The Random Image Thread (keeping it PG-13 at the worst)

[DEyncourt]

Glitter on your cappuccino:



Frankly just the idea made me cough. Literally.

[juice]

Glitter is for elementary school art projects and nudie bars. Not for my coffee.

[maurvir]

Um, no. Coffee should not look like that. Toxic waste, perhaps, but not coffee.

[maurvir]

[ukimalefu]

The apple IIe phone

[ukimalefu]

[ukimalefu]

[Pithecanthropus]

Glitter on your cappuccino:



Frankly just the idea made me cough. Literally.

No, no, no, and no.

[juice]

I can’t believe no one paged you to the thread when that was posted.

[ukimalefu]

Cliff House, San Francisco, 1890, Burnt up in 1907

[ukimalefu]

[Ribtor]

At first i thought that was a pakol hat and that picture was taken in Afghanistan. But then I saw the nerd-rover* and realised it's a star Trek** thing.

*I know...
**I know...

[TOS]

[ukimalefu]

NSFNerds

[DEyncourt]

12th century Aberdeen Beastiary has been newly scanned and put online:

.

An article pointing out some highlights.

[Séamas]

I wonder why he had this taken in front of Boston city hall.

Are there no ugly buildings at Cornell?

[maurvir]

KFC comissioned this painting for the man who noticed that KFC only follows 11 herbs and spices on Twitter. (Well, except the dude worked for the ad agency, so it was likely a bad attempt at viral marketing)

[maurvir]

[maurvir]

Then, moments later, when he realizes the photographer is Jewish...

[maurvir]

[ukimalefu]

[ukimalefu]

[ukimalefu]

[ukimalefu]

[StaticAge]

Since I was a very young kid and first learned about the golden records and the plaque, it’s always bothered me how they imagined aliens would be able to understand any of it. Why would aliens have the same sorts of sense organs (or any organs at all) to notice the physical features? And why assume they also use syntax or representations for communication (if they communicate at all)? And that’s two huge steps before you even get to semantics.

[juice]

In that case, why bother?

[StaticAge]

In that case, why bother?

Yeah, I get that, but the idea that you could code a message into a universal language humans invented is kind of ridiculous. Its like if you are stuck on an island with someone who doesn’t speak your language so you draw a picture that symbolizes “hello” to them which is a depiction of your first day in public school because that’s where humans often learn to deal with each other in public, as opposed to just saying “hello” and pointing and stuff. Neither may work but one is way more convoluted.

[macnuke]

In that case, why bother?

The budget must be spent

[ukimalefu]

Since I was a very young kid and first learned about the golden records and the plaque, it’s always bothered me how they imagined aliens would be able to understand any of it. Why would aliens have the same sorts of sense organs (or any organs at all) to notice the physical features? And why assume they also use syntax or representations for communication (if they communicate at all)? And that’s two huge steps before you even get to semantics.

I believe it's mostly math based and they assumed/hoped any intelligent species would be able to figure it out. Don't forget there's also a record with "sounds of earth"

[maurvir]

[DukeofNuke]

In that case, why bother?

Yeah, I get that, but the idea that you could code a message into a universal language humans invented is kind of ridiculous. Its like if you are stuck on an island with someone who doesn’t speak your language so you draw a picture that symbolizes “hello” to them which is a depiction of your first day in public school because that’s where humans often learn to deal with each other in public, as opposed to just saying “hello” and pointing and stuff. Neither may work but one is way more convoluted.

“Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra.”

[ukimalefu]

[ukimalefu]

In that case, why bother?

Yeah, I get that, but the idea that you could code a message into a universal language humans invented is kind of ridiculous. Its like if you are stuck on an island with someone who doesn’t speak your language so you draw a picture that symbolizes “hello” to them which is a depiction of your first day in public school because that’s where humans often learn to deal with each other in public, as opposed to just saying “hello” and pointing and stuff. Neither may work but one is way more convoluted.

“Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_plaque

[maurvir]

[DEyncourt]

12 years from now: "Aw, c'mon, Dad! DON'T show my friends that picture again!!!"

[obvs]

In that case, why bother?

Yeah, I get that, but the idea that you could code a message into a universal language humans invented is kind of ridiculous. Its like if you are stuck on an island with someone who doesn’t speak your language so you draw a picture that symbolizes “hello” to them which is a depiction of your first day in public school because that’s where humans often learn to deal with each other in public, as opposed to just saying “hello” and pointing and stuff. Neither may work but one is way more convoluted.

“Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra.”

I hated that episode so much.

The vast majority of human communication is metaphor. That alien group was not particularly unique, and the idea that their communication would be so difficult to understand didn't seem to make sense.

And also, at the same time, as far as aliens go, it was illustrative of how the aliens of Star Trek might not have been as diverse as they could be, because they all had communication styles which were so much like humanity's own.

[TOS]

In that case, why bother?

Yeah, I get that, but the idea that you could code a message into a universal language humans invented is kind of ridiculous. Its like if you are stuck on an island with someone who doesn’t speak your language so you draw a picture that symbolizes “hello” to them which is a depiction of your first day in public school because that’s where humans often learn to deal with each other in public, as opposed to just saying “hello” and pointing and stuff. Neither may work but one is way more convoluted.

well i don't think they were dummies for thinking that any civilization advanced enough to intercept the plaque would be able to figure some of it out at least

[ukimalefu]

[ukimalefu]

omg, they finally made robo-soldiers

[obvs]

I am completely unimpressed by the military forcing people to act like robots.