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  3. What happens if you get scared half to death twice? [modified]

What happens if you get scared half to death twice? [modified]

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  • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

    I'm not convinced: surely life is a binary state - it's there or it's not. So, using integer arithmetic,

    int life = 1;
    life *= (int)0.5;

    would give life == 0 i.e. death.

    Real men don't use instructions. They are only the manufacturers opinion on how to put the thing together.

    S Offline
    S Offline
    Steve Dubyo
    wrote on last edited by
    #15

    So regardless of this happening twice.. you suggest that if you are scared half to death just once then you are in fact dead?

    ;-]

    OriginalGriffO 1 Reply Last reply
    0
    • S Steve Dubyo

      Can you help settle a debate between myself and a colleague? Given the wording in the title, how do you interprit it, what is your conclusion and how do you reach it? I won't reveal my arguement yet so as to maintain impartiality. EDIT: Well the first few replies back up my answer of 25% alive, looks like it will be free coffee for me if no-one can disprove this?!

      ;-]

      modified on Tuesday, August 31, 2010 7:30 AM

      L Offline
      L Offline
      Lost User
      wrote on last edited by
      #16

      Elastic limit, plastic limit.

      Join the cool kids - Come fold with us[^]

      P S 2 Replies Last reply
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      • P Pete OHanlon

        Statistically, the two events are not connected, so have no bearing on each other. Alive is a binary state - you are either alive or dead, the concept of nearly dead is another way of saying still alive.

        I have CDO, it's OCD with the letters in the right order; just as they ruddy well should be

        My blog | My articles | MoXAML PowerToys | Onyx

        S Offline
        S Offline
        Steve Dubyo
        wrote on last edited by
        #17

        Interesting that yourself and OriginalGriff both agree that life is a binary state but based on that your conclusions are opposed, dead v's alive.

        ;-]

        P 1 Reply Last reply
        0
        • L Lost User

          Elastic limit, plastic limit.

          Join the cool kids - Come fold with us[^]

          P Offline
          P Offline
          Pete OHanlon
          wrote on last edited by
          #18

          Trollslayer wrote:

          Elastic limit, plastic limit.

          Caustic gimmick, gauze tape lymerick. Sorry, I thought we were writing lyrics here.

          I have CDO, it's OCD with the letters in the right order; just as they ruddy well should be

          My blog | My articles | MoXAML PowerToys | Onyx

          1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • S Steve Dubyo

            Can you help settle a debate between myself and a colleague? Given the wording in the title, how do you interprit it, what is your conclusion and how do you reach it? I won't reveal my arguement yet so as to maintain impartiality. EDIT: Well the first few replies back up my answer of 25% alive, looks like it will be free coffee for me if no-one can disprove this?!

            ;-]

            modified on Tuesday, August 31, 2010 7:30 AM

            H Offline
            H Offline
            hairy_hats
            wrote on last edited by
            #19

            If you can't find a wit, would you settle for two half-wits?

            1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • L Lost User

              Elastic limit, plastic limit.

              Join the cool kids - Come fold with us[^]

              S Offline
              S Offline
              Steve Dubyo
              wrote on last edited by
              #20

              So an elastic limit of up to 50% and you would recover from the first scaring resulting in 0.5? A limit of over 50% and you would be down to 0.25?

              ;-]

              1 Reply Last reply
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              • S Steve Dubyo

                Interesting that yourself and OriginalGriff both agree that life is a binary state but based on that your conclusions are opposed, dead v's alive.

                ;-]

                P Offline
                P Offline
                Pete OHanlon
                wrote on last edited by
                #21

                Yeah - I'm a "glass twice as big as it needs to be" type of guy.

                I have CDO, it's OCD with the letters in the right order; just as they ruddy well should be

                My blog | My articles | MoXAML PowerToys | Onyx

                S 1 Reply Last reply
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                • P Pete OHanlon

                  Yeah - I'm a "glass twice as big as it needs to be" type of guy.

                  I have CDO, it's OCD with the letters in the right order; just as they ruddy well should be

                  My blog | My articles | MoXAML PowerToys | Onyx

                  S Offline
                  S Offline
                  Steve Dubyo
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #22

                  Pete O'Hanlon wrote:

                  "glass twice as big as it needs to be"

                  hah, I like that and might just steal it and pass it off as my own!!

                  ;-]

                  P 1 Reply Last reply
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                  • S Steve Dubyo

                    Can you help settle a debate between myself and a colleague? Given the wording in the title, how do you interprit it, what is your conclusion and how do you reach it? I won't reveal my arguement yet so as to maintain impartiality. EDIT: Well the first few replies back up my answer of 25% alive, looks like it will be free coffee for me if no-one can disprove this?!

                    ;-]

                    modified on Tuesday, August 31, 2010 7:30 AM

                    R Offline
                    R Offline
                    R Giskard Reventlov
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #23

                    Stoopid, meaningless question. What is half dead? How much more dead do you have to be so that you couldn't come back from it? 1%? 5% Anyway, the answer is infinite since you recover once, you can recover innumerable times.

                    "If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair. nils illegitimus carborundum me, me, me

                    S 1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • S Steve Dubyo

                      Pete O'Hanlon wrote:

                      "glass twice as big as it needs to be"

                      hah, I like that and might just steal it and pass it off as my own!!

                      ;-]

                      P Offline
                      P Offline
                      Pete OHanlon
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #24

                      I've had that a few times.

                      I have CDO, it's OCD with the letters in the right order; just as they ruddy well should be

                      My blog | My articles | MoXAML PowerToys | Onyx

                      1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • R R Giskard Reventlov

                        Stoopid, meaningless question. What is half dead? How much more dead do you have to be so that you couldn't come back from it? 1%? 5% Anyway, the answer is infinite since you recover once, you can recover innumerable times.

                        "If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair. nils illegitimus carborundum me, me, me

                        S Offline
                        S Offline
                        Steve Dubyo
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #25

                        Indeed half-dead is not really tangible, just a turn of phrase. Though it does prompt interesting debate as people interpret it differently and apply different logic. Your conclusion for example allows for recovery whereas others don't.

                        ;-]

                        H 1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • OriginalGriffO OriginalGriff

                          I'm not convinced: surely life is a binary state - it's there or it's not. So, using integer arithmetic,

                          int life = 1;
                          life *= (int)0.5;

                          would give life == 0 i.e. death.

                          Real men don't use instructions. They are only the manufacturers opinion on how to put the thing together.

                          M Offline
                          M Offline
                          Marc Clifton
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #26

                          OriginalGriff wrote:

                          I'm not convinced: surely life is a binary state - it's there or it's not.

                          Not to take away from the humor of the subject, but, for example, I found out yesterday that this 19 year old kid got in a car accident and ended up with broken ribs, a shattered knee and hip, and broken wrist, all of which requires several surgeries, etc. (He wasn't drunk, he was actually swerving out of the way in panic of someone who was passing illegally in the oncoming lane and smacked into a bridge). So, I don't know. I think life is definitely more than a binary state--certainly the subjective experience is more than a two state experience, and even objectively, I would have to say that this poor kid (as an example) is definitely not in the "fullest" of life at the moment. Marc

                          1 Reply Last reply
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                          • S Steve Dubyo

                            Indeed half-dead is not really tangible, just a turn of phrase. Though it does prompt interesting debate as people interpret it differently and apply different logic. Your conclusion for example allows for recovery whereas others don't.

                            ;-]

                            H Offline
                            H Offline
                            hairy_hats
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #27

                            influenz wrote:

                            interesting debate

                            Really?

                            S 1 Reply Last reply
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                            • S Steve Dubyo

                              The presumption of recovery is a big one but I like the state of being argument, allot of this is in the initial interpretation. Yours is a third argument though as my colleague is in the "you're dead" camp!

                              ;-]

                              M Offline
                              M Offline
                              Marc Clifton
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #28

                              influenz wrote:

                              Yours is a third argument

                              :jig: Then I have succeeded! :-D

                              influenz wrote:

                              The presumption of recovery is a big one

                              Well, the presumption of recovery is based on the ability to change state. For example, I would assume that one is alive when scared half to death, otherwise, how would you experience being scared half to death? Therefore, why should there be any presumption about recovery (returning back to full life)? In other words, if you can go from full to 1/2, I would start with the presumption that you can also go back from 1/2 to full. :) There's other, more obscure arguments I could make, that being scared half to death is a very transitory experience rather than having any permanence to it, as would require to be scared half to death, then in that state, scared half to death again. :) Marc

                              1 Reply Last reply
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                              • H hairy_hats

                                influenz wrote:

                                interesting debate

                                Really?

                                S Offline
                                S Offline
                                Steve Dubyo
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #29

                                viaducting wrote:

                                interesting debate

                                one way to kill (or half kill!) a few minutes.. better!?

                                ;-]

                                1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • P Pete OHanlon

                                  Statistically, the two events are not connected, so have no bearing on each other. Alive is a binary state - you are either alive or dead, the concept of nearly dead is another way of saying still alive.

                                  I have CDO, it's OCD with the letters in the right order; just as they ruddy well should be

                                  My blog | My articles | MoXAML PowerToys | Onyx

                                  M Offline
                                  M Offline
                                  Marc Clifton
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #30

                                  Pete O'Hanlon wrote:

                                  Alive is a binary state - you are either alive or dead, the concept of nearly dead is another way of saying still alive.

                                  Actually, no. ;) Being "nearly dead" is a quantitative statement which does not equal "being alive", as the quantity is lost. "Nearly dead" == "hardly alive" is more accurate, IMO. So, I don't view life as a binary state, neither the subjective experience of life nor the objective observation of the state of life. Marc

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • S Steve Dubyo

                                    So regardless of this happening twice.. you suggest that if you are scared half to death just once then you are in fact dead?

                                    ;-]

                                    OriginalGriffO Offline
                                    OriginalGriffO Offline
                                    OriginalGriff
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #31

                                    "Captain, I canna' change the laws of physics."

                                    Real men don't use instructions. They are only the manufacturers opinion on how to put the thing together.

                                    "I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
                                    "Common sense is so rare these days, it should be classified as a super power" - Random T-shirt

                                    1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • S Steve Dubyo

                                      Can you help settle a debate between myself and a colleague? Given the wording in the title, how do you interprit it, what is your conclusion and how do you reach it? I won't reveal my arguement yet so as to maintain impartiality. EDIT: Well the first few replies back up my answer of 25% alive, looks like it will be free coffee for me if no-one can disprove this?!

                                      ;-]

                                      modified on Tuesday, August 31, 2010 7:30 AM

                                      D Offline
                                      D Offline
                                      Dan Neely
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #32

                                      Does "scared half to death" mean life -= .5 or life *=.5. Once you and your colleague fix that I'll be able to give you an estimate for how long writing the application to answer this question will take. :laugh:

                                      3x12=36 2x12=24 1x12=12 0x12=18

                                      S 1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • D Dan Neely

                                        Does "scared half to death" mean life -= .5 or life *=.5. Once you and your colleague fix that I'll be able to give you an estimate for how long writing the application to answer this question will take. :laugh:

                                        3x12=36 2x12=24 1x12=12 0x12=18

                                        S Offline
                                        S Offline
                                        Steve Dubyo
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #33

                                        assume life -= .5 But don't spend too much time putting that estimate together, I have a funny feeling that this will never quite reach the top of the priority list!!!

                                        ;-]

                                        1 Reply Last reply
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