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I was lucky to meet this giraffe and its creator in 2016. It’s quite impressive and clearly a labor of love. Has strong home garage hacker vibes. The creator was excited to show us around and answered any technical questions we had.

One aspect which stood out was that the head and other parts had touch sensitive “pet” detector cells each of which consisted a short, inch wide plastic flap connected at its base to some internal circuitry and held out from the base at a slight angle to resemble a sort of robotic fur equivalent. When you brushed your hand on them, the giraffe reacted and either nuzzled its head a bit, made some sounds, etc

Anyway I only briefly browsed the site so I’m not sure if he goes into more detail there. It’s cool to see this blast from the past and I wonder what the creator is up to nowadays.


To a local observer yes, but to someone moving at a different speed no! FloatHeadPhysics does a good job explaining some of this https://youtu.be/OpOER8Eec2A


No, time still passes at one second per second for any observer.


Only if you disregard observers in different frames of reference interacting with each other, which you shouldn't when you need high precision and it comes to projects spanning Earth, Earth orbit, and the Moon.

GPS wouldn't work without accounting for relativity, for example.


You're missing the joke. It's still one second per second, only that everyone's second looks different.


Exactly.


Yeah, I guess I don't see what's funny about that statement.

Unlike "sometimes a second is longer than a second" (not literally true but it makes some sense in the context of relativity), this one just seems like a tautology to me.


Yeah, it might not be funny, but the tautology draws attention to the fact that there is no privileged frame of reference.

In other words, the only thing we can say without qualification is that a second is just a second in the same frame of reference. All other statements must be heavily qualified.

Even things like "A's second is longer than B's" are only valid in some frames of reference and not others.


FloatHeadPhysics does a really good job of explaining these kinds of things https://youtu.be/TJmgKdc7H34


This is actually the guy that finally helped me break through into understanding (at least a little what's going on). Specifically about how the movement through space lengthens distances between objects (including atoms) and causes information (including light) to travel further, along the hypotenuse of a triangle, "in order to do stuff".

"Doing stuff" includes observing things because of the light travel distance, but also biological processes, which involve eg. electrons moving from one atom to another.

I didn't watched the linked video here (more relevant perhaps), but this was the one for me: https://youtu.be/Vitf8YaVXhc


I read somewhere that Evangelion has similar cultural impact with the Japanese as Star Wars does in the US. In that way naming this app NERV is similar to the US’s “Star Wars” strategic defense initiative…

Except there was a law suit in that case because nobody bothered to get the rights from Lucasfilm


The government didn't call it Star Wars, they called it SDI. Some lobbyists used that term and they were the ones that Lucasfilm tried to sue.

The lawsuit was dismissed, btw.

> On November 26, 1985, the suit was dismissed by Judge Gerhard Gesell of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, on the grounds that the lobbyists' use of the mark in a noncommercial and non-trade context fell outside the jurisdiction of trademark law. [1]

[1] "Lucasfilm Ltd. v. High Frontier, 622 F. Supp. 931 (D.D.C. 1985)". Justia Law. (via Wikipedia) https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/6...


GP never said the government named it that. Besides which, "Star Wars" was not a term used only by lobbyists, even if they coined it. It's a very common name for that program among the general public.


What does GP mean? I keep seeing this crop up. I'm used to seeing OP for Original Poster


Grandparent. While OP designates the root post, GP is two posts up.


Arguably Gundam is more equivalent to Star Wars - similar initial release timeframe (late 1970's), aimed at a wide audience, lots of toy and video game deals, many different stories with continuity, etc.


Gundam has definitely wider reach, including governmental recognition https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_impact_of_Gundam#Gove... (the whole page is interesting read) but Neon Genesis Evangelion also had huge impact on cultural scene of japan from what I have read, and by now it has similarly been deeply embedded in ways other works didn't.


Also laser swords.


And newtype is very clearly taken from jedi/force.


I was so confused when I clicked this link. I saw "NERV" and knew it was related to Evangelion. But then reading the website it seems so real and legit. But then they're using the real NERV logo from Eva, even with the "God is in his heaven, all is right with the world" subtext. Which makes seem like it must be some sort of spoof. But who'd set up something like this, in light of the recent disaster, and even publish real apps.

Man... the cognitive dissonance I went through mentally bouncing back and forth for a few minutes. I don't think I've ever experienced anything like that before in my life.

I'm glad all the top comments on HN are about Eva though.


They even have Shinji in the contact form as a placeholder, it's definitely not an accidental naming thing.


I've often had this thought myself. It's the simile I've used to explain Eva to people who don't know anything about anime.

But then I think about some of the things in the series and movies and it's incredibly hard to fathom those showing up in any kind of Star Wars IP.

But I love that about it... I've always thought Star Wars sucks to be honest. I love that Japan's is so much darker and angstier.


The original Star Wars is a perfect Hero's Journey story told on film. In a vacuum, it's an incredibly inventive and scrappy film.

Evangelion has the benefit of not being owned by Disney, and thus not being milked into oblivion*. If all we had of Star Wars was the original trilogy, and maybe the "Rebuild of Star Wars" aka the sequel trilogy (speaking purely in story terms of soft-rebooting things), it could probably stand toe to toe with Evangelion on prestige. It's just been watered down so much in the last two decades, as opposed to Evangelion which has been fiercely protected by its original creator.

Weird, I didn't think I'd be defending Star Wars in 2024. And I do much much prefer Evangelion.

*I am aware of how badly Evangelion has been milked for merch, but I'm talking exclusively about media appearances in this discussion. There was Evangelion manga, but I can remember there being three series or less for about 20 years (and two of those were gag manga). In terms of visual media outside the main series (anime, EoE, Rebuild films), I'm pretty sure there's just been a smattering of Japanese commercials using Evangelion characters.


Not so sure about this. I'm walking past a pachinko parlor playing the evangelion theme right now. It's... pretty milked


See asterisk note.


I thought the same until Rogue One. :)


Though there are probably at least 10 anime series Americans know about (Pokemon, Naruto, Dragonball-z, Yu-gi-oh, Death Note, Demon Slayer, One Piece, etc.) more often than Eva. Eva is a relatively strange anime in contrast. Is it that Eva is more "Japan"-coded than the other ones, which are more "American"-coded, thus they would have an outsized impact overseas but not comparatively in Japan?


Time and place sort of thing. There could easily be another timeline where Evangelion and Sailor Moon swap places popularity-wise in the US. The demographic for anime on broadcast television in the late '90s and early 2000s, when Evangelion was getting dubbed, just skewed too young for it to really be profitable in any way. If I remember correctly, it only ever had one complete run on Adult Swim, a late night block which really limited its exposure. I don't think End of Evangelion has ever aired on a major broadcast network. (The Rebuild movies did get play on the revived Toonami about a decade ago, though.)

I don't think Evangelion would ever have been a breakout hit, per se, like DBZ, but depending on the circumstances it definitely could have had moderate success.


Isn't Evangelion (in)famous for its use of Western religious and occult symbolism? I don't think it's more "Japan" coded than say Death Note (with Western characters) or One Piece (based loosely on Western pirate lore.)


It's more Japan-coded in that the framing of Christianity and the occult is from a Japanese perspective: it views Christian symbolism via an outsider's lens, as an abstract, esoteric ancient cult (which it is, but not in the common way it's perceived in the West)

Also, Eva is much more, for lack of a better term, adult-themed, thematically complex, and sexually weird than Pokemon, One piece, etc. This certainly would make it less universally popular as a cultural export.


Eva is on some level a parody of Gundam used to explore adult themes of depression, isolation, loneliness, parental conflict, and figuring out your sexual identity. It's more like Akira or Ghost in the Shell than it is like Pokemon or One Piece. For an American analogy, it's like Watchmen vs. Superman. Watchmen is a case of taking the kids entertainment of superhero comics and using it to explore more adult topics.


Or put another way, they’re both deconstructing a genre


> Though there are probably at least 10 anime series Americans know about ...

I can't help but feel you're significantly overestimating the "average familiarity" here.

https://xkcd.com/2501/


Read the end of the sentence after the parenthetical: "more often than Eva". I mean that if you asked any random American to name an anime, I'd wager if they knew any they'd know one of those much more often than Eva, it's about relative awareness, not absolute awareness.

And I'm pretty sure at least Pokemon is well entrenched into popular culture. Death Note and One Piece have had Netflix series, also indicated a good amount of penetration in the average market.


Eva was on Cartoon Network in the 2000s (a censored version, but still.) That's where I first watched it. Other shows I watched around that time included Ghost in the Shell SAC, Trigun, some Cowboy Bebop.

I recognize most of the names you mentioned, but haven't watched any of them other than to check if they interest me.

Obviously Pokemon is better known, but other than that it's going to depend a lot on age group.


>I read somewhere that Evangelion has similar cultural impact with the Japanese as Star Wars does in the US.

related: "Can You Live Entirely Off of Evangelion Merchandise?" by Red Bard[0].

[0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0Qr9rztRw4


I very much doubt that they licensed the NERV logo from Gainex here.


> The name and logo of "NERV" are used with the explicit permission of khara Inc., the copyright holder of the "Evangelion" series, and Groundworks Corporation, which manages the rights to the series.


Applied Science

Ze Frank

Asianometry

Premodernist

Integza


There are just so many great educational/maker channels, here's a bunch more that are least known on my list (in no particular order):

Not David

iforce2d

Chronova Engineering

Posy

SuperfastMatt

Michael Rechtin

AlphaPhoenix

Hyperspace Pirate

Nicholas Rehm

James Biggar

Casual Navigation

Kraut

Spanning Tree

Geo History

EgyptologyLessons

Carl Bugeja

electrosync

Historia Civilis

Jeremy Fielding

there oughta be

Andreas Spiess


Posy!! I can't believe I forgot him on my list! +1

Same with casual navigation! Have I ever worked on or piloted a boat? No. But will I watch little 10min explainer videos about bilge pumps and anchor chains? Definitely.


Sam Aronow is great if you are interested in Jewish history.


We have things like a fitness stipend, wellness stipend, learning stipend… all with cash value earmarked towards a specific use.


Ugh, don't get me started on how HSAs and FSAs are just a handout to the financial industry.


It’s more that he did something and now doesn’t have to.

It’s false that there’s a morality to wealth and that those who have gained it have inherently added value in line with the wealth they’ve gained. There’s usually a correlation but even then not always.


Adding to this: when you change your tire you’re not replacing your brake assembly.


It’s an easy and entertaining consumption method and the sources are linked right there…


The guy in question knew very well about the negative effects of lead[0]. The way in which you're right is that under capitalism, the profit motive distorts and chews up any moral precepts of any individual. The machine demands efficiency no matter how many lives it consumes.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Midgley_Jr.


The article says it was widely known that large doses of lead are toxic but says they found that 0.08% lead in gasoline was safe.

Today it's widely known that large doses of solanine (a compound in potatoes and tomatoes) are toxic, but the amount commonly in food is thought to be safe. So we haven't banned potatoes.

But even if some insane or evil scientist invents a harmful compound that becomes widely used, I'd be mainly angry at the US Public Health Services, or the equivalent public health agency in other countries. It's their responsibility to only allow safe products. They conducted a study on leaded gasoline and decided not to ban it. And every other country allowed it as well.

So we have to conclude every country's public health agency was either corrupt or incompetent, or that the harm from leaded gasoline at the dosage used wasn't obvious at the time. (Or both.)


One is not like the other.

Humans have eat potatoes for about 8000 years. So that seems to be a pretty large scale experiment.

While deciding to put a safe amount of a dangerous material on a product used in large scale is not a good decision.

Not sure how to explain (as I have little time now) but here is a simple way: - both potatoes and led have safe and dangerous levels - one - potato - was used since at least 8000 years ago - the other was not used on such large scale

It seems to me that we need to define safe levels in other way:

- safe levels on small scale and uses rarely

- safe levels on large scale or used constantly


Unfortunately it's an 8000 year experiment with no control group that can only detect large or acute effects. We don't know if regular exposure to potatoes slightly decreases IQ or increases risk of cancer or any other effects. (And, in fact, potatoes grilled over a fire are suspected to be carcinogenic.)

With leaded gas, the problem was also these small, long term effects that had never been established despite lead being used for thousands of years.


The Romans were using lead thousands of years ago too.

Small amounts of lead don't kill you immediately, they just make you a little dumber, a little more aggressive...


This one:

    the harm from leaded gasoline at the dosage used wasn't obvious at the time
I think the same is true of lead in (house) paint.


Reading a Thomas Midgley Jr. biography might change your mind.

He was famously warned of leaded gasoline's dangers, had to take a vacation to Miami to recover from lead poisoning. And also was famously a co-inventor of CFCs.

His only saving grace is that his name is also on the list of "inventors killed by their own inventions."


I interpreted the same fact the opposite way. Midgley was okay with exposing himself to lead and thought taking a vacation to get "a large supply of fresh air" would fix his lead exposure. This sounds like someone who didn't believe there were long term effects from chronic exposure to even very small doses of lead.


> The machine demands efficiency no matter how many lives it consumes.

Aside from typical drivel, what evidence do you have of lowered quality of life compared to other modes of economic structure? Of all the economic systems in the world, capitalist societies have had life expectancy (from birth, age 10, age 20, etc.) trend upwards. Famously, the Soviet Union dropped life expectancy in a time of peace, as did East Germany.

The US of A is known for its individualism in stark contrast to many other societies, so you're going to have to prove a lot with this statement:

> the profit motive distorts and chews up any moral precepts of any individual


There are countless ways to use the machine.

If citizens have little or no influence on their government it might be better not to horrify them with... shall we say... reality(?) If all we have is poisonous water for you then you can just drink it without knowing what is in it.

If we are going to do some kind of democracy we need you to have access and/or exposure to the full horror of the situation.

The market machinery needs a good definition of profit. If it must all be measured in one unit we can do that, money, gold, sea shells or quality of life, it doesn't really matter to the game.

We ironically build the proverbial hospital then go look for ways to profit from it. It follows that treatment must be as expensive as possible in order to maximize profit. You could consider the hospital the profit.

If we are going to modify your reality for you then your opinion is anything money can buy and we wont have the advantages of totalitarianism either.

There would be no difference between building or bombing hospitals. It would just be a matter of which is more profitable.

Other models of economic structure is a fun topic but we are not in a position to do it. We might want to rewrite it in Rust but the best we can hope for is some small modifications, close some of the worse bugs. It is hard to let the imagination run wild if it's not going to happen.


What evidence do you have that the sensor(human experience) is adequate to detect incremental or longterm change?

We could literally nuke the entire planet and 30 years later have a generation for which cancer, long winters and ruined before time cities are normal. The species sucks at perceiving reality


What?


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