Print

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

[Max White]

Maybe your average FPS fan boy has lower than normal intellect, but for the rest of us, noticeably within the indie game market, I would say we are at or above the average. Not everybody can play Dwarf Fortress, not without graphics packs anyway.

For the modders, I would say often above average.

[Desdichado]

Indie games are like indie-everything-else: the people playing those games, or listening to that music, or watching those movies, etc., certainly do think that they are smarter than the mainstream, but generally aren't really in concrete terms. I think most people can play DF, but rather, most don't want to play it due to ease-of-use or lack-of-interest issues unrelated to intellect.

We're not exactly investigating a unified field theory on this forum. Suffice to say, I can't imagine many Harvard admissions application essays are being sent with the kind of grammar used by native English-speakers routinely on this board and other gaming sites. Gamers in general are less educated than many mainstream types. Gotta embrace it. We're too cool for school. 

[Thief^]

I understand a little of quantum mechanics; I think it's fair to say that that shows that I'm smarter than the average, but it has no bearing on my grammar skillz

[Encased in burning magma]

I understand a little of quantum mechanics; I think it's fair to say that that shows that I'm smarter than the average, but it has no bearing on my grammar skillz

Then pray explain, in your own words, the Heisenberg uncertainty principle.

[Lord Shonus]

If velocity can be measured, then the particle is in motion and thus the precise position is impossible to determine. If the particle is fixed so that it's position can be measured, then the velocity vectors are lost. A gross oversimplification, but adequate.

[Kiktamo]

Grammar is but a creation of man in and is ultimately subject to the whims of mankind. Basically it's not set in stone and has been changing since the creation of the written word and will continue to change based on the whims of the youngest generation in existence. While I'm not saying this is a good or a bad thing it is a simple fact of civilization. So grammar will continue to evolve or devolve depending on your perspective as long as mankind exists. To quote an often used phrase nothing lasts forever.

Well that was fun.

Now back on topic if you have problems with stonesense then I'd recommend getting Overseer and see if using the latest Memory.xml from dfhack will make it work.

[Carp Slayer]

IQ: 173


 

[Archimand]

If velocity can be measured, then the particle is in motion and thus the precise position is impossible to determine. If the particle is fixed so that it's position can be measured, then the velocity vectors are lost. A gross oversimplification, but adequate.

This is because in quatum theory particles are represented as wave-functions describing probability density. A normal wave-function, like a sine or cosine, is infinite in space, hence a particle represente by one of those has the same posibility of being anywere at a given time, on the other hand, you use a single wave, with a single frecuency, so you can define its speed exactly. Particles however, are somewere at a given time, and the wave function must account for that. To do this is neccesary to build a wave packet from a determined number of sine or cosine functions superimposed, interfering constructively were the particle is suposed to be and destructively elsewere in space. The more thin is the wave packet -the more defined the position- the more wave functions have to be used, reaching infinite when having a perfect exactitude of the particle's position. This means you have an infinite number of waves with a equal number of different frecuencies, so you cannot determine the propagation velocity of the wave function, and as a result, of the linear momentum.

I have a tested IQ of 90, i play FPS as much as dwarf fortress, and english in not my native language. boasting intelligence in a gaming forum is a sign of pathetic arrogance, a trait certainly not related to any sort of intelligence. Being jerks over other people's spelling is even more pathetic, a sure sing of emotional stupidity, the worst stupidity there is.

The civil discussion of grammar, on the other hand is very interesting. Dont mind me and continue.

[Cruxador]

IQ: 173


 

According to a test you took on the internet, right?

[Max White]

There are valid internet IQ tests now? I didn't know that your knowledge of celebrity relationships and fashion trends held that much sway over ones quotient.

Quickly! I must purchase one of those 'People' publications! AWAY!

[Urist McUristy]

Maybe your average FPS fan boy has lower than normal intellect, but for the rest of us, noticeably within the indie game market, I would say we are at or above the average. Not everybody can play Dwarf Fortress, not without graphics packs anyway.

For the modders, I would say often above average.

Game preferences have nothing to do with intellect, and what you said about FPS shooters is a sterotype, and I doubt people who have a preference to indie games are all at average or above average intellect.

EDIT: Boy has this thread been derailed.

[Desdichado]

Grammar is but a creation of man in and is ultimately subject to the whims of mankind. Basically it's not set in stone and has been changing since the creation of the written word and will continue to change based on the whims of the youngest generation in existence. While I'm not saying this is a good or a bad thing it is a simple fact of civilization. So grammar will continue to evolve or devolve depending on your perspective as long as mankind exists. To quote an often used phrase nothing lasts forever.

Well that was fun.

The young don't influence language evolution much at all, actually. They usually generate slang that dies out with each new generation and that rarely appears in serious conversations. The middle-aged and the middle-class more often decide the long-term usage norms of a dialect.

Drift does occurs over the centuries, but at any one point in time, there does tend to be a standard range of acceptable grammar; and far from excusing errors, this standard highlights who isn't very good at pattern recognition, a key element of intelligence. Whether grammar will change in a few decades to support a current common error is pointless. For the moment, it's an error, and the percentage that make the error are demonstrating themselves less conscientious, attentive, discerning, or just plain that they rarely read or have conversations with educated people.

tl;dr: A slow general drift in usage is not an excuse for deviating from your region's current literary standard of English. Slacker.

[Cruxador]

There are valid internet IQ tests now?

Nope.

[Kiktamo]

Grammar is but a creation of man in and is ultimately subject to the whims of mankind. Basically it's not set in stone and has been changing since the creation of the written word and will continue to change based on the whims of the youngest generation in existence. While I'm not saying this is a good or a bad thing it is a simple fact of civilization. So grammar will continue to evolve or devolve depending on your perspective as long as mankind exists. To quote an often used phrase nothing lasts forever.

Well that was fun.

The young don't influence language evolution much at all, actually. They usually generate slang that dies out with each new generation and that rarely appears in serious conversations. The middle-aged and the middle-class more often decide the long-term usage norms of a dialect.

Drift does occurs over the centuries, but at any one point in time, there does tend to be a standard range of acceptable grammar; and far from excusing errors, this standard highlights who isn't very good at pattern recognition, a key element of intelligence. Whether grammar will change in a few decades to support a current common error is pointless. For the moment, it's an error, and the percentage that make the error are demonstrating themselves less conscientious, attentive, discerning, or just plain that they rarely read or have conversations with educated people.

tl;dr: A slow general drift in usage is not an excuse for deviating from your region's current literary standard of English. Slacker.

Perhaps you are right It's certainly something worth looking into and I sincerely appreciate your thoughts on the matter more information is always something worth looking at. I hope the last part was not too much directed toward me because I certainly do not believe I've deviated at all from anything at all let alone my region's literary standard and if I have I am definitely sorry that I have and would avoid it in the future. 

On another note in most cases I don't think most things on the internet can be considered valid at least not a majority.

[Osmosis Jones]

A lot of people in this thread seem to be confusing education for intelligence. They have some relation, in that an intelligent person is more likely to have the grades to foster, and later pursue, their interest in higher education, but by no means are a direct correlation.

Also, a tidbit to chew on; everyone thinks they are above average, because the concept of 'average' has itself become a negative term. Ask someone to rate their looks, their intellect, their athletic potential, and I can gaurentee you far more than half will pick a number between 6 and 8. I sure as hell do, and I know I am only certifiably justified in one of those respects, and am probably just an arrogant prick for the others.
So, if everyone is a 7, where are the 2's and 3's to balance it out? THAT, we usually ascribe to 'them', whoever it is that least shares our ideologies and beliefs. In everyday life, that can be the other political party, the other nationality, the other socio-economic group, hell, even the other sports team.

I will say this though; whether or not this forum is above average in intelligence is beyond any of us to say, but it is certainly one of the most polite forums online. Flame wars are few and far between, and situations that are ideal flame candidates often end up as reasoned debates instead (the polar opposite of standard internet behaviour).

Finally, one (originally) brief note on spelling & grammar; yes it is ultimately mutable, but it nevertheless remains a useful, even vital, aspect of any written discussion. Part of any debate is presenting your argument in a clear & effective manner, and perhaps more importantly, in a way that implies competence and familiarity with the subject at hand.
Correct (in the sense of following the basic rules that anyone with at least a passing education in the language should know) grammar is a vital part of it. Excepting those cases were there is legitmate excuse to be familiar with the material but not how to correctly present it (e.g. the speaker of a foreign language), there are few times where lax grammar will aid your argument.

Now, having bored you sufficiently, I'm going back to lurking around what is certainly one of the more interesting threads here.

Oh, OT, whatever happened to that Lua-based visualiser being worked on a few months back? Can't recall the name, but it looked similar to visual fortress, and was used to render the space elevator IIRC?