Posts by Saethydd

18

Violent Games/Movie

by Saethydd in

all through my childhood, i was told about the evils of violence (and magic) in entertainment, i doubt i could count the number of movies and video games i wasn't allowed to enjoy for that very reason.

i did always watch movies and play video games with a certain amount of violence in them, but i was careful to keep it at the teen/pg-13 rating.. in the last year or so though i've started trying out games like skyrim, fallout 3, and thief.

(since i still live with my parents i'm careful about where and when i play them.

Saethydd

But such cases don't even prove violent video games have a unique correlation to the violent students that is any different from the correlation to their non-violent peers, much less the video games are a causal factor.

The factors that also cause them to be low achievers or unpopular are probably just as likely, if not more likely to be the root cause of such violent outbursts. After all, gratuitous violence itself is as old as the human race, as are the basic factors that create unpopular low-achievers.

Whereas videos games are a relatively new in invention, and in the interval since their invention violence has actually gone down on a societal level according to the data I've seen. So it seems that one can safely assume that in an otherwise well-adjusted individual violent video games won't spawn violence.

18

Violent Games/Movie

by Saethydd in

all through my childhood, i was told about the evils of violence (and magic) in entertainment, i doubt i could count the number of movies and video games i wasn't allowed to enjoy for that very reason.

i did always watch movies and play video games with a certain amount of violence in them, but i was careful to keep it at the teen/pg-13 rating.. in the last year or so though i've started trying out games like skyrim, fallout 3, and thief.

(since i still live with my parents i'm careful about where and when i play them.

Saethydd

All through my childhood, I was told about the evils of violence (and magic) in entertainment, I doubt I could count the number of movies and video games I wasn't allowed to enjoy for that very reason. I did always watch movies and play video games with a certain amount of violence in them, but I was careful to keep it at the Teen/PG-13 rating.

In the last year or so though I've started trying out games like Skyrim, Fallout 3, and Thief. (Since I still live with my parents I'm careful about where and when I play them.) I've found them to be quite enjoyable, and what's more, I've noticed no uptick in violent behavior. So I decided to do some research, and as is often the case, the Watchtower only considered the sources that support their opinion and ignored the many studies that contradict them.

http://videogames.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=001608

The above link has a list of articles for and against the idea that violent video games cause violence. From what I can tell, the studies that dispel the idea that violent video games are a cause for violence seem to make more sense. They tend to be broader in scope and duration. Furthermore, the articles that claim a link between the two things seem to be confusing causation with correlation, which is especially foolish when one considers how common it is to play violent video games. As one researcher put it:

These individuals are ignoring that 90% of young males play video games... Finding that a young man who committed a violent crime also played a popular video game, such as Call of Duty, Halo, or Grand Theft Auto, is as pointless as pointing out that the criminal also wore socks.

So what are your thoughts on this subject?

40

Movies I'm Watching

by ILoveTTATT2 in

jw
friends

i have, for about 6 months now, been trying to watch every single movie that was "cool" or interesting since 1960.it started out with a desire to watch as an adult all disney movies.

then it morphed into all bond movies (except for the non-canonicals).now it's turned into pretty much any and all movies.

here is my list, scratched out are ones i have seen, green are recent next-in line.turns out there was a lot i had never seen before, about 70% because of the cult restrictions!

Saethydd

Amazon video is a decent place to rent a lot of these, and if you have Amazon Prime some movies are free. I've been renting all the Harry Potter movies and watching them when I have the house to myself. Finished up to the Half-Blood Prince.

17

AI on the cusp of tremendous breakthroughs

by azor in

jw
friends

what does this mean for us as individuals and our civilization?

harris, kurzweil, and musk among others have some interesting thoughts on the subject.

as do shows like westworld.

Saethydd

I would say the big change coming in the 2020's is far more likely to be AR (augmented reality) glasses that work well, not a true AI

17

AI on the cusp of tremendous breakthroughs

by azor in

jw
friends

what does this mean for us as individuals and our civilization?

harris, kurzweil, and musk among others have some interesting thoughts on the subject.

as do shows like westworld.

Saethydd

There is no AI. There is machine pattern matching that gives the illusion of intelligence, but it's not self awareness in the sense that we picture "life".

Well not yet, but our own brains are proof that consciousness can exist in constructs mad of physical matter, given the right amount of complexity, so if things continue as they are it's just a matter of time.

74

This site should be called Anti-Jehovahs-Witnesses Cry-babies

by the-Question in

so, you left because of a bad example(s).. why all the whining?

nothing better to do with your time?.

you at least know far more about the bible than any church-goer?.

Saethydd

Fuck you ,this religion has deceived,lied ,caused suicides , broken marriages, took people money. These people aren't cry babies,they are sick and broken due to satanic shunning practices. Our friends on here need this site for therapy, so piss off with negative comments,we have had a life of boogie man stories and some on here would have literally killed themselves without the support on this forum , so again piss off with negativity.

What don't you recognize the "love" that marks him as a "true follower of Christ?"

17

AI on the cusp of tremendous breakthroughs

by azor in

jw
friends

what does this mean for us as individuals and our civilization?

harris, kurzweil, and musk among others have some interesting thoughts on the subject.

as do shows like westworld.

Saethydd

Well, this is actually my research area (statistical methods for machine learning).
There is currently a huge increase in applications and interest in machine learning. What many don't realize is that this is the result of a gradual but steady improvement in the field since the 90s which around 2010 meant machine learning could begin to solve "real" problems (image classification, etc.). That created a huge influx of investments which has increased the rate of progress considerably, however despite the hype people should think more about it as batteries for cars where you have a steady improvement until batteries are "good enough" and then it seems like an explosion.
In terms of AI, what machine learning can do well today is classification and regression tasks of various sorts and (to some degree) control tasks in limited environments and (to a lesser extent) image/sound generation... it would be very surprising to nearly everyone in the field if the current methods that are used now will generalize to true AI.
What does seem within reach is machines that can't think but can still accomplish rich control tasks, for instance driving (nearly solved) or replacement of low-skill factory labor with robots. These robots can't "think", but at some point they will begin to replace low-skill factory jobs in large numbers and that will have a *huge* consequence.
In other words, terminator might take your job but it won't kill you .

Just so long as they don't link them together geth-style and allow them to develop a group consciousness. XD

(Mass Effect reference for those of you who don't game)

17

AI on the cusp of tremendous breakthroughs

by azor in

jw
friends

what does this mean for us as individuals and our civilization?

harris, kurzweil, and musk among others have some interesting thoughts on the subject.

as do shows like westworld.

Saethydd

I for one welcome our new digital overlords and hope they will remember my support when they enslave us all.

In all seriousness, though, there are about a dozen or so major breakthroughs that need ton happen before a legitimate AI is a thing, and while it's not impossible I don't think it is likely to happen in our generation unless of course, one applies the Watchtower definition of that word.

As for their application, I suppose they could end up being a great asset or mankind's own destruction depending on how the cards fall, I'd say the state of our society when the AI is finally built will be the deciding factor.

2

Living as Christians: Help your Children Develop an Unhealthy Confirmation Bias Against Science

by Saethydd in

creation declares jehovah's glory.

however, the devil's world promotes god-dishonoring theories about the origin of life.. .

wow, how did i once not see how crazy this crap sounds?.

Saethydd

Creation declares Jehovah's glory. However, the Devil's world promotes God-dishonoring theories about the origin of life.

Wow, how did I once not see how crazy this crap sounds?

One thing I notice now is how they love to focus on the "wonders of creation" but never seem to like talking about the "horrors of creation." Like the parasites that tunnel their way through your body, or the massive teeth used by predators to rip their prey limb from limb. They also don't like to mention the "creation" that engages in behavior that goes against God's own laws, like the way Bonobos engage in random casual sex with little regard for gender, or the way mosquitoes, ticks, and bats drink blood copiously.

They also love to point at evolution and say it's improbable. The fact is though, that any natural solution no matter outlandish is more probable than a supernatural one, for the simple reason that NO supernatural explanation has ever been proven for ANYTHING! Meanwhile, natural explanations have a long history of supplanting superstitious nonsense!

...Okay, rant over

36

Does enforced shunning violate free will?

by poopie in

jw
friends

and ..

Saethydd

We live in a culture of values. Our culture has determined that physical abuse cannot be tolerated. Extortion cannot be tolerated. By making the choice to extort or cause physical abuse you are also choosing the consequences of that choice.

I suppose you are right, and unfortunately, emotional abuse is a lot harder identify and prove. Thus laws that prevent such abuse are not widely implemented.

Religious freedom does have some limits. You are correct, you cannot stone someone (physical abuse again) Someone choosing to shun you is not them encroaching on your liberty, they are execising their own liberty. The bottom line is they have the right to shun you. If I do not want to talk to you, for religious or other reasons, I can refuse to talk to you. I can even use our secular court system to enforce that you dont talk to me.

I would agree that an individual has the right to refuse contact with anyone they wish. (However, I also view doing so for the reason that you don't share the same religious view as being incredibly petulant.) It seems to me, though, that an organization had ought to be held accountable for its policies that cause emotional damage to people. Ah well, I don't expect they ever will be.