

[Sinistar]

I picked up Hotline Miami 1 and 2 from the SSS, and I just absolutely hate it. I don't get why this game is so hype among people, it's annoying usually and just absolute shit during special fights.

Hotline Miami 1 is a LSD induced PCP rampage on an Ecstasy overdose. Paranoia, mindfuck, guts and possibly mr. Freud.

It also has simple, but quite solid mechanics, good level design for most of times, nice music and cool story, bro, making it an overall quite refined action game. It is a call back to a different era, back when games were meant to be played.

Can't say shit about HM2, didn't even see the trailer.

[NJW2000]

Gravity? Most noticeable in autumn, when those apples keep falling of the trees.

Personally, I think that Darwin bloke what with the evolution and auxin stuff shoulda looked into the apple thing, not some physicist like Newton who spent his time designing catflaps.

  As far as I can tell, it's because the stems rot, or the apple gets too big. Stands to reason.

[pisskop]

I found a street overlord cartridge on the side of the road this morning >.<

[NJW2000]

I found a street overlord cartridge on the side of the road this morning >.<

Google is unsure of exactly what that is, as is my Emoticon Reader 2000.

Game cartridge or... joystick batteries