The Geniuses' Thread

**Timbuk2** · 22-07-2010 9:09pm

I learned Visual BASIC when I was 9 (well the basics anyway). I used to be so proud of myself. Week One - Hello World. Week Five, I made a fully functional Tic Tac Toe, albeit with a very stupid and perdictable AI. I was so proud of myself!

I haven't done any programming since. I was having so much fun when I was 9 until I started learning something called arrays - I got bored and lost interest due to their apparent complexity.

And then there was that time I got one of the Countdown maths puzzles right in 10 seconds when none of the contestants did. OK, it was last week, but how I bursted with pride. Pity I can't do the letters game. I always shout at the TV "I have a 4, possibly a dodgy 5" but the contestants get 8. Oh boy would I hate to play them at Scrabble :P

Ally7 · 22-07-2010 11:37pm

**Timbuk2** wrote: »

I learned Visual BASIC when I was 9 (well the basics anyway). I used to be so proud of myself. Week One - Hello World. Week Five, I made a fully functional Tic Tac Toe, albeit with a very stupid and perdictable AI. I was so proud of myself!

I haven't done any programming since. I was having so much fun when I was 9 until I started learning something called arrays - I got bored and lost interest due to their apparent complexity.

And then there was that time I got one of the Countdown maths puzzles right in 10 seconds when none of the contestants did. OK, it was last week, but how I bursted with pride. Pity I can't do the letters game. I always shout at the TV "I have a 4, possibly a dodgy 5" but the contestants get 8. Oh boy would I hate to play them at Scrabble :P

Getting a sum in Countdown or getting the longest word there must be the best feeling ever :pac:

EuropeanSon · 22-07-2010 11:41pm

I always get the countdown sums

Never the words though...:(

Digits · 22-07-2010 11:54pm

Ally7 wrote: »

Getting a sum in Countdown or getting the longest word there must be the best feeling ever :pac:

Kinda like this.:pac:

I want that teapot.:):pac:

23-07-2010 12:10am

I do better at the Countdown letters than sums. As a mathematician, I'm not actually all that quick at mental arithmetic.

Insect Overlord · 17-08-2010 3:59pm

I'm having technical difficulties burning a CD.

The first attempt burnt all the songs, but not in the order I wanted. It only plays on Windows Media Player and in my car stereo, not on regular CD players. Some of the files are in MP3, the rest are .wma

Help!

17-08-2010 4:23pm

Insect Overlord wrote: »

I'm having technical difficulties burning a CD.

The first attempt burnt all the songs, but not in the order I wanted. It only plays on Windows Media Player and in my car stereo, not on regular CD players. Some of the files are in MP3, the rest are .wma

Help!

If you add track numbers to the songs in your music player, they should burn in the correct order. On specialised disk burners that just take a list of filenames instead of allowing you to choose from your music library, renaming the files so that they start with the number they should be on your CD should do the trick.

I think the problem there might be that some of your songs might already have track number data from whatever album they were originally from. For example, if I wanted to burn Planet Telex by Radiohead to my CD, it'd probably put itself 1st, since it's first on The Bends album.

Not sure why it won't work on regular CD players. Maybe you burned a data disk rather than an audio CD?
The files being half in MP3 and half in WMA shouldn't make a difference as if you do correctly burn an audio CD, it will convert all the songs to .wav format on the CD anyway. (Behind the scenes).

Sentineil · 17-08-2010 4:23pm

.wma is a windows media file. Although most players (players being software) can use them, CD players (being of the hardware variety) won't if they're outdated or crap.

The order of the songs should be alphabetical, so to arrange them just number them accordingly.

For you it's probably be something like:
01. C'est la Vie
02. That's Not My Name
03. Party In The USA

And so on.

Try downloading a .wma converter and turning them into mp3s too. Then your CD player should be able to play them. (if that's what's causing the problem that is)

From my quick glance this seems legit. Still, Dl at your own risk.

17-08-2010 4:26pm

Sentineil wrote: »

.wma is a windows media file. Although most players (players being software) can use them, CD players (being of the hardware variety) won't if they're outdated or crap.

The order of the songs should be alphabetical, so to arrange them just number them accordingly.

For you it's probably be something like:
01. C'est la Vie
02. That's Not My Name
03. Party In The USA

And so on.

Try downloading a .wma converter and turning them into mp3s too. Then your CD player should be able to play them. (if that's what's causing the problem that it)

From my quick glance this seems legit. Still, Dl at your own risk.

CD Players play .wav files. This is the format music on a CD should be in. Converting to mp3 will not help.

Since you seem to be using WMP for this, *goes to family PC to find a copy* just go across to "Burn" at the top, drag the files you want to put on the CD to the bar at right-hand side, and click start burn when ready.

Sentineil · 17-08-2010 4:30pm

Do CD players not play mp3s? Ignore my post then.

I know my car does, but doesn't play .wma, which I thought might be his problem.

Tea-a-Maria · 18-08-2010 10:57pm

Speaking of venn diagrams..

Not my personal view mind,but each to their own.:pac:

sock puppet · 18-08-2010 11:46pm

So the newest internet hit is supposedly a Justin Bieber song slowed down 800%. It sounds suspicious to me so I'll leave it to you fellow genies to decide.

If you can't measure slowness how can you make something 800% slower seeing as you don't know what the original slowness was?

Pygmalion · 19-08-2010 12:02am

sock puppet wrote: »

If you can't measure slowness how can you make something 800% slower seeing as you don't know what the original slowness was?

I assumed they mean it's now playing at 0.125x the original speed?

19-08-2010 12:05am

It's real. Interview with the producer here. And it's as Pyggy says. It's played at a slower speed.

Edit: Also, it's awful. :P

sock puppet · 19-08-2010 12:11am

Pygmalion wrote: »

I assumed they mean it's now playing at 0.125x the original speed?

That is indeed what they meant. But is being slowed down 800% not wrong? This is half a genuine question as I'm having a stupid day

Pygmalion · 19-08-2010 12:12am

sock puppet wrote: »

That is indeed what they meant. But is being slowed down 800% not wrong? This is half a genuine question as I'm having a stupid day

It is I think, basically anyone who ever says something is reduced by >%100 is wrong (and annoyingly common

).
I believe a newspaper a while ago claimed that muggings were down %500, which I can only assume meant that 4 times as much people were running into the streets and forcing free money onto people.

19-08-2010 12:33am

I think they may have meant slowed down 800 times, ie by a factor of 800. I didn't look at the actual number. Well spotted - I thought you were asking about the actual process of slowing it down.

Incidentally, the rumours of it being fake appear to come from a certain imageboard, where they invented a band and tried to make it appear as if they wrote the song first.
http://i.imgur.com/kXh7z.jpg

sock puppet · 19-08-2010 12:36am

Pygmalion wrote: »

It is I think, basically anyone who ever says something is reduced by >%100 is wrong (and annoyingly common ).
I believe a newspaper a while ago claimed that muggings were down %500, which I can only assume meant that 4 times as much people were running into the streets and forcing free money onto people.

Those bastard altruists. Menace to society

Pygmalion · 19-08-2010 12:38am

Deleted User wrote: »

I think they may have meant slowed down 800 times, ie by a factor of 800. I didn't look at the actual number. Well spotted - I though you were asking about the actual process of slowing it down.

Incidentally, the rumours of it being fake appear to come from a certain imageboard, where they invented a band and tried to make it appear as if they wrote the song first.
http://i.imgur.com/kXh7z.jpg

The song length was about 35 mins IIRC, so slowed down to 0.125x would make sense if the entire song was used, would mean a bit over 4 minutes, which is about standard.

The easy way to check would be to get the song and speed it up, but I'm not bothered.

Insect Overlord · 14-09-2010 2:04am

Piste · 14-09-2010 2:37am

I...don't get it.

Konata · 14-09-2010 2:46am

Piste wrote: »

I...don't get it.

Oh thank God! Me either >_<

Jay P · 14-09-2010 2:47am

C-4 is an explosive.

Konata · 14-09-2010 2:48am

Ah

Insect Overlord · 14-09-2010 3:10am

Pfft, girls just don't get Science... >_>

*runs*

Konata · 14-09-2010 3:11am

Insect Overlord wrote: »

Pfft, girls just don't get Science... >_>

*runs*

You know that threat I posted on your FB wall?

It applies for all situations.

Just so you know like...

esbo · 14-09-2010 4:01am

**Timbuk2** wrote: »

I learned Visual BASIC when I was 9 (well the basics anyway). I used to be so proud of myself. Week One - Hello World. Week Five, I made a fully functional Tic Tac Toe, albeit with a very stupid and perdictable AI. I was so proud of myself!

I haven't done any programming since. I was having so much fun when I was 9 until I started learning something called arrays - I got bored and lost interest due to their apparent complexity.

And then there was that time I got one of the Countdown maths puzzles right in 10 seconds when none of the contestants did. OK, it was last week, but how I bursted with pride. Pity I can't do the letters game. I always shout at the TV "I have a 4, possibly a dodgy 5" but the contestants get 8. Oh boy would I hate to play them at Scrabble :P

You don't need arrays to do any maths, they are contrived things which I think should not be taught because as you found it puts people off.

esbo · 14-09-2010 4:08am

Insect Overlord wrote: »

I'm having technical difficulties burning a CD.

The first attempt burnt all the songs, but not in the order I wanted. It only plays on Windows Media Player and in my car stereo, not on regular CD players. Some of the files are in MP3, the rest are .wma

Help!

My software allows you to order the songs yourself.
One I burnt would play in a car but not on a CD player too, but other I burnt before played in a different CD player.
I though it was because it was the wrong type of CD (they have the + R and the - R ones) but I am not sure about that.

I don't really use CDs anymore - too many problems, better off getting something which will play from some sort of USB stick I think.
Any how I just use my computer to play stuff (no car).

esbo · 14-09-2010 4:33am

Cows Go µ wrote: »

Okay, now I just need to find a good online course for c++. I need something to give me little projects to do.

Can't stand C++, I learned C and see no need for it really.

Q How does a C programmer change a light bulb?

A: He pushes the bulb up and gives it quarter turn.

Q How does a C++ programmer change a light bulb?

A: He pushes the bulb up and gives the room a quarter turn. :pac:

The Geniuses' Thread

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