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GeneralRe: Ode to the Bluetooth selfie-stick Pin
trønderen28-Feb-21 15:53
trønderen28-Feb-21 15:53 
GeneralRe: Ode to the Bluetooth selfie-stick Pin
trønderen27-Feb-21 7:50
trønderen27-Feb-21 7:50 
GeneralRe: Ode to the Bluetooth selfie-stick Pin
Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter27-Feb-21 7:17
professionalKornfeld Eliyahu Peter27-Feb-21 7:17 
GeneralOde to the awkward and strange little ESP32 Pin
honey the codewitch26-Feb-21 6:35
mvahoney the codewitch26-Feb-21 6:35 
AnswerRe: Ode to the awkward and strange little ESP32 Pin
Eddy Vluggen26-Feb-21 12:31
professionalEddy Vluggen26-Feb-21 12:31 
GeneralRe: Ode to the awkward and strange little ESP32 Pin
honey the codewitch26-Feb-21 13:13
mvahoney the codewitch26-Feb-21 13:13 
AnswerRe: Ode to the awkward and strange little ESP32 Pin
Eddy Vluggen26-Feb-21 13:43
professionalEddy Vluggen26-Feb-21 13:43 
GeneralMusings: Contrast the Consequence Pin
W Balboos, GHB26-Feb-21 4:48
W Balboos, GHB26-Feb-21 4:48 
For no reason of which I am aware, I suddenly began to compare certain aspects of my careers (real life: chemistry vs. continuing story: programming).

A particular aspect of the two that really distinguishes the two is the type of results one expects.

With a computer program it is a series of steps/procedures/what-ever's that are deterministic. I am using the term 'deterministic' to imply that the results of specific input exactly defines the specific output. That is, in fact, the real point of using the computer: exactly predictable outcomes. It cannot be a mere 99.9999% predictable or, if you think of it and how many operations take place for almost anything calculation of consequence, that one-chance-in-a-million of uncertainty would make it useless. It sort of follows one of Einstein's quotes to the effect that 'insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results'.

Now contrast that with chemical processes. They're really all statistical. For any of you who've taken organic chemistry, you know that you are looking for a "% yield" - in other words taking a bunch of stuff and putting them through a process has a multitude of outcomes. Not only that, but let's say you have a 70% yield as a predicted outcome (from previous information). You still will not likely see exactly 70% but will, if your "recipe" was well documented, have an expectation of something like 70±10 % as the yield. So there's uncertainty at two levels: what the reactants will do when they interact and a bit of kismet. Throw in that your starting materials are real substances that will "invariably vary" and it completes the fog. In organic chem lab, your product generally started out looking like (and was part of) a tar.

All that being said, it works damn well and chemistry is part of everything around you that makes life good. Forget popular opinions - nearly everything you look at required chemistry to bring it about.

Now, for computers, you could break that determinsitic paradigm you have built the perfect Turing Test. For chemistry, there are some reactions that are essentially "quantitative" meaning that all of the reactants go to a single product limited only by the relative proportions of the reactants (something might be in excess). A beautiful example of the latter is the preparation of cobaltus tetrakis(thiocyanato)mercurate. You mix solution of two salts and, after an induction period, it begins to form a brilliant blue snow storm, continuing towards this single inorganic polymer product until one reagent is totally exhausted. It is, however, a rare thing. I tried to find some videos of it but they were made by bored hacks. Here's a still[^]

So now, I'm in a world of a + b always gives c as before it was c (and some d, e, f, . . . ). In a way, we have it easy. As long as the plug isn't pulled or coffee spilled.

Ravings en masse^
"The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein
"If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010

GeneralRe: Musings: Contrast the Consequence Pin
theoldfool26-Feb-21 5:28
professionaltheoldfool26-Feb-21 5:28 
GeneralRe: Musings: Contrast the Consequence Pin
W Balboos, GHB26-Feb-21 5:48
W Balboos, GHB26-Feb-21 5:48 
GeneralRe: Musings: Contrast the Consequence Pin
Greg Utas26-Feb-21 6:10
professionalGreg Utas26-Feb-21 6:10 
GeneralRe: Musings: Contrast the Consequence Pin
W Balboos, GHB26-Feb-21 6:16
W Balboos, GHB26-Feb-21 6:16 
GeneralRe: Musings: Contrast the Consequence Pin
theoldfool26-Feb-21 6:27
professionaltheoldfool26-Feb-21 6:27 
GeneralRe: Musings: Contrast the Consequence Pin
PIEBALDconsult26-Feb-21 5:37
mvePIEBALDconsult26-Feb-21 5:37 
GeneralRe: Musings: Contrast the Consequence Pin
Eddy Vluggen26-Feb-21 12:34
professionalEddy Vluggen26-Feb-21 12:34 
GeneralRe: Musings: Contrast the Consequence Pin
Sander Rossel27-Feb-21 0:20
professionalSander Rossel27-Feb-21 0:20 
GeneralThought of the Day Pin
OriginalGriff26-Feb-21 4:33
mveOriginalGriff26-Feb-21 4:33 
GeneralRe: Thought of the Day Pin
PIEBALDconsult26-Feb-21 4:41
mvePIEBALDconsult26-Feb-21 4:41 
GeneralRe: Thought of the Day Pin
obermd26-Feb-21 6:21
obermd26-Feb-21 6:21 
GeneralRe: Thought of the Day Pin
W Balboos, GHB26-Feb-21 5:02
W Balboos, GHB26-Feb-21 5:02 
GeneralRe: Thought of the Day Pin
jeron126-Feb-21 5:17
jeron126-Feb-21 5:17 
GeneralRe: Thought of the Day Pin
DRHuff26-Feb-21 13:52
DRHuff26-Feb-21 13:52 
GeneralRe: Thought of the Day Pin
Daniel Pfeffer27-Feb-21 6:04
professionalDaniel Pfeffer27-Feb-21 6:04 
PraiseStealing from C# - I'm shocked Pin
honey the codewitch26-Feb-21 2:27
mvahoney the codewitch26-Feb-21 2:27 
GeneralRe: Stealing from C# - I'm shocked Pin
W Balboos, GHB26-Feb-21 3:25
W Balboos, GHB26-Feb-21 3:25 

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